A Crime's Ripple Effect
A Crime’s Ripple Effect is a true crime podcast that looks beyond the crime itself to explore the waves it sets in motion. Each episode revisits a case that didn’t just shatter lives—it reshaped laws, policies, or society at large. Through a careful, factual narrative, we trace how one violent act sparked consequences that reached far beyond the immediate victims, influencing justice systems, communities, and culture.
This is not just about what happened. It’s about what happened after.
A Crime's Ripple Effect
The Day Childhood Changed – The Disappearance of the Lyons Sisters
On March 25, 1975, two young sisters—10-year-old Katherine and 12-year-old Sheila Lyons—left their suburban Maryland home to walk to Wheaton Plaza. It was a short trip, one they’d made many times before. They were never seen again.
The disappearance of the Lyons Sisters shattered a sense of safety in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. It sparked one of the largest missing child investigations in U.S. history and haunted an entire generation of parents and children. But what happened after the girls vanished? And how did their story ripple outward—into the media, into the justice system, and into the national conversation about child safety?
In this episode, we go back to that spring day in 1975 and retrace the timeline, the early missteps, and the years of silence that followed. We explore how the case influenced law enforcement practices, fueled public anxiety, and led to a break decades later that stunned the nation.
This is the story of two sisters, a shattered community, and the ripple effect that changed how we protect our children.