All in Fresh from MMN
We're back with updates on the case of Derek "Ritzy" Ritz, which we first discussed on the show in October of 2021. Ritzy has been missing for over six years, yet the local police department isn't giving his case any attention. Ritzy deserves justice, and in order to get it, his case demands more attention from the police, and more witness testimony.
This week marks seven years since the death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson in Burlington, Iowa. The teen was gender nonconforming and non-binary, and was murdered seemingly in response to that gender expression. Still Kedarie's killers, two cisgender men, were not charged with a hate crime.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went on a notorious two year crime spree, where the pair would rob gas stations, restaurants, banks and more, making them one of the most sensationalized criminal duo’s in America due to the media.
The tiny town of Texarkana, which straddles the state line separating Texas from Arkansas, was tormented by a string of violent attacks in the 1940s. A mysterious assailant dubbed 'The Phantom Slayer' preyed upon young couples parked on lovers' lanes, leaving an indelible mark on Texarkana as one of the earliest unsolved serial killer cases in America.
After she was found brutally murdered in December of 1995, the community of Mansfield, Texas mourned the loss of 16-year-old Adrianne Jones. The details of her vicious attack came to light during a trial that wrapped up twenty-five years ago this week, as Adrianne's killers were finally brought to justice.
For years in Salt Lake County, February 9th was a date fraught with nervous anticipation. After the slaying of 6-months-pregnant Sonia Mejia in 2006 and Damiana Castillo in 2008, a dedicated police task force patrolled the area in hopes of preventing a repeat killing in the years that followed. Today, concerned Utahns eagerly await the trial that could bring about a conviction 17 years in the making.
Our friend Fanny, a brilliant neuropsychologist. stopped by for an exclusive chat about the link between Traumatic Brain Injuries and violent crime, the relationship between serial killers and bedwetting, and everything you always wanted to know about the brain of a psychopath but didn't know who to ask!
On January 26th 2011, 27-year-old schoolteacher Ellen Rae Greenberg was found dead in the kitchen of her Philadelphia loft. Ellen suffered a total of 20 stab wounds, half of which were delivered to the back of her neck and head. Curiously, Ellen's death was declared a suicide.
Feeling festive this holiday season, Darkcast Network has compiled an extra special episode featuring both ‘Naughty’ and ‘Nice’ holiday tales from a selection of podcasters. Pour yourself a tall glass of eggnog and fill your ears with bite-sized stories shared by indie podcasters from the dark side while you wrap up some last minute gifts.
In 1969, Dennis Martin vanished while on an overnight trip in the Smoky Mountains. While on a hike, the six-year-old hid behind a tree to pull a prank on his father. However, he disappeared, and despite searches, the case remains unsolved to this day.
Early Valentine’s Day morning in 2000, Asha Degree’s parents discovered that the nine-year-old girl was no longer sleeping in her bed. She had taken her backpack and other items, which would not be discovered for years. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Theories surrounding the true identity of Jack the Ripper have swirled in the near 140 years since the murders occurred in the Greater London area. Some believe that serial killer George Chapman may be the infamous murderer.
In May 1979, Etan Patz, then six years old, left his parent’s apartment in Soho, Manhattan. He never returned home, and it would be decades before Patz’s case would be solved. The notoriety of his disappearance, however, would label him as one of the first “milk carton kids.”
Since the early 1970s, the area surrounding Canada's Highway of Tears has seen a number of mysterious disappearances and discoveries of human remains. RCMP officers doubt they will ever be able to solve all the cases connected with the highway, but there have been some convictions over the years -- including Cody Legebokoff, who was apprehended 12 years ago this week, and ultimately convicted of four counts of first degree homicide.
In Portland, Oregon 1971, a man going by the name of Dan Cooper bought a ticket for Northwest Orient Airlines Flight #305 at the airport. During the flight, Cooper explained to the stewardess that he had a bomb in his briefcase. Cooper escaped the plane with about 200,000 dollars in ransom money, and his disappearance remains unsolved to this day.
One year after buying their first home together, Keith and Elaine Dardeen decided it was time to move from Ina, IL. With a population of under 500, Ina had a surprisingly violent history, and they dreamed of moving their growing family to a community that felt safer. Unfortunately the family wouldn't make it out of Ina alive. 35 years ago today, were the victims of a gruesome multiple murder.
In 1978, around nine hundred members of the religious group called the Peoples Temple died by suicide by drinking poison at their Guyana, South America settlement called Jonestown. The minister of the group, Jim Jones, also died by a gunshot to the head. Until the September 11th attacks, the massacre was the largest non-natural mass death of American civilians.
Just in time for holiday shopping, we’re pleased to announce the launch of our new line of Murder Merch!
You may have seen new tees, stickers, and totes at our booth at the PNW True Crime Fest, and now all of our goodies are available for sale in our online shop.
Fourteen years ago this week, 14-year-old Sabrina Matthews lost her life in a vicious stabbing attack that took place in her family home in Cambria Heights, a predominately black, middle class neighbourhood in Queens, NY. Six years ago this week, the case came full circle, and loose ends were tied up just as her broken family acknowledged the anniversary of Sabrina's death.
Gwendolyn Graham and her girlfriend Cathy Wood met while working in a nursing home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their volatile relationship escalated as the two shared dark fantasies of committing murders together. They discussed targeting their coworkers at the nursing home, before settling on much more vulnerable victims -- the patients.
