In the summer of 1908, America was transfixed by the murder of a woman found floating in a country pond in upstate New York. The mystery of a young beauty brutally killed became an instant sensation, splashed across the front page of the country’s newspapers.

Was she killed by a spurned lover? Was she leading a secret double life outside of her station as a governess to the wealthy residents of Troy, New York? Did she know too many secrets? 

The murder went unsolved, and after about three weeks, the girl in the pond was all but forgotten. More than a century later, the cold case rocketed back into the public eye thanks to a popular television show and true crime-obsessed pop culture.  

In this limited series podcast from the Times Union, we’ll go back in time to an era of wealth and prosperity, rampant political corruption, and secrets and lies in Upstate New York. We’ll unravel the mystery of the life and death of one young woman, and why her story still resonates in pop culture today.

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The limousine crash that killed 20 people in rural upstate New York on Oct. 6, 2018, remains one of the deadliest ground transportation disasters in United States history. Investigators determined that the brakes failed on the 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine as it barreled down a hill at 100 mph, carrying 17 friends on their way to a 30th birthday party. It plowed into the parking lot of a busy restaurant and slammed into a ditch. All passengers, the driver and two bystanders perished.

But brake failure was only part of the story.

Host Jessica Marshall and reporter Larry Rulison dig deep into the story of the Schoharie limo crash. How it happened. Why it happened. And how it could have been prevented.

The narrative and the details may be upsetting or disturbing at times. Please listen with care.

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The discovery of human remains in South Troy, New York, fuels speculation about what may have happened to Jaliek Rainwalker.

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The abduction of a 9-year-old girl in Saratoga County late last year made national headlines. She went missing the evening of Sept. 30 while riding her bicycle alone in a New York State park campground. State Police issued an Amber Alert, and along with the FBI and other local authorities, conducted a massive two-day search of the park and surrounding area. Police found the girl nearly 48 hours later on a property in Milton, New York. Her alleged abductor has been charged with kidnapping and several counts of predatory sexual assault.

The case happened just a county away from where Jaliek Rainwalker went missing 16 years earlier. In this episode of “Rainwalker: The Lost Boy,” we’ll examine the similarities and differences between the two cases, and explore a much larger question: Why do children go missing in America?

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There have been no updates in the investigation of Jaliek Rainwalker’s disappearance since late June 2022, when a tip launched a search near some ballfields in Troy, New York — more than 30 miles south of the upstate New York town where Jaliek was last seen. After 15 years, law enforcement insists the boy’s presumed homicide is still an active case. But they’ve never named a suspect, and they’re unwilling to reveal any more details.

If a suspect is ever named, the fact that Jaliek’s body has never been found creates a difficult situation for prosecutors. Based on what they’ve said publicly, if they were to pursue a case against someone involved in Jaliek’s disappearance, it would be what’s known as a “no-body” or bodiless prosecution. But how do you prove murder without the most direct evidence of murder — aka a body?

In this bonus episode of “Rainwalker: The Lost Boy,” we’ll look back at how we put this podcast together, and we’ll talk to an expert in bodiless prosecution.

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The search continues for Jaliek Rainwalker 15 years after he disappeared. Students from the College of Saint Rose Cold Case Analysis Center recently explored a property in Washington County they believe could provide clues about what happened to Jaliek. 

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Four months after his disappearance, a bizarre note sent to local media says Jaliek is alive. But there’s no proof to accompany it. The investigation takes several twists and turns, stretching out over 15 years. The case is classified as a probable homicide, but no suspects have been named and no body has been found. Yet law enforcement agencies insist it’s still a very active case.

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About 38 percent of missing children in America are Black, yet their cases receive disproportionately less media coverage and law enforcement attention than missing white children, according to the Black and Missing Foundation. The initial days of the investigation into Jaliek Rainwalker’s disappearance saw his case treated as a runaway by both law enforcement and his parents. But after 48 hours, Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell began to doubt he was dealing with a runaway. 

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It was winter in upstate New York, and the child on the school playground wasn’t wearing a coat. A concerned teacher sent him to the nurse’s office, where they found him a yellow fleece jacket to wear. That piece of outerwear would play a crucial role in the search for the boy after he went missing. On this episode, recollections of Jaliek Rainwalker’s life with Jocelyn McDonald and Stephen Kerr from family and friends paint a conflicting picture of the quality of the boy’s final years before he vanished.

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Jaliek Rainwalker’s life was not an easy one. Born to a drug- and alcohol-addicted mother, he was placed in foster care immediately. He would live with 5 foster families before he landed with Jocelyn McDonald and Stephen Kerr, the Washington County couple that adopted him in 2003. He was diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, a behavioral condition that makes it hard for children to form attachments to caregivers. It can result in violent outbursts and erratic behavior, something that his last two foster families said was too much to handle. 

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