Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

Latest Episodes:

North Dakota’s Coldest Case: The Unsolved Murder of Larry Jo Phebus May 22, 2025

Show notes

In 1962, 14-year-old Larry Jo Phebus vanished from Tioga, North Dakota. Months later, two farmers found his body in a snow-covered field, sparking one of the state’s earliest and most haunting cold cases. Six decades later, the murder of Larry Jo Phebus remains unsolved, leaving the small town still asking what happened to him that night and why justice has never been found.

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Dead Cold Drop (1) - by James Wolner May 17, 2025

Show notes

Part 1 (Chapters 1–5): In the opening chapters of Dead Cold Drop, Bismarck plumber Doug Rolfstad meets his daughter Mandy at a Valley City truck stop after her urgent request. There, she reveals a manila envelope filled with cash, drawing father and daughter into a situation they do not fully understand. As unsettling news follows, their choices propel them into a suspenseful story of family bonds, dangerous secrets, and survival in North Dakota.

Dead Cold Drop by James Wolner is told across five gripping episodes in the signature Friday Night Fiction style.

About Friday Night Fiction: Written and narrated by James Wolner, Friday Night Fiction delivers original crime stories set in North Dakota and the Upper Midwest. Inspired by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Twilight Zone, and Dragnet, each episode blends atmosphere, moral complexity, and sharp storytelling—ranging from eerie one-shots to serialized suspense. New episodes released on select Friday nights.

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Friday Night Fiction is written and produced by James Wolner. All stories, dialogue, and creative content are original works of authorship and are © James Wolner. Reproduction, redistribution, or adaptation of any part of this podcast without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Legal Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The author and publisher assume no responsibility for any perceived associations, misinterpretations, or unintended similarities. No real persons or groups should be inferred from this story.

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Introducing - You Probably Think This Story’s About You May 15, 2025

Show notes

This isn’t your typical true crime story.

Brittani Ard steps back into the shadowy labyrinth of memories, scars, and fragile ties that bind us to our past. Where wounds still ache and the bonds of connection blur between salvation and entrapment. After revealing her own story in the first 8 chapters, she’s pulling at the threads of the past—threads so delicate they threaten to unravel everything.

This time, it’s not just her story. It’s the stories of others whose lives intertwine with hers in ways no one could have predicted. A woman searches for a photograph of her abusive ex, but the picture holds more than just memories. A foster youth exchanges black trash bags for a voice that refuses to be silenced anymore, revealing a haunting past that demands to be heard. And a story of rekindled love, as strength and vulnerability collide to reveal what was always meant to be.

You Probably Think This Story’s About You is raw, haunting, and achingly human—a tapestry of messy, beautiful lessons stitched together by the lives we touch and the stories we share. The secrets we carried no longer have power over us.

Listen to You Probably Think This Story’s About You wherever you get your podcasts or at https://brittaniard.com/podcast.

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The Ethics of True Crime: A Conversation with Eric Carter-Landin May 08, 2025

Show notes

More than 30 years ago, Eric’s brother Jacob was murdered—a case that remains unresolved to this day. In this conversation, we discuss his pursuit of justice and explore the ethical challenges of creating content in the ever-growing, often problematic true crime genre. Originally released on July 28, 2021.

Listen to the True Consequences podcast: https://www.trueconsequences.com/

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Introducing - Slaycation May 01, 2025

Show notes

Slaycation is a darkly funny true crime podcast hosted by Kim Davis, a former social worker and true crime fanatic, her comedy-writer husband Adam “Tex” Davis, and Emmy-nominated producer Jerry Kolber. Blending horror, humor, and empathy, Slaycation explores vacations gone tragically wrong, offering travel tips that just might save your life. In this episode, “You Cruise, You Lose,” a dream getaway unravels into a chilling mystery that will leave you wondering: accident… or murder?

Finish listening to this episode and explore all episodes of Slaycation:⁠ https://www.slaycation.wtf/

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Krissi's Search: The Murder of Wilma June Nissen Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

In 1978, the body of a young woman was discovered in a rural Iowa ditch—no name, no missing persons report, and clear signs of a violent death. For 27 years, she was known only as a Jane Doe. Her name was Wilma June Nissen. She was 23 years old and believed to have been killed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, around the time of her daughter Krissi’s first birthday. In this episode, Krissi Haas shares her decades-long search for the truth and the emotional journey to reclaim the story of the mother she never had the chance to know.

If you have any information about Wilma June Nissen, her murder, or individuals known as Sugar or Peaches, please consider reaching out. Krissi Haas is still searching for answers, and even the smallest detail could help. You’ll find contact information and links to other resources dedicated to Wilma below.

Krissi’s email: twittchhh@aol.com

Facebook: https://bit.ly/facebook-wilma-june-nissen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilma_june_nissen_cold_case/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/WilmaJuneNissen/

Petition to help families of cold case victims: https://bit.ly/petition-help-cold-case-families

KELOLAND News story on Wilma June Nissen (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7SIelmPDKw&t=25s

Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/

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Introducing - Ice Cold Case Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

In 2002, Madison McGhee’s father, John McGhee, was shot and killed in his own home in Belmont County, Ohio. Driven by her desire to find justice she began conducting her own investigation into his murder that remains unsolved to this day. The police investigation did not yield any significant leads, leaving Madison and her family with more questions than answers - until now.

Join her not only on a quest for justice, for closure, for answers and she stops at nothing to answer this question: Who Killed J.C. McGhee?

It doesn’t get more personal than this.

Listen to Ice Cold Case: https://linktr.ee/icecoldcase

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Park Like a Fargonian - by James Wolner Apr 12, 2025

Show notes

In this debut installment of Friday Night Fiction, a harmless social media group turns sinister in Fargo, North Dakota. When a local banker’s carefully planned Friday night is derailed by a group of self-appointed parking vigilantes, what begins as a minor inconvenience escalates into something far more dangerous. Written and narrated by James Wolner, Park Like a Fargonian is a modern noir story about how quickly judgment can masquerade as justice—and how easily control can slip away.

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Introducing Friday Night Fiction - by James Wolner Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

We introduce you to our new series of original crime-inspired short stories, all set in North Dakota and the Upper Midwest. If you're a fan of true crime but curious to explore fictional tales with the same tension, twists, and emotional depth—this series is for you.

We’ll walk you through what to expect from future episodes, how often they’ll drop, and why true crime fans will feel right at home in these moody, mysterious, and distinctly Midwestern settings.

Welcome to Friday Night Fiction—your weekly escape into the dark side of the North.

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Vanished in Vermillion: Interview with Lou Raguse Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

In May 1971, Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds driving to an end-of-the-school-year party in a rundown Studebaker Lark when they seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. In this episode James interviews author Lou Raguse, author of the riveting book Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota’s Most Infamous Cold Case.

Check out Lou's website: https://vanishedinvermillion.com/

Purchase the book on Amazon https://www.amazon.se/-/en/Lou-Raguse/dp/1637587252

Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/

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Proudly Produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com