Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

41 minutes 40 seconds

Austin Kanuch: The Mountain Bike Clue in a Targeted Murder

On September 21, 2023, Austin Kanuch and his wife closed on a new home where they planned to raise their family. Before they could move, someone entered their rental home in the early morning hours, attacked Austin in his bedroom, and left his wife Mary and their young son physically unharmed.

Investigators believe Austin was targeted. Nothing was stolen, no one else in the house was injured, and detectives found no known conflict in Austin's work, relationships, or personal life that explains why someone would want him dead. Nearly two years later, surveillance video showed an unidentified person arriving at Austin's street on a mountain bike shortly before the attack and leaving again afterward. The rider's face is not visible, but investigators believe someone may recognize the route, the bike, or the person.

Austin was a devoted father of three, husband, son, friend, singer, car enthusiast, and barbecue fanatic. Nearly three years later, his murder remains unsolved, and up to $40,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest. We share Austin's story and the questions his family still needs answered.

https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForAustinKanuch/

Tips can be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Houston by calling 713-222-TIPS. That’s 713-222-8477.

Information can also be submitted online at https://crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers Houston mobile app.

Anyone who prefers to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office directly can call 713-755-6044.

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10 September 2026, 4:00 am

51 minutes 37 seconds

Judge Kevin Mullins: The Silent Video and the Sheriff Who Shot Him

On September 19, 2024, Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins and Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines ate lunch together in Whitesburg, Kentucky, then walked back to the courthouse for a private conversation in the judge's chambers. Nearly 10 minutes later, surveillance video showed Stines pull out his gun and shoot Mullins. The video has no audio, leaving the central question unanswered: what was said in that room before the shooting?

Stines surrendered at the courthouse and is charged with murder of a public official. He has pleaded not guilty. His defense is expected to focus on his mental condition in the days surrounding the killing, including reports that he had not slept, had become paranoid about his family, and appeared to be in crisis. We also address the online rumor involving Stines's daughter, why the facts do not support it, and the federal civil lawsuit involving a former deputy whose crimes had been connected to Mullins's chambers.

The shooting was captured on camera. The man accused of firing the gun was identified immediately. But with no audio, a pending trial, and a motive that has not been publicly established, Kevin Mullins's family and a small Kentucky community are still waiting for answers.

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8 September 2026, 4:00 am

58 minutes 52 seconds

The Chicago Strangler Cases: The Unforgotten 51

Between 2001 and 2017, at least 75 women were strangled or smothered in Chicago. Many were found in alleys, vacant buildings, garbage cans, and other places where it was easy for their deaths to become separate case files instead of a citywide emergency. The women were daughters, mothers, artists, business owners, caregivers, and friends. Their names included Angela Ford, Gwendolyn Williams, Nancy Walker, Margaret Gomez, Teresa Bunn, Hazel Lewis, and Rio Renee Holyfield.

In 2018, the Chicago Tribune identified 75 women whose cases showed a devastating pattern. 25 cases had been closed, while more than two thirds remained unsolved. Families and advocates had long questioned whether some of the murders were connected. The term "Chicago Strangler" became shorthand for those fears, but Chicago police have said there is no evidence that one person killed every woman in the group. The available evidence points to an even more difficult possibility: some cases may be linked, some may involve multiple offenders, and far too many families are still waiting for answers.

We discuss the women at the heart of these cases, the investigation that revealed the scale of the failures, and the work advocates continue to do to make sure they are not forgotten.

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3 September 2026, 4:00 am

1 hour 3 minutes

The Murder of Lori Ann Slesinski: A Conviction Without a Body

In June 2006, 24 year old Lori Ann Slesinski left an Auburn Walmart to pick up drink mixes before a night at her best friend’s house. She never arrived. Days later, her Yorkshire Terrier, Peanut, was found safe in her mobile home, but Lori was gone. Her kitchen rugs and telephone cord were missing, the answering machine messages had disappeared, and her Mazda was later found burned on a secluded Auburn street.

Lori’s friend Derrill Richard Ennis, known as Rick, was the last person known to be with her. He claimed she had left to make a drug deal, but police found nothing to support that story. The case went cold for years, even as questions remained about the evidence inside Lori’s home and near her burned vehicle.

Sixteen years later, investigators rebuilt the case without Lori’s body. A jury ultimately found Derrill guilty of capital murder, but Lori’s remains have never been recovered. We cover Lori’s disappearance, the cold case investigation, and the trial that brought her family a measure of justice.

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1 September 2026, 4:00 am

36 minutes 43 seconds

Emma Compton: The Trial Is Underway

Today, we’re replaying our 2024 episode about Emma Compton Layne, a woman remembered by the people who loved her for her generous heart, her contagious joy, and the way she always showed up for her family. Emma disappeared in June 2017 after working at her store in Halifax County, Virginia. Months later, her remains were found, leaving her loved ones with years of grief and unanswered questions.

Since we first shared Emma’s story, there has been a significant development in the case. In November 2024, Emma’s husband, Russell Wayne Layne, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death. As this episode is re-released, his trial is underway. We’re revisiting Emma’s case because she deserves to be remembered not only for what happened to her, but for the life she lived and the love she gave so freely. Our hearts are with Emma’s family and everyone who continues to carry her memory through this difficult time.

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28 August 2026, 4:00 am

1 hour 6 minutes

The Murder of Peggy Carr: Poisoned Coca-Cola and the Neighbor Next Door

In the fall of 1988, Peggy Carr, her son Duane Dubberly, and her stepson Travis Carr became violently ill inside their rural Florida home. The symptoms were strange and terrifying: severe nerve pain, numbness, weakness, trouble walking, and eventually, hair loss. Doctors discovered they had been exposed to thallium, a rare and deadly heavy metal.

The source was even more disturbing. Someone had carefully opened glass bottles of Coca-Cola, added thallium, resealed the caps, and placed the bottles inside the Carr home. Peggy died after spending more than four months in a coma. Six other members of the household were also poisoned, including a young child.

The investigation pointed to George Trepal, the Carr family's next-door neighbor. He had chemistry knowledge, a history of disputes with the family, and a bottle-capping machine in his garage. We cover the poisoning, the undercover operation that gave investigators access to Trepal's home, the trial, and the later questions about FBI testimony that did not overturn his conviction.

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SOURCES:

https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1993/77667-0.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1378976.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-11th-circuit/1606616.html

https://www.leg.state.fl.us/capitalcases/inmatedetails7d85.html?IID=403

https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/special/9704a/21trepal.htm

https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/345265/file/01-2267_petition.pdf

https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/apb/ALL_POINTS_BULLETIN%2C_VOL_1%2C_NO_3%2C_1991.pdf

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/01/Poisoning-suspect-had-staged-murder-party/4393641534400/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/04/08/sebring-man-arrested-in-fatal-cola-tampering/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/26/suspect-used-poison-before-officials-say/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/05/fatal-cola-tampering-case-goes-to-jury/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/06/man-guilty-of-murder-in-poisoning-of-neighbors/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/03/08/family-s-bitterness-persists-despite-death-sentence-for-man/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/09/17/murder-on-the-mind/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/04/16/u-s-probe-fbi-lab-work-flawed-florida-convictions/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2000/10/27/judge-calls-fbi-agent-s-work-sloppy-but-death-verdict-stands/

https://books.google.com/books/about/Poison_Mind.html?id=jkoR8UN8-PIC

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38420185/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8249271/

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27 August 2026, 4:00 am

55 minutes 50 seconds

The Murder of Alex Pennig: Behind the Locked Bathroom Door

When 32-year-old nurse Alex Pennig was found dead inside the bathroom of her St. Paul apartment, the man who called 911, Matthew Ecker, insisted she had taken her own life behind a locked door. Alex had struggled with depression and addiction in the past, and at first, there were details that seemed to support his story. But the scene inside the bathroom told a much more complicated story.

Investigators found a strangely clean gun resting on Alex’s chest, almost no blood on Matthew despite his claims that he had tried to save her, and a bathroom door that didn’t seem to fit his version of events. Matthew’s explanation of what happened also began to change. Then, underneath Alex’s head, investigators discovered a tiny piece of metal from the bathroom door’s locking mechanism, which was the evidence they believed showed the door had been forced open before Alex was shot.

We cover Alex’s life and the struggles she worked so hard to overcome, her complicated relationship with Matthew, the final hours before her death, the inconsistencies investigators found inside her apartment, and the small piece of evidence that helped reveal what really happened behind that bathroom door.

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25 August 2026, 4:00 am

1 hour 2 minutes

The Disappearance of Andrew Gosden: The One-Way Ticket to London

On September 14, 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden left his home in Doncaster dressed for school. After his family left for the day, he returned home, changed out of his uniform, withdrew £200 from his bank account, and bought a one-way ticket to London.

Andrew arrived at King’s Cross Station at 11:20 that morning. CCTV captured him walking out of the station alone five minutes later. That is the last confirmed image of him. Nearly 19 years later, his family still does not know why he went to London or what happened after he arrived.

We cover Andrew’s life, the carefully planned trip, the missed opportunities in the early investigation, the possible sightings, and the questions that remain in one of the United Kingdom’s most enduring missing person cases.

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20 August 2026, 4:00 am

52 minutes 50 seconds

The Murder of Harold Allen: The Root Beer Float Poisoning

For months, Harold Allen suffered from worsening illnesses that doctors could not fully explain. When he died in Freetown, Indiana, just days before Christmas 2022, his death was attributed to serious cardiac problems. His family believed they had lost him to a sudden decline in his health.

Nine months later, a burglary at the home of Harold’s widow, Marsha Allen, gave investigators a reason to look again. What began as a break in led detectives to thousands of text messages between Marsha and her daughter, Ashley Jones, and evidence of a poisoning plot that included a root beer float. In 2025, Ashley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Marsha died before she was charged.

We cover Harold’s life, the illnesses that were not what they seemed, the burglary that changed the investigation, and the evidence that finally explained what happened.

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18 August 2026, 4:00 am

57 minutes 32 seconds

Holly Bartlett's Death: The Unanswered Hours Beneath Halifax's MacKay Bridge

In March 2010, Holly Bartlett, a 31 year old blind public servant and graduate student, left a party in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and took a cab toward her condo. Seven hours later, ironworkers found her critically injured inside a fenced area beneath the MacKay Bridge, less than 1,000 feet from her home.

Police concluded Holly became disoriented after leaving the cab, entered the restricted area, climbed a steep concrete abutment, and fell. But the people who knew Holly best struggled to accept that explanation. Holly had spent years mastering the orientation and mobility skills that allowed her to live independently. Her cane was later found leaning against a fence after police and a search dog had already searched the area. Her phone and wallet were discovered scattered in her condo parking lot. The cab driver, Paul Fraser, gave changing accounts of what happened after he dropped her off.

A 2014 independent review upheld the accidental death finding, but criticized important parts of the original investigation, including delayed neighborhood canvassing and the brief initial interview with the last person known to see Holly alive. We cover Holly's life, the final night that cannot be fully reconstructed, and the questions her family still carries.

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13 August 2026, 4:00 am

57 minutes 34 seconds

The Sherry Murders: The "Dixie Mafia", a Corrupt Gulf Coast, and the Judge Who Couldn't Be Bought

In September 1987, Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret were found shot to death inside their Biloxi, Mississippi home. Vincent was a former Air Force colonel, a law professor, and a sitting circuit court judge. Margaret was a prominent local attorney and politician. Neither had any known enemies. The investigation would take years and lead directly into the heart of the Dixie Mafia, a loose network of contract killers, drug smugglers, and corrupt officials who had turned Biloxi's Gulf Coast into one of the most lawless stretches in the American South.

What investigators eventually uncovered was that Vincent's own law partner, Peter Hallett, had pointed Dixie Mafia hitman Kirksey Nix toward the Sherrys to protect himself from a money dispute he had no clean way out of. Peter stood at the Sherry family's side at the funeral. He handed out copies of the eulogy to the press. He described Vincent and Margaret as family.Convictions were eventually secured for racketeering, fraud, conspiracy, and murder-for-hire. But no one was ever charged with pulling the trigger inside the Sherry home. The murders technically remain unsolved.

We cover the full story, including the Dixie Mafia, the corruption that made Biloxi a criminal safe haven, the Sherry family, and the betrayal that set everything in motion.

Thank you to this week's sponsors!

Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.

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11 August 2026, 4:00 am