Small Town Mysteries

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This week, Rachael dives into two shocking murder cases - both technically still unsolved! 

George Carroll Sources:
1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/13/he-was-told-his-father-walked-out-then-he-started-digging-up-basement/
2) https://www.fresherslive.com/latest/articles/george-carroll-disappearance-1961-what-happened-to-george-carroll-was-george-carroll-found-1555224839
3) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195154157/george_gaffney-carroll
4) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169642123/dorothy_ethel_darress
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Grove,_New_York

Jackalin Thompson Sources:
1) https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/detectives-searching-for-clues-in-homicide/article_8613d6a0-74ac-5be6-b692-398655005f86.html
2) https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/remains-identified-as-missing-woman/article_e1293d33-8c89-590f-9f67-9b2072ba5aff.html
3) https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missing87975/topic/3745/Families-Looking-For-Closure
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culver,_Oregon

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When a woman is found in tarp off the side of the highway in 1968, she remains unidentified for over 30 years. This was a case that took decades to get to the bottom of - and even now, there are still so many questions remaining. 

Sources:
1) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-barbara-ann-hackman-taylo/24013583/ 
2) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19980423&id=9PEaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6796,2875583
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Ann_Hackmann_Taylor
4) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-story-of-tent-girl/ 
5) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-body-in-kentucky-the-30_b_11389174 

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Thirteen year old Jayme Closs witnesses her mother and father being murdered, and is then abducted by their killer, who had been carefully planning her abduction for a long time. Jayme is held in captivity for 88 days before she bravely escapes. Listen to Rachael cover this heartbreaking story this week on Small Town Mysteries.

Sources: 
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon,_Douglas_County,_Wisconsin
2) https://www.foxnews.com/us/jayme-closs-jake-patterson-new-documents.amp
3) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jayme-closs-wisconsin-teen-who-escaped-captor-2019-doing-good-n1253938
4) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jayme-closs-wisconsin-teen-who-escaped-captor-2019-doing-good-n1253938
5) https://www.fox9.com/news/missing-barron-wisconsin-teen-jayme-closs-found-alive-in-town-of-gordon
6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jayme_Closs
7) https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/missing-wisconsin-girls-family-faces-painful-holiday-season/
8) https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/us/jayme-closs-suspect-court/index.html
9) https://www.kare11.com/article/news/jayme-closs-jake-patterson-can-never-take-away-my-courage/89-31197bea-36bd-41ac-8934-5858e266b935
10) https://www.wbay.com/2024/01/11/this-week-marks-five-years-since-jayme-closs-was-found-alive-after-kidnapping/
11) https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/accused-closs-kidnapper-jake-patterson-calls-wccos-jennifer-mayerle/ 

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Natalee Holloway is a name that many people within the true crime circle have heard of and are familiar with - but just how much do you know about Natalee and what happened surrounding her disappearance? This is sadly a case that is still not resolved, despite law enforcement and the general public having a very good idea who likely committed the crime.

Sources:
1)https://www.newsweek.com/cracking-holloway-case-93881
2)https://web.archive.org/web/20100609034708/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,594062,00.html
3)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Natalee_Holloway
4)https://people.com/timeline-natalee-holloway-case-vanishing-aruba-suspects-admission-8362756
5)https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/18/us/joran-van-der-sloot-natalee-holloway-plea-wednesday/index.html
6)https://www.npr.org/2023/10/18/1206824624/natalee-holloway-joran-van-der-sloot-guilty-extortion-death-aruba

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This week, Christine highlights the devastating story of Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old girl who disappeared from a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter in 2014. What did her family know? Why didn't anyone report her missing for 18  DAYS? And most importantly, why was no one taking care of this vulnerable child?

Sources:
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Relisha_Rudd
2) https://charleyproject.org/case/relisha-tenau-rudd
3) https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/relisha-tenau-rudd 

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A group of three young men befriend and then brutally torture 19-year-old Chester Poage, with the only motive seeming to be to rob him. 
This is just one of those cases that make you wonder - how do these horrible people find each other?!

Sources:
1) https://medium.com/@Charlie_OBrien/the-horrifying-kidnap-and-murder-of-chester-poage-d131d77cb1f1
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Chester_Poage
3) https://www.kotatv.com/2021/03/02/murder-victims-mother-shares-thoughts-on-potential-bill/
4) https://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/07/11/sdexecution
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spearfish,_South_Dakota
6) https://www.yankton.net/news/article_6b2876a2-a622-511e-92b4-5900d1a26c3a.html

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In this case, what was thought to be a case of religious fanaticism gone wrong might have actually just been a crime of passion. Hear about the brutal murder of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter on this episode of Small Town Mysteries. This case inspired the recent series: Under the Banner of Heaven. 

Sources: 
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints#:~:text=The%20Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter%2Dday%20Saints%2C%20informally,the%20Latter%20Day%20Saint%20movement.
2) https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/4/29/23043175/under-the-banner-of-heaven-series-hulu-lafferty-brothers-ron-dan-murders-what-happened-timeline
3) https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/lafferty-murders
4) https://www.newsweek.com/what-happened-ron-dan-lafferty-where-are-they-now-under-banner-heaven-fx-hulu-1705909
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Banner_of_Heaven_(miniseries)
6) https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/5/11/23064288/under-banner-of-heaven-brenda-ron-dan-lafferty-murder-lds-church-real-fiction-sharon-weeks-sister

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This week, Christine talks about a horrifying case in which 2-year old DeOrr Cruz vanishes from a campground. Little information on this case exists, but what information does exist causes people to be skeptical of those who were on the camping trip with DeOrr.

Sources:
1) ​https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/07/deorr-kunz-vanished-5-years-ago-today-heres-where-the-investigation-stands/ 
2) https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/regional/8-years-since-deorr-kunz-jr-disappeared-at-timber-creek-campground/277-f87192e1-2291-458e-a61b-f83d51c1e1d7 
3) https://www.reddit.com/r/deorrkunzjr/comments/17w6nwj/openminded/ 
4) https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/article232504452.html  

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The murder of 6-year-old Eli Hart by the hands of his mother was tragic and entirely preventable. There were many missteps taken by social workers assigned to the case - it's safe to say that the foster care system failed Eli Hart.

Sources: 
1) https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/kare-11-investigates-eli-hart-child-red-protection-failures/89-a0878e1a-f655-48bc-96ce-b25114aef1ac#:~:text=Sometime%20on%20the%20morning%20of,pizza%20as%20police%20interrogated%20her.\
2) https://www.fox9.com/news/eli-hart-killing-mom-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-murdering-her-son
3) https://elihartplayground.com/
4) https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/julissa-thaler-sentenced-murder-6-year-old-son-eli-hart/
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnetrista,_Minnesota
6) https://www.fox9.com/news/eli-hart-killing-boys-dad-testifies-at-julissa-thalers-trial
7) https://medlineplus.gov/download/genetics/condition/townes-brocks-syndrome.pdf

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Micki Kanesaki and Lonnie Kocontes were seemingly working on re-igniting their former marriage, which had previously ended in divorce. As such, they booked a beautiful Mediterranean cruise for May of 2006. However, what Micki was not aware of was the fact that Lonnie had booked that particular cruise, as well as the particular room they stayed in, for a very nefarious reason.
Can you get away with murder in international waters? Is there legal grey area with cases like these? Tune in to find out!

Sources:
1) https://www.oxygen.com/dateline-unforgettable/crime-news/lonie-kocontes-convicted-of-killing-wife-micki-kanesaki-on-cruise
2) https://www.the-sun.com/news/8118838/what-happened-to-micki-kanesaki/
3) https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/5-shocking-details-micki-kanesaki-s-murder
4) https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/irvine-lonnie-kocontes-micki-kanesaki-cruise-murder-life-prison/2430425/
5) https://allthatsinteresting.com/cruise-ship-disappearances/6

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