The Opportunist

Gayle Palmer moves her program into Nevada after being denied a license to operate in Utah. The Suttons seek justice for Michelle by suing Gayle and Summit Quest. Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Athena Club Razor: Go to athenaclub.com and use code OPP for 25% off your first order. Microdose: To learn more about microdosing THC go to Microdose.com and use code OPP to get free shipping & 30% off your first order Dipsea app: Get an extended 30 day free trial when you go to dipseastories.com/OPP. Earth Breeze:  Get 40% off your first order of eco-friendly laundry detergent at earthbreeze.com/OPP

After discovering the truth about Michelle’s death, Cathy goes on a crusade to shut down Summit Quest. But Gayle is determined to fight. Would she be held responsible for what happened to Michelle? Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music. You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Athena Club Razor: Go to athenaclub.com and use code OPP for 25% off your first order. Canva: get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you go to Canva.me/OPP ZocDoc: Find a top rated doctor within 24 hours by going to zocdoc.com/OPP and download the app for FREE  Better Help: Visit BetterHelp.com/OPP today to get 10% off your first month.

Amanda and the other survivors are uncertain of their fate. Gayle Palmer continues to operate Summit Quest even as she’s being investigated for Michelle’s death. Meanwhile, Cathy Sutton begins to piece together the truth of what happened. Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Dipsea app: Get an extended 30 day free trial when you go to dipseastories.com/OPP. Canva: get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you go to Canva.me/OPP Microdose: To learn more about microdosing THC go to Microdose.com and use code OPP to get free shipping & 30% off your first order Better Help: Visit BetterHelp.com/OPP today to get 10% off your first month.

Amanda DeRose attended Summit Quest with Michelle in May of 1990. She shares her experience of the program, including what happened to Michelle on the last day of her life. Listen to all 7 episodes of Season 7 now, ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Better Help: Visit BetterHelp.com/OPP today to get 10% off your first month. Athena Club Razor: Go to athenaclub.com and use code OPP for 25% off your first order. Earth Breeze:  Get 40% off your first order of eco-friendly laundry detergent at earthbreeze.com/opp.

The Sutton family continues to search for answers as an investigation is opened into Michelle’s death. Gayle Palmer tries to convince the Suttons, the police, and the media that Summit Quest is not at fault, even as evidence to the contrary begins to emerge. Listen to all 7 episodes of Season 7 now, ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Microdose: To learn more about microdosing THC go to Microdose.com and use code OPP to get free shipping & 30% off your first order Babbel: Get up to 55% off and start speaking a new language at babbel.com/OPP

Before Summit Quest, Gayle Palmer worked at another wilderness therapy program called Challenger. Challenger was founded by Steve Cartisano, who is generally viewed now as a con artist.  Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/

In May of 1990, 15-year-old Michelle Sutton attended a wilderness therapy program called Summit Quest. It was a 63-day program promoted as a way to help stuggling teens, founded by Gayle Palmer. But after only nine days, Michelle Sutton was dead. Was this a tragic accident, or the result of a more calcuated pattern of abuse in a burgeoning industry?  Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Athena Club Razor: Go to athenaclub.com and use code OPP for 25% off your first order Babbel: Start speaking a new language for up to 55% off at babbel.com/OPP Earth Breeze:  Get 40% off your first order of eco-friendly laundry detergent at earthbreeze.com/OPP Dipsea App: Get a 30 free trial and explore hundreds of sexy audio stories at dipseastories.com/OPP

In the summer of 1990, 15-year-old Michelle Sutton attended a wilderness therapy camp in Utah. A week later, she was dead. What happened to Michelle? This is what her mother, Cathy, wanted to know. But the search for answers would thrust Cathy into the national spotlight and call into question the founder and director of Summit Quest, Gayle Palmer. Was Michelle’s death a tragic accident or part of a more sinister pattern emerging in the rapidly growing troubled teen industry? 

In 2018, Katrina Gay turned to National Autopsy Services to get answers about her mother’s death. The man performing the autopsy, Shawn Parcells, claimed to be a forensic expert. But an investigation into his past would call into question Shawn Parcells' credentials. Was he really qualified to be performing autopsies? And what would that mean for the hundreds of grieving families who had used his services? Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: Brooklinen: Presidents Day Sale - get the deals of your dreams at Brooklinen.com with promo code OPP. Dipsea app: Get an extended 30 day free trial when you go to dipseastories.com/opp. Canva: get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you go to Canva.me/OPP

Trusted Wisconsin dentist Dr. Scott Charmoli had a thriving practice. But his new patient, Jackie, began to suspect there was a dark side to his work.  Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/   

In 1940, the comic book All-Star #3 introduced the world to the Justice Society for the very first time. 70 years later, All-Star #3 made headlines again—this time for being at the center of not one, but two crimes. Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/   

Hannah Smith speaks with Lee Price to hear his side of the story, and also shares a conversation with another Opportunist producer about the many discrepancies between Lee's version of the events and other interviews. Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  The ending credits song is called "The Crow" by Paul Graham Stanborough.

Lee's time on the run comes to an unexpected end. And those who mourned his death are stunned to learn he is alive. Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  The ending credits song is called "The Crow" by Paul Graham Stanborough.  

After faking his own death, Lee starts a new life as "Jason" in Florida. Meanwhile, Lee's family and friends react to the shocking news of his disappearance.  Listen to The Opportunist ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus Listen to The Opportunist ad-free on Amazon Music You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  The ending credits song is called "The Crow" by Paul Graham Stanborough.

In 2014, Dutch friends Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers disappeared while hiking a jungle trail in Panama. Two months later, investigators found their remains, as well as a backpack with a digital camera filled with photos that hinted at a darker story. What happened to Kris and Lisanne? In this investigative series, journalists Mariana Atencio and Jeremy Kryt retrace the last steps of the doomed women. Their search for the truth immerses them in eight years’ worth of conflicting evidence, testimonies, and rumors, as on-the-ground witnesses in Panama come forward for the first time. This explosive new evidence sets off a real-time race to reopen the case, and finally get justice for Kris and Lisanne.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lost-in-panama/id1650171879https://open.spotify.com/show/552v0bU0KQrnNDoeinrYU9?si=iVTRQlLbQ7et-65Cx4EQ7ASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a last ditch effort to recoup the losses at his hedge fund, Lee buys a failing bank. And while Lee is praised for the acquisition, behind closed doors, things aren't what they seem. And then, in June of 2012, Lee makes a decision that will land him in the headlines and leave his community shocked and devastated.  You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  The ending credits song is called "The Crow" by Paul Graham Stanborough.

Beloved pastor and family man Aubrey Lee Price ("Lee") shocks his community by leaving his position at his church to start a hedge fund. After collecting millions of dollars in investors’ money, Lee realizes he’s in over his head. You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  The ending credits song is called "The Crow" by Paul Graham Stanborough.

How does a southern, small town pastor end up on the FBI’s most wanted list? And why did the people closest to him believe he was dead? In season six of The Opportunist, we follow Aubrey Lee Price – a once beloved community member and family man. He parlayed the trust of his friends and congregants into a scheme that would implode under the weight of an unthinkable betrayal. The first two episodes drop on October 25, 2022. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Ralph Raines Junior stepped into Rachel Lee’s psychic shop in 2004, he was a lonely tree farmer in his 50s looking for love advice. Rachel became his friend and confidant, but over the next decade, what began as a $10 psychic reading would end up costing him more than he could ever have known. Our theme song is Waltz for Zacaria from Blue Dot Sessions. You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast

Greg Brooks is a veteran deep sea salvager who claimed to discover a shipwreck off of Cape Cod carrying a billion-dollar treasure. He promised to share that treasure with friends and neighbors if they funded his mission to retrieve it. What started as a simple expedition led to an FBI investigation and a looming question: was there really treasure on that ship? You can reach out to us at TheOpportunist@kastmedia.com Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast You can purchase Opportunist merchandise here: https://theopportunistpodcast.com/  Our theme song is Waltz for Zacaria from Blue Dot Sessions.