This episode contains explicit descriptions of murder and crimes against children.
It is intended for mature audiences. Listener discretion advised.


A late-night phone call.

A confession.

And potential answers in a decades-old murder investigation.

In this episode, ATF agent John Rotunno recounts the moment a confidential informant reached out with a chilling admission about the disappearance of Helen Brach—25 years after she vanished.

We trace Rotunno’s path from deep undercover operations inside Chicago’s most dangerous gangs to the cases that followed—where informants, incentives, and human intelligence drove some of the largest federal prosecutions of their time.

Then, we turn to the informant at the center of it all: Joe Plemmons.

A horse trainer with deep ties to the world surrounding Helen Brach.
A key witness in multiple federal cases.
And a man who now claims to know exactly what happened the night she disappeared—because, according to him, he was part of it.

Why come forward after all this time?
What did he say when he finally decided to “get it off his chest”?

In Episode Six, the investigation pivots—through the voice of a man who says he was there the night Helen Brach vanished.

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The Missing Candy Heiress is produced, directed, and written by Jonathan Rocks and Beth McNamara. All material is copyrighted.

Legal Disclaimer:  All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States.