Small Town Mysteries

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This week is a doozy! We are sure a lot of you are familiar with The Duggar Family, who had their own TV show, called 19 Kids and Counting, throughout the late 2000s. This run ended in 2015, when some horrifying court documents came to light regarding the Duggar's eldest son, Josh. 
Or, you might be familiar with the family through the new documentary about them and the cultish group they belong to, called "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
Familiar with the case or not, tune in for a detailed summary regarding everything that went down with this family (and trust us, there's a lot). 

Sources: 
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tontitown,_Arkansas
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_in_Basic_Life_Principles
3) Podcast: Some Place Under Neith
4) Reporter: CC McCandless
5) Reddit: r/DuggarsSnark ; r/FundieSnarkUncensored

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In this case, Christine covers the case of Logan Tucker, a 6-year-old boy who is the victim of a murder in which no body has never been found.
Logan Tucker was living with his mother, brother, and a roommate of his mother's at the time of his death, in a small city called Woodward (Oklahoma).
The large amount of circumstantial evidence in this case made it clear that one person was highly suspicious: Logan's mother.

Sources:
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Logan_Tucker 
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodward,_Oklahoma 
3) https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ok-court-of-criminal-appeals/1488620.html 
4) https://omny.fm/shows/from-the-newsroom-the-oklahoman/looking-for-logan-tucker-part-1-nobody-knows 
5) https://omny.fm/shows/from-the-newsroom-the-oklahoman/looking-for-logan-tucker-part-2-meet-monty-clem
6) https://omny.fm/shows/from-the-newsroom-the-oklahoman/looking-for-logan-tucker-part-3-wildflowers
7) https://omny.fm/shows/from-the-newsroom-the-oklahoman/looking-for-logan-tucker-part-4-trials-and-tribula
8) https://omny.fm/shows/from-the-newsroom-the-oklahoman/looking-for-logan-tucker-part-5-call-me-katie 
9) https://charleyproject.org/case/logan-lynn-tucker 
10) https://www.enidnews.com/news/local_news/boy-testifies-in-mother-s-murder-trial/article_9512dbf3-5986-5b96-b0ec-e6c3d9ae34e8.html

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Rachael reports on the case of Colleen Ritzer - a teacher from Massachusetts who was brutally murdered and sexually assaulted by her student. This student was only 14 years old, and was tried as an adult in court. Shortly after his prison sentence begins, more shocking details emerge.

Sources:
1) https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2022/06/family-of-colleen-ritzer-danvers-teacher-murdered-by-student-philip-chism-in-2013-to-appear-in-court-for-lawsuit-over-death.html
2) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-suspect-murder-teacher-colleen-ritzer-left-hate-note-documents-flna2d11641586
3) https://allthatsinteresting.com/philip-chism 
4) https://www.wbur.org/news/2015/12/15/philip-chism-guilty-murder-rape
5) https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2015/12/15/philip-chism-guilty/
6) https://talkswithholly.medium.com/the-colleen-ritzer-case-teacher-murdered-by-student-18984373eb29
7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danvers,_Massachusetts 
8) https://www.salemnews.com/news/chism-appeal-moves-forward-as-2014-case-remains-open/article_af0d72b4-1bc2-11ec-bb43-7353b0fcc60d.html
9) https://www.facebook.com/ColleenERitzer/
10) https://biographygist.com/colleen-ritzer/
11) https://obituaries.andovertownsman.com/obituary/colleen-ritzer-772741521

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In this episode, Kate discusses a murder that occurred in the 1930s and is still unsolved. Mamie Thurman was only 32 when she was brutally murdered. Small town politics is definitely at play in this one and factors heavily into the trial. 

Sources: 
1) https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/06/unsolved-murder-of-mamie-thurman.html
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan,_West_Virginia
3) https://wvbookco.com/product/secret-life-and-brutal-death-of-mamie-thurman/
4) https://westvirginiahauntsandlegends.com/22_Mine_Road.htm
5) https://loganwv.us/the-murder-of-mamie-thurman-remains-a-mystery/
6) https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/mamie-thurman/
7) https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/06/unsolved-murder-of-mamie-thurman.html

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In 1985, in two small towns in Massachusetts, 16-year-old Cathy Malcolmson and 9-year-old Sarah Pryor go missing within 2 months of each other.
When bone fragments are found, investigators are led to one person of interest. 

Sources:
1) https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/313dfma.html 
2) https://charleyproject.org/case/catherine-ruth-malcolmson 
3) https://rcccmcc.com/2019/10/09/catherine-ruth-malcomson/ 
4) https://www.mass.gov/info-details/sarah-pryor 
5) https://www.sara.org/page/sarahp/ 
6) https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/court-of-appeals/volumes/27/27massappct498.html 
7) https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/wayland-town-crier/2011/04/13/suspect-in-sarah-pryor-murder/38371268007/ 
8) https://www.waylandenews.com/tag/sarah-pryor/ 
9) https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/04/metro/when-man-you-believe-murdered-your-daughter-dies/ 

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In today's episode, Rachael goes over the tragic murder of Alexandra "Ally" Zapp, a 30-year-old woman who was stabbed to death at a Rest Stop off of a highway in Massachusetts.
Ally's murderer had a lengthy history involving violent crimes, and her family has worked (and is still working) to pass legislature today that will keep persistently violent individuals in jail.
This is a case where the law failed who it was supposed to protect.
This one will leave you fuming.

Sources: 
1) https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2002/07/19/woman-slain-at-mass-rest/50914727007/
2) https://www.bostonmagazine.com/2006/05/15/last-exit/
3) https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/leahy-paul.htm
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Cup
5) https://www.theallyfoundation.org/ 
6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater,_Massachusetts
7) https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/supreme-court/volumes/445/445mass481.html
8) https://www.justice.gov/archive/olp/pdf/adam_walsh_act.pdf
9) https://www.publiccounsel.net/pc/overview-of-sdp-process/#:~:text=The%20Massachusetts%20SDP%20statute%2C%20G.L.,dangerousness%20beyond%20a%20reasonable%20doubt.

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In this episode, we talk about weird and creepy phone calls. Some certainly involve crime, some might involve the supernatural...and others just end up being downright hilarious.

Sources:
1) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-08-mn-54702-story.html
2) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-sep-17-me-victimpeck17-story.html
3) https://gizmodo.com/la-train-victim-makes-35-phone-calls-from-beyond-the-gr-5052314
4) https://www.facebook.com/missingdalewilliams/?fref=photo
5) https://apnews.com/article/1e238f5f9485e136815a91f4ed02885a
6) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19910828&id=3yFNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NTYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5820,7622237
7) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-19-vw-5724-story.html
8) https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19900318&slug=1061629
9) https://www.cleveland.com/bay village/2014/03/fbi_offers_reward_for_informat.html

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Asha Degree is 9 years old when she goes missing on a dark, rainy night in February 2000. Her backpack, which she seemed to have packed, is found 26 miles from where she was last seen walking along the highway. 
What happened to Asha? Did she simply run away? Was she lured, in the early internet days? Did she encounter a bad actor who brought her harm?

Sources:
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby,_North_Carolina
2) https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nc/shelby/crime 
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Confederate_monuments_and_memorials 
4) https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/north-carolina/districts/cleveland-county-schools/shelby-high-school-14361#:~:text=Overview%20of%20Shelby%20High%20School,ranked%20385th%20within%20North%20Carolina. 
5) https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/shelby-cleveland-nc/reviews/ 
6) https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/The-Baffling-Disappearance-of-Asha-Degree 
7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Asha_Degree
8) https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/inside-the-fbi-searching-for-asha-degree-021422.mp4/view 
9) https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/20th-anniversary-of-asha-degree-disappearance-021420 
10) https://ncsbi.gov/Divisions/Cold-Case-Investigation-Team/Missing-Persons/Asha-Jaquilla-Degree 
11)https://www.reddit.com/r/AshaDegree/comments/13ptlm4/my_analysis_interesting_points_of_view/ 
12)https://www.reddit.com/r/AshaDegree/comments/143jqtc/after_all_weve_seen_in_this_case_what_do_you_lean/ 

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Rachael covers a tragic case this week involving the horrendous lynching of James Byrd Jr. 
James was murdered by three white men - simply because he was black. 
We talk about James, the crime, and what resulted after, as well as the legacy that his family wants to leave in James' memory.

Sources:
1) https://www.britannica.com/event/murder-of-James-Byrd-Jr
2) https://www.biography.com/crime/james-byrd-jr
3) https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/drawing-justice-courtroom-illustrations/about-this-exhibition/race-based-crimes/racist-tatoos-coer-james-byrd-jrs-murderer/
4) https://abc13.com/james-byrd-death-jamie-family-daughter/6256307/
5) https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/04/25/racist-killer-executed-decades-after-dragging-james-byrd-jr-to-his-death-near-jasper/
6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd_Jr.
7) http://thebyrdfoundation.org/
8) https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4837420/ utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&hl=en
9) https://www.justice.gov/crt/matthew-shepard-and-james-byrd-jr-hate-crimes-prevention-act-2009-0
10) https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics#:~:text=FBI%20Releases%202021%20Hate%20Crime%20Statistics&text=Of%20these%20agencies%20who%20submitted,Based%20Reporting%20System%20(NIBRS).
11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31663124 
12) People Magazine Investigates- Season 6 episode 6: Evil comes to Jasper 

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Do you believe in psychics? 
In this episode, we talk about our (very) different opinions on psychics and their involvement with criminal investigations. 
Kate discusses several high-profile cases that were solved(-ish?) with the help of psychics, focusing primarily on the murder of California nurse Melanie Uribe. 
Hear from a believer, a skeptic, and someone who just isn't sure what the f*** she believes in.

Sources:
1) https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/2004/04/11/psychic-tells-family-that-missing/51257304007/
2) https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/22/Three-young-suspects-were-in-custody-Monday-for-the/3439346309200/
3) https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963923,00.html
4) https://www.maricopa.gov/919/Probable-Cause-Versus-Reasonable-Suspici
5) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-19-me-14152-story.html
6) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-31-me-1552-story.html
7) https://unsolved.com/gallery/premonition-of-murder/
8) https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2004-04-29/segment/00
9) https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Melanie_Uribe

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