Vanished

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep6: Vanished: John Wilkes Booth "The Greatest Story Never Told" Jan 10, 2021

Show notes

What you’re about to hear really started for me a few years ago. I was just about to leave Los Angeles for our big family move out to the midwest. I was in the Los Angeles Public Library looking through some microfilm on Amelia Earhart when I stumbled back a little too far and found the contents of an 1862 Valentines’ note to Lucy Lambert Hale; a prominent Washington D.C. socialite. That’s right. Everything you’re about to hear, started with a Valentine.
The contents of the note read like something out of a period romance film but with just a pinch of darkness. The words jumped off the page. Here’s what it said.
“My dear Miss Hale, were it not for the License with a time-honored observance of this day allows, I had not written you this poor note. … You resemble in a most remarkable degree a lady, very dear to me, now dead and your close resemblance to her surprised me the first time I saw you. This must be my apology for any apparent rudeness noticeable. To see you has indeed afforded me a melancholy pleasure, if you can conceive of such, and should we never meet nor I see you again believe me, I shall always associate you in my memory, with her, who was very beautiful, and whose face, like your own I trust, was a faithful index of gentleness and amiability. With a Thousand kind wishes for your future happiness I am, to you, a stranger.
The, at the time anonymous letter captivated Miss Hale, and that captivation went from 0 - 60 when she learned that the note had been written by none other than John Wilkes Booth; the man that three years later would commit the most famous assassination in all of history.
As I sat there pondering what I’d just read one of the librarians came over to me and said “you found the Hale note”. I remember telling her how I’d always been fascinated by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and by John Wilkes Booth in particular. And then she hit me with a question that I’ve been wondering about to this very day. “Did you know the FBI still holds an active investigation into the fate of John Wilkes Booth?” And that question has taken us to Oklahoma.
Since that day in Los Angeles in 2017 I’ve been piecing together a story that I’ve gone over and over and over in my head. A story that, as history has recorded it, contains love, betrayal, tyranny, rage, murder, secret burial plots, modern day trials, the birth of the FBI, mummy's, and a history altering conspiracy that the world isn’t ready to believe.
And that’s before we got to it.
Season 2 rolls on from Oklahoma, this is part one of Vanished: John Wilkes Booth.
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Album Art Illustration courtesy of Desdymona
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network
Vanished stars Jennifer Taylor and Chris Williamson with a special appearance by Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

"Into the Abyss: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" by Kate Gillett
"Stalking John Wilkes Booth" @ American Battlefield Trust
"Lucy Lambert Gets a Valentine From John Wilkes Booth" @ New England Historical Society

THE UNION

Abraham Lincoln @ Wikipedia
Edwin Stanton @ Wikipedia
Andrew Johnson @ Wikipedia
William H. Seward @ Wikipedia
Ulysses S. Grant @ Wikipedia

THE CONFEDERACY

Jefferson Davis @ Wikipedia
Robert E. Lee @ Wikipedia

THE BOOTH FAMILY

John Wilkes Booth @ Wikipedia
Edwin Booth @ Wikipedia
Asia Booth Clarke @ Wikipedia

THE CONSPIRATORS

Michael O'Laughlen @ Wikipedia
Samuel Arnold @ Wikipedia
Mary Surratt @ Wikipedia
John Surratt @ Wikipedia
Lewis Powell @ Wikipedia
George Atzerodt @ Wikipedia
David E. Herold @ Wikipedia

S2 Ep5: Vanished: Jack the Ripper "The End of the Beginning" Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

This is the end. And frankly I’m relieved to be through it. To be honest, when we first decided we’d venture outside the Amelia Earhart case, I had doubts. I still do if I’m being completely honest. But starting with Jack the Ripper was a good experiment for me. It tested my emotional ability to get through a case like this and come out the other side.
You’ve had a couple of weeks to digest the trial, the evidence and the testimony and now the time is almost at hand for you to render your decision. Who do you think was Jack the Ripper? And does it even matter? Are the legacies of the victims what we should really be discussing here?
Jack the Ripper is an enigma. A faceless man. A man without an identity. Or maybe a man with several. I know what I believe. Now, as always it's up to you. But before we leave you to decide we have one more person that we feel you need to hear from. And what she has to say might change the way you look at Montague John Druitt and the man behind this unspeakable evil forever. Welcome back to Vanished and our final episode on Jack the Ripper.
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Exit script read by Oz Oddball of the Oddball Aussie Podcast
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network
Christine Ward-Agius appears courtesy of Regnery History
Get the UK edition of "The Escape of Jack the Ripper: The Truth About the Cover-up and His Flight from Justice" Here
Preorder the US release featuring new information on the case by Regnery History Here
John & Christine's Official Website
Hainsworth & Ward-Agius @ Facebook

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

Montague John Druitt @ Wikipedia
George Robert Sims @ Wikipedia
Henry Richard Farquharson @ Wikipedia
John Moylan @ Wikipedia
Basil Thomson @ Wikipedia
Melville Macnaghten @ Wikipedia
Mcnaghten's Favoured Suspect @ jack-the-ripper.org
Montague John Druitt @ Casebook
Montague John Druitt @ Jack the Ripper Tour
The Macnaghten Memoranda @ Casebook
The Macnaghten Memoranda Original Document @ Casebook Courtesy ofThomas Schachner

S2 Ep4: Vanished: Jack the Ripper "Trial by Jury" Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

On New Years’ Eve 1888, a body was found floating in the Thames at Chiswick. A channel known historically by locals as “the quiet river”. Upon inquisition into the finding, it was said that the body had been in the river for a month. Maybe more. Five days after the body was discovered, the Acton, Chiswick, and Turnham Green Gazette reported on the inquest into the person found in the river and featured the testimony of the subject’s brother. It read in part:
“The deceased was 31 as of his last birthday. He was a barrister-at-law, and an assistant master in a school at Blackheath. The witness heard from a friend on the 11th of December that the deceased had not been heard of at his chambers for more than a week. The witness then went to London to make inquiries, and at Blackheath he found that the deceased had got into serious trouble at the school, and had subsequently been dismissed. That was on the 30th of December. The witness had the deceased's personal effects searched where he resided, and found a paper addressed to him. The Coroner read the letter, which was to this effect: - "Since Friday I felt I was going to be like mother, and the best thing for me was to die." The witness, continuing, said “the deceased had never made any attempt on his life before. His mother became insane in July last. He had no other relative.”
The jury at the inquest into his death duly returned a verdict of suicide by drowning "whilst of unsound mind."
We’ve come a long way, and now I believe we’ve reached the end.
Welcome back to Vanished. Tonight we put who I believe to be the man responsible for the Autumn of Terror on trial. Our investigation ends here with witnesses, evidence and experts for the Crown VS. Montague John Druitt.
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Judge role read by Brian Hastie of the Double Density podcast
Exit script read by Jaden McKell of Straight Up Enigmas
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Vanished is part of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network
John Hainsworth appears courtesy of Regnery History
Get the UK edition of "The Escape of Jack the Ripper: The Truth About the Cover-up and His Flight from Justice" Here
Preorder the US release featuring new information on the case by Regnery History Here

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

Montague John Druitt @ Wikipedia
George Robert Sims @ Wikipedia
Henry Richard Farquharson @ Wikipedia
John Moylan @ Wikipedia
Basil Thomson @ Wikipedia
Melville Macnaghten @ Wikipedia
Mcnaghten's Favoured Suspect @ jack-the-ripper.org
Montague John Druitt @ Casebook
Montague John Druitt @ Jack the Ripper Tour
The Macnaghten Memoranda @ Casebook
The Macnaghten Memoranda Original Document @ Casebook Courtesy ofThomas Schachner

S2 Ep3: Vanished: Jack the Ripper "Ripperology Part Two" Nov 29, 2020

Show notes

Ripperology
ripper +‎ - ology

The study of Jack the Ripper, an unidentified serial killer active around the Whitechapel district of London in the late 19th century.

Investigating a historical mystery is hard. All of the witnesses are deceased, all of the physical evidence is gone. The documents and files have been lost. Even the scene of the crimes has changed; Whitechapel isn’t the same as it was in 1888.
This seems like such an impossible task.
FBI profiler John Douglas attempted to provide advice to investigators; at the conclusion of his report analyzing the Whitechapel murders. He said “Jack the Ripper would be best suited to be interviewed in the early morning hours; he would feel more relaxed and secure to confess to the homicides. He would feel more relaxed to express himself by writing about his motivation to kill the women. He would not be visibly shaken or upset if accused of the homicides. However he would be psychologically and physiologically stressed if confronted with the fact that he became personally soiled by the victim's blood."
But this report was written in 1988; over a hundred years after the murders were committed. We can’t interview suspects; not directly at least. We are chasing a ghost. The witnesses in this case must speak to us through their letters, and their journal entries. Through media reports and other documents that they left behind. This investigation is ongoing. So far we’ve covered five suspects, but we still have a long way to go.
Welcome back to Vanished: Jack the Ripper.
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Adam Ballinger & Matt Rudolph appear courtesy of "GraveYard Tales"
Jessica Manor appears courtesy of "Body Count" Podcast
Opening quote performed by Alex Hylton of "That's Strange"
Exit script read by Kristopher Rustic of Obscure Anomalies
John Douglas report quotes read by Jaden McKell of Straight Up Enigmas
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Vanished is part of the "Straight Up Strange" Podcast Network
Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

Walter Sickert @ Wikipedia
George Chapman @ Wikipedia
Joseph Barnett @ Wikipedia
Aaron Kosminski @ Wikipedia
Carl Feigenbaum @ Wikipedia
"Walter Sickert Case Closed" @ jacktheripper.org
"George Chapman: Poisoner & Wife Murderer" @ jacktheripper.org
"Mary Kelly's Lover" @ jacktheripper.org
David Cohen @ Saucy Jacky
The Feigenbaum Confession @ jacktheripper.org
Servant Girl Annihilator @ Wikipedia
"The Midnight Assassin" by Skip Hollandsworth

S2 Ep2: Vanished: Jack the Ripper "Ripperology Part One" Nov 15, 2020

Show notes

Ripperology
ripper +‎ - ology

The study of Jack the Ripper, an unidentified serial killer active around the Whitechapel district of London in the late 19th century.

In part one we laid the foundation for this case. That’s important. After finishing that, it's now time to dive into our investigation. And that starts with asking a fundamental question.
Just who was Jack the Ripper?
In order to find that out we have to look at the multitude of suspects in this case. We have to examine each one and ask the questions that need to be asked. We have to talk this all out with people that have a broader expertise than we do. There are dozens of suspects in this case. And that doesn’t make our job any easier. But, it does make for a very interesting process.
Let’s go to work. This is Vanished: Jack the Ripper.
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Opening quote performed by Jeremy Schwartz
Exit script read by Kristopher Rustic of Obscure Anomalies
John Douglas report quotes read by Jaden McKell of Straight Up Enigmas
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Vanished is part of the "Straight Up Strange" Podcast Network
Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

James Maybrick @ Wikipedia
Francis Tumblety @ Wikipedia
William Bury @ Wikipedia
HH Holmes @ Wikipedia
James Kelly @ Wikipedia
James Maybrick & the Diary of Jack the Ripper @ jacktheripper.org
"A Theory on Francis Tumblety" @ Casebook
William Bury: Victorian Murderer @ williambury.org
"Serial killer H.H. Holmes is Hanged in Philadelphia" @ History
"Mr. James Kelly...A Serious Jack the Ripper Candidate?" @ Above Top Secret
The John Douglas Report @ fbi.gov

S2 Ep1: Vanished: Jack the Ripper "The Autumn of Terror" Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

Amongst so much death, darkness and despair in Whitechapel, London the murders of five women during the autumn of 1888 sent shockwaves across the world that are being felt to this very day. The perpetrator, or perpetrators, who took the lives of these five was never brought to justice.
He simply vanished into the darkness.
You are about to embark on a journey with us to go find him. So grab your gas lamp and come along with us, as we seek justice for Polly, for Annie, for Elizabeth, for Catherine and for Mary Jane. But keep the light close, and guard your heart.
As we enter the abyss together, perhaps it's appropriate to quote Dante's words scrawled on the gates of hell.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
This is Vanished: Jack the Ripper
LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
Vanished on Instagram
Vanished on Facebook
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Jennifer Taylor on Twitter
Chris Williamson on Twitter
Smith & Vinson Law Firm Official Website
Jennifer Taylor Attorney Profile @ Smith & Vinson's Official Website
Smith & Vinson on Twitter
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Opening quote performed by Brandon of the Southern Gothic Podcast
Exit script read by Canadian Girl of Nothing Ever Happens in Canada
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
"Satisfied" performed by Amber Farndon
Vanished is part of the "Straight Up Strange" Podcast Network

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

"The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper" by Hallie Rubenhold
"The People of the Abyss" Public Domain Audiobook by Jack London
Jack the Ripper @ Wikipedia
Mary Ann Nichols @ Wikipedia
Annie Chapman @ Wikipedia
Elizabeth Stride @ Wikipedia
Catherine Eddowes @ Wikipedia
Mary Jane Kelly @ Wikipedia
The Jack the Ripper Autopsy Reports @ Pathguy

EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING

Photo Archive at jacktheripper.org

S2: Vanished Jack the Ripper Announcement Teaser Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

In autumn of 1888, the world was rocked by the savage murders of five women in Whitechapel London. The investigation into those murders spawned a worldwide obsession that continues to this very day.
Join returning cohosts, criminal defense attorney Jennifer Taylor and investigative podcaster Chris Williamson as they travel back to Whitechapel to try and answer the question that has alluded history for over 120 years. Just who was Jack the Ripper?
Vanished, season 2. The first of four all new investigations begins on Halloween. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast player.
Vanished is a ChrisEvan Films Production
Vanished is part of the "Straight Up Strange" Podcast Network
Album Art Illustration 50399190 © Alancotton | Dreamstime.com
LINKS
Jack the Ripper - The Case Reopened | BBC
Jack the Ripper: DNA Evidence Strong But Not Ironclad
Has "Jack the Ripper" Been Identified?

S2: Vanished John Wilkes Booth Announcement Teaser Apr 26, 2020

Show notes

This story begins with the most famous assassination in history. After he fired the bullet that murdered Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth went on the run. A run that most say ended 12 nights later when he was cornered in a tobacco barn in Virginia.
But there are many that believe that night in Virginia wasn’t the ending at all. In fact, it was only the beginning.
”Vanished John Wilkes Booth" features attorney Jennifer Taylor & podcaster Chris Williamson. In season 2, audiences will follow along as they investigate the 12 day manhunt for Booth, the events that took place on the night of April 26th 1865 and determine whether Booth died that night as a result of wounds suffered by Union Soldiers or whether or not Booth was one step ahead of the nationwide hunt and was able to devise a plan that would allow him to vanish and live on for another 40 years.

Starring: Montgomery Sutton as John Wilkes Booth
Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt
Album Art by Desdymona
John Wilkes Booth Signature Animation by Nick Littlefield of "The Pixel Guys"
Script by Jennifer Taylor & Cory Sutton
Trailer Edit by Chris Williamson
"Vanished" is a part of the "Straight Up Strange" Network
"Vanished" stars Jennifer Taylor & Chris Williamson
www.vanishedshow.com

S1 Ep16: Vanished Amelia Earhart: "Epilogue" Jan 06, 2020

Show notes

The epilogue of season one. A reflective interview of Chris Williamson conducted by Jennifer Taylor.

S1 Ep15: Vanished Amelia Earhart: "Legacy" Jan 06, 2020

Show notes

Our journey is over. We created something that I didn’t know that we could. And we did it together. And now as I look back on everything that we accomplished, I can finally move forward into an exciting future. One of hope. One of faith. And one where the skies are the limit. I think Amelia would appreciate that.
So, goodbye Amelia & Fred. Wherever you are...

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected