Unresolved

The Wonderland Murders takes you on journey back to the drug- and sex-fueled world of 1970s L.A. all building to brutal multiple murder just off the Sunset Strip. You can hear the first two episodes right now by searching for "The Wonderland Murders" on Apple Podcasts, wherever you’re listening to this, or visit wondery.fm/unresolved.

In 2005, Bethany Ann Leidlein left for Southwestern University. She was a bright young student, whose writing had earned her a scholarship to this private institution. While at Southwestern, Bethany became involved with a group of friends. They originally bonded over their love of fantasy novels (in particular, Harry Potter), and were all looking forward to long and happy lives. Through 2009, they continued to grow closer due to their faith, guided by a charismatic young man named Tyler Deaton. By 2012, Bethany was married to this Tyler, who harbored secrets of his own. They lived in a bizarre religious community outside of Kansas City, Missouri. And, at the end of that year, Bethany would be dead... while another member of their religious sect was awaiting trial...   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron   Music Credits Ailsa Traves - "Third Corridor" Rotten Bliss - "Under The Branches" Organoid - "Cassini" Artem Bemba - "Red Shore" Pulse Emitter - "Nebula" Rec008 - "Contemplation" Kai Engel - "Silence" Blue Dot Sessions - "Olivia Wraith" Parvus Decree - "Thoughts About Future" Kay - "Call Of The Void" The Pangolins - "The Stream" Daniel James Dolby - "Broken Things" Borrtex - "One Moment" Breath Before The Plunge - "New Years Day" Ailsa Traves - "Unresolved"

Over a four-year period (1967 - 1970), three women fell prey to violent crimes that plagued an area of northern Alabama:  - Mary Faye Hunter (who disappeared in March of 1967, and whose remains were found in October of that year) - Juanita Acker (a widowed mother of three who was shot twice in the head at point-blank range in May of 1969) - Joyce Drake (a young mother of two who was found, brutally murdered in a violent robbery in January of 1970) Are these crimes linked to one another? It's impossible to tell. But over the past half-century, these women have become linked in a myriad of ways, and their stories continue to haunt Morgan County...   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron   Music Credits The Gateless Gate - "The Idea Of North" Scott Holmes - "Nostalgic Resonance" Springtide - "The Introduction (with no vocals)" Joao Picoito - "Third Floor" Magna Ingress - "Shattered Dreams" Lee Rosevere - "Morning Mist" Squire Tuck - "What Will Be Will Be (Organ Remix)" Pulse Emitter - "Triangulum Galaxy" Scott Holmes - "Everest" Robert Farmer - "We Will Not Be Shipwrecked On A Vain Reality" Kai Engel - "Modum" Ailsa Traves - "Unresolved"

This is an update regarding the first story I tackled on "Unresolved," that of the serial offender that went by several names: Original Night Stalker, East Area Rapist, Golden State Killer, and Visalia Ransacker.   On April 24th, police in Ventura County, California, arrested 72-year old Joseph James Deangelo for the murders of Charlene and Lyman Smith. They were just two deaths attributed to this unknown killer, this mysterious EAR/ONS/GSK, among over a dozen. Upon his arrest, law enforcement announced a press conference for this four-decades old cold case. Investigators and websleuths alike are desperate to learn any details about this little-known Deangelo, who wasn't even on the radar of law enforcement more than a week ago.   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me Consider supporting the podcast by heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod and becoming a patron   Music Credits Alea Minerva - "Dead Letters" Pulse Emitter - "Decaying Ships" Tapes Tubes - "Salad Days" Kay - "Call Of The Void"

In September of 2007, the skeletal remains of Sergeant Patrick Rust were found in a field outside of Watertown, New York. Immediately, the Army CID changed the course of their investigation, steering their focus away from an AWOL soldier to a non-combat death. Likewise, since Patrick's remains were found outside of Watertown - in rural Jefferson County - the case was handed off from Watertown PD to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. They, too, began investigating the case as an "unknown death," as both the manner and cause of death proved impossible to identify. Throughout the next several years, the investigation would stumble through several roadblocks and detours, ultimately resulting in a story that remains unfinished... Part two of two.   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron   Music Credits Borrtex - "Journey" Blue Dot Sessions - "Chilvittle" Organoid - "Cassini" Pulse Emitter - "Nebula" Murmurous - "Fathom" Blue Dot Sessions - "Olivia Wraithe" Kai Engel - "Wake Up!" Ailsa Traves - "Unresolved Mysteries"

This is an update regarding an episode I released in January of 2018, titled "Freeman/Bible."   In December of 1999, the bodies of Danny and Kathy Freeman were found in their burned trailer home, outside of Welch, Oklahoma. For over eighteen years, investigators have wondered what happened to the Freeman's missing teenage daughter, Ashley, and her best friend, Lauria Bible (who had been staying over). Just today, police announced that they have a suspect in custody, named Ronnie Dean Busick. They also believe that two other men - Warren Phillip Welch II and David Pennington (both now deceased) - were involved in the crime.   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me   Music Credits Graham Bole - "Sunset At Goat Fell" Cory Gray - "Piano Anticipation"

In 2007, Patrick Rust was a 24-year old Sergeant in the U.S. Army, who had just recently returned from his second deployment. A native New Yorker, Patrick had enlisted just months after 9/11, and his time in the military had taken him through training in Oklahoma and Texas, and two separate deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  In March of that year, Patrick moved off-post for the first time, with a roommate he had known for roughly fifteen months. The two lived together for a single day before Patrick went missing, in the early morning hours of March 16th.  In the hours before his disappearance, Patrick had made a suspicious withdrawal from an ATM, made and received a series of erratic phone calls, taken a mysterious detour with acquaintances that others describe as "troubled," and encountered a blast from his past in the most unlikely of settings. All of it painted a very convoluted picture, which investigators have not been able to decipher in over a decade.  Part one of two.    Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron Make sure to check out the podcast Yours In Murder, hosted by my friends Rachel and Rebecca If you want to save $20 from your first order at Winc, you can use the offer code trywinc.com/unresolved   Music Credits Ailsa Traves - "Unresolved I & II" blacksona - "Pain Nerves Depression - 05" Robert Farmer - "If We Knew All The Laws Of Nature" Pulse Emitter - "Decaying Ships" Sann Gusmo - "Sono Sonho Pausa" Magna Ingress - "Anahata III" Graham Bole - "Sunset At Goat Fell"

In February of 2018, a woman in the Australian city of Queanbeyan claimed that a stranger had visited her home. This mysterious woman, who was unknown to the young mother, had come to inspect her house and her two children. She claimed to be an FACS caseworker, but - as this small suburb outside of Canberra would soon learn - this was not the case. This story hearkens back to the first half of the 1990s, when similar stories broke out across the United Kingdom. From Sheffield to the northern tip of Scotland, worried parents claimed that strangers - pretending to be social workers - tried to either inspect or abduct their children. But where did this urban legend originate? Well, if you believe some, it all began with a child abuse scandal from Cleveland in the mid-1980s...   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron Make sure to check out the podcast Criminology, hosted by my friends Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford If you want to save $30 from your first Hello Fresh order, you can use the offer code "unresolved30" at check-out   Music Credits Rotten Bliss - "Under The Branches" Kay - "Call Of The Void" Magna Ingress - "Anahata I" Pulse Emitter - "Triangulum Galaxy" Rec008 - "Contemplation" ROZKOL - "Hell Slime" Ailsa Traves - "Unresolved"

This is a brief update for episodes 14 - 16 of the podcast, addressing some recent news regarding Shannan Gilbert and the drama unfolding in Suffolk County.    Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Music by T. Nordgren You can learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me and you can help support this podcast by heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod

This is the first episode of my new podcast "Hoax," which is centered around the mysterious mummy known as the "Persian Princess."   If you would like to hear more stories like this, consider subscribing to Hoax on your podcast app of choice. It can also be found at the following sites:  Spotify iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play    If you would like to stay up-to-date, you can follow along with the podcast on: Facebook Twitter unresolved.me  

On the morning of November 16th, 1987, a pair of hunters discovered the skeletonized remains of a young woman just a stone's throw away from Shaw Creek - in the woods just south of Eureka, South Carolina. These remains have never been identified, and serve as the jumping-off point for an investigation that now spans over three decades.  In 1991, the remains of a local woman - Jackie Council - would be found roughly half-a-mile away. Then, in 1993, another unidentified Jane Doe was found just off Shaw Creek. As if that wasn't enough, the body of a Georgia woman that went missing in 1989 - named Risteen Durden - was found just a few miles away in 1992. The state these women were found in point to a single suspect: a killer that terrorized young black women in Aiken County. However, until now, this killer hasn't even had a name... and while there are many of suspects to look at, none of them completely fit the bill...   Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me Use the link thecrimemag.com/unresolved to subscribe to True Crime Magazine and save over $100   Music Credits Robert Farmer - "We Will Not Be Shipwrecked On A Vain Reality" Andrew Reddy - "A Breath" Kai Engel - "Wake Up!" Kay - "Call Of The Void" Koen Daigaku - "EPV_174 Trailer" Parvus Decree - "The Unborn" Magna Ingress - "Running Away" Graham Bole - "We Are One" Breath Before The Plunge - "End Of All Things"

A few weeks ago, I brought you the story of twins Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook - missing teenagers that had disappeared into thin air in March of 1990.  Since those episodes, there have been some behind-the-scenes update, involving the funding of a billboard (a co-venture between myself and the hosts of the Fall Line podcast to raise publicity for the $8000 reward fund) and a vigil taking place this weekend (March 18th - the 28th anniversary of the twins' disappearance).  If you would like to RSVP for the vigil on Facebook, you can do so at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/165077164156531/   To learn more about the podcast, head to the podcast website at unresolved.me

Two years before the disappearance of the Millbrook Twins, and six years before Tiffany Nelson went missing, another African American girl went missing about an hour north - in a small town called Greenwood, South Carolina.  Malakia Zali Logan was a regular kid, who spent the evening of May 15th, 1988 playing with friends. Sometime between 8:00 and 8:30 PM, she hopped on her bike and headed home - a distance no greater than 300 yards. Her bike was found overturned by the apartment's office, but she was never seen again.  Throughout the investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. However, for nearly thirty years, the abduction and murder of "Kia" Logan has gone unsolved.    Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me Use the link harrys.com/unresolved to sign up at Harry's and earn their free trial shave set If you are interested in becoming a patron, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod   Music Credits Lee Rosevere - "Morning Mist" Breath Before The Plunge - "New Year's Day" Rest You Sleeping Giant - "Themes From Frost" Kai Engel - "Modum" Borrtex - "Wondering" Parvus Decree - "Haunting Memories" Magna Ingress - "The Wanderer" Blue Dot Sessions - "Levanger" The Music Plays You - "Dusk To Dawn"

This is a teaser trailer for a new podcast written and hosted by Micheal Whelan. "Hoax" is a look at some of history's biggest - and most intriguing - deceptions, told in the same storytelling style as Unresolved.    If you are interested in following along, you can find Hoax on your podcast app of choice, or subscribe from the show's page:  https://hoaxpod.libsyn.com/  There, you can find a more comprehensive trailer, which serves as an introduction to the show. If you subscribe, you will be able to listen to the first three episodes as soon as they drop in early April.   If you would like to follow along on social media, you can do so on Facebook or Twitter. Emails can be sent in to:  hoaxpod@gmail.com   And - because I know some of you are thinking this - Hoax is not going to interfere with Unresolved in any way, shape, or form. This is merely a way for me to address different kinds of stories. I am currently planning a 12/13-episode first season of Hoax, which will be starting in early April.

In June of 1994, a nine-year old girl was preparing to live out her summer dreams. Tiffany Elizabeth Nelson, a native of Augusta, Georgia, was a tomboy that loved to ride her bike while wearing frilly dresses. She had suffered the loss of her mother just two years prior, and was living with her aunt, Ora, in her home along Getzen Drive - just a few miles away from where Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook had gone missing four years beforehand.  It was the first Monday of summer vacation, when Tiffany rode her bike down to a corner convenience store just a few blocks away. She was last seen at that gas station at approximately 10:00 AM, filling up her bike tires with air. When she went missing, very little was done to find her - or to investigate any of the potential offenders living in the area.  Over the next eleven years, Tiffany would just become a footnote for the area: a cautionary tale for neighborhood children. But in 2005, a forester made a discovery roughly twenty miles south, which proved that there was more to Tiffany's case than met the eye...    Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan Music by Lisa Hogan Learn more about the podcast at unresolved.me   If you want to save $30 from your first Hello Fresh order, you can use the offer code "unresolved30" at check-out