The Deck

Our card this week is Kelsie Schelling, the 10 of Spades from Colorado. In February 2013, 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling had just learned she was eight weeks pregnant. Hours after her first prenatal appointment, she drove from Denver to Pueblo -  and was never seen again. Kelsie’s body has never been found. But years later, someone was convicted of her murder. How do investigators build a case without a body? And after more than a decade, is there still a chance of finding Kelsie? If you have any information, contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation cold case line at 303-239-4244 or Pueblo C

Our card this week is Milagros Nieves, the 3 of Clubs from Connecticut. For more than three decades, the family of Milagros Nieves never talked about her murder.  She’d been stabbed 33 times in the presence of her beloved baby granddaughter. The violence of it, the brutality of it, was too much for her family to relive. But when our team at The Deck started looking into Milagros’ case, they uncovered information that would leave everyone,  including investigators, with even more questions.  If you have any information about the murder of Milagros Nieves, you can call the Bridgeport Police Depa

In July 1984, Clarence and Marjorie Paulson, father and daughter, were reported missing from their home in Minnesota. At first glance, sheriff’s deputies didn’t see any obvious signs of a struggle. Marjorie and Clarence didn’t have driver’s licenses, and the three-wheeler Clarence used to travel was still at his house. Marjorie’s purse and knitting needles were left behind. Neighbors didn’t offer much of an explanation about where they’d gone – the two were considered reclusive, but known to travel into town every so often.  But a closer examination of the home revealed more to the story. And

Our card this week is Edwin “Eddie” Heath Sr., the King of Hearts from Delaware. For the last eleven years, the mystery of who murdered 33-year-old Eddie has haunted the New Castle County Police. It looked to them like Eddie had been targeted – shot just steps from where he lived and in front of his children. But a few BIG questions remain: Who was the man, possibly in disguise, that shot Eddie that day? And was this the same man caught on a surveillance camera near the scene? And WHY would anyone want this otherwise normal-seeming dad dead?   If you have any information about the murder of Ed

When police arrived at the scene of Angelica Sandoval’s disappearance on February 24th, 2011, what they came across seemed eerily frozen in time: her 1995, four-door, green Oldsmobile sedan was parked on 13th Street, in front of her two-bedroom duplex. Her keys were still in the driver’s side lock, but the back driver’s side door of the car was hanging open, revealing a basket of laundry and her purse still inside the car. The eeriness of that scene - the way that Angelica had seemingly just been plucked away in the middle of such a routine task -  left a heaviness that has hung over Alamosa,

In the fall of 1991, just as the season was starting to change, a couple fishing at sunrise at a small lake in Fayetteville, North Carolina, noticed something floating near the surface of the water. At first, they thought it was a blow-up doll. But upon closer inspection,  the couple saw hair on the legs and realized it wasn’t a doll. It was a human being—a person who would be identified as 24-year-old Jimmy Riddle.  Jimmy was also known to some of their friends as Jamie, but how much their identity played into their death isn’t clear. What the police have to go on are potential witness statem

Our card this week is Tonya Teske, the 2 of Spades from Idaho. This week, we’re resurfacing an important old episode for you because we just learned more information about a person of interest who’s never been ruled out. His name is Mark Douglas Burns, and he's a terrifying individual. He came up in a Crime Junkie episode we dropped in the fan club in which Burns confessed to murdering a young mom in her home back in 2001. And the overlaps between him and Tonya’s last known movements cannot be ignored.  Re-listen to today's episode closely... and then go check out the episode on Sue Gunderson

Our card this week is Nefertiri "Neffie" Trader, the Queen of Hearts from Delaware. In the early hours of June 30th, 2014, 33-year-old Nefertiri, who went by “Neffie”, was kidnapped from her own front yard. In the dark, she was dragged into her car, away from the townhome she shared with her mom and three children. Even though Neffie’s kidnapping was witnessed, it would be almost nineteen hours before police learned that Neffie was missing. After an investigation failed to find out what happened to Neffie, a Delaware court declared her legally dead. But her body has still never been found.  Co

Our card this week is Terry and Alan Westerfield, the King of Diamonds from North Carolina. In September of 1964, Terry and Alan Westerfield were dropped off at the movies and were never seen again. For the last six decades, the Fayetteville Police Department has been trying to unravel the mystery behind their disappearance.  If you have any information about the disappearance of Terry and Alan Westerfield in September of 1964, please get in touch with Lieutenant Jeff Locklear directly at 910-433-1960, or, if you would like to remain anonymous, call the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crime Sto

In March 1999, 22-year-old Lindsay Wells was reported missing from her Simi Valley home, where she lived with her fiancé and his mother. Since she was reported missing, police have fielded sightings of Lindsay near a Simi Valley 7-Eleven, buying a train ticket headed to Tijuana, and at Disneyland, but these tips never yielded a lead. Since then, the case developments have included work with a psychic medium, an undercover wire operation, and searches with cadaver dogs. Lindsay remains missing.  Anyone with information can call the Simi Valley Police Department’s tip line at 805-583-6911. Speci

Our card this week is Marjorie "Christy" Lunda, the 4 of Spades from Florida.  In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we are sharing the story of Marjorie “Christy” Luna to honor her life and amplify the voices of survivors. From the outside, Greenacres seemed like a picture-perfect place to grow up — where kids roamed barefoot between the park, school, and corner store. But beneath that storybook setting, something darker was unfolding, and it came to a head one May evening in 1984 when Christy disappeared. More than 40 years later, her friends are revisiting their childhood memori

Our card this week is Jason Vesper, the 10 of Diamonds from Nebraska. The year 2008 had barely gotten started when 40-year-old Jason Vesper found himself in the middle of a family argument with his wife and teenage son. In the early hours of January 2nd, Jason left the family home in Scottsbluff to go for a short drive and blow off some steam. It was his MO when he needed to decompress.  As Jason walked into the dark towards his pickup, with snow still lying thick on the ground, no one could have predicted the horror that would unfold over the next few minutes. Jason’s last moments were caught

Our card this week is Janet Couture, the Jack of Diamonds from Connecticut. In 1973, Janet Couture was murdered in her home, and for more than five decades the case remained unsolved. Despite years of investigation, the breakthrough came only in 2025, when a longtime suspect with a violent history was finally arrested. If you have any information about other crimes George Legere may have been involved in, or believe you were a victim of him, contact Detective Christina Johnston of the East Hartford Police Department at 860-528-4401, or if you would like to remain anonymous, call 860-289-9134.

Our card this week is Mason Worthington, the Wild Card from Virginia.  In the early hours of December 30, 2018, deputies with the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office were called to the Penniman neighborhood of Williamsburg, initially for a report of shots fired. Then, they were called again: A 20-year-old had been fatally shot in his home. They spend the next several days talking to Mason’s friends, searching for surveillance footage, and collecting evidence.  Since then, investigators have canvassed the neighborhood, turning over every possible clue that might help piece together what happened on

Our card this week is Jeffrey Dale Nichols, the 6 of Diamonds from Utah. Early one June morning in 2004, Jeffrey Nichols told his girlfriend he was meeting his ex-wife in a shopping center parking lot to buy a set of golf clubs.  But his ex-wife told police they were getting together at a McDonald's for a family meeting.  No matter which version is true, one thing is for certain: After the morning of June 8th, 2004, Jeff was never seen again. And not only does his story include an honest-to-god, real-life burn book – we also found a clue that had been sitting in plain sight for the past 20 yea

Our card this week is Kenneth "Kenny" Floyd, a Wild Card from Colorado. When Kenneth “Kenny” Floyd was found dead inside his apartment in Aurora, Colorado, in 1995, detectives found a clue they hoped would lead right to his killer — a trail of their suspect’s blood leading from Kenny’s door to the front of his building. That blood evidence allowed investigators to develop a DNA profile that they traced to one particular island in the Caribbean, bringing them closer than ever to finding answers for Kenny’s close-knit family. But a series of volcanic eruptions on the island destroyed the very re

Our card this week is Lois West, the Ace of Hearts from Virginia.  One morning in August 1986, a contractor showed up to work on the floors in a vacant house in Williamsburg, Virginia. When he arrived, he found a woman on her side in the mostly-full bathtub. In her wake were a trail of clues: a U.S. Army class ring,  a mysterious hat with feathers, and sightings in what were likely her final hours.  Still, investigators have evidence on file from 1986 that may help solve the case.   Anyone with information can call the James City County Police Department at 757-253-1800 or the Hampton Roads Cr

Our card this week is Daphne Hope, the 8 of Spades from Colorado.  In the summer of 2001, Daphne Hope vanished… and for over seven long years, her case disappeared into the reams of files at the Denver Police Department. And even when new detectives did start digging, no one has been able to piece together exactly what happened to Daphne. Over the years, theories about her disappearance have varied wildly – from sex work and drug deals to a serial killer. There was even speculation that Daphne wasn’t missing at all, that she was hiding in protective custody. And then there’s the man she lived

Our cards this week are Ronda Taylor and Bonnie Ryther, the King of Clubs and 9 of Diamonds from Florida.  There is a man serving a life sentence in a Florida prison for his part in the 1989 murder of a 29-year-old pregnant woman named Donna Callahan. Two brothers were ultimately convicted for her abduction – and each of them pointed to the other as the ultimate preparator. But only one of them would go on to confess to over a dozen other murders. That man is now considered, by some, to be one of the deadliest killers on Florida’s Gulf Coast.  And if his original confessions are to be believed

In September 1980, a Holiday Inn hotel in rural Iowa became the scene of a shocking double murder: a couple was found dead in their hotel bed, covered in lacerations. And the scene around them is one of the strangest and most puzzling I’ve ever come across in all my work. It’s one of the reasons this case has gained notoriety over time: I mean, to this day, the hotel where the couple lost their lives is still visited by true crime fanatics. Despite multiple suspects – and three agencies contributing to the investigation – no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with Rose and Rog

Our card this week is Tangie Sims, the 9 of Diamonds from Colorado. When a young woman was found brutally murdered in an Aurora, Colorado alleyway in October 1996, one eagle-eyed detective zeroed in on forensic evidence he hoped would lead him to her killer. But one by one, that evidence ruled out every person they thought may have killed 25-year-old Tangie Sims and eventually her case went cold. And it stayed cold until new detectives revisited old evidence with new technology, took a look at one particular family tree and finally found who they’d been looking for.  If you or someone you kno

Our card this week is Thomas Mather, the Seven of Diamonds from Iowa.  Nothing causes the true crime community to stir more than a case with the open-ended question of did he? Or didn’t he? Well, except that is, when the question is did SHE? For longer than 32-year-old Thomas Mather was alive, a rural town in Iowa has been haunted by their only unsolved homicide. The former Sheriff told us it’s the only who dun it they have left. Does no foreign DNA evidence and strange behavior mean that Dawn Mather had to have been involved in killing her husband? Or does an unidentified fingerprint and tire

Our card this week is Shad Gandy Kaydea, the 2 of Spades from Rhode Island. A late-night fire in a Rhode Island cemetery led to the discovery of the body of Shad Gandy Kaydea, a young father and aspiring rapper who was strangled, then set on fire. As detectives peeled back the layers of Shad’s life, they uncovered volatile family tensions, a suspicious life insurance policy, and a man whose story kept changing. More than a decade later, his killer still walks free… but someone out there knows the truth. If you have any information about the murder of Shad Gandy Kaydea, contact Cranston Police

Our card this week is Theresa Dusevitch, the Queen of Diamonds from Florida.  For 50 years, Theresa Dusevitch’s case was intrinsically tied to Debra Espey’s murder. Both women were 19 years old when they were killed back in 1973, just eight months apart. There were other similarities, too: Both women were found nude from the waist down, their shirts pulled up, hands over their heads, with head wounds as their cause of death. The wooded area where each young woman was found was just three miles apart in and near a town, ironically enough, named Niceville, Florida. But at the end of  2025, Debra

Our card this week is Debra Espey, the 6 of Clubs from Florida.  Debra Espey was the 6 of Clubs from Florida. We first reported on her case in 2024, and left you all on the precipice of hope that new DNA testing would finally shed light on what happened to a young girl in Niceville over 50 years ago. Well, the results are in! And Debra’s case is SOLVED. It turns out her killer was hiding in plain sight, the entire time.  In our original reporting, police told us they thought the man responsible for Debra’s murder also killed 19-year-old Theresa Dusevitch. But DNA has now proven they aren’t con

Our card this week is Donna Ingersoll, the 10 of Clubs from Minnesota.  On a snowy December night 35 years ago, 25-year-old Donna Ingersoll stormed outside and disappeared into the darkness after a heated argument with her boyfriend, leaving behind several important belongings and a twisted web of mysteries investigators have spent decades trying to untangle. Since 1990, Donna’s disappearance has weighed on the small town of Wabasha, Minnesota, as the passage of time has produced more questions than answers. But some recent developments have present-day investigators questioning everything the

Our card this week is Paris Matthews, the 6 of Hearts from Florida.  In the spring of 2013, Paris Matthews was enjoying an evening at home when he heard a knock at the door. Someone on the other side called out their name – but Paris knew that was impossible. Seconds later, before he could piece together why someone was lying … Paris was shot, and the years-long search for his killer began. Investigators have had to weed through rumors, finger-pointing, strange text messages, and a CODIS hit that wasn’t what it seemed, but it might take someone out there to come forward for this mystery to fin

In 1971, 21-year-old Karen tried hitching a ride to go and meet her husband after work. She never made it and a week later her body was found floating in a canal nowhere near where she’d left or her destination.Was Karen a victim of a predator passing through? Or was a former Sheriff with a dark side responsible… and maybe that’s why this case has never been solved? If you or anyone you know has any information on the murder of Karen Streed, you can call Chief Deputy Todd Sauerbrei at the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office at 319-642-7307. View source material and photos for this episode at: thede

Our card this week is Tyra Garcia, the Queen of Diamonds from California. It was Memorial Day, 1985, when fifteen-year-old Tyra Garcia slipped out the front door to a neighbors house, saying she’d be gone for only a few minutes. No one expected those minutes to stretch into hours… and then days. And no one could have imagined that 40 years later, the case would still be unsolved. Especially when the answers seem to be right in front of us.  Because there are two very compelling suspects that were barely investigated by law enforcement back then. Despite the fact that one matched a suspect comp

Charles' bold suits and charismatic personality made him stand out. He was also a man who liked money — earning it, flashing it, and spending it. And trying to untangle Charles' different threads of income – and what may or may not be connected to his death – has kept investigators busy for decades. Especially when some of that income was almost definitely under the table.   If you know anything about the murder of Charles McGraw, investigators want to hear from you. Please call Beech Grove Crime Tips to leave an anonymous tip at 317-782-4950 or you can submit a tip by emailing crimetips@beech

When 73-year-old Margaret Reimann was murdered in her garage while getting ready to leave for church in 1986, everyone immediately started pointing fingers at one particular relative. And in the investigation that followed, detectives uncovered a decades-long family feud, grudges that had been festering for years, and questions about just how far someone might go when there’s money on the line. But almost four decades later, new DNA testing pointed them in a completely different direction.  And now, the case is hotter than it’s ever been. If you have any information about the murder of Margare

Today we are bringing you stories from a slightly different side of true crime: stories about people who live by deception. Individuals who don't just tell lies but become someone else entirely.  From Audiochuck and Campside Media, this is Chameleon. Each week, host and journalist Josh Dean unravels a new case that pushes the limits of human deception. Stories of imposters, shapeshifters, and master con artists who have turned illusion into a way of life. The first episode dives into the unbelievable story of Rafaello Follieri, the charming con artist who fooled everyone from Hollywood to high

In 1975, 27-year-old Norris Evans was found brutally murdered in her Rochester home while her children were upstairs. The crime was shocking, but the decades of silence that followed may be even more haunting. Now, her children are breaking that silence in search of the truth. If you know anything about the murder of Norris Evans, please call Rochester Police Department’s major crimes unit at 585-428-7157 or email them at [email protected]. You can also call Crime Stoppers to leave an anonymous tip at 585-423-9300 or submit a tip online.  View source material and photos for this

Our card this week is Shelby Wright, the 2 of Clubs from Washington.  In the Summer of 2004, Shelby Wright, along with his computer, disappeared, never to be seen again. Over two decades later, Shelby’s grandparents and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s office are still looking for answers.  If you have any information about the disappearance of Shelby Wright in Snohomish County, Washington, please call (425) 388-3845 or submit an anonymous tip by visiting this link.   View source material and photos for this episode at: thedeckpodcast.com/shelby-wright Let us deal you in… follow The Deck on so

Our card this week is Susie Timmons, the 9 of Diamonds from New York. In the summer of 1982, Susie Timmons was discovered stabbed and beaten in a vacant lot north of downtown Rochester, NY. Investigators have spent nearly four decades trying to solve her murder. If you have information about the murder of Susie Timmons on July 29th, 1982, in Rochester, NY, please call the Rochester Police Department’s major crimes unit at 585-428-7157 or email them at [email protected]. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 585-423-9300 or submit a tip online. View source material and photos for

Our card this week is Darnell Smith, the 5 of Diamonds from California. Darnell Smith’s family never expected him – a pastor’s son and an ambitious student – to get killed in a hail of gunfire. For a young man without even a whisper of a criminal record, no one would have expected his life to end in such a violent way at the age of twenty. But Darnell Smith’s death became entangled in a world his family was never a part of — and left investigators scrambling to unravel what would soon become a neighborhood nightmare. For more than a decade it seemed like there was no hope for justice… but when

Our card this week is Robert Mitchell Jr., the 8 of Clubs from New York.  When the body of Robert Mitchell Jr., a “gentle giant” and towering presence in Rochester’s bar scene, is discovered burning in a public park, detectives don’t know what to think. As rumors swirl and leads dry up, the case grows cold… until a witness comes forward with details so specific, only someone close to the crime could know them. Now, nearly a decade later, investigators believe they know who killed Robert… But proving it in court is another story.  If you know anything about the murder of Robert Mitchell Jr., p

Our card this week is Jerene Matta, the Queen of Spades from Washington.  During the Yakima Police Department’s annual Christmas party, the news of 62-year-old Jerene’s murder shocked every officer and their plus ones. Jerene’s house was known for its security cameras – there were so many that you basically couldn’t enter the property without being filmed.  Why was Jerene targeted? And who was she watching on her cameras? Or maybe the better question is, was someone watching Jerene? If you have information regarding the murder of Jerene Matta, you can call the Yakima Police Department at 509-

Our card this week is Ron Harnish, the 7 of Clubs from California. Twenty-two-year-old Ron Harnish was murdered on the streets of San Diego in December 2006. Almost 19 years later, the police and Ron’s own mother believe they know who’s responsible. But proving it has been a challenge, and the people they are after are as violent as it gets.  If you have information about the murder of Ron Harnish on December 27th, 2006, in the Golden Hill neighborhood of San Diego, California, please contact Detective Barr directly at 619-531-2239. Or, if you’d like to remain completely anonymous, you can ca

Our card this week is Jaklyn Baccoli, the 5 of Clubs from New York. When demolition workers entered a vacant home in Rochester, New York, they expected asbestos—not a crime scene. But hidden inside was the body of 44-year-old Jaklyn Baccoli, a woman whose final moments were marked by unimaginable violence. As detectives dug into her life and the days leading up to her death, they uncovered a tangled web of addiction, survival, and street rumors—and a potential suspect with a story full of holes. But what they don’t have is enough to close the case. And someone out there still knows the truth.

Our card this week is Valaine Briggs, the Ace of Spades from Utah. When 19-year-old Valaine left her Salt Lake City apartment and walked to class one spring morning in 1977, her carefully planned future was full of promise. And though she was in a time of transition and had recently ended an engagement, Valaine knew even this temporary disappointment just brought her closer to the life she dreamed of…a life full of family and rooted in faith…a life her ex-fiancé couldn’t give her. What Valaine didn’t know that morning…what she couldn’t have known…was that the postcard-perfect future she envisi

Our card this week is Andrew Moore, the 6 of Clubs from California.  This week marks the 25th anniversary of Andrew “Andy” Moore's murder. 26-year-old Andy was killed in September 2000 while sleeping in his San Diego, California, apartment. The scene left behind was confounding to detectives; the weapons are missing, odd items displaced but not taken, and the one thing "stolen" from Andy shows up not too far away from the crime scene a month later. So what was the motive? Who would want to kill this fun-loving young man? And did a hidden passage in his apartment building allow his murderer to

Our card this week is Patricia Allen, the Queen of Hearts from Washington. On October 3, 1995, Patricia Allen was asleep on her couch when she was stabbed once so precisely that it nearly cut her heart in half. So begins one of the most mysterious homicide cases out of Yakima, Washington. With no shortage of suspects – including a woman who some believe wanted to become Patty – this case is truly stranger than fiction.  Or, if you have any information at all about the October 3, 1995, murder of Patricia Allen, please email the Yakima Cold Case Unit at [email protected]. You can also su

Our card this week is Jodine Serrin, the 7 of Diamonds from California. In 1995, Marisa Patti met David Mabrito on the beach in Oceanside, California – it was love at first sight. Twenty-three years later, he would be found responsible for the brutal murder and desecration of 39-year-old Jodine Serrin in her own bedroom.  In the wake of the solve, Marisa and her son were left on their own to figure out how this man they loved, trusted, and built a life with could have committed such an unthinkable crime. Today, they’re still trying to make sense of it all. Marisa’s story is one we rarely get i

Our card this week is Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez, the Wild Card from Texas. Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez walked out of the duplex she shared with her family in Odessa, Texas, on Aug. 2, 1985, and seemingly vanished without a trace. Her sister-in-law watched Mary head in the direction of a local bar after fighting with her husband, who they knew as Arnuldo Mendez. Mary had asked her sister-in-law to watch her 5-year-old daughter, Virginia, while she went out, but she never came home. For nearly 40 years, her family wondered whether she’d walked away from her life and children…or if something bad had

Our card this week is Lawrence Riegel, the 5 of Spades from Washington. When Lawrence was reported missing on January 10th, 2010, he didn’t exactly vanish without a trace. Between mysterious phone records and strange theories from a recluse who lived in an isolated trailer park , police had a good idea what his last movements were and with whom he interreacted – and specifically, they honed in on two people who seemed very suspicious in the wake of his disappearance. But they need more than suspicions to make their case. And detectives are sure that someone out there knows what happened to the

Our card this week is Gregory Fickess, the Jack of Diamonds from New York.  On a summer night in 1993, 19-year-old Gregory Fickess had just gotten out of his car in downtown Rochester when he was jumped in a seemingly unprovoked, fatal act of violence. A case with no motive and few cooperating witnesses is tough to get very far. But when detectives find out that one of the few cooperating witnesses they did have dies… suddenly… and under strange circumstances… it seems like one more sign that the theory they do have might be right. And they just need a little help from you getting this over th

Our card this week is Jonathan Garcia-Valladares, the 7 of Diamonds from Arizona. Being a 13-year-old kid can be tough, to say the least. But it seemed as if Jonathan Garcia-Valladares had it figured out. He was an overachieving student. He was a chess player. And on a crisp fall day in 2010, Jonathan was trying to get in shape for the football team, a sport he’d just joined. But on that day, his short life would come to an end.  In the 15 years since, law enforcement is still trying to uncover why, and, most importantly… who would do this to an innocent young kid who had his entire life ahead

Our card this week is Robert Gene Jones, the 10 of Diamonds from Louisiana.  Robert was known as a quiet man who stayed out of trouble, so when he was found shot to death in his home one morning in the winter of 2002, police were initially stumped when it came to both motive and culprit. That might’ve been because Robert was never the intended target in what’s now become a mystery that investigators hope one of you may hold the key to solving. If you or anyone you know has information that can help bring closure to Robert Gene Jones’ case, you can make an anonymous call to Caddo-Shreveport Cri

Maurice – or Melissa, as they sometimes introduced themselves – was 22 when they were shot and killed in Phoenix, Arizona. They were just starting to build a name for themselves as a performer, making it to the regional final for American Idol and acting in dozens of local productions, including The Wiz, Westside Story, and Alice in Wonderland. But the curtain fell too soon… According to friends and family, gender identity was fluid for Maurice. They sometimes presented as femme and went by Melissa, as they did the night of the shooting. This led both LGBTQ+ activists and local officials to fe