Dark Deeds

On April 16, 2022, 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal, a Hungarian-born wife and mother of two sons living in Forest Hills, New York was approached in her home between 12:30 and 12:40 A.M. by 44-year-old Mexico City native, David Bonola and viciously stabbed 55+ times, stuffed into one of her son's hockey duffel bags, and dragged 0.4 miles to the Jackie Robinson highway. Allegedly, David and Orsolya had an on-again-off-again affair, and Orsolya broke things off for good, angering David to the point of finally taking her life. 
Sources: PeopleNY PostLaw and Crime NY PostNY Daily News Patch Audio: Orsolya Gaal murder case NYPD update  

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In May of 2021, a police officer's (Bruno Portillo) wife (Reyna  Gonzalez-Amador) set out to go on a shopping trip in Atizapan de  Zaragoza, Mexico with an elderly man (Andres Mendoza) who had become a  friend of the family. He was also somewhat of a charity case for the  couple and their children, as he seemed dirty, poor, and down on his  luck. They often invited him to their home for meals, and so he was not  so lonely. Since he seemed as though he meant them no harm, Reyna wanted  his help shopping for supplies for her cell phone business on May 14,  2021. When she had not returned that night, Bruno knew exactly where to  turn his attention, Andres. Bruno reported his wife missing, but with  barely any help from police at first due to their lack of funding, etc.,  he took it upon himself to obtain the police street surveillance  footage of the street where Andres lived. Reyna was seen entering Andres  house, but never exiting with him to go shopping. This is when Bruno  knew he had to take officers there to do a search for his wife. After  Reyna had been missing for four days, a search was finally able to be  conducted, and what Bruno found was horrifying. What was found after  this discovery was also never expected and launched and investigation  into one of Mexico's most prolific serial killers whose reign of terror  has lasted decades. Sources: Infobae (2022, March)
NewsWeek (2022, March)
AP News (2021, June)
The Sun News (2021, June)
The Washington Post (2021, June)
Atlanta Journal Constitution (2021, June)

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Cynthia "Cindy" Louise Vanderbeek and her husband, Stephen Alfred Vanderbeek were travelling vendors that travelled to boat shows during the 1990s, selling boat cleaning supplies and other items. Cindy gave up her whole life to be with a man she thought was absolutely perfect.  In March of 1995, Cindy was to attend the christening of her newborn nephew as she was the godmother, but when she doesn't show up, and Stephen shows up on her family's doorstep alone, they begin to worry. Stephen tells them a story about how she was offered a quick job in Wisconsin and she would be late arriving to Maryland. He then changes his story, saying she will meet him in Florida, withdraws all of their savings from the bank, asks Cindy's mother, Camille, for the money she had been saving for them, and makes his way back home. Her family struggles to report her missing as no department will take her case when finally, the police department in Montgomery county, Maryland takes it on. Detective Robert Nichols doesn't give up or lose hope and investigates this case for ten years before finally solving the mystery of what happened to Cindy Vanderbeek. 

OG Release Date: 06/14/2021

Sources:
The Washington Post (2005, June)
Soundings (2005, September)
Doe Network (2005, June 21). 
Tapatalk (2006, June 19.)  
Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 1
Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 2. 
Media in this episode:
NPR News (2008, January 28).

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The Texas Killing Fields is an area that borders the Calder Oil Field in League City Texas. The Calder Oil Field is a 25-acre patch of land that is situated a mile from Interstate 45. This location, as well as the surrounding areas have been dubbed "The Texas Killing Fields" or "The Highway to Hell" due to a string of 30+ cases involving female murder victims' bodies being found in these locations from the span of 1971 to the early 2000s. Several other disappearances in the area have been thought to be linked to these cases, as well. Many of the cases still remain unsolved, despite suspects and confessions while few have been solved and deemed to be unrelated. Many of the victims were in the age range of 12-25 years old and had similar physical features which makes many people believe the killings to be the work of a serial killer or multiple serial killers during that time period. The Killing Fields have been often described as the perfect place to kill someone and get away with it, as it is difficult to be heard if yelling in the area and there is really no where to hide when running.   OG Release Date: 01/18/2021 Sources:   Texas Killing Fields Wiki  Websleuths Forum Unsolved Mysteries Rhonda Johnson & Sharon Shaw I-45 VictimsChron Patch Ranker Texas Equusearch Galv News Audrey Cook-Cold Case #86-216   Chron Charley Project Shelley Sikes  Suzanne Rene Richerson: Charley Project    Lynette Bibbs  Chron  Laura Smither article   Tot Tran Harriman- Charley Project  Remembering Jessica Cain, 20 years after her disappearance Terressa Vanegas Reddit  Donna Prudhomme-Cold Case #91-2200Houston Matters article

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On this episode, I feature 3 cases chosen by my past coworkers who are also listeners of my podcast! Two cases are local to us, one is local to my friend at the time she lived in Kentucky, and the final case is one I have been wanting to get out there for a long time.   Case #1 On October 31, 2019, 35-year-old Benjamin Lee Figard of New Paris phoned 9-1-1 to report that he had shot and killed his 40-year-old wife, Amanda Jane Figard, and his 12-year-old step-daughter, Laina Rae Haney and placed their bodies in the basement.   Case #2 On the night of January 8, 2015, 21-year-old Stephanie Waters went to meet 15-year-old Ryan Hardwick and 16-year-old Deauntay Dontaz Moye in place of her boyfriend, Benjamin Holsinger to sell them some Marijuana. When she arrived with her dog, Duke, the two teens shot her and her dog, placed her in the back of the vehicle, and drove around the Altoona area while smoking the Marijuana.   Case #3 29-year-old Tromain Jerome Mackall from southern Maryland moved to Owensboro, Kentucky to be with his girlfriend, Johnathan Dewitt aka Simone Dahlia in February 2016. After attending a party on July 24, 2016 and leaving at 1:30 A.M. on the morning of July 25,  he went missing. A body was found floating in a truck toolbox on August 2nd in Spring Fork Creek near Owensboro Road in Falls of Rough, Kentucky about 30 miles from the party Tromain had attended. The body was identified as Tromain's using dental records on August 23rd. The cause of death was determined to be homicide from multi-modal asphyxiation. 5 people were charged in connection to the kidnapping and murder of Tromain Mackall.   Case #4 Revell Reuben Jeeter, a 59-year-old man from Maryland moved to the quiet village of Harrisonville, Pennsylvania on 12 acres of land he had purchased to enjoy his retirement with his best friend, his dog, Bubba. On July 21, 2003, after obtaining meat from a butcher shop in McConnellsburg with his dog, he was to attend a crab feed with his friends and family but did not show up, and has not been seen since. He is still missing 17 years later. Anyone with information is asked to call the PSP at (717) 485-3131.  Sources:  Hancock Clarion Altoona Mirror   Leagle.com   **there are 3 more sources listed on instagram**




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This case had relatively widespread social media coverage by those believing it was a sad suicide story, but the truth has come out. On September 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM, dispatchers were called to a home at 2442 Route 143 Kempton, Albany Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania by Lisa Snyder. A mother who says her son, Conner Seth Snyder, age 8, committed suicide by hanging himself with a dog lead from the rafter of their basement after telling her he wanted to build a fort with the new dog lead she had purchased. She claimed he was severely bullied in school and kept saying he wanted to die, but did not want to go alone, so, there hanging with him was his little 4-year-old sister, Brinley Louise Snyder, on the same dog lead. 
First responders responded to the 9-1-1 call about 11 minutes later, to find that Lisa claimed she had only briefly tried to get Brinley down from the lead but became sweaty due to her anxiety. The children passed away 3 days later on September 26, 2019. A large police investigation ensued, as this case was shady from the beginning, and on December 2, 2019, Lisa Snyder was finally arrested. She remains in prison while awaiting sentencing to see if she will receive the death penalty. There was no evidence suggesting Conner had ever been bullied.  OG Release Date: 08/17/2020 Sources:
Crime Online (2019, December 3) Washington Post (2019, December 3)  Mcall (2019, December 2)  People  (2019, December 2) Mcall (2019, December 2) Penn Live (2020, June 30) 
Audio:
CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch 
Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia 

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On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania. OG Release Date: 08/03/2020 Sources: True Crime Society  (2019, October 23) Jacksonville (2019, August 14) Meadville Tribune (2019, October 8) Your Erie (2020, February 17)  Heavy (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ True Crime Society  Go Erie (2019, October 7)
Audio:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08usf_3ghJk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgx1b7Vip8Q

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On December 14, 1995, 17-year-old Krystal Beslanowitch set off on foot to go to  a convenience store in Salt Lake City, Utah at 8:45 PM, but never returned to the motel her and her boyfriend, Chris were living in. Chris walked to the convenience store to search for Krystal, but the employees say they never saw her there.  Two days later, the nude, battered body of a teenage female was found on the bank of the Provo River. She had been beaten to death with granite rocks. Her boyfriend phoned the police after seeing drawings of the Jane Doe's tattoos on the news to tell them he believes the body was that of his girlfriend, Tracy Beslanowitch. It was later determined that Krystal had been using the identity of her step-sister, Tracy, and that the Jane Doe was in fact Krystal. 
18 years later, the murder was solved using new technology known as the M-Vac when police were able to take DNA from the rocks at the crime scene used to kill Krystal. 
OG Release Date: 07/20/2020
Sources:
Laikan Savage (2020, February 1)
Forensic Tales (2020, February 9)
Salt Lake Tribune (2016, September 30) FOX 13 (2019, September 19)
TV Crime Sky (2019, April 20)
Audio:
M-Vac Systems (2016, December 18) 

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On April 27, 2003, 27 members of a 50 member church congregation at the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine gathered for a meeting to discuss the purchase of a new furnace for the church. While at the meeting, 16 members drank coffee from one of two urns holding coffee for the congregation. These 16 members ended up being treated for severe vomiting at two hospitals, one member, named Walter Reid Morrill passed away at the age of 78 due to this illness. Upon investigation, police determined one of the urns holding coffee had been poisoned with extreme levels of arsenic. 
To this day, the case is closed due to police believing they knew who had done it, but the town is divided in whether the case should reopen and find the accomplices or remain closed and let bygones be bygones. 
OG Release Date: 07/01/2020
Sources:
ELCA (2006, April 21)
WGME (2018, April 27)
Murderpedia  
LA Times (2008, June 15)
NY Times (2003, May 1)
ABC News (2006, January 7)

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On April 3, 2010 in Manchester, England, 12-year-old, Tia Rigg's uncle, John Maden phoned her mother, Lynne, to ask if Tia could come over to babysit his young daughter. Lynne agreed, and Tia went to John's home, hoping to catch some of the football game that day, as her favorite team, Manchester United, was playing but she had no idea what awaited her at her uncle's home. John drugged Tia before raping her, committing a variety of sexual acts on her, and then stabbing and strangling her to death.  Social services had many chances to take Tia from the care of her mother, Lynne, as Lynne had a history of drug abuse, suicide attempts, and domestic violence, however, they failed little Tia.  
OG Release Date: 06/15/2020
Sources:  True Crime England (2020, February 4)  Daily Mail UK (2011, May 13)  Express (2010, April 5) The Guardian (2010, October 4) Daily Mail UK (2011, May 13) Audio:  Daily Motion DCI David Warren

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