Appalachian Mysteria

This episode is the last of a three-part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these three episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, Devona Coffey — formerly Devona Daft — finds out about the existence of Geoff and Sarah’s book, and one paragraph in particular makes her blood boil. The passage leads to an emotional confrontation in the holler, and eventually to Devona...

This episode is the second of a three-part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these three episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, we’re reintroduced to Danny Strakal, host of the YouTube series Spirit Walk Paranormal. Danny’s history with the spirit realm began in his childhood, but his full-scale investigations began after the release of our first podcast season. A...

This episode is the first of a three part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these two episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, we’re reintroduced to Albert “Rod” Everly, a National Guardsman who was one of the first people on the scene when the bodies of Mared & Karen were found. As it turns out, Rod has been nursing a theory about the murders for more than 50 years....

As Appalachian Mysteria finished covering the story of Julie and Lollie, author Kathryn Miles completed her own book about the murders. In this episode, Kathryn uses her total access to Dierdre Enright's evidence to bring to light new information — including how we've been wrong about a key piece of evidence. Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders — Purchase Kathryn’s book here. Interviewees: Kathryn Miles — Kathryn Miles is an award-winning journalist and science writer....

Darrell Rice is released from prison, but the publicity of his indictments makes a normal life elusive. The FBI plans a summit to examine other possible murders by Evonitz, but it falls by the wayside. Two decades later, we give it a shot. Description / Show Notes: The Pamela Gould Special — We’re hosting this 24-page special investigation from the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star until it is made available elsewhere. If you want to dive deep on the comparisons of Rice, Evonitz, and forensic...

Forensic evidence throws the upcoming trial of Darrell Rice into upheaval, and an unexpected conclusion leads to yet another indictment. Several of our guests openly disagree on the final results. Resources: “Witness Point Out Suspect as Abductor” — Washington Post article on the Shomo trial Thank you to our sponsor June's Journey. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Thank you to our sponsor Switchcraft! Download Switchcraft for free and unlock the...

We examine key evidence in the pre-trial hearings of Darrell Rice: jailhouse informants, the audio recording that gave rise to hate crime charges, a shifting timeline, and a phone call that Rice’s defense attorney calls “a bizarre piece of evidence”. Description / Show Notes: Interviewees: Jerry (Gerald) Zerkin: One of Rice’s defense attorneys in the double-homicide of Julie & Lollie Thank you to our sponsor June's Journey. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google...

Summary: Kara Robinson makes an escape, putting all the information she memorized to good use. Evonitz goes on the run. Kara talks to us about the complex ethics of telling stories like hers in the true crime genre, and explains what “trauma-informed” media looks like. Description / Show Notes: Resources and Links: Escape From Captivity — Oxygen Network documentary made with the involvement of Kara Robinson Interviewees: Kara Robinson Chamberlain — The survivor who ended the career of serial...

The Attorney General of the United States announces the indictment of Darrell Rice. We review the life story of the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters, and interview his final victim about her abduction. Resources and links: Into the Water — Diane Fanning’s true crime book about the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters Escape From Captivity — Oxygen Network documentary made with the involvement of Kara Robinson...

Summary: As murders and abductions haunt Lignum, Rt 29, and Shenandoah National Park, three children are taken from their front yards less than 30 miles away. The girls are the first known victims of a serial killer who will become an important part of our story. Resources and links: Into the Water — Diane Fanning’s true crime book about the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters Interviewees: Diane Fanning — Author of 15 true crime books and 11 novels...

We investigate claims that the Park Service has a history of transferring troubled rangers. An NPS whistleblower explains a coverup culture within the agency, and shares the story of a ranger who investigated both the Shenandoah and Colonial Parkway murders. Resources and Links: The Case of the Indian Trader — The book in which Paul Berkowitz extensively documents his investigation at Hubbell Trading Post. Recommended for fans of police procedurals. Culture of Sexual Harrassment — Washington...

Eight Years Earlier: The Navy undertakes “purges” of lesbians from its ranks. The first of Virginia’s Colonial Parkway murders looks eerily familiar. A southern con-man helps find the killer — and defrauds the victims’ families. Resources and links: The Lover’s Lane Murders — Oxygen Network show about the Colonial Parkway murders, for which guest Bill Thomas served as consulting producer. Mind Over Murder — Entire podcast covering all the details of the Colonial Parkway Murders. Hosted by...

Someone is pulling over dozens of women on a road just 15 miles from Skyline Drive. Alicia Reynolds disappears. At least three bodies turn up in a small hamlet nearby. The Innocence Project fights to free a man convicted of murder. Resources and links: Rt 29 Stalker — Unsolved Mysteries Wiki Twenty Years Later — Article by Scott Shenk on the 20th anniversary of the murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds. Interviewees: Scott Shenk — Reporter with the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star. Thank you to...

A massive hunt for Julie & Lollie's killer begins. Some demand a hate crime investigation, drawing parallels to the attack of another lesbian couple hiking the Appalachian Trail. A lesbian defense lawyer finds herself arguing for the prosecution. Resources and links: "Panic Defense" — Podcast episode from Criminal with Phoebe Judge explaining the fascinating history of the gay/trans panic defense. "In the Hollow" — 15-minute documentary/short film featuring Claudia Brenner returning to the...

The unsolved murder of a young couple in Shenandoah National Park shakes the gay and lesbian communities. One year later, a bicyclist is assaulted in the same area, and authorities begin to suspect him of serial murder. Resources and Links: "Murder on the Mountain" (1996) — Barry Yeoman's article quoted and discussed in this episode. Trail map of Shenandoah National Park — Julie and Lollie were killed just off the Skyland / Big Meadows Horse Trail, not far from Skyline Drive. Interviewees:...

A lesbian couple is found brutally murdered near the Appalachian Trail. As authorities build the first federal hate crime prosecution in the nation's history, a web of horrific crimes creeps down the Blue Ridge mountains into the heart of Virginia. A special agent who has been on the case for twenty five years uncovers details. Season 3 of Appalachian Mysteria explores the terrifying characters and narratives that weave through these stories, culminating in the violent death of a serial...

The conviction of Glen Woodall begins to look suspicious as a rookie lawyer ushers West Virginia into a new era of DNA testing. Prosecutors fight the new forensic method tooth and nail, but the results will uncover a trail of crime unprecedented in U.S. history. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Download Switchcraft for free and unlock the magical mystery! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As ice storms sweep over Huntington, WV, a masked rapist is stalking the mall. After two abductions, suspicion falls on a nearby grave-digger with a checkered past. As evidence begins piling up, a forensic science superstar helps set the stage for a court case that will echo through West Virginia history more than anyone can possibly know. (This episode does not contain graphic details of sexual assault, but the topic matter is mature. Listener discretion advised.) Thank you to our sponsor...

We have several important updates regarding season two, “The Death of Alexander Stevens.” From the current state of Megan Shaffer’s appeals, to the unfortunate death of Alexander’s father and a scandal involving the presiding judge of the case, a lot has happened since the season finale. There's still so much more to come with Sarah and Kendall, so stay tuned for season three titled, “Outlandish” coming soon. Thank you to our sponsor June's Journey. Download June’s Journey free today on the...

In a special two-part episode, the president of Jam Street Media, Matty Staudt, sits down with creators of Appalachian Mysteria, Kendall Perkinson, and Sarah James McLaughlin, to talk about their journey creating the first two seasons. Part two focuses on the creation of season two, Big Savage: The Death of Alexander Stevens. Kendall and Sarah go down the rabbit hole of what went into making the season and how it was different from the first. Stick around until the end of the episode to get...