Episode 15: Cynthia and Jackie Leslie with special guest Catherine McKenzie

She Goes By Jane

They said they were going to go babysit, but secretly had other plans to meet up with a friend. When teenagers Cynthia and Jackie Leslie left their Mesa, Arizona home in 1974, no one was worried. After all, everyone assumed they were exactly where they said: babysitting. When they didn’t return home, though, their family was plunged into a mystery now almost 50 years old. In this episode we cover both what was reported by the media and what was contained in their over 200 page police file.

This week, we’re joined by writer Catherine McKenzie. A graduate of McGill in History and Law, Catherine practiced law for twenty years before leaving the practice to write full time. She’s the author of numerous bestsellers including HIDDEN, FRACTURED, THE GOOD LIAR and I’LL NEVER TELL. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and PLEASE JOIN US and I’LL NEVER TELL have all been optioned for development into television series. You can find Catherine on Instagram and TikTok.

Join us on Patreon! Your support helps us continue to shine light on America’s missing and unidentified women. Flashlight level members also get access to additional content like Behind the Poem, a weekly conversation about the episode’s featured poem, and our monthly true crime/mystery book club. Our December ‘23 selection is the thriller Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie.

You can find us on Instagram and Facebook.

To buy Aimee’s book, Doe, it’s available now with University of Akron Press, at Bookshop.org, and Amazon.

To see Vanessa’s latest film projects, check out Birdy & Bean Films.