Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

EP158 - Part 2 - The Fort Worth 3: An Iconic True Crime Missing Persons Mystery ... The Letter

Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Show Notes

In December 1974, three kids take off for a trip to a local Texas mall and fail to return. Known as the "Fort Worth 3," this missing person case is one of the oldest and most mysterious on record in Texas. In Part 2, I go over the timeline with the families and discuss a mysterious, strange letter that arrives the day after they go missing. For exclusive content, sign up for your free Patreon account here. Leave a five-star review of this show, please. ;-) Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 Apple Podcast hit PAPER GHOSTS, now in its 5th season, "The Texas Teen Murders," wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer. **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Health NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email [email protected]**

More from Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Oct 21, 2026

When police officers respond to a frantic 911 call, they discover a man sitting on a couch, calmly cradling his ex-girlfriend's infant child alongside her eight-year-old daughter. Just feet away lay the bodies of two people, both fatally shot. As the investigation unfolds, detectives lock onto a witness and a surprising suspect emerges. For exclusive content, sign up for your free Patreon account here. Leave a five-star review of this show, please. ;-) Order Phelps's latest book, THEY CAME FOR BLOOD, book 1 in a three-book Tom Callahan Western series from Hatcreek, an imprint within the Roan & Weatherford Publishing enterprise. "...A fine gritty western with an unanticipated twist. Phelps's prose, dialogue, and accurate descriptions of the frontier takes readers back to the old west and all the brutality that went with it. With a nod to the authors who established the western genre, Phelps finds new, unexplored trails for his fans to enjoy." -Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times Bestselling Author of Comancheria "M. William Phelps hits like a Winchester to the gut. They Came for Blood is brutal, relentless, and carved from the hard timber of the Old West. Callahan's hunt for truth and redemption kept me turning pages long after sundown." -Anthony Wood, Will Rogers Medallion-Winning Author of Land of the Blind "They Came for Blood packs a punch like a belly full of lead. Twists sizzling like hot lightning turn the plot faster'n a barrel racer. A definite must read." -D.N. Sample, Author of Cold Powder Vengeance Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 Apple Podcast hit PAPER GHOSTS, now in its 5th season, "The Texas Teen Murders," wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer. **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email [email protected]**

Oct 14, 2026

A beloved schoolteacher is home one night alone, when a man enters her Texas townhouse and she is never seen alive again. His identity remains a tightly held secret for almost 25 years … until a pair of dogged genealogical investigators force him out of the shadows and law enforcement make a hard dash across the country to catch him. For exclusive content, sign up for your free Patreon account here. Leave a five-star review of this show, please. ;-) Order Phelps's latest book, THEY CAME FOR BLOOD, book 1 in a three-book Tom Callahan Western series from Hatcreek, an imprint within the Roan & Weatherford Publishing enterprise. "...A fine gritty western with an unanticipated twist. Phelps's prose, dialogue, and accurate descriptions of the frontier takes readers back to the old west and all the brutality that went with it. With a nod to the authors who established the western genre, Phelps finds new, unexplored trails for his fans to enjoy." -Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times Bestselling Author of Comancheria "M. William Phelps hits like a Winchester to the gut. They Came for Blood is brutal, relentless, and carved from the hard timber of the Old West. Callahan's hunt for truth and redemption kept me turning pages long after sundown." -Anthony Wood, Will Rogers Medallion-Winning Author of Land of the Blind "They Came for Blood packs a punch like a belly full of lead. Twists sizzling like hot lightning turn the plot faster'n a barrel racer. A definite must read." -D.N. Sample, Author of Cold Powder Vengeance Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 Apple Podcast hit PAPER GHOSTS, now in its 5th season, "The Texas Teen Murders," wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer. **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email [email protected]**

Oct 7, 2026

Four decades after a young mother is shot dead in a dark stairwell on a brutally cold winter morning, a reopened cold case unearths a web of obsession and a chillingly patient killer who almost got away with the perfect crime. For exclusive content, sign up for your free Patreon account here. Leave a five-star review of this show, please. ;-) Order Phelps's latest book, THEY CAME FOR BLOOD, book 1 in a three-book Tom Callahan Western series from Hatcreek, an imprint within the Roan & Weatherford Publishing enterprise. "...A fine gritty western with an unanticipated twist. Phelps's prose, dialogue, and accurate descriptions of the frontier takes readers back to the old west and all the brutality that went with it. With a nod to the authors who established the western genre, Phelps finds new, unexplored trails for his fans to enjoy." -Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times Bestselling Author of Comancheria "M. William Phelps hits like a Winchester to the gut. They Came for Blood is brutal, relentless, and carved from the hard timber of the Old West. Callahan's hunt for truth and redemption kept me turning pages long after sundown." -Anthony Wood, Will Rogers Medallion-Winning Author of Land of the Blind "They Came for Blood packs a punch like a belly full of lead. Twists sizzling like hot lightning turn the plot faster'n a barrel racer. A definite must read." -D.N. Sample, Author of Cold Powder Vengeance Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 Apple Podcast hit PAPER GHOSTS, now in its 5th season, "The Texas Teen Murders," wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer. **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email [email protected]**

Sep 30, 2026

In 2015, a mother, her son and housekeeper are at home one afternoon inside the Savopoulos mansion situated along a swanky street in suburban Washington DC. A man enters the home through a back door. Hours later, a call is made by the husband, Savvas, asking his assistant to deliver $40,000 dollars in cash. Then the house is set on fire. For exclusive content, sign up for your free Patreon account here. Leave a five-star review of this show, please. ;-) Order Phelps's latest book, THEY CAME FOR BLOOD, book 1 in a three-book Tom Callahan Western series from Hatcreek, an imprint within the Roan & Weatherford Publishing enterprise. "...A fine gritty western with an unanticipated twist. Phelps's prose, dialogue, and accurate descriptions of the frontier takes readers back to the old west and all the brutality that went with it. With a nod to the authors who established the western genre, Phelps finds new, unexplored trails for his fans to enjoy." -Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times Bestselling Author of Comancheria "M. William Phelps hits like a Winchester to the gut. They Came for Blood is brutal, relentless, and carved from the hard timber of the Old West. Callahan's hunt for truth and redemption kept me turning pages long after sundown." -Anthony Wood, Will Rogers Medallion-Winning Author of Land of the Blind "They Came for Blood packs a punch like a belly full of lead. Twists sizzling like hot lightning turn the plot faster'n a barrel racer. A definite must read." -D.N. Sample, Author of Cold Powder Vengeance Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 Apple Podcast hit PAPER GHOSTS, now in its 5th season, "The Texas Teen Murders," wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer. **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email [email protected]** Washington D.C., Woodland Drive NW, Savvas, Amy, Philip Savopoulos, Veralicia "Vera" Figueroa, Daron Wint, murder, cold case, true crime, true crime podcast

Sep 25, 2026

It's 1978. Five friends head out to a basketball game together—and disappear into the California night. As details and clues begin to emerge in the weeks and months that follow, four of the men are found—but the bizarre story behind it all makes no sense. Welcome to a bonus feature here on the Crossing the Line feed. I come across all sorts of stories while researching books, TV series, and my iHeartMedia podcast, Paper Ghosts, in addition to the ideas you send me. A lot of them grab hold of me emotionally—especially the victims' stories and the ordeal their families go through. A good number of the cases, for myriad reasons, don't fit into the model for a more complete CTL episode. So I wanted to create a sub platform to showcase some of those stories, as well. That said, thank you for supporting Crossing the Line, which has allowed me to produce this new expansion of the brand … Once or twice per month, maybe more, I'll present a 15 to 20 minute episode, covering murder and missing person cases, and other interesting crimes I think you'll want to hear about—but maybe more importantly, cases that give us a deeper understanding of the crimes and scumbags who commit them. Sign up for your free Patreon account here, where I'll be streaming "live," and posting other content you cannot find anywhere else. Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more. And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 hit podcast PAPER GHOSTS, now in its fourth season, wherever you get your favorite shows. M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 50 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics. "Yuba County Five, "Yuba City 5, Gary Mathias, Ted Weiher, Jack Madruga, Bill Sterling, Jackie Huett, 1969 Mercury Montego, "Plumas National Forest", "Chico", "Yuba City"

See all episodes →