It was a cold, frigid night in February of 2001. It was approximately 10:00 PM and a local police officer was patrolling the quiet streets of Pine River, Minnesota. The officer was driving by Ultimate Liquors when he noticed a car running in the parking lot with no one inside of it. The officer knew the vehicle belonged to the clerk, 50 year old Ra…

Joe Bova was a man living the good life. He was married with a good job and a prominent position in his local union. He was well liked by everyone including neighbors, coworkers, fellow union members, members of his church, and the community of Merrillville, Indiana at large. One cool September morning however. A large explosion would rock the stre…

2003. Thirteen year old Rebecca Williams had just finished up her eighth grade year at Morton Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time she was living with her mother, but was set to move to Las Vegas, Nevada to live with her father. On a normal June day, she would leave her home in the Park Meadows Mobile Home Community and head to a nearby pl…

I'm trying to do some additional digging on the next cold case episode so for this month I'm releasing May 2023's patreon episode. This epsiode focuses on Mormon fundamentalist and extremist Jeffrey Lundgren, who led a cult in Kirtland, Ohio and is responsible for the murder of an entire family. Patreon and Socials: https://linktr.ee/MidwestMystery…

In March of 2008, father of five, soon to be six, MIchael Womack would vanish without a trace from Alton, IL. Only for his truck to be found almost 30 miles away, clean and wiped of any fingerprints. Then, in July of 2011, father of two, Jared Hanna would leave his home in Jerseyville, IL. After failing to pick up his daughters from their mother, J…

On a warm summer day in July of 2012, 10 year old Lyric Cook-Morrissey, and her cousin 8 year old Elizabeth Collins would head out in the town of Evansdale, Iowa on what was to be a typical bike ride. However, as the time the girls should have been home would come and go, Lyric and Elizabeth’s grandmother and parents would become increasingly conce…

In November of 1998, 36 year old Anthony Klama was living a pretty good life. He was working as a maintenance supervisor in the same apartment complex with which he lived. Recently he had received some high praise and was looking forward to an upcoming inspection, in hopes that it could lead to a promotion. Anthony spoke with family almost everyday…

It was July of 2006 and 33 year old VIcki Eagleman, recently divorced and with five children, had moved in with her mother and step father on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Vicki had begun dating a man named Sonny, and on an exceptionally hot day, Vicki, Sonny, and others would spend the day swimming on the Missouri River. Howe…

Life had been hectic lately for 15 year old Rachel Pratt, she had recently found she was going to be a mother and was in her first trimester of pregnancy. Not being bogged down, she continued to live life as normally as she could. In January of 1995, Rachel would perform in a school band concert, then come home to settle in with her siblings while …

On a cold morning in February 2001, twenty-three-year-old Stefanie Welch would drop her two young boys off at preschool and daycare. Hours later her vehicle would be parked at a local mobile home park, and an unknown man would be seen walking away. Stefanie, would never be seen again, this is Midwest Mystery Files Episode 27, the disappearance of S…

In July of 2002, 19 year old Russell Turcotte was on his way home to Montana from a Rainbow Gathering in the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He had stayed behind a few days after the gathering to clean up the mess that was left behind. With his friends already back in Montana, Russell decided to hitchhike back. Upon reach…

Update on Episode 10: The Opelika Jane Doe. Amore is her name, and suspects are in custody. Hear all the details within, apologies for some weird sound on the technical end for about 30 seconds towards the end of the episode.By Jeremiah Baustian

My newest case isn't ready yet, so today's episode is my October bonus episode from Patreon, which focuses on the alleged possession and exorcism of Anna Ecklund in 1928 in Earling, Iowa. Was Anna really possessed? Or was she simply a mentally ill woman who was misdiagnosed? Listen and decide! Also be sure to check out That's Not Good: A True Crime…

On a cold, cloudy day in December of 1995, a teller at the Bank One in Bloomfield, Ohio was working the drive up window when a red and silver pick up pulled up. The teller recognized the truck, and the couple inside, as John and Shelly Markley were regulars at the bank. Who she didn’t recognize was a man accompanying the Markley’s. John was driving…

On July 22nd, 2001, 28-year-old Niqui McCown was just weeks away from marrying the love of her life. She was set to address wedding envelopes with her fiancé that evening. However, a trip to the laundromat would soon turn into a mystery with no end. Niqui would never return home, and months later her vehicle would be found 45 miles away, with no cl…

It was Christmas time in the college town of Normal, Illinois. Many students had already left by December 22, 1975, gone home on break to celebrate the holiday season with their families. During their time off, they may have caught a screening of Black Christmas, a 1974 slasher film that was still doing some screenings in December of 1975. The film…

In October of 1996, nineteen-year-old Kristi Nikle headed out into the town of Grand Forks, North Dakota for a night of bingo. Kristi had been diagnosed with a developmental disability and posessed the mental skill of a 10-year-old. However, she was fiercely independent and was never held back from being a bubbly, friendly, and social person who wa…

In September of 1992 in Saginaw, Michigan, Shamonica Brown would spend her Friday evening playing with some neighborhood kids. The fun would begin on the front porch of her home but would then move to a playground a short distance away. As the evening would move on, and young children would begin to return home, Shamonica’s mother Doris would grow …

On May 19th, 1990, Nineteen-year-old Chad Maurer would come home on his lunch break to grab a quick bite to eat and head back to work at his job in Madison, Wisconsin. Later that day, Chad’s parents would stop by his work, only to find he was nowhere to be found. Two days later, 150 aways in South Chicago, Chad would be found in a garage, dead from…

On July 4th, 1978, a family in Junction City, Kansas would be awoken by a commotion across the street from their home. The family would gather at the front of the house, watching the events unfold, after several minutes they would take notice that one of the children living in the home was not with them, they would quickly find she was nowhere in t…

In 1990, former Will County Sheriff’s deputy Robin Abrams was gearing up to testify in a federal lawsuit she had filed against her former employer, which included the local county sheriff and several other officers within the department including a former boyfriend. The lawsuit was the result of a year of harassment, where Robin had been subjected …

In 1990, former Will County Sheriff’s deputy Robin Abrams was gearing up to testify in a federal lawsuit she had filed against her former employer, which included the local county sheriff and several other officers within the department including a former boyfriend. The lawsuit was the result of a year of harassment, where Robin had been subjected …

In April 0f 2001, a young man would exit his home and seemingly vanish into thin air. Rivers would be checked, ground would be dug up, and hundreds of people would be questioned over the years, but to no avail. In a small town that had and still would make headlines for violent and senseless murder, one twenty year old would be gone without ever ma…

On a chilly January night in 1968 in the college town of Ames, Iowa, a young Iowa State college student would leave her dorm, headed for the corner of Lincoln Way and Beach St. She had just received a call in response to a post she’d made on a campus bulletin board, she had been looking for someone to take her to the Chicago area so that she could …

In August of 2009, a 15 year old girl would leave her home in Antigo, Wisconsin, getting into a vehicle with her friend with plans to spend the night driving around. She would be seen a short time later at a local McDonalds before allegedly being dropped off at a house 34 miles away. She would never be seen again. This is Midwest Mystery Files, Epi…

Informal non-case episode today. In this episode I'm looking at the new year and will just being going over my plan for the year, ideas for Patreon, and I tell you a bit about myself and intentions/ motivations for this podcast.By Midwest Mystery Files

In October of 2016, Larissa Lone Hill would leave her mother’s town home in Rapid City, South Dakota. Within another day, she would disappear, with only a vague trail being laid out to where she may have gone. A trail that would bring many question, but absolutely zero answers. This is Midwest Mystery Files, Episode 13, the Vanishing of Larissa Lon…

In September of 1997, on a warm Michigan evening, a young girl would be playing outside of her apartment while her mother ran to run some errands. Upon her mother’s return, the young girl would be nowhere to be found. A massive search would soon be launched, but 24 years later, her disappearance remains a tragic mystery. This is Midwest Mystery Fil…

On January 31st 2004, fire crews would be called to a burning home in Osceola, IA. Once arriving on the scene, firefighters would fight the roaring blaze, eventually extinguishing it. Unfortunately the homes young occupant would found deceased in the home, after succumbing to his burns. The fire would be labeled an accident, but factors would soon …

October is gonna be a bit funky and episodes are gonna be sporadic. I explain to you why in this short little blurb.By Midwest Mystery Files

This week we travel out of the region to Alabama. Where in 2012 in a trailer park in Opelika, human remains would we be found, several pieces over, several days. The discovery would lead to a haunting mystery involving a young girl who showed signs of a traumatic life in her short years alive, a mystery that haunts dedicated investigators to this d…

In 2003, a young woman from South Dakota, who was known to be shy and reserved would suddenly leave the state and her family behind for a man she met online. Her move would take her to Kansas City, Missouri, where she would keep most of her life secret from her family. Then, in October of 2005, the young woman would be found murdered in a vacant lo…

On a snowy Minnesota night in 1993, a seventeen-year-old girl would accompany her friend to a job interview. The girl was looking for a second job, and as luck would have it, her friends boss was looking for help. The cold, snowy night would soon turn even colder though, as the young girl would never return home, nor would she ever be seen again. T…

In 2006, the decomposed bodies of two females would be found in roadside ditches in rural Mills County, Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Nebraska. The first victim would be found in June, with the next being uncovered in November. The victims would be traced back to Omaha, where a man who may hold the answers to the women’s murders takes h…

Bay Village, Ohio, 1989. On a fall day in late October, a 10 year old girl would visit the Bay Village Shopping Center after school with plans to pick out a present for her mother. Little did she know though, that she had been tricked into a ruse with much darker intentions. A ruse that would kick off one of the biggest murder cases in Ohio history…

In 2009, a Milwaukee teen would clock out of her job at a local Arby's, proceed to go home, spend time with family, and then suffer a terrible fate at the hands of a home invader, an invader who had only one clear motive. Then in 2016, a young Chicago teen would walk a young female friend home, and then suffer one of the most horrific deaths Imagin…

In 1983, two men would make a horrific discovery in an abandoned building in St. Louis, Missouri. It would be the start of the most notorious cold case in St. Louis History. This is Episode 4: The St. Louis Jane DoeBy Midwest Mystery Files

In the 1970"s, the town of Waverly, Iowa would be shaken to it's core by the murder of three young woman. Were they three isolated incidents, or was a murderer with a proclivity for strangling young women stalking the streets of Waverly? In part 3, we take a look at Lisa Peak, who disappeared on Labor Day 1976, only to be found murdered the next da…

In the 1970"s, the town of Waverly, Iowa would be shaken to it's core by the murder of three young woman. Were they three isolated incidents, or was a murderer with a proclivity for strangling young women stalking the streets of Waverly? In part 2, we take a look at Julie Benning who disappeared in November of 1975, only to be found murdered the fo…

In the 1970"s, the town of Waverly, Iowa would be shaken to it's core by the murder of three young woman. Were they three isolated incidents, or was a murderer with a proclivity for strangling young women stalking the streets of Waverly? In this debut episode, we take a look at the first victim: Valerie Lynn Klossowsky…

Midwest Mystery Files: A new true crime podcast focused on unsolved missing and murdered cases within America's HeartlandBy midwestmysteryfilespod