The Suspicious Death of Megan Trussell // Part One



On February 9, 2025, 18-year-old University of Colorado Boulder freshman Megan Trussell vanished after leaving her dorm following a tense argument with her roommate on Super Bowl Sunday, wearing only a light jacket as temperatures dropped into the 20s.  Six days later, Megan’s body was discovered miles away in a hidden culvert in Boulder Canyon—an area she was unfamiliar with—yet her death was quickly ruled a suicide despite missing clothing, unexplained injuries, and conflicting cell phone data.

In this episode of Weird True Crime, we walk through Megan’s life, her close relationship with her parents, and the bright future she was building as a film student before everything abruptly stopped. We examine the troubling gaps in the missing persons response, the delayed search, and inconsistencies between campus police, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

Megan’s parents, Vanessa Diaz and Joseph Trussell, share painful details about the investigation, the autopsy report, and why they believe the suicide ruling does not match the evidence.

From unexplained bruising and missing personal items to unanswered questions about search efforts and phone pings, this case raises serious concerns about accountability and transparency. This is Part One of Megan Trussell’s story.


Megan's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-megan-trussell
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Edited by: djaudio


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A new investigative podcast on the unsolved murder of Morris Smith and the wrongful arrest of an innocent man. Morris death was the 112th homicide in New Orleans and it was only three months into the year. The police were overrun with murders and the detectives were reeling. His mum was a popular newscaster, adored by many, but why does her daughter think she was involved?

Produced by award winning author and podcaster, N. Leigh Hunt for Fire Eyes Media Music by Captain Fathands and the Morlocks (San Diego)

www.fireeyesmedia.com

Listen to N. Leigh Hunt's award winning long form investigative podcast, In Esto- What Really Happened to Adrianna Hutto?


Coming December 1st 2025
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Preview | Missing in Hush Town Season 2: Bethany Markowski || The Prologue

Listen to the first six episodes to the second season of the award-nominated podcast, Missing in Hush Town, now wherever you get podcasts. 

Bethany Markowski allegedly went missing from a Jackson, TN shopping mall on March 04, 2001, when her father claims he allowed the 11 year old to go into the mall alone while he took a nap in his van in the parking lot.

Bethany was never seen or heard from again- nor was she ever seen on any of the mall security footage.

Where is Bethany Markowski?

Fire Eyes Media LLC & MomCast Productions 

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We’re keeping spooky season alive with a Reddit AITA: Halloween Edition. Amber and Gina weigh in on 10 delightfully messy moral dilemmas: scaring kids in full clown cosplay, spider décor vs. arachnophobic neighbors, gated candy drama, baby trick-or-treat etiquette, a gothic castle wedding, a dog winning the costume contest (over humans!), a Grim Reaper “prank” gone wrong, painting your house witchy chic, a parent vetoing a teen’s group costume, and one very NSFW “Slave Leia” party situation. Expect laughs, side-eye, and verdicts galore (YTA/NTA/ESH). Stick around for the riddle reveal: “Why did the skeleton not go to the party?”

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Edited by: djaudio


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You won’t believe how many red flags police missed in this case.

When 24-year-old Felicia Johnson traveled to Houston for her birthday, she never made it home. Her bloodied phone was found in a park, and the man police say is responsible vanished without a trace. Gina and Amber dig into Felicia’s final hours, the chilling evidence police uncovered, and the fight for justice her father refuses to give up.

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Edited by: djaudio


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He’s tall. He’s faceless. He lurks in the woods, on playgrounds, and in the corners of blurry photographs. Slenderman isn’t just another urban legend—he’s the internet’s first viral monster.

In this episode, Amber and Gina uncover the eerie origins of Slenderman. From his 2009 birth on the Something Awful forums to his rapid spread across creepypasta sites, YouTube series like Marble Hornets, and viral games like Slender: The Eight Pages, Slenderman became the perfect modern boogeyman.

But the story didn’t stay online. In 2014, two 12-year-old girls in Wisconsin lured their friend into the woods and stabbed her 19 times, claiming they did it to appease Slenderman. The victim survived, but the case shocked the world and forced everyone to reckon with the power of online folklore.

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Edited by: djaudio


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It’s one of the simplest but most unsettling urban legends ever told: a girl comforts herself at night by letting her dog lick her hand—only to find out in the morning that her dog is dead, and the intruder has left a message scrawled on the mirror: “Humans can lick too.”

In this episode, Amber and Gina dive deep into the chilling urban legend known as The Licked Hand (or Humans Can Lick Too). With an extended campfire-style narration, sarcastic commentary, and true crime context, they explore why this story continues to haunt us. From home invasion cases like Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, to unsolved intruder murders, the legend reflects very real fears about safety inside our own homes. 

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Edited by: djaudio


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“Have you checked the children?” That single question has haunted sleepovers, campfires, and horror movies for decades. On this Wicked Wednesday, Amber and Gina unravel the terrifying urban legend of The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs.

You know the story: a teenage babysitter alone in a house, creepy phone calls, and the shocking twist that the calls are coming from inside the house. But what if this wasn’t just a campfire tale?

In this episode, we explore the chilling real-life murder of Janett Christman, a 13-year-old babysitter brutally killed in Columbia, Missouri in 1950. Her unsolved case bears an eerie resemblance to the legend and may have inspired its spread. From true crime origins to Hollywood adaptations like When a Stranger Calls and Scream, we break down why this story continues to terrify generations. Expect creepy narration, sarcastic commentary, and a shallow dive into the folklore that turned one babysitter’s nightmare into horror legend.

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Sources:
https://the-line-up.com/janett-christman-the-babysitter-murder
https://the-line-up.com/janett-christman-the-babysitter-murder
https://abkt1.medium.com/murder-of-janett-christman-56b07fa5e63f


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What happens when teenage love, late-night parking, and a hook-handed killer collide? Today, Amber and Gina dive into one of the most chilling urban legends of all time—The Hookman. You’ve probably heard the story whispered around a campfire: a couple parked at Lover’s Lane, a news bulletin about an escaped asylum patient, and a bloody hook left hanging from the car door. But did you know this legend is rooted in real crimes?
From the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders to the rise of parental scare tactics in the 1950s, this episode unpacks the terrifying origins of The Hookman, why the story spread like wildfire, and how it’s been passed down as both a cautionary tale and horror folklore. Expect creepy narration, sarcastic commentary, and a deep dive into how real fear inspired one of America’s most enduring legends.

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 Leave us a review and share your thoughts — it helps so much!


Sources:
https://www.americanfolklore.net/the-hook/
https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/legend-hookman-92941
Weird True Crime Episode - https://weirdtruecrime.com/texas-unsolved-the-texarkana-moonlight-murders/

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To kick off Wicked Wednesday Urban Legends series, we're throwing it back to our coverage of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. This horrific, unsolved case is the inspiration for the infamous legend of The Hookman. Come back next week to hear all about it!

Between February and May 1946, three people were brutally attacked and five were murdered in Texarkana by a man dubbed the Phantom Killer. Texarkana straddles Texas and Arkansas and had a population of about 27,000 at the time of the murders. 

The murders have never been solved, though many believe to know who’s responsible for the crimes. James “Jimmy” Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey were attacked in February 1946 but luckily survived. Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were not so lucky when they were killed just three weeks later in March. Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker were the second double murder three weeks later in April. Virgil Starks was killed and his wife Katie was shot twice at the beginning of May 1946. Then the attacks ended as quickly as they began. Join Gina and Amber in the discussion about the Texarkana Moonlight Murders on social media or email us your thoughts on the case.

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Podcast Production: [email protected]

Resources:
https://vault.fbi.gov/texarkana-phantom-moonlight-murders
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/texarkana-murder-mystery/
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/feb/07/fbi-releases-archive-texarkanas-phantom-killer-ove/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHcR5n6ER_c
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/texarkana-moonlight-murders-4478/
“Slaying of Two Stuns Texarkana” Fort Worth Star Telegram, 16, Apr 1946
https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2016/apr/14/phantom-killer-attacks-part-ii/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85687186/betty-jo-booker
“Texarkana Suspect May be Released” Fort Worth Star - Telegram 
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85687273/paul-james-martin
“Texarkana Killer Leaves Clue…”  Fort Worth Star Telegram - 
https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2016/mar/24/its-been-70-years-terror-stalked-texarkana-form-ph/ 
“Student, in Suicide Note…” - Fort Worth Star Telegram
“Officers “Advertise” for Phantom Slayer - Lubbock Morning Avalanche, 1946
Peggy’s Confession - https://kfmx.com/unsolved-texas-moonlight-murders-still-inspire-horror-over-75-years-later/
Richard Griffin Find a Grave - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65477100/richard-lanier-griffin
“Texarkana Area Has New Death Mystery” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 07, 1946
Crime Library - https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/unsolved/texarkana/book_7.html
“3 Clues Found..” 
Virgil Starkes Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89534227/walter-virgil-starks
“Phantom Killer’s last alleged victim…”
“Aerial Gunnar Out…” - Ralph Barney Baumann
Oklahoma Attack Suspect not connected to Texarkana murders


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