Paper Ghosts

By iHeartPodcasts

What's Paper Ghosts about?

When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away. In season 3 of PAPER GHOSTS, investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling true crime author M. William Phelps digs deep into the murder of Tammy Jo Zywicki and uncovers a murky police investigation, a pool of new suspects, and a community of people still desperate for answers.

4.4

3,479 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Introducing: Betrayal Season 2

05.18.2023

Ashley Lytton was a typical mom and wife in suburban Utah with three children until she discovered her husband’s horrifying secret. It was a shocking crime that would alter Ashley’s life and jeopardize the safety of her children. This season ...

Paper Ghosts episodes:

05.18.2023 Introducing: Betrayal Season 2 Ashley Lytton was a typical mom and wife in suburban Utah with three children until she discovered her husband’s horrifying secret. It was a shocking crime that would alter Ashley’s life and jeopardize the safety of her children. This season ...
03.29.2023 Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder? Law enforcement investigating Tammy Zywicki’s murder spent decades looking into known and suspected serial killers operating in the Midwest. Among them was Larry Dwayne Hall, who authorities have long suspected may be responsible for kidnapping and murdering more than 50 ...
03.22.2023 Remembering Tammy Zywicki Tammy Zywicki was more than just a headline. In this bonus episode, hear friends and loved ones share their favorite memories of the playful, strong-willed soccer player who was obsessed with cats and knew how to break the ice. See ...
03.15.2023 One of Their Own A bombshell revelation upends long held speculation about Tammy’s killer, as the most promising suspect yet is revealed. Phelps discusses everything he’s learned about Tammy’s case thus far, and explains why an arrest could be imminent. Plus, Tammy’s friends and ...
03.08.2023 The Reckoning Investigators working Tammy’s case take a big risk in an effort to match her killer’s DNA. Phelps and former Master Sergeant Marty McCarthy have a heated conversation about the issues with his prime suspect, as a former detective comes forward ...
03.01.2023 A New Investigation Tammy’s case gets a second look from a seasoned group of exclusive investigators, who cast doubt on several core theories and point the Illinois State Police in a new direction. Phelps digs further into two key suspects, and pushes law ...
02.22.2023 The Missing Watch A bold claim about a missing musical watch pits law enforcement against one another, as the ISP doubles down on its search for a truck-driving serial killer. Then, Phelps digs in and examines a lead from the earliest days of ...
02.15.2023 The Man With the Truck Details begin to emerge about Tammy’s cause of death, including how long she was on the roadside before her body was discovered. Then, Phelps travels to Missouri to connect with the man who found Tammy’s body. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
02.08.2023 Everyone's Daughter Investigators announce a new lead: a man with a white semi-trailer truck was seen parked next to Tammy Zywicki on the afternoon she disappeared.
02.01.2023 The Last Goodbye What begins as an uneventful road trip quickly gets derailed when Tammy Jo Zywicki's car is found abandoned on the side of a busy highway.
01.25.2023 Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3 When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away in another state. ...
05.12.2022 Where is Victor Gerena? In the final episode, President Clinton’s decision to grant clemency to members of the Macheteros and the FALN ignites a firestorm on Capitol Hill and spells trouble for the First Lady’s Senate bid. A top Macheteros leader meets a violent ...
05.10.2022 Introducing: Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps From the team that brought you Paper Ghosts.
05.05.2022 Lawyers, Guns and Money A series of FBI raids send more than a dozen Macheteros back to Connecticut to stand trial in the Wells Fargo robbery case. Plus, an attorney for the group unpacks the government’s “sloppy” legal strategy, Juan’s former lover testifies in ...
04.28.2022 Aguila Blanca A top Macheteros soldier explains exactly what happened the night of the Wells Fargo heist, including where Victor took the cash in the days that followed. Plus, internal dissent and hubris threatens to derail the entire operation, and we dive ...
04.21.2022 Epiphany After Victor Gerena surfaces to take credit for the robbery, money starts showing up in the heart of Hartford’s Puerto Rican community. Then, a missile strike thousands of miles away reveals an unassuming piece of evidence that provides investigators with ...
04.14.2022 Be On The Lookout A nationwide manhunt takes a turn after police recover the car used in the heist. Then, law enforcement learns what a key witness knows about Victor Gerena’s movements the morning of the robbery. This, as Phelps digs into the 25-year-old ...
04.07.2022 The $7 Million Man The West Hartford Police Department springs into action after two Wells Fargo security guards reveal that a coworker, 25-year-old Victor Gerena, held them at gunpoint, drugged them, and drove off with more than $7 million in cash. Plus, a cryptic ...
03.23.2022 Introducing: White Eagle From the team behind Paper Ghosts, WHITE EAGLE is a six-part true crime series about a 1983 heist where a 25-year-old armored truck driver from West Hartford, Connecticut, tied up his co-workers, stuffed more than $7 million into a Buick ...
01.19.2022 Season 1 Update: A Return to Crystal Lake It’s been more than a year since season one aired, but the scores of tips regarding Janice Pockett, Lisa White, Debbie Spickler, Susan LaRosa, and Irene LaRosa have only continued. The Connecticut State Police have once again gone radio silent ...
01.10.2022 Introducing: The MLK Tapes Hi, Paper Ghosts fans! iHeartPodcasts and TenderfootTV are excited to announce The MLK Tapes - a brand new podcast that takes a second look at the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We think you'll enjoy the thrilling storytelling, ...
12.03.2021 Introducing: Real-Time Crime Hey, Paper Ghosts fans! We know you enjoy True Crime, so we think you'll love Real-Time Crime. Check out this special episode preview and see for yourself! About Real-Time Crime: Are you obsessed with solving crimes? Are you a sleuth ...
11.17.2021 Introducing: Crazy in Love Falling in love is the best feeling in the world. You see stars, you feel giddy, but sometimes it makes us do crazy things and sometimes that means murder. Crazy In Love digs into the complex and contentious real-life stories ...
10.19.2021 Introducing: Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps From the team that brought you Paper Ghosts, Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps is a weekly true crime podcast that dives deep into cases that have rarely been covered. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
09.22.2021 Introducing: The Dougherty Gang The Dougherty Gang is the true story of three siblings in their 20s - two brothers and a sister - who went on an eight-day, fifteen-state, AK-47-wielding, bank robbing journey in 2011. It's a remarkable account that delves into the ...
08.18.2021 Cookie Crumb Day When you spend your entire life cheating and stealing, karma is bound to show its dark face and destroy you. Thank you for listening to season 2 of Paper Ghosts. Stay tuned and subscribed for more to come. Learn more ...
08.11.2021 Ron Returns In the months after the Stevenson murders, Dick Weston and Drucilla Merida were indicted by a federal grand jury–but not for murder. Ron Thomas, on the other hand, was no longer the Fed's priority. This didn't go over too well ...
08.04.2021 ‘The Lincoln Has Been Sold’ Is Ron Thomas a cold-blooded killer, or misunderstood? To really understand Ron, one needs to look at his life before the Stevenson murders. A detective helps reveal where the Stevenson family friend had been hiding every time he evaded cops ...
07.28.2021 Killing Carol As Dick Weston remains the prime suspect in the Stevenson murders, one question keeps coming up: Where is family friend Ron Thomas? Meanwhile, an unlikely source surfaces with new information that adds weight to a possible motive. Learn more about ...
07.21.2021 Checkmate Dick Weston is the key to the Stevenson murders. As the Sheriff’s Department and FBI begin to build a case against the former convict, their investigative aim steers toward the two women who alibied him. Learn more about your ad-choices ...
07.14.2021 Dick and Dru Detective Cooper finds a new person of interest with connections that are hard to ignore.
07.07.2021 Brookville As the focus starts to shift towards the mystery man who visited the Stevensons just hours before the murders, unique investigative techniques are implemented by law enforcement in an effort to find answers. Forty years later, those tactics are revealed ...
06.30.2021 The Rival An incident that takes place at one of the family's fireworks stands becomes an eerie prelude.
06.23.2021 Four Coffins Everyone in Bethel, Ohio, has a theory about what happened to the Stevenson family on July 6, 1981.
06.16.2021 Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2 During the 1981 Fourth of July weekend, four people were found dead inside a massive farmhouse that belonged to a wealthy Ohio family. Desperate to find answers, surviving family members reached out to M. William Phelps for help. After a ...
05.26.2021 Introducing: Missing On 9/11 Hey, Paper Ghosts fans! We already know you love great podcasts, so we think you'll also like Missing On 9/11. Take a listen to the trailer and decide for yourself. About Missing on 9/11: Sept. 10, 2001. One block from ...
05.13.2021 Introducing: The Piketon Massacre Season 2 In 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family were viciously murdered in their homes. Two years later, four members of the Wagner family, were charged with the largest massacre in Ohio’s history. As justice plays out in the courtroom, the ...
04.28.2021 Introducing: Camp Hell: Anneewakee Hey listeners, today we're excited to introduce you to a brand new true crime show we think you'll love. It's called Camp Hell: Anneewakee, and it tells the story of The Anneewakee Treatment Center for Emotionally Disturbed Youth. This facility ...
04.02.2021 Introducing Good Assassins: Hunting The Butcher A spy story. A detective case. The mission was simple: to arrange the death of one man. The goal was to send a message to all Nazi fugitives around the world: "we can find you and we can kill you." ...
03.05.2021 Introducing: Astray How far would you go for enlightenment? Westerners have long been drawn to the spiritual mystique of India. While many find what they’re looking for and return home, some vanish without a trace or even end up dead. Astray investigates ...
02.09.2021 Introducing: Tomorrow's Monsters In this scripted sci-fi thriller, John Boyega (STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS) stars as Jack Locke, a mysterious conman with a vendetta who infiltrates NextCorp, a Silicon Valley body hacking startup run by enigmatic CEO Max Fuller, played by Emmy ...
01.28.2021 Introducing Longshot: Return Man In Season 1 of "Longshot," "Return Man" is an investigation into the life and mysterious death of the only Super Bowl champion from Lancaster, S.C. In 1970, Jim Duncan was a star on the rise for the Baltimore Colts, and ...
01.15.2021 Introducing Norco80 Podcast Hey, Missing In Alaska fans! Since you love true crime podcasts, we think you may like Norco80 too. Check it out! About Norco80: In May of 1980, the sleepy streets of Norco, California were turned into an all-out war zone ...
10.28.2020 The Last Remains As far as the investigation into the five cases has gone, a major piece of the puzzle always felt missing. The victims' families have long asked the State Police to bring search dogs out to the biggest points of interest ...
10.21.2020 The Witness He was best friends with Bob LaRosa. His ex-wife has described him as violent. And he’s been talking about bodies being buried in local water wells. It’s time for the Witness to speak. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee ...
10.14.2020 'Are You Aware of the Ransom Calls?' For just a moment in 2013, there was a glint of hope that the remains of one of the missing girls had been discovered. For their families, it was a discovery that finally felt like there would be answers. As ...
10.07.2020 The Runaway The faces of Janice Pockett, Lisa White, and Debbie Spickler appear side by side on one missing persons flier that continues to be posted around town to this day. The public and media have always grouped these cases together. Three ...
09.30.2020 A Grave For Many A frantic call brings forward a new lead, with new clues and a new person of interest with connections to Bob LaRosa. As local authorities have been focused on a group of violent, sexually perverted men exploiting and violating young ...
09.23.2020 A Dangerous Man All of the missing cases have become like the five points of a star—no matter how you draw it, each point shoots a dotted line back to one person of interest: Bob LaRosa. However, there are far more nefarious secrets ...
09.16.2020 'Mommy, Wake Up' WARNING: This episode contains material that may be unsuitable and difficult for some to hear. The story has always been that Susan LaRosa left her apartment to pick up baby supplies and call her mother the night she disappeared. She ...

Older episodes

Paper Ghosts

What's Paper Ghosts about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Paper Ghosts episodes:

Introducing: Betrayal Season 2

Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder?

Remembering Tammy Zywicki

One of Their Own

The Reckoning

A New Investigation

The Missing Watch

The Man With the Truck

Everyone's Daughter

The Last Goodbye

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3

Where is Victor Gerena?

Introducing: Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Lawyers, Guns and Money

Aguila Blanca

Epiphany

Be On The Lookout

The $7 Million Man

Introducing: White Eagle

Season 1 Update: A Return to Crystal Lake

Introducing: The MLK Tapes

Introducing: Real-Time Crime

Introducing: Crazy in Love

Introducing: Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Introducing: The Dougherty Gang

Cookie Crumb Day

Ron Returns

‘The Lincoln Has Been Sold’

Killing Carol

Checkmate

Dick and Dru

Brookville

The Rival

Four Coffins

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2

Introducing: Missing On 9/11

Introducing: The Piketon Massacre Season 2

Introducing: Camp Hell: Anneewakee

Introducing Good Assassins: Hunting The Butcher

Introducing: Astray

Introducing: Tomorrow's Monsters

Introducing Longshot: Return Man

Introducing Norco80 Podcast

The Last Remains

The Witness

'Are You Aware of the Ransom Calls?'

The Runaway

A Grave For Many

A Dangerous Man

'Mommy, Wake Up'