And Then They Were Gone

A young geologist goes to work, but once he gets there, he’s acting confused and leaves 15 minutes later. His co-workers are concerned, and when time passes and he doesn’t respond to his family’s calls and texts, they begin to worry as well. Did Daniel Robinson decide to disconnect and leave on his own, or, as his family suspects, did he fall victim to a darker fate? It’s been  four months, and Daniel’s family is left with more questions than answers, and a desperate desire to find their missing loved one.

A couple starts off from Florida on a long road trip. But instead of making it to their ultimate destination together, the boyfriend returns alone to his mother’s home in his girlfriend’s car, and says he has no clue where she is. This isn’t the case you may be thinking of. This is the story of the 2020 disappearance of 36-year-old Kelley Brannon, from Live Oak, Florida, and the friends who are desperate for answers.

CW: Child sexual abuse

A man kidnaps his own child. He says that he did it to save her from sexual abuse. Her mother says that he’s brainwashing their daughter and using her to make money off of a sympathetic public. Sophie Long was last seen on July 12, 2021 in Seguin Texas. Her father has been on the run with her ever since. Is he a hero who is doing whatever he can to protect his daughter from a predator and a broken legal system? Or is he a mentally unstable man who may himself pose a threat to his daughter?

CW: Child sexual abuse

A couple is going through a nasty custody battle. And then they go viral for the worst reason imaginable. Their 9-year-old daughter, Sophie, alleges that she is being sexually abused while at her mother’s house. The case is investigated, but one year later, in July of 2021, Sophie’s dad, Michael, abducts her. He claims that he’s trying to save her, but Sophie’s mother claims that he’s the dangerous one. Now, in September of 2021, Michael is still on the run with Sophie, and people are left wondering, who’s telling the truth?

A woman goes missing under bizarre circumstances with a very clear suspect. Sound familiar? You probably haven't heard the story of Akia Eggleston, the 22-year-old black woman who went missing from Baltimore in 2017 when she was eight months pregnant. Despite a difficult pregnancy and suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance, Baltimore City Police suggested that she simply took off. But Akia didn't show up to her own baby shower, and her family knew something was horribly wrong. They have spent the last four years trying to get answers and justice for Akia Eggleston and her unborn child, and bring them both home.

Gabby Petito and her fiance, Bryan Laundrie, are young, attractive, and Instagram-ready. The engaged couple bought a van, redid the inside, and set off for a cross-country adventure where they embraced hiking, the land, and the simple life. The couple left on July 2, 2021, and were supposed to be gone for 4 months. But on September 1, Brian returned home to Florida alone. Now, Gabby has officially been reported missing, and Brian isn’t talking. Where is Gabby Petito?

On July 28, 1998, 18-year-old Deirdre Jacob was back home from university and staying with her parents for the summer. She was preparing to begin her second year at St. Mary's University in London and needed to mail the deposit for her school accommodations. So Deirdre made the walk into town like she had done hundreds of times before. Having grown up in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, she was well-known by the residents, and many people saw her running her errands that day. They even saw her walk home around 3 pm. But right before she entered the front door of her childhood home, Deirdre Jacob seemingly vanished into thin air. Now, 23 years later, Gardai in Ireland are closer than ever to making an arrest and finally finding out whether Deirdre was the final victim of Ireland's Vanishing Triangle.

When Dennis Appleby came home during his lunch break and didn't see his 11-year-old daughter Trudy, he wasn't initially worried. It was the last days of summer and he assumed she was outside or over at a friend's house enjoying herself. But when he returned from work that evening and there was still no sign of Trudy, he knew something was wrong. Despite witnesses and even Dennis himself saying he knew who was responsible for his daughter's disappearance, Trudy Appleby's case has remained unsolved for the last 25 years. But that could all be changing soon, as police believe they are closer than ever to having the proof they need to put her abductors in prison.

After Bryce Laspisa told his mother he was pulling his car over to get some sleep on the way back to their Laguna Niguel, California home, he drove up to an access road for a cell tower and drove down a 25-foot embankment, crashing into the road below. But Bryce walked away from that crash. After weeks of searching nearby Castaic Lake, investigators believed that Bryce took his own life. But many people didn't agree, theorizing that the 19-year-old college student instead planned to walk away from his life and his family. In our final installment of Bryce Laspisa's story, we delve into brand new information that shows that the narrative of Bryce's life that has been presented to the public since his disappearance in 2013, isn't the entire truth. Which begs the question, is Bryce Laspisa still out there?

When 19-year-old Bryce Laspisa broke up with his college girlfriend suddenly and told his parents that he had something he needed to talk to them about, they assumed that he was going through typical teenage problems. But when Bryce left his girlfriend’s house on the night of August 28th, Bryce didn’t go to his apartment. Instead he kept driving. And driving. What followed was over two days of aimless wandering that resulted in a car crash and Bryce never being seen again. Nearly 8 years later, his family, friends, and armchair detectives are still trying to figure out what happened to Bryce Laspisa.

This is part 2 of a 3-part series on Bryce Laspisa.

Most disappearances happen quickly. Someone is there one moment and gone the next. But when 19-year-old Bryce Laspisa disappeared from California in 2013, it was the culmination of three days of strange behavior, driving, and contact with his family and law enforcement. In part one of Bryce's story, we discuss the three day period that saw the college student unexpectedly break up with his girlfriend and start a 90-mile drive that ended up stretching over days and hundreds of miles. What led Bryce to drive past his apartment and continue down the interstate, and what kept him from going home, even though his parents were begging him to?

This is the first case we ever covered, and we've re-recorded the story for our one-year podcast anniversary. J.R. was only 5 when he went missing while playing with his older cousins on Short Mountain in West Virginia. It was a place he had spent many happy days before, but on May 1, 1994, something happened. Despite an immediate and extensive search effort, not a single trace of the boy was ever found. His older cousins swore that they had no idea what happened to J.R., but now, 27 years later, there are still more questions than answers in this case, and J.R.'s disappearance has ripped an entire family apart.

On September 16, 2019, 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez disappeared from a park in Bridgeton, New Jersey. In 2020, right as the Covid-19 pandemic was about to grip the world, three mysterious letters related to Dulce showed up in Ohio. This led police down a rabbit hole and investigators were left wondering if the sender was involved in the little girl’s disappearance, or if it was all a cruel hoax. In Part 2 of our episode on Dulce Maria, we discuss the police investigation and how Bridgeton PD is trying to build bridges in their community with the goal of bringing Dulce Maria home.

On September 16, 2019, 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez was playing in a park with her 3-year-old brother. It was a gorgeous day in Bridgeton, New Jersey, and the two children were enjoying ice cream. But in under 15 minutes, the idyllic day would turn into a parent's worst nightmare, when Manuel came running back to the car without his older sister. A search for Dulce Maria was immediately launched, and so was the criticism against her young mother, Noema. In this week's episode, we discuss the early days of the investigation and what Dulce Maria's family went through, even as the community rallied around the missing girl. 

On November 20, 2012, 19-year-old Sage Smith was supposed to meet a man she had been seeing. She told her roommate where she was going and headed down to Charlottesville, Virginia's Main Street, where they were supposed to meet. Sage ran into her step-sister on her way, but was allegedly never seen after that. But the man she was supposed to meet, Erik McFadden, disappeared from the area just days after Sage. While he did give conflicting stories via phone and email, police have never been able to interview him in person. Now, over eight years later, both Sage and Erik have missing person reports filed on them, and a community is wondering why this case is still unsolved. Her family blames the fact that Sage is a black, transgendered woman for the lack of police response and publicity as compared to similar cases of white women in the area. But there are people out there who hold the answers to this case and have the ability to bring Sage home. 

February 4, 2003 was the day before Sofia Juarez's 5th birthday. The little girl was excited, as any kid would be. It was around 9 pm, and Sofia's grandmother's boyfriend was going to the convenience store. Sofia's mom gave her a dollar to get a treat, and Sofia left the house. But she never made it to the store, and her family hasn't seen her since. Now, 18 years after the abduction that completely baffled the Kennewick, Washington police department, new leads have emerged that indicate Sofia may be alive and well. 

19-year-old Logan Schiendelman went for a drive early one morning. When he returned home, he told his grandmother, Ginnie, that he had an epiphany about his life. Logan had been floundering for the past year, so Ginnie hoped this meant that he was turning a corner. He had been struggling with his mixed-race identity, and his freshman year at Washington State University had not gone as planned. Now, he was back in his hometown of Tumwater, Washington, working odd jobs and trying to figure out what his next move was going to be. Ginnie told Logan that they’d discuss his epiphany when she got home from work that evening. But when she returned home, Logan wasn’t there. Over the next few days, a bizarre mystery unfolded, with an abandoned car, possible sightings, and unidentified men. Logan’s case has baffled the community for the last five years, but there’s one thing his family is certain of: someone out there has answers.

On a warm night in Beaumaris, in Victoria, Australia, the three Worledge children, 8-year-old Eloise, 6-year-old Anna, and 4-year-old Blake all went to sleep. Though their parents had been going through a rocky patch and had been arguing a lot, the day was an ordinary one for the children. But the next morning, only two of them would wake up in their beds. Eloise was gone. What followed was the largest missing person search in Victoria’s history, and a mystery that shocked the seaside town in 1976, changing how families lived forever. Now, nearly 45 years later, Australia and the rest of the world is still searching for answers and asking what happened to Eloise?

This week, we wrap up the case of missing 38-year-old Ralph Jean-Marie. Ralph went missing in Barre, Vermont on April 13, 2020. Just over one year later, police admit that they're no further along than they were when the investigation began. Now, family members and activists are calling for more accountability from the Barre Police Department, as well as additional investigative measures, including bringing in an outside agency for assistance. We pick up in the summer of 2020, where we find that people related to this case keep getting arrested, but none of this is getting the community any closer to getting #JusticeforRalph. 

Late at night on April 13, 2020, 38-year-old Ralph Jean-Marie left his motel room in Barre, Vermont after having an argument with girlfriend. Cooling off after a fight is a normal thing to do, but Ralph never came back. And no one reported him missing until 68 hours later. The next month, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis and the country was filled with protests for racial justice. Local activists in Vermont started turning a critical eye toward the Barre Police Department’s investigation into Ralph’s disappearance. Was Ralph receiving the justice he deserved, or did police write him off due to the color of his skin?

In this week's episode, we conclude our look into the unexplained disappearance of Cindy Anderson. Several named suspects emerge, and we go over our theories of what happened to the 20-year-old Toledo, Ohio legal secretary back in 1981. Could the answer lie in the pair of serial killers working in the area at the time, or did Cindy's nightmares about someone she trusted hurting her come closer to the truth of what actually happened on that summer day?

No one in Kristine Kupka’s life was a fan of her ex-boyfriend, Rudy Persaud. But on October 24, 1998, when she told her roommate she was going to meet up with him so he could show her his new apartment, she understood why Kristine was trying to maintain a friendly relationship— Kristine was five months pregnant with their child. But what was supposed to be a pleasant afternoon followed by brunch turned into a 20+ year nightmare for the Kupka family, because Kristine never returned home. And despite a contentious relationship and the fact that he was the last person seen with Kristine, Rudy Persaud has only given a single interview to police since 1998, and Kristine’s case remains unsolved.

Kristin Smart has been all over the news over the past few weeks, and in this week’s episode, we continue her story, while giving updates on major breaks in the case. We’re only a month shy of the 25th anniversary of the 19-year-old Cal Poly student’s disappearance from campus. Her family has been fighting for answers and justice this entire time, and now it looks like they are closer than ever to finding their daughter. Join us as we discuss the suspects in this case and what prosecutors and law enforcement now think happened to Kristin on that May night in 1996.

This week, we're veering away slightly from our regular cases and talking about a huge story in the true crime world: the disappearance of Kristin Smart. Kristin was a 19-year-old freshman at Cal Poly in 1996 when she went missing after a party over Memorial Day weekend. Though a suspect was quickly identified, early investigative mistakes and a lack of physical evidence has left this case unsolved for nearly 25 years. In part one, we're summarizing Kristin's disappearance and the investigation. Next week, we'll get you up to date with all of the breaking news in this case and the Smart family's quest for justice for their oldest child.

On May 26, 1992, 13-year-old Brandy Myers was collecting pledges for her school’s Read-A-Thon in her Phoenix, Arizona neighborhood. She didn’t return, and soon a search commenced. Though the body of a young girl was found two days later— it wasn’t Brandy’s. It was then that police realized something larger may have been going on in this neighborhood near the Central Arizona Project Canal. Over the next year, two more bodies appeared, though no sign of Brandy ever turned up. This mystery would span the next two decades until cold case detectives made a huge break. Now, Brandy’s sister, Kristin Thelen, is fighting every day to bring justice to her big sister and the other young women and girls who all may have been targeted by the same serial killer.

On December 7, 2003, 19-year-old LaQuanta Riley was back home after having a fight with her college roommate. She stopped by her mother's house to grab a jacket before hanging out with a friend, but never came back. Even after a suspicious voicemail and a possible sighting in her home town of Stone Mountain, Georgia, police in Montgomery, Alabama made little headway in her case. Now, over 20 years later, LaQuanta's mother is fighting every day to get justice for not only her daughter, but all of Alabama's missing.

When we left off last week, it was 1994 and Roanoke, Virginia teens Angela Rader and Tammy Akers had been missing for nearly two decades. The only person of interest in their disappearance, shop owner Earl Bramblett,  has been brought in for police questioning— but not because of the girls. In this week’s episode, we delve into what happens to Earl, and new theories and leads in Angela and Tammy’s case.

On February 7, 1977, 14-year-old friends Tammy Akers and Angela Rader were dropped off at school, but they never went in. The girls, who had a history of truancy, were just assumed to be off somewhere together having fun. But when they never returned home, their families became worried. What was initially written off as two teens running away, turned much darker when a drunken confession three years later pointed fingers at someone very close to one of the families. Now, 44 years after their disappearance, questions still abound. In this two-part series, we delve into this story and discuss related cases and theories of what could have happened to the two Roanoke, Virginia girls, and why. 

13-year-old Kristopher Lewis got off the bus with a friend on February 4, 2014. He was only a block away from his house, in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, when his friend last saw him. But Kris never made it home. Kristopher’s mother, Nina Cancel, was thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare, which was compounded by the utter disinterest that the Boston Police and the local media showed toward her and her missing son. In this episode, we talk not only about Kristopher, but about the larger systemic issues that have contributed to Kristopher still being missing today.

If you have any information on Kristopher Lewis, please call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-The-Lost.

6-year-old Morgan Nick was catching fireflies with her friends on a hot summer night in Alma, Arkansas. She was with her mother at a little league game, having the sort of summer that childhood memories are built on. But as the game ended and her friends returned to their parents, Morgan was gone. Only minutes had passed since Morgan had been seen, but there was no trace of the little girl. Despite a lightning-fast police response and an eyewitness account of a “creepy” man talking to Morgan, no trace of her was found after June 9, 1995. But over 25 years later, Morgan’s mother Colleen still spends every single day fighting for her daughter and searching for answers. Can new technology be the key to finally bringing Morgan home?

If you have any information regarding Morgan Nick’s disappearance, please contact the Alma, Arkansas Police at 479-632-3333.

Sources:

After having his electronics taken away, 17-year-old Macin Smith skipped school and never returned home. Five years and several sightings and mysterious notes later, the Smith family is seemingly no closer to answers than they were on September 1, 2015, when Macin walked out of their home. Did their son who had run away before simply decide he was done living by his parents' rules? Or did the teen's battle with depression overcome him? In the years that followed his disappearance, a terrifying third option emerged: had Macin been the victim of foul play? 

On July 28, 2013, 50-year-old Robert “Hoagy” Hoagland ate bagels with his son, mowed the lawn, bought a map and disappeared. Did the husband and father of 3 simply walk away from his life? Or did his disappearance have something to do with the two drug dealers he had recently confronted in an abandoned factory? Over seven years later, questions still swirl around the missing family man who took nothing with him, leaving behind a shattered family whose lives have been forever changed by his absence.

29-year-old mother of three, Bianca Carrasco, was making some changes in her life. Having recently graduated nursing school, she had a new job in San Antonio, five hours away from her hometown of Odessa, Texas. While the Carrasco family was starting their new life in a new town, Bianca was beginning to question whether or not this was the exact life she wanted. Her career was blossoming, while her marriage was crumbling. Then, on May 1, 2016, Bianca Carrasco disappeared into the night. Did the young mother decide to spread her wings somewhere else, or was she the victim of a man who didn’t want to let go?

39-year-old scientist Lucas Horan went out on a boat with his neighbor on Christmas Eve of 2020. What seemed like an ordinary night between friends turned bizarre when Lucas allegedly jumped ship while wearing all of his clothes and attempted to swim back to shore in frigid waters. Although the neighbor allegedly saw Lucas make it to shore, he never made it home and no one saw him alive again. Soon a community was wondering, where is Lucas?

This is the conclusion to our two-part story on Heather Teague, who went missing from Newburgh Beach in Kentucky on August 26, 1995. In this episode, we discuss questions surrounding the actual identity of her abductor. Was Marty Dill actually as good of a physical match as he seemed? We also delve into the other person in the trailer with Marty Dill, his uncle, former police officer Ernest Green. Was Heather’s disappearance a random abduction, or was she caught up in Henderson’s seedy, corrupt underbelly? 25 years after she disappeared, there are still questions that need to be answered: namely, what is going on in the small town of Henderson, Kentucky?

Zachary Bernhardt was a sweet, smart eight-year-old boy living with his mother, Leah Hackett in Clearwater, Florida. Though they didn’t have the most stable life, Leah was known to be a loving mother, and the pair was close. But on September 11, 2000, Leah couldn’t sleep so she took a 4 am walk around her apartment complex. Despite saying she was only gone for 15 minutes, when she returned, her son was missing from his bed. 20 years later, suspicions swirl around her, but Zachary’s family is no closer to answers than they were two decades ago.

14-year-old Ashley Summers was getting interested in boys, rebelling, and just trying to find herself in the summer of 2007. The Cleveland, Ohio native came from a large, supportive family with whom she was close. But after attending a pool party at an uncle’s house and saying she was going to her aunt’s house nearby, Ashley disappeared. The 13 years that followed have brought up more questions than answers. Was she actually seen after her disappearance? Could she be linked to other high-profile Cleveland kidnappings? Or was a member of her close-knit family hiding something more insidious?

Imagine that you’re on the phone with your pregnant fianceé, just chatting about normal stuff— and then you hear a horrific scream. That’s what happened to Rob Shafer on April 4, 1991, when an unidentified man kidnapped his fianceé, Angela Hammond, from a payphone in Clinton, Missouri. The brazen abduction shocked the small town, while many wondered if Angela’s case was related to two other recent abductions, or if her fiance was hiding the real truth about what happened that night. Now, nearly 30 years later, police are still investigating her case, but will they find answers?

On March 22, 2010, 23-year-old Nokesville, Virginia resident Shane Donahue was having a good day. He had just gotten paid $5,000 in cash for installing ceiling tiles at a local business. He was with his buddy, Timothy Hickerson, who helped him with the job. The friends went over to Shane’s parents’ house for a while before getting into Timothy’s truck and heading off. But no one ever saw Shane again after that. And now, over 10 years later, a grieving family continues to be rocked by tragedy while searching for answers as rumors and accusations swirl around their small town.

Danica Childs was a typical 17-year-old girl growing up in Federal Way, Washington. But when she met a community college student on the bus, her life went down a path no one in her family expected. What started as normal teenage rebellion, turned into staying out all night and problems in school. But when Danica failed to show up to go Christmas shopping with her sisters in 2007, her mother knew something was wrong. What she found was a mother’s worst nightmare: Danica Childs very well could have fallen victim to a sex-trafficking ring.  What has followed is a family’s 13-year quest to bring their loved one home.

In 2009, Toni Sharpless was a young mother with a demanding job working as a nurse in Lancaster General Hospital's infectious disease unit. Though she had experienced ups and downs in her life over the years, she was in a good place and looking toward the future. So when an old friend invited her out to let loose  and go dancing in nearby Philadelphia, Toni accepted. But their girls night out ended in tragedy after Toni drove away and was never seen again. Did something happen to her at professional basketball player Willie Green’s house, where they were having an after party? Did her friend know more than she was letting on? Could a mysterious letter hold the key to this mystery?

Ten years ago, 7-year-old Kyron Horman and his step-mother Terri Horman, attended a science fair at his Portland, Oregon elementary school. A photo Terri took shows Kyron beaming in front of his project about tree frogs.  That would be the last photo ever taken of Kyron, who never made it to class that morning and hasn’t been seen since. In the intervening years, there have been accusations, arrests, and even a bizarre potential murder-for-hire plot, but no answers in Kyron’s disappearance; just a family who refuses to stop searching.

Sources:

When 16-year-old Edison, New Jersey teenager Daniel Yuen started staying out all night and stopped going to school, his parents tried everything to help him. When a series of medical doctors and therapists didn’t help with his depression or behavior issues, the parents turned to The CEDU School in Running Springs, California. Recommended by one of Daniel’s therapists, the exclusive therapeutic boarding school boasted huge promises, famous alums like Paris Hilton— and a hefty price tag: Nearly $6,000 per month. But far from being the Yuen family’s saving grace, they were introduced to The CEDU School’s dark underbelly when shortly after his arrival in 2004, their son became the third student to disappear without a trace from the campus.

On August 29, 2015, Bear Diaz texted his mother goodnight and was never seen again. The 20-year-old man from El Cajon, California was a Type-1 diabetic and left with money and enough insulin for about a week. Family and friends hoped he was just taking some time away, but when he missed his tribe's annual pow-wow,  his mother knew something was terribly wrong. Could Bear's disappearance be linked to the circle of friends and acquaintances that were constantly at his house, or could something even darker be at play? Could another disappearance be linked to Bear's?

Sponsor:

In 1985, a bright, spunky 8-year-old girl got off the bus in Butler County, Pennsylvania. She chatted with her friends until they all went their separate ways. Cherrie Mahan only had to walk around the corner and go up her 150-foot driveway to make it home where her parents were waiting for her. But Cherrie didn’t make it home that day, and 35 years later, Cherrie’s family and friends are still waiting for answers.

In December of 1995, just two days after he lost his twin sister to cancer, John and Shelly Markley put their youngest son on the bus and disappeared. The Ohio couple left five children behind. Some speculate that they simply walked away from their lives, but their family believes the answer is much more sinister. Could a 2020 shooting nearby lead investigators to finally find answers in this cold case?