Over the course of the forty-six-year investigation, many suspects were developed and ruled out. Three have never been eliminated. In Episode Four, Drew and Eryk discuss the first of those three, James Brannon Ray. Using interviews with original investigators, witnesses, and family members, the case against Ray is laid out for the listener.  Download Episode

Episode 4 - Motive, Means, and Opportunity

On February 12, 1971, in Durham, North Carolina, a 20 year-old nursing student and her 19 year-old boyfriend left a Valentine's Dance to park down a secluded lover's lane. They never returned. Two weeks later, their bodies were found deep within the Carolina pines. They had been strangled, tortured, and murdered.
Their murders have never been solved. 
THE LONG DANCE is the story of the lives touched by the murders of Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane. Produced by crime fiction author Eryk Pruitt, investigative reporter Drew Adamek, and sound engineer Piper Kessler, it uses recorded interviews to tell the tragic tale of North Carolina's most baffling murder case. The eight-part true crime podcast is perfect for fans of SERIAL and S-TOWN.

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Listeners are introduced to Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane through interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. We learn about their lives and the horrors they faced when the couple went missing, then their bodies are found. "Pat and Jesse" serves as an introductory overview of the case.

Episode 1 - Pat and Jesse

What can be done—after forty-seven years—to solve the murders of Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane. Thanks to new technology, Captain Tim Horne may have one last chance to bring closure to the families and deliver justice to the killer. Will it be enough? Is it too late?

Episode 8 - Bottom of the Ninth

The information gleaned from the 1970s investigation is called into question when a scandal involving two of the detectives is unearthed. How will that affect Captain Tim Horne's suspicions? What does this mean for our story?

Episode 7 - Evidence and Information

Episode Six reveals the identity of the only living suspect of North Carolina's Valentine's Day Murders. After forty-six years, every investigator expresses frustration that one man may have slipped through their fingers, thanks to his standing in the community, as well as a series of unfortunate factors. Interviews with original and current investigators, prosecutors, and even the suspect himself, highlight this installment of the mystery.

Episode 6 - Rule 404B

The second of three suspects is presented. A doctor and textbook author at Duke lived a tormented and complicated life, striking terror and fear into all of those who came in contact with him. Could an innocent encounter with the young student nurse be the impetus for North Carolina's most baffling murder mystery?  Download Episode

Episode 4 - Motive, Means, and Opportunity

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