We're sharing a preview of Valley of Shadows, a new true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles

County Sheriff's Deputy Jon Aujay set out for a run in California's Devil's Punchbowl park, and never came back. Aujay has yet to be found. The Sheriff's Department rules Aujay's disappearance a suicide, but friends, family, and fellow deputies insist the story doesn't add up. Instead, they believe Aujay may have stumbled into the Mojave Desert's criminal underworld - where outlaw biker gangs crank out methamphetamine and local cops operate on both sides of the law. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, journalists Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd explore one of Southern California's most mysterious missing person cases. In Valley of Shadows, they ask: What is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department hiding? Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts.

In this bonus episode, Sara and Andrea return to the story of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans to reflect on the questions that still remain — the ones that linger long after the DNA match and the headlines. Drawing from listener messages, they revisit the cyclist attack that first brought Darrell David Rice to investigators' attention, the terrain surrounding Julie and Lollie's hidden campsite, the delays that shaped the early search, and the haunting gaps the evidence could never fill.

They also explore parallels to other cases, including the Colonial Parkway murders, and consider what this season reveals about safety, wilderness, and the reality of moving through the world with vigilance.

Finally, Sara and Andrea share the story behind the season's music and how they discovered trumpet player Andrew Golden, whose evocative arrangement of "Shenandoah" became the emotional backbone of Season 3.

Nearly three decades after the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, a new team inside the FBI's Richmond field office reopened the Shenandoah case. This time, the science had changed. With funding from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), old evidence was retested using technology that hadn't existed in 1996.

What they found would break the silence of the case, and finally name the man responsible. As DNA revealed a serial offender with a violent past, investigators finally closed one of the darkest chapters in national park history.

Episode Five traces the final steps of the investigation, the life of Walter Leo Jackson Sr., and the legacy Julie and Lollie left behind...a story about freedom, fear, and the fight to feel safe in the wild.

Read full source notes, photos, and case materials at SequesteredPod.com.

Featuring original music by Andrew Golden // Listen to "Shenandoah" here!

Six years after the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an indictment against Darrell David Rice - the man they believed was responsible for the killings in Shenandoah National Park. It was a landmark case, to be prosecuted under new federal hate-crime laws, and for a moment it seemed justice was finally within reach.

But as the trial approached, the cracks beneath the case began to widen. Witnesses wavered, timelines shifted, and the forensic evidence didn't align with what investigators expected. Then, a single test would change everything, and the story that had held for years started to come undone.

Episode Four unravels the government's case against Rice and follows the investigation to a stunning discovery: a new lead hidden in the DNA, one that would alter the course of the Shenandoah murders forever.

Read full source notes, photos, and case materials at SequesteredPod.com.

Featuring original music by Andrew Golden // Listen to "Shenandoah" here!

One year after the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, a cyclist named Yvonne Malbasha was attacked on Skyline Drive inside Shenandoah National Park.

Her escape set off a chain of events that would expose a pattern of rage and violence that would lead investigators straight to Darrell David Rice, a 29 year old from Maryland whose hatred toward women and the LGBTQ+ community would soon become central to a federal murder case.

Episode Three captures the moment the investigation shifted from unanswered questions to a name investigators couldn't ignore. A survivor's escape would spark a chain of revelations that redefined the case.

Read full source notes, photos, and case materials at SequesteredPod.com.

Featuring original music by Andrew Golden // Listen to "Shenandoah" here!

In May 1996, hikers Julie Williams and Lollie Winans set out for a backcountry camping trip in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, a place they considered safe. When they failed to return home, a missing-persons report sparked a massive search across hundreds of miles of trails. Days later, park rangers made a devastating discovery that would change Shenandoah forever.

Episode 2 retraces the women's final days: their hike through Whiteoak Canyon, their last photos atop Hawksbill Mountain, and the moment a peaceful national park became the scene of a double homicide. Through ranger accounts, archival audio, and survivor perspectives, The Discovery explores the beginning of an investigation that would haunt the FBI for decades.

Read full source notes, photos, and case materials at SequesteredPod.com.

Featuring original music by Andrew Golden // Listen to "Shenandoah" here!

In May 1996, two women - Julie Williams and Lollie Winans - set out on a backcountry camping trip in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. What began as a five-day escape into the wild became one of the most haunting crimes in National Park history.

But before the tragedy, there was their story: two women who found love, freedom, and belonging in the wilderness. From their first meeting, to the drive that carried them deep into the mountains, they were chasing peace. Unaware of what waited in the quiet.

Episode One retraces their final days of safety and joy. Before the silence of the woods was broken forever.

Read full source notes, photos, and case materials at SequesteredPod.com.

Featuring original music by Andrew Golden // Listen to "Shenandoah" here!

In May 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans set out for a backcountry camping trip in Shenandoah National Park. Days later, their lives were brutally cut short, and nearly three decades of silence followed until a 2024 DNA match revealed someone who could be responsible. Season 3 of SEQUESTERED retraces the tragedy that shook their families, and the truth that refused to stay buried.

Premieres October 13.

Follow SEQUESTERED wherever you listen.

https://www.sequesteredpod.com

In this bonus episode, Sara and Andrea revisit the haunting cases of Zebb Quinn and Mitrice Richardson. From the mysterious page and staged car in Asheville to the unanswered questions about Mitrice's release, call log, and remote discovery site in Los Angeles, we explore the details and honor the advocates who refuse to let their stories fade.

Visit SequesteredPod.com and please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In the final chapter of Mitrice Richardson's story, we return to the canyon where her remains were found and examine the questions that still haunt this case fifteen years later. From new leads that surfaced in 2024, to troubling revelations about the detective who moved her body, this episode explores how a pattern of mishandling, silence, and unanswered questions left Mitrice's family, and a community of advocates, still fighting for the truth.

If you have any information about the disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or reach out to Dr. Ronda Hampton directly at [email protected].