Invisible Choir

"Have you ever seen a dead body?" It was a haunting question that marked the beginning of a gruesome discovery inside the Smylie family home in Brandon, MS, in March of 2024. A beloved high school teacher was found shot dead, and her husband narrowly escaped with his own life. Amid the chaos that followed, Heath Smylie recognized the killer—but if not for the footage captured on a home security camera in the family’s kitchen, no one might have believed him…

Written by Sam Foster, Edited and Engineered by Scott Ecklein, and Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. All original music written, composed and performed by Scott Ecklein. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/perfectstorm 

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Shortly after 5 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2012, three masked men wielding guns broke into a suburban home in Ocoee, Florida. The intruders dragged roommates Alex Zaldivar, 19, Brienna Campos, 20, and her brother Remington Campos, 23, from their beds and lay them face down on the living room floor. Minutes later, bullets were fired into each of the heads. The men fled. When the ringing in their ears subsided, Remington and Brienna Campos realized they had miraculously survived, but their friend did not. Alex Zaldivar lay motionless in a widening pool of his own blood. Who were these men and why were they trying to kill everyone inside? It would later be revealed one of the intruders had been in this house, uninvited, once before. He was facing serious prison time and saw only one solution: he had to kill the witnesses. 

A special thanks to Rafael Zaldivar, who shared photos, videos and personal stories about his son, as well as retired Orlando Police Detective Michael Moreschi, who investigated the murder and provided an interview and information for this episode.

Written by Gus Burns, Edited and Engineered by Scott Ecklein, and Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list: View full episode source list: https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/witness   

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On Monday, June 24th, 2019, 33-year-old Kaylynn Blue failed to show up for her shift at a Walgreens in Idaho Falls, raising concern among her coworkers. Kaylynn had already missed two days—which was highly unusual for her. Worried, they reached out to her family, who soon involved the authorities. By 9 a.m., police arrived at Kaylynn’s residence to conduct a welfare check. There, they encountered her boyfriend, Philip Schwab, also 33. What they discovered was chilling: Philip was not only responsible for Kaylynn’s death, but had left behind a disturbing trail of online confessions detailing his crimes.

Written by Trevor Pason, edited and engineered by Scott Ecklein, and executive produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/beneathsoil 

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We're all drawn to the same things for different reasons. Nineteen-year-old “Serge” craved the freedom and exploration that travel offered. In 2008, he jumped at the chance to join a friend on an illegal train-hopping adventure to Florida. From that moment on, he was hooked. But his carefree nomadic lifestyle soon led him to cross paths with a coarse train hopping veteran known only as,  "Dirty Mike." Serge and his adventurous friends quickly discovered that Dirty Mike was on a journey of his own—one fueled by much darker and disturbing motives…

Special thanks to Serge Z. for taking the time to talk to us and share his story about his experiences traveling the country.  Written by Trevor Pason, edited and engineered by Scott Ecklein, and executive produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/bellybeast 

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On December 7th, 2016, 22-year-old Jessica Seger had plans to visit her sister, 25-year-old Amanda Suarez, at her home in Okeechobee, Florida. When Jessica arrived at the home, she noticed something strange: the door was open. And what lay inside proved to be horrific, as her sister's body was set on the floor, posed and covered in blood. Along with the body was Amanda’s hysterical 2-year-old child. Jessica grabbed her nephew and ran up the block to call the police. In the ensuing investigation and interviews with family and friends, investigators compiled a small list of potential suspects. But it was only after the discovery of a single piece of evidence left behind by Amanda herself, that detectives were able to narrow it down to one prime suspect. What followed was a tale of extreme depravity of the worst kind…  

Written by Trevor Pason, edited and engineered by Scott Ecklein, and executive produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/fog 

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In the early hours of July 23rd, 2013, Amy Lord was heading out of her apartment for a morning gym session with a friend. At the same time, just a few blocks away, a woman had been brutally attacked, and the assailant was now prowling the streets in search of his next target. When he spotted Amy, the events that followed would send shockwaves through South Boston…

Special thanks to Kayleigh Ballantyne for her courage, insight, and willingness to speak with us for this episode. Written by Sam Foster, Edited and Engineered by Scott Ecklein, and Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/guardian 

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On October 25th, 2018, staff at the California Men’s Colony Prison in San Luis Obispo noticed their beloved co-worker 64-year-old Athena Valentiny had not arrived at work. This absence prompted a wellness check, as was their standard procedure. But it was when two security guards tasked with checking up on Athena noticed her car was still parked in front of her home that they began to worry. To make matters worse, they noticed what appeared to be blood on her window shades. With Athena’s well being put into question, Grover Beach Police were dispatched and, to their horror, they found Athena viciously stabbed to death in her bedroom. As for who was responsible, there was a laundry list of potential suspects. But after some digging, investigators narrowed it down to one person, and with this discovery was a story, and a road trip, almost too far-fetched to be real. 

Written by Trevor Pason , Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/roadtrip  

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On June 28th, 2023, the University of Waterloo in Ontario, CA conducted a successful campus-wide test of its WatSAFE Emergency Alert System. However, just 93 minutes later, the unthinkable happened when a former student entered a Gender Issues lecture and unleashed a horrifying hate-fueled attack… 

Written and Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/getouthidefight 

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On May 7th, 2019, 62-year-old Kenneth Herring drove through a red light and struck a semi-trailer truck off I-285 in Clayton County, GA. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But when witnesses pulled off to the side of the road to check on things, they noticed Kenneth acting strangely. After he suddenly fled the accident scene, bystander Hannah Payne jumped into her Jeep to pursue him, against the advice of a 911 dispatcher… 

Written by Sam Foster, Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/badsamaritan   

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On Monday, April 10th, 2023, a day after Easter, colleagues gathered for their morning sales meeting at the Old National Bank in Louisville, KY. They brewed coffee and stowed away personal belongings while catching up with one another before the meeting began in the conference room. The day started normally, and everyone was in relatively high spirits. But everything changed when one of their coworkers emerged from his office carrying a large rifle…

Written by Trevor Pason, Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/thoughtsprayers  

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