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Gareth Williams was a young superstar in the espionage game. He was a master codebreaker for the UK's SIS and was also trained as an MI6 agent.  However, after a vacation to Las Vegas, he disappeared, only to be found dead, padlocked inside a bag.  This week, we explore this incredible story.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gareth_Williamshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCHQhttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-11095158https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9175962/Was-MI6-spy-in-a-bag-Gareth-Williams-killed-by-secret-service-dark-arts.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20100830023059/http://www.itv.com/wales/dead-mi6-spy-is-welshman05717/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17790563https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-17812112https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8024998/FBI-joins-investigation-into-MI6-spys-death.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/13/mi6-spy-dead-bag-locked-himself-gareth-williamshttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17906508https://archive.org/details/GarethWilliams/page/n7/mode/2uphttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mi6-spy-gareth-williams-dead-locked-bag-worked-undercover-woman-10509736.htmlhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/former-kgb-major-says-gareth-williams-was-blackmailed-becoming-double-agent-and-killed-when-he-refused-a6707141.htmlhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mi6-spy-gareth-williams-was-killed-russia-refusing-become-double-agent-former-kgb-man-claims-a6670196.htmlhttps://nationalpost.com/news/world/british-spy-found-naked-in-a-duffel-bag-was-killed-by-russian-svr-former-kgb-agent-sayshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/tomwarren/secrets-of-the-spy-in-the-baghttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/russian-spy-claims-hit-list-12165689https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1332045/russia-news-alexei-Navalny-novichok-sergei-skripal-Litvinenko-Boris-Karpichkov

Jake Bird was arrested in Washington on October 30, 1947, for the murder of two women.   However, it soon became apparent that Bird was no typical criminal.  Indeed, he ended up being linked to murders in multiple states and is considered the United States' first black serial killer.  He also is famous for placing a hex on those who wronged him - a curse that arguably came to pass.  So tune in to see what's behind this interesting tale.

The Dermonds were living an idyllic life in retirement.  They had a huge retirement house overlooking a beautiful lake in Georgia.  They spent their days playing golf, writing, going on walks, and spending time with their friends and family.  Indeed, the highlight of their life was spending time with their grandchildren, all nine of them.  This all came to a sudden end in May 2014 when a neighbor discovered Russell dead and Shirley missing.  Despite the non-stop efforts of local law enforcement, this cruel murder case has never been solved.  This week on Killin Missin Hidden, we try to delve into what could have happened to Russell and Shirley Dermond.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Russell_and_Shirley_Dermondhttps://www.williamsfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Russell-Dermond/#!/Obituaryhttps://www.williamsfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Shirley-Dermond/#!/Obituaryhttps://www.wtsp.com/article/news/investigations/gone-cold-the-murders-at-lake-oconee-4-years-later-elderly-couples-son-opens-up/67-549362307https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/somebody-knows-and-there-s-more-than-one-person-involved/article_04992f3e-7198-11e9-acd7-d71d1b679da1.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Oconeehttps://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/years-later-murders-lake-oconee-couple-continue-confound/TozzJXuLvXXbu8f7zbWcPL/https://medium.com/the-true-crime-times/the-macabre-murders-of-russell-and-shirley-dermond-322a46322706https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/lake-oconee-double-murder-probe-turns-to-ny-for-clues/53946546https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/nyregion/lois-colley-murder-guilty.htmlhttps://www.unionrecorder.com/news/new-technology-to-be-used-in-unsolved-murder-case/article_943dc312-971b-11ea-bcfa-875703a04928.htmlhttps://www.lakeoconeenews.us/article/6-years-later

One quiet December night, Ryles Chapman, a 25-year-old living at home with his parents, burst out of the family's house and into the night.  He claimed someone was after him.  Despite his father giving chase, Rules disappeared into the night.  With no wallet, no cell phone, and no clothes.  And he has never been found.  What is the story behind this strange disappearance?SHOW NOTEShttp://www.wtvy.com/wrgx/home/headlines/Missing-In-The-WIregrass-Ryles-Chapman-259447551.htmlhttps://dothaneagle.com/news/local/family-not-giving-up-in-search-for-missing-son/article_23f5752e-8663-11e4-93ab-a34117d9d99f.htmlhttps://www.wtvy.com/news/alabama/headlines/Family-Pleas-for-Ryles-Chapman-to-Come-Home-240924801.htmlhttps://www.wtvy.com/2020/07/31/wtvy-presents-missing/?fbclid=IwAR2N57I4pWGDZTHY6Q11IAxRbIrrHoOYZ9RYIdQwSfzrGar1kMPbR7CW1JM

Three young women go missing from the Cleveland area in the early 2000s, all at different times, all from different areas.  Cops have few clues and no solid leads.  After several years, their families are forced to assume they were the victim of a murderer.  Yet the three women burst back to life in 2013, when they ran screaming from a house in a Cleveland suburb where they had been held prisoner all this time.  Who was behind the ghastly crime, what happened to them in their de facto prison, and what was the criminal's ultimate fate?SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Castro_kidnappingshttps://www.cleveland.com/metro/2013/05/cleveland_city_prosecutors_cha.html#incart_river#incart_maj-story-1https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22430145https://abcnews.go.com/US/cleveland-kidnapping-suspect-ariel-castro-hid-dark-side/story?id=19122845https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/26/ariel-castro-cleveland-abduction-plea-deal-death-penalty/2589039/https://archive.org/stream/745320-ariel-castro-sentencing-memo/745320-ariel-castro-sentencing-memo_djvu.txtFUNDRAISER LINK:https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=404539

Don't ask why we are doing this topic, but we are doing this topic.  Clowns.  Horrible, terrifying clowns.  Yes there are some good ones in the world (we assume), but this episode explores some of the more terrible and creepy clowns throughout history.  Say a prayer before hitting that play button!SHOW NOTEShttps://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/fear-of-clownshttps://www.britannica.com/story/why-are-people-afraid-of-clownshttps://www.cinemablend.com/news/1700779/how-stephen-king-really-feels-about-clownshttps://www.biography.com/crime-figure/john-wayne-gacyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/gallery-london-houses-dozens-clown-egg-portraits-180968914/https://www.rrstar.com/article/20071010/news/310109877https://www.rrstar.com/article/20071116/NEWS/311169870https://www.sj-r.com/article/20140818/NEWS/140819476https://www.france24.com/en/20141024-france-armed-clowns-scary-pranks-bethune-police-arresthttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/27/fake-clown-attacks-france-vigilante-violencehttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-28/clown-terror-spreads-in-france/5846008https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-29792097https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/10/31/360358304/no-joke-french-town-cracks-down-on-clown-costumes-after-attacksFUNDRAISER LINK:https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=404539

Boris Weisfeiler was a respected mathematician at Penn State University who decided to spend the winter break of 1984 in Chile.  Ne never returned.  Chilean officials claim their investigation determined he had fallen into a river and drowned, but plenty of eye witnesses and other bits of evidence suggested a cover-up.  What really happened to Professor Weisfeiler?SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Weisfeilerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Pinochethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Sch%C3%A4ferhttps://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/05SANTIAGO2539_a.htmlhttps://wikileaks.jcvignoli.com/cable_09SANTIAGO680/?hl=&amphttps://wikileaks.jcvignoli.com/cable_08SANTIAGO93/?hl=&amphttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35980852https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/world/americas/chile-halts-inquiry-on-american-who-disappeared-31-years-ago.htmlhttps://www.pri.org/stories/2009-08-22/disappeared-american

The Bender family out of Kansas may have been the first serial killers in United States history. They lived right off of the most traveled trail that lead west and not long after settling in, folks starting disappearing from this trail at such an alarming right, travelers were being advised to find another path.  The local townships didn't care much for the loss of foot traffic and began their own investigation into who or what was behind the disappearances.  Coupled with an effort by US Army Colonel York to find his brother who had gone missing on that very trail, the heat was turned up around the Bender family, who ended up disappearing.  Learn the full story of this tale in this week's episode! SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Bendershttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/53672/bloody-benders-americas-first-serial-killershttps://filmdaily.co/obsessions/true-crime/the-bloody-benders/https://www.historynet.com/the-bloody-benders-grim-harvest.htmhttps://medium.com/internet-archaeology/the-bastardized-story-of-the-bloody-benders-a203fb0e419ahttps://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/what-happened-to-the-bloody-benders/

Bashir Kouchachji is kidnapped and tortured for five days while living in Beruit, Lebanon.  Eventually, his release is negotiated by the local US Embassy.  He returns to the United States and, several years later, begins to receive a series of harassing phone calls beyond anyone's imagination.  His phone rings 10, 15, even 20 times a day from mysterious callers who threaten to kill him and his friends in Beruit.  The FBI becomes involved, but can never trace the callers.  Who was behind the decade long harassment of Bashir Kouchachji?SHOW NOTEShttps://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bashir_Kouchacjihttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-19-vw-5724-story.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/07/11/the-reliable-source/b457913c-d84c-4b3d-8926-15fb01be78e6/Unsolved Mysteries, Season Five, Episode 22

Why do so many children go missing in national parks without any evidence being found? What is it about certain hiking trails and hunting spots that make even the most experienced woodsman to become lost? Is there something going on in our woods that the government is covering up? This week revisit the Missing 411 phenomenon. 

A couple buys their dream home.  Before they can move in, they begin being harassed by an unknown evil referred to simply as "The Watcher."  This man or woman watched their every step and wrote threatening letters to the couple.  Learn all of the creepy details about this case in this week's episode of Killin Missin Hidden!SHOW NOTEShttps://www.thecut.com/2018/11/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/nyregion/the-watcher-house-sold-new-jersey.htmlhttps://patch.com/new-jersey/westfield/infamous-westfield-watcher-house-has-new-ownershttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-home-stalked-by-the-watcher-sells-after-years-of-torment/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/owner-n-j-watcher-house-admits-he-sent-some-menacing-n936661

Another strange missing persons case from the state of Vermont.  What is going on in this little world?  Paula Jean Welden was a sophomore at Bennington College where she decided she wanted to try to hike a portion of the Long Trail, a hiking trail that runs the length of the state.  Sadly, all of her friends were busy and she was forced to head out alone.  Though it was the beginning of December, Paula was not dressed appropriate for the hike and never returned to her dorm room. And no evidence of her has ever been found.  Did she get lost and die in the woods?  Did she secretly meet a boy and elope? Was the victim of a serial killer?  Or did she meet a much more unusual fate?  We explore a wide variety of theories in this week's episode.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Jean_Weldenhttps://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2019/12/12/the-strange-disappearance-of-paulajean-weldon-in-the-bennington-trianglehttp://tkrice.tripod.com/welden.htmlhttps://unsolvedvermont.com/2019/11/30/missing-paula-jean-welden/https://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/after-60-years-students-fate-remains-a-legendary-mystery,260506https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8340826/paula-welden-1-year-post-disappearance/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/vt-student-body-found-1946-disappeararance-article-1.2603927https://www.manchesterjournal.com/stories/dont-be-afraid,588470https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennington_Trianglehttps://allthatsinteresting.com/bennington-trianglehttps://listverse.com/2019/03/12/10-creepy-mysteries-of-the-bennington-triangle/https://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/lost-in-glastenbury,43274

Clay Daniels was killed in a tragic one-car accident in 2004.  However, police notice several oddities surrounding the accident.  Could Molly have been the one to murder her husband?  Or did the victim of a recent crime Clay was sentenced to perform this dirty deed?  Or is the truth stranger than we can imagine?  SPOILER: It's option C.  Check out this unique episode of Killin Missin Hidden to hear all the crazy details of this case!Oh, listen to the end for information about our next giveaway!!!SHOW NOTES:https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/prosecutor-calls-texas-faked-death-case-ghoulish-horrific/https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Wife-says-she-selected-corpse-in-fake-death-scheme-7693019.phphttps://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-prisons/inmates/clayton-wayne-daniels/1067841/https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/clay-daniels/

This independent, strong, smart woman left home at the age of 17 to try and get a jump on her future.  Unfortunately, adulting is hard and things did not go as well as planned.  Sadly, the Vermont teenager left work late one night in 2004 and has never been seen again.  There are accusations of drug use, her running away, and other wicked rumors.  This week, Killin Missin Hidden explores this puzzling missing persons story to see if there are any clues indicating what happened to Brianna.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Brianna_Maitlandhttps://medium.com/of-misdeeds-and-mysteries/the-strange-unsolved-disappearance-of-brianna-maitland-missing-34-18f562e8d5c0https://www.mynbc5.com/article/what-happened-to-brianna-maitland-vermont-teen-still-missing-after-15-years/26849741https://www.chillingcrimes.com/blogs/news/brianna-maitlandhttps://bobkatlair.blogspot.com/2013/03/brianna-maitland-and-maura-murray-still_19.htmlhttp://charleyproject.org/case/brianna-alexandria-maitlandhttps://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/update-police-trying-to-match-skull-with-a-female-reported-missing,153148

An elderly couple is harassed for almost 10 years inside their small-town home in Ohio.  They had no known enemies and police could never find evidence of who was behind this nefarious scheme.  This special minisode will discuss the haunting of Bill and Dorothy Wacker!SHOW NOTEShttps://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bill_and_Dorothy_Wackerhttps://mysteriousuniverse.org/2020/01/the-phantom-stalker-of-bill-and-dorothy-wacker/

Blair Adams was a typical 31 year-old Canadian man.  He had a good job, loving parents, a girlfriend and had been sober for just over two years.  Then, suddenly, things changed.  He became paranoid.  He was always anxious.  He told a close friend someone was out to kill him.  This culminated with him leaving Canada for the United States, only to be found dead three days later in Knoxville, Tennessee.  What caused Adams to run? Why was he scared for his life?  And what happened to cause his death in a part of the world he had never visited before?  We explore these questions and more on this week's episode of Killin Missin Hidden.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Blair_Adamshttps://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Blair_Adamshttps://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/09/11/unsolved-canadian-blair-adams-raced-knox-county-slain-half-nude-his-gold-untouched/610262001/https://unsolved.com/gallery/blair-adams/https://ndrive.com/brief-history-gps-car-navigation/https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144437/http://etspj.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/BlairAdams.pdfhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/25682689/surrey-leader/https://torontosun.com/news/crime/crime-hunter-death-far-from-home

Early one morning, a young girl comes home from a sleepover to find her family murdered. Her mom and oldest brother in a bloody mess.  Her sister is also missing. Police were immediately called but to this day haven’t been able to untangle this mystery, despite confessions, multiple witnesses statements, and solid physical evidence.  We the police pressured into letting these killers go free?  We explore all these theories in this week's episode on the murders in Cabin 28.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keddie_murdershttps://web.archive.org/web/20161129201755if_/https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-search-keddie-cabin-killers-140027250.htmlhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/keddie-murdershttps://medium.com/the-true-crime-times/the-keddie-cabin-murders-73baa8ddce52https://web.archive.org/web/20180415002049/http://www.plumasnews.com/keddie-murders-revisited/http://keddie28.com/?i=1https://www.thoughtco.com/cold-case-the-keddie-cabin-murders-4108811https://www.historicmysteries.com/keddie-cabin-murders/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNvC4xCPhbg

One of the most popular cryptids out there, Mothman is known for terrorizing West Virginia.  However, did you know this bird-man creature has been seen all over the world? Japan, Germany, Mexico... He always seems to appear right before a disaster.  Is he trying to warn us of an impending doom, or is he the actual bringer of that doom?  Check out this week's episode as we learn all about Mothman!SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothmanhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/mothmanhttps://rowe.audubon.org/crane-factsThe Mothman Prophecies: A True Story, John Keel (Tom Dorathy Associates 2013)https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/chernobyl-mothman-black-bird-explosion-17216904https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/the-frightening-supernatural-story-of-the-black-bird-of-chernobyl/news-story/74ea2f417564e6ca1a289e0813d09341https://themothman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Freiburg_Shriekerhttps://www.colinandrews.net/Japan-NuclearPlant-Mothman.htmlhttps://www.ranker.com/list/true-mothman-stories/lyra-radfordhttps://mysticsciences.com/2018/02/25/mothman-a-messenger-of-catastrophe/https://heidilore.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/mothman-sighting-in-chihuahuamexico-prior-to-swine-flu-pandemic-outbreak/

So what's life really like as a criminal defense attorney? What shenanigans do you have to deal with on a regular basis?  In this bonus minispode, we discuss three tales of nonsense that have occurred in the criminal justice system during my career.  

A man leaves his house after a fight with his wife.  He drives into the land of midnight Texas.  However, he soon runs out of gas and has to call on his brother for assistance.  His truck is found, but the man is nowhere to be seen.  Despite making and receiving phone calls, the man is never found and remains missing to this day.  What happened to Brandon Lawson?SHOW NOTEShttps://medium.com/the-true-crime-times/murder-meth-or-an-innocent-mishap-what-happened-to-brandon-lawson-dd1f199cc903https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/30/brandon-lawson-the-911-call-that-led-to-a-mysterious-disappearance/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdr8pvOHyO4https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/local/2018/07/12/five-years-gone-disappearance-brandon-lawson-west-texas/630518002/https://thoughtcatalog.com/jordan-windnagle/2020/02/heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-disappearance-of-brandon-lawson/https://www.facebook.com/helpfindbrandonlawson/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2yeAyiohkE