For nearly 41 years, Kristin O'Connell's family has waited for answers. The question: Who Killed Kristin O’Connell? Now, there is renewed hope.

A California forensic laboratory is prepared to conduct advanced DNA testing on key evidence preserved since Kristin's 1985 murder. Before that testing can begin, however, $10,000 must be raised.

In this special update, I share why this testing matters, where Kristin's case stands today, and how each of us can help move her case one step closer to answers.

How You Can Help

1. Donate to Kristin's GoFundMe:  https://gofund.me/6f2337db0
2. If you're unable to donate, please consider sharing the fundraiser. Every share helps keep Kristin's story alive and brings this opportunity to more people. 
3. New to Kristin's Story? You can listen to my nine-part investigative series here: https://methodandmadnesspodcast.com/Kristin
4. Have Information? If you know anything about Kristin's murder, even something that seemed insignificant in 1985, please contact the New York State Police:(585) 398-4125

 Thank you for caring about victims.



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This is the 6th part of a series honoring the victims of Richard Cottingham. Please listen to episodes 104 through 108 first.

 In July 1968, 13-year-old Jackie Harp left drum corps practice in Midland Park, New Jersey, and began the short walk home. She never arrived. Hours later, a quiet suburban town was turned upside down when Jackie was found murdered in the woods less than half a mile from her house. The case would go unsolved for more than 50 years.

In this episode, we follow Jackie’s final day, the immediate search that gripped her family and community, and the investigation that ultimately stalled despite hundreds of interviews and early leads.


Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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Part 5 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series

29-year-old Nancy Vogel went missing on her way to play Bingo in October of 1967. Diane Cusick never made it home after a shopping trip in February of 1968.

Nancy and Diane never knew each other, but were both victims of murder at the hands of one man.
In this episode, we retrace Nancy’s and Diane’s final days, the impact that their murders had on their children and loved ones, and how investigative teams finally closed their cases.

This is the 5th part of a series, honoring the victims of serial killer Richard Cottingham. Please listen to episodes 104 through 107 first.



Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you to Dr. Peter Vronsky for lending his expertise and for helping to facilitate the closure of Diane Cusick’s case. Thank you to Jennifer Weiss, late daughter of victim Deedeh Goodarzi.



Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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Part 4 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series

A single diary entry, buried inside a police file, may have held the key to stopping a killer.

In 1967, 17-year-old Mary Ann Della Salla vanished while walking home from work in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Seventy-six days later, she was found nine miles away.

Her case went cold, and her name faded, until decades later when a confession brought it all back.

In this episode, we retrace Mary Ann’s final days, the overlooked details that sat untouched for years, and the chilling truth that surfaced in 2022 - when serial killer Richard Cottingham finally admitted what he had done.

This is the 4th part of a series. Please listen to episodes 104, 105 & 106 first.

Thank you to Dr. Peter Vronsky for lending his expertise and for helping to facilitate the closure of Mary Ann Della Salla’s case. Thank you to Jennifer Weiss, late daughter of victim Deedeh Goodarzi.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.


Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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Part 3 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series  Please listen to episodes 104 & 105 first.

In September of 1965, 18-year-old nursing student Alys Eberhardt was murdered inside her family’s home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Despite an extensive investigation, the case remained unsolved for decades. More than sixty years later, serial killer Richard Cottingham, known as the “Torso Killer”, confessed to the crime, providing details only the killer could have known.

In this episode of Method & Madness, we look back at Alys’s life, the investigation that followed her death, and the confession that finally brought long-awaited answers to her family.

Thank you to Dr. Peter Vronsky for lending his expertise and for helping to facilitate the closure of Alys Eberhardt’s case. Thank you to Jennifer Weiss, late daughter of victim Deedeh Goodarzi.

Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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Part 2 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series

In this mini-series, we will continue to honor the victims whose lives were taken by a serial killer who terrorized New York and New Jersey for 15 years.

Featured on today’s episode: Deedeh Goodarzi, Manhattan Jane Doe, Jean Reyner, Valerie Ann Street, Mary Ann Carr, Nancy Vogel, Mary Ann Pryor, and Lorraine Kelly.

Richard Cottingham has been behind bars for 46 years, but some of his crimes have only recently come to light. Initially convicted of 5 homicides and multiple assaults, Cottingham is now responsible for the murders of 20 women and children.

He is likely guilty of much more, including several cold cases in New Jersey. It’s time to give the victims’ loved ones some peace. 

Today, I am joined by True Crime Author & Historian Dr. Peter Vronsky.

Thank you to Robert Anzilotti and the late Jennifer Weiss.

Jane Doe has been described as a white female between 16 and 22, between 5’1” and 5’4”, weighing 100 to 110 pounds. Her clothing, found in the bathtub, is a full-length black coat, a pair of Bon Jour blue jeans (size 7-8),  a pair of black patent leather boots (size 8), and a burgundy mohair sweater (size 38).
For more information about Jane Doe, visit namus: Unidentified Person Case

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.
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Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
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Thank you to Dr. Peter Vronsky for lending his expertise and for helping to facilitate the closure of Mary Ann’s and Lorraine’s cases. Thank you to Jennifer Weiss, late daughter of victim Deedeh Goodarzi.



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Part 1 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series

 On August 9th, 1974, 2 teenagers on their way to a New Jersey mall went missing.

17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Kelly were best friends, savoring the last days of summer break. They should have been heading into their senior year; older, sunburned, and full of plans.They never got that chance.

Five days after they went missing, their bodies were discovered miles from where they were last seen. What happened to them left lasting wounds for their families and their community.

Decades passed with no major suspects, and the double homicide became one of New Jersey’s oldest cold cases. “It’ll never get solved”, many thought. It had simply been too long.

This is Mary Ann’s & Lorraine’s story.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

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Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay

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Thank you to Dr. Peter Vronsky for lending his expertise and for helping to facilitate the closure of Mary Ann’s and Lorraine’s cases. Thank you to Jennifer Weiss, late daughter of victim Deedeh Goodarzi. Thank you to Robert Anzilotti.

Thank you for listening!
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Originally published January 31, 2023.

It started as a simple night out; 2 friends going to see a movie. Afterward, the pair boarded a bus headed for home. What they encountered on that ride would be described in the following days as “barbaric”, “shocking”, and “horrific”.

This is the story of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh. She had completed her finals and was preparing for an internship to become a doctor of physiotherapy. She told her parents in December of 2012 not to worry; all of their troubles would be over soon. But on December 16th, what she encountered was pure evil.

Resources
National Resources for Sexual Assault Survivors and their Loved Ones | RAINN

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Promo: Wicked DeedsWicked Deeds Podcast

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Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

Sound Editing by moInspo

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In March 1994, 28-year-old Tina Marie Arriaga dropped off her two young daughters at their grandmother’s house in Long Branch, New Jersey. She told her mother she was running to the pharmacy. She never came back. Weeks later, Tina’s body was discovered behind an auto shop, strangled and beaten. No one has ever been charged.

For more than 30 years, Tina’s family has lived with unanswered questions and growing doubts about the investigation. Her daughter, Patricia, joins Method & Madness to share her mother’s story and to ask the questions no one else has:
Was this case neglected? Or covered up?

“I have missed out on so much throughout my life because of someone else's actions. And I am ready to close this chapter. I'm ready to give my mother justice, and I also want my daughter to see that her voice matters,” Patricia says.

If you have any information about the murder of Tina Arriaga, please get in touch with:
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Detective Matthew Delgado at 800-533-7443.

To get in touch with Patricia, find her on Facebook:
Facebook Patricia Arriaga Douglas

Content Warning:
This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

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Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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In the late summer of 1968, 22-year-old Joan Freeman reported for an overtime shift at Hoffman-LaRoche, a sprawling pharmaceutical complex on the border of Clifton and Nutley, New Jersey. What should have been an ordinary Saturday at work became a nightmare: Joan would not leave the building alive.

From the strange theories surrounding industrial theft and espionage to potential connections with other New Jersey cold cases, we examine the angles investigators considered and what they ultimately concluded.

In this episode, we also touch on patterns in workplace homicides, the chilling notion that a coworker could have committed the crime, and the eerie possibility of a connection to the infamous “Torso Killer”, a thread we’ll explore in greater detail in a future episode.

Join us as we honor the memory of Joan Freeman and navigate the unanswered questions that haunt her story.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

If you have any information about the murder of Joan Freeman, please contact the Clifton Police Department at 973-470-5908.

To submit information about the murder of Alexander Messier, contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200

To submit tips about the murder of Alys Eberhardt, contact the Fair Lawn PD at 201-794-5410

******

Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate

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