More Than a Missing Hiker - Talking Valley of Shadows with Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd

More Than a Missing Hiker - Talking Valley of Shadows with Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd

James is joined by Dakota Spotlight researcher Mari Zoerb Hansen for a conversation with investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd about the making of Valley of Shadows, their deep dive into the disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay. It’s a discussion about reporting, persistence, and what happens when a case refuses to stay buried. Following the interview, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the series. Listen to Valley of Shadows: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/valley-of-shadows About Valley of Shadows: How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years. Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. Episode 1: The Devil's Punchbowl: Deputy Jon Aujay is former military, an ultramarathon runner, and a part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s elite SWAT unit, so when he fails to return home from a run in Antelope Valley’s Devil’s Punchbowl…no one knows what to think. The sheriff’s department launches a widespread search for him, but finds no trace. Theories of accident, suicide, and desertion swirl, but Aujay’s former boss — retired CaptainMike Bauer — is convinced there’s something darker at play. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact info@sixhorsemedia.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact info@sixhorsemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(231)

From Vacation to Investigation - Inside Someone Knows Something with David Ridgen

From Vacation to Investigation - Inside Someone Knows Something with David Ridgen

James sits down with award-winning filmmaker and host of Someone Knows Something, David Ridgen. We talk about his approach to storytelling, how he works with families, and what it really means to stay...

16 Apr 52min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (7): 15 Years Later

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (7): 15 Years Later

Years pass, and the case remains. In this final episode, we hear from people still connected to that night, to the investigation, and to what followed. They reflect on what has changed, what has not, ...

9 Apr 42min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (6): Travis on Trial

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (6): Travis on Trial

Inside the courtroom, the story is told again, through testimony, through argument, through the structure of a trial. And when it is all over, the jury returns a verdict, not guilty. A moment that res...

9 Apr 40min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (5): The Evidence Against Travis Stay

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (5): The Evidence Against Travis Stay

Here, we look at the case as it was built. What investigators believed, what prosecutors brought forward, the evidence piece by piece. And the questions that come with it, not just what it shows, but ...

2 Apr 29min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (4): A Portrait of Joel

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (4): A Portrait of Joel

Before all of this, there was Joel. In this episode, we step away from the investigation and spend time with the people who knew him. The stories are simple, but they stay with you, offering a picture...

2 Apr 32min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (3): Travis Stay, the Man in Yellow

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (3): Travis Stay, the Man in Yellow

Now the focus turns to Travis Stay, who was there that night, moving through the same space and crossing paths with the same people. As investigators begin to build a timeline, his name comes into sha...

26 Mar 38min

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (2): The Clown, the Cowboy, and the Hunter

Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (2): The Clown, the Cowboy, and the Hunter

In the hours after Joel is found, the story begins to shift and scatter. Witnesses recall different things, a clown, a cowboy, a hunter, a lion, people arriving and leaving, a party bus pulling in and...

26 Mar 47min

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