THE DISAPPEARANCES OF JENNIFER BARZILOSKI & PHYLICIA THOMAS: THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

Eighteen-year-old Jennifer Barziloski walks out into a warm June night in 2001 and never makes it home. Three years later, her closest friend, 22-year-old Phylicia Thomas—the one who wouldn’t stop asking what happened to Jennifer—vanishes too. One skull is found along an ATV trail years later; the other woman is still missing. The same names, the same party talk, the same rural pocket of Luzerne County keep surfacing. Coincidence—or a pattern everyone’s been too afraid to say out loud?

In this episode, we trace parallel timelines, pressure-test statements, and follow the geography that ties Lake Township, Hunlock Creek, and Ross Township together. We center the families’ voices and the records they’ve guarded for two decades, while separating rumor from what’s in the paperwork. Someone at that party knows exactly what happened. If fear kept you quiet then, it doesn’t have to now.

Content note: non-graphic discussion of suspected homicide, sexual violence, and post-mortem concealment.

Tips (anonymous welcomed):
 PA State Police – Wyoming Barracks: 570-697-2000
 PA Crime Stoppers: 1-800-4PA-TIPS (1-800-472-8477)
 Email us: crimerypod@gmail.com

Sources include Pennsylvania State Police materials, regional reporting (Times Leader, Citizens’ Voice, WNEP), court records, and family statements.

CRIMERY is reported, written, and hosted by Jennifer Novotney. Produced by Timothy Novotney.

Tip line & inquiries: crimerypod@gmail.com

If you found this episode valuable, follow, rate, and review in your podcast app it really helps others find the show.

Legal: Everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Content may include descriptions of violence. Listener discretion advised.

©2025 CRIMERY. All rights reserved.