Show Notes
Although we aren't covering a new case this week, we wanted to bring you this replay episode from the Criminology vault. It's the case of the Pocatello Babysitter Murders which originally aired on episode 54 in 2019. We will be back with all new episode next week. Between 1978 and 1983, four teenage girls disappeared from Pocatello, Idaho. All four were later found deceased. There were similarities between the victims aside from their ages and gender. They all attended the same school. All went missing during the summer months, and three of the girls were either babysitting or due to babysitting at the time they disappeared. Was this the work of a serial killer or random acts of violence? Join Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford as they discuss the murders of Tina Anderson, Patricia Campbell, Linda Smith, and Cindy Bringhurst. There have been a number of other murders around the Pocatello area, some that have received much attention, and those are discussed as well.
More from Criminology
In April 2005, 25-year-old Janet Abaroa was found brutally stabbed to death inside her Durham, North Carolina, home. Her six-month-old son was found unharmed, but there were no obvious signs of forced entry and very little appeared to be missing. As investigators dug into Janet’s life and relationships, they uncovered financial problems, infidelity, troubling behavior, and a number of details that raised questions about what really happened that night. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Janet Abarora. For years, Janet’s murder remained unresolved. But a seemingly insignificant clue involving her contact lenses eventually caused investigators to take another look at the timeline of her death. We discuss Janet’s life, the brutal crime, the clues investigators initially struggled to explain, and the painstaking investigation that eventually brought them closer to the truth.
In 1965, newlywed Mary Shotwell Little vanished after an evening at Atlanta’s Lenox Square Shopping Center. Her car was later found with blood inside and signs that it had traveled somewhere before being returned to the parking lot. Two years later, Diane Shields—the woman who had replaced Mary at the same bank and even sat at her desk—was found murdered in the trunk of her car. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Mary Little and Diane Shields. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a remarkable series of connections between the two women, including shared coworkers, acquaintances, and even a former roommate. Nearly six decades later, Mary’s disappearance and Diane’s murder remain unsolved, leaving behind the haunting question of whether solving one case could finally unlock the truth about the other.
When Sherri Rasmussen was found brutally murdered inside her own home, the crime scene seemed to tell a simple story: a burglary gone horribly wrong. But beneath the overturned furniture and apparent signs of a break-in were clues pointing to something far more calculated—and far more personal. The 29-year-old nursing director had been beaten, shot multiple times, and bitten during a violent struggle. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Sherri Rasmussen. For more than two decades, her killer remained free while investigators pursued the wrong theory. Then, DNA from that bite mark changed everything, leading detectives toward someone connected to Sherri’s husband—and someone who had spent years building a respected career with the LAPD.
In September 2015, 32-year-old Henry McCabe disappeared after a night out with friends in Minnesota. Hours after he was last seen, Henry left his wife a bizarre and disturbing voicemail filled with strange sounds, moaning, and apparent cries of distress. Nearly two months later, his body was found in Rush Lake, but an autopsy revealed no signs of trauma or foul play, and his death was ruled a probable drowning with the manner undetermined. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the death of Henry McCabe. Questions remain about conflicting accounts of Henry’s final movements, an anonymous letter predicting his body would be found near water, and mysterious activity from his phone in the days after he vanished. Although police eventually closed the case, Henry’s family remains convinced there is more to the story, leaving the circumstances surrounding his death a troubling mystery.
During the Great Depression, the Karpis-Barker Gang became one of America’s most notorious criminal organizations, leaving behind a trail of bank robberies, kidnappings, and murder. At the center was Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, who partnered with Fred and Doc Barker and became one of the FBI’s most wanted men. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Karpis-Barker gang. The gang’s crimes included the high-profile kidnappings of William Hamm Jr. and Edward Bremer, while corruption and a growing federal investigation helped shape their rise and eventual downfall. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the violent history of the Karpis-Barker Gang, the controversy surrounding Ma Barker’s role, and the man who became one of the Depression era’s most infamous criminals.