Hell and Gone

It was July 29, 2022, just another quiet summer night in Atlanta, Texas. The sun had just gone down when 28-year-old Shommaonique Oliver got a panicked phone call. That’s when her nightmare began. Three of her children- her middle daughters, nine-year-old Zi’Ariel Robinson-Oliver, eight-year-old A’Miyah Hughes, and little five-year-old Te’Mari Robinson-Oliver were missing. Law enforcement found them a few hours later. Divers dragged their lifeless little bodies out of a neighboring pond. Initially this was described as a drowning in the local media, but months later, law enforcement said that these three little girls had been murdered. The cause was strangulation. And this person could strike again at any time. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On July 12, 2017, somewhere in the tiny town of Oil Trough, Arkansas, a 37-year-old mother of three named Brooke Allensworth vanished. Two weeks later, the police found Brooke’s car. The car was near a boat ramp and looked like it had been abandoned there for days or possibly weeks. The tire was flat, the doors were locked, and the keys were missing. And so was Brooke. Her family, including her three children and a father and half sister, never saw her alive again and are still searching for answers. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On August 3, 2009, police found Shannon Hercutt dead inside her car, which had plunged off a cliff just off of Walker Trail in Sevier County, Tennessee. At first, the Tennessee highway patrol said Shannon had died in a car accident. But a few days later, Shannon Hercutt’s manner of death was changed to homicide. Who killed Shanoon Hercutt? If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just weeks after Jarrod Green was missing, police find out that the people he allegedly owed money to, Brandon Wheeler and Robert Webb, had left town and that their rental house had caught on fire. The woman who cleaned that house presents some revealing information. And a lawsuit is filed against Brandon Wheeler with disastrous consequences. Wheeler v. City of Searcy lawsuit: https://casetext.com/case/wheeler-v-city-of-searcy If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shannon Green remembers her baby brother Jarrod as the kid who was always laughing and smiling with a mischievous sense of humor. She said Jarrod was a little bit naive, someone who always trusted others and would do anything for a friend. In 1993, Jarrod graduated from Searcy High School in Arkansas. Eventually, he moved out of his parents house, started junior college and got a job at the Walmart distribution center. But then, in 1994, the problems started. Jarrod started getting involved in drugs and using methamphetamines. Within a shockingly short period of time, he was showing signs of addiction. Then, on September 30, 1994, Jarrod Green disappeared. His family continues to search for him. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clea Hall disappeared in 1994 when she was just 18 years old. The night she disappeared, she was only a few blocks away from home at her after-school job. What happened to Clea in those few short blocks between work and home? Did she get into a car with a stranger? Did someone unknown to her family pick her up? Or could something have happened at her job - something that meant that she never left that house alive? If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hell and Gone team has launched a new series, Hell and Gone Murder Line…but investigator Catherine Townsend can’t start something new without returning to the case that started it all, the case that changed her life forever. The murder of Rebekah Gould. The case file was finally released in full a few months back, and Catherine spent countless hours reviewing it. In this episode, she goes through the parts of the file that stood out to her and raised more questions. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday December 1, 1994 started out as just a normal day for Melissa Witt. She was a 19-year-old college student, who lived at home with her mom, Mary Ann, on a quiet street in a quiet neighborhood in Fort Smith, Arkansas. That night, Melissa went to meet her mom at a bowling alley...but she never made it inside. Instead, Melissa disappeared. And Mary Ann never saw her daughter alive again. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can call the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past five years of making true crime podcast Hell and Gone, host Catherine Townsend knows that there is no such thing as a small town where murder never happens. She's received hundreds of messages from people, all around the country, asking for help with an unsolved murder that’s affected them, their families and their communities. In past seasons of the show, she’s only been able to focus on one case. But now, she’s hosting a new weekly show on the Hell and Gone feed called Hell and Gone Murder Line. Every Thursday, she will feature a new case, add updates to old ones, and help as much as she can to get the word out about unsolved murders. If you have a case you’d like Catherine and her team to look into, you can call the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Larry Gould was supposed to meet with the prosecutor, but that meeting got postponed...indefinitely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine learns new information about the Arkansas State Police's investigation and explores the concept of contamination in confessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine talks with Rebekah’s father Larry Gould about his victim statement and meeting Rebekah’s killer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man has finally been convicted for the murder of Rebekah Gould. But his confession leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Catherine Townsend attends a pre-trial hearing, seeing photos of the crime scene and Rebekah’s autopsy for the first time, and talks to investigator Jennifer Bucholtz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last episode of season 4, Catherine learns a theory about how Ebby's body was discovered and confirms details about Ebby's call with Trevor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine looks into an incident involving Guy Hooper and talks to Ebby's friend who switched phones with her.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine talks to a toxicology expert and identifies another person Ebby was in contact with in the days, and maybe even hours, leading up to her disappearance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine tries to figure out why there are inconsistencies in the security guard's stories.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine talks to one of Ebby's close friends and gets some shocking information from the LRPD.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine and Mike go down the drain where Ebby was found and track down one of the guys from the party. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ebby's family searches for her everywhere. Catherine talks with private investigator Monty Vickers and former LRPD detective Tommy Hudson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Townsend heads to Little Rock, Arkansas to investigate the death of 18-year-old Ebby Steppach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 30, 2015, the Little Rock Police Department searched an abandoned car in a small residential park. The keys were in the ignition and the car was out of gas as if it had been left running.  The car belonged to 18-year-old Ebby Steppach, and Ebby had vanished without a trace.  What really happened to Ebby Steppach?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine follows the trails at the back of the Malibu Canyon Ranch. As season three comes to an end, we reflect on a tumultuous year in Los Angeles and what could have happened to Mitrice. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine goes back to the trail to look for more access points to Dark Canyon. Catherine also discusses Mitrice’s family’s legal battle against the LASD, Los Angeles County, and the officers on duty the night Mitrice was arrested. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the pandemic in mind, Catherine does some cyber sleuthing. She discovers that the area where Mitrice's remains were found has seen a variety of other murders and deaths. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an attempt to find out what happened to Mitrice while she was at the police station, the team attempts to track down one of the most crucial pieces of physical evidence...the surveillance videotape. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An arrest has been made in the season one case of Rebekah Gould. Catherine has an update. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should police have released Mitrice from the police station on the night she disappeared? Her friends and family say she should have been taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, which is known in California as a “5150”. But the police said that she was fine. So, which is it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Mitrice's remains were found, miscommunication between police and personnel from the coroner's office led to a huge misstep in the extraction of the body. And once her remains were analyzed, there were more questions than answers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Mitrice's family and friends pressure the police to invigorate their search efforts, Dr. Ronda Hampton works with Tashaka Starwell of REACT LA and documentary filmmaker Chip Croft to follow all leads to track down Mitrice. The police receive a call that Mitrice has been spotted in the bucolic neighborhood of Monte Nido. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season, private investigator Catherine Townsend and her team investigate the mysterious disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson. Mitrice was arrested at a seaside restaurant in Malibu, California on September 16, 2009. Later that night, she was released but never seen alive again. Catherine talks with Mitrice’s mentor and family friend Dr. Ronda Hampton and begins to retrace Mitrice’s steps the night she went missing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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While Catherine and the team investigated the death of Janie Ward for season two, they spent some time looking back into the murder of Rebekah Gould from season one. All of the updates for season one are consolidated in this bonus episodes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final episode of season two, Catherine talks with former a FBI agent, who worked as a consultant on ABC's program about Janie's case. She also explores one last theory of how Janie could have died: rubbing alcohol poisoning. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2007, a third autopsy is performed on Janie, which comes to yet another conclusion that doesn't make sense to the Ward family. Catherine talks with a pathologist and a neurosurgeon about the results. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2004, a new investigation into Janie's death is opened. Catherine reviews the investigation and tries to piece together the route from the cabin to the bank parking lot. She talks with the Ward's lawyer and with the special prosecutor on the new investigation. Catherine also gets a call from a woman named Sylvia, who says she witnessed Janie getting hit in the face. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine considers whether or not Janie even died at the party. She also talks with a forensic psychologist, who investigated Janie's death and also concluded it was a homicide. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine dives into the most talked about theory of all in the Janie Ward case: that someone killed Janie at the party with a baseball bat. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine dives into Janie's autopsy report and takes a look at the controversies surrounding the Arkansas State Crime Lab. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine reconstructs the day leading up to the party using the Arkansas State Police case file on Janie's case. She ends up with more questions than answers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine returns to Arkansas to investigate the death of Janie Ward. Janie died mysteriously in 1989 at a party at a cabin on the backroads of Marshall, Arkansas. Catherine meets journalist Mike Masterson, who has written over 200 articles about Janie, along with Janie's mom, Mona, and her sister, Krystal. The Ward family gives Catherine a box of materials that Janie's late father Ron collected over the thirty years since her death. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season Two of Hell And Gone, hosted by writer and private investigator Catherine Townsend, launches July 24. After tracking down new leads in the murder of Rebekah Gould in season one, season two focuses on the 1989 death of 16-year-old Janie Ward in Marshall, Arkansas. Janie died mysteriously at a party at a cabin in the woods, and in the 30 years since her death, no one has been able to determine what or who killed her. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine's efforts start to pay off in small but significant ways as local investigators begin taking another look at the facts of the case. Catherine meets with Holly Meyer, lead prosecutor, and speaks with journalist, George Jared, who relays some interesting information. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine hears from some of Casey's closest friends and coworkers at the time of the murder in an effort to compare stories and and see if his timeline, the most important part of this alibi, really does check out. Outreach from an unexpected source provides startling information that could change everything. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though he was cleared as a suspect, Catherine turns her attention to Casey, Rebekah's boyfriend at the time of her murder. She surveys some of the people closest to Rebekah to get a better idea of the nature of their relationship including Rebekah's sister, Danielle, her father, Larry Gould, and friends and associates of Casey's as well. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine turns to local radio and social media to spread the word about Rebekah's murder - and the tips start to come in. She also investigates an anonymous letter sent to Rebekah's father, Larry Gould, containing details about her possible killer(s). Catherine has a handwriting analyst, Diane Peterson, put together a profile of the person who wrote it and local journalist AK Barnes shares her theories on the murder. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine starts to check suspects off her list and turns her focus to a mysterious woman who may have been involved, as well as a possible motive, She speaks with Rebekah's mother, Shirley, Jame Gorniak, a forensic entomologist, and a convicted double-murderer, Brian Bangs, For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine and team dig into the nature of the murder weapon, the autopsy report and state of the body to get a clear picture of the injuries that killed Rebekah. They meet with journalist George Jared, Neurologist Adam Webb, and Conservationist Keith Bildstein as the hunt continues for Chris. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine and her team use old-fashioned detective work to uncover more details about the murder and to track down possible suspects. They meet with Rusty, owner and publisher of the local newspaper, and attempt to find Jesse, JB and Chris. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine and her team arrive in the Arkansas Ozarks and retrace Rebekah’s steps on the last day she was seen alive. They meet Rebekah’s sister Danielle, her father Larry, and local journalist George Jared. For more on the case, visit hellandgonepodcast.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.