In November 1979, a farmer walking his land in Caledonia, New York, discovered the body of a young woman in a frozen cornfield. She had distinct tan lines that spoke of a life in the sun, a men's racing jacket that didn't belong to her, and a set of keychains clipped to her belt loop: a silver heart and the matching key.

Despite the best efforts of Sheriff John York and the community who adopted her as their own, "Cali Doe" remained nameless for over three decades. She was a girl lost in the cracks of a 1970s system that wasn't built to find runaways.

In this episode of What Lurks in the Shadows, we settle in to discuss a case that haunted a small town for a generation. We explore the heartbreaking reason Tammy Jo wasn't reported missing, the incredible forensic botany that pointed to her Florida roots, and the dedicated web sleuths who finally gave her back her name in 2015.

Finally, we turn our attention to the unsolved murder itself. Was Tammy Jo a victim of the notorious "Beauty Queen Killer," Christopher Wilder? Or was her killer a local stranger who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years?

June 23, 1997. The Crocker Galleria in San Francisco. 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi finishes her shift at Spinelli Coffee, walks to a Wells Fargo ATM, and vanishes into the fog of the Bay Area. She was just three weeks into her dream summer—a "brief, dazzling prelude" to a life that would never be fully lived.

In this episode, we uncover the baffling timeline of the Kristen Modafferi disappearance. From the grainy ATM footage and the mysterious "blonde woman" seen talking to Kristen moments before she disappeared, to the bureaucratic failures that cost investigators a critical "lost week."

Was Kristen swept away by the ocean at Sutro Heights? Or was the danger much closer to home? We explore the disturbing evidence uncovered decades later at her house on Jayne Avenue—where forensic dogs and soil analysis pointed to a dark secret buried beneath the concrete.

If you have any information concerning the disappearance of Kristen Modafferi, please contact the Oakland Police Department Missing Persons Unit at (510) 238-3641.

On March 27, 2009, 8-year-old Sandra Renee Cantu vanished from her neighborhood in Tracy, California. What began as a missing child case quickly escalated into a nationwide search that gripped the country. Ten days later, Sandra’s body was tragically discovered inside a suitcase submerged in an irrigation pond. The shocking truth revealed that her killer was someone she and her family trusted.

What Lurks in the Shadows brings you immersive true crime storytelling with eerie atmosphere and chilling detail. Subscribe for more mysteries, unsolved cases, and unsettling stories.

Each episode pulls you into a chilling narrative rooted in real events, eerie speculation, or the unexplained. Through immersive audio, ASMR pacing, and projection visuals, you’ll feel every moment as if you were there. Whether it’s a disappearance, a haunting, or a case that defies logic, these stories are designed to unsettle. Listener discretion is advised.

What Lurks in the Shadows is based on real events, public records, and witness accounts. Some details have been dramatized or creatively reconstructed for storytelling purposes. While inspired by truth, certain elements may be fictionalized for atmosphere and narrative flow.