Listeners can enjoy a recap of the most popular episodes this past year, an updated look at listener demographics, what was new in the podcast in 2025, and more.
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In 2008, tragedy struck just after the holidays at the popular Hudler Christmas tree farm on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Also, a North Carolina true crime story from 1929 that inspired a murder ballad.
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In December of 1970, 13-year-old Peg Cuttino went missing in the middle of the afternoon in Sumter County. Police wondered if her father's job as a state senator made her a target for kidnapping and ransom. Peg was found murdered a few weeks later, and while a man was convicted of the crime and sent to prison, many in the area wonder if he was really responsible for Peg's death.
Co-Writer: Mia Roberson
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While Tennessee native Stephanie Tinsley has always been a fan of true crime, she never expected to make the career pivot into podcaster. After her family became part of a national murder trial in South Carolina, she wondered how she could make a difference in the justice system. Her podcast, "Everything They Missed," explores a case from Memphis, where an innocent man may be sitting in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Check out "Everything They Missed."
If the name Dick Harpootlian sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because he was involved one of the most high-profile murder cases in the past 20 years. He was one of Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorneys in South Carolina, and represented Alex during his trial in 2023. One of the most notorious criminals Harpootlian ever crossed paths with was a man named Pee Wee Gaskins, a South Carolina man who was known to have murdered over a dozen people, and didn't let incarceration temper his homicidal tendencies. The attorney turned author shares his thoughts on what made Pee Wee tick, how his views on the death penalty have changed, and why he decided to write his own true crime book now.
Learn about the "Dig Me a Grave" here.
Renee shares stories of people who went missing in North Carolina during the month of November from the show catalogue. Jeffrey Mays, Ted Wall, Bill Hollingsworth, and Joseph Johnson all are presumed to be lost at sea. Young Chang walked away from a nursing home more than 20 years ago. Theresa Fetter disappeared from Wilmington after falling in with the wrong crowd. And Horry County officials have identified a man whose identity was unknown after he drowned in a hotel pool in 2016.
Episodes Mentioned:
Episode 55-Missing in the Water
Episode 58-Missing and Murdered in Wilmington
Ep. 73-Missing Senior Citizens From the Carolinas
Ep. 120-Jeffrey Mays, Ted Wall, Bill Hollingsworth, and the Missing in America Program for Veterans
When a South Carolina couple went missing in the fall of 2016, their friends and family knew something was wrong. Using cell phone data, investigators tracked the pair to an isolated piece of property in Woodruff, and what they found there was shocking. The discovery would also provide answers to an unsolved quadruple homicide from 2003.
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Teens Gary Locklear and Kristina Porco both went unexpectedly missing from two South Carolina towns in the 70s and 80s. Although rumors have swirled with theories, they have never been found. Three-year-old Paul Baker went missing from his home in 1987, and although law enforcement believes there is a family connection, it has never been proven. We also have an update on the identity of New Hope Jane Doe from North Carolina.
This episode originally aired on Sept. 29, 2023.
Research Coordinator: Renee Roberson
Co-Writers: Erin Settlemier and Nicole Pyles
In November of 2006, a quiet residential neighborhood in Raleigh was stunned when 29-year-old Michelle Young was found murdered in her home, while her 2-year-old daughter was emotionally distraught but unharmed physically. Michelle's husband had been traveling for work at the time of her death. When he learned of the crime, he cooperated with investigators only to a certain extent, staying quiet about all other details of their life or the night she was murdered until a civil lawsuit finally prompted a criminal trial three years later.
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South Carolina physician and assistant county coroner Dr. Joe Smith, Jr. probably never expected to be the subject of a murder investigation. But when he was found murdered in his home on October 29, 1979, all signs pointed to his killer being someone who knew him well.
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Renee discusses origin stories from Carolina folklore, whether or not places can hold onto spiritual energy, and why so many universities seem to be haunted.
Episodes Mentioned:
Ep. 16-Ghostly Tales from the Carolinas
Ep. 22-Two True Tales from the Carolinas
Ep. 31-Where Are the Children?
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Thirty-seven years ago, two women and longtime friends fell to their deaths from a popular overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Authorities quickly grew suspicious of James Gibbs, the husband of one of the victims. When they took a closer look at the Gibbs marriage, they saw signs of turmoil and a motive for murder. It would take two trials for a jury to make a final decision on what they believe happened to Helen Gibbs and Susan Haire.
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In October 2016, 22-year-old Cati Blauvelt was separated from her husband, John Blauvelt, a recruiter for the U.S. Army. When she went missing and was discovered murdered a few days later, her family knew who was responsible. But before he could be charged, John Blauvelt disappeared with his new girlfriend, a 17-year-old high school student, and it would be six years before he had to answer for his crimes.
If you are a victim of domestic violence and need to seek help, you can visit thehotline.org, call 800.799.SAFE or text START to 88788. There’s also a National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 866.311.9474.Other episodes mentioned:
Ep. 45-Across State Lines
Ep. 48-Two Wives, Two Deaths
Ep. 85-Denise Durham, Shelby Wilkie, and Marissa Carmichael
Ep. 116-Mary Ann Willis and Dara Watson, Two Stories of Domestic Violence
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Two stories. Four missing children. What happened to Diane Moon, Mark Yoli and Alan and Terry Westerfield who went missing from North Carolina in the 1960s?Show Notes: For a full list of resources used to compile this episode, visit missinginthecarolinas.com.
In 1937, 16-year-old Elva Brannock vanished into the winter fog of the Blue Ridge Mountains, only to be found murdered four days later. When North Carolina resident Stacy Hawks learned about this unsolved murder in her community, she used her research to explore the possibilities of what happened to the young woman in her historical fiction novel, "Dividing Ridge." Host Renee Roberson interviews Stacy Hawks to learn more about this mystery and the process of researching and writing the book.
This episode originally aired on November 25, 2021.
Learn more about the book and author .
Cover art by Mackintosh Multimedia Sound
Sound Editing by Mia Roberson
Post Production by Daniel Roberson
Pulling from the catalogue, Renee discusses the cold cases of Nancy Morgan from Madison County, Beverly Sherman and Pamela Murray from Asheville, the solved murder of Denise Durham from East Flat Rock, and the workplace shooting of Michelle Marlowe in Hickory.
In August 1993, 35-year-old Janet Siclari was murdered on the last night of her vacation on the Outer Banks, within walking distance to her hotel room. Based on physical evidence left on her body and at the scene, investigators were able to pinpoint the killer four years later with the help of CODIS. The 1997 murder of 33-year-old Kill Devil Hills resident Denise Johnson remains unsolved.
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In August of 1989, 34-year-old Cynthia Kirk was stabbed in the driveway of home in a suburban Durham neighborhood. While eyewitnesses helped zero in on a suspect, the killer was never found. And what really happened to North Carolina resident Giovanni Pelletier when he fled from a car while visiting family in Florida earlier this month?
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Pulling from the show's catalogue, Renee discusses the disappearance of Kenneth Beasley from 1905, the murders of Carrie Wilkerson and Jean Fewel from the mid-1980s, the abduction and murder of Hania Aguilar from 2018, the unsolved abduction and murder of Brittany Locklear from 1998, and stories of paranormal activity from schools and universities in both North and South Carolina.
Learn more:
The Senator's Son: The Shocking Disappearance, The Celebrated Trial, and The Mystery That Remains A Century Later by Charles Oldham
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He was only 27, but Peter Lucas Moses, Jr. exerted power and control over a small group of women, requiring them to call him "Lord," fathering multiple children with them, and subscribing to the ideology of Black Hebrews. When a woman and small child went missing from this tight-knit circle in Durham in 2010, investigators feared correctly that Peter's control had spiraled into murder.
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