Show Notes
Paul Hutchinson's suicide was his final act of cowardice. He saved himself the pain of facing his community, not to mention Danni’s family. Meanwhile, his actions introduced a whole new level of pain and confusion to those who knew him and cared about him. Those people have been left to grapple with questions without the opportunity to ever have them answered. In this episode, we talk to Paul's family, friends, coworkers, and hunting partners to ask whether there was any indication in Paul's character or behavior that he'd killed an innocent girl nearly 30 years ago. We also talk with investigators and a forensic psychologist to determine the likelihood that Paul committed that horrible atrocity and then went on to live a normal, crime-free life. Was Danni Paul's only victim? Or will law enforcement find a string of crimes in the same areas he traveled to hunt turkeys, waterfowl, and big game? Want more Blood Trails? Check out this episode's Case File. Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon. Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Blood Trails
On the opening weekend of Wisconsin's 2004 deer season, a confrontation over a tree stand erupted into one of the deadliest hunting-related shootings in American history. Six hunters were killed, two more were wounded, and the man responsible disappeared into the forest. But what drove Chai Soua Vang to open fire? Was it a case of self-defense gone horribly wrong, or a calculated act of murder? Through firsthand accounts from survivors, investigators, and others close to the case, we revisit a tragedy that exposed deep divisions over race, hunting, and justice in rural America. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File. Subscribe to the all new Blood Trails YouTube channel @BloodTrailsTV Shop the all new Blood Trails merch! Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, and Instagram Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Halloween weekend in 1986, 17-year-old Noel Dalluge traveled to a remote Minnesota hunting cabin with his high school buddies. The plan was simple: party, hunt, and celebrate the end of football season. But early the next morning, Noel vanished into the woods... without a trace. An extensive search turned up nothing, and questions about what really happened that weekend have haunted his family for decades. Now, nearly 40 years later, new interviews and old suspicions raise a disturbing possibility: someone at that cabin knows more than they've ever admitted. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File. Subscribe to the all new Blood Trails YouTube channel @BloodTrailsTV Shop the all new Blood Trails merch! Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, and Instagram Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This season on Blood Trails, host Jordan Sillars follows eight brand-new cases: hunting trips gone horribly wrong, decades-old disappearances, suspicious deaths, and crimes hidden deep in the woods. Some cases are ice cold. Others have been solved—at least, according to the law. But every case in Season 3 is still haunted by unanswered questions. Through firsthand interviews, archival audio, court records, and investigative reporting, Blood Trails digs into what happened, what may have been missed, and why these stories still refuse to stay buried. Follow the show now to get notified when Episode 1 drops, Thursday, October 15. Subscribe to the all new Blood Trails YouTube channel @BloodTrailsTV Shop the all new Blood Trails merch! Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, and Instagram Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Going public may be the Americans’ only chance of escaping Turks and Caicos—but they’ve been warned that doing so could be a death sentence. With years in prison hanging over them, Ryan Watson, Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Wenrich, and their families launch a campaign to expose their treatment to the world. Their story goes viral, drawing millions of supporters and the attention of the United States Congress. But publicity is a double-edged sword. As bomb threats shut down airports and strangers circulate the Americans’ locations online, the men and their loved ones begin receiving threats of their own. In the concluding chapter of Blood Trails: Paradise Prison, the fight for freedom escalates into an international confrontation involving a congressional delegation, the State Department, British officials, and the Turks and Caicos government. Along the way, troubling revelations raise questions about how the law was enforced—and whether Americans were being treated differently from other travelers. Their strategy has forced the world to pay attention. Now, as the first sentencing approaches, no one knows whether that pressure will bring them home—or provoke the punishment they’ve been fighting to avoid. Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File. Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon. Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Blood Trails on Instagram Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Before Ryan Watson, Bryan Hagerich, and Tyler Wenrich faced the possibility of 12 years in a Turks and Caicos prison, another American had already lived their nightmare. In 2023, Michael Grim forgot a loaded pistol magazine in his vacation backpack. He never intended to bring ammunition into the country, but after a bewildering court process, he became the first American tourist sentenced to His Majesty’s Prison on Grand Turk. In Chapter 2 of Blood Trails: Paradise Prison, Michael reveals what happened after the prison gates closed behind him. Alone in a foreign country, he enters a world of suffocating heat, solitary confinement, violent threats, extortion attempts, strange alliances, and rules that seem to change without warning. As Ryan, Bryan, and Tyler await their own uncertain fates, Michael’s experience offers a terrifying glimpse of what may be waiting for them—and a warning that surviving Grand Turk prison will require more than keeping their heads down. How does an ordinary vacationer adapt when an honest mistake lands him among convicted killers? And what happens when the people who he thought would protect him decide he’s on his own? Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File. Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon. Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Blood Trails on Instagram Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.