In 1981, three men invaded a private residence and home of "root doctor" Edward "Doc" Harkless. In the next several hours, they murdered him and three other people in the Columbia, S.C. home, leaving two survivors. It appeared Doc was murdered because of a large amount of cash he kept in a locked safe, but did his line of work also have something t…

The Missing in America Project helps provide the remains of veterans with honorable burials, but it takes a team of volunteers to do so. We share some of the recent stories from the nonprofit. In 1980, Jeffrey Mays and Ted Wall set out on Jeffrey's boat off the coast of Cape Hatteras. No trace of the men or the boat was ever found, but Jeffrey's fa…

In 1933, 64-year-old widow Mary Ravenel was discovered mortally wounded in an affluent area of Charleston. Despite their best attempts, police could not figure out who would have wanted to murder her. An auto mechanic thought he could make some quick cash by abducting Hubbard Harris, Jr., the son of a prominent man in Columbia, but the plan quickly…

In 2015, a brutal quadruple homicide left the small community of Pendleton, South Carolina stunned. Could a close family member have been responsible? Earlier that year, in the same town, 1-year-old Leonna Wright went missing from the apartment she lived. While police suspect they know what happened to the young girl, justice has been difficult to …

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to run your own ghost tour? North Carolina resident Rachel Workman is living the dream firsthand after taking over Ghosts of Davidson in the college town of Davidson, North Carolina. We chat with Rachel about why she decided to get into this business, what she loves about it, a little of the local …

When 30-year-old mother Mary Ann Willis meets a charismatic airman stationed in Myrtle Beach in 1992, she quickly learns his claims of love were just a facade. Dara Watson is engaged to the man of her dreams until she unexpectedly goes missing in February 2012. What happened on the final days of her life is something her loved ones will never truly…

In 2015, 28-year-old Ashley Pegram goes missing from South Carolina after meeting up with a man she met on a dating app. When she doesn't return home, her family turns to the communication on messaging apps on her phone to help determine what happened to her. A Virginia Tech student lures a 13-year-old to her death by messaging through the Kik app,…

In 2008, 52-year-old Bonnie Lou Irvine went missing in Cornelius, N.C., and police soon learned she had arranged to meet a man she met on Craigslist before she disappeared. In 2020, 39-year-old Andy Banks set out for an appointment to sell his Range Rover, and quickly dropped out of sight. He had also met his potential buyer in the online classifie…

In 1992, 23-year-old Michael Hunter was found deceased in his northwest Raleigh apartment. When police take a closer look, they realize a lethal injection of Lidocaine caused his death, and his roommate, medical student Joseph Mannino, admits to injecting him with antihistamines to ease migraine symptoms. But the investigation reveals a motive for …

As part of Suicide Prevention Month, Renee discusses four deaths attributed to suicide. One involved an elderly man who may have had a psychotic break, a successful doctor and her husband who died of a double suicide, a whistleblower who died unexpectedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and one death that may have been the result of mental hea…

Twenty-seven-year-old Jeni Gray heads out for an early-morning walk in Boone, N.C. and disappears on September 24, 1989. Law enforcement is still continuing their search for the young woman when a runner named Leigh Cooper from Appalachian State University is abducted and sexually assaulted. What her assailant tells her during the attack might fina…

In 1992, a 13-year-old from Hickory, North Carolina went missing from her home and was discovered murdered a few weeks later. Around the same time, three older women known to have high-risk lifestyles went missing and were found deceased. While two men were eventually arrested in those three deaths, no one was ever charged in the death of Isis Deni…

In the 1980s, televangelist Jim Bakker had grown an impressive broadcasting empire along with his wife, Tammy Faye. Their organization, PTL, built a Christian-theme park on the border between North and South Carolina and the two lived a lavish lifestyle. But behind the scenes, the Bakkers were struggling with marital issues, hoping that material po…

Eric Rudolph spent five years on the run before being captured early one morning while searching for food in Murphy, N.C. Investigators spent the next few years learning more about what turned him into a bomber as he led them to hundreds of pounds of dynamite he'd stashed in the mountains of North Carolina. As he prepared to go to trial in 2005 for…

The secluded mountains of North Carolina turned into an excellent place to hide for a man named Eric Rudolph, who was charged with a series of bombings in 1996 and 1997, including one that injured hundreds of people in Centennial Park at the Atlanta, Ga. Summer Olympics. Who was the elusive "mountain man" and how did he evade capture for five years…

In 1989, the town of Edenton, North Carolina was rocked when children at the Little Rascals Day Care Center began accusing the owners, Bob and Betsy Kelly, of molesting them. Over time, seven people would be arrested on hundreds of charges that occurred over a three-year-period. What really happened in Edenton, and in two similar landmark cases in …

The national parks in North Carolina attract numerous visitors each year, but they can also be treacherous if you aren't well prepared for your trip. We discuss the case of Frances Apperson, a 67-year-old who went missing after heading out for a solo hike at Linville Falls, 48-year-old Michael Hartley, who went missing in Spruce Pine on a foraging …

This episode provides case updates on Blake and London Deven from Fayetteville, Madalina Cojocari from Cornelius, and the official cause of death from a child at Trails Carolina this past spring. We also share the story of Enrique Roman-Martinez from Fort Bragg, who went missing during a camping trip with fellow soldiers from the Army in May 2020.S…

Doris Duke was barely a teenager when her father, James Buchanan Duke, died and left her the bulk of the fortune he created through the American Tobacco Company and Duke Power. She was no ordinary socialite, though. Doris helped quadruple the family fortune, but her life was not without its challenges. Did she intentionally kill her interior design…

In July of 1990, 41-year-old Pamela Hoy had dinner with her estranged husband in Burlington, N.C. and packed her van in preparation for an upcoming dog show. She disappeared that night, and while her remains were found months later, the case has never been solved. Seven-year-old Jennifer Patterson went missing after going to visit some neighborhood…

An update on the Madalina Cojocari missing persons case from Cornelius, North Carolina. We also take a look at Crystal Morrison, who went missing from Concord in 2012, Marty Teague's disappearance from Statesville in 2018, and the 1983 South Carolina cold case of Lisa Thompson and Russell Anthony.Show Sponsors:Renee's Digital Course on Podcasting:h…

A true crime podcast is nothing without its guests. For our 100th episode, Renee takes a look back at some of the conversations she's had with true crime authors, advocates, and historians over the past four years.Show Sponsor:WOW! Women on WritingRenee's Digital Course on Podcasting:https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_Podcas…

College is a time for young people to explore their individuality and take on new responsibility. This episode examines the still-unsolved missing persons cases of Jason Wood, Virginia "Ginni" Wood, and Martin Roberts. Missing in the Carolinas will return with a new episode next week.Por Missing in the Carolinas

Renee takes a look at some of the factors that cause a person to go missing with specific examples from past episodes. Plus, she shares the case of Samantha Josephson, who disappeared outside a bar in South Carolina after getting into a car she thought was her Uber.Link to study about prevalence of violence in missing and unidentified persons cases…

It's always suspicious when a newlywed who turns up murdered or deceased in an accident has a spouse who stands to collect a large life insurance policy. This was the case of Lucille Rinaldi, who was murdered in 1963, and Brenda Anderson, who drowned mysteriously in 1965. We also take a look at one of Chapel Hill's oldest cold cases, the murder of …

In 1984, 7-year-old Carrie Wilkerson was brutally murdered in her stepmother's home in the early morning hours. A year later, Jean Fewel was abducted and murdered as she was walking to school. Were the two crimes connected? With the community still processing these murders, three students from UNC, Perry Zimmerman, Sharon Stewart, and Freshteh Golk…

Twenty-three-year-old Andy Sigmon was last seen on April 5, 2016 near a historical landmark almost an hour away from his home. What compelled him to go to that location, and what happened after he disappeared into the woods after talking to several different people? Blake and London Deven, two adopted children from Fayetteville, N.C. (now ages 17 a…

On the afternoon of July 30, 1965, 21-year-old Suellen Evans was taking a summer session at the University of North Carolina when she was attacked and murdered in the Coker Arboretum. While police quickly utilized bloodhounds and organized group searches to help find the murder weapon, their efforts failed confirm a solid suspect or turn up any oth…

On April 15, 1973, Virginia "Ginger" Olson left her dorm room on the campus of UNC-Asheville for an afternoon of studying at the nearby botanical gardens. A few hours later, two teenagers walking through the woods came across a horrifying crime scene. Who murdered the 19-year-old in broad daylight on that spring morning? We discuss this open and ac…

Forty years ago, Sharon Beatrice Jones was murdered on the campus of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina over spring break. Despite the police interviewing numerous suspects and administering polygraph tests, the case almost immediately went cold, and what's more perplexing is the small digital footprint involving details of the crime…

Brian "Neil" Hooks went missing from Florence, S.C. in 1988 and his family is still hoping for answers. Andy Tench disappeared from Belmont, N.C. in late March of 2024 and while his car has been found, there is still no sign of him. Charlotte, N.C. resident Mary Collins was brutally murdered by two people she called friends in March 2020 and one of…

Four-year-old Jeremy Grice went missing from his home in South Carolina in 1984 and his family believes it was a non-custodial kidnapping. Crystal Faye Todd was murdered in Conway, S.C. in 1991, and when DNA evidence pointed out that her killer was someone she trusted, her community was stunned. Ann Fox Smith was a beloved middle school teacher who…

Fresh out of medical residency, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer joined a rural North Carolina clinic only to find that its previous doctor shared his last name. Dr. Vince Gilmer was loved and respected by the community—right up until he strangled his ailing father and then returned to the clinic for a regular week of work. Vince’s eventual arrest for murder sh…

Since 2017, the DNA Doe Project has worked on more than 200 cases of unidentified remains. We take a look at recent success stories in identifying people from South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.Cover art by Mackintosh MultimediaShow Sponsor:SkinxErin Products: Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10…

20 years ago, police in Charlotte, North Carolina finally apprehended a suspect who had been committing a series of brutal rapes and murders across the city. But once they caught him, they realized he was responsible for more violence in the Carolinas than they first suspected. Why did Henry Louis Wallace, who many considered a friend, target the w…

In November 2014, 17-year-old Alec Lansing left a group he was hiking with as part of the wilderness therapy program Trails Carolina. He was later found deceased in the woods after a tragic accident, leaving many to wonder what he was hoping to escape. On Feb. 3 of this year, a 12-year-old boy who had arrived at the program only 24 hours before was…

This episode features the cold cases of Mike O'Boyle and Jack Robinson, as well as the missing persons case of Paula Merchant. We also discuss the story of Shelton Sanders, who is presumed dead although his body has never been found, and two sisters named Candy and Darcel Sanders who disappeared late one rainy night in 2022.Cover art by Mackintosh …

Renee Roberson reviews three true crime programs currently streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and Max.Cover art by Mackintosh MultimediaRenee's True Crime Writing Webinar:https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_TrueCrimeWriting.phpSkinxErin Products-Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10Por Missing in the Carolinas

High school student Denise Durham was murdered in Hendersonville in 1981 and the man accused of the crime was her vocal instructor. What would lead an older former Broadway actor to commit such a crime? Shelby Wilkie vanished from her Hendersonville home in January 2012, leaving a 3-month-old daughter behind. Her family suspected the worst, and the…

What is a body broker and why is the industry so unregulated? Is it really legal to arrange the sale of human tissue and body parts to be used for medical research? Renee takes a look at four different business owners, including one in North Carolina, who discovered this lucrative industry and took advantage of grieving families in their darkest ho…

Renee Roberson takes a look at three unique cases from North Carolina. While a man confessed to the murder of James Chambers in 2018, his body has never been found. Investigators believe they know what happened to Cole Thomas when he went missing while traveling with co-workers through North Carolina, but a confession has yet to happen. And Chapel …

Renee discusses the cases of children who died as a result of controversial parenting techniques, tragic accidents, and provides an update on two South Carolina parents accused of murdering their son in 1989.Learn about true crime writing with Renee Roberson:https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_TrueCrimeWriting.phpCover Art by…

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. In January 2003, Debbie Riddle learned her sister Peggy had been murdered by her ex-boyfriend after years of controlling behavior and incidents of stalking. She shares the story of how her sister's death changed her life and motivated her to begin advocating for change in the way law enforcement and com…

On January 13, 2021, 51-year-old Michelle Marlow was murdered by a female co-worker at TCS Designs in Hickory, N.C. After the shooting, the suspect and her husband fled the area until their capture six months later, but what happened upon their return divided the community. Should the company have done more to protect their employee? We take a look…

Renee shares the most popular episodes from the year, how the podcast has changed since it first began in 2021, and where she gets her episode ideas.Additional Reading:https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/lose-money-zelle-scam-your-bank-may-now-have-refund-you/KFYZ53AHTBC73LHLX5T64EFRNM/Show Sponsor:WOW! Women on Writing Take Renee's webinar on true c…

Lesley Eugene Warren charmed many women but underneath his innocent demeanor was a violent man. He murdered two women in different states before his crimes caught up with him in North Carolina in 1990.Por Missing in the Carolinas

In 1997, a young mother named Rebecca Moses was murdered by her estranged husband Emilio Ramirez Garcia in Eastern North Carolina. He quickly left the country and has never been arrested for the murder. Her family is still hoping to hold this man accountable for his senseless crime.Sponsor:WOW! Women on Writing Podcasting Class with Renee Robersonh…

Learn about the 1984 cold case involving Ernestine Wroten from Hendersonville, N.C. and the missing persons cases of Jorden Nebling and Judith Hyder from the Carolinas. Show Notes:Cover art by Mackintosh MultimediaRenee Roberson's True Crime Writing Class:https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_TrueCrimeWriting.phpCollege Fratern…

Journalist Max Marshall discovered Xanax was a popular drug of choice with students while he was attending college, but he had no idea just how multilayered the drug trafficking on college campuses ran until he learned about the involvement of students and fraternity members tied to the College of Charleston. We discuss this story and how he came t…

Renee discusses the deaths of college students possibly tied to hazing from Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, High Point University, and East Carolina University.https://stophazing.org/https://justice4roberttipton.com/Music by Vasyl_Sakal from Freesound.orgSponsors:Tarabusi Creekhttps://tarabusicreek.com/WOW! Women on WritingRen…