Buried Bylines

This episode's case is a listener suggestion out of Colfax, Indiana! Keep those suggestions coming!

24-year-old Brandy Wilson seemingly disappeared into thin air in June of 2002. Her purse and car were still at home. The only thing missing was Brandy. In this case, we'll discuss who police think may be responsible... who has been charged with murder before. We'll also dive into the infamous true crime case that happened at the same time, inadvertently turning Brandy's story into a buried byline.

SOURCES:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265359321/?terms=%22Brandy%20Wilson%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265360556/?terms=%22Brandy%20Wilson%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/14343957/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/518471484/?terms=%22Dragomir%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/333071021/?terms=%22Dragomir%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/13587399/?terms=%22Dragomir%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/17564842/?terms=%22Dragomir%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/13780040/?terms=%22Dragomir%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265363222/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/698137383/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265288835/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265263253/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265264322/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265159392/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/265110602/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/127348709/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/woman-hopes-facebook-helps-solve-missing-persons-case/531-7f69089b-5f50-44e1-b432-369cf9c60bb6

https://www.newspapers.com/image/415230208/?terms=%22BRANDY%20WILSON%22&match=1

https://clintoncountydailynews.com/remembering-brandy-wilson-missing-since-2002/

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP1134

https://charleyproject.org/case/brandy-nicole-wilson

https://www.facebook.com/p/Bring-Brandy-Wilson-home-100063555003403/

New year, same podcast! We're ringing in 2024 with a case out of Anchorage, Alaska. 20-year-old Brandon Irlmeier was found beaten, strangled, and shot to death at the bottom of a stairwell. Six years later, his case is still unsolved.

Brandon's murder is just one of more than 2,400 unsolved cases involving murdered and missing Alaska Natives in Alaska. It's a true Buried Byline. So we're digging into the reasons why and also giving you facts you didn't know you needed about the state of Alaska!

SOURCES:

https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/article/the-daily-beast-alaska-native-mans-unsolved-murder-part-of-epidemic

https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2021/12/03/brandon-irlmeier-was-murdered-northeast-anchorage-four-years-later-his-death-remains-unsolved/?outputType=amp

https://www.thedailybeast.com/alaska-native-man-brandon-irlmeiers-unsolved-murder-in-anchorage-part-of-epidemic

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/03/25/more-than-statistic-family-homicide-victim-remembers-their-loved-one/?outputType=amp

https://victimsforjustice.org/victim-voices/in-memory-of-brandon-christopher-irlmeier-may-9-1997-december-2-2017/

https://www.legacyalaska.com/obituaries/Brandon-Christopher-Irlmeier?obId=19078133

http://www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?P=misc&D=1&ID=124

First of all, Merry Christmas to those that celebrate the holiday! We are so excited to give you the gift of a new episode.

Today's case covers the murder of 23-year-old Lynda McDaniel by the person that has been dubbed in the Indianapolis press as 'The Christmas Ribbon Killer." This case is unsolved to this day. Through our research, we've discovered this story is a true 'buried byline.' Join us as we dive into this absolutely WILD case and discuss how in the world this story didn't blow up in the media.

SOURCES:

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/02/04/indiana-unsolved-lynda-mcdaniel-killed-in-1977-by-an-attacker-dubbed-the-christmas-ribbon-killer/5203981/

https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/crime/2014/01/31

https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/2018/07/17/indiana-unsolved-cold-case-crimes/36927451/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45968536/lynda-sue-mcdaniel

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6474464/#:~:text=Drowning%20is%20largely%20an%20asphyxial,primary%20organs%20affected%20by%20drowning.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312257404/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312257440/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312259023/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105894153/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105897621/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312260012/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105900620/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312261709/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105901204/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105904042/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/105909692/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/312809755/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/106959589/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/312816841/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/313079297/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/106642516/?terms=%22lynda%20mcdaniel%22&match=1

We are freaking out guys!!!

1.) Megan is BACK.

2.) There could be an active serial killer in the greater Portland, Oregon area.

Our story starts with the murder of 32-year-old Joanna Speaks. We were alerted about this case thanks to the amazing online community on the I Think Not! Podcast page. (Check them out if you haven't already!) Megan's research into Joanna's case quickly spiraled into a much larger story involving six women in the Portland area who were all found dead within five months of each other. So is this the work of a serial killer? We'll let you be the judge.

SOURCES:

women-around-portland-linked-person-of-interest-identified/283-0808 bed-fee-4113-86 ac-79ce562e611b

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/4-dead-

https://www.kptv.com/2023/06/15/dozens-missing-women-girls-portland-area-raise-red-flag-cold-case-expert-says/

https://www.portlandtribune.com/news/report-dead-missing-women-in-portland-area-red-flag-for-possible-commonality/article_de61b148-0a0d-11ee-b9ab-a3a8cf47b69f.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-four-womens-bodies-person-of-interest-multnomah-county-portland/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/17/oregon-women-deaths-person-of-interest-police

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/oregon-women-deaths.html

https://apnews.com/article/oregon-women-bodies-linked-portland-2ae080039304e507b74c5156ae46e9ab

https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-serial-killer-fears-dozens-missing-women-girls-raise-red-flag-cold-case-expert-says

https://www.instagram.com/pdx.real/

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/08/04/investigation-4-women-killed-oregon-early-prison-release-debate/?outputType=amp

https://nypost.com/2023/04/24/missing-oregon-mom-of-3-joanna-speaks-found-dead-outside-barn/

https://www.the-sun.com/news/7958832/joanna-speaks-murder-body-found-oregon-washington/

https://www.insideedition.com/what-happened-to-joanna-speaks-missing-oregon-mom-of-3-found-dead-outside-washington-state-barn

https://www.kptv.com/2023/06/05/family-woman-found-dead-near-ridgefield-looking-more-tips-case/

https://people.com/crime/missing-oregon-mom-found-dead-outside-abandoned-barn/

https://www.kptv.com/2023/06/02/6-women-found-dead-around-portland-metro-past-4-months/

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/joanna-speaks-ridgefield-homicide-family-want-justice/283-1683ce06-dcdb-4b9e-ab27-e20be38c8997

https://www.kptv.com/2023/05/25/missing-gresham-womans-remains-found-portland-police-say/?outputType=amp

https://kpic.com/amp/news/local/family-of-longview-woman-found-deceased-at-ainsworth-state-park-speaks-out-multnomah-county-oregon-washington-portland-police

https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/07/20/ashley-real-later-found-dead-reportedly-filed-a-domestic-violence-complaint-against-alleged-serial-killer-jesse-lee-calhoun/

Since 1963, 16 people have been sentenced to death and executed by the United States Federal Government. All 16 of those inmates were put to death at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In 2019, The U.S. Government announced a moratorium on federal executions would end for the first in 17 years. As a result, 13 death row prisoners received lethal injection between July of 2020 and January of 2021. Sarah Lehman, a broadcast journalist in Terre Haute, witnessed and reported on 5 of those executions. In this episode Mallory does a one-on-one interview about the process of reporting on a rare event like this and the impact it has on the media covering these cases.

SOURCES:

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/committees/death_penalty_representation/project_press/2020/fall-2020/federal-government-executes-seven-in-three-months/

https://www.tribstar.com/news/u-s-bureau-of-prisons-dedicates-new-terre-haute-penitentiary/article_4564066b-3d3e-5e33-8863-274181479d6b.html

https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/tha/index.jsp

https://www.news-gazette.com/news/in-terre-haute-prison-s-death-row-talk-of-the-town/article_1780af0b-6a3d-5754-90bc-0554a01ed858.html

https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-fuller-picture-emerges-of-the-13-federal-executions-at-the-end-of-trumps-presidency/

SOMEBODY GET KEITH MORRISON ON THE PHONE! This case is an episode of Dateline in the making. Megan takes a deep dive into a listener suggestion on a missing persons case in Muncie, Indiana a.k.a our college stomping grounds.

A 27-year-old mother of three, Ashley Morris Mullis, was last seen by family and friends in September of 2013. No one has made contact with her since. There was little to no movement in her case, at least publically, until this year when court documents revealed details of an alleged affair, kidnapping, and fraud... all connected to Ashley's missing persons case.

NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to Megan's maternity leave.

We're back with another Spooky Season episode and this time we're going international!

At the height of the Second World War, four young boys in the U.K. went into the woods looking for bird's eggs. Instead, they were met with an unforgettable and terrifying discovery. A human skull was hidden inside the hollow trunk of a wych elm. To this day, the woman killed and placed inside the tree has never been identified. Megan walks us through the details of the case and the dozens of theories that have been spun over the last eight decades.

It's officially spoooky season! In this episode, we discuss what has been called one of the most haunted houses in Indiana. Here's the catch... no one knew it was haunted until over 100 years after it was built. It all started when a photographer with the Indianapolis Star snapped a photo of a historic house being moved to a new location. That photographer, many people believe, captured the image of a ghost looking out of an upstairs window. Listen along as we discuss the mystery and history surrounding this house... and why seemingly no one knows why it's reportedly haunted.

SOURCES:

https://ss-times.com/haunts-and-jaunts-the-nicholson-rand-house/

https://ss-times.com/haunts-and-jaunts-the-nicholson-reed-house-2/

https://wkdq.com/this-is-the-most-haunted-house-in-indiana/

https://www.yahoo.com/now/most-haunted-home-state-215207119.html

https://www.hauntedrooms.com/indiana/haunted-places

https://www.hauntedrooms.com/indiana/indianapolis/haunted-places/nicholson-house

http://www.indianaghosts.org/ghoststories/nicholson_mansion.htm

https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/files/nrlistnew.pdf

https://fox59.com/news/indys-most-haunted-the-hannah-house-is-haunted-by-former-owner-slaves-that-died-in-fire/

https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/the-most-haunted-places-in-indianapolis

https://www.newspapers.com/image/35098036/?terms=%22David%20NICHOLSON%22&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/106719100/?terms=%22historic%20house%22&match=1