Our True Crime Podcast

Just after 5:00 p.m. on February 18, 2014, ten-year-old Hailey Owens set out on the short walk home from a friend’s house. What began as an ordinary Tuesday turned horrific when neighbors Carlos and Michelle Edwards watched a tan Ford Ranger pull alongside Hailey. After asking for directions, the driver suddenly grabbed her and dragged her into the truck as she tried to walk away. Carlos Edwards sprinted after the vehicle, nearly reaching Hailey before the truck disappeared down the street, while another neighbor chased the kidnapper and called 911. Michelle managed to provide the police with the license plate as panic swept through the quiet neighborhood. Just doors away, Hailey’s mother, Stacey, was preparing dinner, expecting her daughter home any minute, only to be met instead by flashing police lights, frantic officers, and the horrifying realization that her child had been abducted. As volunteers flooded the streets with flashlights and Hailey’s smiling photo spread across social media, the entire city of Springfield, Missouri, held its breath. Join Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled ‘Stolen: The Abduction and Murder of Hailey Owens.’ This episode proudly sponsored by Quince. Refresh your everyday with luxury you actually use. Head to Quince.com/otcp for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS Music by our editing team @theinkypawprint Sources: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bTPtJhuvFaGbx8IskGQsT?si=w9oJuIMrThujd3iyJ0EZgw https://web.archive.org/web/20170403111325/http://www.kspr.com/content/news/Accused-killer-of-a-Springfield-child-wants-a-deal-413473193.html https://www.reddit.com/r/lastimages/comments/o1905m/last_photo_of_hailey_owens_that_was_shown_in/ https://www.ky3.com/video/2026/01/13/missouri-supreme-court-denies-appeal-hailey-owens-murder-case/ https://web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb/welcome.do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXBKMerFuM https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rape-charges-added-in-missouri-girls-death/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113827/http://www.kspr.com/content/news/Hailey-Owens-13th-Birthday-celebration-390662231.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMO6rYiHpZM https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2019/02/10/hailey-owens-abduction-murder-springfield-missouri-5-years/2518034002/ https://www.reddit.com/r/springfieldMO/comments/1aroy2f/10th_anniversary_of_the_hailey_owens_case/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hailey-owens-case-defense-concedes-coach-kidnapped-raped-killed-missouri-girl/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/crimejunkie/posts/1919198728908494/ http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2017/04/20/mother-hailey-owens-asks-prosecutor-drop-death-penalty/100619792/ https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2017/11/02/craig-wood-guilty-first-degree-murder-hailey-owens-killing/825535001/ http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-can-t-agree-on-death-penalty-so-missouri-judge/article_6bd5d4cc-5760-57fe-b397-7cb0c66028e4.html https://web.archive.org/web/20180112014847/http://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/breaking-craig-wood-sentenced-to-death/910819854 https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2019/07/12/missouri-governor-signs-haileys-law-amber-alert-system-hailey-owens/1682479001/ https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Haileys-Law-takes-effect-today-after-55-years-of-waiting-558599941.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you, Petra, for the episode suggestion. In 1990, a teenage girl escaped from a house in Pretoria, South Africa, narrowly avoiding an unimaginable fate. Her story revealed that she was not the first of several young girls taken under suspicious circumstances. Evidence suggested the girls were being held and moved, possibly for a wider trafficking network that spanned beyond the city. Despite investigations, no remains were ever recovered, and the true scope of what happened remains unknown. Almost 40 years later, the disappearances remain unsolved, leaving a shadow over the city and haunting questions about the children who were never found. Join Jen & Cam as they discuss The Missing Six & The Monster of Melherbe Street. A huge Thank You to our team: Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find the sources for this episode on ourtruecrimepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a bitterly cold night just before New Year’s Eve, 23-year-old Ashley Kline disappeared from her home in Robesonia, Pennsylvania, after walking to a friend’s house just four blocks away. She was never seen alive again. When Ashley vanished, her family and community were left searching for answers, clinging to hope that she would return. But as investigators traced her final movements, they uncovered a devastating truth and a brutal betrayal. Join Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled “The Cruelest Betrayal: Ashley Kline.’ Listener Discretion by @octoberpodVHS Music is by our EP @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us/two-pennsylvania-men-get-life-in-prison-in-murder-of-disabled-woman-idUSKBN0JM2HX/ https://www.facebook.com/ashleyklinelaw/ https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/family-to-charged-killers-i-just-dont-want-them-to-ever-be-able-to-hurt/article_03564a38-6ff6-11e4-82b6-37d915877836.html https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/194741/woman-raped-stabbed-burned-alive-friends-she-left-home-new-year-s-eve https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/family-reacts-to-death-penalty-for-accused-killers-of-ashley-kline/article_4fb044ec-1ad9-5456-abbc-bb3dabbc9e30.html https://lancasteronline.com/news/woman-found-in-wildlife-area-idd-as-ashley-lynn-kline/article_9b0912f8-8934-53f4-8a8e-bc2a6df4b862.html https://6abc.com/archive/9395586/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM14Hin5ktM https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28616008/ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/world-news/woman-told-family-going-nye-33145175 https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/victims-father-was-ashley-klines-killer-upset-over-rejection/article_6a1b59b4-7edf-11e4-8759-17ebcd4c9538.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For much of the twentieth century, Mississippi was a place where racial violence was not merely ignored but actively erased. Witnesses stayed silent. Juries looked away. It was just a different time, they say. James Craig Anderson’s murder did not happen in 1955. It happened in 2011. This time, the cameras were watching. This time, the federal government stepped in. This time, the perpetrators pleaded guilty. Progress would be measured not in apologies or promises, but in prison sentences. And unlike so many before him, Anderson’s killers were not celebrated, excused, or folded gently into historical amnesia. They were named. They were tried. They were sentenced. Dragged into the light, they could not escape what they had done. Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson.’ Listener Discretion by @octoberpodVHS Music by @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRcYtzZS5kE https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/us/23jackson.html?hp http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/james-craig-anderson-fbi-investigation_n_930155.html http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/07/17/hate-crime-indictment-tells-details-five-attacks-one-fatal/12793527/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/family-of-alleged-miss-hate-killing-victim-doesnt-want-death-penalty/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/james-craig-anderson-fbi-investigation_n_930155.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW8dRJ3SNh0 https://www.law.virginia.edu/static/uvalawyer/html/alumni/uvalawyer/spr15/reeves.htm https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/ten-sentenced-in-hate-crime-case https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/01/four-white-men-ordered-to-pay-840000-for-jim-crow-style-lynching-of-mississippi-black-man/ https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/12/385777366/a-black-mississippi-judges-breathtaking-speech-to-three-white-murderers https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/10/james-craig-anderson-case/25563641/ https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/10/deryl-dedmon-two-others-to-be-sentenced-in-hate-crime-tuesday/23166397/ https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/restitution-ordered-jackson-mississippi-hate-crime-case-involving-death-james-craig-anderson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this month's special, Melissa from Just The Tip-Sters shares a case close to her heart with Cam & Jen. It's a head-scratcher. In May 2011, Bill and Peggy Stephenson, a kind, generous, and deeply loved couple from Florence, Kentucky, were brutally murdered inside their own home. Both were 74 years old. Their deaths sent shockwaves through Northern Kentucky and left family, friends, and an entire community searching for answers. More than a decade later, this horrific double homicide remains unsolved. There was no obvious motive, no clear suspects, and no explanation that made sense. Even seasoned detectives and the FBI have described the case as complex, haunting, and deeply baffling. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department continues to pursue leads and believes that more than one person may have information about what happened that night. Investigators have vowed to leave no stone unturned, but they still need public help. If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please get in touch with law enforcement. Boone County Sheriff’s Department Phone: 859-334-8496 Toll-Free Tip Line: 844-210-1111 Email: stephensontip@boonecountyky.org If you know anything about the murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, please speak up. One detail could be the key to ending this long nightmare and bringing justice to a family that has waited far too long. You can also send your tips to Melissa Phone: 832-842-7837 Email: jttipsters@gmail.com Make sure you follow Melissa's podcast Just the Tip-Sters. We know you'll love it. You can find her podcast on the same app you use to listen to OTCP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November 1998, Wayne Ford was troubled and scared. He called his brother Rodney and said he had “hurt some people.” Rodney could hear the worry in his voice, so he drove six hours through the night to be with him. When he arrived, Wayne was upset and emotional. The next day, the brothers tried to have a normal day. They visited places from their childhood in Humboldt County, had breakfast together, drove past streets they knew, and even went to the zoo. But all day, there was a quiet tension between them, as if they both knew something big was coming. That evening, Wayne finally went to the sheriff’s office and made a confession. Then, looking at the officers, Wayne said, “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Join Cam and Jen as they discuss "Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Wayne Adam Ford. A huge Thank You to our team: Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sources: 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egffR6XTjZs 2) https://humboldtgov.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/5210 3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Adam_Ford 4) https://www.newspapers.com/image/158344788/?match=1&terms=%22Ryan%20Slough%22 LA Times Nov 7 1998 5) https://www.newspapers.com/image/1232837295/?match=1&terms=%22Ryan%20Slough%22 LA Times Nov 10 1998 6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcata,_California#:~:text=While%20Arcata%2C%20Eureka%2C%20Fortuna%20and,the%20continental%20US%20west%20coast. 7) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231248800/tina_renee-gibbs 8) https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/ford-wayne-adam.htm 9) https://www.newspapers.com/image/747919834/?terms=%22Tina%20Renee%20Gibbs%22 10) https://www.montereyherald.com/2007/03/17/serial-killer-given-the-death-penalty/#:~:text=SAN%20BERNARDINO%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A,their%20mutilated%20bodies%20across%20California. 11) World's Most Evil Killers Season 8 Episode 9 https://youtu.be/egffR6XTjZs?si=Y9rqS8au-ISN-8d2 12) https://www.newspapers.com/image/708178662/?match=1&terms=%22Tina%20Gibbs%22 Aug 8 1998 Fresno Bee 13) https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2001/dec/19/judge-unseals-documents-in-suspected-serial-killer/ 14) https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Ford,%20Wayne%20Adam.pdf 15) https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/wayne_adam_ford/index.html 16) https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Kerry_Cummings 17) https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1713ufca.html 18) https://lakeconews.com/news/75870-humboldt-county-homicide-victim-identified-after-25-years 19) https://krcrtv.com/news/local/eureka-cold-case-solved-homicide-victim-identified-after-25-years 20) https://www.newspapers.com/image/628149383/?match=1&terms=%22Tina%20Gibbs%22 Sacramento Bee Nov 7 1998 21) https://www.newspapers.com/image/1233197380/?match=1&terms=%22Tina%20Gibbs%22 San Francisco Chronicle Nov 11 1998 22) Evil Lives Here: Season 9, Episode 4 https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0FNXBVFJT/ref=atv_dp_sign_suc_3P 23) I Lived With a Killer: Season 1 Episode 14 "Wayward Wayne." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Cam and Jen are excited to share a special episode from our friends at Fresh Hell, a historical true-crime podcast hosted by Annie in the United States and Johanna in Austria. The two are close friends who, despite years of collaboration, have never met in real life! We think you will really enjoy Fresh Hell, especially since its thoughtful storytelling is compelling. Annie and Johanna take time to explore the historical context behind each case, looking at the social, cultural, and psychological factors that shaped the events and the people involved. Their episodes are deeply researched and engaging, often focusing on lesser-known stories you might not hear elsewhere. Every Friday, Fresh Hell releases a new episode diving into stories of murder, mystery, and the macabre from throughout history. The episode you're about to hear is Part One of their series on Lizzie Halliday. Lizzie Halliday was a 19th-century American serial killer, sometimes referred to as America’s first female serial killer. Her crimes stunned people at the time, in part because she challenged many of the assumptions society held about women and violence. Her story brings up complex topics like mental illness, domestic abuse, and how institutions responded to dangerous individuals in the late 1800s. In this episode, Annie and Johanna introduce Lizzie’s background and the events that led up to the crimes that would make her infamous. It’s a fascinating and unsettling case, and a great example of the careful, human-centered storytelling Fresh Hell is known for. Be sure to go to your favorite podcast app and listen to Part 2 of Lizzie Halliday, and while you're there, make sure to subscribe to Fresh Hell Podcast. Jen and Cam will be back soon with more brand-new episodes for 2026! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices