The Generation Why Podcast

July 24, 2016. Bend, Oregon. After a night out at her friend’s bachelorette party, Kaylee Sawyer walked down the street outside her apartment and disappeared. Edwin Lara, a campus security guard, kidnapped her in his campus security vehicle, took her to a remote parking lot, and murdered her. This was just the beginning of what would be a multi-day crime spree that ended with his capture. This case was important not only because Ka...

July 9, 1989. St. Louis, Missouri. Patricia Stallings was living a normal life. She had a loving marriage and a newborn baby. Patricia took her son to the hospital when he became sick and suddenly became the number one suspect in a poisoning investigation. Was she responsible for what happened to her child? Or was there another explanation?

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July 28th, 1996. Devon, England. A fisherman discovered a body in the English Channel near Devon, England. The man had no identification, but he was wearing a Rolex watch. Rolex records identified the man as Ronald Platt. The police discovered that his cause of death was drowning, but had no idea how he ended up in the water in the first place. After further investigation the police learned there was another man calling himself Ro...

When Emily Gellis hears rumors of people suffering horrible side effects from a trendy diet she springs into action. Armed with over a hundred thousand Instagram followers, Emily launches a social media crusade to expose F-Factor and its founder, Tanya Zuckerbrot. It’s the start of a feud that will attract trolls, lawyers, and, eventually, national media all because of fiber. From Wondery, this is a story about wealth, wellness, an...

June 24, 2002. West Columbia, S.C. Fifteen year-old Kara Robinson was abducted at gunpoint from a friend's front yard while watering plants. What she did next and what happened to her after is a story that everyone should be made aware of. Courage, intelligence, and a fierce determination are just some of the words you might think of while hearing her story. Once you're done listening, please visit Kara's website at: ht...

August 7th, 2005. Mountain, Wisconsin. In 2005, Amy and David DeBauche were in the midst of a divorce and custody battle for their two children. One summer night, David trespassed on Amy’s parent’s vacation property with the intention to vandalize a trailer they owned. The altercation that ensued left Amy and her parents dead.

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August 22nd, 2011. Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Corey Scherbey was found dead in his home on August 22nd, 2011. The RCMP initially investigated his death as a homicide, but in 2014, Corey’s death was declared an accidental overdose. Corey’s family believes he was murdered. The way Corey’s body was found, details at the crime scene, and a strange letter leave some with the belief that this was a murder.

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November 16, 1989. Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, England. Julie Hogg, a single mother from Billingham in Northern England, disappeared in the early hours of November 16th, 1989. She had been dropped off at her home by a coworker from her pizza delivery job. When her mother, Ann, couldn’t reach her by phone around 7:30am, she knew something was wrong. She would find Julie around 80 days later, deceased where police had said they had...

January 16, 2009. Chattanooga, Tennessee. In October 2019, Angel Bumpass was found guilty of first-degree felony murder and especially aggravated robbery for the 2009 murder of Franklin Bonner. Her fingerprints were found at the crime scene, the main evidence leading to her conviction. The problem is, Angel was just thirteen years old when Bonner was murdered. Hundreds of thousands of people believe that Angel Bumpass was wrongfull...

May 24, 2012. Bismarck, North Dakota. Eric Haider was working as a top grounds man for a plumbing and heating company. After the crew he was working with returned from lunch, Eric was never seen again. Eric’s family begged and pleaded with police to help find him. His coworkers said maybe he had walked away from work after his vacation request was denied. His family knew he never left the jobsite. Eric was found three years later. ...

December 6, 2006. Golan Heights. On December 6, 2006, the body of 13-year-old student, Tair Rada, was found bloodied and slumped in a bathroom stall at Nofey Golan High School in Golan Heights. Roman Zadorov, a 29-year-old immigrant from post-Soviet Moldova and custodian at the school confessed to the murder and was later convicted for Tair Rada’s murder and perverting the course of justice. Zadorov’s conviction came into question ...

April 15, 1994. Kansas City, Kansas. On April 15th, 1994, two men were shot while sitting in a parked car on a residential street of Kansas City, Kansas. The shooter was described as a black man wearing all black, with a braided hairstyle. Seventeen year old Lamonte McIntyre was arrested later that day, but he swore he didn’t know the victims and had no reason to hurt anybody.

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December 15, 2005. Russellville, Arkansas. Nona Dirksmeyer was a beauty pageant queen, a college student, and a girl loved by many people. She was found murdered inside her apartment on December 15th, 2005, brutally stabbed and beaten to death with the base of her own floor lamp. Two suspects were tried and acquitted in Nona’s murder, meaning her killer either walks free, or is someone the police never found.

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May 4, 2007. Belton, MO. Seventeen-year-old Kara Kopetsky walked out of her high school on May 4, 2007, and disappeared without a trace. From those early days, her mother, Rhonda, suspected Kara’s ex-boyfriend, Kylr Yust, was involved in her disappearance, but there was no way to prove it without physical evidence. So Rhonda waited for a crack in the case. On September 8, 2016, 21-year-old Jessica Runions was last seen leaving a pa...

May 26, 1990. Wellington, Florida. Forty-year-old mother of one, Marlene Warren, was enjoying breakfast with her son and his friends when she heard a knock at the door of her home in the Wellington Aero Club in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Marlene walked from the kitchen to the front door to be greeted by a clown holding a basket of red and white flowers and two balloons.

“Oh, how lovely!” she exclaimed as she opened the door and re...

March 3, 1998. Haines City, Florida. On March 3rd, 1998. Officer Christopher Todd Horner made a routine stop at Oakland Cemetery, a known crime hotspot. He radioed dispatch that he was going to inspect a suspicious vehicle. No one heard from him again. Officer Horner was found dead at the cemetery, a single gunshot wound to the head, and the killer was nowhere to be found. What happened that morning? Join us as we discuss a case wh...

November 3rd, 2018. Forsyth County, Georgia. Tamla Horsford attended a party where she was the only black person among a group of white people. Tamla was found dead in the homeowner’s yard on the morning of November 4th. From the beginning, the police treated her death like an accident, but crime scene evidence, details of the party, and police conduct indicate there may be more to the story.

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July 3rd, 2015. Bardstown, Kentucky. On July 3rd, 2015 Crystal Rogers spent her day with her boyfriend and youngest child. She stayed up late that night, while her boyfriend went to bed. The next morning, Crystal was gone. Her car was found two days later, and that was it. Crystal had vanished without a trace.

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March 4th, 1989. Mishawaka, Indiana. On March 4th, 1989, 29-year-old Lisa Bianco was beaten to death near her home by her ex-husband, 38-year-old Alan Matheney. Despite assurances from prison authorities that Lisa would be informed if Matheney was out of prison, they failed to do so. Join us as we discuss a case that highlighted the need for proper enforcement of domestic violence laws and procedures.

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