Episode 8 - Road to Nowhere - Part 1

In the last episode of the year, Bret and Nick discuss listener questions, provide case updates and contemplate the future of the investigation, as well as the systemic failures that continue to prevent justice in Lumberton and beyond. 

Bret interviews the mother of victim Rhonda Jones, Sheila Price. She discusses allegations from the last anonymous podcast guest as well as claims brought to her by frightened community members. These locals propose the possibility of a serial killer, perhaps operating in the shadow of a female drug dealer and her crew of henchmen, surrounded by rumors of sadistic torture in the infamous southern town of Lumberton. Institutional failures surrounding the murders and disappearances remain painfully clear. Supposedly debunked theories continue to echo throughout this strangely complex North Carolina true crime story.    Follow us on Instagram @dark_water_podcast  for extra content, investigation updates, and more.    Produced & written by Bret Andrews & Nick Andrews @naproductions Music by Moonside @moonsidesound    © Copyright 2017-2020. All Rights Reserved.

Bret interviews a close friend of victim Megan Oxendine. Their dark stories allege brutal local crimes as well as corruption and conspiracy in Robeson County. The source reveals case evidence straight from a Hollywood thriller’s script, along with new leads followed by the FBI regarding potentially connected deaths and disappearances in Lumberton, North Carolina. A strange unsettling dream reminds us of all that’s left unanswered in our investigation of this southern true crime mystery.  Music by MOONSIDE

In part two of the two-part season one finale, Bret and Nick tell you the story of their search for the truth behind a string of murders and disappearances in Lumberton, North Carolina. Warning: This episode contains descriptions of crime, including rape and assault, which could be traumatic for some listeners. Music by MOONSIDE

In the two-part season one finale, Bret & Nick tell the story of their search for the truth behind a string of murders and disappearances in Lumberton, North Carolina.  Music by MOONSIDE

Bret and Nick answer your questions while providing new updates on the cases in Lumberton.

Bret calls Nick out of the blue to discuss a series of encrypted emails they received from an anonymous individual. The email transcripts are shared & the hosts cover how the mysterious correspondence connects with other sources tied to murders & disappearances in Lumberton. Music provided by Moonside

Bret & Nick share unexpected updates in the cases after they inadvertently gain access to an audio recording of a meeting between the FBI, NC SBI, Office of the Medical Examiner, Lumberton PD & the family of the victim Rhonda Jones. 

Bret & Nick press pause on their real-time investigation to take listeners through an odyssey of Robeson County’s history, including the assassination of Lumbee civil rights leader Julian Pierce, the Robesonian newspaper hostages, the murder of Michael Jordan’s father- James Jordan, Operation Tarnished Badge & much more. In addition, the 2003 murders of two women many have speculated are related to the podcast’s current cases are explored.  Most audio is from a publicly funded 1988 documentary, County on the Brink, created by UNC Chapel Hill. Audio related to the murder of a James Jordan utilized copyrighted material from YouTube accounts Analog Indulgence & NY Daily News respectively.

Bret and Nick head to Lumberton to cover the Shatter the Silence march, led by family and friends of the missing and murdered in Robeson County, North Carolina. Police Chief Michael McNeill, WBTW News 13 anchor Briana Fernandez and the marchers are interviewed.