Épisodes

  • The Drive-In Ticket That Convicted a Killer-1953 Kellerton Secret

    The Drive-In Ticket That Convicted a Killer-1953 Kellerton Secret
    Oct 9 2026
    The Drive-In Ticket That Convicted a Killer-1953 Kellerton Secret

    Forty feet of rain-soaked ticket paper coiled in a dead man's fist stopped Kellerton investigators cold: a locked booth, no forced entry, and a ticket roll that could not have reached the victim legally. Two victims, one altered piece of paper, and a detective whose single forensic theory would change everything - how did a ticket stub become the linchpin of a murder case?

    In this episode, we follow the discovery at the Crescent Star Drive-In and the first days of the investigation, from the scene to the laboratory decision that reshaped the inquiry. What did Detective Nancy Doyle see in that soaked roll that made her send a tiny piece of evidence for testing?

    Person: Norman Adams, age 47
    Date: June 9, 1953 (body found); estimated time of death June 7, 1953 Sunday evening
    Location: Crescent Star Drive-In projection booth and drainage culvert
    Person: Detective Nancy Doyle, age 38
    Person: Ted Farris, projection booth operator

    - The ticket stub roll measured forty feet and was waterlogged but legible when photographed in situ.
    - Norman Adams was found face-down in a drainage culvert behind his projection booth with a single blunt-force blow to the back of the skull.
    - Adams's wallet was untouched and contained twelve dollars and his driver's license when his body was discovered.
    - The roll's serial number matched the coil loaded for the Saturday evening show on June 6, confirmed by projectionist Ted Farris.
    - The north utility door had a push-button lock that could remain unlocked if not pressed, and spare stub rolls were accessible through a pass-through window in that wall.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 min
  • Buttons Done, Shoes Swapped: Who Hid Judith West in the River?

    Buttons Done, Shoes Swapped: Who Hid Judith West in the River?
    Oct 8 2026
    Buttons Done, Shoes Swapped: Who Hid Judith West in the River?

    A body tangled in a trotline, shoes on the wrong feet, and every button fastened - the scene on May 14, 1923, looked deliberate yet strangely careless. Why would someone carefully button a blouse but leave shoes mismatched, and who used a seven-foot unnumbered corridor between 612 and 616 Carver Street to move a woman nobody had reported missing?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Judith West's daily routines to the morning her body surfaced in the Carver River, and how a handwritten note overlooked by the coroner later changed the course of the inquiry. What hidden detail in Constable Pruitt's notes redirected investigators weeks after the coroner's typed summary?

    Person: Judith West
    Date: May 14, 1923
    Location: Carver River, quarter-mile below the rail bridge
    Occupation: Bookkeeper at Meridian Pressing
    Residence: Upstairs room at 44 Walnut Street, Hollenbeck, Ohio

    - The body was found at 7:00 AM tangled in a fisherman's cotton trotline wrapped twice around the left wrist.
    - Judith West was 31 years old and had lived in Hollenbeck for six years.
    - She worked at Meridian Pressing at 612 Carver Street and unlocked the side office door before Vincent Greer arrived.
    - Last confirmed sighting was May 10 at approximately 5:00 PM, leaving Falk's Lunch Counter heading south on Carver.
    - A seven-foot unlit corridor between 612 and 616 Carver Street had no official address after a 1918 municipal renumbering skipped 614.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • The Hidden Ledger, the Freight Receipt, and the Murder He Buried

    The Hidden Ledger, the Freight Receipt, and the Murder He Buried
    Oct 7 2026
    The Hidden Ledger, the Freight Receipt, and the Murder He Buried

    A freight receipt pressed into a ledger, hidden in a dry-stacked stone wall nine thousand feet high, survived a cover-up for nearly three decades - and it pointed straight to a murdered woman's erased work. Who removed nineteen certified assay entries from an official ledger, and why did the missing analyses all tie back to the same agent?

    In this episode, we tell how a county surveyor stumbled on a freight receipt and a ledger where a woman's private carbon copies contradicted the official record, and what those contradictions reveal about motive, method, and consequence. How did a single man's visits, nineteen vanished entries, and a freight receipt become the key to a death that was certified as natural?

    Person: Marie Osborne
    Age: 51
    Occupation: Certified assayer
    Location: Redbird Gulch, near Harwick, Colorado
    Agent: Melvin Whitaker

    - Marie Osborne opened her assay office in autumn 1895 and kept double-entry ledgers plus carbon-copy records in her personal Bible.
    - In October 1898 the official ledger shows 8 analyses while Osborne's carbon copies show 14, a discrepancy of 6 entries.
    - In October 1898 the ledger omits 13 additional analyses, bringing the total erased entries to 19 across the two months.
    - Every one of the 19 missing analyses used a 4000-series sample number and was submitted by Melvin Whitaker for a single optioned mining claim.
    - Osborne died in spring 1899; the death certificate listed acute gastric inflammation blamed on bad spring water after Whitaker visited her twice in her final ten days.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 min
  • The Dry Paper in Her Hand: Why Susan Sawyer Was Silenced

    The Dry Paper in Her Hand: Why Susan Sawyer Was Silenced
    Oct 6 2026
    The Dry Paper in Her Hand: Why Susan Sawyer Was Silenced

    A dry sheet of paper remained intact in Susan Sawyer's open palm after 72 hours under four feet of water - an impossible clue that toppled the apparent accident. Who would place a preserved list of numbers on a drowned accountant, and what were those numbers worth?

    In this episode, we trace the timeline from Susan's meticulous ledgers to the cistern behind the Caldwell transmitter building and follow the small but telling details that pointed investigators toward the same question: who needed her numbers to outlive her? What did the preserved paper prove about motive and method?

    Person: Susan Sawyer
    Age: 44
    Location: Caldwell repeater station, Fennimore Falls, Iowa
    Date found: March 14, 1937
    Cause of death: Drowning with bruising consistent with forced submersion

    - Susan Sawyer had been underwater for approximately 72 hours in four feet of water.
    - She worked six years as WFMB's head accountant and had been reconciling accounts for roughly six weeks.
    - Petty cash discrepancies were recorded as maintenance expenses, each withdrawal between $10 and $15, spanning 18 months.
    - The dry folded paper with a list of numbers was sealed in a wax envelope by document clerk Franklin Quade within an hour of discovery.
    - Broadcast logs showed licensed engineers absent on the evening of March 11, with a shift signed in shorthand matching Walter Drumm closely except for a recurring difference in the numeral seven.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • The Two Stamps: How a Border Mistake Became Murder's Proof

    The Two Stamps: How a Border Mistake Became Murder's Proof
    Oct 5 2026
    The Two Stamps: How a Border Mistake Became Murder's Proof

    A dry passport on a drowned body, two identical entry stamps seven minutes apart, and a border post where a single person could not have been stamped twice-what do these impossible details reveal about a murder at Verona Point? The one fact that haunted investigators for fifty-eight years remains: how did a passport stay completely dry while everything around it was soaked?

    In this episode, we walk through the timeline of events at Verona Point in February 1943, from Kimberly Webb’s arrival and methodical work reviewing French-language transit permits to the odd movements of Booth Three’s temporary inspector and the strange visit to Webb’s boarding house; can a clerical stamp expose a killer?

    Person: Kimberly Webb
    Date: February 11, 1943
    Location: Verona Point, New York
    Person: Jeffrey Long
    Event: Passport stamped twice seven minutes apart

    - The body was found face-down in a shallow channel at Verona Point on February 11, 1943.
    - Kimberly Webb’s passport lay dry on her shoulder blade while everything else nearby was waterlogged.
    - Webb’s passport received two Verona Point entry stamps at the same booth on the same date, seven minutes apart.
    - Webb arrived at Verona Point on February 4, 1943, to review French-language transit permits and stayed at a boarding house on Clement Street.
    - Jeffrey Long, a thirty-four-year-old temporary inspector assigned to Booth Three in January 1943, stamped Webb’s passport at 8:43 and again seven minutes later.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Dry Coat, The Silver Pen, and the Quiet Lie That Killed

    The Dry Coat, The Silver Pen, and the Quiet Lie That Killed
    Oct 4 2026
    The Dry Coat, The Silver Pen, and the Quiet Lie That Killed

    A dry wool coat, a monogrammed silver pen found in a gloved left hand, and a coroner's verdict signed the same day: accidental fall. The smallest contradictions - a dry collar after hours of sleet and a ledger pen that "had no business" being at the back door - open a gap this town's sheriff closed; who moved the coat, who carried the pen, and why was Vicki Bennett found at a service entrance she never used?

    In this episode, we follow the facts left on paper and in the room where they happened to try to make sense of a closed case. What do a dry coat, a locked desk drawer, and a pen monogrammed V.A.B. reveal about a death ruled accidental?

    Person: Vicki Bennett
    Date: January 9, 1883
    Location: Garber Flats Brand Registry Office, service entrance on Brock Street
    Age: 54
    Witness/Observer: Lauren Roberts

    - Vicki Bennett had been senior brand registrar since 1877 and managed six years of county brand records.
    - The ledger pen was monogrammed V.A.B., made by a Wichita silversmith in 1876, and normally kept locked in a desk drawer thirty feet inside the office.
    - Vicki was found at the service entrance at 6:40 a.m. by 14-year-old delivery girl Teresa O'Brien after sleet had fallen since about 6 p.m. the previous evening.
    - Coroner Alton Geer concluded Vicki slipped, hit her right temple on the cast-iron door frame, and broke her right wrist; the sheriff closed the inquiry within a day.
    - The heavy wool coat hanging on the front-door hook inside the building was dry, showing no trace of the sleet that had been falling for hours.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 min
  • Warm Vial, Cold Alley: The Bookkeeper Found Arranged in Snow

    Warm Vial, Cold Alley: The Bookkeeper Found Arranged in Snow
    Oct 3 2026
    Warm Vial, Cold Alley: The Bookkeeper Found Arranged in Snow

    The discovery of a warm vial in the coat pocket of a twenty-two-year-old found in a December alley-snow settled over her body, yet the glass was warm-turns a quiet disappearance into a disquieting puzzle. How did Peggy Hamilton end up arranged with her hands folded and buttons fastened in a way she could not have done herself, and why did the vial’s warmth remain unexplained for fifty years?

    In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the concrete details of the case as recorded by first responders, the coroner, and local witnesses, and trace the errors and assumptions that stalled the investigation-ending with the unresolved question that drove the decades-long mystery.

    Person: Peggy Hamilton
    Date: Found December 9, 1926 at 6:40 AM
    Location: Alley behind Liang's Medicinal Herb Company on Mercer Lane, eight feet wide
    Cause: Cardiac failure from an unknown toxic compound (coroner's report)
    Investigation detail: Vial sealed as evidence in December 1926 and not meaningfully re-examined for over fifty years

    - Peggy Hamilton, age twenty-two, had been missing for nine days before her body was found.
    - Ross Meyer discovered the body at 6:40 AM on December 9, 1926 after stopping his snowplow.
    - The snow had been falling since midnight and settled undisturbed over her body, yet a small glass vial in her left coat pocket was warm.
    - Two officers confirmed her arms were crossed over her stomach and the lowest two coat buttons were fastened in a way impossible for her to have done in that posture.
    - The coroner, Dr. Harold Seng, listed cause of death as cardiac failure from an unknown toxic compound and sent a stomach sample to a Pittsburgh laboratory that tested for the wrong plant after a clerical phonetic error.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Intake Form Found in Frost: Who Erased Monica Bailey?

    The Intake Form Found in Frost: Who Erased Monica Bailey?
    Oct 2 2026
    The Intake Form Found in Frost: Who Erased Monica Bailey?

    A single carbon intake form, found frozen in a walled garden, names Monica Bailey and bears a penciled note: "she consented." The document links a forged referral, a Green touring car, and missing administrative copies - so who manufactured her admission, and who tried to erase it?

    In this episode, we trace the paperwork, witnesses, and personnel recorded in the file to reconstruct what the form reveals and what it conceals - was Monica admitted voluntarily, or was her consent fabricated?

    Person: Monica Bailey
    Date: October 29, 1911 (admission) and November 4, 1911 (form found)
    Location: Graystone Sanatorium; Ipswich, Massachusetts (home address referenced)
    Person: Dr. Edgar Voss (referring physician whose signature was forged)
    Person: Dr. Steven Phillips (resident physician listed on vehicle log)

    - The intake form was filed in triplicate on October 29, 1911, with two of the three office copies later removed.
    - A carbon copy of the intake form was found in the walled kitchen garden on November 4, 1911, stiff with frost and partially obscured by dead leaves.
    - The lower margin of the second page contained a penciled four-word annotation dated November 1: "she consented."
    - Chester Ault identified Dr. Steven Phillips from a photograph as the man who flagged his livery and redirected him to Monica Bailey's home on the morning of October 29.
    - Desk Sergeant Walter Pruitt logged farmer Ben Slocum's report at 11:17 AM on October 29 noting the green touring car's license plate registered to Graystone with Phillips's name on the vehicle log.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 min