This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

In the spring of 1996, a trio of bodies were discovered in the desert just outside of Las Vegas. Initially believed to be victims of sex trafficking, the case remained unsolved for over a decade, demonstrating a troubling proposition:

 

Three people can be murdered in a major American city, with little more than a passing mention in the local press and zero potential suspects.

 

Click here to learn more about the triple-murder of Luz Maria Mucino, Edith Mucino Gonzalez, and Gabriela Mucino Gonzalez - including newspaper articles, photos, and more!

 

To learn about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

 

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Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

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This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

It's one of the most high-profile murders in the history of Las Vegas.

 

On a scorching hot 115 degree summer day, a former FBI agent & prominent attorney left his office in downtown Las Vegas and made his way to the third floor parking garage.

 

Bill Coulthard climbed into his car, cracked the window, started the ignition, and THAT'S when it happened...

 

Click here to learn more about the murder of Bill Coulthard - including newspaper articles, photos, and more!

 

To learn about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

 

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

It’s June 3, 1999…early morning, sometime around 5 am in a quiet neighborhood roughly a mile from the Las Vegas Strip.

 

Walking through this serene scene is a young man in his early twenties, draped in a camouflage shirt, sporting black pants and boots. In his hands, a pump-action shotgun loaded to maximum capacity. In his pockets are more shells…ready to be used. A total of nineteen shells in all.

 

The man’s name is Zane Floyd, and on this early summer morning, he plans to use those ninteen shells to kill the first nineteen people he encounters.

 

And as a resident of this neighbourhood, he already knows exactly where his first stop will be.

 

To learn about the story of Zane Floyd and other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

 

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

During the 1970's, the Las Vegas Hilton featured some of the most modern amenities in town along with incredible showcase entertainers. The hotel looked poised for additional growth and success heading into the 1980's.

 

 

But the deadliest arson in modern Nevada history temporarily derailed the steady expansion the Hilton had enjoyed, while putting a young hotel busboy in the national spotlight as the unlikely hero-turned suspect responsible for the blaze.

 

Click here to learn more about story of the fire at the Las Vegas Hilton - including photos, newspaper articles, and more!

 

To learn about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

The term "serial killer" originated in the 1970s and was coined to describe individuals who commit a series of murders, typically with a cooling-off period between each crime. 

 

The FBI formally defined "serial murder" in the 1980s, highlighting the repetitive nature of the killings and the psychological motivation behind them.

 

The term has since become widely used in criminology and pop culture to categorize and understand this specific type of criminal behavior…

 

…a criminal behavior from which Las Vegas has not been spared.

Click here to read more about the serial killers who've had connections to Las Vegas - including photos, newspaper articles, and more!

To learn about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Every year, inventors come up with DOZENS of ideas for new casino table games, but only a handful actually make it to the casino floor. Maybe you've got an idea for a new game floating around in your brain and you've been wondering how to make it reality and get it out to the Vegas gaming community?

My guest for this episode could be the one to help make it happen!

Back for her third appearance on the show is Heather Ferris, the CEO & Founder of Vegas Aces Services.

This time around Heather & I chatted about the process behind creating a new game, what makes for a good casino game, and some of the challenges behind convincing casino execs to give a new game a chance.

If you want to learn more about Heather, Vegas Aces, and the services they provide be sure to go visit their official website. You can also follow Vegas Aces on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Get ready...we're going on a little road trip.

We're heading about 35 miles southeast of the Vegas strip, to Black Canyon, where one of the greatest feats of engineering in the United States - and possibly the world - is located:  Hoover Dam

Constructed in the late 1920's & completed in the early 1930's, Hoover Dam serves a multitude of purposes including flood mitigation & hydro-electric power generation. Present day, millions of tourists visit each year to both marvel at this amazing structure and to take advantage of the many surrounding amenities including Lake Mead and the numerous hiking trails in the area.

My guest for this episode is Patti Aaron, Public Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Lower Colorado Basin. Patti and I talked about the history of Hoover Dam including its planning & construction, the "controversy" behind its name, some of the economic benefits of the dam's construction, and she shared some fun bits of trivia about Hoover Dam.

For more information on Hoover Dam and to plan your trip, visit the Bureau of Reclamation's website and be sure to follow Hoover Dam on Facebook.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

There are some AWESOME Vegas movies out there. Classics like "Casino", "Oceans Eleven" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". There are also some TERRIBLE Vegas movies out there...like "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone", "3000 Miles To Graceland" and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2".

I think it's fair to say that the film we're discussing in this episode falls somewhere in the middle.

Considered to be one of the biggest box office bombs of all time, Showgirls (written by Joe Eszterhas, directed by Paul Veerhoven, and starring Elizabeth Berkley) has morphed into a huge cult classic.

Thanks to a steady stream of nudity & gratuitous sex, the film was given an NC-17 rating and to this day, remains the only film with that rating to have had wide release in US movie theaters. And although Showgirls wasn't based on a true story, Eszterhas and Veerhoven claimed they did "extensive interviews" with people in the Vegas entertainment community to make the portrayal of the showgirl world as accurate as possible.

So, did they get it right? We're about to find out.

My guest for this episode, making her second appearance on the podcast, is Dani Elizabeth - a legit Showgirl and former cast member of the legendary Vegas shows, "Jubilee" and "Crazy Girls".

Dani shared the story of the first time she saw Showgirls and how it almost led to a career change, we dove into the film with some character analysis & theories on why people watch the film over and over again, and we compared Dani's "showgirl life" to Nomi Malone's.

If you want to dive further into the world of Showgirls - and really, who wouldn't? - check out the documentary You Don't Nomi directed by Jeffrey McHale (available for sale & rent on your favorite streaming service).

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Below the glitz & glamour of the Vegas Strip lies a massive network of underground tunnels. In addition to serving the practical purpose of directing flash flood water away from the big casinos & resorts, the tunnels have become a living space for hundreds, if not thousands, of homeless people in the city of Las Vegas.

My guest for this episode of the podcast is intimately familiar with these tunnels, having spent time interviewing dozens of their residents for his books "Beneath the Neon" and "Dark Days, Bright Nights".

Matthew O'Brien is a writer, editor and teacher who lived in Las Vegas for twenty years. He's considered an authority on homelessness in the Las Vegas tunnels and is the founder of Shine A Light, a program that helps people living in the tunnels and provides them with the resources to get out of the tunnels.

We discussed Matthew's first experiences with the tunnels of Las Vegas, the work that went into writing "Beneath the Neon", what inspired him to found Shine A Light, and much more.

If you'd like to purchase "Beneath the Neon", "My Week At The Blue Angel" or "Dark Days, Bright Nights" you can visit Matthew's website at beneaththeneon.com.

If you want to know more about Shine A Light and see the amazing work they do, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

(NOTE: I shouldn't have to say this, but I will. DO NOT go exploring the storm drains under Las Vegas. It's a very hostile environment for anyone who's not familiar with the miles and miles of tunnels. By going into the tunnels, you're risking severe injury or even death.)

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

In spite of its short history, the city of Las Vegas has some incredibly colourful characters in its past...and for this episode, I want to talk about one of those characters.

Howard Hughes was a billionaire, an inventor, an aviator, movie producer and philanthropist. He was also known to be a little "eccentric."

The stories about Howard Hughes are legendary - from the rumours of him urinating in mason jars & having foot-long fingernails to locking himself in a movie screening room for months on end & buying a Las Vegas hotel because he didn't want to leave. The stories have been around so long and spun in so many different directions, that it's sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. And that's what my guest is here to do...

Geoff Schumacher is the Vice President of Exhibits and Programs at The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas. Last time Geoff was here, we talked about Las Vegas's mob history...but another one of his favourite topics is Howard Hughes' time in spent in Vegas.

We talked about Hughes' aviation & filmmaking history, what prompted him to move to Nevada in the first place, the rumour that he bought the Silver Slipper Hotel & Casino because "the sign annoyed him", the bizarre reason behind his purchase of a Las Vegas TV station and much more.

Visit Amazon to purchase a copy of Geoff Schumacher's book "Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia and Palace Intrigue". Also be sure to visit The Mob Museum's website for Virtual Tours and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy