On December 4th, 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was abducted while walking home from school. Steven's abductor, Kenneth Parnell, manipulated Steven into thinking his family didn't want him and had made Kenneth his guardian.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the infamous abduction of Steven Stayner. Kenneth Parnell was a master manipulator and had previous convictions. He abused Steven for many years, moving around often and changing Steven's name. It wasn't until Parnell abducted another young boy that Steven made the decision, he could not let what happened to him happen to his boy. He got up the courage to take the boy to the police station and both were rescued. The story made headlines.

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College student Tracey Neilson was murdered on her 21st birthday in Oklahoma in January of 1981. She was a bright student and a newlywed who had been married less than 6 months when she was killed.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Tracey Neilson. There were several eyewitnesses and two crucial pieces of evidence. One was Tracey's keychain which spelled out her name in big yellow letters was missing. The other was a repair ticket from that day. But the police had to try to make sense of what little they had to go on.

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By 1948, Howard Unruh was unemployed and living with his mother, Freda. He had been a decorated soldier in World War II but had trouble adjusting to life when he returned. Unruh is thought to be the first mass shooter and has been called the Father of Mass Murder by the press.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Howard Unruh. He likely had some form of PTSD after the war, and he was diagnosed with mental health illnesses. Howard began to believe his neighbors were talking about him behind his back and he started a kill list.

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In 2001, 73-year-old Ila Mae Clark, who was just one week away from celebrating her 74th birthday, was killed inside her Marshalltown, Iowa home.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Ila Mae Clark. Ila's house was next to both an apartment complex and a mobile home park. She managed the apartment complex and collected rent payments. Could this have had something to do with her murder?

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On April 26th, 2007, an emergency dispatcher with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call from Linda Duffey. Linda told the dispatcher that her husband Patrick had been shot. Very quickly she informed investigators that she was the one who had shot him. But she claimed it was an accident.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the death of Patrick Duffey. Multiple juries were faced with a difficult decision. Did Linda Duffey murder her husband Patrick, or, as she claimed, was it a terrible accident?

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In 1993, a stalker began to target 41-year-old Joanne Chambers, a first-grade teacher in Coolbaugh Township, Pennsylvania. The stalking escalated over time and the threats became more violent. All signs pointed to another teacher who worked at the same school.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the stalking of Joanne Chambers. This case has been referred to by some as the strangest stalking case ever. The police zeroed in on another female teacher at the school named Paula Nawrocki. But the details that emerge are so bizarre that they are difficult to believe.

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In the early morning hours of May 5th, 2009, Sheri Coleman and her two sons, 11-year-old Garett and 9-year-old Gavin, were found dead in their home. Husband and dad, Chris Coleman, had been worried about his family due to some threatening emails and letters they had received.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Coleman family murders. The crime scene was horrible, and someone had spray painted curse words throughout the home. This seemed to back up the threats the family had received. But as the police began gathering clues, they uncovered the true culprit and a senseless motive.

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On August 11th, 2024, 44-year-old father of three, Ryan Borgwardt went missing. He had gone kayak fishing on Big Green Lake in Wisconsin. His wallet and keys were found as was his capsized kayak.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Ryan Borgwardt. The authorities and his family feared he was dead and possibly at the bottom of the lake. Massive searches ensued but information soon came to light indicating that Ryan had used his passport to cross over into Canada. What came to light was a web of lies of deceit that shocked everyone.

On November 8th, 2024, Hannah Kobayashi headed from Honolulu to Los Angeles for a very short layover en route to New York City. Hannah never made her connecting flight, and her family became worried about her. Over the next few days, she sent out a series of mysterious texts.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Hannah Kobayashi. What started as a disappearance case turned into a web of mysteries. Hannah's location, two green card marriages, and the reasons behind what she did would soon begin to emerge.

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50-year-old Brian Thompson worked his way up to be the CEO of United Healthcare, which is currently the largest private payer of health insurance benefits in the United States. On December 4th, 2024, Brian was gunned down in Manhatten as he was about to enter a hotel for a meeting.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the assassination of Brian Thompson. This case has dominated the headlines as the police searched for the shooter. The case drew even more attention when the authorities arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione whom they believe to be the shooter. But many questions remain, including just exactly what the motive behind the shooting was.

You can support the show at patreon.com/criminology

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