From the Vault - Gwen Hasselquist - The Original Investigation - Part 1

With all the buzz surrounding the Gwen Hasselquist case and the upcoming Crime Junkie episode (releasing October 27, 2025), we thought it was the perfect time to re-release our original four-part series on Gwen’s story, first published in 2021. For Gwen’s family, friends, and everyone who cared deeply for her, we’re truly grateful her case is finally receiving the attention it deserves.

That said, we need to get something off our chests.
We first discovered Gwen’s case in September 2021, when one of our co-hosts happened to meet a lawyer in Chicago who was quietly investigating it on his own time. What he shared shocked us, there was no coverage anywhere. No news articles, no Reddit threads, no social media discussions. Gwen’s story had been completely forgotten.

We decided to change that.
Over the following years, we poured countless hours into investigating this case, speaking with dozens of people close to Gwen (many of whom still haven’t given permission for their accounts to be made public), filing FOIA requests, and combing through hundreds of pages of messages and correspondence. The result was over six hours of in-depth reporting, released across four episodes between November 2021 and August 2022. To this day, people continue to reach out to us about Gwen’s story.

Unfortunately, Crime Junkie has now released an episode claiming they “discovered” and “investigated” the case. That is simply not true. Their work appears to have been directly lifted from our years of research and a Reddit (post), without any acknowledgment or attempt to contact us. Sadly, this behavior is not new for Crime Junkie, which has previously faced plagiarism accusations from several other creators, including On the Case with Paula Zahn, The Trail Went Cold, Trace Evidence, Once Upon a Crime, and Dealing Justice.

What’s most disappointing is that we genuinely believe the hosts of Crime Junkie share our ultimate goal, to give Gwen’s story the attention it deserves. We’re not backed by a mega corporation with an army of researchers; we’re an independent show run by two guys with full-time jobs and families who simply love telling meaningful stories.

At the end of the day, if their episode helps spread awareness about Gwen, that’s a win for her and her loved ones, and that’s what matters most.

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to listen (or re-listen) to our updated and remastered four-part series on the disappearance of Gwen Hasselquist, releasing this weekend. And don’t worry, Part 2 of Lost in the Shadow of the Rockies is still scheduled for release on October 31.

Thank you for continuing to support independent podcasts like ours. We truly appreciate every one of you.

Gwen Hasselquist Part 1 - The Original Investigation (Orig. Released 11/8/2021)
Gwen Hasselquist Part 2 - The Police Report (Orig. Released 12/27/2021)
Gwen Hasselquist Part 3 - Interview with Gwen's Best Friend, Dawn (Orig. Released 07/25/2022)
Gwen Hasselquist Part 4 - Interview with Gwen's Step Sister, Dora (Orig. Released 08/22/2022)

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Crime Off The Grid
Off The Trails
The Weirdos We Know
Who Runs This Park

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Hosts:
Mike Van de Bogert
Joe Erato

Intro/Outro “Cornfield Chase” – Cinematic Waves & Rafael Krux (licensed) → https://soundcloud.com/cinematicwav3s/cornfield-chase

Disclaimers:
This episode discusses the suspicious circumstances surrounding Gwen Hasselquist's death based solely on publicly available social media posts and online information. All statements are our opinions and speculation, not verified facts or accusations of guilt or wrongdoing. We encourage listeners to research independently and form their own conclusions. If you have information or corrections, contact us at 208-391-6913. No harm is intended.

If Erik Hasselquist or anyone involved wants to provide clarifications, corrections, or appear on the show, please reach out, we'd welcome the opportunity to update or retract any inaccuracies.

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