The Dark Divide

Tall, Dark and Faceless - The Slender Man Stabbing

It was a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning in Waukesha, Wisconsin on May 31, 2014 when a cyclist came upon Payton Leutner laying near a bike path in a park. The 12-year-old girl had been stabbed multiple times and left for dead, but after extensive life-saving measures, would miraculously survive the vicious attack. Authorities were forced to confront their fundamental assumptions when she told them that her own friends, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, had been the ones to carry out the heinous act. Both girls believed that the fictional character Slender Man would harm their families, but killing Payton would dissuade him in their favor.
Reshaping motive into a dilemma of insanity and delusion, they were found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental health institution. But the story was far from over, creating a bigger conversation about mental health in the legal system and the true definition of justice. How far does guilt go, how do we heal as a community and is closure a tangible thing or just a feeling?
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Four/Two, The Dark Glow of the Mountains & There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to ABC's 20/20 "Out of the Woods", The Independent, Slenderman by Kathleen Hale, HBO's Beware the Slenderman & CBS News for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
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Up in Blue Smoke (Preview) - Thelma Pauline Melton

It was a perfect day for a hike on September 25th, 1981 when Thelma Pauline Melton ventured out into the woods of the Great Smoky Mountain with two friends. Walking ahead of them at one point, Thelma sped up around a hilly bend, slipping out of sight. A few minutes later, they reached the same spot, expecting to see her, but Thelma wasn't there. Despite extensive search and rescue efforts, no trace of Thelma was found. She had simply vanished. For decades, family and friends lived with unanswered questions, haunted by the mystery of how someone could just disappear so completely, without a trace.
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Climbing Up the Walls - Russell Williams

When 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd failed to show up for work, it immediately set off alarm bells for everyone who knew how responsible and reliable she was. Upon further inspection, two sets of footprints in the snow would show Jessica's shoes walking away from her home towards the property line, vanishing once met with tire tracks. Someone had taken her. And this was yet another event on a growing list of break-ins, burglaries and even assault in small Ontario towns once untouched by major crime. What was first disregarded as some deranged creep on the loose had escalated to kidnapping and possibly even murder. But the last thing the authorities expected was for their investigation to lead them right to the Royal Canadian Air Force, and specifically, Colonel David Russell Williams. Could this really be their guy? How was it possible that a decorated pilot and respected commander was one of the most dangerous and deadly men Canada has ever seen?
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comThere Are Many Different Kinds of Love and Cylinder Four by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to Camouflaged Killer by David A. Gibb, Maclean's Magazine, Explorations in Forensic Psychology by Margo C. Watt, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Way of Ninja, The Peterborough Examiner & The Toronto Star for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
 
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Blind Bet - Philip Markoff

Philip Markoff appeared to have it all: a shiny academic record, a beautiful fiancé and a successful medical career in the making. But beneath the exterior of his perfect life was a hidden thirst for power, a greedy sense of entitlement and a financial debt that left him feeling desperate. Using Craigslist to meet women and steal his way back to freedom, Philip would eventually end up with blood on his hands. And while the Boston Homicide Unit was solving the murder of Julissa Brisman as fast as technology could go, Philip was already looking for his next victim with no plans to stop. Would they figure out who this young man on the security footage was in time, before he killed again? 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comThere Are Many Different Kinds of Love, Cylinder Four & Two by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to The Patriot Ledger, Boston Herald, 48 Hours: Classified for Murder, Vanity Fair: Killer@Craigslist, Murder Made Me Famous S3E1 & Associated Press for information that allowed this episode to be possible.
 
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Love You Till Tuesday - Katie Janness

The night of July 27, 2021 had been just like any other for Katie Janness. She stopped in to visit her girlfriend at work while walking their dog Bowie, intending to see her back at home when she finished. But shortly after, the two would enter Piedmont Park and never exit. Over two years later, the FBI and Atlanta Police are still searching for leads to solve a murder that has baffled not only Georgia, but the entire country. What kind of person could be so brutal and cruel, and why did they choose Katie? 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comThere Are Many Different Kinds of Love, The Dark Glow of the Mountains & Cylinder Four by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to Atlanta News First, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 11 Alive, WSB-TV, WXIA-TV & FOX 5 Atlanta for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
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Buried With a Bullet - Taylor Wright

At the time she went missing, Taylor Wright's life was complicated and messy. Just recently divorced, the rumor on the street was that she had skipped town with a load of her ex-husband's cash. The nation would soon be captivated by this alleged mother on the run, and as the days passed the focus of suspicion would instead fix itself onto her best friend, Ashley McArthur. In between all the lies, a story of greed and betrayal would slowly emerge. After weeks of investigation, hours of interrogation and plenty of good old-fashioned detective work, authorities would still only have one question remaining: what really happened to Taylor Wright?
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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
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*A special thanks to Pensacola News Journal, North Escambia News, & CourtTV for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
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Marked for Death - Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam

In September 2017, 65-year-old Dianna-Mah Jones and her 68-year-old husband, Richard Jones, would be found murdered in their safe and vibrant residential neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia. For weeks, authorities canvassed the area and examined clues left behind at the scene. The community held their breath for over a month until 27-year-old Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam was arrested, a man who had recently moved from Hong Kong with no previous record and a profile that police had never seen before. Slowly, the bigger picture would emerge, mapping out the horrors of that day. But Rocky would leave the missing pieces to be filled in by investigators. What had been his motive behind killing this loving couple?
 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.comCylinder Two, Four & There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com
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*A special thanks to CTV News, Global News, The Vancouver Sun & The Toronto Star for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
Thank you for listening!

Walking With Our Sisters: MMIW Tribute - Abigail Andrews, Elaine Alook, Caitlin Potts

May 5th is the National Day of Awareness and Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, girls, 2 spirit, and gender diverse people in Canada. So today, I'm bringing you three exclusive episodes from Patreon of MMIW women in Canada that deserve more attention. 
If you'd like to support the show, JOIN PATREON for more bonus episodes like these: 
ABIGAIL ANDREWS - 01:00
Thirteen years ago, Abigail Andrews vanished without a trace from Fort St. John, British Columbia. The details of her disappearance prove how uncharacteristic it was for her to not return home. It's clear that there was foul play involved, but authorities have been tight-lipped and the case seemingly gets colder by the year. What happened to Abigail and when will justice finally be served?
ELAINE ALOOK - 15:38
It's been nineteen years since 35-year-old Elaine Frieda Alook was reported to be last seen just outside of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Her last known whereabouts immediately made her disappearance extremely suspicious to her friends and family. Elaine's image would begin an online movement between artists, activists and politicians alike. Bringing attention to a haunting history of a nation's missing and murdered indigenous women, a collective trauma still palpable throughout generations and a list of questions waiting to be answered.
CAITLIN POTTS - 28:52
On February 22, 2016 Caitlin Potts would be seen for the last time on a glimpse of security footage. It was as if the 27-year-old walked into the Orchard Park Mall in Enderby, British Columbia and vanished into thin air. But, of course, Caitlin left the mall somehow that day. Seven years later, authorities seem no closer to figuring out what happened to Caitlin than they did that day. Is Caitlin's disappearance connected to other cases involving missing women in the Okanagan area, or is the person who hurt Caitlin much closer to home? 
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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com
 
*A special thanks to Enderby RCMP, CBC, Penticton Western News, The Edmonton Journal, The Toronto Star, Taken S4E07, Taken S3E13, Energetic City, & Missing People Canada for information that allowed this episode to be possible. 
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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. 
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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!