Episodes

  • A zip‑tied Ziploc phone stayed lit after six days underwater

    A zip‑tied Ziploc phone stayed lit after six days underwater
    Oct 21 2026
    A cracked smartphone tied to a trotline float is pulled from the Carda River six days later-whose phone was it and why was it placed there?

    A zip‑tied Ziploc phone stayed lit after six days underwater

    In this episode, we follow the discovery of a damaged phone pulled from a river and the missing‑person case it becomes tied to. The narrative traces the timeline, the people connected to the last signal, and the investigative threads that raise more questions than answers about why the device was in the water.

    Person: Frances Wells
    Date: August 8 (last call logged); phone recovered August 14 at 6:12 a.m.
    Location: Carda River backwater channel; Route 95 corridor; Highline Fuel Depot
    Investigator: Todd Schmidt, Merna County lead for missing‑person cases
    Other person: Richard Stevens, fuel‑depot contractor

    - Frances Wells, a 61‑year‑old retired school‑bus dispatcher, left her brother’s house on a Thursday evening and never arrived home; her weekly routine was well documented.
    - Her last phone call was logged at 8:47 p.m. near a tower eleven miles south of the Highline Fuel Depot; that was the phone’s final known transmission.
    - Richard Stevens, 58, reported seeing a woman fueling around 7:30 p.m. and later logged “straight home,” but cell‑tower data later placed his phone at the same southern tower at 9:04 p.m.
    - Stevens’ shift log shows a 90‑minute equipment‑check entry at Depot Three on August 11-four miles from the Carda River-with no maintenance ticket and no second employee to confirm the work.
    - A cracked smartphone sealed in a Ziploc and zip‑tied to a trotline float was recovered six days later with 14% battery and the screen still lit, prompting a focused eight‑day probe into why it had been placed in the river.

    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 mins
  • You find a silver bracelet on your doorstep - do you open it?

    You find a silver bracelet on your doorstep - do you open it?
    Oct 21 2026
    A padded envelope arrives with a silver bracelet from a house where a woman died - what would you do?

    You find a silver bracelet on your doorstep - do you open it?

    In this episode, we follow the moment a small, impossible object appears on a Midwestern doorstep and the chain of decisions it triggers for neighbors, detectives, and a grieving son. What does a returned possession mean about who knows what, and how does it redirect an investigation?

    Person: Beverly Marsh
    Date: March 7-9 (death discovery and estimated time of death)
    Location: Dellwood Street, mid-sized Midwestern city
    Person: Milo (cat)
    Person: Dennis Sharp

    - A padded envelope with no return address arrives in October containing a silver bracelet that disappeared three years earlier.
    - Beverly Marsh lived alone, followed a strict twice-daily insulin routine, and was found dead partially covered in ice after missing one evening dose.
    - Neighbor Linda Osei checked on Beverly using a spare key when Beverly’s kitchen light was off past eight and discovered signs that something was wrong.
    - Midlands Electric worker Douglas Duncan, on an emergency route after an ice storm, found Beverly in a side yard under a lattice border and called it in.
    - Investigators noted a scuffed, unlatched basement storm door but spent months focused on Dennis Sharp, who had a prior restraining order and could not account for his March seventh whereabouts.

    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 mins
  • A padlock unopened since March held a body found July 17

    A padlock unopened since March held a body found July 17
    Oct 20 2026
    A body is found in the harbormaster's annex with the padlock intact - how did he get in and who moved him?

    A padlock unopened since March held a body found July 17

    In this episode, we lay out the scene around Alan Lawson’s death and the baffling logistics investigators confronted: a sealed annex, a cook’s takeout cup, and a timeline that doesn’t add up. What sequence of decisions and movements would let a man die elsewhere and be placed inside a building no one officially entered for months?

    Person: Alan Lawson
    Date: Body recovered July 17; estimated time of death July 9 ~11:00 PM
    Location: Harbormaster's annex, Crale's Point; Pelican Diner referenced 11 miles away
    Investigator: Pamela Pruitt, Dunmore County Sheriff's Office
    Business: Romano and Fitch Marine Supply financial anomalies (withdrawals June 28, July 3, July 8; total $4,200)

    - The annex padlock showed no damage and Port Authority key logs record zero checkouts through July 17.
    - Alan’s routine: dawn walks on Pier Four, Pelican Diner takeout coffee, texts to his mother; last confirmed text July 9.
    - Medical examiner dated death to July 9 and found lividity fixed on Alan’s left side, then later moved to his back.
    - The coffee mug at the annex had a dried ring less than a week old, yet the diner is eleven miles from the annex.
    - Financial review of Romano and Fitch revealed three unexplained cash withdrawals totaling $4,200 across eleven days ending July 8.

    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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    15 mins
  • Boot Prints That Walked Away: The Night Debra's Boots Betrayed Her

    Boot Prints That Walked Away: The Night Debra's Boots Betrayed Her
    Oct 20 2026
    A woman’s boots leave fresh prints walking away from her car while she lies dead behind it - one chilling question: what would you do?

    Boot Prints That Walked Away: The Night Debra's Boots Betrayed Her

    In this episode, we lay out the evidence found at a rural East Texas spur road and follow the timeline that makes the scene impossible to ignore. You’ll hear the phone call, the frost clock, the footprints, and the choices investigators had to wrestle with - what do those clues demand we consider?

    Person: Debra
    Location: Spur Nine, East Texas
    Date: February (night of death)
    Time: phone call at 10:48 PM; GPS ping at 10:44 PM; frost set at 9:03 PM
    Detail: boots double-knotted (Debra did not double-knot)

    - Deputies found sharp boot prints in frozen mud walking away from Debra’s car, impressions consistent with being made after the 9:03 PM hard frost.
    - Debra’s last routine Wednesday call to her friend Sandra lasted twelve minutes and occurred at 10:48 PM; the coroner estimated time of death about 11:00 PM.
    - The boots on Debra were double-knotted, a lacing style friends say she never used, implying someone else knotted them after she could not.
    - A GPS in Patterson’s white pickup registered on Spur Nine at 10:44 PM, placing his vehicle on the same spur minutes before Debra’s call.
    - The scene shows deliberate, careful actions - crisp post-frost prints and purposeful lacing - forcing investigators to reconcile timing, presence, and intent without a clear ending.

    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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    17 mins
  • A municipal vault held a waterlogged peacoat for 18 hours

    A municipal vault held a waterlogged peacoat for 18 hours
    Oct 19 2026
    A waterlogged peacoat with a missing woman's name is found in a locked municipal vault - how did it get there?

    A municipal vault held a waterlogged peacoat for 18 hours

    In this episode, we follow the early discovery that turned a routine municipal lift-station into the center of a missing person inquiry. The episode traces the timeline from a last-text at a food pantry to a contractor’s inspection logs and a card swipe miles away - what sequence of access and decisions put that coat in the vault?

    Person: Shannon Sharp
    Date: June 3-4 (missing reported June 3; coat found June 4 at 7:12 AM)
    Location: municipal lift-station vault, Dellworth
    Person: John Graham
    Event: routine inspection logged June 3 at 6:40 AM; different padlock observed after crew left

    - A septic contractor found a blue peacoat floating in a sealed, padlocked vault six feet underground with a name written in the collar.
    - Shannon Sharp had sent a ritual Tuesday text from the Millrace Food Pantry at 5:47 PM and was reported missing by her friend Marta by 9:00 PM.
    - Graham Septic logged an inspection of the same vault at 6:40 AM the morning before the coat was discovered, and the municipal lock had been swapped afterward.
    - GPS records show John Graham’s vehicle passing Shannon’s apartment block at 5:50-5:55 PM on six consecutive prior Tuesdays.
    - Shannon’s debit card was used at 11:52 PM at a Sunmart 14 miles east while her car remained parked at home; footage shows an unidentified man paying cash after using the card.

    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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    17 mins
  • You found his garden marker upright in January - would you call?

    You found his garden marker upright in January - would you call?
    Oct 19 2026
    A widower's garden marker is found face-up above a body frozen in January, forcing neighbors to ask: would you call when something small doesn't fit?

    You found his garden marker upright in January - would you call?

    In this episode, we follow the discovery that unsettled a Nebraska neighborhood and the sequence of investigative choices that followed. The story traces how a single ceramic tile, frozen ground and service invoices created three questions investigators could not ignore.

    Person: Brian Calloway
    Date: Disappearance overnight January 6-7; body found January 8
    Location: Crestfield Road, Dawson County, Nebraska
    Event: Ceramic garden marker CARROTS / PLANTED MARCH found face-up above body buried fourteen inches down
    Topic: Frost-line boring invoice for January 7 and missing auger rig

    - Neighbors knew Brian as a punctual, methodical sixty-three-year-old with a kitchen garden and handmade markers.
    - Brian attended choir rehearsal January 6 at 7:02 pm and was not seen again after rehearsal ended around 9:10 pm.
    - The ground required powered frost-line boring to reach fourteen inches in January; the marker's depth matched that equipment's use.
    - Brian’s account was charged January 7 for emergency frost-line boring billed to his Crestfield Road address.
    - The auger rig registered to contractor Hicks was not at the equipment yard the night of January 7, and a neighboring landowner’s alibi placed him out of town.

    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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    16 mins
  • A fake utility inspector took her spare key - and waited six days

    A fake utility inspector took her spare key - and waited six days
    Oct 18 2026
    A fake utility inspector took a spare key from a teacher’s cabin - then waited six days outside the boathouse with warm coffee and a locked door.

    A fake utility inspector took her spare key - and waited six days

    In this episode, we follow the timeline that begins with a routine school day and ends with a locked boathouse and a dead woman in a canoe. What decisions and small misses let a stranger enter a home, take a key, and return days later with a warm cup of coffee?

    Person: Kathleen Becker
    Date: Body found May 14
    Location: Boathouse at Crestfall Lake
    Person: David Farrell
    Event: Man posing as utility inspector took spare key on May 7

    - On the morning of May 7 a man identifying himself as an inspector walked through Kathleen Becker’s property while she was teaching and took a spare key from her cabin entryway.
    - The man used the name David Farrell and was later identified as a thirty-eight-year-old independent contractor with no Harmon Gas & Electric work order or badge for that address.
    - Kathleen Becker maintained a weekly Tuesday reservation at the Lakeside Grille; she was last seen alive there on the evening of May 13.
    - A warm cup of gas station coffee bought at 10:08 PM on May 13 was linked to Farrell via a receipt and loyalty card found in his truck, placing him within minutes of the boathouse.
    - The medical examiner’s lividity and lack of transfer marks indicated Becker died seated in the canoe where she was found, consistent with someone who had been inside the boathouse all along.

    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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    14 mins
  • You see a phone alive with a GPS track - do you pull over?

    You see a phone alive with a GPS track - do you pull over?
    Oct 18 2026
    You walk into a trailer and find a dead man-and a phone with live GPS showing a familiar route; do you pull over and follow? (true crime)

    You see a phone alive with a GPS track - do you pull over?

    In this episode, we follow the scene, the devices, and the timeline that pulled investigators back through fourteen months of routine. What did the phone, a text message and a single cell-tower ping reveal about how someone learned the victim’s habits?

    Person: Melvin, 22-year-old fuel desk worker
    Person: Fisher, local mechanic watched for 14 months
    Person: Gordon Rice, passerby who found the open door
    Person: Kevin Marsh, trucker initially investigated
    Event: Phone showing live GPS track on December 5 at 7:22 AM

    - Melvin drove the same route every Tuesday, stopping for the same orange candy at the same place.
    - Gordon Rice slowed for an open door on a freezing morning and discovered Melvin dead inside the single-wide.
    - Investigators followed a seventy-two-hour lead focused on Kevin Marsh before traffic records stalled that theory.
    - A text from Fisher reading "Home, just got in" was sent at 9:02 PM the night Melvin died, but a nearby tower ping placed his phone near Depot Road at 9:07 PM.
    - Fisher had serviced Melvin’s vehicle multiple times over fourteen months, giving him repeated access and knowledge of Melvin’s Tuesday routine.

    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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    17 mins