Who Took Misty Copsey?
True Crime
In September 1992, 14-year-old Misty Copsey goes to the Washington State Fair with her best friend. Misty doesn’t make it home that night, and she is never seen again. Police initially deem her a runaway. Misty’s mom, Diana, insists they are wrong....
Location:
United States
Genres:
True Crime
Description:
In September 1992, 14-year-old Misty Copsey goes to the Washington State Fair with her best friend. Misty doesn’t make it home that night, and she is never seen again. Police initially deem her a runaway. Misty’s mom, Diana, insists they are wrong. Five months later, a search party finds a potential clue: a pair of jeans, socks and underwear crumpled along the side of a highway. Diana recognizes the jeans immediately, but the police are skeptical. More than 30 years later, through multiple investigations, no other trace of Misty has ever been found. How does a young girl disappear into thin air?And how could investigators fail to pursue leads that were right under their noses? In this captivating new series from ID, cold case investigator Sarah Cailean works through anonymous tips, interviews with Misty’s family and friends, police records, and media reports in an attempt to get to the bottom of whether Misty’s disappearance is the work of a serial killer or that of someone who knew Misty. Sarah won’t stop until she answers a question that’s haunted western Washington for more than three decades: Who Took Misty Copsey? Also, go back and listen to Season 1, "Why Can't We Talk About Amanda's Mom?" and Season 2, "Who Killed Jennifer Judd?" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Language:
English
Episodes
Your Next Listen - Mind of a Monster: The Cross-Country Killer
1/13/2026
If you enjoyed Who Took Misty Copsey?, you may also like Mind of a Monster, from ID. Across the 2000s and early 2010s, family man Israel Keyes is hiding a secret life as a mass murderer. Over six episodes, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward consults with friends and detectives to investigate his double life.
Follow Mind of a Monster wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:43:35
Ep.8: Mine Hunting
9/3/2025
Sarah returns to Washington with forensic anthropologist Marion Davidson to conduct a comprehensive search of the former Schmidt family farm. Following anonymous tips about specific locations on the property, Sarah and Marion dig deeper – literally and figuratively – into potential burial sites, in search of the breakthrough this decades-old mystery desperately needs. As Sarah prepares to present her findings to authorities, she has an emotional conversation with Misty’s brother Colton and another family member who deeply loved Misty. After more than three decades, will Sarah finally answer the question that has haunted their family for years: who took Misty Copsey?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:50:27
Ep.7: Closing In
8/27/2025
Sarah meets with a woman connected to Rheuban Schmidt’s family who shares chilling, decades-old allegations against Rheuban, his notorious family, and a shocking rumor from the night Misty disappeared. When Sarah visits the current owners of the former Schmidt family farm, she learns of a series of mysterious break-ins at the property… in which the intruders seemed less interested in stealing valuables than in finding something specific, buried in the barn’s rafters. Back home in Philadelphia, Sarah consults with her mentor Dr. Ann Burgess, who helps her realize that a new field of forensics may help Sarah potentially locate Misty's remains and solve this 33-year-old mystery.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:46:46
Ep.6: A Person of Interest
8/20/2025
Sarah meets with Puyallup Police Captain Jason Visnaw to learn about his efforts to reinvestigate the case of Misty Copsey, but he is tight-lipped, not wanting to jeopardize future convictions. Digging deeper into Rheuban Schmidt's story with local reporter Sean Robinson, Sarah finds glaring holes and red flags in his statements to police – including suspicious comments about knowing where Misty was buried. On the way to scope out the remote family farm that Rheuban admitted driving to around the time Misty disappeared, Sarah stumbles upon a social media post from someone claiming to be Rheuban's nephew with explosive accusations about his uncle.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:55:40
Ep.5: The Best Friend
8/13/2025
Sarah sits down with Trina, Misty's best friend who went to the fair with her the night she disappeared – the first time Trina has spoken publicly about the case in more than 30 years. In a deeply emotional conversation, Trina reveals crucial details about their friendship, Misty's home life, and what really happened the night of the fair. She addresses the conflicting accounts about their plans that evening, and why she initially lied to police about how she got home. As Trina opens up about the people in their lives, including disturbing revelations about the men who swirled around them as teenagers, one suspect starts to rise to the top of Sarah’s list.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:43:55
Ep.4: Rumors and Narratives
8/6/2025
Sarah meets Misty's brother Colton for an intense conversation about how his sister’s disappearance in 1992 shaped the rest of his mother Diana's life and his own childhood. As Sarah examines the original police investigation, she learns of shocking failures and missed opportunities. When Sarah digs deeper into the statements of Trina, Misty's best friend who went to the fair with her, she discovers troubling inconsistencies in Trina’s story, which raise Sarah’s suspicions around a new suspect. Then Sarah receives a surprising email: a key witness finally agrees to talk after decades of silence.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:41:26
Ep.3: Evidence?
7/30/2025
Host Sarah Cailean continues to unravel the details of the case of Misty Copsey. When a former investigator reveals that the only evidence in the case – a pair of jeans, socks and underwear found months later along the side of a highway – may not have belonged to Misty, Sarah’s entire understanding of the case is thrown into question. Sarah sits down with local investigative reporter Sean Robinson to discuss. If these clothes weren’t Misty’s, why was Misty’s mother adamant that they were? And if they were Misty’s, what new layers does that add to this decades-old mystery?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:50:38
Ep.2: Killing Fields
7/23/2025
Sarah Cailean is on the ground in western Washington, determined to get to the bottom of whether the disappearance of Misty Copsey is the work of someone she knew – or that of a serial killer. Sarah quickly learns that Washington is rightfully-known as a serial killer capital of the world, and Misty disappeared at a time when serial killers and predators often went undetected or unapprehended. Speaking with a local investigator who solved two decades-long cold cases, Sarah looks for similarities between the work of known serial killers and the events surrounding Misty’s disappearance. Then – the rug gets pulled out from under her.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:41:19
Ep.1: Misty is Missing
7/16/2025
Cold case investigator Sarah Cailean takes on the 1992 disappearance of 14-year-old Misty Copsey, who vanished after an afternoon at the Washington State Fair. The only evidence ever found was a pair of jeans, socks and underwear discovered months later along the side of a highway. Misty’s mother Diana spent her life searching for answers before passing away without resolution. Now, Sarah works with Misty’s brother Colton to uncover the truth. Can Sarah figure out who took Misty Copsey – and if it’s the same person who killed two girls whose remains were found near Misty’s clothing?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:49:32
Official Trailer: Who Took Misty Copsey?
7/9/2025
In September 1992, 14-year-old Misty Copsey goes to the Washington State Fair with her best friend. Misty doesn’t make it home that night, and she is never seen again. Police initially deem her a runaway. Misty’s mom, Diana, insists they are wrong. Five months later, a search party finds a potential clue: a pair of jeans, socks and underwear crumpled along the side of a highway. Diana recognizes the jeans immediately, but the police are skeptical. More than 30 years later, through multiple investigations, no other trace of Misty has ever been found. How does a young girl disappear into thin air? And how could investigators fail to pursue leads that were right under their noses? In this captivating new series from ID, cold case investigator Sarah Cailean works through anonymous tips, interviews with Misty’s family and friends, police records, and media reports in an attempt to get to the bottom of whether Misty’s disappearance is the work of a serial killer or that of someone who knew Misty. Sarah won’t stop until she answers a question that’s haunted western Washington for more than three decades: Who Took Misty Copsey?
Episode 1 releases on July 16th.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:02:21
The Disappearance of Misty Copsey
7/2/2025
On July 16th, Sarah Cailean returns for another season, and this time she’s investigating the disappearance of Misty Copsey. Over 30 years ago, 14-year-old Misty vanished after attending the Washington State Fair, and her body was never found. Episode 1 releases July 16th.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:00:51
Ep.8: Traces of Truth
10/2/2024
Investigator Sarah Cailean is determined to figure out why the Kansas Bureau of Investigation dismissed Jeremy Jones’s confession to the murder of Jennifer Judd. Then, DNA results come in – and a phone call reveals important new information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:47:16
Ep.7: Redneck Bundy
9/25/2024
Investigator Sarah Cailean narrows her list of suspects in the murder of Jennifer Judd. While in Missouri, she meets with the family of another potential victim of Jeremy Jones, to see if there are consistencies in the two crimes or the confessions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:46:13
Ep.6: A New Suspect
9/18/2024
Investigator Sarah Cailean heads back to Cherokee County, Kansas, in search of additional suspects, including a man whose record indicates he might have something to hide. With the sheriff’s blessing, Sarah takes a long drive to Oklahoma to see if he’ll talk. As she prepares to send the physical evidence to a DNA-testing lab, she connects with forensics expert Rana DellaRocco for a second look at the crime scene photos.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:40:36
Ep.5: 99% Certain
9/11/2024
After weeks of failed attempts, investigator Sarah Cailean sets up an interview with the person who knew Jennifer most intimately: her husband, Justin Judd. Sarah hopes to learn more about Jennifer, their marriage, the crime scene, and Justin’s relationships with the two primary suspects: Chuck Chance and Jeremy Jones. Justin’s statements lead her to new information in this confounding case.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:41:17
Ep.4: Suspect No. 1
9/4/2024
After securing access to the case files, investigator Sarah Cailean narrows in on the original suspect: Chuck Chance. Thirty years later, police still consider him the primary suspect, and Sarah is determined to figure out why they think this friend of Jennifer and Justin might have killed her. Not wanting to develop tunnel vision, Sarah looks into a few other surprising names on the suspect list, and deeper into the one man who’s confessed: Jeremy Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:43:00
Ep.3: Justice for Jennifer
8/28/2024
In her quest to get to know Jennifer Judd, investigator Sarah Cailean meets one of Jennifer’s best friends, Michelle McKorkel. Sarah is shocked to hear Michelle describe another close friend: Jeremy Jones. Then, after weeks of missed calls and unanswered emails, Sarah heads to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office to see if the sheriff is willing to work together to determine who killed Jennifer Judd.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:45:19
Ep.2: Old Friends
8/21/2024
Investigator Sarah Cailean heads to the intersection of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri to to begin to untangle the many rumors swirling around the murder of Jennifer Judd and the confessions of Jeremy Jones. Starting in Jennifer’s hometown of Picher, Oklahoma, Cailean hopes to get a better understanding of the 20-year-old woman at the center of this cold case.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:51:11
Ep.1: Serial Killer or Serial Liar?
8/14/2024
In 1992, 20-year-old Jennifer Judd is murdered in her own home. Her husband of just nine days, Justin Judd, comes home from work to find his high school sweetheart lying on the kitchen floor with more than a dozen stab wounds. The murder shocks the small communities of Baxter Springs, Kansas, where the couple lived, and nearby Picher, Oklahoma, where Jennifer grew up. Despite a few early leads, the case went cold for nearly a decade. Then, a man confessed.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:51:51
Introducing: Who Killed Jennifer Judd?
8/7/2024
In May 1992, nine days after marrying her high-school sweetheart, 20-year-old Jennifer Judd was killed in her apartment in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The killer had used knives from Jennifer's own set, a wedding gift the couple had only just opened. Upon returning home from work, her husband, Justin Judd, finds Jennifer lying on the kitchen floor with the blade of a knife still lodged in her back.
Police immediately suspect one of Jennifer and Justin’s friends. A decade later, another man confesses. However, the case is never solved.
In this captivating new series from ID, investigator Sarah Cailean attempts to answer the 32-year-old question: Who Killed Jennifer Judd? She’ll speak with Jennifer’s friends and family as she seeks to understand Jennifer’s life and untimely death. Throughout, Sarah also attempts to understand why police dismissed the confession of convicted murderer, Jeremy Jones
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:02:00