Ruthie Mae McCoy is beginning to thrive with the support of mental health and social services. She aims to work her way out of Chicago’s Abbott Housing Projects. But her life is cut short when someone breaks in through her bathroom mirror. Mick and Tommy discuss Ruthie Mae’s murder, and how it became the inspiration (or not) for one of the greatest horror movies of all time. But more importantly, we try to understand how this happened and the people involved.
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 91
Brian Shaffer vanished without a trace at a point in his life many would think was his prime. A handsome, well liked, successful medical student, Brian went out with friends in the bustling downtown bar district in Columbus, Ohio—in 2006 considered to be “the most surveilled city in America”—-and never made it home. This is a case oft-told, but perhaps, Tommy thinks, underdiscussed. Join us as we examine the disappearance of Brian Shaffer.
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 90
This story took the media by storm. But with all the publicity around the Natalia Grace story, Natalia herself somehow got lost in the dramatic narrative and misinformation. Mick attempts to look at the girl at the center of this story, exploring the facts that we know and conceptualizing what happened along the way. This is our first case back after our long hiatus, and we are still trying to get our legs back under us.
Dec 02, 2024•2 hr 47 min•Ep. 89
First off: complete apologies. We never, ever intended to disappear like that. But we swear there was a legitimate reason. We’re excited to get back into it. Take a second and catch up with us, listen to our excuses, and our plans for the future of Midwretched.
Dec 02, 2024•33 min•Ep. 88
In Part 2 of our telling of Ted Kaczynski, we discuss the timeline of the bombings alongside his own writings and journals, focusing on his motivations and mental health decline.
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 87
This episode was recorded Thursday 6/8, just two days before Ted Kaczynski was found dead in his prison cell. Any references to him being alive were made when he was known to be alive. In this episode, Mick reviews Ted Kacyznski’s early life, including myths and stories surrounding his development and education. And discuss what took him from a painfully bland burnt out gifted kid to a domestic terrorist.
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 86
On June 3, 1997, 19-year-old single mother Rachel Timmerman told her mom she was going on a date with a man she met at work, and that she would be taking her 11-month-old, Shannon, with her. About a month later, Rachel’s chained and bound body would be pulled from Oxford Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan. As this case unfolded, it would become a significant story in the landscape of Michigan criminal justice. Join Tommy and Mick as Tommy runs us through a tumultuous investigation of a true monste...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 85
On an April day in 1964, a joyful new mother enjoys her first days with her infant son. But when that baby suddenly disappears from the hospital, it sends the entire city into a whirlwind. After nearly two years, the family is reunited with the boy they think is their child. Decades will go by before that child grows up to uncover the mystery of who he really is, and what happened to the real Paul Fronczak.
May 11, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 84
The history of the Ku Klux Klan is deeply intertwined with the history of the United States and, arguably, there’s no better demonstration of this than the rise and fall of the Indiana Klan—branch of the KKK borne out from one man’s megalomaniacal need for power. When the violent rape and subsequent death of a young female politician happens at the hands of this man, the face of the KKK would be forever altered. Join Tommy as she runs Mick through this horrifying chapter of Midwestern history....
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 83
In February 1983, two boys in St. Louis enter an abandoned building looking for scrap metal and find a horrific scene that traumatized the city. Mick and Tommy discuss the still unsolved murder of Precious Hope, St. Louis’s Little Jane Doe. A massive search leads nowhere and desperate police take desperate measures. We talk about theories of what happened and what hope there is for this case to finally be solved.
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 82
Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton were last seen playing outside on Thanksgiving Day 2010, appearing as carefree and playful as they normally did to their neighbors in Morenci, Michigan. Less than 24 hours later, the boys were missing and their father was laid up in an Ohio hospital with a busted ankle. The story that follows is one of family drama, pointed fingers, impossible seeming stories, and questions that all boil down to one man withholding the truth. Join us as Tommy and Mick dive d...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 81
In a small town in Michigan, a young girl is trapped in her bedroom, unable to escape while her house catches fire. When Calista Springer lost her life, many initially thought of it as a tragic accident for her family. However, as the investigation unfolded, many in her community came forward to express their long-running concerns about her safety, with mounting accusations of abuse and neglect charged at her parents. Tommy and Mick explore the potential role of disability and stigma in Calista’...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 80
Every year, thousands of teens are taken from their homes and sent to “specialty schools and programs” for Trouble Teens. In this episode, we discuss the history and practices of the Troubled Teen Industry through reports from one Iowa school that was successfully taken down by the FBI and other investigative organizations. But only after dozens of reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of minors.
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 79
Many people with more than a passing interest in true crime know about the double murder of two young girls in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana in 2017. What fewer are aware of is the brutal arson a few months earlier that took the lives of four children in a neighboring town. Join in as Tommy leads us through a tough series of questions: what happened to Keyara, Keyana, Kerielle, and Kionnie? Why? How is it being investigated? And, finally, what is going on in Carroll County, Indiana?
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 78
In the summer of 2009 and 2010, young girls in Chicago and the southern suburbs are going missing. Despite a clear pattern, little information is available about what is happening. Until a brave teen steps forward to report her attack, leading to the capture of a serial killer living just outside of the city. But despite a quick capture,12 years would go by before Kiara Windom, Kamika Coleman, and Mariah Edwards would get any sense of justice.
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 77
On a lovely, typical Saturday in 2015, 21 year old Diamond Bynum and her two year old nephew, King, started their day in their usual way: breakfast with Diamond’s stepmom, warm baths, and a mid-morning nap. When the stepmother woke up, Diamond and King were nowhere to be found. Gary, Indiana police were immediately on alert for the pair, who are considered endangered due to King’s age and Diamond’s unique medical challenges. Join Tommy as she runs Mick through this complex missing persons’ case,...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 76
Mary Stauffer and her young daughter, Beth, go out for final errands before leaving the country for a multi-year mission trip. But while leaving a salon, they are kidnapped by a mysterious man. While they kept in a closet for 7 weeks, they never lost hope that they would find their way home. Mick and Tommy discuss this survival story, and the tragic loss of 8 year-old Jason Wilkman who’s life was taken for one man’s obsession.
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 75
Timmothy Pitzen was a vibrant and well-loved six-year-old living with his family in Aurora, Illinois--until the day that his mother picked him up early from kindergarten and took him on a vacation from which neither would return. What happened to Timmothy Pitzen? Were those final few days in various midwestern resort towns his last ones, or is he out there, alive, well, and with no knowledge of who he is? Join Tommy as she guides Mick through the twists and turns of this roadtrip gone wrong....
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 74
It’s one of the most well-known and well-documented exorcisms in history. And yet, we still know very little about the woman known as Anna Ecklund, her life and her experiences. But in a tiny town in Iowa, a woman undergoes the terrifying ordeal of an exorcism for many months. Anna (also known as Emma Schmidt) emerges proclaiming to be saved from the demons. But what really happened during those months in 1928? Mick and Tommy explore the many interpretations and grey areas in this event.
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 73
Villisca, Iowa is famous for one thing and one thing only: the Villisca Axe Murders. On a balmy night in June, 1912, a mysterious predator sat in wait in the attic of the Moore family as they attended a youth service at their local church. When they came home, what unfolded would widely be considered a crime of the century—the brutal slaying of two adults and their four children and two little girls staying with them that night. Listen as Tommy details the story that took the wreck of the Titani...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 72
Today we got the opportunity to speak with Abby Williams, the daughter of Crystal Grubb. She shares memories of her mother and the family’s ongoing fight for justice. She invites listeners to join her family in the annual Crystal Grubb Memorial Walk on October 1st in Bloomington, IN. Hear more about Crystal’s story in Season 2 Episodes 7 & 8
Sep 30, 2022•36 min•Ep. 71
This week is a revisit and a re-telling of the case of Erica Baker. On a mild February evening in 1999, the 9-year-old Erica Baker takes her dog for a walk at the park near her home. When she doesn’t return by sundown, a frantic search begins. Erica’s disappearance changed her community for years. And the family continues to search for answers decades later.
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 70
Going off to college is one of the most exciting events in a young person's life, and so many seek friendship and belonging through fraternities and sororities. While most people will graduate from university relatively unscathed, for those who endure hazing, Greek life can leave indelible scars--both physical and emotional. For Colin Wiant and Stone Foltz, fraternity hazing would prove to be both horrifying and fatal. Join Tommy as she shares the stories of two promising young men and their fam...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 69
Marcus Fiesel was a lively, energetic toddler with developmental disabilities. He was placed in the care of Liz and David Carroll by the Ohio office of Job and Family Services. But after only a few months in the foster care system, little Marcus lost his life. Mick tells the story of Marcus’s short life and the legacy he left on the foster care system.
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 68
In this episode we continue our discussion of the spree of killings committed by Nikko Jenkins and his family. They recount the crimes, the confession, and the courtroom drama, all to try to make sense of these series of senseless killings.
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 67
Nikko Jenkins, the young man who terrorized Omaha, Nebraska for weeks. His killing spree ended the lives of 4 people. In this deep-dive, two parter, we take a good look at who Nikko Jenkins was and what led to his crimes. We’ll ask some questions about the role of different systems in raising a killer.
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 66
In the summer of 1995, Stefanie Morey was a pretty typical, beloved 13 year old girl whiling away that last middle school summer in her hometown of Marissa, Illinois. In this listener request, Tommy takes us through the tragedy of Stefanie's murder and a devotion to Stefanie's memory with the hopes that her case not be lost to time and small town obscurity.
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 65
On October 6, 2002, 11 year old Shawn Hornbeck vanished into thin air while riding his bicycle along the country roads of his hometown of Richwoods, Missouri, leaving behind no trace of what might have happened. In the years following his disappearance, his parents founded organizations to help find other missing children, channeling their grief into action, while leads dried up and the case went cold. When 13 year old Ben Ownby disappeared under similar circumstances from nearby Beaumont in 200...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 64
A family tries to start fresh in a new town. But tragedy strikes the entire home and leaves the only survivor with nothing but amnesia and a feeling of helplessness in the fight for justice for the murder of her children. Mick tells the story of the brutal attack on a family that ended the lives of two bright and beautiful children.
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 63
In Part 1 of the cases of missing Lauren Spierer and murdered Crystal Grubb, Tommy took us through timelines, important places, and persons of interest. In Part 2, she takes us through a deeper look at theories in both cases in the hopes that someday both women find justice in Bloomington.
Jun 16, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 62
