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Going West: True Crime — News & Politics
Going West: True Crime

Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman discuss haunting details of different disappearance and murder cases week by week. New episodes released every Tuesday and Friday.

Copyright: © Copyright Dark West Productions

Latest Episodes:

Lena Chapin // 379 Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

In 1999, a Missouri teenager’s stepfather disappeared. Four years later, in February of 2003, she told her uncle that her mother had murdered him and burned his body. Then, she disappeared herself. This is the story of Lena Chapin, and Gary McCullough.

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Jesse Lee Calhoun // 378 Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

In the early months of 2023, six women turned up dead in and around Portland, Oregon, sparking rumors of a serial killer. Though police originally claimed they did not believe that the cases were connected, similarities emerged between four of the women, and one man linked them all. To the dismay of the public, not only did this suspect have multiple other crimes under his belt, but he had been granted early release from prison for fighting forest fires on the west coast. These are the stories of Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, Joanna Speaks, Ashley Real, and an unidentified Native woman. It’s also the story of Jesse Lee Calhoun.

Sources:

1. Oregon Live: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023/07/girlfriend-of-man-linked-to-deaths-of-4-women-says-he-knew-at-least-two-of-the-victims.html

2. Interview with Krista: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-WrdbtKNAs

3. Williamette Week: https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/10/06/in-latest-sign-of-impending-charges-state-assigns-suspected-serial-killer-an-attorney/

4. KGW: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/timeline-for-connected-deaths-of-four-women-around-portland/283-f3719723-0b69-423b-93cd-af54ff73bc95#:~:text=July%2017%2C%202023%20%E2%80%93%20Willamette%20Week,of%20at%20least%20four%20women.

5. KOIN: https://www.koin.com/news/crime/timeline-jesse-calhouns-criminal-past-and-the-details-of-his-recent-arrest/

6. Statesmen Journal: https://www.newspapers.com/image/984993517/?terms=%22jesse%20lee%20calhoun%22&match=1

7. KOIN: https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/were-not-giving-up-mother-of-kristin-smith-speaks-out-after-person-of-interest-linked-to-4-womens-deaths/

8. KPTV: https://www.kptv.com/2023/05/25/missing-gresham-womans-remains-found-portland-police-say/

9. Oregon DOC: https://docpub.state.or.us/OOS/searchCriteria.jsf

10. LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-19/deaths-4-women-oregon-person-of-interest-held

11. KPIC: https://kpic.com/news/local/remains-idd-as-missing-22-year-old-portland-woman-death-suspicious

12. KGW: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/mother-woman-found-dead-speaks-daughter-person-of-interest/283-b01519d8-be90-4d4c-a376-20f6681614a3

13. KVAL: https://kval.com/news/local/father-mourns-loss-of-daughter-as-person-of-interest-named-in-four-oregon-deaths

14. Willamette Week: https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/07/20/ashley-real-later-found-dead-reportedly-filed-a-domestic-violence-complaint-against-alleged-serial-killer-jesse-lee-calhoun/

15. KPTV: https://www.kptv.com/2023/06/02/6-women-found-dead-around-portland-metro-past-4-months/

16. Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12153123/Six-women-dead-Portland-woods-three-months.html

17. Oregon Live: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/06/united-by-grief-families-of-slain-portland-area-women-search-for-answers.html

18. NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/body-oregon-woman-found-washington-barn-appears-moved-rcna81310

19. Oregon Live: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023/06/medical-examiner-asks-public-for-help-identifying-woman-found-dead-in-se-portland.html

20. KPIC: https://kpic.com/news/local/victims-grandfather-says-link-in-cases-brings-closure

21. Multnomah County DIstrict Attorney: https://www.mcda.us/index.php/news/joint-release-information-links-four-victims-in-ongoing-death-investigations-person-of-interest-identified

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Deanne Hastings // 377 Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

In November of 2015, a 35-year-old woman left her Spokane, Washington home late one night to run an errand, leaving a note behind for her fiancé. When she never returned, her fiancé went looking for her, and discovered her locked car abandoned near a music venue with her purse and phone inside. When sightings of her acting strangely poured in from another side of town, suspicions of a mental health crisis were raised, until theories emerged about the two men who were last seen accompanying her, as well as her fiancé himself. This is the story of Deanne Hastings.

Sources:

1. KHQ: https://www.khq.com/man-arrested-for-using-missing-womans-credit-cards/video_b50a8238-78ac-11eb-8c01-7f5d1fffc556.html

2. Uncovered: https://uncovered.com/cases/deanne-hastings

3. Missing Deanne Hastings: https://www.facebook.com/MissingDeanneHastings/mentions

4. NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/loved-ones-still-searching-answers-deanne-hastings-disappearance-n479876

5. Disappeared: https://play.max.com/video/watch/2961635e-238e-4587-a2bc-52ee8dc3bc9b

6. Reddit:

7. The Cinemaholic: https://thecinemaholic.com/is-deanne-hastings-found-or-missing-where-is-her-son-now/

8. Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/deanne-marie-hastings

9. Carini Arts: https://cariniarts.com/blogs/carini-arts/missing-wings

10. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Disappeared/comments/iso09b/disappeared_deanne_hastings_my_leading_theory/?rdt=59440

11. KHQ: https://www.khq.com/news/man-arrested-for-using-missing-womans-credit-cards/article_f78fe46e-4ab8-5475-b637-b509ae6659fa.html

12. KXLY: https://www.kxly.com/news/local-news/spokane-man-searching-for-missing-fianc/article_ad96492d-1677-5bdc-a302-aa6e9d6c7bd6.html

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Jane Britton // 376 Jan 27, 2024

Show notes

In January of 1969, a 23-year-old Harvard graduate student headed out for dinner and ice skating with her boyfriend. After returning home to her Cambridge apartment that night, she was bludgeoned to death. For nearly fifty years, her murder would go unsolved. Then, with the help of Ancestry DNA, police uncovered a serial killer. This is the story of Jane Britton.

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Kadie Major // 375 Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

In January of 2008, a 26-year-old pregnant woman and her young daughter were found dead along a railroad track in South Carolina, leading investigators to believe that she had purposefully taken their lives. But with the only other resident of their home showing incredibly suspicious behavior by changing their story, having gaps in their timeline, and having an extensive and new injury to their hand, the family started their fight for justice. This is the story of Kadie Major, and her daughter, River Lynn Major.

BONUS EPISODES

Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398

Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24456332/river-lynn-major

2. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24456312/kadie-lee-major

3. CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/case-reopened-into-mysterious-deaths-of-s-c-woman-kadie-major-and-daughter-after-48-hours-investigation/

4. Kadie and her Babies: https://kadieandherbabies.com/kadie-major-news-articles/

5. The Post and Courier: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/authorities-woman-killed-by-train-was-months-pregnant/article_24bd48d5-7f72-52de-ab3d-07dc57d89f51.html?fbclid=IwAR3U6X3X8jlJyV9UrmVF4ZWgDtHb12bUTe9MwoXW2O5CKabaJRyZAp3wygY

6. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/dv2n4v/were_kadie_major_and_her_daughter_really_killed/

7. Kadie's Obituary: https://obits.postandcourier.com/us/obituaries/charleston/name/kadie-major-obituary?id=25736633

8. Live 5 News: https://www.live5news.com/2020/01/10/high-profile-attorney-hired-help-seek-justice-berkeley-co-murder-investigation/

9. Change.org Petition: https://www.change.org/p/coroner-george-oliver-coroner-s-inquest-for-kadieandherbabies

10. Live 5 News: https://www.live5news.com/story/39041454/kadie-and-river-majors-death-case-reopened-task-force-formed-to-investigate/

11. Kadie & her Babies Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/Victoriahall65/

12. Aaron's interview with the detective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbQemyBsD4w

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Cajairah Fraise // 374 Jan 20, 2024

Show notes

In February of 2023, a 22-year-old pregnant woman headed to a California drive-thru with her parents late one night, weeks before her due date. When they arrived, she asked to step out of the car to get some air, and was never seen again. With no hospital records recording the birth of her child, police and her family can only fear the worst. But what really happened to her? This is the story of Cajairah Fraise.

BONUS EPISODES

Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398

Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Finding Cajairah: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227742849802187/

2. ABC7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVTezeOk948

3. Press Release: https://kesq.b-cdn.net/2023/03/Response-to-Press-Release.pdf

4. ABC7: https://abc7.com/cajairah-fraise-missing-pregnant-woman-beaumont-police-department-women/13438112/

5. KESQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz_LwcLKSrI

6. Beaumont Police Press Release: https://www.beaumontpd.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=979

7. Disappeared: https://disappearedblog.com/cajairah-fraise/

8. KESQ: https://kesq.com/top-stories/2023/03/27/family-disputes-police-information-in-beaumont-missing-pregnant-woman-case/

9. NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/mother-praying-safe-return-disappearance-8-months-pregnant-california-rcna121986

10. GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Cajairah

11. Bitter Cup Media interview with Sara Verner: https://www.facebook.com/bittercupmedia/videos/272401151803100

12. ABC7: https://abc7.com/beaumont-missing-pregnant-woman-cajairah-fraise-highway-79/13005610/

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Margaret Kilcoyne // 373 Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

BONUS EPISODES

Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398

Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qlw8O9kJQMw96nq_dM28ncVc8C2ajBTWGb8xjbU-oao/edit

1. The Kilcoyne Disappearance: https://garyholmes76.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/kilcoyne-story.pdf

2. Hartford Courant: https://www.newspapers.com/image/368562463/?terms=margaret%20kilcoyne&match=1

3. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/06/nyregion/follow-up-on-the-news-missing-person.html

4. Nantucket Current: https://nantucketcurrent.com/people/nantucket-s-greatest-unsolved-mystery-the-disappearance-of-dr-margaret-kilcoyne

5. Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/margaret-mary-kilcoyne

6. MyHeritage: https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-40000-442230870/margaret-m-kilcoyne-in-geni-world-family-tree

7. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/vm6zvj/dr_margaret_kilcoyne_vanished_from_her_home_in/ie13kdv/?context=3

8. The Boston Globe: https://www.newspapers.com/image/436957935/?clipping_id=110436776&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQzNjk1NzkzNSwiaWF0IjoxNzA0MDg0NzY0LCJleHAiOjE3MDQxNzExNjR9.ZLGW2Hlxk7BRLcTmr_GeCPeiJssz_qw8CGWnBWlhN3c

9. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199785767/leo-kilcoyne

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Christopher Thompkins // 372 Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

In January of 2002, a 20-year-old man was working a surveying job in a Georgia forest when he vanished without a trace. When his co-workers realized he was no longer standing in the line, they began their search for him, only to find one of his boots hanging from a barbed wire fence, with his work tools, his work pants, and twelve cents laying in the grass next to it. So where did he go, and what happened to him? This is the story of Christopher Thompkins.

BONUS EPISODES

Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398

Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. The Crime Wire: https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/The-Mysterious-Disappearance-of-Christopher-Thompkins

2. WTVM: https://www.wtvm.com/2023/07/19/20-years-later-family-officials-continue-search-answers-disappearance-harris-co-man/

3. Ledger-Enquirer: https://www.newspapers.com/image/860192725/?terms=christopher%20thompkins&match=1

4. US Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/surveyors.htm#:~:text=Boundary%20or%20land%20surveyors%20determine,proper%20depths%20for%20building%20foundations.

5. Exit 9: https://web.archive.org/web/20201111232151/http://exit9.news/2019/03/14/christopher-thompkins-part-ii-following-the-clues/

6. The End of Summer: https://the-end-of-summer.blogspot.com/2015/01/missing.html

7. Ledger-Enquirer: https://www.newspapers.com/image/860307726/?terms=christopher%20thompkins&match=18.

9. Ledger-Enquirer: https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article28986784.html

10. WRBL: https://www.wrbl.com/news/vigil-for-man-missing-since-2002/

11. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/ovx5x7/anyone_familiar_with_this_case_the_bizarre/

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Camp Keller Murders // 371 Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

In April of 2012, a mom and her daughter were murdered in their home by someone they thought they could trust. A self-proclaimed survivalist, the killer documented their plans and ideas for the end of the world, and the end of these women’s lives. This is the story of Lynnettee Keller, and her daughter, Kaylene Keller, also known as the Camp Keller Murders.

BONUS EPISODES

Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398

Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89253267/lynnette-louise-keller

2. ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/US/washington-state-family-killer-peter-kellers-chilling-video/story?id=16773977

3. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89252919/kaylene-nichole-keller

4. Lynnette and Kaylene's Obituary: https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/lynnettee-keller-obituary?id=25580861

5. Living Snoqualmie: https://prod.livingsnoqualmie.com/police-release-peter-keller-case-findings-family-honors-lost-daughter-with-scholorship/

6. CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/13/justice/washington-suspect-video-diary/index.html

7. CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2012/04/28/justice/washington-bunker-suspect/index.html

8. Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/north-bend-murder-suspect-found-dead-in-bunker/

9. Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/peter-keller-killer-of-wife-daughter-said-i-can-always-shoot-myself/

10. Snoqualmie Valley Record: https://www.valleyrecord.com/news/new-promise-from-lives-cut-short-scholarship-honors-murder-victims-lynnettee-and-kaylene-keller-photo-gallery/

11. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/183j37q/the_disturbing_case_of_a_family_annihilator_who/

12. CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/authorities-bunker-of-wash-fugitive-surrounded/

13. Seattle Pi: https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/camp-keller-man-who-killed-family-tried-to-3702751.php

14. Albany Democrat-Herald: https://www.newspapers.com/image/565915008/?terms=%22peter%20keller%22&match=1

15. King 5: https://www.king5.com/article/news/peter-keller-now-suspect-in-murders-of-his-wife-daughter/281-330835107

16. Living Snoqualmie: https://prod.livingsnoqualmie.com/police-still-waiting-out-murder-suspect-surrounding-fortified-bunker-near-rattlesnake-ridge/#google_vignette

17. Psych Central: https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/08/14/characteristics-of-4-types-of-family-murderers#2

18. Lynn's Scrapbooking Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4vzrI_NgI

19. SF Gate: https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/peter-keller-found-dead-at-bunker-as-standoff-ends-3518536.php

20. Peter's Video Diaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aodgtiB7ShE

21. Explore With Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vorUEpbHNU

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Sarah Yarborough // 370 Jan 06, 2024

Show notes

In December of 1991, a 16-year-old Washington girl was found murdered in a field next to her high school by a couple of boys, who also got a look at the man behind the crime. But as police papered the composite across town and evaluated thousands of tips, a shocking revelation would come in the form of genealogical DNA testing. This is the story of Sarah Yarborough.

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