This week we have a fun bonus episode. Hope Andersen is the author of five books, and she has a very inspiring creative journey. Her latest release is the suspense thriller, MotherLove , by Warren Publishing. We talk all things writing, the different ways she published her books, and what she loves about living in North Carolina. The podcast will return next week with a brand-new true crime episode. Learn more about Hope and her books at her website ....
Jul 11, 2025•32 min
While investigators zeroed in on the person they believed was the main suspect in Brenda Holland's 1967 murder, Outer Banks locals floated other theories, one that involved a prominent member of the community. Renee discusses these other suspects and what their motives might have been. Check out John Railey's book, "The Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks: Seeking Justice for Brenda Joyce Holland." Show Sponsors: Skincare by SkinxErin Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 FOR 10 percent off your o...
Jul 04, 2025•30 min
In the summer of 1967, 19-year-old Brenda Holland took a job as a makeup supervisor with The Lost Colony outdoor drama in Manteo, N.C. Excited to continue training for a potential career in the theatre, she embraced the opportunity with joy and enthusiasm. But after only a month on the island, Brenda disappeared after a date with a Lost Colony cast member. Her deceased body turned up five days later in the Albemarle Sound, and despite an extensive investigation, the murder remained unsolved unti...
Jun 27, 2025•27 min
Today we're pulling from our catalogue to discuss cases that took place during the summer months. Learn about Sherri Lee Truesdale, Eva Debruhl, Galvin and Garry Sidden, Jr., Jessica Gutierrez, Dianne Gabriel, Douglas Simmons, and Franklin "ReRe" Freeman. Episodes Featured: Ep. 14-South Carolina Cases Featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" Ep. 15: Missing Real Estate Agents in North Carolina Ep. 20-Missing From the Front Yard Ep. 21-Missing After a Night Out Ep. 28-Unresolved in North Carolina Ep. 32:...
Jun 20, 2025•32 min
For seven years, the same thieves targeted banks in the Myrtle Beach area, eventually stealing $700,000 in total. While there were many witnesses and clues leading to the identities of the robbers, the community was still stunned when three men were arrested. There was a reason these thieves seemed to know the inner workings of banks and crime scene investigation. We'll also discuss the tragic explosion of a fallout shelter that killed five children in Valdese, N.C. in the summer of 1972. Episod...
Jun 13, 2025•21 min
In October of 1997, a guard named David Ghantt at Loomis Fargo, Inc. in Charlotte decided to see if he could get away with robbing the company of $17 million dollars. Unfortunately, he involved several other people in his plan, and while he absconded to Mexico with a small amount of cash, this unusual cast of characters began spending the remaining millions so quickly they attracted the attention of almost everyone they knew in the Charlotte area. The heist inspired the 2016 movie "Masterminds,"...
Jun 06, 2025•23 min
Renee shares a conversation with Shellie Taylor, the Local History Program Specialist at the Iredell County Public Library. They discuss the mysterious case of Virginia Sneed, a young woman who died in police custody in Asheville in 1939. Because she refused to give her name, no one knew her true identity until months after her death. Shellie also talks about Ruth Horton, an Iredell County woman who was accused of murdering her husband, fire captain Leroy Horton, in 1967, and Shellie's work with...
May 30, 2025•48 min
In November of 1986, 28-year-old Mary Kathryn Ennis disappeared from the home she shared with her young son in Hillsborough, N.C. While everyone who knew the single mom insisted she never would have willingly left her son, the search yielded few clues besides her vehicle located a short distance away. Two years later, prison inmates would be the key to solving this mysterious case. We'll also discuss the death of UNC college student William McMichael III, who was killed when he tried to enter th...
May 23, 2025•25 min
In 1999, fresh out of Harvard University, Helen Zuman began seeking out a place where she could practice communal living and learn more about organic farming and homesteading. The place turned out to be Zendik Farm in Western North Carolina. When she left five years later, she slowly realized the leader had been operating the farm as a cult. Learn more about Helen Zuman Check out Helen's memoir, Mating in Captivity...
May 16, 2025•56 min
There have been many cases of murder by poison in North Carolina. Renee shares the stories of Sandy Coulthard, whose husband used arsenic to slowly poison her in High Point, Eric Miller, whose wife utilized her position as a research scientist to access arsenic that she then used to kill him in Raleigh, and Stacy Hunsucker, whose husband allegedly used the active ingredient in Visine eyedrops to murder his wife in Charlotte. Show Sponsors: Want to try out Riverside FM for all your podcasting and...
May 09, 2025•35 min
Over the past five years, Missing in the Carolinas has shared stories of missing people and perpetrators of crimes who were struggling with their mental health. Today's episode revisits stories of people missing while on spiritual journeys, battling relationship issues, adolescents seeking help at a residential treatment center, a family feud that ended up with nine people dead, and two shooters on the same university campus almost twenty years apart. Episodes Mentioned: Ep. 12-North Carolina Ca...
May 02, 2025•39 min
Renee discusses the allure of the true crime rabbit hole and how and why she's covered specific cases on Missing in the Carolinas throughout the years. Episodes mentioned here: Ep. 28-Unresolved in North Carolina Ep. 35-A Murder in Salisbury and a N.C. Expat Becomes a Killer in Panama Ep. 43-The Story Behind "The Staircase" Ep. 44-Thoughts on "The Staircase" Ep. 54-The Murders of Pamela Murray, Beverly Sherman, and the Disappearance of Asha Degree Ep. 85-Denise Durham, Shelby Wilkie, and Marissa...
Apr 25, 2025•25 min
Inspired by the television show "City Confidential," Renee looks at the murders of three women in Wilmington, N.C., Peggy Carr, Theresa Fetter, and Lisa Maves, along with two men who disappeared, Charles Kuebler and Gaston Callum. Show Notes: Check out the podcast "Strictly Stalking" with Jaimie Beebe and Jake Deptula. Skincare by SkinxErin Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 for 10 percent off your order. WOW! Women on Writing Creative Nonfiction Contest...
Apr 18, 2025•29 min
In 1968, a killer terrorized the small town of Gaffney, S.C. before calling the local newspaper editor and anonymously confessing to his crimes. Thanks to concerned citizens who went out looking for a teenager who'd been abducted, police were able to apprehend the killer, who became known as The Gaffney Strangler, before he could hurt anyone else. But he had a secret to confess--he'd killed before and another man was in prison for the crime. Show Notes: Want to try out Riverside FM for all your ...
Apr 11, 2025•23 min
Renee discusses four people who went missing while on vacation. Learn about the decades-long mystery of Jane and Jock Doe from South Carolina, New York resident Brittanee Drexel, who went missing after a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Judith Smith, who went missing from Pennsylvania and was discovered months later in North Carolina, and the murders of Ohio residents Wesley and Bonnie Mahaffey, who were murdered in Asheville after winning a free vacation. Show Notes: Renee's Digital Pod...
Apr 04, 2025•32 min
In July of 1993, 26-year-old Kristin Lodge-Miller went out for an early-morning run in Chapel Hill and was murdered before she made it home. Years later, when 22-year-old Eve Carson was abducted and murdered from her home while studying at UNC in March 2008, the community couldn't help but compare the two crimes, committed by young men whose previous crimes should have already put them behind bars. Show Notes: Want to try out Riverside FM for all your podcasting and videoconferencing needs? Use ...
Mar 28, 2025•33 min
On July 10, 1985, 55-year-old Curtis Bane and 24-year-old Thaddeus Hayes were supposed to spend the afternoon putting up a fence on a piece of property Curtis has purchased near Durham. When they never returned home that night, Curtis's wife found his truck and tractor still at the work site, keys still inside, but there was no sign of the two men. It would take three years before the families finally learned what happened to their loved ones. Show Notes: Want to try out Riverside FM for all you...
Mar 21, 2025•26 min
In Ep. 130, Renee shared the details of the 1972 triple homicide of the Durham family in Boone, North Carolina. This week features an interview with Terry Harmon, author of the book "Convoluted," which details the details of the crime and the investigation that spanned more than 50 years. Show Notes: Check out Terry Harmon's book . Want to try out Riverside FM for all your podcasting and videoconferencing needs? Use my affiliate link ....
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 5 min
On a snowy night in February of 1972, three members of the Durham family were murdered in their Boone home. The scene of the crime left many to wonder if the Durhams, who owned a local car dealership in town, were the targets of a professional hit. In 2022 authorities announced the crime had finally been solved, but questions remain. Check out "Convoluted" by Terry Harmon Show Sponsors: Skincare by SkinxErin Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 for 10 percent off your order Renee's Digital Course on Podc...
Mar 07, 2025•32 min
Renee shares a reading of her award-winning short story, "The Polaroid," which was inspired by the Tara Calico disappearance from New Mexico in 1988. Show Sponsor: Skincare by SkinxErin Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 for 10 percent off your order.
Feb 28, 2025•21 min
Renee pulls information from previous episodes to discuss four serial killers from North Carolina--Terry Alvin Hyatt, John Wayne Boyer, Lesley Eugene Warren, and Henry Louis Wallace.
Feb 23, 2025•51 min•Ep. 128
In 1971 Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane attended a Valentine's Day dance in Durham, heading out afterwards to spend some time alone at a nearby spot popular with locals. When they didn't return, their friends grew worried and searches ensued. When they were found deceased a few weeks later, it was evident they had been victims of a senseless double homicide. Fifty-four years later, the case has not officially been solved, but investigators have narrowed in on a suspect. We also have an update on ...
Feb 14, 2025•27 min
In 1991, 84-year-old Mabel Seymour walked away from a nursing home in Chatham County. A year later, two workers discovered the deceased body of an elderly woman by the side of a road in Petersburg, Virginia. A note found with her body said her name was "Wilma." But as news about the undentified woman in Virginia began to spread across the South, some wondered if the two women were one in the same. Show Notes: Skincare by SkinxErin https://shopxerin.com/collections/fit-rocker-chick-skin Use code ...
Feb 07, 2025•21 min
January is National Stalking Awareness Month, and while most victims know their stalkers, in rare cases a person may be targeted without even knowing it. In the spring of 2002, 23-year-old Stephanie Bennett was found murdered in her apartment. After her body was discovered, neighbors at her apartment complex came forward to report they had seen a mysterious man looking into Stephanie's window in the weeks before her death. Two years later, police were able to apprehend the suspect, learning it w...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min
In 1973, 19-year-old UNC-Asheville student Virginia Marie Olson was murdered in the botanical gardens near campus. Despite many leads and suspects, the case was never solved. Brian and Cameron Santana never forgot about this case, and their new book uncovers details that have never been released to the public and a look into the prime suspect. Find "A Murder on Campus: The Professor, The Cop, and North Carolina's Most Notorious Cold Case: https://www.amazon.com/MURDER-CAMPUS-Professor-Carolinas-...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Renee reviews Valerie Bauerlein's book, "The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty" and shares five new things she learned about the Murdaugh family after reading it. Show Notes: Cover art by Mackintosh Multimedia Sound Editing by Daniel Roberson Show Sponsors: Skincare by SHOPxErin https://shopxerin.com/ Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 for 10 percent off your order Renee's Digital Podcasting Course: https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_Podcasting...
Jan 17, 2025•26 min
Renee discusses podcast growth for the year, as well as which episodes received the most streams and how she gets her ideas for certain episodes. Show Notes: Cover art by Macintosh Multimedia Sound Editing by Daniel Roberson
Dec 29, 2024•34 min
In 1981, three men invaded a private residence and home of "root doctor" Edward "Doc" Harkless. In the next several hours, they murdered him and three other people in the Columbia, S.C. home, leaving two survivors. It appeared Doc was murdered because of a large amount of cash he kept in a locked safe, but did his line of work also have something to do with the crime? We also give an update to Susan Smith's parole hearing that took place in South Carolina this week. Show Sponsors: Check out Rene...
Nov 22, 2024•23 min
The Missing in America Project helps provide the remains of veterans with honorable burials, but it takes a team of volunteers to do so. We share some of the recent stories from the nonprofit. In 1980, Jeffrey Mays and Ted Wall set out on Jeffrey's boat off the coast of Cape Hatteras. No trace of the men or the boat was ever found, but Jeffrey's family believes he could still be alive. Another Concord, N.C. man disappeared off the coast of North Carolina while on a fishing trip. What happened to...
Nov 15, 2024•20 min
In 1933, 64-year-old widow Mary Ravenel was discovered mortally wounded in an affluent area of Charleston. Despite their best attempts, police could not figure out who would have wanted to murder her. An auto mechanic thought he could make some quick cash by abducting Hubbard Harris, Jr., the son of a prominent man in Columbia, but the plan quickly went off the rails. Renee's Digital Course on Podcasting: https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_Podcasting.php Skincare by Skinx...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min
