Small Town Big Crime

Latest Episodes:

The Decision Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

After investigating the Haysom murders for three years, the reporters have eliminated three alternate suspects and created a path for DNA testing. Their investigation has come full circle back to Jens and Elizabeth, who now each have a decision to make.

To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime
Sound production by Taylor Thomas

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The Investigation Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

As they wait for the Bedford County Circuit Court to respond to their petitions for new DNA testing in the Haysom case, Rachel and Courteney use a new law to gain access to the never-before-seen investigative files. Thousands of pages of notes and other documents reveal how investigators eliminated early suspects and honed in on Jens and Elizabeth. The court responds to the petitions, and the push for DNA testing takes a twist.

To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime and to hear a bonus episode and other exclusive content, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime

Sound production by Taylor Thomas

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The Pursuit Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Jens Soering’s team has been calling for new DNA testing on crime scene evidence for years but claims Bedford County officials are stonewalling. After Rachel and Courteney meet with the man who could reopen the case and order new testing, Bedford’s top prosecutor Wes Nance, he gives them a challenge: find a lab on the cutting edge of DNA science and see if new testing technology can provide answers in the case. A path to DNA testing opens.
A special thanks to Bruce Williamson for his legal assistance.
Sound production by Taylor Thomas

To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime

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The Battle Lines Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

We ask Jens Soering and his attorney to respond to discrepancies between his 1986 confession and what he told us last year. We trace the web of Soering's support to see how each influential person was brought in and became convinced of his innocence. The DNA experts and investigators who reviewed the case for Soering, respond to the alternate explanation about the unidentified DNA.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit our Patreon page
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound effects editing by Taylor Thomas

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The Confession Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Just as we think our investigation has reached a dead end, a Facebook message prompts new questions about Jens Soering's claims of innocence. A report by one of the British detectives who interrogated Jens in 1986 cites evidence that Jens' has been lying for 30 years. Thanks to our friend and fellow podcaster, Allison Melody, the host of Food Heals, we hear from a former Bedford deputy who has never spoken publicly about the Haysom murders.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit our Patreon page
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound effects editing by Taylor Thomas

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The Other Suspects Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Our investigation into the murders of Derek and Nancy Haysom has already eliminated one alternate suspect through DNA testing. Now we turn our sights on the other possible suspects who may have bled at the crime scene. New DNA evidence provides answers that have eluded investigators for decades. The commonwealth's attorney in Bedford County defends the decision not to conduct additional testing on crime scene evidence. A DNA expert offers an alternate theory on the DNA.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit our Patreon page.
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound effects editing by Taylor Thomas

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The Love Story Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Jens Soering and Elizabeth Haysom exchanged flowery love letters in the early months of their relationship but their writings also contained dark and violent fantasies that hinted at murder. Three decades later we re-examine those letters and compare their words then with what they are saying now. As Jens and Elizabeth begin new lives decades later and an ocean apart, they can't escape the crime that changed the course of both of their lives.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit our Patreon page.
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound effects editing by Taylor Thomas

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Elizabeth Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Elizabeth Haysom's cousin and closest confidante describes how Elizabeth evolved over the years and shares an update on her new life in Canada. A forensic psychologist who examined Elizabeth for her parole hearing offers new details about her troubled childhood and gives a professional assessment of her current mental state.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit our Patreon page
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound production by Taylor Thomas

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The Reckoning Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

After years of speculation that "the drifters," William Shifflett and Robert Albright, were the real killers of Derek and Nancy Haysom, the results of a DNA test shed new light. In Germany, Jens Soering reacts to the results of that DNA test, and retired law enforcement investigators suggest next steps. Shifflett's son Will is confronted over evidence that he's lied about Elizabeth Haysom.
To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime
Writing and reporting by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Hosting and sound editing by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound effects editing by Taylor Thomas

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The DNA Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

The son of one of "the drifters", William Shifflett, shares his father had type O blood. The DNA evidence revealed in 2009 suggested two unidentified men may have bled at the crime scene. One of those men had type O blood, according to experts. Could it be a match? With Bedford County officials refusing to retest crime scene evidence, the investigation has remained at a stalemate. But a new path to DNA testing is forged through the Small Town Big Crime investigation.

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