Going West: True Crime

In the fall of 2011, a 41-year-old California woman set out for a new life on a beautiful island in Panama. But what seemed like an adventurous fresh start quickly took a turn for the worse when she suddenly disappeared without a trace. As her family’s concern grew, a horrible story of abuse and manipulation began to surface. As investigators looked for any sign of her, they soon uncovered a trail of lies, fake emails, hidden relationships and shocking evidence that pointed to a murder. This is the story of Yvonne Baldelli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Thanksgiving, 2018, a 29-year-old woman went missing in Colorado after last being spotted in a grocery store with her daughter. When investigators found traces of blood at her abandoned townhome, a sinister plot was uncovered that involved poisoned coffee, numerous road trips, and a baseball bat. This is the story of Kelsey Berreth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November of 1988, a nine-year-old girl was abducted in broad daylight from the parking lot of her local corner store. Despite there being witnesses who relayed the assailant’s appearance to police, years passed without any significant movement in the case. But once DNA technology became advanced enough to provide a match from a fingerprint left on the girl’s scooter, a suspect was arrested. Sadly, she was not his only victim. This is the disappearance of Michaela Garecht. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Part 1 posted on October 29, 2024 - Episode 449. On October 10, 2024, a 35-year-old Montana man was murdered in his tent while camping in a secluded Montana site. Thanks to DNA found on a beer can in his tent, police arrested his killer three weeks later, on October 31, 2024. This is the updated story of Dustin Kjersem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early night hours of August 11, 2003, a 19-year-old Indigenous woman set off on a walk through the rain alone after spending time with friends in her home of Nome, Alaska. But when her roommate noticed her absence the following morning, she reported her missing. And just a day after doing so, her nude body was found shot to death in a gravel pit by an abandoned gold mine. As police put the puzzle pieces together, an unexpected suspect emerged - and fast. This is the story of Sonya Ivanoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October of 2001, a 52-year-old man was found bludgeoned to death in his East Hampton home after missing a work meeting in the city. Just days before finalizing their divorce, investigators were keen on questioning his wife, along with her suspicious electrician boyfriend. But were they involved, or was someone else out to get the powerful investment banker? This is the story of Ted Ammon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On October 12, 2024, the friend of a 35-year-old Montana man stumbled upon his body in a tent when he didn’t show to their agreed meeting spot for a weekend camping trip. When police arrived at the scene along Moose Creek, they initially wondered if it was a brutal bear attack. But upon closer inspection it was clear that it was no animal mauling, and instead, a vicious believed-axe murder. This is the story of Dustin Kjersem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On October 31st, 1993, a beloved 39-year-old teacher was found strangled to death inside her car in a quiet suburb of Sacramento. As police investigated her final movements, they started to believe that someone she knew was behind her murder. But now, over 30 years later, we’re still left in the dark about what really happened to her that night. Many are left wondering if hers is connected to a similar cold case from the area, and whether both are victims of the infamous Golden State Killer. This is the story of Cherilyn Hawkley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On an early morning in September of 2022, a 25-year-old woman vanished without a trace after leaving her Salinas, California apartment. Later, her beloved car was found abandoned along Highway 1 in Big Sur, with all of her belongings locked inside. Surveillance video showed her last known movements, but where did she go afterwards? And where has she been since? This is the story of Arelie Garcia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the winter and early spring of 1946, a series of moonlight attacks and murders occurred along Lovers Lanes in Texarkana, Texas, leaving the small city terrified of a maniac in their midst. As police, the FBI, and Texas Rangers tried to find the assailant responsible for 5 murders and 3 survivor attacks, a slew of suspects presented themselves in the area - making investigators wonder: Who really is this masked, senseless killer? This is the story of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, and the Phantom Killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August of 1989, two brothers entered their parents’ Beverly Hills mansion, and shot them multiple times, killing them almost instantly. When police arrived, the men maintained that the murders had taken place while they were at the movies, which police initially believed. But after a painstaking, months-long investigation, and a guilt-ridden confession to a therapist, the men were arrested for the murders. There seemed to be no question whether or not they had committed the crime, but the real question was why. Did the horrific abuse they alleged to suffer at the hands of their mother and father justify their parents’ brutal end, or were the brothers just out for their family’s fortune? These are the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez, and the stories of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August of 1989, two brothers entered their parents’ Beverly Hills mansion, and shot them multiple times, killing them almost instantly. When police arrived, the men maintained that the murders had taken place while they were at the movies, which police initially believed. But after a painstaking, months-long investigation, and a guilt-ridden confession to a therapist, the men were arrested for the murders. There seemed to be no question whether or not they had committed the crime, but the real question was why. Did the horrific abuse they alleged to suffer at the hands of their mother and father justify their parents’ brutal end, or were the brothers just out for their family’s fortune? These are the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez, and the stories of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October of 2019, a 28-year-old engineer vanished from her Missouri home, prompting her parents to fly to the United States from China to begin looking for her in desperation. But when there was no trace of her, suspicions turned toward someone very close to her, with discreet recordings recovered from her phone casting this person in an even more villainous light. This is the story of Mengqi Ji. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a misty October evening in 1998, a 14-year-old girl arrived at her cousins Oregon home to babysit her twins. But when she returned from a night out, the evening before Halloween, she found her cousin gone. While her twins were safe in their cribs, her teenage cousin was missing - with no signs of a struggle or forced entry into the house. Although they had already been speculating foul play, when her remains were eventually found amongst thick woodland, her case was officially considered a homicide. This is the story of Stephanie Condon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October of 1992, a 22-year-old man was found brutally murdered inside his Iowa home. Years passed with no answers, until a witness, who had been just nine years old at the time, came forward about her witnessing a black candlelit confession... Then finally, a previously eliminated suspect was arrested. This is the story of Corey Wieneke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September of 1988, a 19-year-old woman went missing while riding her bike near her New Mexico home. With signs of a struggle left behind, suspicions were raised that she had been kidnapped. The case grew even more perplexing when, the following year, a Polaroid photo was found in a Florida parking lot depicting a young woman bound and gagged in the back of a van, and it was quickly connected to her case. This is the story of Tara Calico. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September of 2015, a 35-year-old woman was beaten to death by a masked man inside her secluded home in the woods of Upstate New York. Her young children were the only witnesses, and her daughter was able to reveal a surprising detail about the intruder, leading to a suspect that would devastate her tight-knit family. This is the murder of Kelley Stage Clayton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1996, a woman vanished along Route 29 in Virginia, and dozens of others came forward to say they had been followed in their cars by a man in a dark colored truck, always telling them that there was something wrong with their vehicles and that they needed to pull over. Possibly active as recently as 2014, the list of his potential victims grew long. Some of them were eventually proven to be linked to unrelated culprits, but his identity remains unknown. Who is this mysterious highway phantom, and how many victims does he truly have? This is the story of the Route 29 Stalker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October of 2005, a 52-year-old woman was brutally murdered in her home in suburban San Francisco, bludgeoned and disemboweled. As police investigated the case, an unsuspecting person of interest entered their frame of view: her 16-year-old neighbor. This is the murder of Pamela Vitale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August of 1995, a 23-year-old woman was sunbathing on a Kentucky riverside when an unknown man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her off into the woods. The only person to witness this was a man who was observing her from his telescope, all the way across the river. An investigation began immediately, with police receiving incredibly helpful clues regarding possible suspects. So, what happened to her? This is the story of Heather Teague. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices