1988 - Cranston, Rhode Island.

Around 11 p.m. on July 19, 1988, a Cranston police officer came across an abandoned car in the breakdown lane of Route 10. The vehicle belonged to the mother of 18-year-old Lauren Morris, a recent graduate of Bristol High, who had been reported missing after borrowing it to run errands. Blood found inside the car suggested something was terribly wrong.

Just beyond the guardrail, a short distance down the embankment, the officer discovered Lauren’s body floating in Spectacle Pond, a tire wrapped around her torso.

Investigators pursued numerous leads, but none led to a definitive suspect. Despite early momentum, the investigation eventually went cold, leaving behind a trail of questions—and a family still searching for justice.

If you have any information about the murder of Lauren Morris from 1988, please call Detective Robert Santagata of the Cranston Police Department at (401) 477-5169 or submit a tip to the Rhode Island AG’s Office Cold Case Unit at (401) 468-2233.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/lauren-morris

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1980 - Methuen, Massachusetts.

With Christmas fast approaching, 30-year-old William “Bill” Durney was picking up extra shifts at his job delivering gas. In the early hours of October 10, 1980, during a stop at Joe’s Shell in Methuen, MA, Bill was shot twice by an unknown assailant while setting up for the delivery. He died on the scene, leaving behind a wife and three young children. The motive remains unknown.

After early leads dried up, the case sat dormant until the mid-1990s before going cold again. For the past 25 years, the name William Durney has lingered in the hearts of those who loved him—and in the minds of those still determined to solve his case.

Today, that changes. This is the story of Bill Durney: a hardworking family man whose name and case you may not know, but whose life still demands justice.

Bill’s name is hitting the internet for the first time. Help us reinvigorate this unsolved case by sharing this episode with a friend. 

If you have any information on the murder of William ‘Bill’ Durney from Methuen, MA in 1980, please contact the Detective DeJesus at the Methuen Police Dept at (978) 983-8778 or leave a tip with the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit at 1-855-MA-SOLVE. There is a $25k reward available.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bill-durney

Join the Justice for Bill Durney Facebook group

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1986 - Rochester, New Hampshire.

In October 1986, Charles Martin Vosseler abducted his two sons, Billy and CJ, leaving their mother, Ruth, desperate to follow their trail—all while picking up the pieces of a life she now realized had been built on lies.

Charlie had taken everything: her possessions, her savings, and now, her sons. But he underestimated Ruth. He’d chosen an indefatigable adversary—one who would stop at nothing to bring her children home.

Decades later, Ruth is still fighting. Still hoping. Still believing that somewhere, her boys are out there—having lived full lives, unaware of who they truly are and everything their father stole from them.

If you have any information on the location of Charles Martin Vosseler or the abduction of his children, Charles Jason “CJ” Vosseler and William Martin “Billy” Vosseler, please contact your local FBI office or the Boston field office at (857) 386-2000.

Submit an anonymous tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/home

The FBI is offering a $25k reward for information that leads to locating either Charles Martin Vosseler or his two sons.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/billy-cj-vosseler-2

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1986 - Rochester, New Hampshire.

When Ruth Gotliebson met Charles Martin Vosseler, he seemed like everything she’d been looking for—charming, grounded, and ready to build a simple, honest life. They married just six months later, and before long, they welcomed two sons they named CJ and Billy.

But just a few years in, Ruth's world imploded when Charlie took their two sons and disappeared without warning, shattering the truth of their entire life together and revealing years of orchestrated lies she never saw coming.

If you have any information on the location of Charles Martin Vosseler or the abduction of his children, Charles Jason “CJ” Vosseler and William Martin “Billy” Vosseler, please contact your local FBI office or the Boston field office at (857) 386-2000.

Submit an anonymous tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/home

The FBI is offering a $25k reward for information that leads to locating either Charles Martin Vosseler or his two sons.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/billy-cj-vosseler

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1977 - Monroe, Connecticut

In June of 1977, on the eve of her last day of third grade, 8-year-old Renee Freer went outside to play and never came home. Hours later, her body was discovered in the woods near her house, shaking the tight-knit community of Monroe.

Investigators exhausted every lead in their pursuit of justice for Renee, yet decades later, the case remains unsolved. But today’s detectives have one advantage their predecessors never did—21st-century technology. Armed with cutting-edge forensics and a renewed determination, they are closer than ever to unmasking her killer. 

If you have any information on the murder of Renee Freer, please contact the Monroe Police Dept Detective Division at 203-452-2831 ext. 1332. There is a $50k reward for information that leads to a resolution. 

Episode sources and photos:

https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/renee-freer

Read Dead End Road: https://amzn.to/4iURJtH

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Formerly known as Mind of A Serial Killer, Killer Minds takes you deep into the psychology of history's most chilling murderers-from infamous serial killers to ruthless cult leaders, deadly exes, and terrifying spree killers. Every Monday and Thursday, hosts Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels, a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, blend gripping true crime storytelling with expert psychological analysis to uncover what drives people to kill. From the calculated minds of serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy to crimes of passion and cold-blooded murders, Killer Minds goes beyond the headlines to explore the twisted psychology behind the crimes. What fuels their darkness? How do their minds work? And most hauntingly-could they have been stopped?

A Crime House Studios original, new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow Killer Minds wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us at Killerminds on social media.

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1980 - Newport, Rhode Island.

On the morning of March 22, 1980, the nude body of 19-year-old Diane Drake washed up on Easton’s Beach between Middletown and Newport, RI. She had vanished the night before on her way to work. Forty-five years later, her killer remains at large.

Yet, despite the passage of time, Diane’s family continues to seek answers and keep her memory alive—though justice today may not look the same as it did in 1980.

In Part 2 of Diane’s story, we explore the final hours before her disappearance, revelations from her autopsy, and the theories that could finally bring her case closer to justice.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/diane-drake-2

If you have any information on the murder of Diane Drake, please contact the Rhode Island Cold Case Unit tip line at (401) 468-2233. You can also call the anonymous tip line at the Newport Police Dept at (401) 846-2606.

Donate to the Diane Drake Memorial Scholarship Fund at Roger Williams University. Choose ‘Make a Gift to RWU’, select Other, and write in Diane Drake Memorial Scholarship: https://www.rwu.edu/giving/ways-to-give

If you contribute to Diane's scholarship, please email me at [email protected] for a gift.

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1980 - Newport, Rhode Island.

On March 21, 1980, as wind and rain swept through Middletown, Rhode Island, 19-year-old Diane Drake got ready for work. But she never made it there.

The next morning, her nude body washed up on Easton’s Beach. Witnesses later reported seeing Diane the night she disappeared, walking—and even hitchhiking—along the three-mile route to work despite the harsh weather. But Diane had always warned her younger sister, Jean, never to hitchhike. Would she have ignored her own advice?

Forty-five years later, Jean is still searching for answers. And to this day, she believes one thing: Diane Drake knew her killer.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/diane-drake-1

If you have any information on the murder of Diane Drake, please contact the Rhode Island Cold Case Unit tip line at (401) 468-2233. You can also call the anonymous tip line at the Newport Police Dept at (401) 846-2606.

Donate to the Diane Drake Memorial Scholarship Fund at Roger Williams University. Choose ‘Make a Gift to RWU’, select Other, and write in Diane Drake Memorial Scholarship: https://www.rwu.edu/giving/ways-to-give

If you contribute to Diane's scholarship, please email me at [email protected] for a gift.

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2014 - Fortuna, California.

This is an update in the case of my childhood friend, Danielle Bertolini, from the Fortuna Police Dept in California.

To learn more about Danielle and hear her story, listen to the episode from July 2023 on Murder, She Told: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/daniellebertolini

Sign the petition: https://change.org/danielleandsheila

If you have any information regarding Danielle Bertolini’s case, please contact Fortuna Police Detectives Brian Taylor or Thomas MacLeod at the Fortuna Police Department: (707) 725-7550.

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Do you ever listen to a true crime podcast and think "that's not quite right...?" Or even wonder about the parts that have been left out?

Enter Celisia Stanton, host of Tenderfoot TV’s Truer Crime and The Vanishing Point.

We sat down for a nuanced discussion on complex cases, ranging from the exoneration of Anthony Broadwater—wrongfully convicted in the 1980s of raping Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones—to the ongoing fight for justice for Toforest Johnson, who remains on Alabama's death row for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy, a crime he did not commit. 

To hear more from Celisia, find Truer Crime wherever you’re listening. 

To learn more about Toforest Johnson: listen to Earwitness by journalist Beth Shelburne, and learn how you can help at https://www.toforestjohnson.com.

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