CW: This episode covers the murder of a trans woman and violence against trans people.  Please take care when listening.

January Marie Lapuz brightened and bettered her community with her vibrant, joyful personality and dedicated service as Sher Vancouver's social coordinator from 2009 until her horrific murder in 2012.  Taken too soon, January's legacy lives on in Vancouver BC through her friends, family, and Sher Vancouver.  This is her story.

Note from Caro: I misspoke and said "Bang Bang Hollywood night" instead of "Bang Bang Bollywood night" when describing a Sher event and I'm sorry for not catching it!  I didn't mean to cause any confusion - the event was a Bollywood one, not Hollywood :) 

Sher Vancouver Podcast: https://www.shervanpodcast.com/

Sources

• https://nsi-canada.ca/film/my-name-was-january/ (watch for free)
• https://www.nelsonstar.com/entertainment/murdered-b-c-trans-woman-focus-of-new-documentary/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/497815439/?terms=january%20lapuz&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/497581775/?terms=january%20lapuz&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/507090309/?terms=january%20lapuz&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/507089085/?terms=january%20lapuz&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/616731314/?terms=january%20lapuz&match=1
• https://www.facebook.com/januarydoc/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sher_Vancouver#cite_note-48
• https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/video/january-lapuz-memorial-new-westminster-bc-1945212
• https://www.shervancouver.com/youth-award.html
• https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/2012/09/29/january-marie-lapuz_new-westminster-british-columbia-canada_6e2dd157
• https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/topic/january-marie-lapuz
• https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/january-marie-lapuz-new-westminister_n_1940814
• https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/january-lapuz-murder-jamie-neel-charles-jameson-arrested_n_2253476
• https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/january-marie-lapuz-_n_6503438
• https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/create-a-legacy-remembering-january-marie-lapuz#/
• http://amherstcremation.com/memorials/lapuz.html
• https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/memorial-website-honours-new-westminsters-january-lapuz-5257675
• https://januaryfilm.com/youthaward/#winners
• https://gay.blog.br/en/social-projects/vancouver-and-toronto-area-applicants-sweep-top-prizes-in-youth-award/
• https://xtramagazine.com/power/january-lapuzs-killer-sentenced-to-eight-years-in-prison-64110
• https://en.everybodywiki.com/January_Marie_Lapuz
• https://en.everybodywiki.com/January_Marie_Lapuz#cite_note-13
• https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/release-revoked-for-transgender-womans-killer
• https://globalnews.ca/news/1383715/man-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-death-of-trans-woman/
• https://www.straight.com/news/664101/accused-killer-transgender-woman-january-lapuz-pleads-guilty-manslaughter
• https://lexiecannes.com/2012/12/31/update-murderer-in-2012-killing-of-vancouver-bc-trans-woman-sentenced-to-8-years/
• https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/arrest-made-in-city-murder-2955892
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/january-lapuz-memorial-new-westminster-1.5280057
• https://bc.ctvnews.ca/man-charged-in-murder-of-transgender-woman-1.1069422
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2021/11/11/375-transgender-people-murdered-in-2021-deadliest-year-since-records-began/?sh=65aab267321c
• https://transrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/TvT_TMM_TDoR2021_Namelist.pdf
• https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2022/5/06/here-are-trans-americans-killed-2022-so-far#media-gallery-media-1

CW: This episode discusses abortion history, abortion procedure, and deaths as a result of unregulated and illegal abortion practices.  Please use caution when listening.

Roe vs. Wade secured federal abortion rights in the United States in 1973 (or so we thought) but just what happened when a person wanted or needed an abortion before this landmark ruling?  Sara brings us a history of abortion rights and a glimpse into the tragic deaths caused by so-called "back alley" abortions prior to state and federal legalization of abortion services in Washington state.

Sources

• https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/abortion_deaths.htm
• https://www.historylink.org/File/5313
• Cates, Willard; Rochat, Roger (March 1976). "Illegal Abortions in the United States: 1972–1974". Family Planning Perspectives. 8 (2): 86. doi:10.2307/2133995. JSTOR 2133995. PMID 1269687.
• https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Connelly-When-Washington-legalized-abortion-13848676.php
• http://courts.mrsc.org/supreme/029wn2d/029wn2d0578.htm
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/44449049 - not properly cited
• https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/first-american-birth-control-clinic-brownsville-clinic-1916#:~:text=On%2016%20October%201916%2C%20Margaret,have%20called%20the%20Brownsville%20Clinic.
• https://ichibanstudio.blog/paintings/victims/

 

Told you we wouldn't make you wait too long - this is the shocking conclusion to the wild story of Suzan and Michael Bear Carson, where their twisted luck finally runs out, but not before they take one more life in an extremely public way.  

Sources

• Cry for War by Richard Reynolds
• Snapped: Killer Couples, Season 2, Ep 10
• The Devil You Know, Season 2, Ep 2 "A Serial Killer in the Family"
• Wicked Attraction, Season 2, Ep 1 "The Two Bears"
• Deadly Women, Season 6, Ep 1 "Hunting Humans"
• Criminology podcast, "The San Francisco Witch Killers"
• Give Us Morgue podcast, "Suzan & Michael Carson-Bera: The Untimely Death of Keryn Barnes"
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bear_Carson_and_Suzan_Carson
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jenn-carson-serial-killer-father_n_5ad4f388e4b0edca2cbcc29a
• https://www.wbur.org/kindworld/2018/12/04/teachers-aid

A wild, confusing, manic ride from start to finish, this case seems to have it all.  Mysticism, psychedelic drugs, forest hideouts, warped religious fanaticism, marijuana plantations, molotov cocktails, and horrific, cold-blooded murder; this is the story of Suzan and Michael Bear Carson - part 1.  

Sources

• Cry for War by Richard Reynolds
• Snapped: Killer Couples, Season 2, Ep 10
• The Devil You Know, Season 2, Ep 2 "A Serial Killer in the Family"
• Wicked Attraction, Season 2, Ep 1 "The Two Bears"
• Deadly Women, Season 6, Ep 1 "Hunting Humans"
• Criminology podcast, "The San Francisco Witch Killers"
• Give Us Morgue podcast, "Suzan & Michael Carson-Bera: The Untimely Death of Keryn Barnes"
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bear_Carson_and_Suzan_Carson
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jenn-carson-serial-killer-father_n_5ad4f388e4b0edca2cbcc29a
• https://www.wbur.org/kindworld/2018/12/04/teachers-aid

Shaylanna Brown Lewis of Haida Gwaii, BC was reported missing by her family on March 21, 2020, after she failed to show up somewhere she was expected.  She disappeared, apparently without any personal items, including her cell phone, and she is still missing today.  What happened to Shaylanna Brown Lewis?

Shaylanna's mother has graciously given us permission to use photos from her own Facebook posts as part of our Instagram post on this episode.

If you have any information regarding Shaylanna's disappearance or current whereabouts, please contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (you can remain completely anonymous) or the RCMP at 250-626-3991.  

The current reward for information leading to Shaylanna's safe recovery or the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance is $60,000.

At the end of this episode, another missing person's case from Cascadia was mentioned - Yanira Cedillos.  As of May 16, 2022, Yanira's body was recovered in a remote area of Walla Walla County in Washington State.  Our thoughts go out to Yanira's family during this incredibly difficult time.

Sources

• https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Shaylanna_Lewis
• https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/og3ddi/shaylanna_lewis_missing_on_haida_gwaii/
• https://bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2087&languageId=1&contentId=69077
• https://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/news/masset-rcmp-ask-public-to-help-find-missing-indigenous-woman/
• https://www.aldergrovestar.com/news/video-families-of-missing-women-participated-in-first-red-dress-day-march-in-langley-city/
• https://www.facebook.com/Bring-Shaylanna-Home-100974271683825/
• https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/05/19/Indigenous-People-Barriers-Drivers-Licensing/
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/haida-gwaii-british-columbia
• http://britishcolumbia.com/plan-your-trip/regions-and-towns/northern-bc-and-haida-gwaii/haida-gwaii/
• https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-shaylanna-home
• Instagram hashtag results for #bringshaylannahome: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bringshaylannahome/

Founded in 1884, Black Diamond Cemetery is ranked today in the top 5 most haunted locations in Washington state.  Join our first spooky episode exploring the origins of Black Diamond Cemetery's phantom whistling and bobbing lights!  

Sources

• https://www.historylink.org/File/3304
• https://www.covingtonreporter.com/news/black-diamond-cemetery-lights-and-sounds-draw-puget-sound-ghost-hunters-read-document/
• https://www.seattlepi.com/local/sound/article/Black-Diamond-Cemetery-pictures-show-some-spooky-1022458.php
• https://www.civilwarvetswastate.com/cemeteries/detail.html?veteran_cemeteryid=69
• https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4381546/normal_5fdd74ad02820.pdf
• https://blackdiamondhistory.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013_fall.pdf
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/black-diamond-cemetery-in-wa/
• https://www.kentreporter.com/northwest/washingtons-most-haunted-ghost-hunters-head-to-black-diamond-cemetery/
• https://www.courierherald.com/news/ghost-hunters-wrap-up-black-diamond-cemetery-investigation/
• https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/black-diamond-cemetery/
• https://puzzleboxhorror.com/encyclopedia-of-supernatural-horror/black-diamond-cemetery/
• http://paranormalstories.blogspot.com/2011/03/black-diamond-cemetery.html
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/332949605/?terms=franklin%20mine&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/725500006/?terms=franklin%20mine&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/332949897/?terms=franklin%20mine&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/332955809/?terms=franklin%20mine&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/221368279/?terms=lawson%20mine&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/337480620/?terms=lawson%20mine&match=1
• https://historylink.org/File/1635
• https://www.historylink.org/File/9165
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/725008638/?terms=lawson%20mine&match=1
• https://historylink.org/File/3576
• https://seattleterrors.com/black-diamond-cemetery/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Diamond_Cemetery
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ghost_Adventures_episodes
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/story-real-canary-coal-mine-180961570/
• https://www.wahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/black-diamond-cemetery.html
• https://975kissfm.com/haunted-washington-legend-of-black-diamond-cemetery/

It's another cryptid case!  Buckle in for this creepy tale of the Wechuge, a nightmarish, cannibalistic creature from the legends of the Athabaskan people of Northern BC and Alberta.   

Sources

• https://ofmonstersandnothing.tumblr.com/post/645523059571408896/wechuge
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo#:~:text=Wendigo%20(%2F%CB%88w%C9%9Bn,modern%20ethnology%20as%20speakers%20of
• https://abcbookworld.com/writer/ridington-robin/#:~:text=As%20a%20UBC%2Dbased%20anthropologist,Non%2DFiction%20Prize%20in%201989.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK7LNIlQR_c
• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wechuge
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/25604963?origin=crossref
• https://archive.org/details/divinehungercann0000sand/page/n9/mode/2up
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wechuge
• http://www.native-languages.org/monsters.htm
• https://historycollection.com/18-spooky-native-american-monsters-that-will-keep-you-awake-at-night/18/
• http://www.native-languages.org/wechuge.htm
• https://stephenking.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wechuge

On July 29, 1971 two young boys were driving horses from one pasture to another when they found a body in the waters of Snedden Creek in Coos Bay. The John Doe was a teenager, and the body was too decomposed to determine cause of death or identity. 

Decades later, a young woman set out to find her birth parents, and disovered so much more than she ever expected to find.  

Sources

• https://kezj.com/50-yrs-later-idaho-cold-case-solved-bring-closure-to-family/
• https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Winston_Maxey
• https://www.facebook.com/Where-in-the-world-is-Winston-Maxey-1742405146040444
• https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/22/idaho-hitchhiker-vanished-50-years-ago-dna-helped-/
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/hitchhiker-who-disappeared-50-years-ago-idd-using-dna-from-child-he-didnt-know-he-had/ar-AAPQLpS
• https://www.chronline.com/stories/a-15-year-old-vanished-without-knowing-he-was-a-father-an-oregon-cold-case-helped-his-daughter,276654?fr=operanews
• https://www.robtaylorreport.com/the-rob-blog/where-in-the-world-is-winston-maxey-part-ii-a-conversation-with-his-daughter-lori-marriam?fbclid=IwAR35v1tm1x4_ZEhDtudFEzVxbP2Kcu_ZSPdNbPgvPYjnzRmvcWDEGtG6Y_E

CW: this episode contains descriptions of violence against a pregnant person

Our first minisode features a case out of Stockton, CA that seems to have gone cold practically as soon as it began.  

Barbara Ann Smith's body was found behind a portable classroom on the grounds of Van Buren Elementary in 1991, and 30 years later, we still don't know anything else.  What happened to Barbara Ann Smith?

Sources

• https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/unsolved-california-chapter-story/103-097c2ac6-7a45-437a-9b30-6c3df3f78eb0
• https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/pregnant-stockton-woman-unsolved/103-7974f9fc-8bfc-4c73-b137-4da591335dc8?utm_source=operamini&utm_medium=feednews&utm_campaign=operamini_feednews&fr=operanews
• https://m.facebook.com/SJCDA/photos/a.413782925335053/4593214954058475/
• https://twitter.com/madisoncwade/status/1461781342132355082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

CW: this episode discusses body descriptions of pregnant women and the concept of "coffin birth," please use caution when listening

One week before her due date, 24 year old Evelyn Hernandez and her 5 year old son, Alex, went missing from her San Francisco neighborhood and were never seen alive again.  Months later, Evelyn's body would be found in the San Francisco Bay, but her son Alex and her son-to-be, Fernando, were still missing.  This is the case of the Hernandez family, and how Evelyn's case was tragically and unfairly eclipsed by an extremely similar case that captivated the world.  Evelyn and her boys deserved, and still deserve, better.

If you have any information about the murder of Evelyn Hernandez and/or the disappearance of Alex + Fernando, please contact the San Francisco Police Department Cold Case Unit at (415) 553-1450.

Sources

• https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=131949&page=1#:~:text=On%20July%2024%2C%202002%2C%20Hernandez's,would%20become%20a%20national%20obsession.
• https://vocal.media/criminal/the-unsolved-murder-of-evelyn-hernandez
• https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a5143/a-tale-of-two-killings/
• https://themorbidlibrary.com/2020/11/15/the-unsolved-evelyn-hernandez/
• https://medium.com/the-crime-logs/torso-in-the-bay-6138839d1f31
• https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/l1r72y/the_unsolved_case_of_evelyn_hernandez_and_her/
• https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Remains-may-be-S-F-woman-who-vanished-Remains-2789331.php
• https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Eerily-similar-case-languishes-in-obscurity-2621215.php
• https://www.maryhallbergmedia.com/post/unsolved-the-strange-case-of-evelyn-and-alex-hernandez
• http://pwc-sii.com/Research/research/serial.htm
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462797668/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462665572/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/566686338/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462336498/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462426842/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462323026/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462347109/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/462369157/?terms=evelyn%20hernandez&match=1