midwretched

S3E2: Midwest Academy: The Troubled Teen Industry and the trial of KS

Every year, thousands of teens are taken from their homes and sent to “specialty schools and programs” for Trouble Teens. In this episode, we discuss the history and practices of the Troubled Teen Industry through reports from one Iowa school that was successfully taken down by the FBI and other investigative organizations. But only after dozens of reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of minors. 

S3E1: The Flora Four

Many people with more than a passing interest in true crime know about the double murder of two young girls in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana in 2017. What fewer are aware of is the brutal arson a few months earlier that took the lives of four children in a neighboring town. Join in as Tommy leads us through a tough series of questions: what happened to Keyara, Keyana, Kerielle, and Kionnie? Why? How is it being investigated? And, finally, what is going on in Carroll County, Indiana?

S2E23: Missing and Murdered Girls in Chicago

In the summer of 2009 and 2010, young girls in Chicago and the southern suburbs are going missing. Despite a clear pattern, little information is available about what is happening. Until a brave teen steps forward to report her attack, leading to the capture of a serial killer living just outside of the city. But despite a quick capture,12 years would go by before Kiara Windom, Kamika Coleman, and Mariah Edwards would get any sense of justice.

S2E22: Missing: Diamond Bynum and King Walker

On a lovely, typical Saturday in 2015, 21 year old Diamond Bynum and her two year old nephew, King, started their day in their usual way: breakfast with Diamond’s stepmom, warm baths, and a mid-morning nap. When the stepmother woke up, Diamond and King were nowhere to be found. Gary, Indiana police were immediately on alert for the pair, who are considered endangered due to King’s age and Diamond’s unique medical challenges. Join Tommy as she runs Mick through this complex missing persons’ case, made all the more difficult due to the tumultuous context that is the city of Gary.

S2E21: The Survival of Mary and Beth Stauffer

Mary Stauffer and her young daughter, Beth, go out for final errands before leaving the country for a multi-year mission trip. But while leaving a salon, they are kidnapped by a mysterious man. While they kept in a closet for 7 weeks, they never lost hope that they would find their way home. Mick and Tommy discuss this survival story, and the tragic loss of 8 year-old Jason Wilkman who’s life was taken for one man’s obsession.

S2E20: The Disappearance of Timmothy Pitzen

Timmothy Pitzen was a vibrant and well-loved six-year-old living with his family in Aurora, Illinois--until the day that his mother picked him up early from kindergarten and took him on a vacation from which neither would return. What happened to Timmothy Pitzen? Were those final few days in various midwestern resort towns his last ones, or is he out there, alive, well, and with no knowledge of who he is? Join Tommy as she guides Mick through the twists and turns of this roadtrip gone wrong. 

S2E19 The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund

It’s one of the most well-known and well-documented exorcisms in history. And yet, we still know very little about the woman known as Anna Ecklund, her life and her experiences. But in a tiny town in Iowa, a woman undergoes the terrifying ordeal of an exorcism for many months. Anna (also known as Emma Schmidt) emerges proclaiming to be saved from the demons. But what really happened during those months in 1928? Mick and Tommy explore the many interpretations and grey areas in this event.

S2E18: The Villisca Axe Murders

Villisca, Iowa is famous for one thing and one thing only: the Villisca Axe Murders. On a balmy night in June, 1912, a mysterious predator sat in wait in the attic of the Moore family as they attended a youth service at their local church. When they came home, what unfolded would widely be considered a crime of the century—the brutal slaying of two adults and their four children and two little girls staying with them that night. Listen as Tommy details the story that took the wreck of the Titanic off of the front page of newspapers around the country.

S2 Bonus Episode: An interview with Abby Williams

Today we got the opportunity to speak with Abby Williams, the daughter of Crystal Grubb. She shares memories of her mother and the family’s ongoing fight for justice. She invites listeners to join her family in the annual Crystal Grubb Memorial Walk on October 1st in Bloomington, IN.

Hear more about Crystal’s story in Season 2 Episodes 7 & 8

S2E15: The Disappearance of Erica Baker

This week is a revisit and a re-telling of the case of Erica Baker. On a mild February evening in 1999, the 9-year-old Erica Baker takes her dog for a walk at the park near her home. When she doesn’t return by sundown, a frantic search begins. Erica’s disappearance changed her community for years. And the family continues to search for answers decades later.