Tag: indiana
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Who Killed Jean Cook?
In this episode, we revisit a painful local cold case: the murder of Georgia "Jean" Cook. On October 6, 2005, Jean, a 56-year-old mother of two, was working her shift as a manager at the former Busler's gas station on Highway 41 North in Evansville, Indiana. Three hours before the end of her shift, an armed intruder walked into the store, shot Jean twice, and fled after taking money from the register. Despite being mortally wounded, Jean managed to use her phone to call for help before passing away, leaving behind a family still searching for answers two decades later.
The investigation was plagued by complications right from the start. The store surveillance system was not recording that day, leaving police without video footage of the killer. The primary lead comes from a customer pumping gas outside who reported seeing a white woman with bushy gray hair wearing dark clothing leave the store and drive away north on Highway 41 in a bluish-gray domestic sedan. However, there has been long-standing confusion over whether the shooter was actually a woman or a man wearing a wig or disguise, creating a major obstacle for investigators.
This episode features conversations with two people close to the case. First, Jean's former coworker Andy Hinton shares his memory of the day, including receiving the distressing calls from Jean right after the shooting, and offers his perspective on what might have been happening at the store. Later, Jean's son Fred Cook talks about the toll the unsolved investigation has taken on their family, how quick access to major highways allowed the killer to vanish, and why he holds out hope that advancing technology or a lingering conscience might finally bring the truth to light.
Someone out there knows what happened that morning on Highway 41. Take a listen to the episode, check out the composite sketch materials linked in the show notes, and jump into the Discord server to join the conversation and help keep Jean's memory alive. -
Who Killed Elizabeth?
In January 2000, 18-year-old Elizabeth Bannister was tragically stabbed to death in a house full of people in Evansville, Indiana. Strangely, no one claims to have seen or heard anything. This baffling, unsolved case has left investigators and the community searching for answers.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the January 2000 murder of 18-year-old Elizabeth Bannister in Evansville, Indiana. It is a strange, tragic case that plays out like a demented real-life game of Clue. Elizabeth was brutally stabbed inside her Washington Avenue apartment in a house filled with people, yet nobody claimed to see or hear a single thing. Between a housemate watching Matlock reruns, someone passed out on the couch, and another person in the bathroom, the whole situation raises endless red flags.
This episode features a conversation from a live stream with Savannah from the YouTube channel "Don't Hate, Create". We break down the sheer chaos of Elizabeth’s life leading up to the murder, the messy web of potential suspects, and the bizarre details surrounding that night. That includes a friend who lent her change for a payphone at midnight only to find her dead an hour later, a cab that showed up for a caller who never walked out, and an alleged sighting of someone jumping out a window.
We also tackle the massive twists in the case. We discuss Mark, the abusive ex-boyfriend of Elizabeth’s mother who somehow started dating Elizabeth after her mom passed away, and why her family still eyes his alibi. Plus, we dig into the shocking prison confession from serial killer William Clyde Gibson, who claimed on a podcast that he killed Elizabeth, and why both her sister Sarah and the police remain skeptical of his story. Decades later, with the house burned down and police reports still locked away, we look at where things stand and why Elizabeth's family is still pushing for real answers.
If you have any information that could help solve Elizabeth’s murder, please contact the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7979. -
Disappearance, Mystery, Unexplained
Where is Zac? Interview with his best friend, Chris
UPDATE 11/3/2025:
14 WFIE NEWS:
WARRICK CO., Ind. (WFIE) - The Warrick County Sheriff says a the body of a missing man was discovered on Friday in the Lynnville area
He says a hunter discovered the remains and called authorities.
Detectives say the remains were taken to the morgue in Vanderburgh County and positively identified as 38-year-old Zachary Carey, of Evansville, who had been missing since May of 2023.
Carey had last been seen in the Lynnville area.
https://www.14news.com/2025/11/03/body-man-missing-since-2023-found-warrick-co/
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In this episode, I speak with Chris, the last person to see Zac Carey before he disappeared back on May 30, 2023.
After my previous episode with Zach’s mother Gina and his sister Cecilia aired, Chris reached out to share his side of the story. He addresses some of the claims made about him, sets the record straight on his relationship with the family, and explains what really went down in the hours leading up to Zac's disappearance.
Chris goes through text messages from that early morning, describes driving Zac out toward the Lynnville area, and talks about Zac's state of mind at the time. He also opens up about his own interactions with law enforcement, rumors about untraceable gift cards, and why he believes Zac might simply be laying low off the grid.
At the end of the day, everyone involved just wants answers. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Zachary Cary, please contact the Warrick County Sheriff’s Department at 812-897-6180. -
Disappearance, Mystery, Unexplained
Where is Zac?
***********UPDATE 11/3/2025*********** 14 WFIE NEWS:
WARRICK CO., Ind. (WFIE) - The Warrick County Sheriff says a the body of a missing man was discovered on Friday in the Lynnville area
He says a hunter discovered the remains and called authorities.
Detectives say the remains were taken to the morgue in Vanderburgh County and positively identified as 38-year-old Zachary Carey, of Evansville, who had been missing since May of 2023.
Carey had last been seen in the Lynnville area.
https://www.14news.com/2025/11/03/body-man-missing-since-2023-found-warrick-co
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In this episode, I sat down with the family of 38-year-old Zachary Carey, who vanished back on May 30th, 2023. I talked with his mother, Gina, and his younger sister, Cecilia, to get a better sense of who Zac is and what really went down around the time he disappeared.
Zac was living in Evansville and working as a welder, but after losing his job and going through the sudden loss of his niece, his mental health took a heavy turn. Zac deals with schizophrenia, and his family noticed he was struggling and likely off his medication. Being an outdoorsman, a survivalist, and proud of his Native American heritage, Zac often retreated into nature when he was stressed. Going off into the woods for a few days to decompress wasn't unusual for him, but he always kept in touch and let them know when he was coming back. This time, he didn't.
The details surrounding his last known whereabouts raise a lot of questions. Zac was last dropped off by his long-time friend at the welcome sign near the woods in Lynnville, Indiana. Days later, after his family reported him missing, police located his cell phone sitting right by that same sign. Things got even more complicated when his friend refused to cooperate with the family or hand over Zac's belongings so search dogs could get a scent.
From unverified sightings in homeless camps across state lines to searches through dense woods and quarry lakes by local authorities, the family has been left in a painful limbo. They just want answers and to bring Zac home. -
Bigfoot Encounters in the Hoosier National Forest
Could Bigfoot actually be roaming around southern Indiana? It sounds wild at first given how populated the state is, but anyone who has spent real time out on the trails knows just how vast and isolated some of these woods really are.
In this episode, I speak with two local witnesses from Indiana who shared their eyewitness accounts right here in our backyard.
First, Angela recalls driving on I-64 near the Turkey Fork area right around dawn when she spotted a massive, solid black figure, at least 8 feet tall with wide shoulders, standing in the median. She watched it freeze before stepping directly into the thick tree line.
Then, Bill shares three separate experiences he had along the White River between 2017 and 2019. An experienced outdoorsman who knows the woods inside and out, Bill talks about hearing strange wolf-like howls ending in high-pitched squeals, seeing a massive gorilla-like silhouette watching him from behind saplings while squirrel hunting, and later hearing something extremely heavy crunching through the woods at Flat Rock while everything else went dead silent.
We talk about the logic behind these sightings, whether camera traps are missed because of infrared light, and why so many locals stay quiet about what they see out of fear of being ridiculed.
Give the episode a listen and let me know your thoughts in the comments. Have you ever experienced anything strange in the Hoosier National Forest? -
Buried Treasure in the Tri-State?
When most people picture buried treasure, they think of pirates on a tropical beach or old West gold prospectors out in California. But buried loot might be a lot closer to home than you think. Before the FDIC came along to insure bank accounts, plenty of folks simply didn't trust banks with their hard-earned cash. It was pretty common to bury savings in a field or hide them somewhere safe. When people passed away without telling anyone where their stash was, those valuables stayed right where they were put. Just look at what happened in July 2023, when over 700 rare Civil War-era gold coins worth millions were unearthed right in a Kentucky cornfield.
In this episode, we dig into several local treasure legends scattered across the Tri-State area.
Over in Farmersburg, Indiana, a recording from 1987 tells the story of a wagon full of gold buried by soldiers near an old dirt trail. They hid the stash before heading off to confront a group of bandits, but since none of the soldiers survived the fight, the location was lost to time.
Moving over to Southern Illinois, the area around Cave-in-Rock has a wild history of river pirates and outlaws. Rumor has it that stagecoach robbers hid around $200,000 in gold and silver coins inside a cave along the Ohio River. Not far down the river in Golconda, local stories talk about hundreds of 1800s silver dollars occasionally washing ashore, possibly coming from an old wrecked riverboat.
Down near Dixon, Kentucky, America's first serial killers, the Harpe brothers, built up a massive fortune by robbing their victims over a nine-year spree. After they were tracked down and killed just outside Henderson, rumors spread that their hidden stash of around $300,000 in gold coins remains buried in a cave above a stream near what is now Harpes Head Road.
Whether these stories are completely true or just heavily embellished over the generations, there is almost always a grain of truth behind local folklore. Just remember, if you decide to grab a metal detector and go hunting for long-lost gold yourself, always get permission from the property owner first. -
Disappearance, True Crime, Unexplained
Where is Andi?
In August 2022, 24-year-old Andi Wagner disappeared from Evansville, Indiana. She was last heard from around August 5th or 6th, and her family officially reported her missing a few days later. Ever since, her loved ones have been fighting to keep her name out there so her case doesn't just fade into the background.
In this episode, we focus on the ongoing efforts to bring Andi home. I share a clip from an interview by YouTuber JuJu’s Rabbit Hole featuring Andi’s cousin, Frankie Lee. Frankie opens up about the toll this has taken on the family and addresses some strange details surrounding the case, including a neighbor with a weird interest in ring camera footage from Andi's grandparents' house and a notebook left behind that listed names of people who might be connected to her disappearance.
I also have a conversation with Rick White, the Emergency Management Director in Union County, Kentucky, who also runs the Tik Tok channel Front Porch America. Rick has stepped up to help lead independent search efforts. He breaks down how he got involved, the challenges of navigating private land and old strip mine pits, and his partnership with search teams like Narked Divers and Brothers Underwater Recovery to scan local waterways with sonar.
Andi is 5'6" and around 115 pounds, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has a dreamcatcher tattoo on her left forearm and the name "Joshua Brown" tattooed on her right forearm. She was last seen wearing an orange tank top and jeans, and she frequently spent time in the Newburgh and Oakland City areas.
If you or anyone you know has information about Andi Wagner, even a detail that seems tiny or insignificant, please call the Evansville Police Department adult investigations unit at 812-436-7979. -
Disappearance, Murder, True Crime, Unexplained
The Disappearance of Theresa Rideout
If you caught the first episode about the Four Seasons Motel, you might remember me briefly mentioning Theresa Rideout. She was the girlfriend of Jack Barnett, the man who ended his life at the motel. But while Jack’s tragic end was documented, Theresa’s story is a mystery.
When I first came across Theresa’s case in an old local newspaper article listing area cold cases, I was struck by how little information was actually out there. Even on official missing persons pages like the Indiana State Police site, her name is spelled wrong, details are minimal, and there isn't even a photo attached to her profile.
Part of the reason her story has been so quiet is that Theresa did not have a huge network of people in her corner. Her mother passed away when she was six, her dad died when she was seventeen, and she had no siblings. She married young, had a son named Matt, but after a divorce in the mid-80s, she mostly kept to herself and moved around. Tragically, both her ex-husband and her son passed away years later, leaving virtually no immediate family left to keep her case in the public eye. When I reached out to a relative of her ex-husband while doing genealogy research, they told me her disappearance was just considered a big family mystery. Some relatives assumed she had simply drowned in the river, but no one really knew.
Here is what we actually know about her final days. On September 2, 1994, Theresa and Jack left the American Legion in Newburgh around 10:30 AM so Jack could drive her to her 11:00 AM shift at the Main Street Burger King in Evansville. She worked her full shift, was in a great mood, and at 7:00 PM her manager trusted her to take the night cash deposit up to the bank. She made the deposit, said "see you tomorrow" to her co-workers, and drove off in Jack's red pickup truck.
That was the last time anyone ever saw her. She left her final paychecks unclaimed, and her beloved dog, River, vanished right along with her.
What really bothers me about the timeline is what happened next. If Theresa was seen leaving work in Jack's truck, Jack was almost certainly in that truck with her. Did they get into a fight on the way home?
Stranger still, four days after she disappeared, Jack walked into Don and Donna's sports bar in Newburgh by himself. The bartender said he acted completely normal, had a drink, and never mentioned anything about Theresa being missing. Then, a few days after that, Jack checked into the Four Seasons Motel and took his own life, leaving a note for his daughter that made zero reference to Theresa.
Most investigators seem to assume the obvious story: Jack killed Theresa, hid her body along with the dog, and then killed himself a week later. But a full week is a really long gap for a murder-suicide scenario where the perpetrator just goes about his normal life, grabbing drinks at local bars in the middle of it all. Were they involved with the wrong crowd? Did something go wrong with shady associates? Or did Jack snap after a week of her being missing?
Theresa Rideout deserves to have her story told just as much as anyone else, even if she did not have a massive family network fighting to keep her name in the headlines.
Give the episode a listen and let me know your take.