Going West: True Crime

In September of 2003, a 17-year-old girl vanished from her family’s home in Placer County, California. Her truck was missing from the driveway, but her purse and belongings were still inside the house - as if she had simply stepped out and disappeared into the night. As days turned to weeks, suspicion began to circle closer inwards, and when the truth emerged, it would shock and devastate everyone who knew her. Especially when they learned that she had been buried alive… This is the murder of Justine Vanderschoot.

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In August of 2017, a 35-year-old woman was found dead outside her Michigan home, discovered by her daughter near an open second story window. When police arrived to their affluent neighborhood, a crime originally didn’t appear to have taken place. It looked like she had simply and tragically fallen while cleaning an upstairs window. But when they reviewed footage from the homes surveillance cameras, police would make a bombshell revelation. This is the murder of Nada Huraniah.

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In the late 1970s, suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania lived in the fear as an apparent strangling serial killer hunted young women - walking to school, leaving work. With so many other murders occurring in the area at the time, police originally didn’t know if any of these cases were connected. But soon, DNA would pin at least two of them together, and a consistent MO would help pool a collection of these horrific murders under the same umbrella. This is the story of the Pittsburgh Phantom.

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In September of 1977, a promising 19-year-old college student in San Francisco disappeared after heading to study in her university’s library. Horrifically, she was found brutally murdered the next morning in a locked faculty reading room on the fourth floor, her belongings neatly piled nearby. With an attack on another local woman occurring in the same area that same summer, an intriguing and disturbing suspect came into play. This is the murder of Jenny Low Chang.

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In September of 2009, a 24-year-old woman was released from a Los Angeles sheriff’s station in the middle of the night after being arrested for failing to pay her bill at a Malibu restaurant. In the hours preceding her arrest, she had been acting strangely and speaking in riddles. She had no car, phone, or money, yet she seemed determined to set off into the dark hills of Malibu Canyon, and was never seen alive again. This is the strange death of Mitrice Richardson.

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On a stormy night in August of 1961, an eight-year-old girl vanished from her family home in Tacoma, Washington. There was no ransom note and surprisingly little evidence left behind. So after decades with no answers, an eerie link between the young girl and a man on death row birthed the theory that a notorious serial killer may have claimed her as his first victim. This the disappearance of Ann Marie Burr.

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In August of 1989, a 26-year-old man in Prince George, British Columbia was given an unexpected lifeline when a bearded stranger at a pub offered him and his partner short-term work at a logging ranch nearby. With two young children, desperation for employment outweighed caution. Later that night, a witness saw the family pack their belongings and step into the man’s truck outside their home. But they were never seen again. This is the disappearance of the Jack family.

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In August of 2011, a 21-year-old art student suddenly vanished from her Ohio townhouse. Her purse, her car —even her beloved dog—were all left behind. And with no signs of struggle and no clear explanation, the case baffled investigators and shook her community. For nearly two years, her disappearance was a haunting mystery… until a discovery miles away across state lines changed everything. This is the murder of Katelyn Markham.

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In August of 1973, a 22-year-old woman was beginning her graduate degree in psychology at the same Missouri university when she was brutally murdered in her apartment. Originally, police believed the crime was committed by a woman. Or, a professor she may have been seeing on campus. Now, 52 years later, even more curious potential suspects have come into play, as a whole new investigation is underway. This is the murder of Tess Hilt.

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In July of 2023, a beloved elementary school teacher took a walk through her Maryland neighborhood, just as she did every evening. But this time, she never came home. Within days, her disappearance sparked a massive search effort involving local authorities and concerned volunteers alike. As the weeks wore on, eerie details surfaced, including a photograph of the murder suspect as he was disposing of her remains. This is the murder of Mariame Toure Sylla.

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In the spring of 2009, a short-lived spree of attacks against women in Boston and Rhode Island had the Eastern Seaboard on edge. But when a suspect was finally identified, the revelation was almost too bizarre to believe: a clean-cut, promising medical student with a seemingly perfect home life. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a dual existence darker and more calculated than anyone who knew him could have possibly imagined. These are the crimes of the Craigslist Killer, otherwise known as Philip Markoff.

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In the summer of 1986, two young girls vanished mere months apart, both while out riding their bikes in Tacoma, Washington. Despite exhaustive efforts, both cases went cold, until decades later, when a surprising breakthrough revived the investigation. With new forensic tools and a fresh set of eyes, detectives began to piece together a puzzle that had haunted the community for years, finally finding answers over 30 years later. These are the murders of Michella Welch and Jenni Bastian, otherwise known as the Tacoma Girls.

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In July of 2025, a couple and their two young daughters were hiking at the Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas after recently relocating to the area. But while on the trail, a strange man approached the family, stabbing and murdering the parents. Within days, someone was arrested for the slayings, and his identity would shock the nation. These are the murders of Clint and Cristen Brink, also known as the Devil's Den Murders.

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In March of 2024, two women set off on a short drive through the rural backroads of Oklahoma, but they never made it to their destination. Hours later, their car was found abandoned by the side of the road, but suspiciously, along with signs of a struggle. As the search for them intensified, authorities uncovered a trail marked by custody battles, a religious cult, and secrets buried deep in a small-town community, which would ultimately lead to five arrests. These are the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.

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In the 1980s and ’90s, a deeply disturbed man from New Jersey drifted from town to town, hiding behind a soft-spoken voice and a childlike demeanor. Seemingly tormented by delusions, and obsessed with revenge, he harbored gruesome secrets. By the time investigators connected him to the 1986 disappearance of six-year-old Michele Dorr, and later, the baffling vanishing of Harvard graduate Laura Houghteling, it was clear: this man wasn’t just strange... He was deadly. And he may have left behind more victims than anyone ever realized. This is the story of Hadden Clark, also known, as the Cannibal Gardener.

In July of 1986, a 19-year-old man was found hanging from a tree near his Maryland home. Authorities swiftly ruled it a suicide, but those closest to him questioned everything about the scene; from the small tree, which could barely support his weight, to the lack of an autopsy, to the suspicious friends who seemed to vanish in the wake of his sudden death. Years later, his mother received a suspicious envelope on her doorstep, and new evidence would challenge the original ruling. This is the death of Keith Warren.

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In July of 1995, a 24-year-old woman in Alaska headed out on a date with a man she had only recently met. She was last seen at a crowded summer fair in the forest, surrounded by tourists - but by the time the sun rose the next morning, she was gone. What followed was a desperate search in the unforgiving Alaska wilderness, and eerie silence from her date, which only deepened the mystery. This is the disappearance of Erin Gilbert.

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In the summer of 1990, a serial killer originally dubbed “The Charmer” began his crusade of committing brutal acts of violence against Seattle-area women, then placing their bodies in crude positions before abandoning them. Locals were terrified of the perverse madman loose on the streets of their city - but, thanks to DNA and a few careless slip ups, a suspect was identified. And quickly, the evidence against him began to stack. These are the gruesome murders of Mary Anne Pohlreich, Carol Beethe, and Randi Levine - committed by the Bellevue Killer.

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In the late 1980s, a Hollywood camera operator was murdered in his home in the Los Angeles suburbs. At first glance, the scene appeared to be a tragic and random home invasion. But with little evidence to support this conclusion, a far more sinister story emerged, which would leave two people dead, two people in prison, and one person on death row. This is the murder of Bob Samuels, and the story of the Green Widow murders.

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In July of 2012, a beloved high school teacher was found murdered inside her Staten Island home. Although it was initially believed to be a home invasion gone wrong, the scene left behind raised immediate questions with investigators. And a daunting four-month investigation would reveal family secrets that someone was fighting desperately to suppress - leaving a shocking trail of evidence in the form of Google searches and burner phone calls. This is the murder of Simeonette Mapes-Crupi.

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Serial killers are not just the stuff of horror movies or thriller novels. They walk among us, hidden in plain sight, sometimes quiet, sometimes charming, almost always disarmingly ordinary. But what turns a human being into a hunter of humans? How do they emerge? And more importantly — why? Today, we’re diving into the dark psychology and chilling statistics
that define the anatomy of a serial killer. We’ll explore what the numbers tell us, what patterns have emerged, and what lurks in the background of some of the most infamous killers.
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In April of 2024, a 19-year-old student vanished after heading out for a promising first date in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But hours later, her torched car was found in another part of the city, and later that day, dismembered body parts began popping up along the coastline… Although security footage and phone pings helped the case against their surprising suspect, blood evidence and disturbing images on his phone garnered answers in the recent June 2025 trial.  This is the murder of Sade Robinson.

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Between 1980 and 1982, a string of unexplained child deaths unsettled small towns across Florida. Shockingly, the common thread was a quiet teenager hired as the babysitter. As grieving families sought answers and doctors cited rare medical conditions as the cause, suspicion began to build quietly among the grieving families. But it wasn’t until the summer of 1982 that the truth behind the tragedies began to emerge, raising chilling questions about evil hiding in plain sight. These are the murders by Christine Falling, also known as the babysitter from hell.

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In July of 2010, a 17-year-old girl vanished while walking home from summer school in a quiet Southern California suburb. Her belongings were scattered in a field along her route, but she was nowhere to be found. Days later, the discovery of her body would leave a community shaken and desperate for answers. But with help of DNA and a disturbing surveillance video, police would find a violent suspect. This is the murder of Norma Lopez.

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In July of 2013, three friends wound up in the woods of rural Oklahoma after a high-speed police chase - but only one of them emerged. Following a flurry of frantic phone calls asking for help, the pair who were left behind in the woods disappeared, and have never been seen again. As weeks turned to years, the secrets surrounding that strange night began to slip out in the town of just over a thousand people. Whispers of corruption, intimidation, and a cover-up still linger alongside the question of what really happened to Molly Miller and Colt Haynes that night...

In June of 2023, a 38-year-old woman was found dead in a quiet Kentucky neighborhood, shortly after purchasing a house and beginning a promising new job. But what began as her fresh start quickly turned into a gruesome mystery marred by finger pointing and the failure of local law enforcement. With few clues and no clear motive, investigators were left to piece together her final moments. This is the murder of Amber Spradlin.

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In 1974, a 14-year-old New Jersey girl disappeared after meeting up with a man regarding a babysitting job. She had placed an ad in the paper, and the man in question had a 5-year-old son he allegedly needed care for. But when she went missing from their meeting spot, a bus stop, she was never seen again. And then, a horrifying ransom call came in to her family residence followed by a disturbingly poetic letter. This is the disappearance of Margaret Fox.

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In September, we're going on our first-ever tour! Find us in Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago alongside Love Murder for five mysteriously fun evenings! We really hope to expand this tour, so get your tickets THIS WEEK! Pre-sale begins Wed June 18, using code LOVEWEST. And public on-sale begins Friday June 20! Get your tickets at goingwestpod.com/tour

Thursday, September 11, 2025 The Oriental Theater Denver, CO
Saturday, September 13, 2025 Texas Theatre Dallas, TX
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 Arts at the Armory Somerville Boston, MA
Thursday, September 18, 2025 Center Stage Atlanta, GA
Sunday, September 21, 2025 Park West Chicago, IL

In April of 1981, a mother and her children -along with two of her children's friends- were spending a quiet Saturday night in their rural California cabin. But by morning, the scene inside Cabin 28 was anything but peaceful. What investigators found was a blood-soaked mystery involving multiple victims, a missing child, and no trace of who—or what—had come in the night. With few answers and a town cloaked in silence, this case would go on to become one of the most disturbing unsolved crimes in American history. This is the story of the Keddie Cabin Murders.

Ho...

In June of 2002, a 20-year-old woman vanished after a swim by Lake Erie. Last seen with her boyfriend’s friend, she was reportedly dropped off safely at a movie theater, but no one saw whether she actually made it there or not. As investigators probed deeper, they uncovered conflicting stories, dubious alibis, and a suspect with a troubling past. So what happened to her, and is someone still hiding a sinister truth? This is the disappearance of Sabrina Kahler.

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In June of 2010, a 29-year-old nurse was found shot to death in her California home with a note that seemed to point to a particular person embedded in her life. But as detectives unraveled the case further, the twisted truth came to the surface in shocking fashion: an affair, an obsession, and an unsuspecting killer hiding in plain sight. This is the murder of LaNell Barsock.

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In July of 2008, a 53-year-old mother, artist, and counselor was found bludgeoned to death in her Arizona home, just 35 days after finalizing her divorce. At first, it appeared to be the tragic result of a random home invasion. But as investigators dug deeper into the victim’s life, they uncovered a tangled web of obsession and deception, as well as a trail of evidence that led to a conclusion some still find hard to believe. This is the murder of Carol Kennedy.

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In August of 2014, a 62-year-old American woman was found brutally murdered and stuffed inside a suitcase at a luxury resort in Bali. What began as a baffling international mystery soon turned into a media frenzy as investigators sifted through surveillance footage, hotel records, and text exchanges - where they uncovered a chilling tale of privilege, power struggles, and a family dynamic more twisted than anyone could have imagined. This is the murder of Sheila Von Wiese.

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In June of 1999, a brilliant entomologist vanished into the night after walking home in Idaho Falls. And when police looked into his vanishing, they found many suspicious angles. In a strangely familiar situation from three years earlier, he was assaulted while walking home from a bar. And the last person to see him before he went missing left town that same night, with a troubling discovery in his car coming up in police’s search. So what happened to this man that everyone admired? This is the story of Darwin Vest.

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In May of 1995, a 15-year-old vanished in broad daylight after attending half of her high school classes in the quiet town of Spanish Fork, Utah. She was last seen around lunchtime, but never made it to her next class, and never came home. For years, her disappearance haunted her community, even after arrests were made. This is the murder of Kiplyn Davis.

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In April of 1989, an intruder wiped out nearly an entire family inside their Indiana home on prom night. With little evidence left behind at the scene, the case went cold for some time - until renewed vigor in the investigation revealed a shocking suspect - one that many believe to this day may actually be innocent. These are the murders of the Pelley family, otherwise known as the Prom Night Murders.

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In May of 2016, a 31-year-old woman went out for a night of music and drinks in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But the next morning, her body was found in a farmer’s field, miles from home, and brutally beaten. Investigators soon uncovered a tangled timeline of jealousy and digital footprints that pointed back to the man she had trusted most. But with evidence from a fitness tracker, the entire case against the most likely suspect would be questioned. This is the murder of Nicole VanderHeyden.

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In June of 1995, a 27-year-old morning news anchor vanished outside her Iowa apartment complex as she rushed to go to work in the dark, early morning hours. When police came upon the scene, they found her high heeled shoe, and various other items like a hairdryer strewn next to her car door - proving that she likely been abducted. As evidence of a stalker came into light, with her reporting being followed months earlier, and telling friends of disturbing anonymous phone calls, investigators worked hard to find a suspect. This is the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit.

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In June of 2013, a 25-year-old newlywed vanished in the picturesque mountains of Montana, just days after saying "I do." What began as a missing persons case in a tight-knit community quickly turned into something far darker, as investigators uncovered chilling secrets, a cryptic email regarding his death, and a truth that no one saw coming. This is the murder of Cody Johnson.

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Tensions were high during the summer of 1983 in Saint Petersburg, Florida, leading it to become known as the “summer of hell” after a rash of murders plagued the city. Two years prior, Playboy had opened the Suncoast Club, the first of its kind in the area. And now, as the city grappled with a potential serial killer, the Suncoast Club’s “Bunny of the Year” contest would result in both the winner and the photographer turning up dead. The bunnies feared they were being targeted, and wondered: who among them could be next? With Holly Madison today, in excitement for her ne...