Episode 468: The Daniels Family Murders aka The Santa Claus Murders

In September 1988, 7 year old Jaclyn Dowaliby disappeared from her home in Midlothian, Illinois. 5 days later, her body was found in nearby Blue Island. Eventually, someone would be convicted for her murder… but that person would later be acquitted, as the evidence against them was extremely minimal. Technically, Jaclyn’s murder case remains unsolved after 38 years. If you have information about the murder of Jaclyn Dowaliby, please call the Midlothian Police Department at 708–385–2534 or email the Illinois State Police at [email protected]. Click here to join our Patreon.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brianna Maitland was 17-years-old when she disappeared from Montgomery, Vermont on the night of March 19, 2004. After spending part of the day shopping with her mother, during which Brianna briefly became visibly shaken for unexplained reasons, she went to work her evening shift as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn. She finished work around 11:20 p.m. and left alone in her car, telling coworkers she planned to go home and rest before working the next day. The following afternoon, Brianna’s green 1985 Oldsmobile was found abandoned along Route 118 near Richford, Vermont, backed into an old, vacant building. Brianna was not at the scene, and her personal belongings—including money, her ATM card, glasses, and medication—were left inside the vehicle, indicating she likely did not leave voluntarily. Brianna’s disappearance remains unsolved. Her family, particularly her father, Bruce Maitland, has continued to advocate for answers through private investigators, public awareness efforts, and the nonprofit Private Investigations for the Missing. Despite renewed attention, FBI involvement, and a standing reward for information, no definitive explanation for what happened to Brianna Maitland has ever been confirmed. If you have any information concerning Brianna’s case, please contact the FBI's Toll-Free Tipline at 1-800-225-5324 or the Vermont State Police Tipline at 1-844-848-8477. You may also contact your local FBI office, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to the recovery of Brianna. Click here to join our Patreon.  Click here to get your own Inhuman merch.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still one of Japan’s largest unsolved cases, the quadruple homicide of the Miyazawa family in Tokyo’s Setagaya neighborhood took place in the middle of the night on New Year’s Eve 2000. The murders of Mikio, Yasuko, Niina, and Rei Miyazawa remain unsolved despite a plethora of evidence being left behind by the killer, including blood, DNA, and fingerprints. There is still a 20-million-yen reward and the community and family remains hopeful that one day, the killer will be caught. Click here to join our Patreon.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LeeAnna Susan Marie Warner was a 5-year-old girl from Chisholm, Minnesota who disappeared on June 14, 2003 while walking home from a friend’s house, just a block and a half from her home. She was last seen between 5:00 and 5:15 p.m. that afternoon, barefoot and wearing a blue denim dress. When LeeAnna didn’t return, her family and neighbors searched, and police were eventually called. Despite extensive efforts—including ground searches, bloodhounds, helicopters, and following more than a thousand leads—no definitive evidence of what happened has ever been found. Investigators believe she was likely abducted, but the case remains unsolved with no confirmed suspect. Over two decades later, authorities continue to treat LeeAnna’s case as an active investigation until she is found. Click here to join our Patreon.  Click here to get your own Inhuman merch.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back with another set of stories from YOU, our listeners! Always keeping us on our toes, this volume of listener stories includes lots of good reminders about trusting signs you see and staying vigilant. We got some good laughs and some tears coming your way with this one! Have an idea for a theme for listener stories? Let us know! Submit your own stories here: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/listener-stories Click here to join our Patreon.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joshua Bain is a 25-year-old man who was reported missing in November 2024 after his mother dropped him off near 641 W. Peachtree Street NW in Atlanta and he has not been seen or contacted since; Atlanta police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are actively seeking information on his whereabouts, and he was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, and black shoes. Tavis McAlmont disappeared much earlier — he was 23 when he was last seen inside the Highland Apartment Complex on Washington Road in East Point, Georgia on January 31, 2009, and was officially reported missing later that month; despite years passing and being listed as an unsolved missing person, there has been no confirmed resolution and authorities continue to treat his case as an active cold case.  Anyone with information about Tavis's case is urged to call the Fairburn Police Department 770-683-4276 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at their Missing Persons Tip Line: 1-800-597-8477 For Joshua's case you can call Atlanta Police Department’s Adult Missing Persons Unit at (404) 546-4235. Or you can call the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477). Click here to join our Patreon.  Click here to get your own Inhuman merch.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 year old Joshua Maddux disappeared after going for a walk in Woodland Park, Colorado in 2008. Despite searches for him, he seemingly vanished into thin air and his case went cold. But 7 years later, in an abandoned cabin just a mile away from Josh’s home, a set of partially mummified remains were found lodged in the chimney. Josh’s death was technically ruled an accident, but nothing makes sense in the case and there are still questions to this day. Click here to join our Patreon.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danika Troy disappeared after sneaking out of her home on November 30, 2025, following an online dispute involving two boys she knew from school. She was found the next morning in a wooded area, where investigators determined she had been shot and her body set on fire. Two teens, Gabriel Williams and Kimahri Blevins, were arrested and later indicted for first‑degree premeditated murder, while a third individual, Mitchell Eddins, was charged for failing to report the body after discovering it. With the suspects awaiting trial and no sentences issued, the case remains active as the community continues to seek justice for Danika. Click here to join our Patreon.  Click here to get your own Inhuman merch.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glensheen is a historic and iconic mansion in Duluth, Minnesota that was built for the Congdon family in the early 1900s. While it is a historic house museum today, a horrific double homicide took place in the mansion in 1977 that would unravel family secrets and point to someone close to one of the victims. Click here to join our Patreon.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 4, 1997, four members of the Daniels family were brutally shot and killed inside their home in the tiny town of Santa Claus, Georgia. The killer was Jerry Scott Heidler, then a 20-year-old man who had previously been acquainted with the Daniels family because they once fostered his sister. Heidler has remained on death row in Georgia since his conviction, and his appeals have been consistently denied.  Click here to join our Patreon.  Click here to get your own Inhuman merch.  Connect with us on Instagram and join our Facebook group.  To submit listener stories or case suggestions, and to see all sources for this episode: https://www.inhumanpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices