Criminology

In August 2006, Bernadette Vander Meer and her husband traveled to Utah’s Zion National Park to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. The couple planned to revisit Angels Landing, the breathtaking spot where he had proposed years earlier. But shortly after reaching the summit at sunrise, Bernadette plunged more than a thousand feet to her death. Her death was ruled a tragic accident, but those closest to Bernadette had doubts.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Bernadette Vander Meer. Bernadette was an experienced hiker, and behind the image of a happy marriage were troubling signs of control, unhappiness, and secrets. As investigators took another look at the case years later, inconsistencies, hidden relationships, financial motives, and a startling new witness would completely change the story of what may have happened on Angels Landing.

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Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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In April 2005, 25-year-old Janet Abaroa was found brutally stabbed to death inside her Durham, North Carolina, home. Her six-month-old son was found unharmed, but there were no obvious signs of forced entry and very little appeared to be missing. As investigators dug into Janet’s life and relationships, they uncovered financial problems, infidelity, troubling behavior, and a number of details that raised questions about what really happened that night.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Janet Abarora. For years, Janet’s murder remained unresolved. But a seemingly insignificant clue involving her contact lenses eventually caused investigators to take another look at the timeline of her death. We discuss Janet’s life, the brutal crime, the clues investigators initially struggled to explain, and the painstaking investigation that eventually brought them closer to the truth.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

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Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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In 1965, newlywed Mary Shotwell Little vanished after an evening at Atlanta’s Lenox Square Shopping Center. Her car was later found with blood inside and signs that it had traveled somewhere before being returned to the parking lot. Two years later, Diane Shields—the woman who had replaced Mary at the same bank and even sat at her desk—was found murdered in the trunk of her car.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Mary Little and Diane Shields. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a remarkable series of connections between the two women, including shared coworkers, acquaintances, and even a former roommate. Nearly six decades later, Mary’s disappearance and Diane’s murder remain unsolved, leaving behind the haunting question of whether solving one case could finally unlock the truth about the other.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

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Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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When Sherri Rasmussen was found brutally murdered inside her own home, the crime scene seemed to tell a simple story: a burglary gone horribly wrong. But beneath the overturned furniture and apparent signs of a break-in were clues pointing to something far more calculated—and far more personal. The 29-year-old nursing director had been beaten, shot multiple times, and bitten during a violent struggle.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Sherri Rasmussen. For more than two decades, her killer remained free while investigators pursued the wrong theory. Then, DNA from that bite mark changed everything, leading detectives toward someone connected to Sherri’s husband—and someone who had spent years building a respected career with the LAPD.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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In September 2015, 32-year-old Henry McCabe disappeared after a night out with friends in Minnesota. Hours after he was last seen, Henry left his wife a bizarre and disturbing voicemail filled with strange sounds, moaning, and apparent cries of distress. Nearly two months later, his body was found in Rush Lake, but an autopsy revealed no signs of trauma or foul play, and his death was ruled a probable drowning with the manner undetermined. 

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the death of Henry McCabe. Questions remain about conflicting accounts of Henry’s final movements, an anonymous letter predicting his body would be found near water, and mysterious activity from his phone in the days after he vanished. Although police eventually closed the case, Henry’s family remains convinced there is more to the story, leaving the circumstances surrounding his death a troubling mystery.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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During the Great Depression, the Karpis-Barker Gang became one of America’s most notorious criminal organizations, leaving behind a trail of bank robberies, kidnappings, and murder. At the center was Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, who partnered with Fred and Doc Barker and became one of the FBI’s most wanted men.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Karpis-Barker gang. The gang’s crimes included the high-profile kidnappings of William Hamm Jr. and Edward Bremer, while corruption and a growing federal investigation helped shape their rise and eventual downfall. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the violent history of the Karpis-Barker Gang, the controversy surrounding Ma Barker’s role, and the man who became one of the Depression era’s most infamous criminals.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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In this episode of Criminology, Mike and Morf explore the mysterious Bennington Triangle in southern Vermont, examining a series of disappearances and deaths dating back to the 1940s. The cases include hunters Carl Herrick and Middie Rivers, college student Paula Jean Welden, World War I veteran James Tedford, eight-year-old Paul Jepson, hiker Frieda Langer, and the disappearance of Martha Jeannette Jones, who was eventually found alive.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Bennington Triangle. Explanations range from accidents and getting lost in the rugged wilderness to abduction and foul play. Also examined is the area's eerie reputation, the legendary Bennington Monster, and Native American stories of cursed land.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1987, Josefina Rivera escaped from Gary Heidnik and led Philadelphia police to his home, where they discovered three women chained and imprisoned in his basement and human remains in the freezer. Heidnik had spent years preying on vulnerable and intellectually disabled women, including a previous victim he kidnapped from a state hospital in 1978. Between November 1986 and March 1987, he abducted seven women and subjected them to horrific abuse, captivity, starvation, and torture. Two victims, Sandra Lindsay and Deborah Dudley, were murdered. 

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Gary Heidnik. Rivera ultimately escaped and called the police, bringing Heidnik’s reign of terror to an end. At trial, his defense argued insanity, citing his history of mental illness, while prosecutors maintained that he knew right from wrong. Heidnik was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder along with numerous kidnapping, rape, and assault charges and sentenced to death. After years of appeals and a last-minute stay, Gary Heidnik was executed by lethal injection on July 6, 1999—the last execution carried out in Pennsylvania. His Philadelphia home, known as the “House of Horrors,” still stands today.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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Eugene Horsch was arrested in June 2026 after authorities found drugs, illegal firearms, fake IDs, and law-enforcement credentials in his vehicle, leading investigators to his Philadelphia home. The investigation uncovered evidence connected to four missing women—Amy McHale, Blair Tonzelli, Maribel Fresses, and Gabrielle Amarando—with digital evidence suggesting Fresses and Amarando may be dead.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Eugene and Raymond Horsch. Eugene’s father, Raymond Horsch, who died in 2025, had a long criminal history and produced disturbing films and photographs depicting sex, violence, and apparent deaths. Investigators are now working through hundreds of thousands of images and videos while searching the property for evidence. Eugene remains in federal custody, and the investigation into the missing women is ongoing.

You can help support the show through Patreon.

We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms:

Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok 

Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we’re sharing a special look at a podcast we think you’ll like from our friends at ABC Audio and 20/20. It’s called “Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione.” In this five-part series, ABC News Legal Analyst Brian Buckmire goes deep into the case of Luigi Mangione and Brian Thompson. He’ll unpack the murder itself, the two men at the heart of the story, and how this case has affected the conversation about healthcare in America. 

This is episode one, “Christmastime in Altoona.” In this episode, the manhunt for the alleged shooter of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson comes to an end at a McDonald’s in Altoona, PA. To hear the rest of the series, follow "Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione" for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or listen ad-free on Apple Podcasts by subscribing to 20/20 True Crime+.

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