The Vanished Podcast

Aaron Watkins was just 18 years-old when he vanished from New Jersey on November 11, 2007. Aaron had a tough childhood going from a home with his mother and siblings into foster care and eventually being adopted by a very strict, religious family. Before he disappeared, he was struggling to figure out where he fit in this world and who he belonged with. On November 11, 2007, he made a series of phone calls to those close to him and then the Jeep he was driving was found abandoned on the Driscoll Bridge. What happened to Aaron? Did he jump that day? Did take off and start over somewhere else? Did someone make his disappearance look like a suicide? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Jan 201754min

21-year-old Jennifer Wix and her 2-year-old daughter, Adrianna, have been missing for almost 13 years. Before they vanished, they had been living in rural Robertson County, Tennessee with Jennifer's boyfriend, Joey Benton, and his family. Joey was the last known person to see Jennifer and Adrianna. Their case has been reclassified as a homicide case but no one has ever been charged. Jennifer's mom, Kathy, spoke with me about the details surrounding their disappearance and also what it is like to have both a daughter and granddaughter go missing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14 Jan 201745min

Rachel was just 19 when she vanished while jogging in her quiet neighborhood in Georgetown, Texas. Fifteen years later, her disappearance is still a mystery. Many people witnessed Rachel running that morning but no one witnessed what happened to her. Was she abducted by a stranger or did someone she know have a motive to harm her? There will be a memorial run for Rachel this weekend. You find more information here: http://www.active.com/georgetown-tx/running/distance-running-races/rachel-cooke-memorial-run-2017 For more information on the free self-defense class: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/williamson-county-sheriffs-office-self-defense-academy-for-children-tickets-28865611822 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 Jan 201755min

Kelsie Schelling has been missing since February of 2013. She had recently found out that she was expecting and while she was excited to become a mom, the father of her child, Donthe Lucas, was not so thrilled. She texted an ultrasound picture to Donthe shortly before she vanished. Upon seeing the photo, he encouraged her to travel from Denver down to Pueblo to visit him. Supposedly, he had a surprise that he wanted to show her. Kelsie made the trip to Pueblo but she never made it home. She left behind a trail of text messages and her car was seen on multiple surveillance videos in the Pueblo area. Where is Kelsie and why has no one been prosecuted?December 2017 Update: Donthe Lucas has been charged with Kelsie's murder. Read more here: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/donthe-lucas-charged-with-first-degree-murder-in-kelsie-schelling-disappearanceMarch 2021 Update: On March 8, 2021, Donthe Lucas was found guilty of first degree murder.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Dec 201647min

On August 7, 1997 Casey told his father and a co-worker that he had been threatened by some loggers. Casey and his father set-up a meeting for the following weekend to discuss what was going on. He left his shift at the Waffle House at 4:30am on the 8th and was last seen later that morning at a gas station in Marshall, Texas. His Isuzu truck was later found abandoned with bullets scattered all over the floor. Was Casey being scammed and finally caught on? Who would have had the motive to harm Casey? We will explore those questions in this episode of The Vanished. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Dec 201652min

Aliayah Paige Lunsford was just 3 years old when she vanished from her home in Weston, West Virginia on September 24, 2011. She had been sick with flu like symptoms and when her mom, Lena, went to take her temperature, she realized that Aliayah was missing. Sadly, after five years, no trace of Aliayah has been found. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10 Dec 201627min

Lexy Anne Stacy was a kind-hearted and independent-thinking young woman raised by two loving parents in Colorado's eastern plains. At 21, Lexy's BFF was her mother, Cindy, and she had three years in at the Westminster Walmart, where was named Employee of the Month, was well-liked, and made easy friends. Very much her own person, Stacy's tattoo sleeves and make-up heavy aesthetic were extensions of her vibrant and cheerful personality. But Lexy's technicolor world dimmed after she met Daniel Perkins on her 21st birthday. Perkins, a self-professed erudite and ladies' man, soon wreaked havoc in the Stacy household, driving a wedge between Lexy and her parents, and eventually Lexy and her friends. In the spring of 2015, Perkins gave Lexy a laptop to pawn because he didn't have an ID. What he didn't tell her was that he'd stolen it from her friend's house. Soon, a felony warrant was issued for her arrest. Things only got worse. Despite his previous failures as a criminal, Perkins robbed a bank in late May 2015, and was swiftly arrested. Nevertheless, Lexy exploited a clerical error to spring her sweetheart from the pokey. They've been on the run ever since. Where they are is anybody's guess. In late July 2016, a Missouri woman named Sheena Cox attempted to extort $2,000 from Lexy's heartbroken parents in exchange for information on their daughter's whereabouts. Disturbingly, Sheena implied Lexy was being held against her will, but records also show Sheena has been embroiled in a variety of real estate schemes. This week's investigation traces Lexy's whereabouts to a faux-utopia called Astral Valley, where Cox and Co. masquerade as peace lovin' hippies but may very well be involved in darker dealings behind the scenes? How can two cash-poor kids travel unnoticed for so long? We explore these questions and more in this episode of The Vanished. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Dec 20161h

16 year-old Enrique Rios and 17 year-old Elijah Moore are friends and attend a construction training program together through their school. Enrique was last seen at his home in Esparto, California on the evening of October 17, 2016. A few weeks later, on November 4, 2016, Elijah vanished after cashing his check at California Check Cashing in Woodland, California. Their families have struggled to get law enforcement and the media interested in their cases. After speaking with their families, we reached out to Derrica Wilson, president of Black and Missing Foundation, for some assistance. The families have started a tip line. If you have any information, please call 530-270-9221. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Nov 20161h 3min