The Dark Divide

Blue Christmas (Patreon Preview) - Mackenzie Lee Trottier

Hello listener,
It's been awhile; I so appreciate your patience. I miss making episodes & I have many deep-dives in store for you. It's always been my dream to make The Dark Divide my full time focus. If you'd like to be a part of gifting me more time to create, please consider joining the patreon! There's exclusive episodes over there & it's a great way to support the show. A lot of blood, sweat and (usually literal) tears go into each story, on top of massive amounts of time. I do all of the research, writing, narrating & audio engineering. Since episodes are ad-free, everything is 100% funded by me. So, your support gives me creative freedom to bring you more quality content much faster! 
 
As an appetizer of sorts, today I'm bringing you a snippet of the story about 22-year-old Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who was last seen in December 2020, just days before Christmas --a holiday she never would've missed spending with her family. As with so many missing persons cases, someone definitely knows something. Every day that passes, is a day lost to an ocean of time. Authorities have theories - but which road will lead to Mackenzie?
 
Listen to the full now episode on Patreon.
 
Thank you so much for every listen, every share, every review and of course, for staring into the abyss with me. 

Home Sweet Home - Melinda Pleskovic

Melinda and Bruce Pleskovic had been dealing with months of disturbances, theft and attempted burglaries. When Bruce came home on the evening of October 23rd, 2017 to find his wife had been murdered, he assumed that could be the only possible threat. But after hours of interrogation and piecing together her last day, authorities would discover that the biggest danger to Melinda's family wasn't lurking in wait from the outside. With no signs of forced entry, authorities suspected that Melinda's killer had been living right in her own home.
 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com
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*A special thanks to WKYC Channel 3, The Strongsville Post & Supremecourt.ohio.gov for information that allowed this episode to be possible. (Apologies for any sound issues with the interrogation tracks, it's the best I could do!)
Thank you for listening! 

A Safe Place to Fall - Cody Johnson

Newlyweds of no more than a week, Jordan Graham and Cody Johnson should've been living out the ultimate summer of love in July 2013. But an afternoon hike in the best nature Montana has to offer, would have only one of them returning home. For some it's a dream, and for others, falling in love is the deadliest thing you could ever do. 
Get early listening & bonus episodes on Patreon
 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Four & Two by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to True Crime Daily, ABC News, The National Post, Hungry Horse News, Daily Mail, New York Daily & The Flathead Beacon for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Arsenic, Lace and Time - Anthony Tomaselli

In February 2019, Linda Roberts begged her boyfriend for one more chance to explain all the difficulties and drama that she brought into their relationship. He prepared himself for a tale of childhood trauma and chaotic family dynamics involving her sister Mary-Beth and her father Anthony Tomaselli. Instead, he would quickly realize that what he was there for wasn't an explanation, but a confession.
 
Support the show & get bonus episodes on Patreon
 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Four & There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com_______________________________________
*A special thanks to The Tampa Bay Times for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Wish You Were Here - Jaryd Atadero

October 2nd, 1999 was a perfect day to be on The Big South Trail. As it continues along the Poudre River, you can catch scenic canyon vistas along it's climb and descent, and experience the best of what Northern Colorado has to offer. But Allyn Atadero would face every father's worst nightmare when his three year old son, Jaryd, would go missing during a hike. The majestic beauty of the land would show it's teeth through the unpredictable depths of nature. No answer would be simple. To this day, there are still significant questions and multiple theories. What happened to Jaryd on that mountain and exactly which animal are to we fear? "Maybe there is a beast...maybe it's only us."
 
Support the show & get bonus episodes on Patreon 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution. Measured Paces & Ambiment by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comThere Are Many Different Kinds of Love, I Am a Man Who Will Fight For Your Honor, Cylinder Two & Four by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to Missing: When the Son Sets by Allyn Atadero & The Coloradoan for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Highway of the Hunted - Kam McLeod & Bryer Schmegelsky

When the bodies of two tourists are discovered along a highway in Northern British Columbia, an immediate tension would rise with the peak of the season. Within days, another murder would lead the RCMP to believe they had a spree on their hands. By the time law enforcement realized they had mistook perpetrators Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky for possible victims, a relentless manhunt would take on the thick forestry of Canada and it's dog days of summer, pulling together professionals and citizens alike to search for the killers, justice and closure.
 
Support the show & get bonus episodes on Patreon 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Four, Cylinder Two, There Are Many Different Kinds of Love & The House Glows (With Almost No Help) by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to The National Post, Nine News Australia, "The Concept of Leakage in Threat Assessment" by J. Reid Meloy & Mary Ellen O’Toole, "Manhunt, Manitoba" via The Globe and Mail, Global News & CBC for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Beneath Your Bones - Dorothy Jane Scott

In the summer of 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott would disappear into the California night without a trace. There is nothing more chilling than an unsolved case where a person seemingly vanishes into thin air. Intertwine that with a self-proclaimed killer committed to haunting the aftermath and you have the stuff nightmares are made of. But how do you solve a crime that wasn't even a crime while it was happening? Do all secrets fray with time? Let us set each detail out like a giant puzzle on a dining room table, in the hopes that a whole image emerges as we examine all the ways it may fit together.
 
Support the show & get bonus episodes on Patreon
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Two & Four by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com_______________________________________
*A special thanks to The Santa Ana Orange County Register, Crimeblogger1983 via Blogspot, and The Los Angeles Times for providing amazing information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Something Borrowed, Something Blue - Sherri Rasmussen

On February 24, 1986, John Ruetten came home to his Van Nuys apartment to discover that his wife, Sherri Rasmussen had been beaten and murdered. The Los Angeles Police Department was quick to call it a burglary gone wrong, with no suspects ever being brought to justice. The case went cold, with evidence waiting on technology to catch up. For over two decades, friends and family of Sherri would hold steadfast to the belief that there was something much more sinister to be found than a robbery. In 2009, new detectives with fresh eyes would be assigned the file, and would shock the state of California as evidence would lead them no further than their own front door.
 
Support the show & also get bonus episodes on Patreon
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces & Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comThe Dark Glow of the Mountains, Cylinder 9 & Temperature of the Air by Chris Zabriskie via via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to CBS 48 Hours "One of Their Own", "In Plain Sight" by Steven Mikulan via LA Mag, Trials & Tribulations blog, The Los Angeles Times & The Lazarus Files by Matthew McGough for providing amazing information that allowed this episode to be possible.
Thank you for listening!

Two Can Keep A Secret - Grace Millane

On the eve of her 22nd birthday, a British tourist named Grace Millane would go missing during a backpacking trip in Auckland, New Zealand. Soon after alerting the public for leads in finding her, authorities would begin investigating it as a homicide, resulting in an arrest within days of her disappearance. But for two years, name suppression would wrap the case in a thick sense of confusion, bewilderment and even resentment among the nation. What had happened to Grace and who was responsible? 
 
Support the show & get bonus episodes on Patreon 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Measured Paces & The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com
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*A special thanks to We Can't Consent To This UK, The Journal of Criminal Law, News Hub NZ, The New Zealand Herald, Stuff News and Radio New Zealand for providing amazing information that allowed this episode to be possible.
Thank you for listening!

Haste and Honor - Yaser Said

On January 1, 2008, Yaser Said carried out the unspeakable as his two teenage daughters, Sarah and Amina, would never make it out of his vehicle alive. Later, many will question what they could have done or should have done to prevent such a senseless tragedy. How does one keep their head above water in the throes of fear and power? Where do we go when the ones who have the responsibility to protect us are the very thing we need protection from?
 
Support the show & also get bonus episodes on Patreon 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Measured Paces, Awkward Meeting Supernatural Haunting & Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com
Brethren, Arise, The Theatrical Poster for Poltergeist III & Fly Inverted Past a Jenny by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to The Price of Honor by Neena Nejad/Xoel Pamos for providing amazing information that allowed this episode to be possible.
Thank you for listening!