Just The Tip-Sters: True Crime Podcast

Latest Episodes:

97. Sounds Like More Than Just A Survivor - Mary Vincent's Defiant Will To Live Aug 20, 2019

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In 1978, while hitchhiking to visit a relative, 15 year-old Mary Vincent was abducted, then repeatedly raped and sodomized, then tortured by 51 year-old Lawrence Singleton, who then attempted to finish the teenager off by cutting both of her arms off with an ax, then kicking her into a drainage ditch. Almost impossibly, young Mary found the will to stuff dirt into the stubs that were once her forearms, crawl out of the ravine and walk - naked and near death - THREE MILES to the nearest highway, where she was rescued by passing motorists. Listen as Melissa takes you through the horror of Mary Vincent's ordeal, her absolute defiance in the face of death, and the awful, disturbing details of what happened to her would-be murderer. Ultimately, this is a story of great hope and - yes - beauty and love - a reminder that the human spirit is capable of miracles. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY by Jennifer Hardaway. Make sure to enter promotional code TIPSTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your total order. www.kleanspa.com - Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious.

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96. Sounds Like Carmina Salcido Has A Life Wish Aug 13, 2019

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In April 1989, Ramon Salcido, a husband and father of three girls, went on a drunken, ghastly, deadly rampage, killing seven people, including his wife, two of his daughters, his mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and a coworker. What he did with his three daughters was particularly evil - he took them to a dump, slit their throats from ear-to-ear and left them to die in piles of garbage. The sole survivor was young Carmina, the youngest of Salcido's daughters - who was just about to turn 3 years old - we repeat, THREE years old. Somehow the toddler was able to sit herself up and bend her head forward to prevent the wound to her neck from killing her. And then she sat there for 36 hours until rescuers found her and saved her life. Join Melissa as she recounts the heartbreaking, harrowing and ultimately life-affirming story of Carmina, who refused to die when just a baby - and despite continued hardship throughout her life, still maintains her strength and determination to carry on. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - visit www.kleanspa.com and enter promotional code TIPSTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your total order. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious.

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95. MURDERTIZER - Sounds Like Extradition - Peter Chadwick Update Aug 10, 2019

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Here's a quick between-regular-episodes MURDERTIZER to abate your appetite for All Melissa, All the Time - and it's got some BIG NEWS - Peter Chadwick, the millionaire (alleged) wife killer who told cops one of the stupidest "my spouse was murdered" stories ever (allegedly) concocted and then, once arrested, got out on bail and (allegedly) skipped the country for four years - has finally been found in southeastern Mexico and extradited earlier this week. Join Melissa as she revels in the capture of a truly (allegedly) awful dude, work herself into a righteous froth remembering how the Newport Beach police kept facts from the public - and excitedly previews an upcoming interview with a Long Beach, California detective who was a member of the task force that finally brought Chadwick back home to face justice.

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94. MURDER NERD UNIVERSITY - Sounds Like Toxicology Saved Brigida McInvale - With Special Guest Dr. Jeff Lapoint Aug 06, 2019

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SURVIVOR MONTH on Just The Tip-Sters begins with our first edition of MURDER NERD UNIVERSITY - where Melissa focuses on the sciences and practices and interesting people - both in the past and in modern-day criminology - that contribute to the art of criminal justice. In late 2017 Brigida Uto (who later changed her surname back to maiden name McInvale for reasons that will become obvious) got very sick for no apparent reason. The young special needs teacher, who by all accounts had a happy life and rewarding career, a naval officer husband and a young child - was suddenly seeing her health degrade slowly, day after day, week after week. Moving back and forth between the naval hospital and a local community hospital, doctors could not diagnose what was wrong with Brigida, as the symptoms seemed to be all over the map. Finally, when it became too painful for Brigida to even walk, she landed in the emergency room of the community hospital on a night when the attending physician happened to also be a toxicologist - part of an elite group of toxicologists working at the hospital - and that doctor, when he examined Brigida, had a hunch...so he called his boss. His boss was Dr. Jeff Lapoint - who, with his team, working with local police, the FBI and NCIS - proved that Brigida was poisoned with thallium - a deadly metal that her husband, Race Uto, had been shaving into her food. Using a compound so rare that it took clearance - and some heavy questioning - from the National Security Apparatus - Dr. Lapoint and his team saved Brigida's life and helped put the diabolical husband behind bars for a very long time. Join Melissa as she engages Dr. Lapoint in a wide ranging conversation about the case and the art of toxicology in the service of saving lives. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY by Jennifer Hardaway - get 15% off your total order by entering Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout! That's kleanspa.com - Prepare to smell delicious!

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93. Sounds Like Trust Turned Into Tragedy - Who Did Rhianna Barreau Let In The Door? Jul 30, 2019

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It was October 7, 1992 in Morphett Vale, South Australia, and 12 year-old Rhianna Barreau was on a school holiday. Rhianna, who lived with her mother and brother, wanted to buy a Christmas card for her pen pal in America (remember, this was 1992 and it took awhile for a card to get from Australia to the U.S.). The family lived only about a mile or so away from a local shopping center, so when Rhianna asked her Mom if she could walk there to buy the card for her American friend, Mom said okay. When Mom came home from work later that day, the television was blaring, one of Rhianna's favorite record albums was lying on the floor - and that Christmas card Rhianna had wanted to purchase was on the table. But Rhianna was nowhere to be found. And to this day, she's still missing. In this episode, Melissa retells the details of Rhianna's last known whereabouts, the witnesses who saw her that day walking back home - the mysterious fact that there was no sign of forced entry into the house - the fact that none of Rhianna's personal belongings were missing - and the lingering, haunting question: Who did Rhianna open the door to that fateful afternoon? VISIT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY by Jennifer Hardaway - Get 15% off your total order by visiting www.kleanspa.com and entering promo code TIPSTERS at checkout. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious!

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92. Sounds Like A Bad Boy Gone Good - Eugene Vidocq And The Invention Of Criminology Jul 23, 2019

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Back around the turn of the century...no not 2001....no, no, not 1901...the turn of the century before THAT, in the late 1700s and early 1800s...a young man raised in a good family in France was very busy being a very very bad boy, all over France as well as a good chunk of Europe. His name was Eugene Francois Vidocq, and his penchant for getting into trouble with the law was matched only by his way with the ladies - he was such a rounder that he married no fewer than three times during his 82 years and was never far from romantic...er...adventure. His criminal behavior was legendary - Vidocq was so addicted to trickery, forgery and downright slippery behavior that he often helped other criminals just because he enjoyed being devious. He landed in jail many times, and was once even sentenced to death (which he obviously ended up avoiding...somehow...). But sometime in his mid-thirties, something happened to Eugene Vidocq. He decided to stop plotting and running and going to jail - and begin to use his talents AGAINST criminals. He ended up not only becoming one of the most effective law enforcement officials in history - he pretty much invented modern criminology---his methods are the basis of everything today's law men and women utilize very single day. Take a ride back in time to 18th- and 19th-Century France with Melissa as she weaves the remarkable tale of the criminal who became the cop - who re-shaped the very nature of police work - and whose name graces the Vidocq Society, a group of criminologists, scientists and law enforcement specialists who meet every month here in the U.S. to investigate difficult-to-solve crimes. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Get 15% your total order by entering the promo code TIPSTER at check out. Kleanspa- prepare to smell delicious! www.kleanspa.com

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91. Savannah Spurlock Update - Sounds Like "You're Under Arrest" Jul 16, 2019

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Back at Season 2, Episode 28 Melissa covered the missing person case of Savannah Spurlock, a young single mother who lived near Lexington, Kentucky and who disappeared after leaving a bar with two men in January of 2019. Her family's quick response to her disappearance and steadfastness in making sure law enforcement stayed relentless in finding out what happened has been nothing short of phenomenal. In this update of the case, Melissa reports on the recent discovery of remains and clothing in the back yard of one of the men Savannah left with the night she vanished, his arrest, and some puzzling questions - most importantly among them: What took so long for the cops to make a bust? SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY by Jennifer Hardaway - perfumes, rubs, moisturizers and oils, all made with naturally inspired ingredients and featuring dozens of unique, hand-crafted fragrances. Enter Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout and receive 15% off your total order! www.kleanspa.com - Prepare to smell delicious!

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90. Sounds Like The Last Cry Of An Honest Man - R. Budd Dwyer's Sad Farewell Jul 09, 2019

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The tragic 1987 public suicide of Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer is one of the most well known, horrifying and sad media events ever to occur in the United States. A media event because Dwyer shot himself in the mouth with a .357 magnum revolver during a live, highly-publicized press conference. Horrifying because it was a snow day and kids were home from school watching TV when it happened. Sad - so sad - because of the details that led to Dwyer's desperate action. In this episode Melissa details the life of a meticulously honest public servant done in by petty political revenge and a misguided sense of duty to take care of his family...and the interesting side note of a song written by someone deeply affected by it and a story of how his intentions were first misunderstood, then understood and forgiven, by another artist - one who lost his friend to a fate almost identical to Dwyer's. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY - get 15% off your total order by visiting www.kleanspa.com and entering the word TIPSTERS at checkout. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious!

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89. Sounds Like LARPing Gone Bad...Or Something - The David Grubbs Murder - With Special Guest Chief Tighe O'Meara Jul 02, 2019

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In the dark early evening of November 20, 2011, 23 year-old David Michael Grubbs left his job at a local supermarket in Ashland Oregon, carrying some groceries, to walk home. Just a couple of hours later, David's body was found just off a bike path that was on his route home. The body was nearly decapitated by what police determined was a medium to large blade such as a sword or machete. Now going on eight years since the horrific crime, law enforcement is still struggling to arrest a suspect - despite a raft of possibilities - including the fact that Ashland is home to dozens of LARPers (Live Action Role Players) who routinely use such weapons in their games. And other than David's family, no one is more frustrated and determined to bring his killer to justice than Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara, who at the time of the murder was a uniformed officer, and first on the scene. Listen as Melissa and Chief O'Meara discuss the case,some possible motives and even a person of interest that police have not been able to question. If you have any information on the Grubbs murder, contact the Ashland Oregon Police Department at (541) 488-2211. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Offering a full range of scrubs, oils, moisturizers and perfumes in dozens of unique, hand-made fragrances. Visit kleanspa.com and get 15% off your total order by entering Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout. Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious!

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88. Sounds Like Kin Comes First - Savannah Spurlock And Her Dedicated Family Jun 25, 2019

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On January 4, 2019 Savannah Spurlock, a 22 year-old mother of 4 who had given birth to twins just a month earlier, was told by her mother that she should take a break and go have some fun. So with grandma watching the kids, Savannah did just that - she and two friends went to downtown Lexington Kentucky for a night on the town and ended up at a place called The Other Bar. After one friend left to be ready for an early day the next morning and the second friend left after she and Savannah had an argument, Savannah stayed at The Other Bar until security cameras caught her leaving with three men. From there the story gets weird - and not for reasons one might think. Savannah has not been seen or heard from since the early morning hours the following morning. But this isn't just the story of a missing young woman - it is also the story of her family, who from virtually the moment they realized Savannah was missing, did not hesitate and did not wait. This incredible group of loved ones is fully engaged in every way - including some very unique and creative ways - to find their daughter/niece/granddaughter. Join Melissa as she re-tells the agonizing-yet-hopeful tale of the disappearance of Savannah Spurlock - and the family that is determined to bring her home. SPONSORED BY KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - scrubs, cleanses, perfumes and washes that inspire inner bliss and outer beauty - go to www.kleanspa.com - enter TIPSTERS at checkout and receive 15% off your total order!

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