Crime Adjacent Live Episode 579: The Cross Country Killer

Crime Adjacent Live Episode 579: The Cross Country Killer

From Crime Adjacent by Chase Patrick

May 20, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 579

About this episode

This episode explores the mysterious deaths of business travelers linked to a serial killer known as the Cross Country Killer.

On November 23, 1987, Bernard "Barnie" Jones arrives home from a business trip and tells his wife he feels "heavy" after a long flight and stress. The next morning, she finds him dead of an apparent heart attack. By all accounts, this looks like a small, ordinary tragedy, the kind that plays out in homes across America every day.  But a year later, another man arrives home from a trip, reports that he feels "heavy," and is also found dead of a heart attack within hours.  And then another man. And another. And another.  These men lived a country apart from one another. They didn't know each other, or have any interactions or connections in any way. They simply arrived home, reported that they felt "heavy," and died of seemingly natural causes. Which is why it took nearly 10 years and a random, off-hand comment for the FBI to discover that these were not, in fact, ordinary health events. These were murders, and what they discovered would shock them. Because from 1987 to 1995, a serial killer quietly murdered at least 12 business travelers throughout America -- and almost got away with it. This is Crime Adjacent episode 579: The case of the Cross Country…

People in this episode

Host: Chase Patrick

Topics covered

  • serial killer
  • true crime
  • murder mystery
  • business travelers
  • unsolved cases

Keywords

  • Cross Country Killer
  • Bernard Jones
  • serial murders
  • heart attack
  • FBI investigation
  • true crime podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Austin

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