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    True Crime

    Examined: The Backfire Effect

    About Examined: Overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved. Each season features deeply reported stories about crime, punishment, and the people inside the criminal legal system. 

    Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a 20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience — a story that leaves no one off the hook.

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    Copyright: © 2026 Western Sound & Pushkin Industries

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    Latest Episodes:
    Episode 4: Outlaw Country | Valley of Shadows Feb 02, 2026
    Show notes

    As Detective Brandenburg follows leads in the Aujay case, he finds himself with an unlikely ally. A young buck narcotics detective named Darren Hager, who’s trying to dismantle a meth syndicate run by a local biker gang. Hager discovers that his bikers have a disturbing connection to Aujay’s disappearance — and to some of his own LASD colleagues. So he brings in the big guns, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and they launch a covert task force.

    Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack here.

    Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    Episode 3: Tweaker Talk | Valley of Shadows Jan 26, 2026
    Show notes

    At the time of Jon Aujay’s disappearance, California is under siege by a meth epidemic and the Antelope Valley is the epicenter. So when investigators receive tips that Aujay was killed after stumbling upon a meth lab, it seems like a theory worth looking into. But LASD detectives are quick to dismiss the leads. Questioning why the cops are so dismissive, Betsy and Hayley discover there was one cop, Homicide Detective Larry Brandenburg, who bucked the company line and refused to let the Aujay trail go cold.

    Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack here.

    Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    Episode 2: An Unreasonable Act | Valley of Shadows Jan 19, 2026
    Show notes

    Find episode 1 of Valley of Shadows on the Valley of Shadows show page.

    After deputy Jon Aujay disappears, the sheriff’s department claims he was suicidal — pointing to marital troubles and erratic behavior in the weeks before he vanished. But the LASD’s official story doesn’t square with what Aujay’s loved ones and colleagues remember. Then, investigators start to hear rumors that the deputy didn’t take his own life, but was murdered for something he witnessed out in the desert.

    Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on Spotify.

    Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    Important Lost Hills - Dark Canyon Update | Lost Hills Nov 13, 2024
    Show notes

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department listened to our podcast and now they’re asking us some new questions — and answering some of ours. Are they ready to reopen the investigation into Mitrice’s death?

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    12. Dig Two Graves | Lost Hills Jul 17, 2024
    Show notes

    Dana lays out all the evidence, and we await results from forensic testing. We reconnect with Mitrice’s loved ones, as they celebrate what would have been her 39th birthday.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    11. The Suitcase | Lost Hills Jul 15, 2024
    Show notes

    A round of cold calls yields brand new information tying the Person of Interest to Mitrice. We return to the fort in the woods, and make a startling discovery.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    10. The Wallypad | Lost Hills Jul 10, 2024
    Show notes

    The home of a local firefighter is infiltrated by an informant hoping to get more information on the Person of Interest. And a hike planned for Dark Canyon instead leads to the Lost Hills Station.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    9. Fearful Witness | Lost Hills Jul 08, 2024
    Show notes

    A 2011 exhumation of Mitrice’s remains leads to a second autopsy. Meanwhile, a woman describes a disturbing encounter in Monte Nido around the time of Mitrice’s death.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    8. Rick Trouble | Lost Hills Jul 03, 2024
    Show notes

    We learn everything we can about our Person of Interest — a longtime member of the Monte Nido community, who went from golden boy to convict to off-the-grid survivalist living in the woods. We check his criminal history and discover a troubling pattern of violence.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


    7. In the Shit | Lost Hills Jul 01, 2024
    Show notes

    Looking for a way into Dark Canyon, we follow a former pot grower on a treacherous route, and pay a visit to the Porn Ranch, which borders Dark Canyon. Plus, a retired LASD sergeant reveals that there was a Person of Interest in the case.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


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