The Generation Why Podcast

February 5, 2007. Orlando, Florida. Lisa Nowak, a NASA astronaut, drove nearly 1000 miles from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida so that she could confront another woman. The other woman was Colleen Shipman, A U.S. Navy Captain, who was dating astronaut Bill Oefelein and who Lisa still had strong feelings for. Colleen was attacked in her car and was lucky to get away. Lisa Nowak's intentions and what happened at the Orlando In...

When we face challenges in life, we seek answers from people we believe can help us. When tragedy strikes an exclusive retreat with a self-help superstar, many people are left to wonder: how far is too far? James Arthur Ray was an Oprah-endorsed self-help teacher who achieved fame, fortune, and influence. But friends and family members of his followers questioned his unorthodox methods, and tried to stop him. From Wondery, the make...

Justin & I give our thoughts on the Rey Rivera case that is covered on the first episode of the new Unsolved Mysteries show on Netflix. It concerns a missing man later found deceased and his wife's mission to uncover the truth of what happened. The latter half of this episode is an interview that Justin did with Terry Dunn Meurer, one of the executive producers of Unsolved Mysteries. They discuss the new season, some of the...

June 7, 1998. Jasper, Texas. James Byrd Jr, 49, had spent the day at different parties with family and friends and was walking home when he was picked up by white supremacists who had offered him a ride. James couldn't drive due to a condition that prevented him from having a driver's license. What these three did to him after picking him up was beyond shocking. In other words, this is one of the most brutal crimes you'...

June 9, 2017. Urbana, Illinois. In April 2017, Yingying Zhang came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an International Scholar from China. On June 9, 2017, she failed to return to work after lunch and a search was launched for her. Through video surveillance, investigators were able to piece together her whereabouts until she got into a black Saturn Astra. As the authorities zeroed in on the killer, the truth of w...

June 01, 1989. Tampa Bay, Florida. A woman named Joan Rogers and her two teenaged daughters, Michelle and Christe, left Ohio for Florida on a much needed vacation. Hal Rogers, father and husband, stayed back at the dairy farm they owned to keep it going. But when his family failed to return when they were expected, Hal could sense something was terribly wrong. The Rogers family had already been through a lot, but the news that was ...

Tioga County, New York. September 11, 2001. Michele Harris and her husband, Cal, were in the midst of a divorce. Despite this, they continued to live in the same house with their four children. Still, it was no secret that there were serious issues between them. After Michele went missing, detectives were suspicious of Cal due to his actions around that time and his perceived lack of interest in her whereabouts. But as time went on...

February 12, 2014. Tyabb, Australia. Eleven year old Luke Batty was at cricket practice when he spotted his father. He was excited because his parents had split and he didn't see his dad that much. Rosie Batty, his mom, had ensured that any visits Greg Anderson had with Luke were supervised. Greg had been an abusive partner but had not been abusive towards Luke. But on February 12th, 2014, Greg Anderson would do the unthinkable...

July 10, 1982. Lindau, Germany. The morning after enjoying the waters at Lake Constance, 14 year old Kalinka Bamberski remained in her room. Her stepfather, Dieter Krombach, went to check on her before he left to go horseback riding. He found her deceased. Authorities accepted Dieter's account of what happened as did his wife, But Kalinka's father was not convinced that foul play wasn't involved and as troubling details...

January 4, 1989. Emory, Texas. At 12:34 p.m., Debbie Loveless makes a desperate call to 911. Her four-year-old daughter, April Tucker, has a gaping wound in her thigh and a severed femoral artery. April is rushed to the hospital but dies on the operating table. Both Debbie and her common-law husband John Miller tell the sheriff’s office the same thing April told them: The dogs did it. However, investigators think the dogs are harml...

On this episode of Generation Why, we revisit the Holly Bobo case. We originally spoke about her case on episode #203 which was before Zach Adams' trial. Now we look back at the trial and discuss what happened as well as the questions that we continue to have despite the State having made its case and getting a conviction. Did Zach Adams kidnap and murder Holly Bobo in 2011? If you haven't listened to our episode yet (or ar...

June 23, 2018. Randle, Washington. Benjamin Eastman III, or Ben as his friends and family liked to call him, went missing after leaving his house early one morning. His father, BJ, and other family and friends worked to get the word out to find Ben and to bring him home. Just days later, though, his body was located. Based on his injuries, he had been cruelly assaulted before being killed. Detectives on the case didn't have muc...

December 11, 2007. Quitman, Texas. A call to 911 was made at at 9am by Jason Payne who reported that his wife and his stepson were dead. He had been away from the home with his two youngest kids and had discovered their bodies in their bedrooms. Emergency personnel and law enforcement were dispatched and arrived to find Nichole Payne and her son, Austin Taylor Wages, dead in the home. Both had died as the result of gunshot wounds. ...

May 20-21, 2016. Green Bay, Wisconsin. 31 year old Nicole "Nikki" VanderHeyden went out for an evening with her boyfriend, Doug, and some other friends. But after Nicole's battered nude body was discovered in a field the following afternoon, detectives were very interested in Doug Detrie in connection with the murder. As interviews were conducted, it became apparent that the couple had not been getting along. Could Doug...

February 20, 2009. Wampum, Pennsylvania. Kenzie Houk, a pregnant mother of two, was asleep in her bed when someone shot her in the back of the head. Both Kenzie and her unborn son died. At the time, she was engaged to Chris Brown, who had a son named Jordan. When detectives investigated the home they could only come to one conclusion. That Jordan Brown was responsible for the crime. Their theory was that Jordan did not like how his...

In the late Spring of 1990, Martin Tankleff went on trial for the murders of his parents. Arlene & Seymour's deaths were brutal and prosecutors felt they had a solid case. But the Tankleff case wasn't over after a single trial. Martin's family held firm in their support for him and as time went on, he gained even more supporters. What was it about his case that produced so many believers in his innocence? Join us as...