Murder, She Told

1989 - Worcester, Massachusetts.

17-year-old Nereida “Nettie” Melendez had a big day ahead of her, and plans for her bright future. June 5th, 1989, was just the beginning: her high school graduation. But when her name was called onstage to get her diploma, Nettie was nowhere to be found. Her family started to panic. Nettie was responsible, and it was highly unlike her to miss such an important event.

Their panic ended in tragedy when her body was recovered after a family search the next day. To this day, her case still remains unsolved.

Nettie’s brother, Peter Vasquez, and her cousin Doris, reflect on Nettie’s life, their frustrations with the slow moving investigation, and what they would say if they were face to face with her killer.

If you have any information on the murder of Nettie Melendez, I encourage you to call the Worcester Police Dept at 508-799-8466, text TIPWPD to CRIMES (274637), or submit an anonymous tip.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/nettie-melendez

Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support

-----

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1995 - Hampden, Maine.

Alex James was somebody who always kept to herself. She was 58, and lived on her own in an apartment in Brewer, Maine. She was doing well for herself after being diagnosed with mental health issues, and just wanted to live in peace. Alex James, who previously went by the name Joy Crafts Earley, never hurt a fly.

On a summer evening in June 1995, Alex never came home from an evening stroll. The next day, her body was found near a storage unit, savagely murdered and assaulted.

It was a seemingly random attack, and police had no suspects… until years later, when a 24-year-old man named Douglas Littlefield—who had been terrorizing women in the Bangor area—was finally apprehended for his crimes. 

This is the story of Alex James, aka Joy Crafts Earley, and how survivors took down a sexual predator, and helped solve a murder.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/alex-james

Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support

------

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an excerpt from The Fall Line Podcast’s episode on the unsolved homicide of Garnet Lennox.

In May 2007, Garnet Lennox, a loving father and Michigan native, disappeared. Within a week, his car, and his body, would be found in East Detroit, and his sons, parents, and brothers were left to try and piece together who had killed Garnet, and why.

Sources at our website: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/sources

Submit a case to The Fall Line: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/case-submissions

Written, researched, and hosted by Laurah Norton, with research assistance from Bryan Worters, Kyana Burgess, and Michaela Morrill/Interviews by Brooke Hargrove/Produced, scored, and engineered by Maura Currie/ Content advisors are Brandy C. Williams, Liv Fallon, and Vic KennedySources at our website: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/sources

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefalllinepodcast 2022 All Rights Reserved The Fall Line Podcast, LLC

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1986 - Cranston, Rhode Island.

December 5th, 1986 was a normal day for 18-year-old Bobby Fisher. It wasn’t until his neighbor pulled up at his work with an alarming message that his world was turned upside down: there was something wrong with his mother, Donna.

Donna Anthony Fisher had been found unconscious from what appeared to be a medical event in her bedroom in Cranston, Rhode Island. A few days later on her 39th birthday, Donna passed away. But things took a turn when an autopsy revealed that Donna’s cause of death wasn’t an aneurysm like everyone thought, it was strangulation. Donna had been murdered.

No charges has ever been made in Donna’s case, but that doesn’t mean it’s collecting dust. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Hear Donna’s story told through her son, Bobby, and walk through the case from the eyes of an investigator with the current detective, Robert Santagata.

If there’s one thing they both want, it’s for this case to be solved. 

If you have any information about the murder of Donna Fisher, please contact the Cranson RI Police Dept at (401) 942-2211.

Episode sources and photos:

https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/donna-fisher

Support the show: ⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠

It’s MST’s birthday! Help celebrate by leaving a review and sharing on social media! Left a review? Grab your free sticker!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1996 - Windsor, Connecticut.

On March 21st, 1996, 32-year-old Anita Patel stopped by her mother, Champaben Patel’s home, to drop off her toddler while she took her 4-year-old daughter to school.

She had no idea that just behind the doors of the home, was a man attacking her mother. Anita yelled her daughter to take her brother and run.

When police arrived to the Patel home, they walked into one of the worst crime scenes they’d ever encountered. Both Champa and Anita had been killed; tortured and set on fire. This was a brutal and awful crime.

The Patel family sought comfort in one another in the immediate aftermath, mourning the loss of these two important women. But as time went on, the cracks in the family dynamic began to show, and they started questioning if somebody close knew more than they were letting on, asking themselves one important question: What if the killer was right there with them in the room?

There is currently a $50k being offered in this case. If you have any information about the murders of Champaben and Anita Patel, please contact the Connecticut Cold Case Unit’s tip line at 860-548-0606, or email a tip to [email protected]

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/champa-anita-patel

Support the show: ⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠

----

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An important update from Kristen!

Please listen to the full announcement to be in the loop.

PS: If you got this announcement yesterday, sorry! We switched over to a new host and this was a casualty, so I had to upload it again. I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to hear it. Thank you for your patience!

Discover more at murdershetold.com

Follow on instagram @murdershetoldpodcast

Support the show here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An important announcement from Kristen.

We have big news to share!

Please listen to the whole announcement so you can be in the loop. This should be everything you need to know, but if you have any questions or thoughts, please email me at [email protected]

Thank you!

Discover more on murdershetold.com

Connect on Instagram @murdershetoldpodcast

Support the show here

2022 - Concord, New Hampshire.

Stephen & Djeswende "Wendy" Reid were ready to slow down and enjoy their golden years together. After impressive, lifelong careers as humanitarians serving those in need all over the world, they finally retired to Steve’s hometown of Concord, New Hampshire.

On the afternoon of April 18th, 2022, the day after Easter, Steve and Wendy went for a walk on a trail system called Broken Ground Trails near their apartment complex. They never made it home. On the trail, they were shot to death in cold blood by a stranger; shaking up everyone in New England. Who would shoot such wonderful people?

For 6 months it seemed like the police didn’t have many leads. A composite sketch had been released, but Steve and Wendy barely made the news anymore, despite the brazen nature of the crime….

Until October 13th, 2022, when the Concord police announced their previously unnamed person-of-interest had been apprehended for unrelated crimes in Vermont. His name was Logan Clegg, and this announcement came seemingly out-of-the-blue. A few days later, Logan was officially charged with two counts of murder.

How did the police come to connect Logan to the crime scene? 

The answer is complicated… and it came just in time, because Logan had a one way ticket out of the country in just 2 days…

This is everything you need to know about the current investigation into the murders of Steve and Wendy Reid, and the charges against Logan Clegg

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/steve-and-wendy-reid

Support the show: ⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠

----

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Halloween!

This week I'm bringing you a special spooky episode in collaboration with 31 other podcasts. You'll hear true crime, paranormal, and other creepy stories just in time for the Halloween weekend.

Each host brings their own nerve-wracking story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself… can you really handle this much murder and mayhem?

So, pull up to the fire and brace yourself for A Nightmare Before Halloween.

Thank you to Shane from Foul Play: Crime Series for organizing this episode.

Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:

In this part 2 episode: 

- True Crime Island

- Based on a True Story

- The Asian Madness Podcast

- Sistas Who Kill

- Hometown History

- Coffee and Cases

- Military Murder

- Dystopian Simulation Radio

- Cults, Crimes & Cabernet

- Morbidology

- Dark Pountine

- Hillbilly Horror Stories

- True Consequences

- Gone Cold

- Crime Stories with Nancy Grace & Crime Online

- True Crime IRL & True Crime Sleep Stories

In the previous part 1 episode:

- Foul Play: Crime Series

- Murder She Told

- Crime Salad

- Crimelines

- Frightful

- Reverie True Crime

- Rotten to the Core

- The Trail Went Cold

- Once Upon A Crime

- Criminology

- The Peripheral & Generation Why

- Live, Laugh, Larceny

- The Hidden Staircase

- True Crime Cases with Lanie & It's Haunted...What Now?

- Obscura: A True Crime Podcast & Disaster

Find more at murdershetold.com

Support Murder, She Told: https://www.murdershetold.com/support

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Halloween!

This week I'm bringing you a special spooky episode in collaboration with 31 other podcasts. You'll hear true crime, paranormal, and other creepy stories just in time for the Halloween weekend.

Each host brings their own nerve-wracking story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself… can you really handle this much murder and mayhem?

So, pull up to the fire and brace yourself for A Nightmare Before Halloween.

Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:

In this Part 1 Episode: 

- Foul Play: Crime Series

- Murder She Told

- Crime Salad

- Crimelines

- Frightful

- Reverie True Crime

- Rotten to the Core

- The Trail Went Cold

- Once Upon A Crime

- Criminology

- The Peripheral & Generation Why

- Live, Laugh, Larceny

- The Hidden Staircase

- True Crime Cases with Lanie & It's Haunted...What Now?

- Obscura: A True Crime Podcast & Disaster

In the next Part 2 Episode: 

- True Crime Island

- Based on a True Story

- The Asian Madness Podcast

- Sistas Who Kill

- Hometown History

- Coffee and Cases

- Military Murder

- Dystopian Simulation Radio

- Cults, Crimes & Cabernet

- Morbidology

- Dark Pountine

- Hillbilly Horror Stories

- True Consequences

- Gone Cold

- Crime Stories with Nancy Grace & Crime Online

- True Crime IRL & True Crime Sleep Stories

Find more at murdershetold.com

Support Murder, She Told: https://www.murdershetold.com/support

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices