August 25th, 1930, was the first day of the New York Supreme Court's fall term. But its newest judge didn't show up for court. Justice Joseph Crater's lifelong ambition was to be a judge. By all accounts, he was ecstatic at his recent appointment to the bench by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. But his seat on the bench this day was inexplicably empty. In fact, no one had seen justice crater in 19 days, when he cleaned out his office, cashed a couple of checks for a fairly large sum of money, had dinner with a friend then got into a taxi, never to be seen again. 



He left behind a frantic wife, a veritable harem of mistresses, and a brewing political scandal, but no solid evidence as to where he might have gone, or what might have happened to him. Could justice Crater have been the victim of the political machine, blackmail, or his own hubris? Was this the work of organized crime or a random act of violence? Or did he simply walk away of his own volition and start a new life in Chicago, California, or Canada? 



Season 3 has arrived. 



Welcome to Vanished: Judge Crater.



Links


Our Website

Vanished on Twitter 
Vanished on Instagram 
Vanished on Facebook 
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group 
Vanished on TikTok

Jennifer Taylor on Twitter 
Chris Williamson on Twitter 
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt

Opening Theme Lost by Tony Ann 

Show Notes & Further Reading


Finding Judge Crater: A Life and Phenomenal Disappearance in Jazz Age New York by Stephen J. Riegel 


 Joseph Force Crater Becomes the Missingest Man in New York @ History

Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind by Richard J. Tofel 

Joseph Force Crater @ Wikipedia 


S3 Ep1: Vanished: Judge Crater "The Missingest Man in New York"

“The past is filled with incredible mysteries; the clues to solving them all around; hidden in plain sight. But these stories begin with some of the most famous vanishings in history."

Join attorney Jennifer Taylor and investigator Chris Williamson as they re-open some of the biggest disappearance cases in all of history.

Chasing clues, witnesses and new information Jennifer and Chris will take you on the ride of a lifetime and uncover new evidence in some of the biggest historical cold cases ever; some of which the world won't be ready to believe.

"Vanished" is a ChrisEvan Films production, and part of the Straight Up Strange podcast network.

TV & Film

History

Society & Culture

Non-Profit

Government & Organizations

Government

On July 5th 2020, we walked away from the Amelia Earhart case as a team. After over a year of recording and almost two years in production, we ended what I thought was the final conversation we’d have on this show regarding Amelia Earhart. 



Well, you know how that goes…..



2 weeks ago, on January 26th, a very intriguing sonar image of what appears to be an aircraft 16,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific was revealed by Tony Romeo and Deep Sea Vision - a team that had been searching in that area for any remnants they could find of the holy grail of aviation. Sometimes, when you’re searching for a needle in the biggest haystack on the face of the earth, you produce a miracle. 



Tonight, for one night only, we return to our audience and re-open the case that we left over 4 years ago. 



Suddenly, it’s the summer of 2019 again. And Jen Taylor hasn't missed a step. 



This is a line I never thought I’d say again. Welcome back to Vanished. This is Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan. 



LINKS


Our Website 
Vanished on Twitter 
Vanished on Instagram 
Vanished on TikTok

Vanished on Facebook 
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group

Opening Audio News Clip  

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING


Is This Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane? @ The Wall Street Journal

Liz Smith’s Dateline Theory Blog 

Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance @ History






S3 Ep10: Vanished: Amelia Earhart "Summer 2019 (Part 2)"

It’s December 5th, 1872. The waters of the Atlantic are cold and desolate. Unforgiving. 



A British brigantine, the Dei Gratia sits about 400 miles east of the Azores when crew members spot a ship that seems to just be bobbing on the endless waves -  lifeless in an ocean that seems to never end.   



The Captain of the Dei Gratia, David Morehouse was surprised when he discovered that the ship his men were seeing, was none other than the Mary Celeste - a brigantine that left New York City eight days earlier bound for Genoa, Italy. Surely, they should have made it by now, he thought. Something must be wrong. 



Under the order of Captain Morehouse, the Dei Gratia changes course in an attempt to investigate the seemingly abandoned ship. 



Upon arrival at the Celeste, Morehouse sends a search party that includes first mate Oliver Deveau and second mate John Wright to board the brigantine and begin a search. Among the many strange things that the De Gratia crew discovered upon boarding the ship, was that her vessels were set, her cargo intact, but her crew of ten, including Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, and their two-year- old daughter was nowhere to be found. Below deck, the ship’s charts and maps were a mess, but present. It’s only lifeboat was missing, and one of it’s two pumps had been strangely disassembled. There was over a 6 month supply of both food and water, but no one aboard the ship to consume it. 



The absence of life aboard the Celeste immediately fueled rumors and speculation, that still send shivers down the spines of some of modern day’s most seasoned nautical investigators.



Again, under orders of Captain Morehouse, the crew of the Dei Gratia took control of the abandoned ship and sailed it 800 miles to Gibraltar where a British court convened a salvage hearing to determine if the spoils of the Mary Celeste would be divided up amongst the crew of the Dei Gratia under maritime salvage insurance law. 



The case wouldn’t be so cut and dry though, as the attorney general in charge of the inquiry, Frederick Solly - Flood, suspected that foul play may have played a part in the mysterious vanishing of the ship’s crew. That is where tonight’s story begins. 



Welcome back to Vanished. This is the Mary Celeste. 



LINKS


Our Website 
Vanished on Twitter 
Vanished on Instagram 
Vanished on TikTok

Vanished on Facebook 
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group

A Very Special Thank You to the True Crime Podcast Festival for Hosting Us
Bob Motta, Alison Motta and Darren Wood Appear Courtesy of Defense Diaries

Jason Usry Appears Courtesy of Santa Maybe 
Angela and John Appear Courtesy of The Bravo Docket 

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING


What Happened to the Mary Celeste? @ History


The Chilling Mystery Of The Mary Celeste, The Ghost Ship Found Empty In The Atlantic In 1872 @ All Things Interesting


The Incredible and Chilling Story of the Mary Celeste @ Modeler's Central



S3 Ep9: Vanished: The Mary Celeste "Abandoned Ship" (Live)

It’s January 5th 1941, the skies are gray and filled with water, ready at any minute to pour down to the Earth below. Amy Johnson, whom many people referred to as the British Amelia Earhart, is soaring through the air, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her heart beating with excitement and trepidation. Little does she know that she’s about to live the final moments of her life. 



Up to this point, the flight has been uneventful, but as Johnson approaches the Thames Estuary, she begins to encounter poor weather conditions. This is, as they say, where story ends and theory begins. 



The exact cause of the accident that led to Johnson's death is still unclear. But in recent years, an alternate explanation to what history says happened that day has been offered. And it’s one that calls to a more tragic ending to one of aviation’s biggest icon’s. A woman’s name you’ve likely never heard of….until now. 



Welcome back to Vanished. This is Amy Johnson. 



LINKS


Our Website 
Vanished on Twitter 
Vanished on Instagram 
Vanished on TikTok

Vanished on Facebook 
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group

Opening Theme by Krale Memoirs of the Forgotten 

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING 


Mysterious demise of pioneering aviator Amy @ London News Online 


The Distinguished Career Of Pioneering British Aviator Amy Johnson @ Simple Flying


The ongoing mystery of Hull pilot Amy Johnson who died 81 years ago today @ Hull Daily Mail 


Amy Johnson: Death of pioneering aviator 'may have been covered up' @ Independent 





S3 Ep8: Vanished: Amy Johnson "Skyfall"

Welcome back to a very different part 4 than we thought we’d have. I guess that’s how it goes in these cases right? When you follow the evidence, wherever it leads, sometimes what it uncovers, or doesn’t may surprise you. 



Trial by Jury is now behind us, and if you’re listening to this, hopefully you’ve made your own conclusions about what was presented during that part of the series. Does it compel you? Are you convinced? Maybe we were able to present enough of a case to make you want to consider the fact that the man known as the Zodiac, wasn’t one man at all. 



At any rate, we’re leaving San Francisco - off to other cases. But we couldn’t leave without giving you our final thoughts on what we took from trial, and discussing the toll that we deal with in creating this show for you, our audience. 



It’s not without its risk, and as you’ll soon discover, it’s not without fallout. This is the epilogue for our series on the man known only as Zodiac. 






S3 Ep7: Vanished: Zodiac "Epilogue"

Despite countless investigations and numerous suspects over the years, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery to this day. But what would it take to try this case in modern times? In order to build a strong case, new looks at Zodiac would need to start with a deep dive back into the original evidence, including potential DNA samples, fingerprints, and any other forensic evidence that might have been overlooked in the past - and that’s what we’re trying to do here. 



In recent years, one suspect has started to attract the attention of a few modern day investigators, and that attention is beginning to shift the focus back to a man that holds a very interesting position in the case as we’ve come to know it.  



Tonight, we’re going to unpack a story that might be a little head scratching at first, but as you’ll hear, the theory we’re about to put forth, has roots that run very deep into Zodiac mythology. In fact, it has a lot to do with a suspect that, if you’re familiar at all with this case, you’ll know. But there's a twist to this story - one that plays right into the Zodiac’s potential motives by playing directly to the ego that seemed to be at the center for every decision he ever made. 



When we started our look at this case, I really didn’t know where it would take us. After hearing what you’ll hear tonight, I’m more convinced than ever that we have identified the Zodiac killer. Or maybe I should say Zodiac killers. 



Welcome back to Vanished. This is a trial by jury for Don Cheney and Arthur Leigh Allen. 



LINKS


Our Website 
Vanished on Twitter 
Vanished on Instagram 
Vanished on TikTok

Vanished on Facebook 
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group 
Defense Diaries' Official Website 
Defense Diaries on Twitter 
Defense Diaries on TikTok 
Sarah Cailean's Official Website 
Sarah Cailean on Twitter 
Sarah Cailean on Facebook 
Drew Beeson's Official Website 
Drew Beeson on Twitter 

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING


His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen - on YouTube 

Sighting In on The Zodiac Killer: Unmasking America's Most Puzzling Unsolved Murders by Drew Beeson 


Don Cheney Speaks @ Zodiackiller.com 









S3 Ep1: Vanished: Judge Crater "The Missingest Man in New York"

Download our free app to listen on your phone