Bonus: Interview with Cierra Sweitzer

December 2000 in Wichita, Kansas was a harrowing time for the residents of the city. One particularly awful crime spree occurred over the span of just a week and has come to be known as the Wichita Massacre. Were it not for the strength and courage of one young woman fighting to protect the people she loved, the two men responsible may not have been caught. This was rough to research, rough to record, and rough to edit. We did our best to minimize the worst of the information out of respect for the victims, but we do want to warn listeners there is still a high volume of discussion surrounding the sexual assault committed on the night of December 14, 2000.

World War II was full of innumerable horrors, but there are just as many lesser known stories that filled the background of the same war ravaged landscapes. Among these stories is the tale of Aimo Koivunen, a Finnish soldier who took an odd side quest that began with an overdose of military sanctioned drugs. Aimo admittedly wrote that he was an unreliable narrator of the only article to detail his journey, so while his experience is arguably quite gruesome we are choosing to look at the lighter side because 1. He stated himself this was heavily drug hallucinations and 2. He was on the side of the Nazis and fuck them. If you want to read Aimo's full story, here is a link to a Reddit thread where a user translated the original Finnish article to English https://www.reddit.com/r/warstories/comments/dfhwjm/translation_of_the_story_of_aimo_koivunen_a/?share_id=mnAoz7LkJRYVkbYLqpa_I&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1&seeker-session=true

The internet is a place where people can find answers to any question under the sun, and find online communities to connect with others over a wide array of interests. In the early 90s as more people were finding these connections in this developing technology, the case of Sharon Lopatka ushered in a new era of criminal investigation. Hers is an interesting case not only for the groundwork it laid with electronic evidence, but also the details of her death and the wider discussion of the limits of consent.

Happy New Year! This episode is a lighthearted look at some general resolutions to start the new year, with some true crime stories to support them. 

On August 11, 2009, fifteen year old Kayla Berg spent the day hanging out with her friend before going home and seeing her father. That evening a friend picked her up to take her out driving, and she never came home. Communication difficulties created roadblocks to finding information on her whereabouts and despite multiple searches she remains missing. Kayla's family is still tirelessly working to get her story out and bring her home. Kayla would be 32 years old at the time of this episode's publication and at the time she went missing she was 5'2" with brown hair and brown eyes. Please call the Antigo, WI police dept if you have any information at 1-715-627-6411 Link to Missing Poster: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1129610/1

Richard was a man that friends and family remembers as someone who was devoted to his family and his faith and was a beloved husband, son, and friend. The events of August 10, 2018 were a shock to everyone who knew him, and the tragic end to his young life lives on in infamy every time the audio of his final flight make their rounds on social media. 

Warren Barnes was a beloved member of the community of Grand Junction, Colorado. A man who loved reading as much as he could and would take time to feed the birds while he ate lunch, he was also the type that you could set your watch by. When Brian Cohee Jr. went looking for his idea of someone who wouldn't be missed so he could experience the thrill of killing a person, he could not have been more wrong about his assessment of the kind of man Warren was. 

On December 16, 2021, what should have been a day of celebration for Hillcrest Primary School students marking the end of the school year turned to tragedy in an instant. In the wake of an unforeseen accident that is sadly not unique of its' kind, the community and families were left to pick up the pieces and mourn the losses of that fateful day. 

In the second of two bonus episodes, Crystal speaks with Preston's mother, Cierra.  She shares her experience navigating the worst day of any parent's life, her observations and surprising aspect of the way the justice system is working in her son's case, her grief in the wake of her son's death, and the foundation she created in Preston's name. For more information on the Preston's Promise Foundation, please visit https://www.prestonspromise.org/

In the first of two bonus episodes, we discuss the tragic death of 5 month old Preston. This episode does involve discussion of his injuries and statements from his care team so please use caution when listening. It is important to note, a trial has not yet taken place. Due to this we must be very careful with the information we share about all parties involved and we ask our listeners to exercise the same caution.