On December 9 1988, 29-year-old Victoria Lynn Hamby vanished from South Bend, Indiana, leaving behind more questions than clues. At the time, her four-year-old son and male companion, Dale Kaser, also disappeared, triggering a heartbreaking mystery that has lingered for decades.

In this episode, we trace Victoria’s last known movements, her eventual murder, and the circumstances surrounding all three disappearances. Over 30 years later, questions still remain.

SOURCES:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/ioekuk/29yearold_victoria_hamby_went_missing_from_south/

https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=NAN19890607.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------

https://www.newspapers.com/image/516443092/?match=1&terms=%22Victoria%20LYNN%20Hamby%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/519455466/?match=1&terms=%22Victoria%20LYNN%20Hamby%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/519455719/?match=1&terms=%22Victoria%20LYNN%20Hamby%22

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/591484ddadd7b049344bdbe0

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59148727add7b049344e0998

Happy Halloween! It’s our last spoooooky episode of the season. We’ll go back to our regular bi-weekly publishing schedule after this one.

In June 1983, a 15-year-old Vatican citizen named Emanuela Orlandi left for a music lesson in Rome—and vanished without a trace. The case that followed is a mix of anonymous phone calls, alleged kidnappings, and puzzling theories ranging from terrorism to organised crime to a cover-up within the Vatican.

Join us as we trace Emanuela’s last known steps, unpack the conflicting investigations, and explore the shadowy webs of power that may lie behind one of Italy’s most haunting cold-cases.

In 1961, small-town Texas became the center of a media frenzy when 17-year-old Betty Williams asked her ex-boyfriend, John Mack Herring, to kill her—and he did. The shocking “Kiss and Kill” case exposed not only the dark side of teen romance but also how the press sensationalized tragedy, painting Betty as a wayward girl and her killer as a golden boy gone astray. Join us as we revisit the headlines, the trial that ended in acquittal, and the troubling story of how public sympathy can be shaped—and twisted—by the media.

SOURCES: TBD!

Spooky season has officially begun—and this one’s straight out of a horror movie. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the Corpsewood Manor Murders: a case that’s equal parts eerie legend, satanic panic, and heartbreaking true crime.

Dr. Charles Scudder and Joseph Odom built their dream castle deep in the Georgia woods—a gothic escape complete with gargoyles, stained glass, and a pink “party room.” But when small-town rumors collided with fear, prejudice, and greed, the result was pure tragedy.

We’ll unpack the media frenzy that branded the victims as “gay devil worshippers,” explore the real story behind the Church of Satan, and trace how moral panic and homophobia turned two eccentric men into the villains of their own murder.

SOURCES:

https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/castle-in-the-country-zmaz81mazraw/

https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/the-corpsewood-manor-murders

https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/the-corpsewood-murders-40-years-later/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Georgia/comments/1g8waa3/georgia_folklore_murder_sex_and_satanic_panic_in/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/corpsewood-manor-murders

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/the-cold-blooded-killing-of-the-gay-satanists-of-corpsewood-mano

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2020/11/10/415776/Jerry-Summers-Corpsewood-Manor-Murders.aspx

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2016/aug/03/chattanoogauthor-releases-new-book-corpsewood/

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/oct/29/true-crime-album-offers-new-perspective-on/

https://churchofsatan.com/faq-fundamental-beliefs/

https://moonspenders.com/2018/10/06/haunted-horror-the-corpsewood-murders/

Archives:

The Times

Atlanta Constitution

The Vicksburg Post

The Atlanta Times

*Disclaimer* We’re talking about politics in this episode. If you don’t want to hear it, totally get it. We’ll see you at our next episode, where we'll return to our regular content.

Freedom of speech has never been simple, and in today’s climate, it’s anything but. In this episode, we look at how the First Amendment plays out in real time, from Jimmy Kimmel’s public clashes to the press’s constitutional protections. As former journalists, the First Amendment is near and dear to our hearts because without freedom of the press, there is no democracy. We revisit landmark Supreme Court decisions that define the limits of free expression, unpack what’s truly protected (and what isn’t), and explore why knowing your rights matters now more than ever.

SOURCES:

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript 

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/18/jimmy-kimmel-suspended-trump 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/business/media/abc-jimmy-kimmel.html 

https://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-fragility-late-night-tv-2025-9 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/26/sinclair-end-boycott-of-jimmy-kimmel-live 

https://www.wired.com/story/right-wing-activists-are-targeting-people-for-allegedly-celebrating-charlie-kirks-death/ 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-suspect-shooter-utah/story?id=125474359 

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/brendan-carr-abc-fcc-jimmy-kimmel-charlie-kirk-1236522406/ 

https://apnews.com/article/abc-kimmel-affiliate-charlie-kirk-8eb9dca5dff2c717fd00a7083982c5c4 

https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/7-things-to-know-about-the-first-amendment/ 

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/24/trump-jimmy-kimmel-return-abc 

https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/media/1-7-million-cancelled-disney-hulu-and-espn-following-jimmy-kimmel-suspension 

https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/6-bln-broadcast-tie-up-adjusts-ma-picture-2025-08-20/ 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/283/697 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/403/713 

https://www.ap.org/media-center/ap-in-the-news/2025/ap-wins-reinstatement-to-white-house-events-after-judge-rules-government-cant-bar-its-journalists/

In this episode, we cover the harrowing five-year stalking ordeal of Fort Wayne mother Dawn Hillyer, whose case exposed the failures of Indiana law to protect victims. What began as a casual connection quickly spiraled into years of relentless harassment, break-ins, false police reports, and emotional devastation—while the system largely failed her. We’ll trace Dawn’s fight for safety, the long-delayed conviction of her stalker, and her journey from survivor to advocate, founding Hiding Hilda and pushing for stronger protections for victims. Plus, we’ll look at new research linking stalking and restraining orders to long-term health risks for women.

SOURCES:

https://www.wane.com/news/stalking-victim-works-to-change-state-law/

https://www.kpcnews.com/news/latest/newssun/article_dac18ef6-6841-5d78-bafc-40057286d0b1.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/2012/02a03-1204-cr-180.html

https://www.pal-item.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/04/15/view-woman-target-stalker-victimized/25818041/

https://www.nrawomen.com/content/hiding-hilda-the-harrowing-story-behind-her-stylish-ccw-purses

https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/IN-Stalking-Laws-Statutes.pdf

https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/new-law-criminalizes-using-tracking-device-on-someone-without-their-knowledge

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2021/09/10/restraining-order-domestic-violence-indiana-laws-vicitm-protection-how-to-file/7996715002/

https://www.newser.com/story/373470/women-face-potentially-huge-health-impacts-after-violence.html

20 years later, still no justice. Between 2005 and 2009, the small town of Jennings, Louisiana, was rocked by the deaths of eight women—each with ties to one another through poverty, drugs, and sex work. Known as the “Jeff Davis 8,” or the “Jennings 8,” the cases remain unsolved and are clouded by corruption allegations, mishandled evidence, and suspicions that local law enforcement may have been involved. Was this the work of a serial killer, or a tangled web of crime and cover-up in a community already struggling with mistrust of police?
Join us as we sit down with author and investigative reporter Ethan Brown to discuss his groundbreaking work and his book Murder in the Bayou… and the families’ ongoing search for justice for Loretta Lewis, Ernestine Daniels Patterson, Kristen Gary Lopez, Whitnei Dubois, Laconia “Muggy” Brown, Crystal Benoit Zeno, Brittney Gary, and Necole Guillory.

SOURCES:

 https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bayou-Killed-Women-Known/dp/1476793255  

https://www.biography.com/crime/murder-in-the-bayou-jeff-davis-8-true-story
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10609888/ 

https://www.aetv.com/shows/cold-case-files-murder-in-the-bayou 

https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/jeff-davis-8-interview-ethan-brown-murder-in-the-bayou

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2018/05/16/jeff-davis-murders-13-years-later/608716002/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/229399391/?match=1&terms=%22loretta%20lynn%20chaisson%20lewis%22 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/322315177/?match=1&terms=%22loretta%20lynn%20chaisson%20lewis%22

Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office now answering calls in city limits 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/432255529/?match=1&terms=%22loretta%20lynn%20chaisson%20lewis%22

https://www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/where-is-murder-in-the-bayous-frankie-richard-today 

The Promise of Justice Initiative Demands Launch of Federal Investigation into Violent, Corrupt Jefferson Davis Parish Law Enforcement — The Promise of Justice Initiative 

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-complex-case-of-the-jennings-8 

Hot Cases | Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriffs Office 

In 1990, substitute teacher Paige Marie Renkoski, 30, vanished under chilling circumstances on Interstate 96 near Fowlerville, Michigan. What began as an ordinary day—dropping her mother at the airport and stopping at a store in Canton—ended in a mystery that remains unsolved over three decades later.

Witnesses last saw Paige appearing upset and speaking with two men beside a maroon minivan. Hours later, her 1986 Oldsmobile was found idling on the roadside with her purse and shoes inside—but no sign of Paige. The case suffered early missteps: police treated the scene as an abandoned vehicle rather than a potential crime scene, delaying vital investigation. Despite fingerprints, tips, searches—like ground-penetrating radar and FBI digs—no trace of Paige has ever been found. The case remains one of Michigan’s most puzzling cold cases, with authorities believing it may only be solved if someone steps forward, perhaps even decades from now.

Join us as we unravel the timeline, examine the evidence, explore the tragic theories, and sit with the hope—and heartbreak—that still lingers in the search for Paige.

SOURCES: coming soon!

Meet Wilma June Nissen—a resilient spirit whose life was brutally cut short in 1978 but whose story refuses to stay buried.

From a childhood of unimaginable neglect to being identified decades later as a Jane Doe in rural Iowa, her daughter, Krissi Atkinson, has never stopped searching for answers. At least one person of interest remains at large, evidence waits for breakthrough DNA testing, and justice remains unclaimed.

Tune in to our latest episode to hear Krissi’s courageous fight for her mother’s voice—and join us in amplifying this cold case to demand the truth.

In September 2023, 19-year-old Noah Presgrove was found dead on the side of an Oklahoma highway, his body bearing multiple blunt force injuries. Nearly two years later, his family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging he was beaten to death by friends during a party.

Join us as we delve into the details of this perplexing case, exploring the events leading up to Noah's death, the subsequent investigation, and the family's ongoing quest for justice.