And Then They Were Gone

In 2015, 19-year-old Kately Akens was visiting her family in Spotsylvania, Virginia and celebrating her new nephew. On December 5, she was supposed to board a flight back home to her fiancee in Arizona, but she never made it to the airport. A suspect quickly emerged in her case, but police were never able to find enough evidence to make an arrest. Then, in April 2026, 10 years after she failed to board that plane, The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office announced that they had arrested Katelin’s ex-stepfather, James Branton. Though Katelin was named as a victim, the arrest wasn’t related to her disappearance. Despite this, authorities and Katelin’s loved ones hope that they’re one step closer to finally getting the answers they’ve been searching for.If you have any information on Katelin Akens’s whereabouts, please contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office at 540-582-7115.Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeFor a full list of our sources, please visit our blogOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the morning of October 14, 2003, 23-year-old Felipe Santos was heading to work at a concrete and masonry company in North Naples, Florida. He was riding with two of his brothers when his white Ford Tempo collided with another car on Immokalee Road. It was a minor fender-bender, and no one was hurt. What happened next would depend on who you ask. But after that morning, Felipe was never seen again. Three months later, on January 12, 2004, 27-year-old Terrance Williams kissed his mother goodbye, handed her some gas money, and said, "I'll see you later, momma." He drove his white Cadillac toward North Naples where he was pulled over by a police officer. Terrance was also never seen again.These two men didn’t know each other. They never met, but their disappearances have been entwined for over two decades, and many people believe that they went missing because they both encountered the same man. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeFor a full list of our sources, please visit our blogOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Late in the evening of September 13, 2010, 19-year-old Samantha Clarke was dressed in her pajamas and watching TV with her younger brother in their Orange, Virginia home. But after receiving a call, she told her brother she was going out and would be back in the morning. Samantha left her home, and has never been seen again.Police had few clues to work with, but did zero in on a person of interest almost immediately. However, a lack of evidence made the case go cold. Then, 3 years later, another teenager disappeared just miles away, and police were certain the two crimes were connected. Everything seemed to be falling into place, but now, over 14 years since she was last seen, answers in Samantha’s case remain elusive. A break in her case seems just over the horizon– the question is, who will deliver it?Anyone with more information on Samantha Clarke’s disappearance is asked to contact the Orange Police Department at (540) 672-1491.Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeFor a full list of our sources, please visit our blogOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Disappearing is something “all boys do at the age of 16.” That’s what police told Valerie Nettles when she discovered her 16-year-old son, Damien, hadn’t come home the night before. The teenager had been at a party with friends on November 2, 1996, but missed his midnight curfew, and couldn’t be found the next day. The Nettles family was frantic, but police treated Damien as a runaway. This early misstep, one that we see so often in missing persons cases, meant that potential witnesses were missed, evidence was lost, and now, nearly thirty years on, no concrete answers have ever come in Damien’s disappearance. The Nettles family, however, hasn’t given up, and they’re hopeful that someone out there is still willing to do the right thing.If you have any information about Damien Nettles, you can contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by calling 101 and asking for the Major Investigation Team and referencing Operation Ridgewood. You can provide information anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111. Missing Damien BlogMissing People UKAlex Roberts Music Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fiona Pender was seven months pregnant and ready for her baby. On August 22, 1996, she went shopping for baby clothes with her mother and brother. It was a period of joy and nesting for the 25-year-old hairdresser and part-time model. According to her partner, John Thompson, Fiona was asleep the next morning when he left for work. He kissed her goodbye, left their flat on Church Street in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, and never saw her again. When friends and family couldn’t reach Fiona that day or the next, they panicked. There was no reason for Fiona to be out of touch with them. By the time she was reported missing, her loved ones feared the worst. Now, nearly 30 years later, there has still been no trace of Fiona or her child, but that doesn’t mean that Gardai or her family have given up. If you have any information about the disappearance and murder of Fiona Pender, please contact Tullamore Garda Station at 057 932 7600, or contact the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“I’m going to be there one day, Mom.” That’s what Joe Pichler told his mom as a child when they were watching The Academy Awards together. While many kids have said something like that, Joe actively worked to make his dreams come true. A role in a local commercial led to gigs in TV and movies, and his star was on the rise. After returning to his hometown of Bremerton, Washington to finish high school, Joe was making plans to return to Hollywood and pick up where he left off. But in the early morning hours of January 5, 2006, he made a phone call to his friend, and then vanished. When his car was found days later, police said the evidence pointed to suicide. But that didn’t sit right with his family. For twenty years, the Pichler family has been saying that there’s more to the story of Joe’s disappearance, and that there are people out there who know more than they’re saying.If you have any information about Joe Pichler’s disappearance, please contact the Bremerton Police Department at 1-360-308-5400. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On December 13, 2009, Steven Koecher disappeared after parking his car in an upscale neighborhood in Henderson, Nevada. Steven had no known associates in Henderson, so no one knew why the 30-year-old drove there that day. Was he there for a meeting? A job? No one in the neighborhood admitted to knowing him, or to having plans to meet with a young man that day.As the investigation went on, bank records revealed a series of bizarre road trips that Steven had taken in the days leading up to his disappearance; trips that he had told no one he had been taking. Over the years, as family, police, private investigators, and internet sleuths continued to dig, more questions have come up, but none led to the answer everyone has been searching for: where is Steven Koecher?If you have any information on Steven’s disappearance, please contact the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-4750. You can also submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

When 19-year-old Brittney Wood disappeared on May 30 2012, from Mobile, Alabama, it looked at first like so many stories we’ve heard before: a young woman vanished, and her family launched a desperate search, but there was no trace of her. But almost immediately, it became clear that this case was different. Because Brittney’s disappearance wasn’t the only police investigation into her family. In fact, months before Brittney vanished, detectives had already begun to uncover something far more disturbing than anyone could have imagined.As her family’s secrets began to come to the surface, detectives had to ask: did Brittney Wood pay the price for what her family didn’t want anyone to know?If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Brittney Wood, please contact the Mobile Police Department at (251) 208-1700 or submit an anonymous tip. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On March 29, 1989, a young mother met some new friends to go shopping. She had planned on leaving her children with her sister-in-law for the afternoon, but when they arrived, the women told her that she should bring her six-week-old baby, Andre, along. Monique Rivera agreed, and went back inside to get her youngest son. That was the last time Monique and Andre were seen alive. While the ensuing investigation uncovered devastating answers, so many more questions remain: who were the two women who came to Monique’s Brookln, New York apartment that day? Was what happened related to other abductions of black children in New York City that year? And most importantly, where is Andre Bryant? If you have any information on the disappearance of Andre Bryant, please contact the New York City Police Department at (212) 694-7781. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Every parent has done it. We’re out with our kids having a good time, and keeping an eye on them. We turn our heads for a second to order food or answer a question. We turn around, and our kids are still there, enjoying themselves. But deep down, we all have the same fear: we’ll look back and our child will be gone. On January 23, 1999, Theresa English lived every parent’s worst nightmare. That evening, she was with a dozen family members at a bowling alley, and her two-year-old daughter, Teekah Lewis was happily playing a car racing game. She was distracted for just an instant, and her entire world fell apart. It wouldn’t be until later that the family would discover that Teekah wasn’t the first child to be harmed at the New Frontier Lanes bowling alley in Topeka, Washington. There was a predator out there, and the Lewis family has been trying to find him and Teekah for over twenty years.The Tacoma Police Department is asking anyone with information about Teekah Lewis’s disappearance to contact Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County at 1-800-222-TIPS. You can also call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-842-5678). There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to arrest and charges in the case.El Departamento de Policía de Tacoma está pidiendo a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre la desaparición de Teekah Lewis que se comunique con Crime Stoppers del condado de Tacoma-Pierce al 1-800-222-TIPS. También puede llamar al Centro Nacional para Niños Desaparecidos y Explotados al 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-842-5678). Hay una recompensa de $1,000 por información que conduzca al arresto y cargos en el caso. Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

When someone goes missing, time doesn’t stop — but the world often moves on. For families, every day without answers becomes a kind of waiting room, where hope and grief exist side by side. We’ve covered hundreds of cases on this podcast, and we try to offer follow ups whenever we can, because the person’s story doesn’t end when our episode does. This week, we’re revisiting four cases that we’ve previously covered: Chance Englebert, Mary Johnson, Sage Smith, and Trudy Appleby, because in 2025, each of these cases saw significant developments. Some brought long-awaited answers, while others brought more painful questions. All of them remind us why it’s so important to keep these stories alive.Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On December 11, 1994, 4-year-old D’Wan Sims, went with his mother Dwanna Harris to do some Christmas shopping at the Wonderland Mall in Livonia, Michigan. According to Dwanna, they arrived around 1:45 PM and entered through the Target store at the mall. D’Wan followed his mother around the mall until one horrible moment when Dwanna realized her son was no longer by her side.A massive search ensued, but there was no sign of the little boy. As the investigation intensified, Livonia police began to wonder, “was D’Wan ever at the mall in the first place?” Now, over thirty years later, investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what happened on that cold December day, and hoping to finally find D’Wan.If you have information about the disappearance of D’Wan Sims, please contact the Livonia Police Department at 734-466-2470.Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On Thanksgiving Day 2010, three brothers—Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton—vanished from their father’s home in Morenci, Michigan. For nearly 15 years, their disappearance remained unsolved.In 2025, just days before John Skelton was set to be released from prison, he was charged with their murders. This episode explores the heartbreaking timeline, the false leads, and the long-awaited charges in a case that gripped a community for over a decade.Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime StoriesBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeSubmit a caseFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/attwg50off* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/attwg for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy