She Never Came Home: The Lonnie Rogers Cold Case and a 44-Year Search for Truth

In January 1981, during a severe winter storm, Lonene “Lonnie” Rogers disappeared from her home in rural Pennsylvania, leaving behind her children, her car, and no clear explanation for how she could have survived the conditions.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum speaks with Lonnie’s daughter, Alison Duiker, about the final hours before the disappearance, the instability that followed, and the long search for answers that began when Alison was just five years old.

Joined by clinical hypnotherapist Monica Miller, their conversation revisits the timeline of that night and the challenges of examining long-dormant cases when physical evidence is scarce.

Highlights:

• (0:00) Sheryl McCollum shares Zone 7’s 2026 plans and the upcoming 10-8 Tour

• (1:15) January 7,1981: the blizzard night Lonnie Rogers vanished

• (2:45) Alison Duiker remembers her mother before the disappearance

• (5:15) Writing A Daughter’s Journey and preserving her mother’s story

• (10:00) The home environment leading up to Lonnie’s disappearance

• (13:00) Neighbors report arguing during the storm and unusual sounds in the duplex

• (14:45) The middle-of-the-night trip to the babysitter and unanswered time gaps

• (16:45) Growing up in instability after her mother vanished

• (19:15) The night Alison was abandoned at a police station

• (21:45) A teacher’s phone number and the moment that everything changed

• (26:15) Finding safety, stability, and resilience through guardianship

• (28:00) Revisiting the case decades later and considering hypnosis as an investigative tool

• (31:30) Monica Miller explains memory, trauma, and timeline-based hypnosis

• (41:45) Creating a controlled, quiet setting to organize memory without suggestion

• (43:45) A key detail: snow wiped from Lonnie’s car

• (50:15) Recovered memory and its investigative implications

• (54:15) The call Alison never expected: a reported confession and arrest after forty-four years

• (58:15) Thanksgiving reflections and plans for a future case update

Guest Bios:

Alison Duiker is a special education teacher with more than twenty years of experience working with young children.

She is the author of "A Daughter’s Journey: A Story of Resilience," a memoir documenting her childhood, her mother Lonnie Rogers’ disappearance, and the lasting impact of unresolved loss. Alison has spent decades advocating for answers in her mother’s case and raising awareness about cold cases.

Monica Miller is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than ten years in private practice.

She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and is also a Licensed Massage Therapist and registered yoga teacher, integrating a mind-body approach in her work. Monica works with a wide range of clients, including professional athletes and individuals in high-stress careers, using a collaborative and client-centered method.

About the Host

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide.

With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for "CSI: Atlanta" and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

• Twitter: @149zone7

• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

• Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

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