Episode 86-Review of “The Lesson is Murder,” “American Nightmare,” and “They Called Him Mostly Harmless

Today I’m talking about a few different true crime documentaries and series that I think fans of this podcast would enjoy. I tried to make selections from a few different streaming services, since I know most of us don’t have access to everything available. I’ll be discussing the Hulu series “The Lesson is Murder,” the Netflix documentary “American Nightmare,” and the Max documentary “They Called Him Mostly Harmless.” The...

Episode 85-Denise Durham, Shelby Wilkie, and Marissa Carmichael

Pamela Denise Durham, known as Denise to her friends, was a 16-year-old high school student at East Henderson High School. She lived in East Flat Rock, North Carolina. According to an article that ran in the February 15, 1981 edition of The Asheville Citizen Times, Denise Durham was a model student. She was the secretary of the student council, an honors program student, and a band member who played the clarinet. Her life was going smoothly,...

Episode 84-The Business of Body Brokers

What is a body broker and how do they operate? According to an investigative series by the news organization Reuters, body brokers are also known as non-tissue transplant banks. These banks are different from the organ and tissue industry, which is highly regulated. No federal law currently governs the sale of cadavers or body parts for use in research or education. In 2004, a federal health advisory panel called for regulation of body brokers....

Episode 83-James Chambers, Cole Thomas, and Sydney West

A man from Fayetteville gets a ride from a co-worker and is never seen again, until a religious awakening with a murderer brings the secrets to light. Another young man from Florida takes a job out of state while he figures out his next move, abruptly exits his truck while riding with co-workers he doesn’t know very well in North Carolina in the early hours of the morning, and his never seen again. And a young woman from North Carolina heads...

Episode 81-National Stalking Awareness Month and Peggy Klinke’s Story

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. In January 2003, Debbie Riddle learned her sister Peggy had been murdered by her ex-boyfriend after years of controlling behavior and incidents of stalking. In Episode 81, Debbie shares the story of how her sister's death changed her life and motivated her to begin advocating for change in the way law enforcement and communities handle the crime of stalking. Resources: Peggy Klinke articles:...

Episode 79-The Year in Review for Missing in the Carolinas

I wanted to do feature an end-of-year analysis this year, because our production schedule has changed and we’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth since December 2021. In this episode I’ll discuss a little bit of the methodology that goes behind creating the episodes, where I get my ideas, and some good old-fashioned stats. I made the decision this fall to go from a bi-weekly production schedule to a weekly schedule. I did this for a few...

Preview of “Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty”

When I was researching upcoming book releases on NetGalley this past summer, I noticed Mandy Matney had a memoir coming out about her involvement with the Alex Murdaugh case. I immediately requested the book and was excited to get an advance copy of it. I had listened to her show, “The Murdaugh Murders Podcast” and knew that she had worked in the local media around South Carolina. I wanted to get her take on how she first found out about...

Episode 71-Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from the ECBI

In 2021 I discussed several cold cases involving indigenous women and girls, including the murder of 5-year-old Brittany Locklear, who was kidnapped and later found murdered in Hoke County. If you’d like to learn more about that case and more, check out Episode 29 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in North Carolina, Part 1. Episode 32, Missing Teen Girls in North Carolina, included the story of 13-year-old Native American teen Donna...

Episode 69-How to Avoid Being the Victim of a Cybercrime

In 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have dedicated this month for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, this initiative has grown into a collaborative effort between government industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce online risk, and generated...