Missing Persons

Episode 103 Dale Williams Update: Arrest Made

An update to one of our earliest cases that we covered on Missing Persons; the 1999 disappearance of Dale WIlliams of Nucla, Colorado in May,1999. Dale left his auto body repair shop after taking a mysterious call and was never seen again. Later his truck was found submerged in a nearby river. There was no sign of Dale.

One person who many people suspected, was an ex friend of Dale's named Dan Bishop. Bishop and Dale had a falling out after Dale and his wife helped Bishop's wife escape an abusive relationship with Bishop. The major update to this case is, that Dan Bishop has been charged in relation to Dale's disappearance and presumed murder.

In this episode, we will re-play our original episode discussing the case. and include an interview with Dale's daughter Tonee, and as the end of the episode, we will update listeners with the latest details available in the case.

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Episode 102 The Zaharias Children 

On November 20, 1987, 15 month old Lisa Mae and her brother, 3 year old Christopher Zaharias were abducted by their mother, Susan Gammill from their home in Mission Viejo, California. According to the children's father Louis, his wife Susan was struggling with post partum depression and drug dependency at the time of the abduction. She wiped out the couple's savings and wrote a series of bad checks before leaving with Lisa Mae and Christopher.  Louis immediately filed a police report but it seems that Susan had help from her family taking the children away from Louis, making it difficult for police to help. Over the years, Susan and the children have been tracked to different states, and according to Louis, they continue to be aided by Susan's relatives in avoiding capture. Louis enlisted the help of a dedicated private investigator to help locate his children, but Susan and the people who are helping her always seem to be a step ahead. It's now been just about 37 years since Louis Zaharias has seen his children resulting in what is currently the longest ongoing parental abduction. Louis is desperate to be reunited with his children. In this episode, he discusses his endless search for his kids, and the physical, emotional, and financial struggles he has faced. 

Visit the website dedicated to finding Lisa Mae and Christopher Zaharias along with the Facebook page for the case.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Christopher Zaharias, his sister Lisa Mae,  or their mother Susan, please call Klein Investigations at (409) 729-8798

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh; America's #1 meal kit. Listeners of Missing Persons can get free breakfast for life by visiting this link. (.One free breakfast item per box while subscription is active)

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 101 Rebekah Barsotti Case Update

We originally covered the case of 33 year old Rebekah Barsotti back in episode 46 of Missing Persons. Rebekah, along with her dog Cerberus, disappeared in the area of Clark Fork River near Alberton, Montana in July, 2021. She had been going through a divorce, and her family believed that she may have been the victim of foul play. When Cerberus's remains were found days later 10 miles downstream, but Rebekah's were not, it only fueled concerns that Rebekah wasn't an accidental drowning victim; despite that being the theory of the police investigating the case. Finally on May 17, 2022, fisherman discovered Rebekah's remains on the bank of the Clark Fork River, almost a year after Rebekah went missing. In the minds of Rebekah's family, the discovery only served to re-ask old questions, and it brought a host of new ones. Police consider the case closed, but Rebekah's family believe that there is more than meets the eye. In this episode, we update listeners on the case, and try to figure out; what happened to Rebekah Barsotti.

Episode 100 Bethany Markowski

In March, 2001 eleven year old Bethany Markowski vanished in Tennessee while on a visit with her father Larry. Larry and Bethany's mom Jonnie had recently split up after a volatile relationship amidst allegations of abuse on Larry's part towards Jonnie. Jonnie had fled her home with few belongings, alongside Bethany hoping that they could get away from Larry. Eventually, Larry caught up with them, and a protection order was put in place. Since Larry had never abused Bethany, he had visitation rights, and Bethany would spend weekends with him. But on just the second visit with her father, Bethany vanished. On Sunday, March 4th, 2001, Larry was supposed to drop off Bethany after their visit. According to Larry, he stopped at the Old Hickory shopping mall in Jackson, TN so that Bethany could go inside and pick up a few things. Larry claims that after not returning for a period of time, he went into the mall to find his daughter, but he never did. Witnesses backed up Larry's story that he was in the mall that day, but none of those witnesses saw Bethany, and she hasn't been seen since. Since she vanished, Larry has reportedly failed polygraph tests, and has stopped cooperating with police. He has never been charged in the case and denies any involvement in his daughter's disappearance.

In this episode, Bethany's mom Jonnie discusses her daughter's disappearance as well as possible sightings of Bethany.

At the time of her disappearance, Bethany was 4’8’’ and weighed 95 lbs. with brown hair and blue eyes. If you have any information on Bethany’s case, please contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations at 1-800-TBI-FIND or 1-800-824-3463. You can also email [email protected]

Visit Bethany's Facebook page for more information.

Episode 99 Lisa Shuttleworth 

On September 3rd 2003, 34 year old mother Lisa Shuttleworth vanished from her Aiken, South Carolina home. Her kids came home to find themselves locked out of the house. In the driveway was her car which had broken down, and a car that she had borrowed until she could get hers fixed. When Lisa's mom arrived at the house and used a key to get in, there was no sign of Lisa. There was a pot of tea undisturbed on the stove, and there was no sign of a struggle. It appeared that Lisa had just stepped out and planned to return, but she never did. Police tracked her movements that day and determined that she when missing sometime between 11am, and when her son got off the bus that afternoon. A look back into Lisa's life found troubled relationships and a possible history of abuse. There was also a rumor that Lisa was pregnant, and according to Lisa's daughter Krystina who is our guest in this episode, Lisa had confided in her close friend that she was indeed pregnant. There were rumors that the father may have wanted Lisa to get an abortion, and unverified reports that he disposed of a new truck that he had soon after Lisa went missing; a truck that rumor has it, may have displayed signs of blood after Luminol was used on it. No charged have ever been brought in Lisa's case, and she remains missing to this day. Krystina discussed her mom's puzzling case, and the personal toll the disappearance has taken on her.

At the time she vanished, Lisa was described as 5ft3 and weighing 102 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. 

Anyone with information regarding Lisa’s disappearance is asked to contact the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 800-922-9709

To learn more about the case or follow on social media, be sure to visit Lisa's Facebook page.

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 98 Barbara McClure

On November 2nd, 1978 24 year old Barbara Annette McClure went out for a night of dancing at the Fandango Disco in Seattle Washington on. That night, she and her dance partner who she had briefly dated got into a minor argument. Reportedly, the man she was dancing with left the club, and a short while later, Barbara also left. People that knew Barbara claimed that they saw her walking near the 16500 block of Bothell Way northwest, about half a mile from the disco, and they claimed they offered her a ride but she refused, and insisted on walking 5 miles to her home. She didn't make it home, and was never seen again. The lines of what happened that night are blurred by inaccuracies and confusion. A neighbor boy who babysat Barbara's 2 year old daughter Jamie, swears that he babysat that night and in the early morning hours, was told by a strange man to go home. Somehow, Jamie wound up in the care of her family that morning and it's not clear how. There is also speculation that the witnesses who las saw Barbara may not be telling the full truth. Finally, there is reason to believe that Barbara's father who she was estranged from was having her followed when she went missing.  Days after Barbara vanished, her driver's license was found about ten miles away in a culdesac. The case went cold, and Jamie now an adult, is trying to get to the bottom of what happened. In this episode, she discusses her efforts, and all of the confusion in the case. 

When she went missing, Barbara was described as White with shoulder length Brown hair, Blue eyes, standing 5ft5, and weighing 120 lbs. She was last seen wearing a green and rust-colored blouse with wide stripes, a short black leather jacket, rust-colored corduroy pants and tan mid-calf boots with a two-inch heel. Carrying a brown cloth purse with a shoulder strap.

If you know anything about McClure’s disappearance, you’re asked to contact crime stoppers at 800-222-8477.

If you have information or tips, please reach out to Private Detective Cloyd Steiger who is handling this investigation for Jamie. 

To donate to help fund the investigation, billboards, etc, please donate via Gofundme. 

To learn more about, or to discuss Barbara's case, please visit the Where is Barbara Annette McClure Facebook group. 

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 97 Loukthayoth 'Luke' Phiangdae

On February 6th, 1996, 11 year old Loukthayoth Phiangdae, who went by Luke, vanished from his home in Raymond, Washington. He was apparently upset after being yelled at by his father for roughhousing with his brother, and he headed into his bedroom locking the door behind him. After several minutes, his family went to check on Luke and found his door locked. After forcing their way in, they found out that Luke was gone. It seemed like he had left through his window, and to this date, he has never been found despite extensive searches, and FBI involvement. Although there were possible sightings of Luke, none were confirmed, and it's not clear if he ran away, or was abducted. Over the years, suspicion fell on Luke's father, and some theorize that Luke drowned. In the end, there is not enough clues to look in any direction to figure out what happened to the 11 year old. 

Luke's case was largely forgotten over the years, and next to nothing about Luke was posted online until a June, 2024 Centralia Chronicle article by Eric Trent who is our guest in this episode. Eric discusses with us the clues and the theories in this case. 

When Luke vanished, he was described as an Asian male with Black hair and Brown eyes. He stood 4ft5, and weighed 65 pounds. He has a birthmark on his right buttock. Luke's case is on file with NAMUS. If you have information about Luke's case, please call Raymond police at (360) 942-4120.

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 96 Missing no more: A sad update on the case of David Schultz

In this episode we discuss the sad update in the case of missing truck driver David Schultz who vanished in November, 2023. We first covered his case in episode 87 in January, 2024. David's remains were recovered in April from a field about a mile from where his 18 wheeler was found abandoned in Sac County, Iowa. A preliminary autopsy did not find any clear signs of trauma or foul play, although his family is pursuing a second autopsy. Full results from the autopsies may take several weeks to come in. In addition to the update, we are including our full original episode about David's case. Now that David has been found, some of the questions from our original episode are now answered, but many are not, and now there may be even more questions.

Anyone with information about David Schultz’s disappearance and subsequent death is asked to call the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 712-262-1873.

There is a reward of $2,000 being offered in this case. 

David's family has been financially impacted by his death, and a Gofundme has been set up to help get them through this difficult time. Please contribute if you can. 

To listen to this episode ad-free and get access to other podcast benefits, consider an AbJack Insider subscription. 

To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 95 Gregory 'Greg' Treace

53 year old Gregory Treace, a father of 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma was having a challenging 2022. He was battling Lymphoma which left him in a lot of pain, and unable to work. On top of that, he and his wife Billie were separated, although on good terms, and living in the same home in different bedrooms. One day in July, he went out to do some night fishing with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, and he never came home. After he didn't return home a couple days later, his wife Billie became very worried. It wasn't like him to stay away from home, and he missed an important medical treatment. When she reached out to Greg's brother, he told her a story that didn't make sense; that Greg had run off with his brother's girlfriend to a hotel, and that he hadn't seen him since. Billie didn't believe it, but drove to the hotel and found no sign of Greg. Later, Greg's Brother's girlfriend called Billie with a different story; that the 3 of them had broken down in Greg's car on the way to go fishing, and that Greg and his brother began arguing before his brother left on his own. The girlfriend arranged for someone to pick her and Greg up and to drive them home. The friend who dropped them off verified that he dropped the girlfriend off and then Greg off near Greg's mom's property in Sapulga, Oklahoma. The man that dropped Greg off confirmed that they were greeted by Greg's brother who appeared to be very angry and was yelling at Greg. The witness left, and Greg was never seen again. Greg's brother's story changed, and looked very suspicious. Greg's car was located broken down as described, but Greg was not found despite searches by dogs and drones. Some of Greg's clothing and his shoes were found at his mother's home, but his phone, wallet, and keys are missing. To date, Greg remains a missing person, although Billie believes her husband is dead. She wants to know what happened and where her husband's remains are. Her and Greg's children miss Greg. After Greg vanished, his brother who has a history of drug abuse, was charged with abusing his girlfriend and sent to prison where he remains as of the release of this episode. If he knows anything more about his brother's disapperance, he isn't talking. 

In this episode, Billie discusses her husband's disappearance, and all of the changes in her brother in law's account of what happened. 

Gregory was last seen in Sapulpa, Oklahoma on July 24th, 2022. He is white with graying/bald hair and blue eyes. He is 6’3 and 225lbs. DNA is available for comparison in NaMus, where he is listed as case # MP94228.

Please call the Creek County Sheriff at 918-227-6374 with any information on the whereabouts of Gregory Treace.

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter

Episode 94 Brianna Maitland

17 year old Brianna Maitland vanished without a trace on Friday night March 19, 2004 after she left her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Her co-workers watched her drive off in her Green 1985 Oldsmobile at around 11:20PM. They had asked her to hang out and share a meal, but she was tired and had to work her second job early the next morning. In the hours after Brianna laft work, her car was spotted by multiple witnesses backed into the wall of  a barn house about a mile from the Black Lantern Inn. One of the witnesses was a young man who had dated Brianna. He claimed that he found her car abandoned against the barn home with its doors open and headlights on, but there was no sign of Brianna, so he turned off her lights and shut the doors before leaving. Another witness, a police officer, discovered the car and when he saw Brianna's uncashed paychecks inside from the Black Lantern Inn, he headed there to try and figure out what was going on, but by the time he arrived, they were closed. Rather than report the incident, he left for a long weekend get away, setting into motion a set of circumstances that caused a delay in anyone even realizing Brianna was missing. Hours after the police officer had come upon the scene, a group of travelers spotted the odd scene of the car backed into the barn. It was so odd, they stopped to take photos and investigate the scene. A broken necklace and some of Brianna's belongings were found inside and outside of the car. The car was towed, and 2 days would pass before anyone realized Brianna was missing. 

Officially, Brianna was never seen again, although there were reported sightings of her in other states thought to be cases of mistaken identity. Brianna's parents, Bruce and Kellie Maitland, were left to wonder what happened to their daughter. Along the way, they had to hear all kinds of rumors about Brianna, and what may have happened to her and who may be responsible. Brianna's case was thought by some to possibly be linked to the disapperance of Maura Murray, another high profile missing persons case in New England. Maura vanished from New Hampshire a month before Brianna, and as in Brianna's case, her car and odd clues were left behind. 

The Maitlands found a friend, advocate, and ally in Private Investigator Greg Overacker who has worked doggedly on Brianna's case for years. In this episode, he discusses the case, and tried to sort out fact from fiction. He also discusses the book he wrote on Brianna's case.

When Brianna Maitland vanished, she was described as White, with Brown haid and Hazel eyes. She stood about 5ft5 and weight around 116 pounds. If you have any information about Brianna's case, call the FBI tip line at 800-CALLFBI or call the Vermont State Police at 844-84-VTIPS. You can also reach out to Bruce Maitland's organization; Private Investigations for the Missing. 

Visit this link to order Greg Overacker's book; The Hunt for Brianna Maitland; The Relentless Pursuit of Answers to one of Vermont's Biggest Mysteries. You can also reach out to Greg via Facebook with tips or to get an autographed copy of his book. 

To listen to this episode ad-free and get access to other podcast benefits, consider an AbJack Insider subscription. 

To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit: Missingpersonspodcast.com Follow us on Social media on Facebook or Twitter