Floodlights

On two rural roads on the Yurok Reservation, two trucks belonging to two missing men are found within weeks of each other as the Covid 19 pandemic unfolds. This episode covers the cases of Nick Vigil and Virgil Bussell Jr. (Hoopa Tribe), both of whom remain missing. So, what happened to these two men? And what is the link, if any, between their cases?

You can follow the show @floodlightspod.

Episode sources:

Interviews with Debbie Frisiello (2022 and 2024) by Laura Frater (phone)

Interview with Investigator Destry Henderson (HCSO) (2022) by Laura Frater (phone)

Interview with Alicia Aduelo (2022) by Laura Frater (text)

Interview with Frank Surber (2023) by Laura Frater (in person)

https://kymkemp.com/2024/02/25/vigilance-a-mothers-four-year-search-for-her-missing-son-she-offers-a-25000-reward-to-find-her-only-child/

https://kymkemp.com/2020/04/29/fortuna-man-missing-since-february-police-seek-publics-assistance/

https://coldcasemendocino.wordpress.com/tag/hoopa/

https://kiem-tv.com/2020/03/26/fortuna-man-still-missing-2/

https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/virgil-owen-bussell-jr

https://humboldtgov.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2621&ARC=3957

https://kymkemp.com/2020/04/11/weitchpec-man-still-missing-family-received-a-ransom-note-and-tracker-found-possible-evidence-indicating-foul-play/

https://krcrtv.com/north-coast-news/eureka-local-news/missing-native-man-still

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From the creator of The Vanishing Point, Floodlights is a weekly true crime show covering major crimes impacting Tribal nations. From the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, to scandals and conspiracies created by an unfair legal system, Floodlights investigates the stories America needs to hear now. Hosted by investigative journalist, Laura Frater.

Follow Laura @lauraelizabethfrater.

Follow Floodlights at @floodlightspod.

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What's it like to cover, as a journalist, your own missing family members, friends, and neighbors? This week we talk with Allie Hostler, editor of the Two Rivers Tribune, a local newspaper in the Hoopa Valley on the Hoopa Reservation. Hoopa is home to many Tribal Nations including the Hoopa, Karuk and Yurok Tribes. Allie shares her “day in the life” as a newspaper editor, what it’s like reporting on missing people in her own community, and the jurisdictional challenges that the Hoopa Tribal police face today. 

Find out more about the missing people cases mentioned in this episode (all these cases will be covered in the coming months on Floodlights):

Emmilee Risling

Sumi Juan

Andrea "Chick" White

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On February 8th, 2018, Khadijah Britton (Round Valley Tribe) was forced into a car at gunpoint by her ex-boyfriend, Negie Fallis, on the Covelo Reservation in California. In this week's episode, former police officer Trent James, who worked Khadijah's case, explains what led up to her disappearance and what he believes happened to Khadijah after her kidnapping.

Anyone with information regarding Khadijah's case is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at (707)234-2100 or the FBI San Francisco Division at (415) 553-7400. Tips can be anonymous. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

You can follow Floodlights on Instagram @floodlightspod.

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Angela McConnell (Hoopa) and her boyfriend, Michael Bingham Jr., were found dead on a road near his family's property in Northern California. Years later, the case has been put through multiple detectives -- and a private investigator -- with no answers and only cryptic suggestions as to who is responsible. Meanwhile, in the state of Washington, Mary Johnson (Tulalip) remains missing after she walked down Fire Trail Road on the way to a friend's house. Before she vanished, she made a "desperate sounding" call to an unknown woman.

Today, all the families tied up in these cases are asking the same thing: who is responsible?

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On June 23rd, 2021, geologist Daniel Robinson left his job site in Buckeye, Arizona - an area within one to two hours of multiple Indian reservations. Since then, there have been no confirmed sightings of Daniel. In this week's episode of Floodlights, we interview David Robinson, Daniel's father, who walks us through Daniel's case. From questions about when and where Daniel's car was located to the mystery surrounding an unknown person who entered Daniel's apartment after he went missing, David tells us what we need to know to keep Daniel's case alive.

In the coming weeks, we'll be uploading Part II of Daniel's episode which will further investigate his case.

You can follow Floodlights on Instagram @floodlightspod.

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In October 2021, 33 year-old Emmilee Risling spent a few nights at the home of an acquaintance at the "End of the Road" on the Yurok Reservation. After she supposedly left, Emmilee was never seen or heard from again. In this episode, we interview Judge Victorio Shaw, a cousin of Emmilee, who explains how federal and state law contributed not only to the MMIP crisis, but the challenges associated with finding Emmilee.

You can follow Floodlights on Instagram @floodlightspod.

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When UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth is murdered in her off campus apartment, the UNC community is shocked -- especially since it's been just four short years since their student body president, Eve Carson, was also murdered near her off campus home. But in 2024, Faith's alleged killer remains in jail nearly three years after his arrest. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Faith's story and speak with Faith's father, Roland Hedgepeth, about why he believes Faith's case remains open.

You can follow the show @floodlightspod.

Episode sources:

Frater, Laura. Interview with Roland Hedgepeth. March 2024.

https://www.wral.com/news/local/page/2596473/

https://www.rentable.co/durham-nc/hawthorne-at-the-view

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/family-slain-unc-student-faith-hedgepeth-desperate-answers-nearly-eight-n1187001

https://www.haliwa-saponi.org/

https://www.wnct.com/on-your-side/crime-tracker/cold-case-files/cold-case-files-the-cold-case-that-got-solved-nine-years-later/#:~:text=DURHAM%2C%20N.C.%20(WNCT)%20%E2%80%94,second%20decade%20of%20her%20life.

https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/10/on-last-night-an-uncertain-timeline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsTrd5p4VCk

https://abcnews.go.com/US/murdered-unc-students-final-moments-police-happened-faith/story?id=42281581

https://www.wnct.com/on-your-side/crime-tracker/cold-case-files/cold-case-files-the-cold-case-that-got-solved-nine-years-later/#:~:text=Faith's%20body%20was%20bloody%20and,other%20places%20in%20the%20apartment.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eOXY0LgH3yY&pp=ygUTS2FyZW5hIHJvc2FyaW8gY2FsbA%3D%3D

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/08/who-is-amanda-knox-interview

https://www.wral.com/news/local/page/2596473/

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article10051073.html

https://www.wral.com/story/here-s-why-it-s-taking-lawyers-so-long-to-prosecute-the-suspect-in-2012-of-unc-chapel-hill-student-faith-hedgepeth/20821516/

https://www.wral.com/video/family-friends-defend-man-charged-with-murder-of-faith-hedgepeth/19880441/

https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-faith-hedgepeth/

https://heavy.com/news/miguel-enrique-salguero-olivares/

https://heavy.com/news/miguel-enrique-salguero-olivares/

https://www.wral.com/story/private-investigator-who-worked-on-hedgepeth-case-believes-more-arrests-charges-possible/19894974/

https://americanindiancenter.unc.edu/our-initiatives/student-engagement/aic-scholastic-awards/

https://justiceforfaith.com/

Landry, Alyssa (September 9, 2015). "Three Years Later: Still No Answers for Murdered Native Student's Family". Indian Country Media Network. Retrieved September 4, 2017.

Lopez, Ed; Valiente, Alexa (September 22, 2016). "Murdered UNC Student's Final Moments: What Police Say Happened to Faith Hedgepeth". ABC News. Retrieved September 4, 2017.

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When Emmilee Risling (Hoopa) and Andrea "Chick" White (Hoopa) went missing, no one could predict that it would bring together two people from opposite sides of the world. In this bonus episode to celebrate the launch of Floodlights, we explain how this new weekly true crime podcast came to be.

You can follow the show @floodlightspod.

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When 26 year-old Yurok Tribal Member Terri Lynn McCloskey goes missing, no one could understand why anyone would have wanted to hurt this bright young woman. But nearly 40 years later, many questions remain. Where is the police file on Terri Lynn? Who allegedly confessed to her killing? And what do 17 nearby murders possibly have to do with Terri Lynn's case?

You can follow the show @floodlightspod.

Episode sources:

Frater, Laura. "Who Killed Terri Lynn McCloskey?" Two Rivers Tribune, March 2023.

Frater, Laura. Interview with Allen McCloskey Senior, February 2023.

Frater, Laura. Interview with Allen McCloskey Junior, February 2023.

Unknown journalist. "Unsolved." Redding Record Searchlight archives, August 13th, 1989.

Unknown journalist. "Bones Identified as Those of Missing Hoopa Woman." Two Rivers Tribune archives, unknown date.

https://kobi5.com/news/yurok-tribe-investigator-rescues-woman-from-potential-human-trafficking-223415/

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/americas-greatest-detective-finalist-detective-julia-oliveira/

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