Episode 5: Websleuths | The Texarkana Phantom Killer

On the evening of April 16, 1960, a young woman from McAllen, Texas named Irene Garza went to church for confession. She never returned home. A week later, her body was found floating in a canal. Decades would pass before the priest who murdered Irene was brought to justice in a historic case for the church and the Rio Grande Valley. In Season five of "Darkness," host Talisa Treviño details the decades-long fight for justice for Irene. Hear from the investigators who tackled the case and Irene's loved ones, as well as survivors of abuse in the Catholic church. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Introducing a new series from The Drag: "Forsaken." "Forsaken" is a series that explores the systems that both enhance and oppress the lives of the more than 29 million people living in Texas. Each episode will address issues that Texans face each day – the good and the bad. We'll explore the criminal justice system, Texas politics, civil rights, social issues and even a little bit of history. Texas is the second-most diverse state in the nation and has equally diverse stories to tell. As the legendary late Texas singer Billy Joe Shaver sings: "You fathers and you mothers / Be good to one another / Please try to raise your children right / Don't let the darkness take 'em / Don't make 'em feel forsaken / Just lead 'em safely to the light." The first two episodes of "Forsaken" drop Thursday, March 7. Follow "Forsaken" on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Or your favorite podcasting app!

Decades later, the case of the Phantom Killer continues to elude investigators, both professional and amateur. Theories abound about who the killer could have been, spurred by more than a thousand pages of investigation materials released by the FBI. 

An attacker ambushes Virgil Starks in his home, shooting and killing him. His wife, Katie, narrowly escapes to the neighbor's house to call police. Evidence from the Starks attack leads to several suspects, but no arrests are made.  Editor's note: A previous version of this episode stated that H.B. "Doodie" Tennison was a student at Texas High School. He was actually a student at Arkansas High School.

Betty Jo Booker's friends are expecting her at a sleepover, but she never shows up. She'd been with a friend, Paul Martin, who is also nowhere to be found. The next morning, a family driving through Spring Lake Park finds the body of the teenage boy lying in the street. Booker's body is found in a nearby community. Fear spreads throughout Texarkana as the police have very few leads. Editor's note: This episode has been updated from its original version to correct a line about Kelly Rowland's mother's relationship with Betty Jo Booker.

A month after the first attack, a motorist out for a Sunday drive finds an abandoned car. The bodies of two young people are inside. Polly Ann Moore and Richard Griffin have been shot. Overnight rain has washed away most evidence of the crime. The investigation goes nowhere as the young couple's families mourn.

It's February 1946 in Texarkana, Texas – a small East Texas city seeing rapid growth in the wake of Prohibition. Two young lovers go to a movie, then take a drive to Spring Lake Park, where they're brutally attacked by an unknown assailant. As Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey recover from both physical and emotional injuries, they give eyewitness statements to local law enforcement. As the investigation unfolds, life largely returns back to normal in Texarkana.

In 1946, a serial killer murdered five people over the course of 10 weeks in Texarkana, Texas before disappearing. Theories abound about who the killer may have been, but decades later, the case is still unsolved. In season two of "Devilish Deeds," Texarkana native Peyton Sims tells the story of the Phantom Killer, his young victims and the people who are still investigating this case today.

As the bloody year of 1885 draws to a close and 1886 begins, the police are no closer to solving the vicious crimes that rattled Austin. Even more than a century later, no one knows for sure who killed these women or why. This episode explores the various theories, from the effects of the moon to the possibility that Jack the Ripper started in Texas. Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Austin's city leaders begin to panic amid the bloodshed and bring in outside detectives to help the city's underperforming police force. Although six Black women have been killed in less than a year, the city and the nation show much deeper concern when two white women are killed in just one night. The mayor, governor, the media and the Black and white communities desperately search for the killer … or killers. Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com