From Valley of Shadows: Tweaker Talk

From Valley of Shadows: Tweaker Talk

From Where's Dia? by Pushkin Industries

January 26, 2026 · 47 min · Season 1

About this episode

The episode explores the investigation into the disappearance of a deputy amidst a meth epidemic and police corruption in California.

Here's episode 3 from Valley of Shadows, a new Pushkin true crime podcast that examines how the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave’s meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up. At the time of Jon Aujay’s disappearance, California is under siege by a meth epidemic and the Antelope Valley is the epicenter. So when investigators receive tips that Aujay was killed after stumbling upon a meth lab, it seems like a theory worth looking into. But LASD detectives are quick to dismiss the leads. Questioning why the cops are so dismissive, Betsy and Hayley discover there was one cop, Homicide Detective Larry Brandenburg, who bucked the company line and refused to let the Aujay trail go cold. If you liked these first few episodes of Valley of Shadows, there’s much more to come. Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts. Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Betsy, Hayley

Topics covered

  • meth epidemic
  • missing deputy
  • police corruption
  • investigation
  • outlaw bikers
  • true crime

Keywords

  • meth
  • deputy
  • investigation
  • corruption
  • bikers
  • California
  • true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LASD

Places: California, Antelope Valley, Mojave

More episodes of Where's Dia?

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Where's Dia? podcast page.