Lost Hills investigates the dark side of Malibu, California. Beneath a seductive facade, this city of billionaires, celebrities, and surf bums is hiding something menacing.
On September 16, 2009, 24-year-old Mitrice Richardson was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for failing to pay her bill at a restaurant in Malibu, CA. After being released from Lost Hills Station shortly after midnight, she disappeared. Eleven months later, her naked, skeletal remains were discovered in a canyon some six miles away.
For nearly 15 years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Mitrice’s friends and family, and generations of internet sleuths have tried to crack the case.
To this day, her death remains an unsolved mystery.
The truth lies in the remote Malibu community where Mitrice was last seen. And now, finally, people are starting to talk.
Hosted by Dana Goodyear (The New Yorker) and produced by Western Sound and Pushkin Industries. Show artwork copyright Francesca Gabbiani.
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Miki Dora, Malibu’s most celebrated surfer, was known as Da Cat. Gorgeous, graceful, and debonair, Miki was intimidating. He ruled Malibu from the 1950s to the 1970s. But then, he disappeared. Because Miki was not just a surfer. He was a con artist, who led the FBI on a 7 year hunt around the globe, while he searched for the perfect wave. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There’s an evil undercurrent that runs through the surf world, and it all leads back to the Dark Prince of Malibu: Miki Dora. A surfer who ruled Malibu from the 1950s to the 1970s, he was also a con man and led the FBI on a 7-year manhunt around the world. To many people, Miki is a hero. But there’s darkness in the legacy he left behind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dana has some big news. A teaser for Season Three of Lost Hills, an update on the Rauda case, and your next podcast binge: Alphabet Boys. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sharing a preview of Deep Cover: Never Seen Again the story of two young women, living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing at almost the exact same time. Seven years later, their stories collided when one woman resurfaced – posing as the other. A small-town detective became obsessed with the case, convinced that one of them was a spy. Twenty years later, that woman is telling her tale. Listen to Deep Cover and hear the entire story at [ https://link.chtbl.com/hillsdeepcover ] See ...
Fred's first wife, Jeanne, started flying for United in the 1960s, at the height of the glamorous jet age. The job was adventurous and fun, and it inducted Jeanne into a tight-knit sorority of fellow flight attendants—a group of women who would be first shocked, then haunted by her unexplained death. In this Season 2 bonus episode, a flight attendant who worked with Jeanne the day of her drowning shares new details about Jeanne’s last flight and final hours. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Rob Lowe moved to Malibu in 1976, when he was 12. The Malibu of his youth was crazy . He saw Fonzie jump the shark, at Paradise Cove. He saw Nick Nolte at the grocery store. He saw coke—at a 7th-grader’s birthday party. The kids were running wild and the parents were running wilder. His mind was blown, never to recover. In this Season 2 bonus episode, Lowe takes us on a trippy trip down memory lane. You can hear more from Rob Lowe on his podcasts: “Literally! With Rob Lowe” and “Parks and Recoll...
Fred’s daughters share a trove of correspondence, and wrestle with unanswered questions about Jeanne’s death. The fight for Fred’s release continues. And a trip to Bird Rock brings resolution, at last. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fred’s trial is the longest and most expensive in Santa Barbara history, and the dory plays a starring role. Stan Roden, the DA, wants to send Fred to the gas chamber at San Quentin. At the heart of the trial are two conflicting sets of autopsies. Which expert is to be believed? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Fred hires a high-powered defense attorney and a team of private eyes, and starts pushing back on the detectives’ narrative. He’s got an explanation for everything: his real-estate holdings, his income, and all those insurance policies. But can the detectives explain why their witnesses are walking back statements? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
After Fred’s arrest, detectives start looking into his finances. How does a civilian employee of the Navy afford a beachfront home, on a gated road in Malibu, and a brand-new $150K sailboat? Also, they learn that the Roehlers owned large insurance policies. Could that be the motive the cops are looking for? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The sheriff’s department orders a new set of autopsies on Verna and Doug, to be conducted in secret. Now, there’s enough evidence to arrest Fred. Meanwhile, detectives talk to his neighbors, coworkers, and friends. Some say he’s a charming, dedicated family man, while others whisper of a dark side and a hair-trigger temper. Also, one of Doug’s best friends remembers life in the Roehler household. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener...
Shortly after Jeanne’s death, Fred starts seeing Verna, one of Jeanne’s closest friends. It’s a whirlwind romance, and soon they’re merging families. The timeline of their relationship stokes Malibu gossip, and, later, piques the interest of detectives. Was it just a coincidence that Verna’s first husband had died unexpectedly, too? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
It’s 1976 and Jeanne is in thrall to Lifespring, a self-improvement group, or, some would say, a cult. She is manifesting her future—without Fred. This alternative reality never arrives. Instead, Jeanne dies. And the similarities to Verna’s death are eerie. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Fred’s first wife, Jeanne, a flight attendant for United Airlines, is glamorous, outgoing, the life of the party. But there are tensions in the marriage and they’re mounting. Jeanne tells her sister she’s had enough. She’s in love with someone else. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner determines Verna and Doug’s deaths to be accidental drownings, so Fred moves forward with funeral plans. But the cremations are halted after a family friend calls in a tip to the sheriff’s department. Fred receives some unexpected visitors. . . and they want to know what happened to his first wife. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Fred, Verna, and their four young children are the happiest-looking family in Malibu. It’s a Brady Bunch story, a blended family living by the beach. But when they take their 50-foot sailboat, Perseverance, to the Channel Islands, tragedy strikes, and Verna and Doug mysteriously drown. Fred’s story—that it was all a terrible accident—has a problem. And her name is Lady. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
In January 1981, Verna Johnson-Roehler and her young son, Doug, drowned while boating thirty miles off the coast of Malibu. Verna’s husband, Fred Roehler, was the sole survivor and only witness. Initially, the deaths were ruled accidental. But a phone call from a Malibu neighbor changed everything. Was Fred a monster, masquerading as the perfect Malibu dad? Or was an innocent man convicted by his gossiping neighbors? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See om...
Since Lost Hills debuted, two sources have come forward with new information about Anthony Rauda: a new, alleged victim and his half-sister. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the night that Tristan Beaudette was killed while camping with his daughters, the campground at Malibu Creek State Park was full of families. Just across the access road from Beaudette’s tent, Stacey Sebourn was in a tent with her eight-year-old daughter and her daughter’s best friend. Sebourn provides a harrowing first-hand account of her experience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Two hikers who stumbled on Rauda’s camp before the Beaudette murder lament a missed opportunity to stop the crime before it happened. Sgt. Wright and Lt. Royal file whistleblower lawsuits against the sheriff’s department, and Sgt. Wright shares damaging information. Erica Wu prepares to move, and, after nearly three years, scatters some of Tristan Beaudette’s ashes. With Anthony Rauda in custody, will peace return to Malibu? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.co...
As the judge questions Anthony Rauda’s competency to stand trial, the prosecutor lays out her case. There’s still no weapon for the first five shootings, and no clear motive. But a look at Rauda’s writing reveals a secret connection to the crime. And a close examination of a photograph taken by a citizen investigator at Rauda’s camp gives rise to a stunning discovery: potentially critical evidence that law enforcement overlooked. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo...
Lost Hills Station is embroiled in scandal. But the new captain is determined to set the story straight. He says there were major errors in the investigation, and points a finger at two respected Lost Hills detectives: Sgt. Tui Wright and Lt. James Royal. Ian Kincaid, a shooting victim, describes overhearing a private conversation at Lost Hills Station. As her relationship with Sheriff Villanueva deepens, Cece Woods feels her power in Malibu grow. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....
Who is Anthony Rauda? He’s more than a drifter. He’s an aspiring musician and a writer, with a long history of mental-health struggles and an extensive criminal record. He's a committed survivalist, attempting to live completely off the grid and without assistance. He’s been arrested repeatedly with antique firearms and gunpowder. And he hates the Lost Hills cops. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The cops went from saying that they couldn’t connect the crimes to saying that one person, Anthony Rauda, had done them all. Is that even possible? When officials at California State Parks refuse to answer questions, a hiker in Malibu Creek State Park reveals the location of Rauda’s camp. And Jimmy Rogers, victim of Near MIss #1, describes being awakened just before dawn by an explosion . . . aimed at his head. He says the cops told him vital information about the so-called missing shotgun. Lear...
Three months after his arrest, Anthony Rauda is charged with the murder of Tristan Beaudette, all the other shootings, as well as a series of strange burglaries involving junk food from commercial buildings around the periphery of the park. He pleads not guilty. Erica Wu, Tristan Beaudette’s widow, opens up about her husband, and files a $90 million dollar lawsuit against the county, the state parks system, and the sheriff’s department for failing to warn the public about the danger in the park....
A devastating fire rips through Malibu, burning Anthony Rauda’s campsite, Malibu Creek State Park, and any evidence the cops might have missed. Rauda appears in court, and a tentative link is established between him and the murder. Meanwhile, Cece Woods, a popular Malibu blogger, casts doubt on the case against Rauda as she crusades against the Lost Hills station — why didn’t the authorities warn the public before someone died? She smells a coverup. Footage of the Henry Stern Town Hall meeting p...
After Tristan Beaudette’s murder, other victims come forward telling similar tales. . . of a sniper in Malibu who has been shooting at campers and at moving cars for the past 18 months. Always in the dark of night, at 4AM. The cops say they can’t connect the crimes, but then they arrest a drifter: 42-year-old Anthony Rauda, who lives under a tarp behind the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. Is he the killer, or a scapegoat? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See...
Lost Hills, reported, written and hosted by Dana Goodyear. Coming March 16th from Western Sound and Pushkin Industries Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
