Elin Lantz Lesser joins us to talk about a cold case that haunted Texas for more than four decades, the 1974 murder of Carla Walker. Recently solved through DNA and genetic genealogy, Elin, host of America’s Crime Lab, walks us through how new science finally brought answers to a case that had gone cold for over 40 years. 

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Sarah and Josh were a young couple in Boston, raising two boys and building a happy life together. But one night, everything changed. After bringing their 3-month-old to the ER with a fever, a series of events spiraled out of control, ending with both their children taken from their home in the middle of the night, without a warrant. Their story exposes how a system meant to protect kids can tear a family apart. 

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This week, Patia tells the story of the Trenchcoat Robbers, Ray Bowman and William “Billy” Kirkpatrick, a notorious duo who evaded capture for two decades. It’s believed they robbed at least 28 banks in the United States. Patia uncovers new details about their crime spree and even speaks with someone personally connected to the story. 

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When Ellen was in college, she was kidnapped after leaving her shift at Applebee’s. She recounts the terrifying hour that followed as she was driven around the city, unsure if she would make it out alive.  

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This week Hannah answers a listener’s question about a man named Tommy Lee Buckley and his “Treasury Gate” scheme— a web of corruption, secret bank accounts, government conspiracy, and a billion dollar  payday that was always just around the corner.  Then, Patia dives into the dark side of sudden wealth with stories of lottery winners whose luck went sideways, including Tonda Dickerson’s unforgettable Alabama jackpot in 1999. 

Recommendations:  

The Lodge podcast 

Blink podcast 

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Burt Rosen searched for his missing son, Matthew, for over twenty years. Matthew had been struggling with mental illness when he vanished in 2001. Burt spent day-after-day making phone calls, scouring the internet, searching for any sign of his son. And then, 23 years later, a tip came in that changed everything. 

Hold On To Hope: 

https://hold2hope.org/ 

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Patia shares a story she’s followed for years and has a personal connection to: the disappearance of Samantha Sayers, who vanished after hiking Vesper Peak in August 2018. Patia grew close with Samantha’s mother, who has never stopped searching for her daughter. Then, Hannah tells the extraordinary survival story of Robert Schock, who set out for a trail run in 2024 and survived 30 harrowing days lost in the wilderness. 

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This week we speak with Johnathan Walton, creator of Queen of the Con and author of Anatomy of a Con Artist. Johnathan shares how he met “Mair Smyth,” grew to love her as a sister, and then was brutally betrayed when she conned him out of $100,000. Johnathan has since spoken with hundreds of other victims and built a handbook to expose the tricks con artists use to destroy lives.  

Links:  

Anatomy of a Con Artist: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/ 

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This week we’re talking scams. Hannah shares the story of a man whose photo was used to con thousands of women, and Patia takes us inside an unsettling case of identity theft. 

Alex Couros’ Website: https://educationaltechnology.ca/information-for-romance-scam-victims/ 

Recommendations:  

The Binge Cases: Catch Me If You Ken 

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara 

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Beth Denton has always wondered what really happened to her cousin Patricia, who was murdered in 1970 in her home in Oklahoma City.  Decades later, she decided to find out. This week, we speak with Beth as she unravels this family tragedy and tells the story of Patricia's life and untimely death. 

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