Just The Tip-Sters: True Crime Podcast

Beginning in 1993 and continuing for a full decade thereafter, dark haired women were being murdered in and around the river town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The means and methods of the murders were not consistent, leaving law enforcement baffled as to who their unknown suspect might be. It turns out that the man the cops were looking for was one Derek Todd Lee, who the press came to call the Baton Rouge Serial Killer. A lifelong jailbird with a rap sheet as long as the Mississippi River and - it turned out - a history of behavior in committing his crimes that should have tipped off law enforcement long before it finally did, Lee had the habit of stealing his victims' car keys - which is why some (including us) prefer to refer to him as "The Key Collector." As if his crimes weren't bad enough, a lax judicial system and statutes of limitation that just don't make sense made it possible for Lee to continue his killing spree when he should have been in prison. But the weirdest part of this story is the presence of a SECOND serial killer working Lee's territory at the same exact time. But more on that later. For now, listen in as Melissa covers the main points of Derek Lee's evil killing spree - and sets up Part Two, where the story gets more detailed, more complex - and a lot more strange. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sometimes there's just too much to talk about at the top of a podcast without getting in the way of the episode's main subject matter. And so far this June, there are three separate cases that Melissa would have mentioned at the top of JUST THE TIP-STERS if they had happened at different times - but they all converged at once! All three are cases that Melissa isn't planning on doing an episode on - not just yet anyway - two of them are new and one of them is a well-known existing case with stirring new developments. So instead of trying to jam them all in at the top of next week's podcast, Melissa decided to covert them all in a special first-weekend-of-the-summer MURDERTIZER (an appetizer of murder)! So enjoy your Sunday stroll, Tip-Ster - and get caught up on some very interesting cases in the news! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carolyn Rose was a driven, successful real estate agent working in suburban Pensacola Florida when one day, after she didn't return from a mid-day home showing, her colleagues drove over to the empty house to find her car still parked in the driveway. Inside the empty, brand new home they found Carolyn's crumpled nude body, hands bound - and dead. She had been raped before being strangled. The 47 year-old Rose had left no notes behind indicating who she was to meet at the showing, which had obviously been a setup by the murderer. After chasing down and eliminating their one and only solid lead, police had nowhere to go. But here's where solid police work and determination prove once again to be the key in solving hard cases, especially ones like this. It turns out that even in 1978, the Escambia County Florida Sheriff's Homicide Squad collected every single piece of evidence at the crime scene and preserved it with intensive care. And then, every single year - every year - on the anniversary of Carolyn's killing, the detectives re-tested whatever they could from that preserved crime-scene until...at the beginning of June 2020 - 42 years after the murder - DNA testing of that preserved evidence finally got a hit - and the murder was solved. Take a peek with Melissa at a very old crime solved with very new technology by some very dedicated law enforcement heroes - and share the tragic unfairness of a legal system that released Carolyn's murderer 18 years early from a previous conviction, just in time to give him the opportunity to commit his heinous offense. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Tracy Trudgett got the news in late 2018, she passed out. Tracy hadn't seen her brother Shane Snellman, since she visited him in prison nearly a decade before. Tracy and Shane had been separated from their father when they were just children - raised in a convent and then foster parents when the New South Wales authorities refused to let dad have the kids back due to his single parent status. Shane had not had an easy life - falling in with the wrong crowd and resorting to breaking and entering and other petty crimes, he had been released from prison in mid-2012 and then, after just a few months, seemingly fell off the face of the earth. But then Bruce Roberts died. Roberts was, according to his neighbors in the Sydney suburb of Greenwich - an oddball - a bit of a hermit and, it turned out, a rabid hoarder - as bad or worse as the kind of hoarder you see on those reality shows about hoarders. When Roberts stopped being seen in his neighborhood in 2017, police entered the home to find him dead on the floor from what the coroner determined was a heart attack. The home was filled with so much clutter and dust and filth, it was shuttered and eventually turned over to Roberts' relatives, who took well into 2018 to settle his estate. It was only then, more than a year after his death - once the family sent crews in to clean the house and prepare it for sale - did the full extent of Bruce Roberts'...er...eccentricities…come fully into the light - and the police to come knocking on Tracy Trudgett's door with the sad - and downright weird - news of her brother Shane Snellman's demise. Join Melissa as she relates the details of one hoarder's six-year secret, and the unlucky fellow who decided to break in and rob the wrong house. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So hold on just a minute. Let's get this straight: Guy was murdered in his home. All the doors were locked. No broken or open windows. All the locks had been recently changed except the French doors in the bedroom. The only person known to have a second key for those French doors is guy's soon-to-be ex-wife, whose new live-in boyfriend hates guy's guts and - in more than one written email and more than one recorded voice mail message - has threatened to kill him. And 15 years later, there have been no arrests. Waitwut? So goes the story of Edward Berber, a solid working dude living in Hacienda Heights, an L.A. bedroom community, just trying to better his life, take care of his kids and maybe even get back together with his wife. - and whose 27 year-old life was cut short in a way that SEEMS pretty cut and dried. But as we've learned, Tip-Sters, the fact is that sometimes "cut and dried" is more like "gnawed and moldy" when it comes to solving a murder. And when the initial investigators drop the ball on a case like this, it can take years to correct the screw-up. The good news is that the homicide detectives with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department now working Edward Berber's cold and disturbing assassination from 2005 are hot on the tail of closing this case - but they need your help. Listen in as Melissa is joined on the phone by Detectives Rob Martindale, Bill Cotter and Gina Eguia, who go over the details, explain the problems with, and propose solutions to bringing the perpetrator of this awful crime to justice, whomever that may be. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Since 1980, more than a quarter of a million unsolved homicides have occurred in the United States - which is more than all U.S. military deaths since the end of WWII. And here's the maddening truth about those unsolved cases - there is no centralized agency in the United States dedicated to keeping track of cold or inadequately investigated murders. Unbelievably, the statistics we read about murders in America are only estimates. Projections. This is because local police and sheriff's departments only provide data that they want to provide - there is no federal standard for such reporting, and no single place to hold the data even if such a standard existed. Enter Thomas Hargrove, the retired reporter-turned-justice warrior,who in 2015 founded the Murder Accountability Project ("MAP"), a nonprofit organization dedicated to tracking and accounting for unsolved U.S. homicides. Gathering data provided by multiple federal, state and local governments, MAP publishes it all, enabling anyone - even YOU - to investigate patterns in unsolved murders, figure out how often your local law enforcement agencies clear homicides - and look at individual cases reported to the FBI or obtained by MAP through Freedom of Information Acts. Listen in as Melissa tells Hargrove's story, describes the frustration he has experienced when law enforcement pays no attention to his research - including one serial killer he identified after seven women were killed in Indiana - and police didn't pay attention until the murderer was caught after taking seven additional victims. But mostly, take note of how YOU can use the data MAP collects to do your own research and perhaps find patterns in your own community that could lead law enforcement to seek out the bad guys. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In one of the most rage-inducing cases she's covered so far, Melissa investigates the outrageous circumstances surrounding the official suicide of U.S. Army PFC LaVena Johnson while stationed at the Balad Air Base in Iraq in July 2005, just eight days shy of here 20th birthday. And we put the emphasis on "official" because the "official" position of the Army is...well..."suspect" is the kindest word we can think of. It took LaVena's family a lot of time, effort and connections to even see photos of the scene where the military insists the beautiful native Missourian set her hand on fire, bit herself on the shoulder, bashed in her own face in so hard that an eyeball came loose, poured lye into her own genitals, then shot herself with a rifle - with her toe - while she was wearing her fully-tied shoes. No way, says the Army, that she could have been beaten, raped, mutilated and then shot by one or more brutal killers. And oh, the multiple additional "suicides" of female soldiers at Balad in recent years is just a coincidence. No, really. Share the outrage as Melissa describes the awful facts of this case and the absolutely heroic and unrelenting search for the truth by LaVena's family - particularly her father, who will not give up until the real story of his daughter's death is revealed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 year- old Abdi Sharif lived with his family in Des Moines, Iowa. He and his sister both worked at a local Target store to help support the struggling household. By all accounts a happy, friendly kid, Abdi intended to spend some time with his friends on a snowy night at the mall where the Target Store is located on a snowy January 17, 2020. He was last seen walking on a road near the mall, and then - nothing. Nothing for three-and-a-half months, until Saturday May 2, when Abdi Sharif's remains were found near the north bank of the Des Moines River, some four miles away from where he was last seen. Melissa is joined on the phone this episode by Private Investigator Stephanie Kinney, who was brought into the case by Abdi's family when it became clear that police were treating the case, more or less, as an instance of someone simply walking away from his life - this despite the fact that Abdi was happy, showed no signs of depression, desperation or even frustration, and had never indicated to anyone that he intended to do anything like abandon his family. A tireless seeker of facts and truth, Stephanie spent every spare hour of her time searching for Abdi - and now that his body has been found, she intends to work just as hard to seek the truth about his death - and make sure law enforcement doesn't push the case aside as a suicide or accidental death. If you have information on the death of Abdi Sharif, you can contact the Des Moines Police Department at (515) 223-1400 or Stephanie Kinney at C.R.O.W.N. Investigation Services at (563) 206-4778. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bryce Laspisa was having problems. What sort of problems, he wouldn't say. But at the end of August 2013 it was pretty clear to his friends - and his girlfriend - up in the far-Northern California town of Chico, where Bryce was attending a local community college, that something was not right. The young redhead had started giving some of his prized possessions away. He told his mother - who lived 500 miles away in Southern California, that he had some big problems that he needed to talk to her about...but he wouldn't go any farther than that. So his mom told Bryce to get in his SUV and drive home so they could figure out how to solve Bryce's problems. Hence begins one of the strangest, most disturbing road drip ever documented - and it was, in fact, documented - right up until the part of the story where Bryce Laspisa's traile disappeared into the warm early morning California air. Join Melissa as she traces the bizarre trek of a confused and likely deeply disturbed young man on a deeply disturbing rod trip into oblivion - where his actions can't be explained but only guessed at and where his journey ends with a crash off a cliff and a trail back to a truck stop - and then - nothing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In October 1998 15 year-old Crystal Marler disappeared from her home in McCreary County Kentucky after being out with friends and - evidence suggests - briefly returning to the house. Where she went, and with whom, remains a mystery. As too often happens when a teenager vanishes, the authorities did not take Crystal's disappearance as anything much more than a case of a runaway. That perception only got stronger when no trace of the young woman could be found...until eleven years later,when Crystal's remains were found by local hunters, and the autopsy revealed that she had been brutally bludgeoned and then shot. And yet, though the case is still classified as an unsolved homicide, Crystal's extended family appears to have done far more investigative work than the police - and no suspect has ever been arrested. Leading the charge on behalf of Crystal's family is her grandmother, Lorella Wood. Now 85 years old and afraid she'll never know the truth about her granddaughter's killer(s), Lorella is hoping that someone - anyone - who knows the truth - or even a part of the truth - will step forward. Lorella joins Melissa by telephone to talk about her beloved Crystal, the rumors surrounding who may have been responsible for her death, and the pain of not seeing the monsters who took her granddaughter brought to justice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This time around we focus not just on another missing persons case where we KNOW that SOMEONE knows something that could close it - but also a look into an amazing organization working hard to solve that case and dozens of others around the United States. The case: 41 year-old Jeffrey Combs from Wilkesboro North Carolina, a sweet and caring fellow who, after a hard-knocks youth filled with tragedy, death, jail time and even partial paralysis, had begun to pull his life together in October 2008. By then, Jeff was living back in Wilkesboro with his mother Lucy. After befriending a homeless couple - after opening his mom's home to that couple - and after that couple was ejected for bad behavior, Jeff found unwanted trouble. His moped - which he needed to get around - was stolen, and when he was sure he'd found it down at the homeless encampment where his former friends lived, by all appearances he headed there to retrieve it - and was never seen again. There is near certainty as to who the (now deceased) killers of Jeff Combs were - but no one who could help prove it has stepped forward. And so Jeff's mom Lucy has been left for the past 11-plus years in limbo, not knowing where her son is. And that brings us to the heroes of that amazing organization - it's called The CUE Center for Missing Persons - CUE stands for "Community United Effort." Lucy Combs turned to this national group of volunteers for help, and the angels of CUE have been by her side ever since - and will stay by her side until Jeff's case is solved. Joining Melissa on the phone is Jerry Sigmon, CUE's Western North Carolina State Director, the CUE volunteer who has been with Lucy Combs f rom the moment she turned to the organization. Jerry discusses not just the Combs case but the mission and operation of CUE - a true blessing to families of the missing - as well as the tragedy in his own life that drew him to become a CUE volunteer. If you know anything about the Jeffrey Lynn Combs case, PLEASE contact the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office at (336) 903-7600. If you'd like more information on the CUE Center for Missing Persons, visit their website at http://www.ncmissingpersons.org Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 year-old Jennifer Morey had just moved into her Houston,Texas-area apartment - her very first - on April 14, 1995. She went out to dinner with friends to celebrate her move-in, then had a friend drive her home, where she went to bed in her brand-new place...and then around 4 am on April 15, Jennifer was awakened to the terrifying realization that she was being straddled by a stranger with a knife to her throat - and who was about to rape her. As she struggled and screamed, she was horrified to hear this complete stranger call her by name - "calm down Jennifer - stop screaming Jennifer" - and when she wouldn't, he slashed her throat. Then he threw her into the bathroom and left her there to bleed out. But Jennifer Morey is a survivor. And she was determined to live. And so she did, with the aid of a small set of what can only be described as miracles. And she is alive today after experiencing one of the most horrific events any woman could ever imagine. Listen in as Melissa retells Jennifer's story, details the identity of the godawful human trash who attacked her - as well as those miracles that surrounded her that frightening morning. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It was sometime after midnight in February 1974, not long after the Valentine's Day Dance at Western Hills High School had ended in the Fort Worth suburb of Benbrook, Texas. 17 year-old Carla Walker and her boyfriend, high school football star Rodney McCoy, were in the front seat of Rodney's mom's 1969 LTD doing what teenage couples in love tend to do in cars on a Saturday night. Suddenly,the passenger side front door flung open, Rodney was repeatedly pistol-whipped and Carla, who was dragged out from underneath him,told the man - or was it men? - to stop hitting her boyfriend - that she would go with him/them. "Go get Daddy" were the last words Rodney heard Carla shout as she was taken away - and just before he passed out. Just three days later, Carla's body was found in a culvert in a remote area near Benbrook Lake. She had been tortured, raped and strangled to death. Rodney, who had bruises and cuts from his attack, could barely describe the assailant(s). To this day, Rodney can't say for certain who beat him and abducted Carla. The case became the most-reported case in Texas in 1974 and is still one of the most sensational unsolved murder mysteries in the state's history. Listen in as Melissa goes over all the known facts of the case - including a blockbuster letter received by police just days after Carla's body was discovered which was just released by the authorities last year - and the far-too-coincidental min-life story of one William "Ted" Willhoit - a nasty character who may just be at the heart of solving this case once and for all if but for just one crucial tip from someone who knows something they're unwilling - or too afraid - to tell. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1999, the remains of a young boy, probably no older than five or six, were found in a cemetery in DeKalb County Georgia - just outside of Atlanta. The remains were compelling - and heartbreaking. The boy had obviously been well taken car of - obviously loved. The attire was impeccable - his clothing was new, clean and not inexpensive. He had clearly been dressed by a caring parent - probably his mother. His boots were a special type found only in the Atlanta area at the time. So one would think the police had a lot to go on. But no. Not only has it been impossible over the past nearly 21 years to determine the identity of this beautiful child - named "Dennis Doe" by the police because they could not be so cold as to identify him as simply another John Doe - there was absolutely no evidence within the remains to indicate how he died. Was he murdered and left at the cemetery by the killer? Did he get sick and die suddenly, leaving his parents panicked? Had he been kidnapped? No one knows. Because - unbelievably - with the exception of a couple of leads that have led police into complete dead-ends,no one has come forward to even suggest who Dennis Doe really is. Listen in as Melissa details the evidence that exists, the strange and frustrating tips that have gone nowhere - and the hope that exists in the simple knowledge that someone - somewhere - knows who this boy is and has the key that will unlock his story. If you know anything about this case, or even think you might, we urge you to call the DeKalb County Coroner's Office at (404) 244-2600. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's a major change of pace to bring a little springtime to your soul in this weird winter of our discontent - a stirring story of human redemption through the beauty of giving to, and caring for, other living beings - which, in turn, redeems and restores the lives of humans who find in themselves in the most dire of circumstances. Jon Grobman, in his own estimation, was not a good person in 2005 when he was sentenced to six separate 25 years-to-life terms plus 40 years in prison (that's a total of 190 years-to-life if you're counting), all for repeat non-violent offenses. Faced at a still-young age with the inevitability of dying in prison, Jon looked at the totality of what his life had been up to that point and decided that no matter what, he was going to spend the rest of his life in service to others. This decision eventually led him on a path that brought him to Alex Tonner, a passionate advocate of canine rescue - and with the support of prison authorities, helped Jon start a prison program to save and train dogs for adoption. Starting slowly, Paws for Life K9 Rescue grew into an amazing program. Today, Paws for Life operates in three maximum security prisons in California, training dozens of dogs for home adodption as well as for adoption by law enforcement agenciesd, disabled veterans and as service animals for those in need. The program gives meaning and hope to some of the most hopelessly situated inmates - many of whom are "lifers" whose lives have been rescued by working with dogs whose lives they, the prisoners, are changing changing with love and caring. An amazing gift to the humans and the dogs alike. In 2018, as a result of his work with Paws for Life, Jon became the very first life-sentenced inmate in California to receive a Recall of Commitment from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Since his release, his commitment to Paws for Life remains strong - as Director of Programs for the organization, he's found his mission in life - he continues to work with the prisoners to train, care for, and work with Alex Tonner and her team to make sure that each animal finds a loving, "forever" home. When Melissa and Producer Mark lost their two beloved dogs in 2019, they wondered if they'd ever find another canine companion - and then, almost by accident, they came across an adoption fair hosted by Paws for Life at a local pet store, where they met Jon, Alex...and their newly-adopted one year-old Belgian Malinois rescue, Siren Marie, whose puppy energy drives them nuts but whose beauty and love makes them so grateful that they found her - and that Jon Grobman and Paws for Life K9 Rescue were there to save her for them. Listen in as Melissa spends some quality time with Jon to hear his story and discuss the broader issues of the importance of making decisions to improve our lives, sentencing reform and just being our best possible selves. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hal Arthur was pretty much what anybody would want from a high school teacher. One of the most respected and beloved instructors at Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, Mr. Arthur was a real hero - something every teacher should strive for. A true advocate and helper of his students, Hal Arthur gave his own time and resources to make sure all kids in his charge had every opportunity to succeed. He even set up a travel agency to make it easier to take his Jewish (and non-Jewish) students on educational trips to the Holy Land. But just shy of his 61st birthday, on March 24, 1989, Mr. Arthur was getting ready to go to work in the dark at 6:00 am - when he was shot four times outside his car, killed instantly by an assassin whom to this day the police say they can't be sure of. Oh, but they have an idea. And the primary - almost certain - culprit is one of the nastiest characters anyone ever dreamed of running across. Just 16 years old when Hal Arthur was executed, he went on to become one of the most awful organized crime figures at a very young age. Oh, he finally got nabbed for that activity, but to date no one has pinned the gruesome murder of a truly lovely and important soul - Hal Arthur - on this monster - or anyone else. Listen in as Melissa retells the tragic, heartbreaking tale and asks - does someone out there know what actually happened - and if so, isn't now the time to come forward? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You may recall, dear Tip-Ster, way back in Episode 8, when Melissa recalled the tragic-yet-amazing story of "Tent Girl," a young woman whose body was found wrapped in a canvas designed to wrap circus tents, on the side of a road near Georgetown Kentucky in May 1968. Tent Girl's story is remarkable for two reasons. The first remarkable fact is that after a couple of years of trying everything that could be tried to learn Tent Girl's identity to no avail, the tiny town of Georgetown essentially adopted her as its own - even paying for her burial and a stunningly beautiful headstone at the local cemetery. But the most stunning part of Tent Girl's story is how her true identity - Barbara Ann Hackman - was finally revealed by a complete stranger living in a completely different state. The man who had discovered the young woman's body, it turns out, had moved his family from Georgetown Kentucky - to Tennessee - kand there his daughter, Lori, found a high school sweetheart - a young 17 year-old boy named Todd Matthews. When Lori's dad retold his story about finding Tent Girl's body and the subsequent search for her identity back in Kentucky, young Todd - at 17! - decided there and then that he would make it his mission to uncover the woman's name and return her to her family, wherever they were. Over the course of the years, Todd and Lori got married and raised a family. Todd got a job at a local plant that manufactures auto parts. And every night, day off - every waking hour - Todd carried out his mission to find out who the tragically-murdered victim was and where she came from. In the process, Todd essentially helped invent the modern-day independent Internet sleuth. At first using the telephone and the U.S. Mail, then gradually using the early rudimentary tool of the Worldwide Web before most of us even knew it existed, he began working with law enforcement on not just the Tent Girl case, but many other missing person and unidentified body cases. He was a key player in the founding of the Doe Network and NamUs, two online resources that today help hundreds of law enforcement agencies and families identify missing or unidentified loved ones. Oh - and yes - nearly 30 years after beginning his quest, Todd's hard work paid off - and Barbara Ann Hackman was Tent Girl no more. Todd Matthews, in short, is a hero. And Todd Matthews is Melissa's guest on this week's episode. Listen in as a true legend in the world of Internet sleuthing, still married to Lori and now a grandfather but still as passionate as ever - retells his story in a fascinating discussion about how one person can change the world by simply deciding to become dedicated. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On a warm summer Oklahoma day in 2008, two best friends - 13 year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11 year-old Skyla Whitaker - went for a walk along a desolate dirt road near Taylor's home in the small town of Weleetka, on their way to a local creek, where they were going to hunt for pebbles and shells. When they didn't return after darkness fell, Taylor's grandfather went looking for the girls - and came upon a scene no grandparent, parent or decent human being - ever should see. The girls had been shot in the head and chest a total of 13 times with two different guns, their bodies left along the side of the dirt road. Evidence later indicated that at least one of them had been sexually violated. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the case went cold with absolutely no clues as to the identity of the monster who took the lives of these two beautiful girls...until three years later - in 2011 - when the monster revealed himself by killing Ashley Taylor - his fiancee - and setting her corpse ablaze on a relative's property. But it was how the monster - then 25 year-old Kevin Sweat - revealed his crimes that sent a chill down the spines of everyone involved in the case. Listen as Melissa details the madness of Sweat's behavior and ponders the very nature of evil itself - are some people just born evil - or is there something somewhere - in an evildoer's past or biology that sets evil loose amid an otherwise sane world? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the cold early morning hours of February 11, 1987, 37 year-old Peggy Hettrick left the Prime Minister nightclub in Fort Collins, Colorado, heading across the street to an open field, toward her ex-boyfriend's apartment on the other side of the field, where she hoped to get some shelter until she could get back into her own apartment, for which she had lost her key. As the sun rose a few hours later, a passing bicycle rider saw what looked to be almost a posed mannequin lying in the field - but when he noticed blood running into the street, he called the police. And what police found was as horrific as it was bizarre: Peggy Hettrick had been murdered and sexually mutilated in an unthinkably grotesque manner. The cops quickjly latched on to their prime suspect - a 15 year-old high school sophomore named Tim Masters who lived in a house overlooking the field, who was also known to have seen (and ignored as a fake) Hettrick's body that morning - and had a number of dark, teenage-boy illustrations in his personal notebooks that convinced investigators that he must have committed the murder. Yet it took 10 more years - after Masters had honorably served in the Navy - for prosecutors to finally decide they had enough circumstantial evidence to arrest him. And it was on that circumstantial evidence that he was convicted and sent to prison...until 2008, when he was released and eventually exonerated after a mound of evidence pointing to a much more logical suspect - the existence of whom was hidden from Masters' defense team - came to light. Masters finally received his justice when he received a multi-million dollar settlement from the government, but years of his life were taken from him that he will never get back. What makes this particular case so compelling for Melissa is that the comedy team of Scott Howard and Russ Smith, who called themselves "Elroy Bondo," was playing the Prime Minister nightclub on the night of the murder; were probably the last people to see Peggy Hettrick alive...and Melissa knows Scott Howard from her days as a comedy club manager...and Scott was actually the Tip-Ster who told Melissa about the duo's experience...AND Scott Howard was cool enough to call in to tell Melissa about it as she went over the case! Join in on the re-telling of this disturbing case of myopic investigation and injuistice with Melissa and Scott - and hear what it's like to realize you may have been witnessed the final moments of the life of a murder victim. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Melissa was lucky enough to be in beautiful Laguna Beach, California a couple of weeks ago,when a longtime friend of the show - "Detective Joe," a law enforcement officer who spent some serious time on loan to the U.S. Marshals, was able to drop by for a chat. And what a chat it is! You see,Detective Joe was attached to the U.S. Marshals unit that tracked down and finally caught suspected serial killer (and the world's lousiest alibi storyteller) Peter Chadwick,who spent nearly five years on the run after skipping bail in 2015. The Chadwick case has been covered a couple of times on "Just The Tip-Sters," once while the cops were still looking for the fugitive millionaire and again when he was apprehended in a small town in Mexico late last year. In his interview with Melissa, Detective Joe talks about the details of how the Marshals methodically tracked Chadwick, the movie-esque meeting with Chadwick's father at a plush Montecito estate and the nuts and bolts of how an international manhunt operates. (Special thanks to Greg Krueger at Peacock Plantation for technical assistance on this episode.) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Valentine's Day 1982, eleven miles west of the traveler-stopover town of Williams Arizona, the body of a beautiful young woman was discovered in a ditch on the side of Interstate 40. She was impeccably dressed, had not been sexually assaulted, but had - according to the coroner - been suffocated somehow. What baffled police - and baffles them to this day - is why no one ever claimed her. Over the years the authorities believed 15 different reported missing girls and young women might have been the body that came to be called "Valentine Sally," who to this day is buried in Williams - believe it or not - with the headstone showing the name of one of the 15 proven to NOT be her. There is some evidence that she could have been the victim of convicted serial killer Royal Russell Long, but he never admitted to it and died in jail before any real attempt could be made to find out what he knew. It seems clear that Valentine Sally came from a good home; that she hadn't been away for long; and that it would make sense that someone - somewhere - would know who she is and be looking for her. Maybe that someone is YOU, beloved Tip-Ster...We wrap up this installment with a recap of a visit Melissa and Producer Mark made to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Headquarters - quite the fascinating experience - and quite humbling meeting men and women so dedicated to protecting and serving. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2019 Melissa covered the 1980 missing person case of 17 year-old Randy Sellers, who disappeared after attending the Kenton County (Kentucky) Fair, becoming drunk and disorderly and after taking a swing at one of the Sheriff's Deputies sent to deal with him. He was last seen in the company of four officers, who claimed to have dropped him off a mile from his home so he could avoid getting in trouble with his parents. Uh huh. Well. Let's just say that Randy Sellers never made it home. Or anywhere else. Since the original "Just The Tip-Sters" episode on this case, Melissa had the opportunity in the early autumn of 2019 to visit Northern Kentucky (where it just so happens she grew up) and visit the area where the Sellers disappearance occurred. But it was when she returned home from that trip that things got dicey. Fast. A message from a Tip-Ster back in Kentucky began a string of events leading to a phone call that shook Melissa - and her perception of a case already shrouded in more shade than light - to her core. And led her straight to the FBI - where her story actually made the intake officer on duty gasp out loud. You read that right - Melissa made the FBI gasp. And now you will gasp too. Oh yes, yes you will. The road that leads to the truth about what actually happened to Randy Sellers and whoever did to him what was done to him may never be fully revealed - but when you hear Melissa's story, you most probably won't be wondering what acreage that road runs through. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the case that inspired Melissa to start this very podcast. As she has since the first January of "Just The Tip-Sters," Melissa recaps and updates the "shouldn't-be-a" cold case of Will Cierzan, a regular guy living a simple life with the love of his life in the Southern California suburb of Santa Clarita - whose wife came home from work one early evening in January 2017 to find dinner sitting on the counter, Will's wallet and keys out in the open - and her husband - gone. Disappeared. Seemingly without a trace. Over the next days and months, as his wife Linda and his loved ones fought to keep public attention and law enforcement dedicated to finding him, Will's "disappearance," it quickly became clear, was no disappearance at all - that something sinister happened at the Cierzan home between 5:06 and 5:12 p.m. - six minutes caught on camera that said so much but proved so little And the two people who were most likely involved almost immediately lawyered up and laid low. They have yet to be arrested. But the saddest part of it all is who those people are - family. Listen in as Melissa details all of the facts known so far, and highlights the most recent efforts of those who have dedicated themselves to bringing solace to a grieving wife and a multitude of friends, loved ones and co-workers whose life this sweet, kind man brought into the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1988 Diane Sherman Young was a 22 year-old working mother living in rural Indiana. Diane was married to Scott Young, whose brother -Mike - was actually married to Susan, one of Diane's sisters. Diane worked in a local convenience store and seemed by all appearances to be leading a normal, everyday life. Then, suddenly, everyday became a horror story. On May 21, 1988 a local man driving his truck on a farm road between the towns of Hebron and Kouts, Indiana saw a car completely engulfed in flames - on farm land leased to Mike and Scott Young's family. By the time firefighters put out the blaze, all that was left inside the car were the almost completely incinerated remains of Diane Young - her purse found neatly sitting up 48 feet away for authorities to find - and a melted .22 Ruger on the floor. Oh, and an empty gasoline can was sitting outside the vehicle, its handle melted off. For reasons still unfathomable, the authorities originally declared Diane's death a suicide. Wait. What? Now nearly 32 years later,the story of how a few (but certainly not all) family members pressed for, and got, a coroner's inquiry to investigate the matter, and how the facts surrounding the entire affair reveal a surreal and twisted tale of deceit, romantic and familial betrayal, sex (in various and sundry forms), greed and paranoia, leading to only more confusion - and the ultimate conclusion - as is so often the case - that someone knows the truth about Diane's death. And the truth is just barely beneath the surface. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Terry Brisk was your average Minnesota family man and sportsman - not a big game hunter, but someone who did enjoy deer hunting during Deer Season - and who doesn't like a hot bowl of venison stew on a chilly autumn evening? So when Terry took off early from work in November of 2016 to spend a couple of hours on his family's 100-acre property hunting for dinner, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. And when Terry's 16 year-old son John came home from school and found out his dad was taking advantage of the season, it wasnt unusual for John to head out to meet Terry and join the hunt. But unusual is exactly what happened. John eventually found his dad - shot dead in the woods, his Winchester hunting rifle nowhere to be found - and not to be found for months. At first it was thought to be a self-inflicted wound - but law enforcement - after a full year of saying virtually nothing on the case - now insists that it was flat-out murder,and that the killer was someone known to Terry. But who? And why? And for Heaven's sake - how? Melissa explores a raft of possibilities - and seeks help from all of you, dear Tip-Sters, on coming up with suggestions on how this baffling mystery might be solved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 3 open with the story of Joe Bryan, a high school principal who lived with the love of his life - his wife Mickey, an elementary school teacher - in (seemingly) idyllic Clifton Texas. The Bryans were known not only as pillars of their community, but truly good people who cared about their young charges and even spent their own money to buy clothing and lunches for those most in need. Everyone in town knew them to be God-fearing and deeply in love with each other. And then the unthinkable happened. Over and over again. It started in 1985 when Mickey was shot to death in the master bedroom of the Bryant home while Joe was away on a business trip 120 miles away. It got worse when Joe became a suspect in Mickey's murder and was arrested. And it got unbearably awful when the reasoning was revealed for the Texas Rangers' and other law enforcement officials' suspicions - reasoning beyond belief even in the mid-1980s. Join Melissa as she unfolds this sad and anger-inducing tale of a murder conviction based on completely flimsy circumstantial evidence and a whole lot of bigoted assumptions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Say what you will about Dan Rather - the famed newsman and former anchor of the CBS Evening News has had an ... interesting ... time of it over the years. There was that time that viewers of the broadcast in the Eastern and Central time zones saw a black screen instead of Rather because he'd walked out in a huff over a tennis match digging into his time. Then there was the time a cab driver in Chicago decided he didn't like where Rather wanted to be driven, locked the taxi doors and drove frantically around the city for an extended period of time, with Rather hollering for help out of the cab's window. But nothing, of course, compares to the day in 1986 when a then-unknown assailant and an accomplice accosted and beat up Rather as he walked home in Manhattan, yelling "What's the frequency, Kenneth?!" A lot of people thought the whole thing was a figment of the anchorman's imagination. No one really knows what happened in Michael Stipe's imagination, but the incident triggered a free-form string of lyrics that Stipe's band, REM, backed with a beat and a melody - and it became a Top 40 smash hit. Go figure. But as Melissa describes in this Murdertizer (an appetizer of murder), Rather really was accosted just the way he claimed, and the way the identity of the assailant was discovered is chilling (we don't put "Murder" in "Murdertizer" for nothin', kiddo). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1975 a series of murders of young women in Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida baffled police. They were dubbed the "Flat Tire Murders" because evidence strongly suggested that tires on the victims' cars were deflated as they shopped or were otherwise away from their vehicles - and then "assisted" by the killer when they returned. But wait just a second. Officially, the still-unsolved Flat Tire Murder investigation names five - 5 - victims of the killing spree. But as Melissa discusses in this fascinating episode, there were at least five additional women killed under similar circumstances, all in the same South Florida area during the same period - and there are indications that this same serial madman may have been responsible for up to 30 additional murders. And to make it all even that much more mind-bending, there's more than just a hint of a suggestion that one or more of the slayings could very well have been the work of a certain truly devious - and infamous - evil-doer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1974 and 1975 five white gay men were savagely stabbed to death by a young African American man who attracted his victims by sketching their likenesses in the bars and cafes of San Francisco's Castro District, eventually luring them away to their doom. He has never been identified, let alone arrested. So how do we know so much about this killer and his modus operandi? We know because three additional victims of the so-called "Doodler" survived to tell their stories - and each of them described that same scenario. All three of those victims also provided similar descriptions of their attacker And, tragically, all three insisted on full anonymity - all refused to be named or to step forward into the public light or press charges even if their would-be murderer were ever arrested. And the reason for that is heartbreaking - and (in today's world) almost impossible to comprehend. In this fascinating and heartfelt account of "The Doodler" and his serial murders, Melissa also explores San Francisco at a turning point in its history, the hidden heartbreak of being forced to live one's life in closeted fear and shame, and the Castro District businessman-turned-politician who understood that pain, exposed it and ultimately gave his life so that gay men and women everywhere would never be forced into it again. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1970 and 1971, the bodies of six girls and young women were tossed onto the side of various freeways in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Most had been sexually assaulted and then strangled - none were over the age of 18. Like so many serial killers, the so-called "Freeway Phantom" not only tortured his victims before slaying them - he also taunted police, and worst of all, the families of his victims with phone calls - some from him and some from the girls themselves before he killed them. But it was what made this monster's atrocities so unlike most other serial murderers that made them so striking: Most of his victims were almost always found within hours of their abduction. And most chilling of all - after his sixth murder, they simply stopped. He vanished. Or did he? Nearly fifty years later, the mystery remains - is he still alive? Is he dead? Did something inside his warped mind simply switch off the desire to rape and murder? Join Melissa as she digs in to this fascinating case and asks - as she always asks - does someone out there know something that will finally solve this puzzling puzzle? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scott Cox is a monster - the question is, how big of a monster - and can the immensity of his monstrosity be proven? Convicted of the rape and murder of two women in 1990 and 1991, Cox - a trucker who frequented the two major interstates in and around his home town of Seattle - is the ONLY suspect in an additional 20 homicides up, down and across the I-5 and I-90 corridors, some as far north as Canada - cases that are still so active even after more than a quarter-century that law enforcement won't even release the names of all of the victims. Why? Because the police want to arrest Cox and put him back in prison...that's right, he's been on modified probation since 2013 on a "post prison supervised life sentence," which is a lot of words meaning he's free during the day but must sleep in prison at night. Some life sentence, eh? Join Melissa for a frustrating story of justice gone sideways - and another reason to always keep our eyes open and our minds aware to report any information we might have to bring creatures like Scott Cox to the justice they deserve. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When your cousin and his best friend are attacked - and your cousin is killed - and his best friend suffers permanent brain damage - by three random thugs - for no reason whatsoever - and then all three disappear into thin air - for THREE DECADES - what would you do? Well here's what Audry McDonald did: Audry McDonald never stopped looking, that's what. And when as the case got colder, she became even more determined to bring justice to the murderer of her cousin Richard "Pookie" Hernandez and the monster who forever crippled Pookie's best friend, Daniel Ontiveros. Together with a dedicated army of family, friends and some of the finest law enforcement professionals on earth, Audry found the two surviving perpetrators hiding in plain sight - one of whom had actually become a beloved volunteer boxing coach for the local police department! - and saw to it that they were brought before The Law. But that's where the story gets even better. Because when the prosecutors tried to hand the two monsters a sweet plea deal, Justice - True Justice - stepped in, in the form of a Justice-loving Superior Court judge who cared about the victims and their families just as much as he cared about the rights of the defendants. And then THAT's where the story hits home - as in the Homestead Studios...but you'll have to listen to discover that particular surprise! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the aftermath of the horrific shooting deaths of two innocent high school students on November 14, 2019 - and the suicide of the shooter - in our home town of Santa Clarita, Melissa examines the facts known to date about this tragic incident and celebrates the hero first responders who ran toward the sound of gunshots. And in a moving dialogue on the causes and lifelong effects of such an event on the young people at the school that day, Melissa reminisces about a tragedy that happened 39 years ago when she was a Junior at Simon Kenton High School in Northern Kentucky - also an awful even that also made national news - and which also had a permanent effect on the lives of the kids who were there. A candid, thoughtful and moving meditation on the nature of fear, how it affects our behavior - and the importance of facing it down and moving on. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you kill someone and you're sentenced to prison "for the rest of your natural life," without the possibility of parole, you're done. Finished. Kaput. No more freedom for you, ever. Right? Right. Except. What does the "your natural life" mean, exactly? Especially when we live in an age where technology can actually revive someone who has literally died for a few seconds? And how does that phrase apply in the ostensibly cold, harsh light of legal interpretation? Enter one Benjamin Schreiber, a nasty fellow who was convicted of a brutal murder and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail - but who is currently placing himself in the middle of a legal battle that could possibly alter how "life" sentences are doled out in the future. Join Melissa as she unravels the facts behind this case, and Schreiber's bold legal ploy to break free of his jail cell - by dying. More than once. SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW "JUST THE TIP-STERS" today! And if you like what you hear, give us a five-star review! Plus - don't forget - if you've got a tip for Melissa, leave her a voice mail message at (832) TIP-STER (832-847-7837) or send her an email at [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Setting fires is bad. Setting fires that destroy property and businesses is worse. But setting fires so recklessly as to take innocent lives in service of some hidden, inexplicable lust for flame and heat is evil. And the most evil among those fire-starters are those who are sworn to protect us from that very danger - those in the uniform of firefighters. And the very worst of all is one John Leonard Orr, the former Fire Chief and Lead Arson Investigator for the Glendale California Fire Department - who during the 1980s and 1990s is believed to have set more than 2,000 (that's not a typo) fires throughout California, using his expertise as a highly-respected arson investigator as cover for his sickness. All that was bad enough - but when one of his fires - that of a hardware store/home center in Pasadena - resulted in the deaths of four innocents (including an infant and his grandmother), his sickness turned him into a murderer. In this episode, Melissa details the long, often frustrating road that eventually led to apprehending Orr, and the one dedicated Fire Chief in the middle of the state who suspected Orr was the culprit for years and whose determination finally paid off in the arrest of the man widely regarded as the most prolific arsonist in American history. SUPPORT JUST THE TIP-STERS! For as little as $2 per month you can become a patron and get some cool swag as our thanks! Visit www.patreon.com/justthetipsters for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October 1969. Nighttime in a quiet, leafy upscale suburban neighborhood in one of Cincinnati's toniest conclaves. A young couple with two young children, and the wife's mother, all presumably asleep inside. Except when the kids wake up the next morning and go to the neighbors to say they can't rouse mom and dad, what the neighbors find is simply horrific: The stabbed and shot bodies of Martin Dumler, age 29, his wife Patricia, age 27 and Patricia's 50 year-old mother, Mary Wilson. Looks like the young couple may have been tortured - but impossible to be sure. Looks like Mary just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - but that too can't be definitively confirmed. And for the past fifty years, the Dumler-Wilson murders have confounded authorities and remained one of the Queen City's most notorious unsolved mysteries. On this episode, Melissa is joined by Cincinnati P.D. Cold Case Unit Detective Kellyanne Best, the tenacious, current posessor of the Dumler-Wilson file, significant portions of which she has provided to Melissa and which provokes some fascinating discussion. SOMEONE, somewhere knows something about this case - is that someone YOU? If you think you might be able to help, call Cincinnati CrimeStoppers at (513) 352-3040 or write to Detective Best directly at [email protected] - or you can always leave a voicemail message for Melissa on the TIP-STER HOTLINE at (832) TIP-STER (832-847-7837) or send Melissa an email at [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's a twisted little murder story of justice delayed and (at least as of right now) justice denied for the victim - the location of whose body still hasn't been revealed by the killer. And about that killer - dude named Will Greer (no not Grandpa Walton - this bastard has an "r" in his last name). Greer actually drunkenly admitted - while TWO police video cameras were rolling - that he killed his beautiful young girlfriend, Tammy Esquivel in December 2006. And yet he wasn't arrested for her murder. Instead, he went on the run for nearly eleven years, finally being caught in southernmost Mexico in 2017 with a new family, a new job and a town full of people who thought "El Gringo" was a top-notch guy. Thankfully, the Mexican authorities who tracked him down knew better - and they proved that he was their man in a most unique way - one only a podiatric surgeon could truly appreciate. Join Melissa as she unravels the sad yet fascinating facts of the Tammy Esquivel case - and the lingering hope that her killer, now on the eve of trial, will finally reveal where he so cruelly disposed of her remains. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are mysteries. There are baffling mysteries. And then there are mysteries that throw an entire nation into fits of frustration and anger. This is one of those cases. 3 year-old William Tyrrell was playing with his older sister - when his foster mother (who was watching both kids with her own mom) went into the house briefly. When she returned, young William was gone - the grandmother had no explanation for his disappearance and William's sister did not see anything. In the intervening years, the case has become one of Australia's most notorious and publicized missing persons cases in its history. And every media outlet, pundit, psychic and average citizen on the street has an opinion on what happened. In this episode, Melissa describes the madness of the Tyrrell case - the conflicting story lines, multiple suspects (one in particular horrifically wrongly accused) and the prosecution of the case's former lead investigator for reasons that are almost impossible to comprehend. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1956 Chicago, it wasn't unusual for a couple of young women to venture out on foot at night to see a movie at a local theater. So when 15 year-old Barbara Grimes and her 12 year-old sister Patricia - both huge fans of Elvis Presley - asked their mom if they could walk to the local cinema to watch "Love Me Tender" for the umpteenth time on December 28, 1956, Loretta Grimes had no problem saying "yes." Except that Loretta never saw Barbara or Patricia ever again. After launching one of the most exhaustive missing persons investigations in Chicago history - and with pleas on radio and television from even Elvis himself - the frozen, nude bodies of both girls were found nearly a month after their disappearance. In the months and years that followed, police received dozens of reports of sightings of the girls in the days between their disappearance and the discovery of their bodies. Many of those reports led to actual suspects, but none of those leads panned out. In 1974, the Chicago PD declared the case unsolvable. But not everyone gives up so easily. Join Melissa as she winds through the years of tragedy, confusion and frustration the Grimes family have witnessed - and the light of hope held up by a determined retired detective who wasn't even born when the Grimes Sisters disappeared. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Back a few episodes ago (JTT Episode 98 to be precise) Melissa covered the puzzling 1963 murder of young Hollywood actress Karyn Kupcinet. Karyn's killer has never been identified, but her demise was surrounded in a shroud of weirdness, including a tie to the JFK assassination and a possible link to a tough guy matinee idol named Lawrence Tierney, who, Melissa was once told by a colleague of Tierney's, coulda just mighta well y'know maybe sorta was involved in the Kupcinet case...Fast forward to a few weeks later, when Melissa got a call from her friend - writer and witness Cynthia Hawkins - whose own personal story about Tierney sent a chill down Melissa's spine. Cynthia agreed to impart her tale to Melissa in front of our Homestead Studios microphones - and on this episode you can decide for yourself if maybe...possibly...hmmmmmm... SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY - go to www.kleanspa.com and get 15% off your total order. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Matthew Weaver Jr. was troubled - but really not that much more troubled than any other 21 year-old young man is troubled. So when he went for a late night ride in the hills above Malibu California in August 2018, it seemed a perfectly natural thing for him to do, to catch his breath and settle his mind. Except that he never returned. His car was found perilously perched at a place called Rosas Overlook, abandoned and otherwise untouched. Since that day, Matthew's disappearance has been treated with a level of disinterest by law enforcement that is both disheartening and infuriating. This is the story of Matthew's family and friends, who have never given up looking for him, and who have actually done more work and uncovered more evidence than the police. It is also the story of how law enforcement's incredible, mysteriously vague treatment of the case can lead to serious questions the police probably don't want asked. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In August 1994 a sports fisherman cruising the Hawkesbury River in Sydney Australia got a tug on his line unlike any he'd gotten before. Hauling what he thought was going to be a prize flathead into his boat, he instead encountered pure horror: The macabre remains of a man's body tied to a cross-like rack. Forensic science determined that the man had been killed roughly one year prior - but that's about the only fact that could be determined. Fast forward 25 years - a full quarter-century following the man's death - when the New South Wales State Coroner's Office suddenly declared that DNA testing had finally determined definitively that the body was that of a certain Matt (aka "Max") Tancevski, who - although a known gambler, had no underworld or other criminal connections. Tag along with Melissa as she wonders aloud about the wide range of questions this new information has raised...who would want Tancevski dead? If it was a simple gambling debt gone bad, would the killer have devised such a unique and complicated method for the murder? And if it was a serial killer, why have no other bodies been found that had been killed in a similar fashion? SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Visit www.kleanspa.com today and get 15% your total order by entering Promotional Code TIPSTERS at checkout! Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the 100th episode of "Just The Tip-Sters" - and Melissa marks the occasion with a tragic story from her home state of Kentucky - in honor of those who perished and in celebration of the positive strides, both culturally and in the law, that sprang forth after that terrible day. On May 14, 1988, a converted school bus carrying 63 (mostly) young teenagers and four adults (including the bus driver) left the Assembly of God church in Radcliff, Kentucky to spend the day at the King's Island amusement park in Ohio. That night, on the way home, just south of the town of Carrollton Kentucky, the bus was hit head-on by a drunk driver in a pickup truck at a high rate of speed. The impact damaged the bus' front door (making it impossible to open) and ripped open the gas tank, igniting a fire that consumed the bus and its passengers in a matter of seconds. In all, 24 of the teenagers and three of the adults perished. Of the survivors, many were left with life-altering injuries. To this day, the Carrollton Bus Crash remains the deadliest drunk driving incident in U.S. history. Yet despite the horror of the incident, much good came of it, including the ascendance of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, new state and federal safety standards - and not one, but two incredible love stories. Join Melissa as she recalls this emotional tale of life, death and, ultimately, hope. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Get 15% off your total order by entering Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout. Go to www.kleanspa.com today and prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode Melissa details two unrelated cases involving two sets of two best friends, one case a little weird but solved , the other completely mysterious and just as completely unsolved. In July 2019, school teachers Kenneth Anderson Jr. and Mark Anderson (no relation, believe it or not) were found dead in the swimming pool of a house they were sitting in Davenport Iowa. Local police recently stated that a security camera caught the whole thing, and that it was just a tragic accident - but why hasn't anyone outside law enforcement seen the video? Hmmmm? But that mystery is nothing compared to the gruesome 2011 murders of Ryan Riddell and Mark Prasse whose gunshot bodies were discovered in the basement of Prasse's home in Central Illinois. To this date, no arrests have been made, and he cops are saying essentially the case will never be solved. But wait - what about that bizarre attempted bank heist Ryan Riddell was caught in the middle of just a few months before he was killed? No connections there? Hmmmm? SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY. Enter promo code TIPSTERS at checkout and receive 15% off your total order! Go to www.kleanspa.com today and check out all their unique bath and body products. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Karyn Kupcinet was a beautiful young actress working her way up the Hollywood ladder, using her grit, tenacity (and her dad's solid connections throughout the entertainment industry) to eventually get steady work and even praise for her acting ability. In November 1963 - just 8 days after the Kennedy assassination, Karyn was found murdered in her apartment, strangled to death by an unknown assailant - who remains unknown to this day. But oh, are there ever guesses. From a haunting call to police just minutes prior to JFK's demise to a disturbingly possible link between the murder and an admired journeyman Hollywood character actor, Karyn Kupcinet's murder isn't as simple as it looks at first glance. Join Melissa as she traverses the life, times and untimely death of a young woman who might just have gotten a little too far over her head and tried to make things right only after it was too late. SPONSORED BY KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Make sure to enter the Promotional Code "TIPSERS" at checkout to receive 15% off your total order. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1978, while hitchhiking to visit a relative, 15 year-old Mary Vincent was abducted, then repeatedly raped and sodomized, then tortured by 51 year-old Lawrence Singleton, who then attempted to finish the teenager off by cutting both of her arms off with an ax, then kicking her into a drainage ditch. Almost impossibly, young Mary found the will to stuff dirt into the stubs that were once her forearms, crawl out of the ravine and walk - naked and near death - THREE MILES to the nearest highway, where she was rescued by passing motorists. Listen as Melissa takes you through the horror of Mary Vincent's ordeal, her absolute defiance in the face of death, and the awful, disturbing details of what happened to her would-be murderer. Ultimately, this is a story of great hope and - yes - beauty and love - a reminder that the human spirit is capable of miracles. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY by Jennifer Hardaway. Make sure to enter promotional code TIPSTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your total order. www.kleanspa.com - Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In April 1989, Ramon Salcido, a husband and father of three girls, went on a drunken, ghastly, deadly rampage, killing seven people, including his wife, two of his daughters, his mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and a coworker. What he did with his three daughters was particularly evil - he took them to a dump, slit their throats from ear-to-ear and left them to die in piles of garbage. The sole survivor was young Carmina, the youngest of Salcido's daughters - who was just about to turn 3 years old - we repeat, THREE years old. Somehow the toddler was able to sit herself up and bend her head forward to prevent the wound to her neck from killing her. And then she sat there for 36 hours until rescuers found her and saved her life. Join Melissa as she recounts the heartbreaking, harrowing and ultimately life-affirming story of Carmina, who refused to die when just a baby - and despite continued hardship throughout her life, still maintains her strength and determination to carry on. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - visit www.kleanspa.com and enter promotional code TIPSTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your total order. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's a quick between-regular-episodes MURDERTIZER to abate your appetite for All Melissa, All the Time - and it's got some BIG NEWS - Peter Chadwick, the millionaire (alleged) wife killer who told cops one of the stupidest "my spouse was murdered" stories ever (allegedly) concocted and then, once arrested, got out on bail and (allegedly) skipped the country for four years - has finally been found in southeastern Mexico and extradited earlier this week. Join Melissa as she revels in the capture of a truly (allegedly) awful dude, work herself into a righteous froth remembering how the Newport Beach police kept facts from the public - and excitedly previews an upcoming interview with a Long Beach, California detective who was a member of the task force that finally brought Chadwick back home to face justice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SURVIVOR MONTH on Just The Tip-Sters begins with our first edition of MURDER NERD UNIVERSITY - where Melissa focuses on the sciences and practices and interesting people - both in the past and in modern-day criminology - that contribute to the art of criminal justice. In late 2017 Brigida Uto (who later changed her surname back to maiden name McInvale for reasons that will become obvious) got very sick for no apparent reason. The young special needs teacher, who by all accounts had a happy life and rewarding career, a naval officer husband and a young child - was suddenly seeing her health degrade slowly, day after day, week after week. Moving back and forth between the naval hospital and a local community hospital, doctors could not diagnose what was wrong with Brigida, as the symptoms seemed to be all over the map. Finally, when it became too painful for Brigida to even walk, she landed in the emergency room of the community hospital on a night when the attending physician happened to also be a toxicologist - part of an elite group of toxicologists working at the hospital - and that doctor, when he examined Brigida, had a hunch...so he called his boss. His boss was Dr. Jeff Lapoint - who, with his team, working with local police, the FBI and NCIS - proved that Brigida was poisoned with thallium - a deadly metal that her husband, Race Uto, had been shaving into her food. Using a compound so rare that it took clearance - and some heavy questioning - from the National Security Apparatus - Dr. Lapoint and his team saved Brigida's life and helped put the diabolical husband behind bars for a very long time. Join Melissa as she engages Dr. Lapoint in a wide ranging conversation about the case and the art of toxicology in the service of saving lives. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY by Jennifer Hardaway - get 15% off your total order by entering Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout! That's kleanspa.com - Prepare to smell delicious! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.