Elaine Park // 469

In January of 2017, a 20-year-old aspiring actress in Los Angeles went missing after abruptly leaving her boyfriend’s Calabasas home in the early morning hours after seemingly suffering a panic attack. Days later, her car turned up on the Pacific Coast Highway in nearby Malibu, but she was nowhere to be found. Investigators are still hoping that the multiple clips of surveillance footage available and the strange happenings on her phone in those early hours will help bring much-needed resolution. This is the story of Elaine Park.

In the 1970s, shortly after the horrific reign of the Zodiac Killer, another serial killer wreaked havoc on San Francisco, killing as many as seventeen men he’d met at bars and nightclubs across the city. Intriguingly, the killer reportedly sketched his victims before stabbing them and leaving their bodies to be discovered in public places - most commonly on a beautiful beach along the city's edge. This is the story of The San Francisco Doodler.

WE LOVE YOU LA. WE ARE SAFE from these fires right now, but staying aware here in Los Angeles of the developing chaos. Our hearts go out to the firefighters, the first responders, the animals, and all the people who have lost their homes or loved ones and are experiencing this. Everyone in LA is being affected by these fires right now. It's absolutely devastating. This episode was recorded before the fires began. In February of 2020, a successful 38-year-old sex therapist was strangled and thrown over the balcony of her Hollywood Hills home, leading to her death in a hospital shortly afterward. As police dug deeper into the home invasion that led to her tragic fate, they discovered a man who had a disturbing history of stalking and obsessing over her. This is the story of Dr. Amie Harwick.

In December of 1994, a 23-year-old Italian actress headed to New Orleans to explore the city and write a novel. But shortly after arriving, she mysteriously vanished without a trace after leaving a hotel. And suspiciously, in the days leading up to her disappearance, she had been staying with a much older man there; one whom she was reportedly afraid of, who she wrote in her diary had practiced voodoo. This is the story of Ylenia Carrisi.  

In October of 2024, a 51-year-old San Antonio mom went missing after visiting an exclusive supper club with her husband. When word spread of her disappearance, her personal banker revealed that, before her disappearance, she had said ominously, “If I go missing, look for me in the lake.” When her husband was spotted on camera dumping garbage bags the day after she vanished, police narrowed in on him. This is the story of Suzanne Simpson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between 1971 and 1983, an unknown perpetrator committed dozens of kidnappings, rapes, and murders, wreaking havoc on the state of Alaska. The assailant was elusive, striking against area women during the freezer winter temperatures, and the extended daylight hours of Alaska’s Midnight Sun alike. But eventually, they uncovered the monster behind it all, who posed as a respected and unassuming father and bakery owner in Anchorage. This is the story of Alaska’s most infamous serial killer, a man named Robert Hansen, now known as The Butcher Baker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between 1971 and 1983, an unknown perpetrator committed dozens of kidnappings, rapes, and murders, wreaking havoc on the state of Alaska. The assailant was elusive, striking against area women during the freezer winter temperatures, and the extended daylight hours of Alaska’s Midnight Sun alike. But eventually, they uncovered the monster behind it all, who posed as a respected and unassuming father and bakery owner in Anchorage. This is the story of Alaska’s most infamous serial killer, a man named Robert Hansen, now known as The Butcher Baker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December of 1996, a 12-year-old girl went missing from her New Jersey home overnight. Her family fell under suspicion when they took 24 hours to report the disappearance, and then weeks to publicize it. But investigators were even more wary of her family when it was revealed that they operated a religious cult, and later, were casually informed that this 12-year-old victim was pregnant. This is the story of Celina Mays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November of 1978, four young employees of the Speedway, Indiana Burger Chef restaurant mysteriously vanished at the end of their shift. When police investigated the scene that night, it was clear something had happened to them. But the case wasn't taken seriously until almost two days later, when all their bodies were found - proving they had died by homicide. This is the story of Jayne Friedt, Ruth Ellen Shelton, Mark Flemmonds, and Daniel Davis. Also known as the Burger Chef Murders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December of 2022, a 27-year-old woman met a stranger in a bar in her small, West Virginia hometown, only to disappear after leaving with him. As an investigation into her disappearance began, it was revealed that the man she was last seen with is an ill-mannered ex-cop who had recently changed his name. Countless women have come forward since to describe their disturbing and unsettling encounters with this man - from his days as a food delivery driver and local. So what happened that night, and where is she? This is the story of Gretchen Fleming.