302. The Gitchie Manitou Murders

 Thank you, Katie, for requesting this case!

On the evening of November 17th, 1973, five teenage friends decided to head to the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, located in the far northwestern corner of Iowa. Most of the teenagers' parents knew where the kids were going that night and didn’t think much about it. It was a pretty standard hang-out spot. 

As the kids sat around a campfire enjoying the cold evening, three figures emerged from the darkness and opened fire.

Five teenagers went into the reserve on that fateful night. Only one came out alive.




Join Jen and Cam as they discuss The Gitchie Manitou Murders.

Thank you to our team:
Written and researched by Lauretta Allen
Listener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AM
Executive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Pawprint

In this episode, Jen discusses the book "Gitchie Girl: The Survivor's Inside Story of the Mass Murders that Shocked the Heartland" by Phil Hamman & Sandy Hamman 

Sources:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/33479397/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Gitchie_Manitou_murders
https://www.newspapers.com/image/238916630/?match=1&clipping_id=167274037
https://www.newspapers.com/image/351566342/?match=1&clipping_id=new
https://www.newspapers.com/image/239140778/?match=1&clipping_id=167275118
https://www.newspapers.com/image/351577134/?match=1&terms=Manitou%20murder
https://www.newspapers.com/image/238916994/?match=1&clipping_id=new (arrest)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/238916649/?match=1&clipping_id=167275988
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44867920/roger_norman-essem
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime/1/01/01/sole-survivor-of-brutal-1973-slayings-finds-strength-to-tell-her-story/3726397/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/345756026/?match=1&clipping_id=167279012
https://www.newspapers.com/image/887070515/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://www.newspapers.com/image/338754858/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://www.newspapers.com/image/239045447/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://play.max.com/video/watch/5bbc1c12-54db-498f-8604-a48d6ff671d4
https://www.newspapers.com/image/239044008/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://www.newspapers.com/image/351573016/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://www.newspapers.com/image/239092497/?match=1&terms=Gitchie%20Manitou%20murder
https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2021/11/16/gitchie-manitou-murders-1973-survivor-sandra-cheskey-fryer-brothers-south-dakota-iowa/8637229002/
Killer Siblings Season 2 Episode 2

301. Buried for Decades: Discovery of Midtown Jane Doe

 Today, we are going back in time; let’s rewind the clock to 1969, the year the world got slightly brighter—because Jen and I came into being. But hold on tight because we’re about to dive into the scene's heart. A place where the music’s alive, the air’s thick with good vibes, and the soul just flows. We’re talking about The Scene, man.  Now we meet Steve Paul, the cool cat that operates The Scene, and let me tell ya, this joint on West 46th Street in the Big Apple is where at. Every night, you’ll find the grooviest cats in town—hippies, musicians, artists, and just free spirits all jammin’ out together, sharing a little bit of magic, and yeah, passing around that sweet, sweet devil’s lettuce.By February 2003, the glory days of the once vibrant nightlife hub and gritty hustle had long since faded into the past. The building’s remaining tenants—sex workers, drug users, and the forgotten souls of the neighborhood kept a few apartments in the building. The storefronts, once home to The Scene, had cycled through several different faces since its closure: a pornographic video shop, a seedy dive bar, and now, a restaurant eager to convert the basement into a walk-in freezer. 

Demolition made way for a shiny new Riu Hotel, which was not completed until 2016. On February 10th, construction workers stumbled upon something strange while tearing down what was left. Behind an aging coal furnace in the basement, they noticed a raised concrete slab six feet wide, five feet long, and about a foot high. One worker took a sledgehammer and struck the slab. Once he was inside, a human skull rolled out of its resting place.


Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled ‘Buried for Decades: Discovery of Midtown Jane Doe.'

Listener Discretion is by @octoberpodVHS

All music is by our editor @theinkypawprint

Sources:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/true-crime-mystery-murder-the-scene-new-york-1235156741/

https://people.com/midtown-jane-doe-new-york-woman-identified-patricia-kathleen-mcglone-8641422


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=434347589384178&id=100064771266307https://nypost.com/2024/04/28/us-news/midtown-jane-doe-finally-idd-20-years-after-remains-found-cemented-in-former-nyc-hot-spot/


https://vocal.media/criminal/midtown-jane-doe-identified-after-50-years-using-dna


https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1cfjvaq/midtown_jane_doe_2003_identified_as_16yearold/


https://www.facebook.com/FOX5NY/videos/who-was-midtown-jane-doe/3012225785594168/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/30/patricia-kathleen-mcglone-midtown-jane-doe-cold-case/73515200007/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/patricia-mcglone-midtown-jane-doe-murder-victim-identified-cold-case-dna-911-victim-nypd/


https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFY0w.4Npn3Gwj.gYPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1742426302/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.cnn.com%2f2024%2f05%2f01%2fus%2fmidtown-jane-doe-death-ring-cec%2findex.html/RK=2/RS=EJ_.ELaYzd69r4SyrsnD98NHxmk-


https://www.doenetwork.org/closed/articles/337UFNY_article.pdf

300. Cash for Corpses: Clifford Olson Jr

 Episode requested by Anthony W. Thank you, Anthony!

Welcome to OTCP's 300th regular episode! 

******Content Warning: Sexual assault and death of children*********

In this episode, we dive into Canada's most notorious serial killer, Clifford Olson Jr. Olson’s disturbing story is filled with horrific crimes. Honestly, I thought I knew about everything there was to know. I was wrong!  Camille and I will take you from his early life of crime to his eventual capture and conviction for the rapes murders of eleven children. 



Join Cam and Jen as we discuss- oh boy, do we discuss- "Cash for Corpses: Clifford Olson Jr."  

Thank you to our team:
Written and researched by Lauretta Allen
Listener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AM
Executive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Pawprint
Research by Jen

In this episode, Jen discusses the book, "Predator: The Life and Crimes of Serial Killer Clifford Olson" by Peter Worthington.

Sources:
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d71f0bf7-0816-4be2-a7cb-30e993d440bb
https://mail.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/olson/2.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Olsonhttps://murderpedia.org/male.O/o/olson-clifford-robert.htm
https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Olson,%20Clifford%20Robert%20_fall,%202006_.pdf
https://www.newspapers.com/image/327941931/?match=1&terms=Christine%20Weller (Christine's first appearance in the papers)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/327924712/?match=1&terms=Christine%20Weller
https://www.newspapers.com/image/327919464/?match=1&terms=Colleen%20Daignault
https://www.newspapers.com/image/465765361/?match=1&terms=Daryn%20Johnstrude (1997 article about the killings)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/461585007/?match=1&terms=Daryn%20Johnsrude
https://www.newspapers.com/image/501459047/?match=1&terms=Daryn%20Johnsrude
https://www.newspapers.com/image/493593898/?match=1&terms=Ada%20Anita%20Court
https://www.newspapers.com/image/493882891/?match=1&terms=Simon%20Partingtonhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/493882891/?match=1&terms=Simon%20Partingtonhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/493608556/?match=1&terms=Simon%20Partingtonhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/501398181/?match=1&terms=Judy%20Kozma
https://www.newspapers.com/image/501397506/match=1&terms=%22Raymond%20King%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/560032794/match=1&terms=%22Raymond%20King%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/501407128/match=1&terms=%22Louise%20Chartrand%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/509017457/match=1&terms=%22Clifford%20Olson%22
https://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/local-news/43-years-later-friend-of-verna-susan-bjerky-says-search-for-her-still-continues-in-hope-7353295
https://www.newspapers.com/image/471944608/match=1&terms=Mary%20Ellen%20Jamieson
https://www.newspapers.com/image/493885490/match=1&terms=Mary%20Ellen%20Jamieson
https://www.newspapers.com/image/493885859/match=1&terms=Mary%20Ellen%20Jamieson
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/post_b_1923792https://www.huffpost.com/entry/serial-killer-clifford-olson_n_192074

299. Mafia's Finest: Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito

 It is November 6th, 1990. The air was crisp, the Belt Parkway humming with the usual New York traffic. Among the cars was Eddie Lino—an old-school Gambino enforcer, a man whose name carried weight in the city's underworld. He’d spent years dodging the law. But this time, the flashing red and blue lights in his rearview weren’t just another routine hassle. As the unmarked car closed in, Lino must’ve felt it—something was off. Before he could react, gunfire rang out. The ambush was clean and professional in a city where power shifts with a trigger pull; Eddie Lino’s time was up. For a man who had made a living by the gun, there were only two ways out: a prison cell or a body bag. Lino avoided the first. And he paid his dues in full on that Brooklyn highway in 1992. Dirty cops and the mob—nothing new in New York. But this case? This was different. Two high-ranking NYPD detectives weren’t just looking the other way; they worked for the Lucchese crime family, pulling jobs and covering tracks for over a decade. They didn’t just take bribes—they were on the payroll.

Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Mafia's Finest: Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito.’


Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

Music is by our editor @theinkypawprint

Sources:
Mafia Cops Interview - Louis Eppolito on the Sally Jesse Raphael show

https://www.amazon.com/Mafia-Cop-Lou-Eppolito/dp/1416517014

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mafia-cops-louis-eppolito-stephen-caracappa-sentenced-life-prison-article-1.366777

https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nye/pr/2009/2009mar06b.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/15ygama/louis_eppolito_on_sally_jesse_raphael_1992/

https://nypost.com/2005/07/07/victims-mom-fingered-mafia-cop-from-tv-talk-show/

https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nye/pr/2005/2005mar10.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/nyregion/louis-eppolito-dead.html

https://www.silive.com/news/2017/04/report_mob_cop_with_staten_isl.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20170412190201/http://gothamist.com/2017/04/12/nypd_cop_turned_mafia_hitman_dies_i.php

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1532561.htmlhttps://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-mafia-cop-louis-eppolito-dead-20191105-55tnkoq4f5amvm5555qcp3fb34-story.html

https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nye/pr/2009/2009mar06b.html

http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/caracappa_indictment/caracappa_indictment_newest.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20060111191537/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/05/60minutes/main1180833.shtml

http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/caracappa_indictment/caracappa_indictment_newest.htm