Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot

<p>A True Crime podcast. Pour yourself a glass of your drink of choice (we're partial to wine), get comfy, and join us while we dive into new cases every week! Host/Creator: Cayla Kinley Host/Creator: Kaitie Kelly</p>

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot: Unsolved: The Sad Case of Dorothy Jane Scott

On May28th, 1980, Dorothy Scott offered to give one of her co-workers a ride to the E.R. after a work meeting. Another co-worker tagged along with the two and made their way there. After the group was set to leave the hospital, Dorothy went outside alone to retrieve her car and pull it up to the door, but she never made it. The two co-workers watched as Dorothy's car sped towards them and then left. Dorothy Scott was never seen alive again. Her parents received calls weekly from an unknown man saying he had murdered their daughter. Eventually, Dorothy Scott's bones were found on a construction site, but her murderer has never been uncovered.Sources: https://www.ocsheriff.gov/page/may-1980-dorothy-jane-scotthttps://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/dorothy-scott/https://www.crimetraveller.org/2020/10/the-tragic-death-of-dorothy-jane-scott/https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/stalked-dorothy-jane-scott-cynthia-jane-anderson/https://adrianjmayer.medium.com/the-abduction-and-murder-of-dorothy-jane-scott-30ce15da613#:~:text=This%20case%20is%20unsolved%20today,since%20the%20abduction%20and%20murder.

04-03
31:29

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 39: Missing: Dennis Martin

In June of 1969, what was suppose to be a fun camping trip to The Great Smoky Mountains for young Dennis Martin and his family, turns into largest national park search and rescue operation in history. What happened to young Dennis? Did he wander off? Fall and hit his head? Did an actual animal get a hold of him? Did a sinister stranger abduct him? Was it more supernatural? If only the mountains could talk...Sources:https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2019/06/06/dennis-martin-missing-smoky-mountains-50-years-spence-field-mystery-smokies-search-east-tennessee/1272247001/https://www.wbir.com/article/news/special-reports/the-vanished/the-vanished-dennis-martin/51-dea1f82d-4bfa-470b-9a69-5b2c603c1510https://youtu.be/866u-JYrMq4?si=3feS2bcJji1Sr9gA

03-22
33:08

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 38: Insane or sinister? The Story of Austin Harrouff

While waiting in her garage on her husband John Stevens to return from walking their dog, Michelle Mishcon is brutally attacked by a young stranger. Their neighbor, Jeff Fisher, hears the screams and goes to help only to be attacked himself. Jeff makes it back to his home where he calls 911. From this point, things go in a direction no one could have imagined. 19 year old Austin Harrouff is arrested for the attack on Michelle, John, and Jeff, but soon details would come to light about their suspect that gives more insight into why this all happened.Sources:https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/crime/martin-county/2022/11/28/austin-harrouff-insane-when-he-killed-couple-judge-rules/10757444002/https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/11/29/us/florida-killings-face-biting/index.htmlhttps://www.cbsnews.com/amp/miami/news/austin-harrouff-trial-man-who-randomly-killed-couple-chewed-victims-face-found-not-guilty-by-reason-of-insasnity/https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/harrouff-arrest.pdfhttps://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/crime/martin-county/2023/01/31/ruled-insane-killer-austin-harrouff-moved-from-jail-to-state-hospital/69859270007/#:~:text=STUART%20%E2%80%93%20Killer%20Austin%20Harrouff%2C%20who,health%20facility%2C%20sheriff's%20officials%20confirmedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoFilat9RQYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRzgmZiZn6Uhttps://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/i/cbslocal/wp-content/uploads/sites/15909786/2020/03/LandrumReport.pdf

03-13
32:44

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 37: The Murder of Missy Bevers

It was a rainy morning in Midlothian, Texas on April 18th, 2016. That didn't stop Fitness Instructor Missy Bevers from hosting her workout class at Creekside Church of Christ. Instead of having the class outside, they would just have it inside. Little did she know when she made her way into the church to set up, her killer, decked out head to toe in SWAT gear, was patiently waiting for her arrival...Sources:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcf7qoOJdBMhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Missy_Bevershttps://www.dallasobserver.com/news/true-crime-fans-still-fascinated-with-missy-bevers-murder-16671452https://www.cbsnews.com/news/docs-church-murder-victim-terri-missy-bevers-received-creepy-linkedin-message/

03-08
33:23

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 36: The Bizarre Case of Cari Farver

In late 2012, Dave Kroupa thought he would try his hand at online dating. He meets a woman named Liz Golyar and things go well, but 6 months later meets a woman named Cari Farver at his work and sparks fly for 2 weeks. Suddenly, Cari has disappeared from sight after sending Dave a weird message. Though no one has seen her, she is still sending harassing messages to Dave and Liz and vandalizing their homes. See if you can keep up with this tangled web and the shocking twist ending.Sources:https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/cari-farver/https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/horrific-stalking-case-jealous-lovers-cover-murder/story?id=74431142https://youtu.be/JrGOrcpeaJ8?si=vTtopOPAgjUGmh5Hhttps://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/woman-jailed-for-murdering-love-rival-and-assuming-victims-identity-in-four-year-stalking-campaign/news-story/f4e8bda4f0deda4c76cbc8da50ae7636?amphttps://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/stalker-convicted-of-murdering-missing-woman-spent-up-to-50-hours-weekly-on-twisted-plothttps://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ne-supreme-court/1962008.html

02-01
51:35

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 35: The Richardson Family

What does a preteen girl, a 300-year-old Werewolf, and the 1994 film Natural Born Killers have to do with one another? Well, murder, that's what. When three members of The Richardson Family were found murdered in their home, the police had two big questions: Who did it and where was the Richardson's 12-year-old daughter? As police start to investigate, they realize that the two may be one and the same. Sources:https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/canada/the-richardson-family-murders-10-haunting-facts-about-them/https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/Murderous-Children-Jasmine-Richardsonhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/jasmine-richardsonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8Zh2KWf3U

01-25
25:54

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot: Bonus Episode: Episode 34: Grant Solomon

***This is a special bonus episode for our listeners this week. Carlie is Cayla's niece and also one of Kaitie and Cayla's best friends. She was gracious enough to sit in for Cayla while Cayla and her family were on a trip this past December. Enjoy!***On July 20th 2020, Grant Solomon headed to Gallatin TN, to meet his dad at a baseball training club. Shortly after arriving. Grant’s father called 911 stating that Grant had been run over by his truck. Was this really a freak accident? Or did Grant’s father have something to do with it?Sources:https://www.freedom4gracie.com/grantsolomondeathhttps://www.change.org/p/please-help-me-investigate-the-mysterious-death-of-my-son-grant-solomonhttps://uncovered.com/cases/grant-solomon

01-25
22:14

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 33: The Longo Family

After having financial difficulties and marriage issues, most couples would just opt for divorce as their last resort, but Christian Longo had another idea: cold blooded murder. The Longo family was made up of five members: Mary, Christian, and three small children. After Christian gets caught in lie after lie by his wife Mary and his money issues are revealed, Christian chooses to annihilate his entire family and discard their bodies in the near bay. He believes he's gotten away with it, but soon, like his lies before, everything comes to light. Sources: https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/The-Longo-Family-Murderhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/christian-longohttps://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/christian-longo-the-monster-who-murdered-his-wife-3-kids-then-partied-in-cancunhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7IZxpazHZghttps://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/oregon-governor-death-sentence-clemency-christian-longo/283-6008ce2d-998a-4b9e-8dcf-4da42d1c3986

12-05
30:32

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 32: The Landlady of Death: Dorothea Puente

Once upon a time, there lived a little old lady in Sacramento, CA in the 1980s. Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house for the sick and elderly. She provided a room to stay and food to eat, but no one could have imagined what she was really doing. Dorothea spent her time as a landlady poisoning those that lived under her care, stealing their Social Security checks, and burying their dead bodies in her yard. What was once thought to be a kind old lady turned out to be Sacramento's worst nightmare. Sources: https://allthatsinteresting.com/dorothea-puentehttps://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/death-house-landlady--a-look-back-at-unexpected-serial-killer-dohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Puentehttps://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2011-mar-28-la-me-0328-dorothea-puente-20110328-story.html

11-28
38:17

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 31: Fugitive: Sean Williams

In October of 2023, Sean Williams escaped police custody while on transport in Greene Co, Tn. We did a deep dive into all of Sean's alleged crimes that span years and states. Also, we had a special interview with Mikayla Evans, who mysteriously fell out of Sean's fifth floor apartment in 2020. Buckle up. Grab your wine. This one is a doozy, guys. Sources:https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/sean-williamshttps://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sean-williams-case/nc-police-allege-johnson-city-business-owner-had-12-ounces-of-cocaine-14-ounces-of-meth/https://www.wjhl.com/news/investigations/five-story-fall-victim-jane-doe-1-discusses-alleged-serial-rapist-voe-new-lawsuit-against-police/https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sean-williams-case/voe-case-federal-suit-against-jc-police-set-for-trial/https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sean-williams-case/former-federal-attorneys-lawsuit-jc-police-chief-fired-her-in-retaliation-after-she-pressed-for-rape-investigations/https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2023/10/20/sean-williams-escape-in-tennessee-everything-we-know/71252599007/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article280788615.html

11-20
01:12:13

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 30: Mysterious Death of Phoebe Handsjuk

On December 2nd, 2010 a strange and horrific discovery was made inside a trash compactor room in the basement of an apartment complex. Phoebe Handsjuk, just 24, lay on the concrete floor dead. A death investigation is started and the conclusion is suicide. Phoebe’s family takes it upon themselves to try to get to the bottom of Phoebe’s mysterious and sad death.Sources:https://medium.com/@LillyinLondon23/what-happened-to-phoebe-handsjuk-and-bailee-schneider-77f76ef998e5https://allthatsinteresting.com/phoebe-handsjukhttps://curioustic.com/mysterious-death-of-phoebe-handsjuk/https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/mysterious-death-phoebe-handsjuk/https://youtu.be/Tq4qVwouXuI?si=UbctZZzBwc_WYACmhttps://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2016/phoebesfall/CoronerFinding.pdfhttps://crimereads.com/an-australian-death-and-a-suspicious-ruling-of-suicide/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morbid-a-true-crime-podcast/id1379959217?i=1000441538865https://youtu.be/DcLJ2Lecz0E?si=hWqKE2oe1SOb31SP

11-08
47:04

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 29: Our Ghost Stories

Today we thought it would be fun to share our own scary stories with each other and you guys! If you have any scary stories you would like to share please feel free to send them our way, we would love to read them!

10-24
40:08

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 28: The Bell Witch

In 1817, the Bell’s were a prominent farming family in Red River, Tennessee (which would later be named Adams, TN). They lived seemingly normal lives until strange occurrences started happening at the family home. From seeing strange looking animals, to hearing voices, and even enduring physical attacks, the Bell family had no explanation for what was happening to them. All they knew was that an invisible force, that was later named The Bell Witch, was haunting their family. It also seemed like the witch had a grudge against two family members in particular, John Bell and his daughter, Betsy Bell. What the family soon learned was that The Bell Witch would stop at nothing until she got her way…Sources:http://www.bellwitch.org/story.htm https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/robertson/2021/10/28/history-tennessee-bell-witch-could-science-explain-paranormal/8568160002/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Witch

10-17
21:19

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 27: The Rotherwood Mansion

Rotherwood Mansion has lived as a local haunted legend since its first brick was laid. The mansion holds years of sadness and cruelty, with walls full of stories. These stories still live on today in the form of hellhounds and women in white gowns.Sources:https://hauntedspotslibrary.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/rotherwood-house-of-hell/https://www.wjhl.com/haunted-tri-cities/haunted-tri-cities-tales-from-kingsports-rotherwood-mansion/amp/

10-12
37:47

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot: Episode 26: The Hollywood Ripper

In 2001, Los Angeles fashion student Ashley Ellerin was found murdered inside of her home. As police are interviewing friends, family, and neighbors, they're given one name that sticks out the most: Mike, The Furnace Man. As police are looking into this name and trying locate him, they get an interesting phone call from a police department in Illinois. They soon realize that the man they are all looking for, may be a seasoned killer whose reign of terror is far from over...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG2L1FqyFHohttps://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/teenage-son-of-hollywood-ripper-doesnt-want-father-executed/1966727/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/what-to-watch/ct-ent-hollywood-ripper-michael-gargiulo-tricia-pacaccio-20210423-cn7akj5fvregfj2mnl6nedcz54-story.html

09-27
32:22

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 25: Mysterious Death of Aaron Hedges

Aaron Hedges and two friends had decided to go on a routine hunting trip in The Crazies. After Aaron loses most of his supplies in a horse accident, he decides to hike to his hunting cache a few miles north of their campsite. When Aaron's location is revealed on GPS, he is miles east of where he should be. This spirals into a series of extremely strange discoveries over the following two years. Aaron has several chances of being found; instead, he deserts all means of survival and goes back into the mountains. Aaron's skeleton is found months later, but only leads to more questions. Sources:https://www.amazon.com/Missing-411-Hunted-David-Paulides/dp/B07TJ24LHFhttps://www.google.com/search?q=aaron+hedges+missing&sca_esv=564553619&tbm=vid&sxsrf=AB5stBh-2eZcid09TLr5Ngu7Gve6kSAdHw:1694485248956&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjO9ty6gaSBAxUBIUQIHT0kApcQ0pQJegQIBRAI&biw=1280&bih=603&dpr=3#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:362ecdee,vid:xUW9KT_bJnM,st:0https://montanapioneer.com/missing-in-the-crazies-2/https://www.kulr8.com/news/remains-found-in-montana-may-be-those-of-missing-hunter/article_c295057c-ba0c-511a-bb5c-61f7f9491e80.htmlhttps://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/items-belonging-to-missing-hunter-found-in-crazy-mountains/article_f64d4c83-a1dd-5f73-9ba7-d08d3aea7089.html

09-12
34:26

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 24: Murdered: Mary Jones

Mary Jones was just 16 and Mitzi Holt Sizemore just 15 in the summer of 1980 when a man pretending to be a police officer lured them into a trap. Mitzi survived the vicious attack but tragically, Mary did not. Police did not have much to go on at first but they did have Mitzi, who was ready to talk and tell them everything. The puzzle pieces start falling into place and it doesn't take long for police to have a prime suspect, Randy May.Sources:https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/show/on-the-case-with-paula-zahn-investigation-discovery-atve-us Episode: A Predator in the Woodshttps://www.wate.com/news/crime/morristown-convicted-murderer-randy-may-2023-parole-review-hearing/https://www.wate.com/news/sheriff-recalls-1980-murder-of-mary-jones-it-was-the-most-terrible-crime-scene-i-have-ever-worked-or-witnessed/

09-05
42:28

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 23: Missing: Bryce Laspisa

Bryce Laspisa had a successful first year in college, but when he returns for a second year something happens that sends Bryce into a spiral of strange behavior. His parents find out about his alcohol and drug use and ask that Bryce come home. Bryce's odd behavior continues on his drive home until his car is found at the bottom of an embankment, but Bryce is missing. If you have any information about Bryce and his case call 949-292-4400, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 323-890-5500, or you can also send photos to his family at findbrycelaspisa@gmail.comSources:https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/the-unexplained-disappearance-of-bryce-laspisahttps://allthatsinteresting.com/bryce-laspisahttps://www.facebook.com/FINDBRYCELASPISA/ https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/bryce-david-laspisahttps://crimejunkiepodcast.com/missing-bryce-laspisa/

08-29
33:46

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 22: Missing: Amy Lynn Bradley

In March of 1998, The Bradley's went on what they thought was going to be a relaxing yet fun vacation on a cruise ship to the Caribbean. However, it soon turned into their worst nightmare. Amy Lynn Bradley, just 23 years old at the time, went missing one early morning after a night of dancing on the ship. After years of speculation, conspiracy, leads, and even possible sightings.....we're still asking the question...What happened to Amy?Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Amy_Lynn_Bradleyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tNLPX5af34https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-amy-lynn-bradley/philgibbonshttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/amy-lynn-bradley

08-16
36:43

Murder, Mayhem, & Merlot Episode 21: Betty Sue Short

Betty Sue Short was 65 years old at the time of her murder. The twisted and curious pieces to her puzzle fall together and land the police on one man, Jonathan Slemp. It is claimed that Betty Sue Short was entangled in drug exchanges with Slemp, but is that really why he killed her? Or...are we missing a piece to this story?Resources: https://thecinemaholic.com/betty-sue-short-murder-is-jonathan-slemp-dead-or-alive/https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/police-slemp-said-he-traded-drugs-with-murder-victim/article_88fff03a-8238-5013-9fe3-705577f08410.htmlhttps://www.wjhl.com/news/sullivan-county-man-found-guilty-in-murder-of-kingsport-woman/https://www.wjhl.com/news/jonathan-slemp-accepts-plea-deal-in-2010-sullivan-county-murder-case/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150645918/betty-short

08-08
18:12

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