The Deprived Podcast

Marianne Asher-Chapmans daughter Angie was killed in 2003. Her husband Michael Yarnell has admitted killing her and has served four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. But her remains were never found and in this episode Marianne tells that she believes, that police helped cover up for her daughters killer.

Christina Whittaker had given birth to her first daughter just seven month before she mysteriously disappeared in Hannibal Missouri ten years ago. Her mother Cindy believes that she was abducted and forced into prostitution by human traffickers.

On November 20th 1987 three year old Christopher Zaharias and his little sister, one year old Lisa Mae Zaharias were abducted by their mother Susan. Since then their father Louis Zaharias has been searching for his missing children. In this podcast he tells what it is like going through life not knowing if his children are alive or dead.

Rhonda Stapley is one of the few victims who escaped serial killer Ted Bundy after being raped and choked. Today she shares her story to help other victims get through their ordeals!

On an otherwise normal spring afternoon 16-year old Ali Lowitzer got off the school bus a few houses from her home in . What happened to her after that has been a mystery for almost 10 years. No one has seen or heard from her since. Her mother Jo Ann tells her story in this episode.

Welcome to the second season of The Deprived Podcast. This season is based on my new book Moms of the Missing - Living the Nightmare, which contains stories from all over the US about moms whose children have been abducted. The first story is from Aroma Park, Illinois where ten-year-old Christopher asked his mother, if he could go fishing with friends. Mika Moulton, wish she had never let him, because her son never returned home.

Damon spent 15 years on Death Row for killing and raping his 14-year old step cousin, Crystal. After a nine hour long interrogation the then 22-year old Damon confessed to the crime even though he was innocent

Capital punishment does not only affect the convicted. Relatives also risk becoming collateral damage of the death penalty. Randy Gardner knows this after his brother, Ronnie was executed by a firing squad in Utah. This is the story of the two brothers.

Ronnie Sandovals son Arthur was wrongfully convicted of a series of robberies when he was just a teenager and spent three years in prison before he was exonerated. Arthurs story has almost completely removed her otherwise strong faith in the American judicial system.

Sunny and her husband were convicted of killing two policemen even though they were both innocent. The state of Florida executed Sunny's husband before he was proven innocent and she spent more than 15 years behind bars - deprived of her freedom and of seeing her two kids grow up. Still, Sunny says, that life turned out beautifully

Nick Yarris spent 22 years on death row for a crime he never committed. And he was not proven innocent until he asked authorities to carry out his execution. Today Nick says that the life that awaited him after being released has been much harder than life on death row. Nick's story inspired the book, ’The Deprived: Innocent on Death Row’ and this podcast about wrongful convictions.

Writer and journalist Steffen Hou hosts this podcast telling the stories of people who have been deprived of something important in their lives. The first season focuses on americans who have been wrongfully convicted. The stories in this season can also be found in Steffens book The Deprived: Innocent on Death Row released April 2019.