Cardinal Crimes
At Cardinal Crimes, we want "true crime" to have a purpose.
Here, we aim to raise awareness of cases, deepen understanding of various types of crime and the psychology driving them, and explore ways to prevent future crime—whether through individual actions, community efforts, societal change, or policy reform.
We do this by speaking with survivors, victims, experts, policymakers, offenders, and more to learn all that we can about crime and how to stop it.
Episodes
38 episodes
REVISIT: Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, Domestic Violence Homicide Risk Factors, the Violence Against Women Act, Abuser Interventions
This week, we’re revisiting a past episode with freshly cleaned-up audio before diving into a brand-new cold case next week. This particular interview is one I’m especially proud of. It was such an honor to speak with someone with such knowledg...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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42:44
MURDERED: Laura Van Wyhe, October 26, 1996, Kahoka, Missouri
Laura Van Wyhe spent the evening of Friday, October 25, 1996 celebrating her recent 21st birthday with family and friends. Hours later, around 2 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, 1996, she was found critically injured along Highway 136 near Kahoka,...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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25:32
MURDERED AND MISSING: Bill and Kay Wood, Norwalk, Iowa Part 2 of 2
On July 30, 2011, a massive fire destroyed the home of Bill and Kay Wood. One victim was found in the rubble, and testing would later confirm the remains were those of Bill. An autopsy revealed he had been shot several times before the fire. Ka...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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32:47
MURDERED AND MISSING: Bill and Kay Wood, July 30, 2011, Norwalk, Iowa Part 1 of 2
On July 30, 2011, firefighters rushed to a massive late-night blaze in Norwalk, Iowa. When the flames were finally extinguished, the charred remains of 79-year-old Bill Wood were discovered inside. His wife, Kay, was missing, and the couple’s t...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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24:01
MISSING: Crystal Arensdorf, Last seen July 4, 2001 in Dubuque, Iowa
In the early morning hours of July 4, 2001, Crystal Arensdorf vanished after being out at a bar in Dubuque, Iowa with friends. After countless searches, interviews, and months of investigating, there was no sign of the 20-year-old. In fact, no ...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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21:26
INTERVIEW: Frank Figliuzzi, Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers, Sex Trafficking, and Solutions
In 2004, an analyst from the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation discovered a pattern of murdered women dumped along the Interstate 40 corridor in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Her work eventually led to the creation of the FBI’s Hig...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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40:44
MURDERED: Tammy Zywicki, August 23, 1992, Interstate 80, Illinois
Tammy Zywicki was last seen on Sunday, August 23, 1992, on her way back to college in Grinnell, Iowa. When her parents didn’t receive word that she’d arrived safely, and later learned her vehicle had been abandoned along I-80, they reported her...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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45:05
MURDERED: Lyric Cook-Morrissey & Elizabeth Collins, Evansdale, Iowa Part Two
Almost a year after the abduction of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins from Evansdale, Iowa, two more young girls would be abducted from a town just under two hours away. On May 20, 2013, 15-year-old Kathlynn Shephard and 12-year-old D...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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19:22
MURDERED: Lyric Cook-Morrissey & Elizabeth Collins, July 13, 2012, Evansdale, Iowa - Part One
On July 13, 2012, ten-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and eight-year-old Elizabeth Collins went for a bike ride in the quiet town of Evansdale, Iowa and never came home. Their bicycles and a purse were found abandoned, sparking a massive search e...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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39:47
NEWS: Brian Kohberger's Plea, Jodi Huisentruit Doc, and a Sentencing in the Breonna Taylor Case
In this bonus episode (possibly a recurring segment, we'll see), we’re digging into some of the biggest headlines in the crime space. First, we break down Brian Kohberger’s early July plea in the University of Idaho murders and explore how repo...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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20:18
MISSING: Marc Allen, March 29, 1986, Des Moines, Iowa
In the final part of our series on the “milk carton kids,” we turn our focus to Marc Allen, a 13-year-old who disappeared in 1986 under circumstances somewhat similar to that of Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin. Though Marc’s face never appeared ...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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25:52
ABDUCTED: Eugene Martin, August 12, 1984, Des Moines, Iowa
Almost exactly two years after the abduction of 12-year-old paper boy Johnny Gosch, another young paperboy was abducted. In this episode, we examine the 1984 abduction of 13-year-old Eugene Martin, a Des Moines paperboy whose disappearance prom...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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18:36
ABDUCTED: Johnny Gosch, September 5, 1982, Des Moines, Iowa
Have you heard of the original milk carton kids?In the first episode of this three-part series, we explore the 1982 disappearance of 12-year-old Johnny Gosch, one of the first missing children to appear on a milk carton. Johnny’s case ma...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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13:46
REVISIT: Janine Latus, Domestic Violence, Self Worth, Subtle Red Flags & Her Award Winning Book
We are revisiting this episode as I was able to clean up the audio that was a little off in the original recording! I hope you enjoy it. In this episode, I sit down with Janine Latus, an award-winning journalist, domestic violence s...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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47:06
MURDERED: Corinne Perry, Creston, Iowa, April 17, 1983
Corinne Perry was last seen at the Highlander Laundromat on April 17, 1983. Her car was left abandoned in the laundromat parking lot, with her clothes folded neatly inside of it. Days later, her purse was found miles away on a bridge. Despite m...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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17:28
UPDATE: Jodi Huisentruit, Abducted June 27, 1995, Mason City, Iowa
This June is the 30-year anniversary of Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance and abduction. She was abducted from her apartment complex parking lot on June 27th, 1995. I covered this case in a different episode when we sat down with Scott Fuller fr...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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37:48
MURDERED: Nohema Graber, November, 2021, Fairfield, Iowa
On November 2nd, 2021, two 16-year-old boys beat their 66-year-old Spanish teacher, Nohema Graber, to death. The reasoning? They were getting bad grades in her class. The murder of Nohema Graber stunned the community of Fairfield, Iowa, and the...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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40:01
MURDERED: Tristyn Bailey, May 2021, Florida
In this episode, we discuss the tragic murder of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey by 14-year-old Aiden Fucci. I wanted to cover this case after watching the Netflix series Adolescence, a four-part series that dives into the epidemic of violence again...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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55:59
MISSING: Denise Fraley, Last seen September 12, 1982, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
When Denise Fraley went missing in 1982, her husband was immediately suspected of having been involved. Not only because of his bizarre and changing stories about what happened to her, but because of a history of domestic violence in their marr...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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26:13
MISSING: Jesse Leopold, Last seen October 13, 2016 in Jewell, Iowa
On October 13, 2016, Jesse Leopold, 23, left work during the middle of his shift and was never seen again. Days later, his truck was found abandoned at Ledges State Park in Iowa. While multiple searches have been conducted at the Ledges State P...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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21:30
HOMICIDE: Anthony Mitchell, January 2023, Walker County Jail, Jasper, Alabama (Part 2 of 2)
In early 2023 it was revealed that the Walker County Jail in Jasper, Alabama attempted to cover up the abuse and death of an inmate in their custody. The inmate, Anthony Mitchell, was forced to endure horrific conditions at the jail and was rep...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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34:26
HOMICIDE: Anthony Mitchell, January 2023, Walker County Jail, Jasper, Alabama (Part 1 of 2)
In early 2023 it was revealed that the Walker County Jail in Jasper, Alabama attempted to cover up the abuse and death of an inmate in their custody. The inmate, Anthony Mitchell, was forced to endure horrific conditions at the jail and was rep...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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30:59
SUSPICIOUS DEATH: Keara Coshow, July 12, 1979, Red Oak, Iowa
On July 12, 1979, a fire at the Hill Top Motel in Red Oak, Iowa claimed the life of 3-year-old Keara Coshow. Investigators were quick to rule Keara’s death a tragic accident: the result of spilled paint thinner being ignited by a gas heater. Bu...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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26:27
MISSING: Elizabeth Syperda, Last Seen July 16, 2000 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Elizabeth Syperda, 22 years old, was last seen on July 16, 2000, at her apartment in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Almost immediately, her estranged husband, Michael Syperda, was suspected of having harmed her. The relationship between Elizabeth and Mi...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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37:00
SURVIVOR: Garrett B., Domestic Violence Against Men, Barriers to Reporting, and the Lack of Resources Specific to Male Victims
In this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Garrett B., a male victim of intimate partner violence. We have heard from victims of intimate partner violence before, but all of those were from a woman’s perspective. In this conversation,...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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37:22
