Going West: True Crime

Dark West Productions

Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman discuss haunting details of different disappearance and murder cases week by week. New episodes released every Tuesday evening PST!

  • 48 minutes 47 seconds
    The Au Pair Murders // 479

    In February of 2023, a 37-year-old pediatric nurse was stabbed to death inside her suburban Virginia home, alongside a stranger from a dating app. But what appeared to be the scene of a sexual tryst gone terribly wrong quickly changed in the eyes of investigators the more they questioned the family’s live-in au pair. And when they did, a sinister plot revealed itself. This is the story of Christine Banfield. It’s also the story of Joseph Ryan, known as the Au Pair Murders.

    21 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 45 minutes 10 seconds
    Morgan Bauer // 478

    In February of 2016, a 19-year-old woman departed her home state of South Dakota bound for Atlanta, Georgia. She had arranged to stay at the home of a man she’d met on Craigslist, in exchange for cleaning his house, but he kicked her out after just one day. And then, she disappeared. Mired in unsubstantiated rumors, pointed fingers, and familial disputes, this case has been complicated from the start. But finally, much resolution has come to her story, proving that she was murdered. This is the story of Morgan Bauer.

    18 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 49 minutes 6 seconds
    Tarrant County Killer // 477

    In March of 2017, a 36-year-old Navajo woman left her aunt’s house in New Mexico after visiting Arizona, but she never made it to her destination. Five years after she went missing, her former boyfriend was arrested for the murder and dismemberment of at least three people - later saying they were ritualistic sacrifice killings whom he engaged in cannibalism with. This is the story of Tanya Begay, and horrific actions by the Tarrant County Serial Killer.

    14 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    John O'Keefe // 476

    In January of 2022, a Boston police officer was found dead in a snowbank outside the home of a friend. When his cause of death was discovered to be blunt force trauma and hypothermia, it soon became the belief that it had not been the result of a tragic accident, but instead, a murder. His killer, at least according to the people in attendance that night, was his girlfriend. But many others point to police corruption, as multiple people at John’s last known whereabouts were in law enforcement. This is the story of John O’Keefe.

    11 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 59 minutes 19 seconds
    Malvina Krutz // 475

    In January of 1958, a 41-year-old Indiana mother went missing from her home, only to be found dead in her bathtub. Still mostly clothed and submerged under the water, she had drowned, but had also sustained blunt force trauma before her death - with clear signs of homicide. When her friends reported seeing someone flee in her vehicle shortly before her body was discovered, police questioned over 250 people looking for answers into the incredibly suspicious murder scene at her home. This is the story of Malvina Krutz.

    7 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 45 minutes 13 seconds
    Sandra Birchmore // 474

    In February of 2021, a 23-year-old aspiring police officer in Massachusetts was found dead in her apartment under suspicious circumstances. After police investigated the scene, they concluded that she had taken her own life. But as her family pushed for answers, they uncovered a shocking case of abuse of power and assault by multiple men she knew and trusted. This is the story of Sandra Birchmore.

    4 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 41 minutes 53 seconds
    Aranda Briones // 473

    In January of 2019, a 16-year-old girl went missing, last seen at a community park near her Moreno Valley, California home. As police searched for any sign of her, a sinister revenge plot unfolded before their eyes, with the main suspect in her likely murder described as nothing but “pure evil.” This is the story of Aranda Briones.

    31 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 58 minutes 37 seconds
    Lana Clarkson // 472

    In February of 2003, a 40-year-old model and actress living in Los Angeles headed to her shift at the House of Blues Hollywood like any other Sunday. When a successful, notable music producer walked in to her VIP lounge, they got to talking - and her shift ended with him inviting her back to his mansion for a nightcap. But within an hour of his driver dropping them inside his home, a gunshot rang out, and she was pronounced dead in the foyer. This is the story of Lana Clarkson.

    28 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 45 minutes
    Nicole Lovell // 471

    In January of 2016, a 13-year-old Virginia girl snuck out of her bedroom in the middle of the night, headed to meet up with someone she had befriended online. But unbeknownst to her, she was being groomed by a young man who had horrific plans for her. When her mother discovered she was missing, and the police and FBI became involved, they quickly found the identity of their suspect, with a second person coming forth with a terrifying confession. This is the story of Nicole Lovell.

    24 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 54 minutes 29 seconds
    The Dartmouth Murders // 470

    In January of 2001, two wonderful and married German-born Dartmouth College professors were stabbed to death inside the study of their New Hampshire home. An investigation into their brutal homicides began, with police initially believing it was a crime of passion. But after sifting through numerous false leads, a bloody footprint and two distinctive knife sheaths led them to their unassuming culprits. These are the murders of Doctors Susanne and Half Zantop, also known as The Dartmouth Murders.

    21 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Elaine Park // 469

    In January of 2017, a 20-year-old aspiring actress in Los Angeles went missing after abruptly leaving her boyfriend’s Calabasas home in the early morning hours after seemingly suffering a panic attack. Days later, her car turned up on the Pacific Coast Highway in nearby Malibu, but she was nowhere to be found. Investigators are still hoping that the multiple clips of surveillance footage available and the strange happenings on her phone in those early hours will help bring much-needed resolution. This is the story of Elaine Park.

    17 January 2025, 8:00 am
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