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In January 2015, Rita Janelle Papakee was last seen at the Meskwaki casino in central Iowa. What should have been an ordinary night ended in silence. Days passed. Then weeks. And before urgency ever took hold, a mother, sister, and community member had vanished.

Witnesses would later tell police they saw Rita walking in the cold and snow, visibly angry, when a dark pickup approached her. Others reported seeing her at a man’s home the next day. Then came more disturbing claims — that Rita was dead, that evidence had been hidden, that her body had been moved.

Search warrants were executed. Federal evidence teams were called in. A well on the south side of the reservation — an area investigators refer to as the battleground — became the focus of repeated searches. Cadaver dogs, DNA collection, polygraph exams, and renewed FBI involvement followed. Tips surfaced. Some were withdrawn. Rumors spread. But Rita has never been recovered.

She is still officially listed as a missing person. In practice, investigators have treated her case as a homicide without a body — one caught between information and proof, between community silence and the urgent need for answers.

In this episode of Vanished Voices, we trace Rita’s story: who she was, the last known sightings, the investigation’s turning points, and the lingering questions that refuse to settle. We explore how a close-knit community navigates trust, tradition, and tragedy.

And until Rita is found, her voice — and her family’s — will not be forgotten.

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!

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In May 2018, 51-year-old Kristyn “Krash” Richerson packed her red Toyota pickup for Rocklahoma — a music festival she loved. She never arrived.

What began as a weekend of excitement unraveled into a haunting mystery involving conflicting stories, missing evidence, and roommates who know more than they’ve said.

In this episode of Vanished Voices, we trace Kristyn’s final known steps, explore the tangled investigation, and hear from those still fighting for answers. Kristyn was a drummer, a dog lover, and a fiercely loyal friend — and she deserves justice.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Kristyn Richerson, please contact Muskogee Police at (918) 683-8000. Her voice hasn’t been forgotten — and neither has the silence that followed.

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!

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In the Nevada desert outside Reno, a burned vehicle was discovered. Inside the trunk was the body of Anna Marie Scott.

Anna was a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and her death was both violent and deliberate. Her car had been set on fire in what appeared to be an attempt to destroy evidence — and from the start, the case raised urgent questions about who Anna was with, how she ended up in the trunk of her own vehicle, and why justice has remained out of reach.

Two weeks after Anna was found, authorities identified a person of interest in her murder. Before he could be questioned to find out what he knew about her death, he was killed during a standoff with police while officers attempted to serve an unrelated weapons warrant. With his death, any possibility of answers from him disappeared.

For years, the investigation produced few public answers. Anna Marie Scott’s case remains unsolved.

In this episode of Vanished Voices, we examine Anna’s life, her tribal identity, the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her body, and the investigation — including what is known, what remains unclear, and what justice would mean to her loved ones. Her story reflects a broader pattern seen too often in cases involving Indigenous women: delayed answers, limited accountability, and families left waiting.

Anna deserves to be remembered — and her case deserves continued attention.

If you have any information related to the death of Anna Marie Scott, please contact:

• Reno Police Department
  Non-Emergency: (775) 334-2677
• Secret Witness of Northern Nevada
  (775) 322-4900
  secretwitness.com

Anonymous tips are accepted. Even information you believe is minor could matter.

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!