The armchair detective podcast

Updates on upcoming podcasts and Maura Murray.

In this episode, I discuss my research into several New Hampshire cold cases and their potential ties to the disappearance of Maura Murray. The episode's transcript will be made available to the Armchair Detective Podcast's patron's. To become a patron, simply click on the become a patron button on my blog main page. I will upload the transcript on patron tomorrow. You can become a patron for only 1 dollar per month. I hope you find this episode interesting. Feel free to drop a comment.   ~Acdetective~

Today we learned that Cecil Smith is no longer with us. My thoughts and prayers go out to Cecil's family and friends. My co-host Kasey and I decided to do a podcast episode to clear out all the red herrings in Maura Murray's disappearance. During this episode, we talk about a list of questions I had sent to John Healey, a private investigator who looked into Maura's disappearance. There was a total of 40 questions I sent him and out of the 40 questions, all ended up being red herrings in his opinion! Please feel free to leave a comment.   *Edit*   Below is the list of questions sent to John Healey: All of these are red herrings... For those not familiar with the definition of a red herring, it is something, especially a clue, that is or is intended to be misleading or distracting.   The night Maura Murray had a breakdown and cried supposedly because of a call from her sister Kathleen about her drinking. Do you believe this has any impact on Maura’s disappearance or is it a red herring? There were rumors about Maura packing her things in the dorm as if she was moving, is there any truth to this or is it a red herring? There was a lot of different speculations about Fred Murray and the $4000. What do you think about this and would you qualify this as a red herring? The Petrit Vasi hit and run was for the longest time a source of rumor and speculation in Maura’s disappearance. Do you believe Maura hit Petrit Vasi, if not do you believe this is a red herring? The accident and party the night of the accident that Maura had with Fred’s vehicle in Hadley, do you believe this has anything to do with her disappearance or is it a red herring? The ATM video was for the longest time a source of speculation in Maura’s disappearance. Do you believe this to be important to her disappearance or just another red herring? The Londerry ping was for a long time a source of speculation. Do you believe the Londerry ping is important to Maura’s disappearance? If not, do you think it’s a red herring? There were also many speculations about the accident scene and potential staging of the accident scene. Do you believe there was any tampering with either the vehicle or the accident scene? If not, do you believe this is a red herring? The rag in the tailpipe was for the longest time a source of speculation. Do you believe it’s prevalent to Maura’s disappearance, and if not do you believe it’s a red herring? The witness statements given by Butch Atwood changed several times during the following days/weeks and years after Maura disappeared. Do you believe Butch Atwood was telling the truth? If not, do you believe he knew more? Or was his witness statement another red herring? There was another witness knows only as witness A for the longest time. She claimed to have seen a police cruiser 001 (suv) parked nose to nose with the Saturn. Is this true and if not, is it a red herring? The tip given by Rick Forcier three months after Maura disappeared where he claims to have seen someone fitting Maura’s description near 112 and 116. Do you believe this tip to be accurate or is this another red herring in this case? The so called “loon mountain three”, do you believe this to be a credible lead, if not do you think it’s a red herring? The pickup truck with the Massachusetts plates seen at the store less than a mile from the crash site, do you believe this to be a credible lead or a red herring? Author James Renner believes Maura was pregnant when she disappeared. Is there any truth to this or is it a red herring? There were some internet rumors that state Maura Murray fled to Canada to start a new life. Do you believe this to be credible or a red herring?

I was discussing the case with my future co-host when she told me about this and I thought it may be a break in the case. Feel free to leave comments.

Hello everyone, I've decided to do an update podcast to let you know what I have in store for 2019. Please feel free to contact me if you have any ideas or suggestions. Thanks!

F.B.I. MOST WANTED ROBERT FISHER     Welcome to another episode of the armchair detective podcast, I’m you’re host the armchair detective. Today’s episode will be much different than my other episodes. While in this episode I will be talking about a missing person, this missing person also happens to be on the FBI’s most wanted list. His name is Robert Fisher. This case was brought to my attention by youtube follower Ben. Thanks Ben for your suggestion. If anyone else has suggestions on cases you would like me to feature on my podcast, please let me know. My goal is to have the listeners of the armchair detective podcast to participate in this podcast so again if you have suggestions, or if you would like to participate in an episode by co-hosting an episode about a case that is important to you, please send me an email and let me know.   As I mentioned in my last episode, there will be a few things to look forward to in the upcoming months. I will have some promotional events on the podcast where I will give away promotional gifts to listeners of the podcast. I will also be putting out an e-book in the next few months which will detail my journey into true crime podcasting and will be discussing never released materials about some of my early podcast episodes. I actually already began writting this ebook and will post it to my website armchairdetective.org. The ebook will be sold for $5 per digital copy, however patrons of the podcast will receive free copies.   Now onto today’s case. In today’s episode I start by discussing the details surrounding the tragedy that struck the Fisher family. Then I will discuss the aftermath and subsequent police investigation and I will finish the episode with a call to action. So lets get started:   Scottsdale Arizona, a city known for it’s rich European roots and arid climate. The winters are quite mild to warm however the summers are extremely hot. Scottsdale is also known for it’s tourism industry which is it’s primary employer, accounting for 39% of the city's workforce. "The West's most western town" prides itself in its rich Western history, preserving while heavily promoting its plethora of "western" activities and events. The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has taken place since 1955. Today, the show attracts thousands of visitors and tourists, to see nearly 2000 purebred Arabian and Half-Arabian horses competing for various prizes and recognition.   Scottsdale is also home to a variety of high-end nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, lounges and bars. This is evident by the growing number of style-conscious hotels that have opened up throughout Downtown Scottsdale which equally cater to the nightlife crowds. The city is also the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants, who practice at Scottsdale Stadium in Downtown Scottsdale.   Though none play specifically in the city of Scottsdale, all of the "Big Four" North American major league sports organizations have franchises and play within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area – NBA's Phoenix Suns, NFL's Arizona Cardinals, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes, as well as a WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury.   Robert Fisher was just one of over 200,000 Scottsdale residents. Fisher was a U.S. Navy veteran and he married his wife Mary Cooper in 1987. He has worked as a surgical catheter technician, respiratory therapist, and firefighter, and is an avid outdoors man, hunter, and fisherman. He was described by those who knew him as a cruel and distant control freak who was awkward with his children, but tried to keep an image of a devoted husband and father. His mother-in-law, Ginny Cooper, told investigators that, "Fisher didn't socialize often with family because of a fear of getting too close to people ...

      The disappearance of Denise Martin     Welcome to the armchair detective podcast, I’m you’re host the armchair detective. Today I will be discussing the disappearance of Denise Martin. This is a recent disappearance that was brought to my attention from Kirsten, a follow of the armchair detective facebook group. Thanks for the suggestion Kirsten, if anyone else has suggestions on cases you would like me to feature on my podcast, please let me know. I absolutely want my audience to be part of this podcast so if you have suggestions, or if you would like to participate in an episode by co-hosting an episode about a case that is important to you, please send me an email and let me know. Also, there are a few things to look forward to in the next few months. I will have some promotional events on the podcast where I will give away promotional gifts to listeners of the podcast. I will also be putting out an e-book in the next few months which will detail my journey into true crime podcasting and will be discussing never released materials about some of my early podcast episodes. This will be posted to my website armchairdetective.org so keep a look out for this soon. Now onto our case today. In today’s episode I start by discussing the details surrounding Denise Martin’s disappearance. Then I will feature some theories from other armchair detectives from different websites on the internet and I will follow this with my own conclusions on Denise’s disappearance. Denise Martin is 22 years old. She is Caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes. She is approximately 150 lbs, and she is 5 feet 3 inches tall. She has a tattoo of a sun on her lower left shoulder area near her upper chest. She is most likely wearing black oval glasses and possibly carrying a black backpack. She is also wearing black shorts and a red or orange top at the time of her disappearance. Virginia Beach Police said Martin has been missing since about 7 or 8 a.m Tuesday June 19, 2018 . She was last seen at a home by her father in the in the 2600 block of Dunlace Way in the Red Mill section of the city. However, Martin’s best friend, Miriam Loya, said police have confirmed that a neighbor saw Martin sitting by the front yard at 8:22 a.m. Martin’s friends and family said that this is very unusual for her to disappear like this and that she has never disappears for an extended period of time before. “She left her keys, wallet, ID, phone, and car behind,” Loya said. “I know her, she would never leave her phone behind.” Loya said Martin’s boyfriend, Jordan Stroud, drove from Ohio to be with the family. Her father was the last person to interact with her before leaving for work June 19. By 9:30 a.m., Denise’s brother found her phone, keys, wallet and ID, but she wasn’t at the house. Her brother and father searched around on their own before filing a missing-person report with Virginia Beach police. Martin’s friends and family say she would never leave without telling someone. Denise’s baffling disappearance last week has prompted friends and family members to gather in her Virginia hometown to track her down. Friends and family of 22-year-old Denise Martin started leading a search party to find her. The search began at 8:30 a.m., according to a Facebook post. Volunteers are searching in wooded areas and dense vegetation. Family and friends continued to search Thursday for a 22-year-old woman who was reported missing two days earlier. People who are interested in participating in the second search party can find information on where and when to go on Loya’s Facebook page. Loya has created the facebook account, #BringDeniseHome. Jordan Stroud has also created a twitter account @jstroud97, to share information about Denise Martin’s disappearance. You can also find Stroud’s facebook page at htt...

The mysterious disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing     Today’s podcast episode will focus on the disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing. I went on http://www.findbrookefarthing.com website and read the following from Brookelyn’s sister:   “My sister Brooke was a spunky, tell you how it is, loveable person. She loved animals and the outdoors. But she was a true girly girl, who loved pink and camouflage. She would do anything to help anyone. She had the sweetest deep long country sounding voice you can only find in Kentucky. Not a day goes by I don’t wonder about her.”   My entire goal with my podcast is to help the grieving families of missing loved ones, which is why I always encourage people to share the episodes over social media. The more we raise awareness the closer we get to getting answers for those grieving loved ones.   Brookelyn has been missing from Berea, Kentucky since 06/22/2013. At the time of her disappearance, Brooke was 18 years old and today would be 23 years old. She is described as being 5 feet one inches tall, she is a caucasian female with Blonde hair and brown eyes. Brookelyn’s nickname is Brooke. She has pierced ears and a birthmark on her left hip.   At the time of her disappearance Brook was wearing A gray t-shirt with the Madison County FFA (Future Farmers of America) logo and light blue denim shorts.   Brookelyn was last seen at a friend's house in the 100 block of Dillon Court in Berea, a small city located about 40 miles south of Lexington Kentucky in the early morning hours of June 22, 2013. She had attended a party the night before with her sister, a cousin and some friends. Eventually, most of the others left, and Brookelyn stayed behind at the party.   She had a friend there who was going to give her a ride home, but the two females argued and Brookelyn’s friend left without her. She sent multiple text messages overnight trying to get a ride home, saying she felt scared. She wanted her ex-fiance to pick her up, but he didn't get off work until later in the morning. The last text from her phone was sent at 5:30 a.m., saying "Never mind, I'm okay. I'm going to a party in Rockcastle County."   Randall Walker, Brooke’s step father said the following to the huffington post:   "She started texting people to pick her up and give her a ride home," Walker told HuffPost. "She was texting her ex-fiance -- they were separated but still friends. He was at work and she texted him that he needed to come get her when he got off work. At 4:26 that morning, she texted him to hurry 'because I'm scared.'"   "Another friend of hers was drunk and needed to get home," Walker said. "A gentleman known to Brookelyn's ex-fiance was at the party and he offered her his vehicle to give the boy a ride home."   The huffington post article continues to say :   From what information Walker has been able to gather from investigators, Farthing purportedly drove her friend home in the man's vehicle and then had to bring the vehicle back to the man's house — a home with no electricity that was in foreclosure.   It was not long after Farthing arrived at the man's home that she started to text friends about needing a ride.   "There was another text was sent from Brookelyn's phone at 5:30 a.m., an hour before her ex-fiance was to get off work and come pick her up. The text said, 'Never mind, I'm okay. I'm going to a party in Rockcastle County,'" Walker said.   "I do not believe that was a text from Brookelyn," he continued. "I think something had already happened between the time she ...

I've created a podcast episode which is only for the patrons of the show. I've uploaded the episode to the show's patron page. I have included a short sneak peek for those interested. I will be uploading more content soon. The next content will be about the disappearance of Brian Lawson. Thanks for listening and supporting this podcast! For more information on how to become a patron, please click on the following link. https://www.patreon.com/thearmchairdetective   ~Acdetective~

The mysterious disappearance of Brian Shaffer: Brian Shaffer on February 25th 1979. He was a medical student at the Ohio State University at the time of his disappearance. At the time of his disappearance, Brian was 27 years old and today he would be 39 years old. Brian is described as 6 feet two inches tall and weighing about 165 lbs. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing an olive green short-sleeved polo shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, white Adidas sneakers and a yellow rubber cancer awareness bracelet. Brian is a Caucasian male with Light brown hair and hazel eyes. Shaffer has a tattoo of a Pearl Jam symbol on his upper right arm; I have included a copy of the photo on my website. He also wears wire-framed eyeglasses. Shaffer has a black spot on his left iris. Shaffer grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, the state capital, where The Ohio State University (OSU) is located, the older of Randy and Renee Shaffer's two sons. He graduated from the local high school in 1997 and went to OSU for his undergraduate work. Six years later he graduated with a degree in microbiology. Following that, he began studies at Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2004. During his second year there, in March 2006, his mother Renee died of myelodysplasia. His friends say that although he appeared to be handling it well, her death was hard for him. Renee was not the only woman important in Brian's life. He had become romantically involved with a fellow second-year medical student, Alexis Waggoner. She, along with their families and friends, believed that Brian would probably be proposing marriage to her later that year, most likely on a trip to Miami the couple had planned for spring break at the beginning of April. On March 31, a Friday, classes at OSU ended for spring break the next week. Brian and Randy Shaffer, his father, celebrated the occasion by going out for a steak dinner together earlier that evening. The older man noted that his son seemed exhausted from having pulled all-nighters earlier in the week cramming for some important upcoming exams. He did not think Brian should go out with a friend, William "Clint" Florence, later that night as he planned to do, but did not express his reservations to his son. At 9 p.m., Brian met Florence at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a bar in the South Campus Gateway complex on High Street. An hour later, Brian called Waggoner, who had returned to her home in Toledo to visit with her family before the two went to Miami, and told her he loved her. He and Florence went bar-hopping, visiting several other drinking establishments and working their way down to the Arena District. At each stop the two had one shot each of hard liquor, according to Florence. After midnight, the two met Meredith Reed, a friend of Florence, in The Short North. She gave them a ride back to the Ugly Tuna Saloona, where they had started the night, and joined them there for a last round. While the three were there, Brian separated from his companions. Florence and Reed had been trying to find him, repeatedly calling him. They left with other patrons when the bar closed at 2 a.m., waiting outside for Brian. When he was not among the departing crowd, they assumed he had gone back to his apartment without letting them know. Waggoner and Randy Shaffer both tried to call Brian later that weekend but he did not answer. On Monday morning he missed the flight to Miami he and Waggoner had scheduled long before. He was reported missing to the Columbus police. Now Brian Shaffer was last seen at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, which at the time was a bar near the Ohio State University (OSU) campus, between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. on April 1, 2006. He had gone there to celebrate the beginning of spring break with several male friends,

Richard Petrone Jr. and his friend, Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo, were last seen around 11:45 pm on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2005 leaving Abilene’s bar at 429 South Street in Philadelphia, where they met with some friends. They were heading for Richard’s 2001 black Dodge Dakota pickup truck, PA license plate # YFH-2319 parked in the neighborhood. Richard, Danielle, or the truck haven’t been seen since and there have been no traces or clues as to their whereabouts. They planned to spend the night at Danielle’s house in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. The next day, Richard was to come back to his apartment on Snyder Avenue near 16th Street in South Philadelphia to watch the Daytona 500. No one knows if the couple ever made it to Danielle’s house Saturday night. Richard was 35 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 200 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He had an “Angela” tattoo on his left arm and clowns on his right arm. Richard was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers. Danielle was 5 feet 5 inches tall, 117 pounds, with hazel eyes, fair skin and brown hair. She had a tattoo of flowers on her lower back. She was wearing a black jacket, cream-colored sweater and blue jeans. Richard worked with his father at Viking Pastries, the family-owned bakery in Ardmore, PA. He had been working there since he graduated high school . He used to live in Ardmore but moved to South Philadelphia to be near Angela, his then 14 year-old daughter. Danielle on the other hand had a 1 1/2 year old son. Both Richard and Danielle knew each other since they were 15 years old. Petrone and his girlfriend, Danielle Imbo, were last seen at Abilene's (sometime's spelled "Abeline's" or "Abiline's"), a bar and restaurant in the 400 block of South Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 2005. They had drinks with friends at the establishment before leaving between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m.; they stated they were going to Imbo's home in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Neither of them have been heard from again. Their friends stated that both of them behaved normally and seemed happy that evening. Petrone's vehicle is also missing: it's a black and silver four-door 2001 Dodge Dakota or Dodge Ram pickup truck with the Pennsylvania license plate number YFH2319 and possibly a NASCAR #99 sticker in the rear window. Photographs of the truck and license plate are posted with this case summary. Neither Imbo nor Petrone have accessed their bank accounts or used their credit cards or EZ-Pass cards since they went missing. Their cellular phones have stayed turned off. Petrone and Imbo have one child each; Imbo has a toddler son and Petrone has a teenage daughter. Their loved ones stated they would never have voluntarily abandoned their families, whom they were close to. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners. Both Petrone, then 35, and Imbo, then 34, were described as dedicated parents with nothing in their lifestyle that would suggest they could be targets of foul play. Authorities have questioned associates of both people. Petrone and Imbo's estranged husband had allegedly exchanged threats with one another over the telephone and Imbo had made multiple failed attempts to reconcile with her husband, who was involved with another woman. Shortly before she disappeared, Imbo told her husband and Petrone that she wanted "space" from both of them; she was reportedly considering ending her relationship with Petrone altogether. Their loved ones believe foul play was involved in their cases, and both families have accused members of the other family of causing their disappearances. Investigators stated that very little evidence is available to indicate what happened to Petrone and Imbo, but they have ruled out kidnapping and think a random act of violence is also unlikely.

Here is a podcast about some of the things i've been discussing on my subreddit page. Please feel free to comment. Thanks.

I've recently read an article about Maura's disappearance and the momments surrounding the night of Feb 5 2004 which is believed to be tied to her decision to leave Umass Amherst on Feb 9 2004. Please feel free to comment, I would love feedback on this. Thanks.   ~Acdetective~

Today I'll be discussing a theory that I’m working on. It involves unsolved murders and missing persons around the I-91 and I-93 and I-95 in New England. Now keep in mind this is simply a theory I have and should be taken as such. What led me to research this phenomenon was the disappearance of U-Mass Amherst nursing student Maura Murray back on February 9th 2004. There have been some thoughts that her disappearance may have been the result of a serial killer and I wanted to look at other disappearances or unsolved cases which had similar circumstances. This led me into the state of Maine and the unsolved murder of Pamela Webb. She was a 32 year old woman from Winthrop Maine and was reported missing on July 1st 1989. Pamela Webb was on her way to see her boyfriend in Mason NH when she disappeared. Her 1981 blue Chevrolet pick-up was located on the road in a southbound lane on I-95 in. There were signs of a struggle near the truck and also signs that her vehicle had problems since one tire was flat and a replacement tire was next to it. Her body was later found in the woods off route 3 in Franconia NH. Now Franconia is located about 100 miles and about 2 hours and 20 minute drive from where her vehicle was located. So I asked myself, why on earth would someone abduct someone then drive 100 miles to dump her body. That’s when I was reminded of the Green River Killer. Gary Ridgeway is one if not the most prolific serial killers in US history. Ridgeway was a truck driver for the Kenworth Truck factory. What he would do is pray on vulnerable women, kill them and then dump their bodies along his truck route. He would also dump the bodies across different state lines to throw police off (especially if law enforcement looked for the missing woman where she was last seen)…. Ridgeway would also have mass dump sites for his victims and was known to return to the scenes sometimes moving bodies. The person who picked up Pamela Webb drove past two state lines (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) then dumped her body near Franconia Notch. Jessica Briggs, 16 was found Portland waterfront in 1989. She had been stabbed to death. I’m not sure if this case is related, however it has been speculated that it may be tied to the Connecticut river killer. Note that there was an arrest in this case. Anthony Sanborn was arrested but his sentence was overturned when it was revealed that the only eyewitness to Jessica’s murder, Hope Cady, was found to have very poor eyesight and as such her testimony was unreliable. She later admitted that she had been cohersed by Portland police to implicate Sanborn. The location of Jessica’s body is only 18 and a half miles to the location of Pamela Webb’s vehicle. Laura Kempton was found on Sept 28, 1981 in her apartment. It was apparent that she had been beaten to death. She was a 23 year old student at the Portsmouth beauty school in Portsmouth NH which is just off the I-95. Tammy Little was found in a similar fashion as Laura. She was in her apartment and had also been beaten to death. Like Laura she was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty school in Portsmouth NH which is again off the I-95 and located about 36 miles or a 40 minute drive from where Pamela Webb’s vehicle was located. Keep in mind, Pamela’s abductor would have needed to drive past Portsmouth NH in order to get to Franconia where her body was dumped. Jaclynne Snyder, 22 had been visiting Pourtsmouth NH when she went missing on September 4, 1977. Her body was found on Route 155 in Lee, NH on On September 14, 1977. Her cause of death is undetermined due to decomposition. Stella Bolton and James Moore 68 were both stabbed to death before their house was set on fire in Portsmouth NH on February 16th 1991. Now if you go up from Portsmouth NH up to the NH-16 you find more victims. Maurice and Ellen Wilkinson,

Hey everyone, I've decided to do a rebuttal to the Missing Maura Murray Ep 69 episode. In this episode they discussed the murder of officer Bruce McKay and the shooting of Liko Kenney. Feel free to comment. Thanks.