In late spring 2009, Florida State University students in Tallahassee, Florida, were wrapping up finals when 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman became the center of a police operation that would end in tragedy. In this episode of Crime Salad, we break down the Rachel Hoffman case, focusing on how a “controlled” and “by-the-book” confidential informant (CI) operation unraveled and why officers reportedly waited more than 90 minutes after her last contact before launching a search.

Rachel Hoffman was a college student with big plans, described as driven and fearless, working toward her future when she was asked to assist law enforcement as an informant during a drug sting in Tallahassee. What happened next raised serious questions about informant safety, police procedures, and accountability when undercover operations go wrong.

We cover the timeline, the decisions made leading up to that night, and the broader issue of how confidential informants are used in drug investigations, especially when the informant is young, vulnerable, or under pressure. This is the story of Rachel Hoffman and the failures that followed.

Keywords: Rachel Hoffman, Rachel Hoffman case, Rachel Hoffman murder, Tallahassee Florida, Florida State University, confidential informant, CI, police informant, drug sting, controlled buy, undercover operation, law enforcement negligence, informant safety, true crime podcast, Crime Salad.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

In September 2017 in Poughkeepsie, New York, a routine traffic stop led police to Nicole “Nikki” Addimando, a shaken mother of two who said she acted in self-defense. Hours later, her partner, Christopher Grover, was found dead, and Nikki was arrested. As investigators uncovered years of documented domestic violence, sexual assault, coercive control, and disturbing evidence of abuse, the case became a flashpoint for how the justice system treats criminalized survivors.

In this Crime Salad episode, Ashley and Ricky break down the Nikki Addimando case, the trial, what the jury was and was not allowed to hear, the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, and the advocacy that helped bring Nikki home.

Nikki advocacy links

• We Stand With Nikki (website): https://westandwithnikki.com/
• We Stand With Nikki (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/WeStandWithNikki/

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7): https://www.thehotline.org/
• Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• Text: START to 88788

If you are in immediate danger, call 911

Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 2002, 28-year-old Jennifer Harris of Bonham, Texas, vanished on Mother’s Day weekend. The next morning, her green Jeep was found abandoned near the Red River in rural Fannin County. Days later, Jennifer’s body was recovered from the river. With no clear cause of death and no arrests, her case remains unsolved more than twenty years later.

Follow to support this case:

https://www.facebook.com/justiceforjenniferharris

​​https://www.facebook.com/R4Justice/

Check out our ad-free option! https://www.patreon.com/c/Crimesaladpodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crime Salad steps into Weird History, traveling back to the early 1900s, when a glowing new element promised progress, beauty, and modern life.

What followed was anything but.

In this episode of Weird History by Crime Salad, we explore the rise of radium mania, from the young women who became known as the Radium Girls, to the powerful corporations that insisted radium was safe while workers grew sick and died.

We touch on crumbling jaws, altered death certificates, and why early causes of death were quietly labeled as syphilis instead of radium poisoning. Names like Grace Fryer and Mollie Maggia emerge as whispers of a much larger truth.

But the danger was not limited to factories.

While workers were suffering, wealthy Americans were drinking radium by choice. Products like Radithor promised vitality and youth, until cases like Eben Byers forced the country to pay attention.

From glowing watches and military dials made with Undark, to radium water crocks, cosmetics, alarm clocks, toys, and other everyday items, radioactive products found their way into homes across America.

This episode looks at what happens when science, profit, and blind trust collide, and how the voices of the Radium Girls ultimately changed workplace safety and radiation laws forever.

Sometimes the most dangerous things are the ones that glow.

Radium Girls

Radium poisoning

Syphilis death certificates

U.S. Radium

Undark paint

Radithor

Eben Byers

Revigator

Radium cosmetics

Radioactive consumer products

Workplace safety history

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty-year-old Kaylene Marie Oehling disappeared from Etna, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 2020. What followed were years of confusion, frustration, and heartbreaking silence. At the center of this story is her father, Jason Oehling, whose relentless determination to find answers has never faded. For more than three years, Jason pushed for movement in a case that had stalled almost from the beginning. Then, in March 2023, Kaylene’s remains were unexpectedly discovered in a wooded area miles from where she was last seen. Much of what we share in this episode does not come from detailed police reports or official statements. Instead, it comes from Jason himself, someone who has been outspoken across social media, news interviews, and podcast appearances as he fights for clarity in his daughter’s case. We also spoke directly with Jason to confirm the details discussed in this episode. This is one of those cases where a family carries the weight of telling the story. Public information is limited. The timeline is fragmented. Investigators have not identified a cause or manner of death, and no one has ever been charged. Still, Jason continues to push forward, driven by love and the belief that the truth is still out there. In this episode, we walk through the known timeline of Kaylene’s disappearance, the recovery of her remains, the years of advocacy by her family, and the urgent need for answers. This is a case that has haunted a community and one that deserves far more attention.

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Crime Salad Live Murder Mystery Event!!! Get tickets here: ⁠https://www.pave.live/crimesalad⁠

KMNO – Help for the Missing and Murdered ⁠https://www.facebook.com/people/KMNO-Help-For-The-Missing-Murdered/61563347895168/⁠

Justice for Kaylene – Community Group ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/480311013138270/⁠

Public Petition:⁠ https://www.change.org/p/justiceforkaylene-kaylene-oehling⁠

Submit a Tip

• Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit 412-473-1200

• Anonymous Tip Line ⁠ https://allegheny.crimewatchpa.com⁠

Kaylene’s Memorial Fund

GoFundMe: ⁠GoFundMe⁠

Crime Salad Merch: ⁠https://crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com/⁠

Thanks for supporting Crime Salad!

Keywords: #JusticeforKayleneOehling true crime podcast, missing persons, cold case, Pennsylvania true crime, Etna PA, Pittsburgh crime story, unsolved homicide, Kaylene Oehling, Crime Salad, justice for Kaylene, family-led investigation, true crime 2024, disappearance case, unresolved cases, Allegheny County, true crime storytelling

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you know anything about the circumstances surrounding Codie’s death, her family is pleading for you to come forward. Even the smallest detail could matter. Tips can be submitted to Marion County Crime Stoppers at 352-368-7867

Domestic Violence Hotline website at thehotline.org

Please contact 911 if you feel like you are in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or visit thehotline.org.

On a cold December night in 2017, police responded to the Sports Stadium Motel in Independence, Missouri, where 21 year old Libby Caswell was found dead inside Room 319. Her death was quickly ruled a suicide, even as the medical examiner listed the manner of death as undetermined and key surveillance footage from the motel went missing. Libby was a young mother trying to leave a dangerous relationship, and her family has spent years challenging the official findings. In this episode, we look closely at the scene, the inconsistencies in the timeline, the documented history of domestic violence, and the critical evidence that may have been overlooked. This is the case of Libby Caswell and the fight for answers that has never stopped.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or visit thehotline.org. If it’s not safe to use your own phone or device, consider using a public library or another trusted public location to access help.

Support friends and family by following the Justice for Libby Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/libbyca

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LOLA BLANKETS: https://lolablankets.com/ Use code CRIMESALAD for 40 percent off. Please support Crime Salad and let them know we sent you!

Southern Oregon is known for its stunning summer landscapes, remote forests, and quiet mountain towns. But in the beauty of Josephine County, isolation and danger often live side by side. In late June of 2020, 45-year-old Fauna Frey set out on a short drive through Grants Pass and the surrounding mountain roads, a route filled with winding highways, dense forests, and long stretches with no cell service. Somewhere along that journey, Fauna vanished without a trace.

In this episode, Ashley and Ricky explore the rural communities of Southern Oregon, where abandoned mining towns, thinly stretched law enforcement, and high crime rates create the perfect environment for disappearances to go unnoticed. Her car, her belongings, and a series of strange clues left investigators puzzled and her family desperate for answers.

This is the story of a woman who went missing on a warm June afternoon in 2020, a case that blends mystery, isolation, and the harsh realities of searching for a missing person in Oregon’s most rugged terrain. If you follow missing persons cases, unsolved disappearances, rural true crime, or stories centered around Southern Oregon and Josephine County, this episode will take you deep into one of the region’s most haunting mysteries.

Listen as we break down the timeline, the evidence, the environment, and the theories surrounding the disappearance of Fauna Frey.

If you know anything, please contact the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 541-359-5638, or email FindFaunaFrey@gmail.com. You can also visit the private community page on Facebook, Help Find Fauna Frey to watch for updates in her case.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.