Episode 17: Unpacking Missing White Woman Syndrome With The hosts of Fruitloops Beth and Wendy

She Goes By Jane

In Ohio, a black woman’s body is found beneath a bridge and labeled Victim #8. In New York, a black woman found dead inside a storage tote will become known as Peaches for the heart shaped peach tattoo on her breast. And in Georgia, a black woman’s bones are found in the underbrush by a man walking his dog. Like many women of color who came before and after them, their stories fade from news coverage - if they’re covered at all. What is missing white woman syndrome and how does it translate to unidentified bodies cases? We explore the stories of nine unidentified black women from across the United States and spanning over seventy years in order to find out what happened and why media coverage matters.

This week, we’re joined by Wendy Williams and Beth Williams, hosts of the award-winning true crime podcast Fruitloops. Fruitloops was born out of their desire to create a podcast with diverse voices covering diverse stories. You can listen to Wendy and Beth on Fruitlioops, now with over 200 episodes, wherever you get your podcasts including as part of the Evergreen lineup of podcasts.

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.

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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.