Ransom

Ransom

Twelve-year-old McKay Everett disappeared from his Texas home in September 1995. His father Carl returned from an Amway meeting to find the back door ajar and the telephone ringing. On the line, a woman with a raspy voice demanded $500,000. Over the next week, the FBI played a game of cat-and-mouse with the kidnappers, who used inside information to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Ultimately the FBI uncovered a series of crimes that started long before McKay was taken. Most shocking of all was the suspect. McKay had been betrayed by someone he trusted – a pillar of the community hiding a dark secret. But decades later, McKay’s mother, Paulette, still isn’t satisfied with the official story. She doesn’t think everyone involved has been brought to justice. Ransom: Season 1 - Position of Trust is a story of greed and betrayal and how one’s outward appearance can be dangerously deceiving.

Episodes

S1E0: Ransom Season 1: Position of Trust

May 3, 2024 • 2 mins
Launching May 15, 2024. Twelve-year-old McKay Everett disappeared from his Texas home in September 1995. His father Carl returned from an Amway meeting to find the back door ajar and the telephone ringing. On the line, a woman with a raspy voice demanded $500,000. Over the next week, the FBI played a game of cat-and-mouse with the kidnappers, who used inside information to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Ultima...
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S1E1: Ep 1: The Phone Call

May 15, 2024 • 37 mins
Carl and Paulette Everett return home to find the back door propped open and 12-year-old McKay missing. But, mysteriously, there are no signs of struggle or a break-in – It’s as if McKay has left on his own. Soon the FBI gets involved, everyone becomes a suspect, and a golden Chrysler raises suspicion. Thank you for supporting our sponsors: SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at ...
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S1E2: Ep 2: Questioning Everything

May 15, 2024 • 34 mins
The FBI begins polygraphing and interviewing persons of interest. Paulette thinks back through her relationship with Carl searching for clues, and investigators narrow down the search to three suspects. Thank you for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM June’s Journey: June's Journey: Download June’s Journey for free today...
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BONUS: An FBI Agent and Neighbor Ric Metts on the Kidnapping

May 17, 2024 • 25 mins
FBI agent Ralph Harp discusses the investigation, as well as how he joined the FBI. Then, family friend Ric Metts on his perspective on the case and the other time he was accused of a crime and polygraphed. Thank you for supporting our sponsors! June's Journey: Download June’s Journey for free today on iOS (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/junes-journey-hidden-objects/id1200391796) and Android (https://play.google.com/store/...
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S1E3: Ep 3: Uncle Hilty

May 22, 2024 • 36 mins
Where was Hilton Crawford the night that McKay disappeared and what has he been doing in the hours since? The FBI follows up on a new lead regarding the golden Chrysler and tries to track down the raspy-voiced ransom caller. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...
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BONUS: How the FBI Decides When to Arrest

May 24, 2024 • 15 mins
FBI agent Cindy Rosenthal worked on the McKay Everett case as both an FBI agent and a lawyer, as chief division counsel for the Houston office. She walks us through how the FBI decides to pull the trigger and arrest someone they suspect of involvement in a crime. Thank you for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM See Priva...
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S1E4: Ep 4: Finding McKay

May 29, 2024 • 32 mins
The Everetts make a heart-wrenching plea for the kidnappers to spare McKay’s life. But with a suspect in custody, things escalate to a whole new level – How many accomplices are involved and where are they holding McKay? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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BONUS: Ransom Caller Irene Flores

May 31, 2024 • 20 mins
For her role as the raspy-voiced ransom caller, Irene Flores was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and served 23 years in prison. Producer Ben Kuebrich interviewed her outside her home. She speaks about the her relationship with Hilton Crawford, the mindset that led to her involvement in the crime, and how she feels about the whole ordeal. Thank you for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe ...
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S1E5: Ep 5: Hilton's Story

June 5, 2024 • 41 mins
Using Hilton’s jailhouse map, a mad scramble is made to the Atchafalaya swamp, where McKay is found. Then, investigators learn the supposed motivation behind the kidnapping and a claim that becomes one of the biggest mysteries in the case – Hilton’s accomplice R. L. Remington. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM...
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BONUS: The Standoff in the Swamp

June 7, 2024 • 16 mins
The night deputy Marcus Guidry discovered McKay’s body something else happened – he nearly got into a shootout. Guidry was ununiformed and got into a tense encounter with a deputy from a different parish, Jerry Stassi. The two say they’ve investigated many crimes at Whiskey Bay – a strange no man’s land out in the middle of the Achafalaya swamp. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...
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S1E6: Ep 6: Gambler's Logic

June 12, 2024 • 47 mins
What would drive a “family friend” to kidnap a 12-year-old boy? And how can someone capable of that darkness go unnoticed for decades? Hilton Crawford was a former sheriff’s deputy and was respected in the community. We explore Hilton's backstory and the red flags that were overlooked before the kidnapping. Thank you for supporting our sponsors: SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitorin...
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BONUS: Tannie Shannon’s Tapes of Hilton Crawford

June 14, 2024 • 24 mins
Author Tannie Shannon spent years interviewing Hilton Crawford in prison. In the early days, Tannie was allowed to document the conversations on a tape recorder. On one of the tapes Hilton talks about his early life, his relationship with his wife and his law enforcement career with the Beaumont police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Departments. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new Simpl...
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S1E7: Ep 7: The Elephant in the Room

June 19, 2024 • 33 mins
Paulette is overwhelmed by grief and rage at the tragedy. As she looks back, she realizes another accomplice might be in their midst, bringing up a bigger question: When someone hurts a child, how far does the culpability extend? Thank you for supporting our sponsors: SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM Better Help: This episode is sponsored by B...
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BONUS: Professor Katherine Shear on Prolonged Grief Disorder

June 20, 2024 • 27 mins
Grief takes many forms and recently psychiatrists realized that some suffer from extended grieving which may require therapy to get over. Dr. Shear worked to investigate this phenomenon, which was officially recognized as ‘prolonged grief disorder’ in 2022. Studies show it’s particularly common with tragedies like McKay’s – following the sudden, unexpected death of a spouse or child, especially in horrific circumstances li...
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S1E8: Ep 8: The Scream

June 26, 2024 • 37 mins
New facts about McKay’s murder come out at trial: A dead-ringer for R. L. Remmington is found and a murder-for-hire plot comes to light. But an explosive event prompts the defense to ask for a mistrial. Thank you for supporting our sponsors: SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM Better Help: This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Visit https:/...
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BONUS: Psychiatrist Timothy Fong on Gambling Disorder

June 28, 2024 • 35 mins
Dr. Fong describes the history of gambling disorder, how the rise in online gambling and day trading may be leading to a gambling epidemic, and how he thinks about whether gambling addiction or sociopathy can better explain a crime. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://SimpliSafe.com/RANSOM See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...
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S1E9: Ep 9: Endings

July 3, 2024 • 49 mins
In this final episode, McKay’s kidnapping leads to two more deaths,Tannie Shannon tries to get inside Hilton’s head and figure out what truly caused this crime, and Hilton undergoes an unexpected transformation. Than, Paulette and Carl struggle to move forward and find new meaning in their lives. Thank you for supporting our sponsors: Better Help: This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/RANS...
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BONUS: Witnessing More Executions Than Anyone in America

July 5, 2024 • 33 mins
Reporter Mike Graczyk shares the insights he's learned from forty years of covering executions and death row inmates, and his experience reporting on Hilton Crawford and the McKay Everett case. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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BONUS: The Making of Ransom with Donnie and Austin Miller

July 10, 2024 • 22 mins
This podcast came to be because the son of an FBI agent asked his dad about the hardest case of his career. In our final bonus episode agent Donnie Miller and his son Austin joins host Art Rascon and producer Ben Kuebrich to talk about why the kidnapping of McKay Everett was so devastating. Thank you for supporting our sponsors: SimpliSafe: Get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring at https://Simp...
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Introducing Unsolved Histories

October 1, 2024 • 13 mins
The team that brought you COLD has a new show called Unsolved Histories. Season 1 is about a plane crash over the Gulf of Alaska during the Cold War. An airliner carrying 101 people took to the skies near Seattle moving military personnel and their families to their new assignments in Anchorage. One of the pilots radioed air traffic control asking to change altitude. It was the last thing anyone heard from Flight 293. For ...
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