Little Part 2: “She Rode Alone” Last week, I told you the story of the Cowden Family and how Richard, Belinda, David, and Melissa seemed to have vanished while camping near Carberry Creek Road over the Labor Day weekend of 1974. Over 7 months later, their skeletal remains were discovered- Belinda and the children in a cave- Richard, tied to a tree. With very little to go on, police began looking into local men who would have, not only known the area well but could have been capable of such a mon...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 155
A turn of luck had led the Cowden family to the Carberry Creek area for a last-minute camping trip. The young family of four were delighted to have the time to indulge in the stunning nature Jackson County offered them. They didn’t have big plans; they were just excited to have time with their two young children to fish and to swim. The cherry on top was the plan of wrapping up the weekend with a dinner at Mrs. Cowden’s mother’s home. For unknown reasons, the family never showed up for that meal...
Aug 22, 2023•49 min•Ep. 154
For millennia, we've heard of Pandora's box and the dangers held within. For Fern Bowden, a warning to stay away wasn't enough to keep her from opening the strange container her husband kept in the basement. With the lift of a lid and the blink of an eye, lives would literally and figuratively be blown apart. Today I'll be talking about Portland's Pandora's Box murder- and how a man's paranoia drove him to build an infernal machine. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murde...
Aug 15, 2023•48 min•Ep. 153
In this week's episode of Murder in the Rain, we have a special feature from our Patreon series, "Welcome to…," where we delve into a case from the hometown of one of our Patreon listeners. Love, a powerful emotion capable of inspiring boundless devotion, took a deadly turn in the summer of 2003. Sandee Rozzo, a bartender from Pinellas Park, FL, fell victim to the dark side of love when she was brutally murdered in her home. Join us as we dive into Sandee’s story and how love, obsession, devotio...
Aug 08, 2023•44 min•Ep. 152
In our early episode “Wicked Part of Me” we touched on a few cases straight off of Washington’s, now former, Death Row. In today’s case, we’ll dive deep into one of those cases, the story of Cal Brown; a picture-perfect example of how parole can go very wrong and innocent people can end up dead. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog . Episode Host: Alisha Holland If you’d like more episodes of Murder in the Rain, Patreon members at the $5/mo+ l...
Aug 01, 2023•53 min•Ep. 151
Investigators worked outward from the location of the missing woman’s abandoned car, scouring a trail of digital footage. Her last known sighting was captured on a neighbor's home surveillance video. It shows Kassanndra driving off early on the morning she dropped out of contact. She was newly pregnant and scheduled that day for her first ultrasound appointment, which she missed. It was so out of character, her mother contacted the police and a search began. In a stroke of good fortune, a mass t...
Jul 25, 2023•54 min•Ep. 150
In 1978 Oregon saw an uptick of crimes against children and panic swelled to an all-time high when two girls went missing within weeks of each other. Our first case today revolves around the disappearance of 12-year-old Ann Marie Ellinwood who went missing during a March of Dimes Walk-a-thon in Corvallis. The second involves 11-year-old Stephanie Ann Newsom, who vanished while delivering newspaper advertisements near her home in Salem. Both girls were last seen walking on local paths and, in bot...
Jul 18, 2023•46 min•Ep. 149
A few months ago, Emily shared the stories of Tiffany and Danielle, survivors of the Jogger Rapist, Richard Gilmore, who has since been released to a halfway home in downtown Portland. We, along with so many of you listeners were rightfully outraged. We’ve yet to hear from newly crowned Gov. Tina Kotek whether she plans to change his low-level status. Sadly, a case like his, where the judicial system signs a piece of paper that releases someone that could put the public at risk happens daily. An...
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 148
CW - Animal Abuse He arrived in Corvallis, Oregon during the Autumn of 1902. His name was Franz Edmund Creffield. Slight and blonde-haired, he spoke with a noticeable German-slash-Swedish-ish accent, was born outside of Dusseldorf near a city named Crefeld (now Krefeld), he'd briefly studied to become a priest, and emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1890s. He had a great big bushy beard, so as to look more authentically prophetic, I suppose. He was described as hypnotic. That is just about all th...
Jul 04, 2023•54 min•Ep. 148
We want to thank everyone who came out to our live show in Portland, Oregon on June 24th! We admit it, we're a little bit tired after all of the live show excitement, so we wanted to change things up and share a Patreon exclusive episode with you today. Almost exactly 26 years ago, a show premiered on Fox that asked viewers to test the limits of their imaginations. Originally hosted by James Brolin on May 25, 1997, the reigns were then passed to Jonathan Frakes for the next three seasons. With h...
Jun 27, 2023•42 min•Ep. 146
Today, we delve into the tragic case of Jenise Wright, a young girl whose disappearance shook her community and captured the attention of the nation. Jenise was just 6 years old when she vanished from her home in Bremerton, Washington, on August 2, 2014. Her disappearance sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community, as friends, family, and neighbors rallied together in a desperate search for the little girl. Thanks to the prioritization of the investigation and DNA testing, the case was sol...
Jun 20, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 145
The month of May is full of reminders of the feminine energy surrounding us. Mother Earth shares her beauty with rays of sunshine and blossoming flowers. Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of the month. And the woman I spoke with for today’s episode is reminded of the most gutting pain a mother can experience. The loss of a child. To honor her child and his unsolved death, I will be sharing the case of Sircharles Jones, a mother’s child who can no longer tell his own stories, so his mother ...
Jun 13, 2023•59 min•Ep. 144
The three trappers were missing for months before their bodies were found in the water beneath a rough hole chopped into the ice of a remote lake. Killed in an ambush, their mutilated bodies wove a tale of furious violence: two had been shot execution-style, one was beaten to death with a hammer, and all three had been raked with shotgun blasts. Committed 99 years ago this past January, and though a likely culprit has been identified, these murders, unfortunately, remain officially unsolved. Tod...
Jun 06, 2023•55 min•Ep. 143
On July 4th 2007, a horrifying incident unfolded when a 12-year-old girl was abducted from outside her own home in Tacoma, WA. The relentless efforts of the police led them through a maze of leads, gradually narrowing down their search until they finally identified the prime suspect. As the realization sank in that yet another young girl in Tacoma went missing, the city was gripped with fear, worrying that she might be lost forever. However, the discovery of her remains brought no solace, it onl...
May 30, 2023•53 min•Ep. 142
Over the last two episodes, you’ve heard the stories of the missing children featured in the 1993 Soul Asylum music video, Runaway Train . In today’s conclusion, we’ll discuss the disappearances of Polly Klaas and Thomas “Tommy” Dean Gibson. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog . If you’d like more episodes of Murder in the Rain, Patreon members at the $5/mo+ level, gain access to exclusive episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more. ...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 141
Last week I introduced you to the first set of stories surrounding the cases involving children who were pictured in the 1993 Soul Asylum video for Runaway Train. Today, I’ll continue to tell those stories. As you’ll soon hear, the themes of cops not believing the families, a lack of information surrounding the cases and some of the cases remaining unsolved continues. So, if you’re from the area being talked about, please pay extra attention and share with others. Someone knows something. For ph...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 140
Thirty years ago, a music video hit airwaves that changed how videos could be used for good. Soul Asylum’s choice to use photos of missing children as the backdrop to their song “Runaway Train” did in fact bring children home; in some cases heroically, in some, against the children’s will. Sadly, some were returned home, only to be laid to rest and others yet remain lost. For the next three episodes, I’ll be talking about the individual cases behind those faces and what the outcome was…if there ...
May 09, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 139
There have been many conversations of late discussing systemic issues in our world. While we've given many examples of current issues within the justice system, it is important to look back at the foundation of such a system to understand why it operates the way it does today. For Portland, the corrupt history of the police bureau and local government is a story that isn't special to our city, though it does contain some uniquely Portland elements. This is the story of Big Jim Elkins and how pin...
May 02, 2023•45 min•Ep. 138
The Northons Part 2: “The Perfect Story” In last week’s episode, we explored the background of Christopher and Liysa Northon. If you haven’t listened go check it out because there will be spoilers! On October 9th, 2000, authorities found Chris dead inside his sleeping bag at the campsite he and Liysa had been staying at with their young son Dane. Later that day, Liysa sought out medical help for some minor injuries, telling nurses and police that they were caused due to a fight with her husband,...
Apr 25, 2023•56 min•Ep. 137
Part 1: “Who’s the Monster?” Liysa Northon never disputed the fact that she had killed her husband. Truth be told, she informed the police that she may have killed him. But the story that she would go on to tell, would change, like many of the stories told throughout her life. She was adamant she had to kill her husband, if she hadn’t, it would have been her or her son. When Lisya’s case was being prepared for court, it by no means drew notoriety across the country, but in the NW corner and in H...
Apr 18, 2023•55 min•Ep. 136
The Portland metro area has always been the ‘quirky girl’ of American cities. We partake in anything usually deemed ‘weird’ or ‘out of the norm’, and we like it that way. However, that weirdness can often be perceived as a gateway to even more strange and, who knows, maybe even dangerous lifestyles. So, when a young mother in Gresham called 911 after being attacked, her life was dissected and detectives thought they may have uncovered the role the evil-doer played in her life. That role was of a...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 135
Part 2: "An Act of Sheer Madness" Before 1970, anyone over the age of twelve could legally purchase dynamite in Oregon. Beginning in 1963 on the University of Oregon Campus and the surrounding area, many many bombs were detonated. Mostly aimed at military buildings off-campus and ROTC buildings, on campus, the bombings didn't slow until the law changed, and almost no one was ever charged significantly for the crimes. In part two of Explosive, we’ll discuss the University of Oregon bombings and O...
Apr 04, 2023•46 min•Ep. 134
Part 1: The Maximum Amount Of Damage In Portland, an extortion letter threatening a bombing was received and in the process of being read when said bomb exploded inside a downtown department store. The search for the culprits stretched on for months before an unrelated case of mail fraud led investigators to a known grifter and his accomplice, whom he employed as 'his eyes', due to the lack of vision of his own. In part one of Explosive, I'll also thrill you with the story of Portland's own Libe...
Mar 28, 2023•44 min•Ep. 133
In the early morning hours of January 22nd, 2007 Karen Bodine’s body was discovered by a passerby at the entrance of a gravel pit in Rochester, Washington. Mere hours before, a police officer spoke to Karen and had the opportunity to make sure she got home safely to her family safely, but they didn’t. What happened to Karen Bodine? In this episode of Murder in the Rain, we sit down with Karlee Bodine to help us tell the story of her mother’s murder. We also get to hear from the new Thurston Coun...
Mar 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 132
For a teen from California, the jarring Alaskan temperatures of late January were unbearable. Luckily, he had three guides there to help him stay warm and to show him the hunting traditions of their ancestors. The day after they began their adventure, the dark figure of the young man was spotted by hunters in a helicopter. Something had happened to his chaperones, and no one, not even the boy knew what had occurred. His story left Alaskan authorities wondering, who killed Oscar Henry, Freddy Jac...
Mar 14, 2023•48 min•Ep. 131
In Oregon's Umpqua National Forest, three officers responded to a report of an unknown party firing on a trailblazing crew, and when they arrived at the hand-built creekside cabin of the man they believed responsible, their suspect's Winchester rifle rang out and one of the officers was shot in the head and killed instantly. The shooter- a nearly-seventy-year-old-recluse, trapper, and gold prospector- fled the scene and vanished into the wilds, moving around the vast search area like a phantom- ...
Mar 07, 2023•45 min•Ep. 127
In the early 1980s, several adults came together and formed a “new light” bible study group in Grants Pass, Oregon. This was a group of Seventh-day Adventists who wanted to be more in tune with God. Eventually, the group welcomed sisters Sharon and Deborah Halstead, childhood friends of the leader’s husband who grew up with him in California. What started out as straightforward bible study morphed into what modern-day religious leaders would call Spiritualism or Voice Ministry, something that th...
Feb 28, 2023•57 min•Ep. 129
Part 2: “Mental Condition Black” Last week I told you about just a few of the incidents of officer-involved shootings so far this year. The first United States Climate Activist to be killed by authorities, Tyre Nichols, whose death and the subsequent charges to stem from it are being looked at as a blueprint for change. And the three men, Oscar Sanchez, Keenan Anderson, and Takar Smith, who were killed in Los Angeles within 48 hours of each other. Today, I’ll be focusing on one case, that of Man...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 128
Part 1 "Who Do You Serve" We had all hoped, perhaps with naive hearts, that the brutal murder of George Floyd, the protests that followed, and the new expectations surrounding inclusion and anti-racism by the ‘woke’ crowd would have meant the killing of Americans, especially of color, by police, would have been lessened if not nearly eradicated. Sadly, predictably, 2022 saw a record number of police-involved killings. Already in 2023, there seems to have been a rash of incidents. One killing in ...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 127
Often we hear of mass shooters taking their lives in the wake of a rampage to avoid being killed by cops or going to jail. But far more often, instances of murder-suicide are intimate and personal. In this week’s case, we discuss the murders of Mitra Mehrabadi, James 'JJ' Hurtado, and Lisa Stevie Haynes and the deaths of Jim Morgan, Kenneth Valdez, Jason Huston, and Terry Daniel. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog . Episode Host: Josh McCull...
Feb 07, 2023•49 min•Ep. 126
