The Deck

Our card this week is Ana Bell Juarez, the King of Hearts from Texas. 

Almost 30 years ago, Ana Bell Juarez disappeared in January 1997. But the exact details about her vanishing have never been fully divulged with detectives. Even today, as Detective Gonzales gets closer to finding out the truth… there’s still so many questions swirling around Odessa, Texas. 

• If you have any information about the disappearance of Ana Bell Juarez...

Our second card this week is Maria del Socorro Maldonado Ambriz, the Joker from Indiana.

Maria was spending what seemed like an average day with her two children when a masked intruder burst through the door and changed everyone in that home’s life. In just a matter of minutes, Maria, a single mom, was abducted and left for dead less than a mile from where her children were still hiding. It’s been two years, so the evidence is fresh...

Our first card this week is Sarah Neal, the 6 of Diamonds from Nebraska. 

16-year-old Sarah was not your typical teen. She was a multisport high school athlete who participated in basketball, softball, and track. She was a pretty darn good chess player, too.

But in June of 2005, somebody took all that Sarah loved away from her. And they took Sarah away from everyone who loved her. 19 years later, the police are still trying to catch ...

Our card this week is Domaine Richards, the Queen of Clubs from Connecticut.

If you look at a picture of 25-year-old Domaine Richards, one thing stands out – his smile. A smile that could be infectious, but all the light Domaine had to bring to the world was taken away in November of 2007, and almost 17 years later, while police have at least one suspect they've been circling, they still need help bringing Domaine's case to a close.

Our card this week is Joe Laughlin, the Jack of Diamonds from South Carolina.

54-year-old Joe was a true “country guy",  living a simple life in Anderson, South Carolina in 2012. He was a husband, father, provider, and handyman. It didn’t take much to make him happy. All he needed in life was his family, his work shed, and an ice-cold beer. Why someone would want to gun him down inside his own home remains a mystery, even over a dec...

Our card this week is Bobby Ray Jones, the 8 of Clubs from Florida.

Bobby Ray Jones had just moved back to Walton County, Florida, in the late summer of 1971. It was a rebirth-of-sorts for this 33-year-old man. After getting caught up in a love affair and running off to Alabama, he had only recently returned to the sunshine state to try and reconcile with his wife. And seemingly, he was on track to do just that. He had already found...

Our card this week is Linda "Lulu Ree" Ceasar, the 9 of Spades from Connecticut.

Linda "Lulu Ree" Ceasar's story is not all that different from so many others. She was a victim of her circumstances, and then she was a victim again when, in the summer of 1983, her life was taken in the most brutal of ways. Over 40 years later, the police still need help to close her case.

• If you know anything about the murder of Linda “Lulu Ree” C...

Since the release of CounterClock Season 1, Delia has received hundreds of requests from families of victims of violent crime. In November 2022, one message in her inbox stood out from the rest. It was from a middle-aged woman asking for Delia's help investigating the mysterious death of her 27-year-old brother from 1991. The message stood out for one big reason. The man's mangled body was found in an all-too familiar place to Deli...

Our card this week is Dorothy “Dee" Scofield, the 4 of Hearts from Florida.

Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken was just a toddler when 12-year-old Dee Scofield disappeared from a local department store. When he was a teenager, he remembers his parents bringing up the missing little girl from his hometown. Later, as a dad, it would cause him to lie awake at night, worrying about his own daughter. And down the line, as a new detective, it...

Our card this week is Debra Owens, the 7 of Diamonds from Florida. 

Debra was a woman who deserved better than what she got in the last year of her life. Every day she woke up, she was a survivor of something or someone. Over 20 years after she was brutally murdered, no one has been held accountable.

• If you have any information about the murder of Debra Owens in 2002, please contact the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office major crimes...

Our card this week is Anna Hliaras, the 10 of Clubs from Ohio.

Anna Hliaras was a vigilant fixture in her Dayton, Ohio, neighborhood. She was essentially neighborhood watch before it was even a thing. And her mission was to make sure any and all disturbances in her community were called out. But investigators fear her tenacious behavior could’ve led to her demise… 

• If you have any information about the 1981 murder of Anna Hliaras...

Our card this week is JaQuan Atkins, the 10 of Clubs from Virginia. 

30-year-old JaQuan had a lot going for him in the spring of 2021. He had a good job and a tight crew of friends that he performed with as part of a local rap group. But most important to him – his close-knit family: a devoted mom, little nieces and nephews who called him “Uncle Quan,” and a big brother he admired. But police believe that brother is holding a secret...

Our card this week is Alexander WInspeare, the Jack of Clubs from Florida.

At 93, Alexander Winspeare had been through a lot in his long life. He was a veteran of World War I, proudly serving his country. If anyone had earned the right to die with dignity and grace, it was him. But instead, he was murdered in 1987. And 37 years later, police are still on the hunt for his killer.

• If you know anything about the murder of Alexander ...

Our card this week is Timothy Zimmerman, the 8 of Spades from Indiana. 

Timothy Zimmerman, an active member of his community and property owner in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was violently murdered at one of his properties in 2007. Despite several clues being left behind at the messy crime scene, Timothy’s homicide has never been solved. 

• If you know anything about the stabbing death of Timothy Zimmerman in 2007, call the Fort Wayne Cri...
  

Our card this week is Loni Kai Okaruru, the 5 of Hearts from Oregon.

Loni Kai Okaruru made several stops on the morning of August 26, 2001, and interacted with several people, before she was beaten to death, her body left on a farm in Washington County, Oregon. Loni Kai’s murder was quickly labeled by police as a hate crime, but decades later her killer is still unknown. 

Note: An earlier version of this episode touched on gender flu...

A while back, our team at audiochuck received an email from Kirsten Leonard’s family asking us if we would cover her case. Specifically, the email was sent by her nephew, Karsten, who’s named in memory of his aunt… an aunt he never got the chance to meet.

That’s because in June 1986, at just 22 years old, Kirsten was murdered in what can only be described as a senseless and brutal crime.

• If you have any information about the murd...

In the spring of 2000, a 24-year-old woman was found floating in a Citrus County, Florida canal. Though answers have eluded authorities for more than two decades, a present-day sergeant is hoping that putting her story in the spotlight may help reveal the truth.

• If you know anything about the murder of Renee Rosita Harris, you can call the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office at 352-249-2790 and ask for the major crimes unit. Or, if y...

Our card this week is Twana Smith, the 7 of Clubs from Connecticut. 

When Twana Smith’s body was discovered behind an abandoned building in Hartford in October 1997, she joined a growing list of the city’s vulnerable locals who fell victim to violent predators. And for decades, her case sat unsolved, gathering dust… even as detectives found the keys to unlock mysteries from the same era. But after years of dead ends, investigators n...

Our card this week is Debra Espey, the 6 of Clubs from Florida. 

A college campus in broad daylight in a town literally called “Niceville” might be one of the last places you’d expect a young collegiate to disappear from, but in March 1973, that’s exactly what happened.

Debra Espey’s case spans more than 50 years, includes a primary suspect from the beginning, and has long been thought to have connection to other unsolved cases in th...