The Unlovely Truth

Since we’re friends, I wanted to give you a Christmas gift! Some of us in the Spark Podcast Network got together to share our thoughts about Christmas with you. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to get a sampling of some amazing Christian content from some wonderful fellow podcasters. You might even find a new favorite!

I hope that these messages bless you, and that you have a wonderful Christmas.

It’s almost Christmas and I hope you are all as excited as I am! As we wrap up the last of the gifts for our loved ones, let’s give three families the gift of hope - the hope that by highlighting three more cold cases in our Twelve Cases of Christmas series, we can be the spark that brings information forward to give answers about what happened, and maybe even bring some justice.

In this episode we’re again going to try to help three more families. Our cases today are all unsolved homicides. Ariys Harris from St. Louis, MO; Terra Lynn Kerstein from Port Salerno, FL; and Myrtle Cole of Fairhaven, MN.

As we all get ready to gather with our families and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I’m reminded of Paul’s words from Acts 20:35 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

The words that just jump out at me from this verse are “we must help the weak.” There are so many ways we can do that at Christmas time. So after you share this episode and encourage your friends to do the same, I encourage you to find someone in your community that needs a bit of a boost at Christmas time. Maybe that’s a young single mom like Ariys, someone who seems to be very isolated like Terra, or an elderly widow like Myrtle. These folks need a P.I. in their lives - a Person of Impact. A person like you.

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stltoday.com article about Ariys

kmov.com article about Ariys

ksdk.com article about Ariys

FB group "Who Killed Ariys Harris?"

If you have information, call the anonymous CrimeStoppers phone number: (314) 725-8477

The Palm Beach Post article about Terra Kerstein

Link to online tip form for Martin County Florida

kare11.com article about Myrtle Cole

minnesota.cbslocal.com article about Myrtle Cole

fox9.com article about Myrtle Cole

kstp.com article about Myrtle Cole

U.S. Department of Justice report on the victimization of the elderly

If you have any information about Myrtle Cole’s case, please contact the Stearns County Sheriff's Office at 320-259-3700, or send a tip directly to Tri-County Crime Stoppers of Minnesota

According to the FBI, at the end of 2020, the National Crime Information Center had almost 90,000 active missing persons cases entered into its data bank. That number absolutely blows my mind, and I hope it does yours too. Today, we are continuing our 12 Cases of Christmas series by looking at the disappearances of three people, Lopaz Richardson, Allyson Dalton, and Donald Westfall, Jr, whose families desperately want to know what happened to them.

The Bible tells us in Luke 8:17, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Of course, the frustrating part is that that promise isn’t always fulfilled in the time frame we want. These families, and so many others, deserve to know what happened to their loved ones, so let’s do everything we can to help them. As believers, we all have a calling to be a PI - a person of impact. Let’s see how each one of us can do simple acts that make a significant difference in the true crime world.

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Black and Missing FaceBook page information on Lopaz Richardson

Texas Equusearch website

GoFundMe page to help find Lopaz Richardson

blackandmissinginc website article

If you’ve seen Lopaz or have any information about his disappearance, please call the Rosenberg Police Department at 832-595-3700, or call Texas EquuSearch at 281- 309-9500.

nbc12.com article About Allyson

charleyproject.org information on Allyson's disappearance

wnep.com article

thesearetheunsolved.com

If you have any information about Allyson’s whereabouts or her mother Sylena’s murder, please call the Virginia State Police toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or dial #77 on a cell phone, or email [email protected]. You can also contact the Virginia Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 800-572-2260 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-THE-LOST.

wevv.com article

FaceBook page about Donnie's disappearance

tristatehomepage.com article

tristatehomepage.com article #2

If you have any information about Donald’s case, please contact Indiana State Police’s Jasper District at 812-482-1441 or 800-742-7475. You can also call NamUs at 817-304-0893 or email [email protected].

FBI stats on missing persons

We all have some stress at the holidays, but nobody more than families with murdered or missing loved ones. This December, I’m going to share with you what I’m calling the 12 Cases of Christmas - unsolved homicides and disappearances that haven’t gotten enough attention to get solved. I think that, together, we can change that.

This week, all three of our cases come from the same county in North Carolina. I will warn you right now - this episode will make you sad, and make you want to go kick some butt. At the end of the episode I’ll share some small action steps that you can take to make a significant impact.

Sitting along the South Carolina border, in the swamps of southeastern North Carolina, Robeson County has a population of over 100,000 people. You can get to the beach in an hour and a half, or the mountains in about 3 hours. You can visit the Museum of the Southeast American Indian to learn about tribal Lumbee Indian life. With more than 55,000 members, it is the largest Native population east of the Mississippi River.

Even with all of its natural beauty and historic significance, there’s a dark side to the area. When I approached the FaceBook group Shattering the Silence for permission to post a link to this episode, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who responded that they had a murdered or missing loved one from Robeson County. The problem goes much deeper than the three cases featured in today’s episode. Please check out the links below for more information on the problem.

If you have any information on any Robeson county homicide or missing person’s case, you can contact the FBI at 704-672-6100, or the Robeson County Sheriff's Office at 910-671-3100.

Article from spectrumlocalnews.com

Robeson no longer tops North Carolina crime stats

"There's a sickness in Robeson"

New evidence article

Scalawag Magazine article

themurdersquad.com article

Inside Edition story on YouTube

Shattering the Silence FaceBook group

Red Justice podcast

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Visit my podcast swag store!

Like me, Ellen McGarrahan never set out to be a private investigator. She had a great career as a reporter until the day she witnessed an execution. Then people started talking about the possibility that out of the three perpetrators in a heinous crime, the one who was executed might have been innocent.

She had to know, so she became a P.I. and spent years tracking down witnesses, documents, and anything she could find that might help her sleep at night. Was Jesse Tafero actually an innocent man?

Join me and my guest, private investigator Matt Budjenska, to talk about what it’s really like to be a P.I. and how easy it can be to become obsessed with a case.

Link to buy book

Contact Matt

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Most importantly:

Check out the Wish List and support Isaiah 117 House (remember I may get a small commission from your purchase so you’re supporting the podcast at the same time!)

There are SO MANY true crime podcasts that you could be listening to so I really want to say thank you for making time in your busy schedule to listen to me. I hope that you’ve learned some things you didn’t know, wrestled with topics you hadn’t thought much about, and reached out to help someone in need.

As believers, we all have a calling to be a PI - a person of impact. Let’s dive in and see how each one of us has the ability to make a positive difference in the true crime world. Today we’re going to look back at some of my favorite moments from the last 99 episodes. It was a real struggle to whittle so many great moments and guests down to fit into this episode, so if I missed any of YOUR favorite moments, please let me know!

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Most importantly:

Check out the Wish List and support Isaiah 117 House (remember I may get a small commission from your purchase so you’re supporting the podcast at the same time!)

Danny Hohenstein would probably have benefitted from some time in a more structured environment than his alcoholic mom was giving him. She once lost track of him for three days, forgetting that she’d left him at a friend’s house. On the day he disappeared, she was eagerly looking for him because she wanted to drop him off with his father. She called police when she still couldn’t find him after an hour of searching on her own.

There are too many children out there like Danny. Often, the best option is for them to live in a foster home until their biological parents can give them a safe and nurturing environment to return to. But leaving your home behind can be scary for kids. That’s where Isaiah 117 House steps in. They care for kids who are out of their homes and waiting on their foster placement. As you can imagine, it’s a huge undertaking - but you can help. Below is a link to an Amazon wish list that will allow you to buy any of 12 items that are desperately needed to serve these children well. Please join me in helping this amazing organization, and kids like Danny.

Amazon wish list for Isaiah 117 House

Visit the Isaiah 117 House website

Visit them on FaceBook

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Enter the 100th episode giveaway!

Yosemite National Park attracts millions of visitors to its breathtaking views that are sure to make for memorable family vacations. It also attracts workers who want - or need - to live off the grid. Tragedy erupted in Yosemite in February 1999 when Carol Sund, her teenage daughter Juli, and their friend Silvina Pelosso crossed paths with Cary Staynor, a handyman at Yosemite’s Cedar Lodge motel. The FBI arrested who they thought was the three women’s killer, and that mistake cost Yosemite Institute worker Joie Armstrong her life.

As we dive back into “In the Name of the Children” we’re going to talk again with pastor Lori Prather about the fact that while our past can certainly influence us, we don’t have to let it define us. We need to be defined by what the Word says about us. Depending on the choices we’ve made and the circumstances we’ve been born into, any one of us could be a victim or even an offender. Like King David though, no matter what our past is we can still be a person “after God’s own heart”.

Buy "In the Name of the Children" and support The Unlovely Truth!

Connect with Lori Prather on FaceBook

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Connect with me on FaceBook

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Enter the 100th episode giveaway!

Listen to other episodes with Lori Prather:

Season 1, Episode 4: The Hot One

Season 1, Episode 30: The Less People Know About Us

Season 1, Episode 47: The Silent Sisters

Season 1, Episode 50: The Murder Room

Season 2, Episode 12: Obsession and Manipulation in the Deep South: Everything She Ever Wanted by Ann Rule

Season 2, Episode 30: Blending In: "The Demon Next Door" by Bryan Burrough

Season 2, Episode 44: Is Empathy an FBI Interrogation Technique? "In the Name of the Children" by Jeffrey Rinek and Marilee Strong

On this episode of The Unlovely Truth I interview our Unlovely Truth Tribe Chaplain, Lori Prather. Lori has many years of experience wrestling with the dark issues of faith that true crime stories present. We had an interesting conversation about why many Christians deliberately choose to work in dark fields, discussed how things aren’t always as they seem, and the interesting concept of Servant Evangelism.

If you want to help The Unlovely Truth continue to grow and serve more people, please visit my website and share your favorite episode or blogpost with a friend.

Support The Unlovely Truth by using this link to buy "In the Name of the Children"

Follow Lori Prather on FaceBook

Leave me a rating and review

Buy my 99 cent ebook "Every Story Needs a Hero"

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Internet predators are a parent’s worst nightmare. The FaceBook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, has been everywhere on the news lately saying that she has proof FaceBook chose to prioritize profit over people. Did this alleged lack of appropriate online safeguards contribute to the death of 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall in England in 2009? Is the same thing happening to more of our kids even today? The number of kids who say they've had an online sexual interaction online with someone who they thought was an adult is staggering. Let’s talk about why children’s online safety should be important to all of us and find ways we can make a difference.

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The Guardian article about Ashleigh's murder

FaceBook's statement about Ashleigh’s murder

Newsweek article on social media

National Center For Missing and Exploited Children website

FBI works with NCMEC

Listen to Social Media Monsters