Unresolved

"I won't say it was professional, what I will say is it was tremendous savagery. And what is certain is that somebody wanted to kill."On the afternoon of 5 September 2012, an attack took place just off of the Route Forestière Domaniale de la Combe d'Ire, a quiet mountain road in southeastern France, near Lake Annecy. The attack claimed the lives of four people - Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal al-Hilli, her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier - and left the al-Hilli's two young daughters traumatized. In the years since, investigators have probed the victims' backgrounds in hope of finding a cause, but have been left empty-handed. The working theory is that the culprit was a "lone psychopath" who committed the crime for no real reason...Episode written & researched by Olivia ParadiceEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved

This is a brief preview for the 16th episode of my Patreon-exclusive show, Resolved, which is available now for all $5+ supporters. To learn more about this series - and how you can listen - consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpodThis episode can be found at the following link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59931087Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved--3266604/support.

"I never sent the clues, I never left anything, you know, I wanted to add my little signature."On the morning of 13 August 1997, a mysterious man called into the syndicated radio program of popular shock-jock Howard Stern. This caller, who identified himself as "Clay," claimed to be an unidentified serial killer from the New Orleans area. Despite raising a lot of suspicions early on, this call quickly faded into relative obscurity after it happened, before being brought back to the attention of internet sleuths in 2019. As true crime aficionados began to dig into the details of the case, they realized that "Clay" might have been claiming responsibility for a still-unsolved series of crimes... Episode written & researched by Jesse PollackEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meIf you would like to support this podcast and others, consider he

"(Tamaulipas) is one of the places where clearly state, federal, and local authorities are not in control. It's tragic, it's unfortunate, but it's a reality."Throughout 2010 and 2011, the Los Zetas and Gulf Cartel battled for control of Tamaulipas, while cities like San Fernando - right in the middle of this contested territory - suffered the consequences. The federal government attempted to help, but were unable to stop the unchecked violence from spreading outside of the state.As an investigation into the heinous migrant massacre carried on, authorities began to make additional discoveries in the area around San Fernando...Episode hosted, produced, and research/writing by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicOutro music: "Informed and Prudent" by Yi NantiroLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meIf you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or ProducerBecome a supporter of t

"Now there is fear for everything you do. The fear of going out, to drive, to get out of the car, to go to a party. We no longer trust anyone."In 2010, 18-year-old Luis Freddy Lala Pomavilla began heading north from his native Ecuador, towards the United States. There, he hoped to reunite with his parents living in New Jersey, and made a deal with a notorious coyote to take him across several borders.Sadly, though, the bus that Luis Freddy was on - along with at least 72 other undocumented migrants - began crossing through Tamaulipas in August of 2010. At the time, this Mexican state had become ground zero for an escalating conflict between the prominent Gulf Cartel and their vicious adversaries, the Los Zetas...Episode hosted, produced, and research/writing by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicOutro music: "Informed and Prudent" by Yi NantiroLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meIf you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to ht

In July of 1984, a story originating from Long Island, New York began to make headlines throughout the world.The body of 17-year-old Gary Lauwers was found in a shallow grave in the Aztakea Woods, just outside of the sleepy harbor village of Northport. Police would quickly narrow in on the person they believed to be responsible for this violent crime: 17-year-old Ricky Kasso, who they alleged had participated in a cult ritual during the commission of this vile act.While the story would fade from the headlines, its legacy would live on, becoming an omen of the Satanic Panic craze yet to come later that decade...Special thanks to Jesse Pollack, Dan Jones, and Anthony Zenkus for speaking with me. Jesse and Dan are co-directors on the documentary film The Acid King, which Anthony not only helped produce but experienced firsthand. I'm so glad that they were able to speak to me, and I owe a huge thanks to Jesse and Dan for not only being good friends, but for putting together such a good flick (and for contributing

"I thought they were sleeping in the sun. After I got a bit closer I saw the clothing of the girls was disarranged, and then I could see the ants crawling all over them..."On the evening of 26 December 1898 (Boxing Day) a trio of siblings departed their farmhouse in rural Queensland, headed for a dance nearby in the small town of Gatton. The following morning, their brother-in-law headed out on a horse to find them or the cart they had borrowed. He eventually found tracks from the cart, which ventured in and out of a nearby paddock for hundreds of yards. After minutes of searching, he caught a glimpse of what looked like piles of clothing lying perfectly still beneath the hot summer sun...Episode written & researched by Maggie CoomerEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meIf you would like to support this podcast and others, consider headi

“He’s vain, proud. He doesn’t want to lose face. He doesn’t want his children to find out he’s got no money, that he’s ruined.”On 7 April 2011, the patriarch of the aristocratic Dupont de Ligonnès family, Xavier, packed up his car with several large bags and set off for parts unknown. His home in Nantes, France - where he lived with his wife and four children - would remain still and quiet for days after. Eventually, police were called to check in on the home, after a series of mysterious letters and emails were received by the family's loved ones and acquaintances. Days later, a heinous discovery would be made on the family's property, but by then, Xavier was long gone...Episode written & researched by Olivia ParadiceEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Sara Moscaritolo, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Quil Carter, Jo Wong, Laura Hannan, Steven Wilson, Damion Moore,

"Don't look anything like yourself. We'll meet you at the station. Leave everything behind that might remind you of your past life, including pictures and credit cards and your driver's license. Forget who you are."On 22 June 1990, five-year-old Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh was abducted from a daycare center in Kaneohe, Hawaii. From the jump, authorities believed that her estranged mother, Merle Vanderheiden, was responsible. However, Merle proved elusive for authorities to track down, utilizing her prior counter-intelligence training from the U.S. military to evade federal agents. To make matters even more complicated, investigators feared that Merle had been aided by a shadowy organization known as the "Children of the Underground"...Episode hosted, researched, written, and produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Sara Moscaritolo, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Quil Carter, Jo Wong, Laura Hann

1978 was a challenging year for the Indianapolis, Indiana enclave of Speedway. In a town that boasted less than two homicides in collective memory, a sudden bizarre string of crimes that year left residents shaken. First, a 65-year-old woman had been shot in the head and killed in her own garage. Then, in September, a series of small explosions known as the Speedway Bombings rocked the town for a full week, injuring two people and leaving everyone a bit twitchy. However, these incidents were nothing compared to the horrific murders of four Speedway teenagers working at a fast-food restaurant called Burger Chef on November 17, 1978. The subsequent botched police investigation has made the case one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Indianapolis history, and now, 40 years later, police are still looking for answers…Episode written & researched by Maggie CoomerEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicLearn more about this podcast at htt

"Bad people attacked and killed many people in New York on this day. Other bad people killed your father this same day. He wasn't alone."On the morning of September 11th, 2001, 46-year-old Henryk Siwiak fled from a construction site in lower Manhattan. The Polish immigrant made his way back to his apartment in Far Rockaway Beach, spoke to his family, and made plans to begin a second job that evening.Siwiak, a desperate father of two looking to send cash back home to his family in Poland, made plans to take the A Train to an area of New York he'd never been to. There, sadly, Siwiak would become the city's only unsolved murder from this fateful day...Episode written & researched by Jesse PollackAdditional writing & research by Micheal WhelanEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicLearn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meIf you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolve

“We said we weren’t going to speak to anybody. We stopped talking altogether—only us two, in our bedroom upstairs.”Born in April of 1963, June and Jennifer Gibbons were twins born to a pair of immigrants that relocated to the U.K. during their childhood. There, however, the twins - who already suffered from a speech impediment - were treated unfairly because of the color of their skin and bullied significantly by their peers. Over the next several years, June and Jennifer would begin to close off communication with everyone other than themselves, beginning an unhealthy and toxic relationship that would eventually lead to their confinement in mental hospitals - and ultimately, a mysterious death...Episode written & researched by Olivia ParadiceEpisode hosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Jo Wong, Damion

"We presume that she was kidnapped, abducted from her own home after her parents were killed and taken against her will."On 15 August 2002, the bodies of 50-year-old Michael Short and 36-year-old Mary Short were found in their southern Virginia home. Each had been shot in the head once while sleeping. However, missing from the scene entirely was the couple's 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer. Over the next several weeks, a panicked search would ensue throughout the region, hoping to uncover any trace of the missing child. An unusual suspect would emerge shortly thereafter, but questions continue to linger nearly two decades later...Episode hosted, researched, written, and produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Jo Wong, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Marie Vanglund, Scott Patzold, Astrid Kneier, Aimee McGregor, Sara Moscaritolo,

“Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.”On 19 July 2005, Private First Class LaVena Lynn Johnson was found dead in a contractor’s tent on an Army base in Balad, Iraq. The Army officially ruled her death a suicide, but when her father, Dr. John Johnson, saw LaVena’s body and spoke with the doctor who performed her autopsy, something didn’t quite add up. He started asking questions.What followed were years of administrative red tape and agonizing heartache for the Johnson family. Despite everything, Johnson refused to take the Army’s flaccid excuses at face value, and he wasn’t going to stop until he discovered the truth...Researched & written by Maggie CoomerHosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Bryan Hall, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan,

In the waning days of 2003, a mysterious entity would begin a short-lived campaign of terror.Using the name "Fallen Angel," this mysterious group or individual sent two letters - one without a destination and the other addressed to the White House - which demanded an end to upcoming trucking regulations. Included in the two envelopes were sealed vials containing ricin, a dangerous poison created from castor beans. Months later, trace amounts of ricin would be found in the Washington D.C. mailroom of the Senate Majority Leader, and many believed "Fallen Angel" to be responsible. However, whoever they were, their identity and true motive remains unknown to this day...Episode hosted, researched, written, and produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Bryan Hall, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Jo Wong, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Astrid Kne

On the evening of 2 August 2006, a 32-year-old lawyer named Robert Wone was finishing up work at his office at Radio Free Asia in Washington D.C. That evening, instead of commuting back to his home in Oakton, Virginia, Robert decided to crash with a college friend of his: another young lawyer named Joseph Price, who happened to live in D.C. The two had been longtime friends, and Price was well-liked by both Robert and his wife, Kathy. However, within two hours of arriving at Joseph's $1.2 million townhouse, Robert was dead, and the circumstances surrounding his death were baffling...Researched & written by Maggie CoomerHosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Bryan Hall, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Jo Wong, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Marie Vanglund, Scott Patzold, Astrid Kneier, Aimee McGregor, Sara Moscaritolo, S

Between 1934 and 1938, at least 13 men and women were murdered in or around Cleveland’s Kingsbury Run.Dubbed “the Cleveland Torso Killer,” “the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run,” and less commonly “The Headhunter,” the murderer was known for expertly decapitating and dismembering his victims before dumping their body parts in various areas around Cleveland’s eastside. As Cleveland’s Public Safety Director, famed Prohibition-era detective Eliot Ness drove an exhaustive investigation during which over 5000 people were interviewed. Though he was sure he found the person responsible, he never made an arrest. Eighty years later, the case remains officially unsolved...Researched & written by Maggie CoomerHosted & produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Bryan Hall, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Jo Wong, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Mari

This is a brief preview for the 15th episode of my Patreon-exclusive show, Resolved, which is available now for all $5+ supporters. To learn more about this series - and how you can listen - consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpodThis episode can be found at the following link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53432183Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved--3266604/support.

"In my 10 years in law enforcement, never have I see a slaying of this type nor has anyone on my staff... This was a brutal slaying done by a very sick individual."On 12 October 1978, 12-year-old Linda Pikuritz rode her bike from her family's home in Port Charlotte, FL to a convenience store about one mile away. This was a trip that Linda had been making regularly for months. But on this night in particular - right before Friday the 13th - Linda never returned home.Firefighters battling a brush fire in an uninhabited region of nearby Murdock made a horrifying discovery a few hours later, which sent shockwaves through this quiet community. Years later, an arrest was made, but justice was never served...Episode hosted, researched, written, and produced by Micheal WhelanOriginal music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper MusicTheme music created and composed by Ailsa TravesProducers: Roberta Janson, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Travis Scsepko, Bryan Hall, Quil Carter, Steven Wilson, Laura Hannan, Damion Moo

"The ritual of her death is probably not too different from how she lived her life. She is very careful, methodical. She goes to great lengths to hide how she dies, but none of us, no matter what we do, can disappear without a trace."On 9 October 1996, a woman checked into Seattle's Hotel Vintage Park, a boutique hotel located a stones throw away from the city's many tourist attractions. Under the name "Mary A. Anderson," she paid for a single room for two nights using cash.Two days later, staff members would find the woman's body inside of room 214, peacefully lying on the bed. However, as authorities began looking into the woman's bizarre death, they discovered a baffling mystery...If you would like to learn more about Othram Inc. and King County's collaboration to ID this woman, make sure to check out their crowdfunding page at the following:https://dnasolves.com/articles/mary_anderson/ Thanks to Bethany from the podcast Milk and Murder for contributing some audio for this episode. Learn more about her pod