Episodi

  • The Envelope Under the Wiper: How a Kidnapper Hid for Decades

    The Envelope Under the Wiper: How a Kidnapper Hid for Decades
    Oct 13 2026
    The Envelope Under the Wiper: How a Kidnapper Hid for Decades

    Fear of a hidden predator: an envelope with a ransom note, a seven-year-old's school photo, and a fishing license appeared under a county grader wiper on July 19, 1991 - yet the maintenance yard showed no forced entry and no tracks. How did a kidnapper gain access, leave a precise trace, and then vanish while official records recorded every anomaly but never connected them?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Philip Brooks disappeared to the moment a cold-case investigator re-reads the file decades later, and we follow the single detail that finally links the missing pieces: who had the key and why did that matter?

    Person: Philip Brooks
    Date: July 15, 1991 (disappearance) and July 22, 1991 (recovered)
    Location: Dellard Township, Morrison County, Minnesota
    Status: Recovered alive after four days; case unresolved in the record for 28 years
    Investigator: Nicole Reynolds (cold-case review, October 2018)

    - The ransom demand found in the envelope was for $40,000 and included Philip's school photo and Thomas Brooks's fishing license.
    - Philip was seven years old at the time and was seen in the yard at 12:40 p.m.; he was gone by 12:55 p.m.
    - Philip was found dehydrated and confused at 7:10 a.m. on July 22, 1991, on the shoulder of County Route 12 and could not describe his captor or the holding location.
    - Jeffrey West had visited the Brooks farm three times between April and June 1991 to service a grain dryer and later took the fishing license from the truck's glove compartment.
    - West was issued a legitimate key to the maintenance yard that gave him access to place the sealed envelope under Neil Dalton's grader wiper sometime after midnight July 18-19, 1991.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Watch by the Transformer: How a Silent Timepiece Cracked Murder

    The Watch by the Transformer: How a Silent Timepiece Cracked Murder
    Oct 12 2026
    The Watch by the Transformer: How a Silent Timepiece Cracked Murder

    A single Seiko watch, found intact beside a rural transformer on June 9, 2011, sat in an evidence bag for nearly three years while a man went missing and his remains lay less than a hundred yards away; how did a routine utility call and a cash-paid brush-clearing job connect the two? What did a twenty-six-year-old paralegal technician see in a database migration that three years of local investigation had missed?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning the lineman found the watch through the months the county searched for Frank Mitchell, and how separate record systems-missing-persons files and contractor work orders-contained the overlapping clues that finally pointed investigators to the truth. How could a watch with no weathering, a cash-paid work order to "C. Larsen," and a missing, methodical man all fit together?

    Person: Frank Mitchell
    Date: June 9, 2011
    Location: Pritchard Road (near transformer) and Dunmore Street
    Status: Missing then later found deceased
    Person: C. Larsen (Curtis Larsen)

    - Watch found at 7:41 AM on June 9, 2011 by lineman Erin Bell
    - Watch description: Seiko with dark brown leather strap, crystal intact, clasp engaged
    - Frank Mitchell was 48 years old and missed scheduled work starting the week of May 30, 2011
    - Deputy Tom Greer filed the found-property report at 7:53 AM and the watch sat on a shelf for nearly three years
    - A cooperative brush-clearing work order two weeks earlier listed contractor "C. Larsen" paid $78 in cash

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 min
  • The Pawnshop Watch That Convicted a Killer - But Who Watched Chad?

    The Pawnshop Watch That Convicted a Killer - But Who Watched Chad?
    Oct 11 2026
    The Pawnshop Watch That Convicted a Killer - But Who Watched Chad?

    A cheap fourteen-dollar Seiko with a cracked crystal and a rust-orange NATO strap sat under fluorescent glass long before anyone realized its owner was dead - and its pawnshop sticker reads May 3, eleven days before Chad Simmons was found face-down in a drainage easement. Who sold the watch, why was it logged early, and how did that single object unravel a sixteen-year cold case?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the watch in Harmon's Pawn & Resale to the moment a handwritten ledger entry in a storage unit tied two impossible facts together. The episode covers the timeline around Chad's last days, the pawnshop paperwork, and the investigative breaks that changed the case - but who handled Chad's watch before it surfaced?

    Person: Chad Simmons
    Date: May 12, 2003 (time of disappearance placed that evening)
    Location: drainage easement behind Vaudry Textile shed
    Item: Seiko diver's watch with cracked crystal and rust-orange NATO strap
    Sticker date: May 3 (display case at Harmon's Pawn & Resale)

    - Chad was found face-down in about four inches of water, 310 feet from his green Ford Ranger.
    - Time of death was estimated at 36 to 48 hours before discovery, placing it on May 12-13, 2003.
    - Harmon's Pawn inventory sticker on the watch read May 3, more than a week before Chad was reported missing on May 14.
    - Pawnshop owner Don Frey told Deputy Kevin Marsh that sticker dates reflected logging date and could lag by two or three days.
    - A handwritten ledger entry in a Hildebran storage unit later connected a name and a date that overturned the transient suspect theory.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 min
  • The Jack of Clubs No One Understood - Judge Found Dead, Friend Confesses

    The Jack of Clubs No One Understood - Judge Found Dead, Friend Confesses
    Oct 10 2026
    The Jack of Clubs No One Understood - Judge Found Dead, Friend Confesses

    A cold courtroom, a judge found dead with a single blunt blow and a Jack of Clubs left on his desk-deliberately placed, creased as if carried in a pocket, and undisclosed to the public for nineteen years. Who would leave that card for Judge Alan Hoffman, and why did that silent clue wait two decades to matter?

    In this episode, we present the known timeline and evidence from the original investigation and the stalled leads that followed, laying out the unanswered threads and the one question that kept the case unresolved: what did the card mean and who signed in as "L. Watson" at 4:52 p.m.?

    Person: Alan Hoffman
    Date: April 7, 2003
    Location: Judge's chambers, Bremer County courthouse
    Status: Case cold by end of 2005; visitor log entry unresolved
    Case: Visitor entry "L. Watson" at 4:52 p.m.; Jack of Clubs found on desk

    - Judge Alan Hoffman was found at his desk at 7:40 a.m. with an estimated time of death the evening before, April 7, 2003.
    - The visitor log shows three people signed in after 4:00 p.m.; one entry reads "L. Watson - Judge Hoffman's chambers - personal" at 4:52 p.m.
    - The visitor who signed out at 5:47 p.m. was described by security as a mid-forties man in a sport coat who said he was an old friend.
    - Cause of death: single blunt-force impact to the base of the skull delivered from behind with a cylindrical object; weapon never recovered.
    - A Jack of Clubs was found face up in a ceramic paper-clip dish on the desk, with a faint lower-left crease consistent with long-term storage in a wallet or shirt pocket.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • A Snow Globe Sitting in Blood: The Murder of Richard Hunter

    A Snow Globe Sitting in Blood: The Murder of Richard Hunter
    Oct 9 2026
    A Snow Globe Sitting in Blood: The Murder of Richard Hunter

    A snow globe sat upright in dried blood on the passenger seat of a courier truck while $14,200 in payroll vanished and a driver lay dead from a close-range chest wound - yet the tiny lighthouse went unexplained for fifty-three years. Who placed that globe and why did three separate, documented leads pointing to the same man get ignored for decades?

    In this episode, we walk through the facts preserved in the case file and the gaps left by investigators, tracing the timeline, the inside knowledge of the Dunmore route, and the overlooked evidence that eventually reopened the trail. What stopped those inquiries cold, and how did a filed receipt and a moved address become the threads that mattered?

    Person: Richard Hunter
    Date: March 12, 1971
    Location: Kessler Road
    Status: Unresolved for fifty-three years before later developments
    Case: Courier robbery and homicide

    - Victim age: 44 years old at time of death.
    - Missing payroll amount: $14,200 taken from the truck.
    - Time first noticed: 7:14 AM when truck was seen running with driver's door open four inches.
    - Companion injuries: Bob Cantu found unconscious in a ditch 40 yards north with a fractured orbital socket and hospitalized 11 days.
    - Key physical clue: plastic snow globe with a miniature lighthouse found upright in dried blood on the passenger seat.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Bottle in the Oaks: Why Jennifer's Death Hid a Murderer

    The Bottle in the Oaks: Why Jennifer's Death Hid a Murderer
    Oct 8 2026
    The Bottle in the Oaks: Why Jennifer's Death Hid a Murderer

    Fear that a single ordinary object hides a deliberate killing: a brown glass bottle labeled with Jennifer Bennett’s name, the date February ninth, and “4.2 mg” was found wedged in oak roots two days after her death - and a hospital visitor badge issued to Philip Price lay beside it. How did aconitine get into a healthy 28-year-old’s body, and why was a lethal dose left in the woods?

    In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the tangible clues that transformed a medical examiner’s ruling into a homicide inquiry, following the bottle, the badge, and the detective’s request that uncovered aconitine metabolites. What connection ties Philip Price, an HVAC visit, and the anonymous bottle to Jennifer’s death?

    Person: Jennifer Bennett
    Date: February 9
    Age: 28
    Location: Aldine Street, Hargrove
    Toxin: Aconitine (4.2 mg on bottle label)

    - Jennifer woke at 5:15 a.m. every morning and ran twenty minutes before work.
    - Philip Price serviced the Aldine Street duplex HVAC on January 20, 2023 and accessed both units.
    - A hospital visitor badge issued to Philip Price was dated February 7 and found beside the bottle on February 11 at 7:41 a.m.
    - The bottle’s label listed “4.2 mg,” the name Jennifer Bennett, and the date February ninth.
    - Expanded toxicology on liver tissue, requested three weeks after burial, detected aconitine metabolites.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 min
  • The Crack at Garrett Road: What Tammy Watched and Never Said

    The Crack at Garrett Road: What Tammy Watched and Never Said
    Oct 7 2026
    The Crack at Garrett Road: What Tammy Watched and Never Said

    Fear tightens around ordinary routines when a nine-year-old hears a single, sharp crack and carries it in silence for twenty-three years-what did that sound signal on Garrett Road? A yellow dishwashing glove bound with a white cable tie, a body pulled from Carver Creek, and a delivery van off its route are all concrete pieces that refuse to fit; which is the missing link?

    In this episode, we lay out the facts as they appear in the record: the timeline of January 7-9, 1987, the people who crossed paths that night, and the unexplained details that froze the case. Could the small, specific evidence everyone noted but never resolved point to an answer Tammy never spoke aloud?

    Person: Alan Armstrong
    Date: January 9, 1987
    Location: Carver Creek
    Age: 54
    Cause: Blunt-force trauma to the rear of the skull and drowning

    - A yellow household dishwashing glove was found on the right hand, secured with a white plastic cable tie that left an impression.
    - Alan Armstrong was last seen alive at 8:15 PM on January 7, 1987, when he walked his daughter Tammy to her front step on Garrett Road.
    - Tammy, age 9 at the time, later testified she heard a single sharp "crack" after witnessing two houses down where another man stopped her father.
    - A Crestline delivery van was noted in the north alley behind Whitmore Industrial on the evening of January 7, 1987, despite that not being the driver's scheduled route.
    - Philip Norris, the route driver associated with that van, had serviced the Whitmore account for 14 months and also worked a different warehouse account where Thomas Wakefield, missing in February 1985, had worked as a dispatcher.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 min
  • The Purse in the Mesquite: What They Hid for Forty Years

    The Purse in the Mesquite: What They Hid for Forty Years
    Oct 6 2026
    The Purse in the Mesquite: What They Hid for Forty Years

    The purse swallowed by a mesquite tree held a New Mexico driver’s license belonging to Sarah Farrell - a woman last seen in 1979 whose coat was left in her car on a night that dropped to 24°F. For forty years the official file said she left voluntarily and crossed into Mexico; what did that brass-clasped purse and a frozen cup of coffee really mean?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Sarah’s last confirmed sighting leaving her grandmother’s house on December 4, 1979, to the discovery of the purse in 2019, and ask whether an early investigative decision - written as “voluntary border crossing” - hid the truth about what happened on Route 41 that night.

    Person: Sarah Farrell
    Date: December 4, 1979 (last confirmed sighting)
    Location: Route 41, Torrance County, New Mexico
    Item found: Small dark-brown purse with brass clasp and New Mexico driver’s license
    Investigator note: Case reclassified as voluntary disappearance in April 1980

    - The purse was discovered in a mesquite tree on December 11, 2019, after the bark had grown around a leather strap.
    - Sarah Farrell was 22 years old the night she was last seen and had been born around 1957 in Moreno Flats.
    - The Datsun was found the morning after her disappearance 1.5 miles from her grandmother’s turnoff with keys in the ignition and a half-drunk cup of coffee frozen solid.
    - The temperature the night Sarah disappeared fell to 24°F, yet her coat was left folded in the back seat.
    - A Torrance County deputy’s January 1980 report noted an unfamiliar pickup with a diamond-shaped contractor logo seen the afternoon of December 4; the lead went unpursued.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 min