When Killers Get Caught with Brittany Ransom

In 1977, college students Terri Jentz and Avra Goldman set out on a cross-country bicycle trip that ended in a nightmare at Cline Falls State Park, Oregon. While sleeping in their tent, an unidentified attacker ran over them with a pickup truck and brutalized them with an axe. Both women survived the horrific assault, but the local investigation quickly stalled, leaving the case cold and no suspect officially charged.Decades later, Terri returned to Central Oregon to investigate her own attempted murder. Her journey, detailed in her memoir Strange Piece of Paradise, uncovered deep community secrets, institutional failures, and the identity of the man widely believed to be her attacker. This episode explores the harrowing night at Cline Falls, the long road to trauma recovery, and a survivor's relentless pursuit of truth and justice.If you want to connect with Brittany, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns follow us on social media:Check out the website: https://www.whenkillersgetcaught.com Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhenKillersGetCaughtFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcastGet the Gear: https://www.caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.comCase Submissions: [email protected] Inquiries: [email protected] featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTFIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify it helps more listeners discover our victim-centric approach to storytelling.

In 1994, Alison Botha was abducted outside her home in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, by Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger.After a horrific attack, Alison was left for dead in an isolated area. But somehow, she was still alive.Alone and catastrophically injured, Alison made a decision: if she was going to die, she would die trying to live.Using one hand to hold her body together and the other to support her severely injured neck, Alison began dragging herself toward the road. Before she left, she wrote the names of her attackers in the dirt and a message for her mother.Her attackers believed they had silenced their only witness.They were wrong.In this episode, Brittany Ransom explores Alison Botha's extraordinary survival, the investigation that led to Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger, their 1995 convictions, Alison's decades-long recovery, and why surviving the attack was only the beginning of her story.This is the story of Alison Botha.A woman who was left for dead and decided to live.If Alison’s story moved you, please leave a 5-star rating and review. Join the conversation on social media and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you want to connect with Brittany, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns follow us on social media:Check out the website: https://www.whenkillersgetcaught.com Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhenKillersGetCaughtFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcastGet the Gear: https://www.caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.comCase Submissions: [email protected] Inquiries: [email protected] featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

Holly Dunn was the only known survivor of Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, the serial killer who became known as the Railroad Killer.In 1997, 20-year-old Holly and her boyfriend, Christopher Maier, were attacked near railroad tracks in Lexington, Kentucky. Christopher was murdered. Holly was beaten, sexually assaulted, and left for dead, but she survived.Her survival would become an important part of the case against Reséndiz, a transient serial killer connected to murders across multiple states and eventually placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.But Holly Dunn’s story did not end beside those railroad tracks.In this episode of When Killers Get Caught: The Survivors, Brittany Ransom examines the attack, the hunt for Ángel Reséndiz, Holly’s role in bringing him to justice, and the life she built afterward including her advocacy for victims of violent crime, the creation of Holly’s House, and her memoir Sole Survivor.This is the story of the woman the Railroad Killer believed he had silenced and what happened when she got back up.If you want to connect with Brittany, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns follow us on social media:Check out the website: https://www.whenkillersgetcaught.com Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhenKillersGetCaughtFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcastGet the Gear: https://www.caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.comCase Submissions: [email protected] Inquiries: [email protected] featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

On January 15, 1978, serial killer Ted Bundy entered the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University, murdered Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, and brutally attacked Kathy Kleiner Rubin and Karen Chandler. Kathy survived but Ted Bundy was far from the first thing she had survived.This week on When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom takes a deep dive into Kathy's remarkable story and her memoir, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy. We examine the increasingly reckless Bundy who arrived in Florida near the end of his killing spree, what happened inside Chi Omega, the survivors who are too often overshadowed by Bundy's mythology, and the moment Kathy faced him again in court.But most importantly, this is about what happened after Ted Bundy left the room.Because Bundy may be part of Kathy Kleiner Rubin's story, but he doesn't get to own it.The truth always leaves a trail and sometimes that trail leads straight back to the survivor who lived long enough to tell it.If you want to connect with Brittany, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns follow us on social media:Check out the website: https://www.whenkillersgetcaught.com Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhenKillersGetCaughtFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcastGet the Gear: https://www.caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.comCase Submissions: [email protected] Inquiries: [email protected] featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTFIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify it helps more listeners discover our victim-centric approach to investigative storytelling. 

In 1974, 21-year-old pharmacy student Rhonda Stapley accepted a ride from a polite law student named Ted. What followed was a nightmare in Big Cottonwood Canyon and an extraordinary escape into a roaring mountain river. In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, host Brittany Ransom deconstructs the "charming genius" myth surrounding Ted Bundy through the eyes of a woman who outsmarted him. We trace Rhonda’s terrifying encounter, her 20-foot leap to freedom, and the 40 years of silent survival, high-functioning PTSD, and religious shame that followed before she finally reclaimed her narrative.This isn't another story about Ted Bundy. This is the story of the survivor who beat him.In this episode:• The cold open: Deconstructing the "why did she get in the car" myth• The Modified Volkswagen: How Bundy trapped his victims inside• The Escape: Rhonda’s 20-foot jump into Big Cottonwood Creek• High-Functioning Trauma: Living with secret PTSD for 40 years• Journalistic Ethics: Navigating delayed disclosure and unindicted allegationsContent Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violent assault, sexual violence, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.Follow & Subscribe:If Rhonda’s story moved you, please leave a 5-star rating and review. Join the conversation on social media and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you want to connect with Brittany, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns follow us on social media:Check out the website: https://www.whenkillersgetcaught.com Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhenKillersGetCaughtFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcastGet the Gear: https://www.caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.comCase Submissions: [email protected] Inquiries: [email protected] featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTFIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify it helps more listeners discover our victim-centric approach to investigative storytelling.