FROM THE VAULT: Kristi Cornwell

Before the Kunz name became tied to one of Wisconsin’s most unsettling murder cases, another family tragedy had already left its mark. In this episode, we trace the Kunz family from a shocking 1905 murder to their isolated life on a rural Marathon County farm. Then came July 4, 1987 — a small-town holiday that ended with four family members dead and one missing. Rumors, shifting stories, legal twists, and lingering doubts would follow for decades. This is the case of the Kunz Family Murders. If you are all caught up on our regular episodes, for more Coffee and Cases, join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry McCabe’s case is filled with theories ranging from the supernatural, to ritual sacrifice, to suicide, or to the Smiley Face Killers. But no theory seems to fully explain all of the details of his bizarre death nor do they come close to revealing the cause behind the horrific phone call recording. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases⁠ to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The case of Virginia Douglas is an odd one. Not only do we not know where she is nor what happened to her, we don't even know from which town she disappeared. Her husband, Frank, it seems, was the only one who could provide the truth. Unfortunately, he could also have been the very one trying to hide it from the world. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases⁠ to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 1, we told the stories of Willard Douglas Watts and Eliyahu Moskowitz, two men killed just 36 hours apart while walking through Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Police had surveillance footage. They had witnesses. They had ballistics tying both murders to the same gun. They had a distinctive clue in the way the suspect moved. But what they still didn’t have was a name. In Part 2, the investigation widens. Hundreds of tips pour in. The reward climbs. A police camera near one of the crime scenes raises frustrating questions. Then, months later, the same gun unexpectedly surfaces again — and years after that, investigators begin looking at a possible connection hundreds of miles away. Was the Rogers Park killer hiding in plain sight? Did the weapon change hands? Was the motive personal, random, or something even more disturbing? And with so many pieces of the puzzle already in front of police, how is it possible that the man in the footage still has not been identified? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases⁠ to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sunday, September 30, 2018, 73-year-old Willard Douglas Watts was walking his dogs through Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood when an ordinary morning turned deadly. Just over 36 hours later, on Monday, October 1, 2018, 24-year-old Eliyahu Moskowitz was walking through that same community when he, too, was killed. The two men did not appear to know each other. They were different ages, from different walks of life, and there was no clear reason either of them would have been targeted. Then investigators found the detail that changed everything. In Part 1, we begin the case that would leave Rogers Park afraid to walk alone, police searching through surveillance footage for a man whose face was hidden, and an entire city asking the same question: Was this random — or was someone hunting in plain sight? Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristi Cornwell’s brother, Richard, understands dedication. When the Georgia Bureau of Investigation received a tip, he would search every square inch looking for clues about his sister’s disappearance. Now that Kristi’s remains have been found, he is dedicated to bringing her murderer to justice.  Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases⁠ to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first covered the disappearance of 14-year-old Laureen Rahn back in Episode 006, the case already felt unsettling: the dark apartment building, the unscrewed lightbulbs, the open doors, the strange phone calls, and the lingering question of whether Laureen left on her own or whether someone led her into the darkness. But years later, the story is not quite the same. In this collaboration episode, we join Speculating Wildly About Crime, Dark Woods Paranormal, and Midnight Mystery Archive to revisit Laureen’s case with fresh eyes, new conversations, and details that challenge some of what many of us thought we knew. Together, we discuss the pieces of the original story that may not hold up, the people who have come forward with new perspective, the possibility that the focus of the case may have been pointed in the wrong direction for decades, and why a renewed push from investigators could matter now more than ever. This is not just a look back at an old case. It is a reminder that sometimes the truth is not found in the loudest theory, but in the details someone finally decides to share. If you have any information about Laureen Rahn’s disappearance, please contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 603-271-2663 or email [email protected]. And if you are already caught up on regular Coffee and Cases episodes and want more content, you can join us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spring of 1946, Texarkana was trying to return to normal. The war was over. Families were settling back into familiar routines. Teenagers went to dances. Couples drove out to quiet roads. Many people still left their doors unlocked, because that was the kind of place they believed they lived in. Then, between February and May, that sense of safety shattered. Across the Texas-Arkansas border, a series of brutal nighttime attacks left five people dead, three others wounded, and an entire community afraid of the dark. The newspapers gave the attacker a name: the Phantom Killer. But who was he? If you’re all caught up and want more Coffee and Cases content, join us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Joyce Kesse disappeared from Orlando, Florida, while leaving for work. Nearly two decades later, her family is still fighting to learn what happened to her. In Part 3, we examine the investigation itself. What crucial opportunities may have been lost during the earliest hours? Why did Jennifer’s family have to fight for access to her case files? What did their private investigation uncover—and could new DNA testing, artificial intelligence, and renewed attention from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement finally bring answers? If you have not listened to Parts 1 and 2, we encourage you to begin there before joining us for the final chapter in our coverage of Jennifer’s case. To support the Kesse family’s continued search for Jennifer, visit their GoFundMe:https://www.gofundme.com/f/kasmv-help-us-find-jennifer-kesse For additional Coffee and Cases content, join us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse vanished from Orlando, Florida, after what should have been an ordinary Tuesday morning. Jennifer was responsible, cautious, ambitious, and deeply connected to the people who loved her. She had just returned from vacation, gone back to work, spoken with her family and boyfriend, and appeared to be settling right back into the life she had carefully built for herself. Then, sometime between getting ready for work and arriving there, Jennifer disappeared. In Part 2 of our coverage, we follow the rapidly unfolding search as Jennifer’s family and coworkers try to understand how a responsible, dependable young woman could seemingly vanish between her Orlando condo and her workplace. With no obvious signs of a struggle inside her home and only Jennifer, her work belongings, and her car missing, investigators are left with urgent questions—and very few clear answers. If you have not yet listened to Part 1, we strongly recommend beginning there for the full timeline of Jennifer’s final confirmed hours. For additional Coffee and Cases content, bonus episodes, and ways to support the show, join us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices