Vanished

On July 5th 2020, we walked away from the Amelia Earhart case as a team. After over a year of recording and almost two years in production, we ended what I thought was the final conversation we’d have on this show regarding Amelia Earhart.  Well, you know how that goes….. 2 weeks ago, on January 26th, a very intriguing sonar image of what appears to be an aircraft 16,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific was revealed by Tony Romeo and Deep Sea Vision - a team that had been searching in that area for any remnants they could find of the holy grail of aviation. Sometimes, when you’re searching for a needle in the biggest haystack on the face of the earth, you produce a miracle.  Tonight, for one night only, we return to our audience and re-open the case that we left over 4 years ago.  Suddenly, it’s the summer of 2019 again. And Jen Taylor hasn't missed a step.  This is a line I never thought I’d say again. Welcome back to Vanished. This is Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan. LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group Opening Audio News Clip   SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Is This Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane? @ The Wall Street Journal Liz Smith’s Dateline Theory Blog  Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance @ History

It’s December 5th, 1872. The waters of the Atlantic are cold and desolate. Unforgiving.  A British brigantine, the Dei Gratia sits about 400 miles east of the Azores when crew members spot a ship that seems to just be bobbing on the endless waves -  lifeless in an ocean that seems to never end.    The Captain of the Dei Gratia, David Morehouse was surprised when he discovered that the ship his men were seeing, was none other than the Mary Celeste - a brigantine that left New York City eight days earlier bound for Genoa, Italy. Surely, they should have made it by now, he thought. Something must be wrong.  Under the order of Captain Morehouse, the Dei Gratia changes course in an attempt to investigate the seemingly abandoned ship.  Upon arrival at the Celeste, Morehouse sends a search party that includes first mate Oliver Deveau and second mate John Wright to board the brigantine and begin a search. Among the many strange things that the De Gratia crew discovered upon boarding the ship, was that her vessels were set, her cargo intact, but her crew of ten, including Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, and their two-year- old daughter was nowhere to be found. Below deck, the ship’s charts and maps were a mess, but present. It’s only lifeboat was missing, and one of it’s two pumps had been strangely disassembled. There was over a 6 month supply of both food and water, but no one aboard the ship to consume it.  The absence of life aboard the Celeste immediately fueled rumors and speculation, that still send shivers down the spines of some of modern day’s most seasoned nautical investigators. Again, under orders of Captain Morehouse, the crew of the Dei Gratia took control of the abandoned ship and sailed it 800 miles to Gibraltar where a British court convened a salvage hearing to determine if the spoils of the Mary Celeste would be divided up amongst the crew of the Dei Gratia under maritime salvage insurance law.  The case wouldn’t be so cut and dry though, as the attorney general in charge of the inquiry, Frederick Solly - Flood, suspected that foul play may have played a part in the mysterious vanishing of the ship’s crew. That is where tonight’s story begins.  Welcome back to Vanished. This is the Mary Celeste.  LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group A Very Special Thank You to the True Crime Podcast Festival for Hosting Us Bob Motta, Alison Motta and Darren Wood Appear Courtesy of Defense Diaries Jason Usry Appears Courtesy of Santa Maybe  Angela and John Appear Courtesy of The Bravo Docket  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING What Happened to the Mary Celeste? @ History The Chilling Mystery Of The Mary Celeste, The Ghost Ship Found Empty In The Atlantic In 1872 @ All Things Interesting The Incredible and Chilling Story of the Mary Celeste @ Modeler's Central

It’s January 5th 1941, the skies are gray and filled with water, ready at any minute to pour down to the Earth below. Amy Johnson, whom many people referred to as the British Amelia Earhart, is soaring through the air, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her heart beating with excitement and trepidation. Little does she know that she’s about to live the final moments of her life.  Up to this point, the flight has been uneventful, but as Johnson approaches the Thames Estuary, she begins to encounter poor weather conditions. This is, as they say, where story ends and theory begins. The exact cause of the accident that led to Johnson's death is still unclear. But in recent years, an alternate explanation to what history says happened that day has been offered. And it’s one that calls to a more tragic ending to one of aviation’s biggest icon’s. A woman’s name you’ve likely never heard of….until now.  Welcome back to Vanished. This is Amy Johnson. LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group Opening Theme by Krale Memoirs of the Forgotten  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  Mysterious demise of pioneering aviator Amy @ London News Online  The Distinguished Career Of Pioneering British Aviator Amy Johnson @ Simple Flying The ongoing mystery of Hull pilot Amy Johnson who died 81 years ago today @ Hull Daily Mail  Amy Johnson: Death of pioneering aviator 'may have been covered up' @ Independent 

Welcome back to a very different part 4 than we thought we’d have. I guess that’s how it goes in these cases right? When you follow the evidence, wherever it leads, sometimes what it uncovers, or doesn’t may surprise you.  Trial by Jury is now behind us, and if you’re listening to this, hopefully you’ve made your own conclusions about what was presented during that part of the series. Does it compel you? Are you convinced? Maybe we were able to present enough of a case to make you want to consider the fact that the man known as the Zodiac, wasn’t one man at all.  At any rate, we’re leaving San Francisco - off to other cases. But we couldn’t leave without giving you our final thoughts on what we took from trial, and discussing the toll that we deal with in creating this show for you, our audience. It’s not without its risk, and as you’ll soon discover, it’s not without fallout. This is the epilogue for our series on the man known only as Zodiac. 

Despite countless investigations and numerous suspects over the years, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery to this day. But what would it take to try this case in modern times? In order to build a strong case, new looks at Zodiac would need to start with a deep dive back into the original evidence, including potential DNA samples, fingerprints, and any other forensic evidence that might have been overlooked in the past - and that’s what we’re trying to do here.  In recent years, one suspect has started to attract the attention of a few modern day investigators, and that attention is beginning to shift the focus back to a man that holds a very interesting position in the case as we’ve come to know it.  Tonight, we’re going to unpack a story that might be a little head scratching at first, but as you’ll hear, the theory we’re about to put forth, has roots that run very deep into Zodiac mythology. In fact, it has a lot to do with a suspect that, if you’re familiar at all with this case, you’ll know. But there's a twist to this story - one that plays right into the Zodiac’s potential motives by playing directly to the ego that seemed to be at the center for every decision he ever made. When we started our look at this case, I really didn’t know where it would take us. After hearing what you’ll hear tonight, I’m more convinced than ever that we have identified the Zodiac killer. Or maybe I should say Zodiac killers. Welcome back to Vanished. This is a trial by jury for Don Cheney and Arthur Leigh Allen.  LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Defense Diaries' Official Website  Defense Diaries on Twitter  Defense Diaries on TikTok  Sarah Cailean's Official Website  Sarah Cailean on Twitter  Sarah Cailean on Facebook  Drew Beeson's Official Website  Drew Beeson on Twitter  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen - on YouTube  Sighting In on The Zodiac Killer: Unmasking America's Most Puzzling Unsolved Murders by Drew Beeson  Don Cheney Speaks @ Zodiackiller.com 

You ever heard the phrase slippery slope? Well, we’re all on one right now. This is what it’s like. An overload of information coming at you in rapid succession. Maybe that’ll be a looming theme over this season. So, in the interest and perhaps celebration of speed, Jen and I have decided to hold our thoughts on the case for a discussion that will come at the end of our series in a format we’ve only done once before on this show. Zodiac has been hiding behind a mask and a moniker for far too long - using them as way to inflict power over the victims he choose to bring unspeakable harm to.  Now it's time that we take back that power. Welcome back to Vanished and our multi part series on the man known as Zodiac. LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Raven Rollins and Mandy McNeely appear courtesy of the Sirens Network  Sirens on Twitter  Sirens on Facebook  Sirens on Instagram  Sirens on TikTok  Ross Geraci's Planet X Filmworks @ YouTube Zodiac Ciphers Official Website  Zodiac Speaking Podcast @ Apple Podcasts Special Appearance by Adam Ballinger of GraveYard Tales SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Nine Zodiac Killer Suspects And The Disturbing Stories Behind Them @ATI The Zodiac Ciphers: What Cryptologists Know @ History Has The Zodiac Killer Mystery Been Solved (Again)? @LosAngeles Magazine Sighting In on The Zodiac Killer: Unmasking America's Most Puzzling Unsolved Murders by Drew Beeson @ Amazon Drew Beeson's DrewTube Page 

The upscale neighborhood of Presidio Heights; in the north side of San Francisco - is a whole world unto itself. You can get anywhere in the city 30 minutes from here. Walking distance to Golden Gate Park with stunning views of the bay. Today, it’s known as one of the safest neighborhoods in Northern California.  In downtown San Francisco, the sounds of the sirens fill the neighborhoods. In the late 1960’s, the city was a beacon of peace, light, and freedom to love anyway you wanted.  What a time to live.  In 1967, RollingStone was created among the inspiration of music that dominated radio, and every corner of the city. As important as that was, the city served as ground zero for civil rights battles, anti war demonstrations and the rise of the black power movement.  The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by brothers Charles and Michael De Young. And it’s a massive part of our next story. But we’ll talk about that later.  The 60’s weren’t all love and light though. One story made things really dark. A story that loomed over the country and the world like a storm that just wouldn't stop coming. A still unidentified man, relentlessly stalked the San Francisco bay area, striking abject terror into the hearts of it’s citizens for years to come. When all was said and done, our next subject claimed the lives of five victims and has been reportedly credited with up to 32 more, all the while, taunting newspapers, and the media with his crimes.  Sound familiar?  We’ve covered a lot of bad people on this show. Serial killers, hijackers, pirates, and assassins. But only one of them is known world wide by a symbol and single name that still fascinates and horrifies everyone that’s ever investigated him.  Welcome back to Vanished, and our multi part investigation into the man known only as Zodiac. LINKS Our Website  Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on TikTok Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Raven Rollins and Mandy McNeely appear courtesy of the Sirens Network  Sirens on Twitter  Sirens on Facebook  Sirens on Instagram  Sirens on TikTok  Michael Cole's Website for Zodiac Revisited Kristi Hawthorne appears courtesy of the Oceanside Historical Society   Kristi Hawthorne's Blog  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  "60 Year Old Cold Case Remains Unsolved - The Murder of Ray Davis"  "How Mathematicians Cracked the Zodiac Killer’s Cipher" Richard Grinell's Website Zodiac Ciphers

The dive into this case has been unmeasurable. What I thought was a case that wouldn't interest me at all, has now become an obsession. Funny how that works out. As we wind down our investigation into the vanishing of Judge Joe Crater, we thought it would be beneficial to bring in an expert on the case to educate us all on what researching Crater is like, and how it changes you as a person. Tonight, as we end our series, we’re joined by Stephen Riegel, Author of Finding Judge Crater: A Life and Phenomenal Disappearance in Jazz Age New York to help us dissect August 6th, 1930, as well as Crater’s mindset, actions, and perhaps the reasons behind those actions.  No matter what you think about what happened on August the 6th, I think we can all agree that Judge Joe Crater, should go down in history as one of the most influential disappearance cases of all time. For now, let’s wrap things up. This is part three of our series on Judge Crater. Links Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Vanished on TikTok Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt Opening Theme Lost by Tony Ann  Show Notes & Further Reading Finding Judge Crater: A Life and Phenomenal Disappearance in Jazz Age New York by Stephen J. Riegel  The Perplexing Disappearance of Judge Joseph F. Crater @ Buzzfeed's YouTube Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age by Debby Applegate 

Disappearances are always hard to understand.  Most of the time, we’re looking for someone that was taken from us against their will. Sometimes, they’re a mystery that we can’t explain. Every once in a while though, the disappearance is voluntary, and maybe that’s what we’re dealing with here.  Was Judge Joe Crater murdered? Or did he stage an elaborate exit leaving his wife, friends, and colleagues scratching their heads in frustration? On the night of August the 6th 1930, Crater stepped out of a well-known steak house and into a cab on the streets of New York never to be seen again. Or, maybe not. In part two of our series, we’ll dig deeper into those questions, and we’ll try to make sense of the timeline leading up to August the 6th. Season 3 continues as we welcome you back to Vanished: Judge Crater. Links Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Vanished on TikTok Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt Opening Theme Lost by Tony Ann  Show Notes & Further Reading Finding Judge Crater: A Life and Phenomenal Disappearance in Jazz Age New York by Stephen J. Riegel  The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon  Joseph Force Crater Becomes the Missingest Man in New York @ History Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind by Richard J. Tofel  Joseph Force Crater @ Wikipedia 

August 25th, 1930, was the first day of the New York Supreme Court's fall term. But its newest judge didn't show up for court. Justice Joseph Crater's lifelong ambition was to be a judge. By all accounts, he was ecstatic at his recent appointment to the bench by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. But his seat on the bench this day was inexplicably empty. In fact, no one had seen justice crater in 19 days, when he cleaned out his office, cashed a couple of checks for a fairly large sum of money, had dinner with a friend then got into a taxi, never to be seen again. He left behind a frantic wife, a veritable harem of mistresses, and a brewing political scandal, but no solid evidence as to where he might have gone, or what might have happened to him. Could justice Crater have been the victim of the political machine, blackmail, or his own hubris? Was this the work of organized crime or a random act of violence? Or did he simply walk away of his own volition and start a new life in Chicago, California, or Canada? Season 3 has arrived. Welcome to Vanished: Judge Crater. Links Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Vanished on TikTok Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt Opening Theme Lost by Tony Ann  Show Notes & Further Reading Finding Judge Crater: A Life and Phenomenal Disappearance in Jazz Age New York by Stephen J. Riegel   Joseph Force Crater Becomes the Missingest Man in New York @ History Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind by Richard J. Tofel  Joseph Force Crater @ Wikipedia 

When we were last together, we spoke of DB Cooper, and the only unsolved case of air piracy in US history. Tonight, we take piracy to a whole new level.  In the late 1600’s, in just a two year period, a single man would lead a mutiny aboard a ship named Charles the second, become the captain elect of that ship, and go on to have the most successful pirate career of anyone that ever lived. Like Cooper, he has no beginning. In fact, modern day scholars can’t even agree on when he was born.  After the most successful raid of his short career, this man would vanish into thin air, leading to the first worldwide manhunt and a trial that would have an absolutely shocking ending. You really gotta hand it to those pirates boy. They don’t stand on ceremony, especially Henry Every. No this guy disappears into the vast oceans with a treasure that today could be worth north of hundreds of millions of dollars.  Legend says that Every became so successful that he lived out his days in a legendary pirate city on Madagascar where the streets were paved in gold, and the riches were so vast, he need never be concerned with money again.  Others, tell a different story.  One thing’s for certain. No one ever found him. Maybe more importantly, no one ever found the treasure.  The end of season 2 is upon us.  Finally, it’s time to set sail. This is Vanished: Henry Every. [Stay till the end of the show for a very special treat from Technofunkboy] LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Vanished on TikTok Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  Opening Theme “A Thief’s End” by Henry Jackman Technofunkboy on Twitch  Colin Woodard appears courtesy of Mariner Books  Dr. Rebecca Simon appears courtesy of Mango Media  Eric Jay Dolin appears courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  “Enemy of All Mankind” by Steven Johnson @ Amazon Henry Every @ Wikipedia “The Most Successful Pirate You’ve Never Heard Of” @ History “The Elusive Henry Every” @ The History Press Henry Every @ The Pirate King  Proclamation for Apprehending Henry Every Alias Bridgeman  “Silver Coins Unearthed in New England May Be Loot From One of The Greatest Crimes in History” @ Livescience 

If you made it this far, you’re probably in till it’s over and I commend you. We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in a very short time. And now in our final segment together, we take it all the way. But before we all enter the courtroom together, we have a few more stops to make and a few more experts would like to weigh in. The story of DB Cooper is a complex one taking twists and turns at every possible opportunity. And it’s about to get crazier. As I ramped up my investigation into this case and into the possibility that we may have found our guy, some new information made its way forward as it always seems to do in these cases. If you know me, you know that no matter what happens, I’m always about forwarding the progress. And tonight we do just that. From the skies above Portland to the shores of Tena Bar, we wind down our series with new evidence that strengthens the case for Braden and a bombshell call to arms that could have continuing effects on this case for years to come. Let’s get back into it. The conclusion of our investigation into DB Cooper begins now.  LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  Opening Theme "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project  Eric Ulis appears courtesy of his official website Mark Zaid appears courtesy of Mark S. Zaid, P.C. Nicholas Broughton appears courtesy of Nicholas Broughton  Drew Beeson appears courtesy of Fort Necessity Press SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING "Paratrooper of Fortune: The Story of Ted B. Braden - Vietnam Commando, CIA Operative, Congo Mercenary, and just maybe D.B. Cooper" by Drew Beeson "Sky Ghost: The D.B. Cooper Report" by Eric Ulis  The Vault @FBI - DB Cooper Records The DB Cooper Letters @ History.com

Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome back to Vanished. In part one of our series, alongside our guests, we discussed the mindset, the story, and the legend of DB Cooper. We also discussed the science being worked on the two largest pieces of physical evidence that we have in this case. And I know what you’re thinking. That’s all great, but who was DB Cooper? And what about all these suspects? In part two, we continue our journey into the vortex with series advisor and returning guest Darren Schaefer as we discuss some of the standout suspects in this 50-year-old cold case.  We’ll also hear from newcomers and giants in this investigation. Lastly, I’ll introduce you to an investigator that has been quietly working on a suspect that he believes has been hiding in plain sight. A suspect with a background that you won’t be able to believe.  Let’s go to work. This is part two of Vanished: DB Cooper. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  Opening Theme "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project  Darren Schaefer appears courtesy of "The Cooper Vortex" Anonymous appears courtesy of DB Cooper Hijack  Dr. Robert Edwards appears courtesy of Schiffer Publishing  Tessa D'Amico appears courtesy of Tessa D'Amico  Drew Beeson appears courtesy of Fort Necessity Press A very special appearance by Hank Bertsch  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING "DB Cooper and Flight 305: Reexamining the Hijacking and Disappearance" by Dr. Robert Edwards "Paratrooper of Fortune: The Story of Ted B. Braden - Vietnam Commando, CIA Operative, Congo Mercenary, and just maybe D.B. Cooper" by Drew Beeson SUSPECT RUNDOWN Robert Rackstraw  Richard McCoy  Walter Recca  Lynn Doyle Cooper  William Gossett  John List  Kenny Christensen  Sheridan Peterson  Duane Weber  Barbara Dayton 

Welcome back. Anniversaires are fun. And if you’ve followed this show you know that we kind of make a big deal of those around here. January 5th, 1939; after vanishing over the pacific ocean alongside her navigator Fred Noonan, icon Amelia Earhart is declared dead in Absentia. August 31st, 1888, the body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered at 3:40 AM in Whitechapel...officially beginning Jack the Ripper’s “Autumn of Terror”. April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth leading to a nationwide manhunt just after the end of the Civil War.  Remembrance of those dates is important because they tell stories. Stories that have been expanded upon and investigated thoroughly to this day. And that brings us to tonight. Not too many people can become historically associated with a verb. But our next subject can. 50 years ago tonight, a still unidentified man skyjacked a commercial airliner, demanded a $200 thousand dollar ransom (a little over 1.3 million today), and jumped out of that airliner into the darkness never to be seen again. He has no ending and no beginning. He existed for only a few short hours, and in that time, he committed the perfect crime. His name is only an alias, but it’s become the most famous alias in all of aviation history.  Tonight, we have a first for this show as we release our entire series on one very special anniversary. 50 years ago, an unassuming man jumps into history. He’s become a ghost. But now, perhaps finally, we’ll have a name to go with that ghost.  Oh, you thought we were done? We’re just getting started.  Welcome back to Vanished. And part one of our three-part series for DB Cooper. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  Opening Theme "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project  Angel Mays appears courtesy of "Color Me Dead"  Javier Leiva appears courtesy of "Pretend"  Darren Schaefer appears courtesy of "The Cooper Vortex"  Tom Kaye appears courtesy of "Citizen Sleuths"  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Tena Bar Money Find  Money Analysis  Overview of "Snap-on" Tie from Penneys Washougal Washdown Theory Marty Andrade's Website  "Finding DB Cooper: Chasing the Last Lead in America's Only Unsolved Hijacking" by Marty Andrade "DB Cooper World prepares for the 50th Anniversary of this iconic skyjacking" by Bruce Smith  From "The Cooper Vortex" DB Cooper’s Money - Arthur L. Friedberg

And now we’ve reached the end. In part 4 I mentioned that we’ve covered this case, in essence, two times. The John Wilkes Booth story represents, for me, a very big struggle for the show because we had to change the structure midway through research, and just before we were set to launch an entire season based on the case you just heard. And now, it’s reflection time.  As we exit our journey into 1865 and John Wilkes Booth I found it only fitting to end with the first round table discussion we’ve ever done on this show. And it features the creators and writers of the hit podcast "1865" Erik Archilla and Steven Walters along with myself and Jen and a returning Dave Taylor as we discuss our coverage of this case, the assassination of Lincoln, the radicalization of John Wilkes Booth, and how the events of 1865 service as a striking parallel to what we’re all living through right now, in modern times.  LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona  Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with special appearances by Erik Archilla and Steven Walters Erik Archilla on Twitter Steven Walters on Twitter Dave Taylor's site of record Lincoln Conspirators  Dave Taylor on Twitter SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  Dave Taylor's "John Wilkes Booth: In the Woods" Series Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 The Podcast of Record 1865 "Donald Trump's presidency is ending a lot like Andrew Johnson's" @ The Hill

It's easy to make extraordinary claims when they're unchallenged. But that's about to change. A few episodes back, I encouraged you to jump down this rabbit hole. And now, I'm here to help you climb back out. Welcome to the fourth episode of our series on John Wilkes Booth. Trial by Jury. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona  Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with a special appearance by Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth Dave Taylor's site of record Lincoln Conspirators  Dave Taylor on Twitter Mark Zaid's Official Website Mark Zaid on Twitter Special Appearance by Nate Orlowek  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  "The Escape & Suicide of John Wilkes Booth" by Finis L. Bates @ Amazon Dave Taylor's "John Wilkes Booth: In the Woods" Series Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 The Podcast of Record 1865 "Relatives press fight to reopen Booth grave Appeals court will study bid to confirm whether body is Lincoln assassin's" @ The Baltimore Sun "John Wiles Booth Descendants Seek to Exhume Body" @ The Chicago Tribune "Body of Lincoln's Killer is Left in Grave" @ The Tampa Bay Times "Did Booth Actually Get Away" Original Article @ USA Today 

I have a lot of heavy lifting to do. In part 3 of our series on John Wilkes Booth, my investigation is in full swing. Joined by a world class guest list, I dive into the case head first in an effort to understand how and why Booth might have escaped, the complex introduction of DNA into the case, and the first trial that took place on this case a little over a quarter century ago. Welcome back to Vanished. This is part 3 of our series on John Wilkes Booth. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona  Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with special appearances by Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth and TJ Counihan as Sargent Silas Cobb. Dave Taylor's site of record Lincoln Conspirators  Kate Clifford Larson's Official Website  "The Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln" @ Amazon Emma Hinkle's Blog  Steministas Podcast Emma Hinkle on Twitter "Who is the Real John Wilkes Booth?" @ Amazon Mark Zaid's Official Website Mark Zaid on Twitter Special Appearance by Nate Orlowek  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  Dave Taylor's "John Wilkes Booth: In the Woods" Series Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 The Podcast of Record 1865 "The Ironic Death of Silas Cobb" "The Need to Kill James William Boyd"  Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 2 - Full Episode @ YouTube "The John Wilkes Booth Mummy That Toured America" @ History "The Strange Story of David E. George (Or Is It John Wilkes Booth?") "The Postmortem Career of John Wilkes Booth"

I’ve been investigating historical mysteries for a long time. And everything always begins with a story. It’s hard to look at our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln as controversial. But he was. As much as he’s now revered the world over for his acts during his presidency, there were many people that stood in opposition of Lincoln and the Union. When we think of Lincoln, we often think about his end; the assassination that we’ll be covering so deeply during this series. But what you might not know is that the assassination that would be successfully carried out in 1865 wasn’t the first attempt on his life. Four years earlier, there was another attempt. And the story behind this one is something out of a summer blockbuster movie. But every bit of it is real. In order to get to the ending, and everything beyond, we need to start at the beginning. Tonight, we lay out all the events that begin on April the 14th 1865 and end 12 days later in a tobacco farm in Virginia. Or do they? As our split investigation continues on from Oklahoma and Austin, here’s the big question. If John Wilkes Booth did vanish that night in 1865, he must have had help. So, who helped him? Could it be that Booth was simply the tip of the spear that pierced the Union? Is it possible, maybe even probable that the figure calling the shots was in Lincoln's own cabinet? A man that would have the most to gain from the assassination of the president? And was his potential collusion influenced by the most famous assassin in all of history? Welcome back to Vanished. This is part 2 of our series on John Wilkes Booth. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona  Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with special appearances by Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth and R. Bruce Elliot as Andrew Johnson. Dave Taylor's site of record Lincoln Conspirators  Dave Taylor on Twitter  Josh Mensch's Official Website  Josh Mensch on Twitter  "The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President--and Why It Failed" @ Amazon  Special Appearance by Nate Orlowek  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING  Dave Taylor's "John Wilkes Booth: In the Woods" Series Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 The Podcast of Record 1865 Allan Pinkerton @ Wikipedia  Kate Warne @ Wikipedia  "The Unsuccessful Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln" @ Smithsonian  "Abolitionist John Brown is Hanged" @ History "The Web of Conspiracy" by Theodore Roscoe @ Amazon  James William Boyd @ Wikipedia  "A Conspiracy Theory to End All Conspiracy Theories: Did John Wilkes Booth Act Alone?" @ Rollingstone  "John Wilkes Booth Killed Lincoln, but Who Killed John Wilkes Booth?" @ Vice  "The Escape & Suicide of John Wilkes Booth" by Finis L. Bates @ Amazon  "A Piece of Crutch" @ Lincoln Conspirators  "Historical Vertebrae, a Sideshow Mummy and the Lingering Mystery of John Wilkes Booth" @ PBS

What you’re about to hear really started for me a few years ago. I was just about to leave Los Angeles for our big family move out to the midwest. I was in the Los Angeles Public Library looking through some microfilm on Amelia Earhart when I stumbled back a little too far and found the contents of an 1862 Valentines’ note to Lucy Lambert Hale; a prominent Washington D.C. socialite. That’s right. Everything you’re about to hear, started with a Valentine.  The contents of the note read like something out of a period romance film but with just a pinch of darkness. The words jumped off the page. Here’s what it said.  “My dear Miss Hale, were it not for the License with a time-honored observance of this day allows, I had not written you this poor note. … You resemble in a most remarkable degree a lady, very dear to me, now dead and your close resemblance to her surprised me the first time I saw you. This must be my apology for any apparent rudeness noticeable. To see you has indeed afforded me a melancholy pleasure, if you can conceive of such, and should we never meet nor I see you again believe me, I shall always associate you in my memory, with her, who was very beautiful, and whose face, like your own I trust, was a faithful index of gentleness and amiability. With a Thousand kind wishes for your future happiness I am, to you, a stranger.  The, at the time anonymous letter captivated Miss Hale, and that captivation went from 0 - 60 when she learned that the note had been written by none other than John Wilkes Booth; the man that three years later would commit the most famous assassination in all of history.  As I sat there pondering what I’d just read one of the librarians came over to me and said “you found the Hale note”. I remember telling her how I’d always been fascinated by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and by John Wilkes Booth in particular. And then she hit me with a question that I’ve been wondering about to this very day. “Did you know the FBI still holds an active investigation into the fate of John Wilkes Booth?” And that question has taken us to Oklahoma. Since that day in Los Angeles in 2017 I’ve been piecing together a story that I’ve gone over and over and over in my head. A story that, as history has recorded it, contains love, betrayal, tyranny, rage, murder, secret burial plots, modern day trials, the birth of the FBI, mummy's, and a history altering conspiracy that the world isn’t ready to believe. And that’s before we got to it. Season 2 rolls on from Oklahoma, this is part one of Vanished: John Wilkes Booth. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona  Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with a special appearance by Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING "Into the Abyss: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" by Kate Gillett "Stalking John Wilkes Booth" @ American Battlefield Trust "Lucy Lambert Gets a Valentine From John Wilkes Booth" @ New England Historical Society   THE UNION   Abraham Lincoln @ Wikipedia  Edwin Stanton @ Wikipedia  Andrew Johnson @ Wikipedia  William H. Seward @ Wikipedia  Ulysses S. Grant @ Wikipedia  THE CONFEDERACY Jefferson Davis @ Wikipedia Robert E. Lee @ Wikipedia  THE BOOTH FAMILY John Wilkes Booth @ Wikipedia  Edwin Booth @ Wikipedia Asia Booth Clarke @ Wikipedia  THE CONSPIRATORS Michael O'Laughlen @ Wikipedia  Samuel Arnold @ Wikipedia  Mary Surratt @ Wikipedia John Surratt @ Wikipedia Lewis Powell @ Wikipedia George Atzerodt @ Wikipedia David E. Herold @ Wikipedia

This is the end. And frankly I’m relieved to be through it. To be honest, when we first decided we’d venture outside the Amelia Earhart case, I had doubts. I still do if I’m being completely honest. But starting with Jack the Ripper was a good experiment for me. It tested my emotional ability to get through a case like this and come out the other side. You’ve had a couple of weeks to digest the trial, the evidence and the testimony and now the time is almost at hand for you to render your decision. Who do you think was Jack the Ripper? And does it even matter? Are the legacies of the victims what we should really be discussing here? Jack the Ripper is an enigma. A faceless man. A man without an identity. Or maybe a man with several. I know what I believe. Now, as always it's up to you. But before we leave you to decide we have one more person that we feel you need to hear from. And what she has to say might change the way you look at Montague John Druitt and the man behind this unspeakable evil forever. Welcome back to Vanished and our final episode on Jack the Ripper.  LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter  Vanished on Instagram  Vanished on Facebook  Vanished Facebook Discussion Group  Jennifer Taylor on Twitter  Chris Williamson on Twitter  Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website Smith & Vinson on Twitter Exit script read by Oz Oddball of the Oddball Aussie Podcast  Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt  "Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network  Christine Ward-Agius appears courtesy of Regnery History Get the UK edition of "The Escape of Jack the Ripper: The Truth About the Cover-up and His Flight from Justice" Here Preorder the US release featuring new information on the case by Regnery History Here  John & Christine's Official Website Hainsworth & Ward-Agius @ Facebook  SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Montague John Druitt @ Wikipedia  George Robert Sims @ Wikipedia  Henry Richard Farquharson @ Wikipedia John Moylan @ Wikipedia  Basil Thomson @ Wikipedia  Melville Macnaghten @ Wikipedia  Mcnaghten's Favoured Suspect @ jack-the-ripper.org  Montague John Druitt @ Casebook Montague John Druitt @ Jack the Ripper Tour  The Macnaghten Memoranda @ Casebook  The Macnaghten Memoranda Original Document @ Casebook Courtesy of Thomas Schachner