Crime Capsule

Before the Flood The lost town of Sopris lies silently beneath the depths of Trinidad Lake. Once a thriving mining community in the late 1800s, it was renowned for abundant coal deposits and a bustling population. Three generations called Sopris home. They fought in the Civil War, homesteaded and immigrated to work in the mines. Unfortunately, the town's fate took a drastic turn with the construction of the Trinidad Dam, which flooded the area and submerged the town. Authors Genevieve Faoro-Johannsen and Robert Daniel Vigil, Jr. preserve an enduring legacy of community and resilience through first-hand accounts, historic photos and never-before-seen maps. Genevieve Faoro-Johannsen's Italian grandfather began his career working in the Sopris mine. Her grandmother was born in Sopris to a Sicilian immigrant. She graduated from Pueblo South High School and attended the University of St. Mary (Saint Mary College) in Leavenworth, Kansas, earning a Liberal Arts degree. Buy HERE

Before the Flood The lost town of Sopris lies silently beneath the depths of Trinidad Lake. Once a thriving mining community in the late 1800s, it was renowned for abundant coal deposits and a bustling population. Three generations called Sopris home. They fought in the Civil War, homesteaded and immigrated to work in the mines. Unfortunately, the town's fate took a drastic turn with the construction of the Trinidad Dam, which flooded the area and submerged the town. Authors Genevieve Faoro-Johannsen and Robert Daniel Vigil, Jr. preserve an enduring legacy of community and resilience through first-hand accounts, historic photos and never-before-seen maps. Genevieve Faoro-Johannsen's Italian grandfather began his career working in the Sopris mine. Her grandmother was born in Sopris to a Sicilian immigrant. She graduated from Pueblo South High School and attended the University of St. Mary (Saint Mary College) in Leavenworth, Kansas, earning a Liberal Arts degree. Buy HERE

People may associate Texas with cattle drives and oil derricks, but the sea has shaped the state's history as dramatically as it has delineated its coastline. Some of that history has vanished into the Gulf, whether it is an abandoned port town or a gale-tossed treasure fleet. Revisit the shipwreck that put Texas on the map. Add La Salle's lost colony, the Texas Navy's forgotten steamship and Galveston's overlooked 1915 hurricane to the navigational charts. From the submarines of Seawolf Park to the concrete tanker beached off Pelican Island, author Mark Lardas scours the coast to salvage the secrets of its sunken heritage. Buy the book HERE

People may associate Texas with cattle drives and oil derricks, but the sea has shaped the state's history as dramatically as it has delineated its coastline. Some of that history has vanished into the Gulf, whether it is an abandoned port town or a gale-tossed treasure fleet. Revisit the shipwreck that put Texas on the map. Add La Salle's lost colony, the Texas Navy's forgotten steamship and Galveston's overlooked 1915 hurricane to the navigational charts. From the submarines of Seawolf Park to the concrete tanker beached off Pelican Island, author Mark Lardas scours the coast to salvage the secrets of its sunken heritage. Buy the book HERE

Settlers came to Central Alabama in the early 1800s with big dreams. Miners panned the streams and combed the hillsides of the state's Gold Belt, hoping to strike it rich. Arbacooche and Goldville were forged by the rush on land and gold, along with Cahaba, the first state capital. Demand for the abundant cotton led to the establishment of factories like Pepperell Mills, Russell Manufacturing Company, Tallassee Mills, Avondale Mills and Daniel Pratt Cotton Gin. Owners built mill villages for their workers, setting the standard for other companies as well. But when booms go bust, they leave ghost towns in their wake. Author Peggy Jackson Walls walks the empty streets of these once lively towns, reviving the stories of the people who built and abandoned them. Peggy Walls is a member of several historical, lineage and writing societies: Tohopeka Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Alabama Historical Association, Tallapoosee Historical Society, Alabama Writers' Forum, National League of American Penwomen, Alabama's Writers Conclave and Alabama State Poetry Association. She earned an undergraduate degree in secondary education from AUM and a Master of Arts degree and postgraduate Professional Educators Certification from Auburn University. Her interests are history and lineage research, poetry and art. She is the author of Alabama Gold, a History of the South's Last Mother Lode (2016). She has written articles for journals, the Alabama Review and Alabama Heritage, as well as multiple news articles. Purchase HERE

Settlers came to Central Alabama in the early 1800s with big dreams. Miners panned the streams and combed the hillsides of the state's Gold Belt, hoping to strike it rich. Arbacooche and Goldville were forged by the rush on land and gold, along with Cahaba, the first state capital. Demand for the abundant cotton led to the establishment of factories like Pepperell Mills, Russell Manufacturing Company, Tallassee Mills, Avondale Mills and Daniel Pratt Cotton Gin. Owners built mill villages for their workers, setting the standard for other companies as well. But when booms go bust, they leave ghost towns in their wake. Author Peggy Jackson Walls walks the empty streets of these once lively towns, reviving the stories of the people who built and abandoned them. Peggy Walls is a member of several historical, lineage and writing societies: Tohopeka Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Alabama Historical Association, Tallapoosee Historical Society, Alabama Writers' Forum, National League of American Penwomen, Alabama's Writers Conclave and Alabama State Poetry Association. She earned an undergraduate degree in secondary education from AUM and a Master of Arts degree and postgraduate Professional Educators Certification from Auburn University. Her interests are history and lineage research, poetry and art. She is the author of Alabama Gold, a History of the South's Last Mother Lode (2016). She has written articles for journals, the Alabama Review and Alabama Heritage, as well as multiple news articles. Purchase HERE

Join us in 2 weeks for our new series on Lost Cities.

Blanketed by forests, dotted by lakes, crisscrossed by rivers and surrounded by Great Lakes, Michigan is a good place to hide secrets, bury bodies and stash evidence. Dig deep enough, and you will unearth something sinister. Is the suicide note of a prominent Detroit physician also a confession to murder? Were inmates unlawfully released from Jackson State Penitentiary to carry out a contract killing on a politician before he could turn State's evidence? Who silenced a fiery radio personality known as "the voice of the people'?? Did a notorious serial killer stalk women in Lansing during the 1970s? Join true crime author Tobin T. Buhk as he excavates some of the most vexing unsolved crimes in Michigan history. Buy the book HERE

Blanketed by forests, dotted by lakes, crisscrossed by rivers and surrounded by Great Lakes, Michigan is a good place to hide secrets, bury bodies and stash evidence. Dig deep enough, and you will unearth something sinister. Is the suicide note of a prominent Detroit physician also a confession to murder? Were inmates unlawfully released from Jackson State Penitentiary to carry out a contract killing on a politician before he could turn State's evidence? Who silenced a fiery radio personality known as "the voice of the people'?? Did a notorious serial killer stalk women in Lansing during the 1970s? Join true crime author Tobin T. Buhk as he excavates some of the most vexing unsolved crimes in Michigan history.

Nearly two decades after the fact, tragedy meets justice. One day in 1987, Fred Wilkerson up and vanished in Troup County, Georgia. It was a mystery beset with suspicious circumstances, but the evidence never led anywhere, and the case went cold, Wilkerson's whereabouts unknown. That is, until a remarkable set of circumstances allowed author and investigator Clay Bryant to breathe life back into the case nearly two decades later. Diving into what had previously been overlooked, Bryant was able to locate and recover Wilkerson's remains and successfully prosecute the killer, who'd crafted a calculating plot to take everything the victim had and murder him to keep it. The story concludes with the Wilkerson Family finally getting closure and the killer getting sentenced to life in prison. Join Byrant as he unravels this West Georgia cold case. Lewis Clayton (Clay) Bryant was born and raised in Troup County, Georgia, and began his career in law enforcement in 1973 as a radio operator with the Georgia State Patrol. In 1976, at twenty-one, he became the youngest trooper on the Georgia State Patrol. In 1980, he became police chief of Hogansville and stayed in that position for twelve years until resigning in 1992 and entering the private sector. He has been recognized as the most prolific cold case investigator in the United States for single-event homicides. His cases have been chronicled on 48 Hours Investigates, Bill Curtis's Cold Case Files, and Discovery ID Murder Book and featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as articles in many local and regional newspapers. Buy the book HERE.

Nearly two decades after the fact, tragedy meets justice. One day in 1987, Fred Wilkerson up and vanished in Troup County, Georgia. It was a mystery beset with suspicious circumstances, but the evidence never led anywhere, and the case went cold, Wilkerson's whereabouts unknown. That is, until a remarkable set of circumstances allowed author and investigator Clay Bryant to breathe life back into the case nearly two decades later. Diving into what had previously been overlooked, Bryant was able to locate and recover Wilkerson's remains and successfully prosecute the killer, who'd crafted a calculating plot to take everything the victim had and murder him to keep it. The story concludes with the Wilkerson Family finally getting closure and the killer getting sentenced to life in prison. Join Byrant as he unravels this West Georgia cold case. Lewis Clayton (Clay) Bryant was born and raised in Troup County, Georgia, and began his career in law enforcement in 1973 as a radio operator with the Georgia State Patrol. In 1976, at twenty-one, he became the youngest trooper on the Georgia State Patrol. In 1980, he became police chief of Hogansville and stayed in that position for twelve years until resigning in 1992 and entering the private sector. He has been recognized as the most prolific cold case investigator in the United States for single-event homicides. His cases have been chronicled on 48 Hours Investigates, Bill Curtis's Cold Case Files, and Discovery ID Murder Book and featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as articles in many local and regional newspapers. Buy the book HERE.

Muncie epitomizes the small-town America of squeaky-clean 1950s sitcoms, but its wholesome veneer conceals a violent past. Public scandals and personal tragedy dogged the long, notorious life of Dr. Jules LaDuron. Baseball ace Obie McCracken met a tragic and violent end after joining the police force. A mother's love could not stop James Hedges from committing murder. The paranoid delusions of Leonard Redden hounded him until one day he carried a shotgun into a quiet classroom. And newsman George Dale's showdown with the Klan prepared him for the political fight of his life. Douglas Walker and Keith Roysdon, authors of Wicked Muncie, introduce a new cast of characters from the city's notorious past. For most of the past four decades, veteran journalist Douglas Walker has covered the criminal justice system in East Central Indiana for the Star Press and its predecessor, the Muncie Evening Press . He has received dozens of awards for writing, investigative reporting and public service, many the result of collaborations with reporter Keith Roysdon, with whom he also wrote a weekly column on Muncie politics for many years. This marks the duo's fourth book on crime and justice in Muncie and Delaware County. Keith Roysdon is a lifelong Indiana resident who now lives in Tennessee. He has won more than thirty state and national first-place awards for journalism, many for work cowritten by Douglas Walker. Their third book, The Westside Park Murders , was named Best Nonfiction Book of 2021 by the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. Roysdon's crime novel Seven Angels won the 2021 Hugh Holton Award for Best Unpublished Novel from Mystery Writers of America Midwest.

Muncie epitomizes the small-town America of squeaky-clean 1950s sitcoms, but its wholesome veneer conceals a violent past. Public scandals and personal tragedy dogged the long, notorious life of Dr. Jules LaDuron. Baseball ace Obie McCracken met a tragic and violent end after joining the police force. A mother's love could not stop James Hedges from committing murder. The paranoid delusions of Leonard Redden hounded him until one day he carried a shotgun into a quiet classroom. And newsman George Dale's showdown with the Klan prepared him for the political fight of his life. Douglas Walker and Keith Roysdon, authors of Wicked Muncie, introduce a new cast of characters from the city's notorious past. For most of the past four decades, veteran journalist Douglas Walker has covered the criminal justice system in East Central Indiana for the Star Press and its predecessor, the Muncie Evening Press . He has received dozens of awards for writing, investigative reporting and public service, many the result of collaborations with reporter Keith Roysdon, with whom he also wrote a weekly column on Muncie politics for many years. This marks the duo's fourth book on crime and justice in Muncie and Delaware County. Keith Roysdon is a lifelong Indiana resident who now lives in Tennessee. He has won more than thirty state and national first-place awards for journalism, many for work cowritten by Douglas Walker. Their third book, The Westside Park Murders , was named Best Nonfiction Book of 2021 by the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. Roysdon's crime novel Seven Angels won the 2021 Hugh Holton Award for Best Unpublished Novel from Mystery Writers of America Midwest.

Northern Ohio is best known for its stunning lake views and bustling cities, but even a region as gorgeous and prosperous as this has seen its measure of tragedy. Judy Martins was a beautiful Kent State University coed who disappeared after a dorm party. Frank Noch was a mathematical genius and valuable employee at the General Motors plant in Cleveland. Someone broke into his home and killed him. Hinckley Police Chief Mel Wiley had a secret. Maybe that is why he disappeared. DNA helped Sandusky Police identify a Jane Doe forty-three years to the day she washed up on the shores of Lake Erie. Now, detectives are hoping to find out who put Patricia Greenwood in the water and why. Award-winning author Jane Ann Turzillo unfolds these unsolved cases and eight more from the north of the Buckeye State. The historic images for this book are drawn from the Bath Township Historical Society and private collections owned by descendants of Bath's first families. Through these photographs, the reader will meet the pioneers, perhaps ponder their sacrifices, and tour the township's historic buildings. Buy HERE

Four decades after Jeannette DePalma's tragic death, authors Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran present the definitive account of the shocking Springfield township cold case. As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the quiet, affluent township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the local woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police cover up ran rampant, and the case went unsolved - along with the murders of several other young women. Jesse P. Pollack is a New Jersey native who has served as a contributing writer and correspondent for Weird NJ magazine since 2001. In addition to Death on the Devil's Teeth, Pollack is the author of The Acid King (Simon & Schuster, 2018) and co-directed a 2021 documentary of the same name. Pollack is the co-host of Podcast 1289, the True Crime Movie Club podcast and the Devil's Teeth podcast. Mark Moran graduated from Parsons School of Design. In the early 1990s, Moran teamed up with Mark Sceurman to create Weird NJ magazine, the ultimate travel guide to New Jersey's local legends and best-kept secrets. The magazine has since spawned several books and a History Channel television series. Moran and Sceurman can be seen on the Travel Channel television series Paranormal Caught on Camera. Buy the book HERE

Four decades after Jeannette DePalma's tragic death, authors Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran present the definitive account of the shocking Springfield township cold case. As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the quiet, affluent township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the local woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police cover up ran rampant, and the case went unsolved - along with the murders of several other young women. Jesse P. Pollack is a New Jersey native who has served as a contributing writer and correspondent for Weird NJ magazine since 2001. In addition to Death on the Devil's Teeth, Pollack is the author of The Acid King (Simon & Schuster, 2018) and co-directed a 2021 documentary of the same name. Pollack is the co-host of Podcast 1289, the True Crime Movie Club podcast and the Devil's Teeth podcast. Mark Moran graduated from Parsons School of Design. In the early 1990s, Moran teamed up with Mark Sceurman to create Weird NJ magazine, the ultimate travel guide to New Jersey's local legends and best-kept secrets. The magazine has since spawned several books and a History Channel television series. Moran and Sceurman can be seen on the Travel Channel television series Paranormal Caught on Camera. Buy the book HERE

Evergreen Podcasts, the network that brings you Burn the Boats, is pleased to introduce Countdown to Dallas. On the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, former White House correspondent Paul Brandus takes an in-depth look at the seemingly unconnected events that led to that infamous afternoon in Dallas, Texas. He explores the troubled and broken life of Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, and challenges six decades worth of conspiracy theories—none of which have been proven. Enjoy the first episode here. You can find more episodes of Countdown to Dallas in your favorite listening app, or at Evergreenpodcasts.com.

U.S. Route 44 stretches across New England from Massachusetts to Connecticut before completing its circuit in New York State, 237 miles later. Along the way, travelers may encounter the infamous Bridgewater Triangle, take a haunted tour of Plymouth, or see the ghosts of Chepachet. Follow in the footsteps of famous science fiction horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft from Providence to Glocester, Rhode Island. Follow the road through small towns and dark forests where sightings of UFOs and cryptids have surprised travelers for years. Join authors Tom D'Agostino and Arlene Nicholson as they explore the dark corners of New England's most haunted highway. Tom D'Agostino is a renowned author, paranormal researcher and investigator. He has over thirty years of experience and has done more than a thousand investigations. D'Agostino has appeared on numerous radio programs, television shows and documentaries. Arlene Nicholson has a degree in photography and has authored numerous books on ghosts, haunts and legends of New England. She has researched and investigated paranormal activity for over thirty years. Nicholson has appeared on several television shows and documentaries about the paranormal. Buy it HERE

U.S. Route 44 stretches across New England from Massachusetts to Connecticut before completing its circuit in New York State, 237 miles later. Along the way, travelers may encounter the infamous Bridgewater Triangle, take a haunted tour of Plymouth, or see the ghosts of Chepachet. Follow in the footsteps of famous science fiction horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft from Providence to Glocester, Rhode Island. Follow the road through small towns and dark forests where sightings of UFOs and cryptids have surprised travelers for years. Join authors Tom D'Agostino and Arlene Nicholson as they explore the dark corners of New England's most haunted highway. Tom D'Agostino is a renowned author, paranormal researcher and investigator. He has over thirty years of experience and has done more than a thousand investigations. D'Agostino has appeared on numerous radio programs, television shows and documentaries. Arlene Nicholson has a degree in photography and has authored numerous books on ghosts, haunts and legends of New England. She has researched and investigated paranormal activity for over thirty years. Nicholson has appeared on several television shows and documentaries about the paranormal. Buy it HERE

Evergreen Podcasts, the network that brought you From First Lady to Jackie O, is pleased to introduce Countdown to Dallas, another podcast from Host Paul Brandus.  On the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, former White House correspondent Paul Brandus takes an in-depth look at the seemingly unconnected events that led to that infamous afternoon in Dallas, Texas. He explores the troubled and broken life of Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, and challenges six decades worth of conspiracy theories—none of which have been proven.  Enjoy this trailer and subscribe to hear the first episode of Countdown to Dallas today in your favorite listening app or at EvergreenPodcasts.com