Jabez Spann was 14 years old when he disappeared from Sarasota, Florida, over Labor Day weekend in 2017. It would be two years before his remains were recovered and his death was ruled a homicide.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back Jabez’s mother, Tawana Spann, and her husband, Joe Spann, to mark nine years since Jabez went missing and renew their call for anyone with information about his murder to come forward. Tawana and Joe discuss the advocacy work they have built out of their grief, including the Jabez Spann Foundation, the Missing Our Voices podcast, and a new initiative called If We Could Speak.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl opens the episode with a call to action for anyone who knows what happened to Jabez Spann

(2:00) Tawana explains the one question she still needs answered about her son’s murder

(5:00) How living without answers can become its own kind of prison for families of missing and murdered children

(9:00) Why Jabez’s disappearance led Tawana to create resources for other families searching for loved ones

(11:45) How Missing Our Voices gives families a place to talk about the people they lost

(14:00) Joe Spann introduces the rapid response readiness kit, and the common misconceptions families can face when someone goes missing●

(17:00) Why organization during the first 72 hours can help families become more proactive in a missing-person investigation

(19:00) How If We Could Speak uses digital avatars to make people stop, listen, and remember the victim

(22:30) Jabez’s digital avatar focuses on the life he should have had and the future that was taken from him

(24:45) Joe appeals to anyone who has information about Jabez’s murder to do the right thing

(27:00) Joe reflects on Tawana’s strength and how she has channeled her grief into helping other families

(33:15) Tawana credits her mother, Lucille Tillery, with helping her turn her anger into advocacy for other families

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Tawana Spann is the mother of Jabez Spann and an advocate for families of missing and murdered loved ones. Through the Jabez Spann Foundation, Missing Our Voices podcast, and other initiatives created in her son’s memory, she works to provide families with practical resources, keep their loved one’s stories visible, and give them a place to be heard. Her husband, Joe Spann, works alongside her as a co-advocate through the foundation.

Related Episode

Who Killed Jabez Spann? | Seeking to Expose a Killer's Secret

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:●

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By 1901, Laura Bullion had traded the ranches of her childhood for life with the Wild Bunch, the outlaw gang associated with Butch Cassisy and the Sundance Kid, and took part in the Great Northern train robbery that would eventually send her to prison. After years spent waiting for Ben Kilpatrick, she reinvented herself as a seamstress in Memphis, leaving the people around her with no idea about the life she had once lived.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss to talk about Laura Bullion and her newest book, The Last Ride. Chris shares the circumstances that connected Laura to the Wild Bunch, what her prison letters tell us about her relationship with Ben Kilpatrick, and why women like Laura have been largely overlooked in the history of the American West.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl welcomes Chris Enss and introduces Laura Bullion, the little-known female outlaw of the Wild Bunch

(1:15) Laura’s childhood in Texas and the circumstances that put her among cowboys who would later turn to crime

(4:45) The complicated relationship between Laura and Will Carver, and how he connected her to the Wild Bunch

(7:15) Laura’s role in the 1901 Great Northern train robbery and the gang’s refuge at Hole-in-the-Wall

(8:45) How the famous Fort Worth Five photograph helped the Pinkerton detectives identify members of the Wild Bunch

(11:45) What Laura’s prison letters tell us about her dysfunctional relationship with Ben Kilpatrick

(14:30) Laura Bullion’s mugshot, her aliases, and the years surrounding the train robbery

(17:15) Remembering Laura as a criminal in her own right

(20:00) How brothels like Fannie Porter’s became a home base for members of the Wild Bunch

(22:45) Why the women of the American West, including female criminals, remain largely absent from popular history

(27:45) Laura leaves the outlaw life behind, becomes “Freda Lincoln,” and spends her later years as a seamstress in Memphis

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps

others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Chris Enss is a New York Times bestselling author who has spent more than three decades researching and writing about women of the American West. She has written more than two dozen books highlighting women whose contributions, adventures, and crimes have often been overlooked in traditional accounts of Western History.

Chris Enss’s The Last Ride tells the story of Laura Bullion and her life with the Wild Bunch.

Related Episode

The Outlaw Queen: Kathryn Throne and the Making of Machine Gun Kelly

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]●

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Prohibition era and the rise of organized crime in the early 20th century, Meyer Lansky emerged as one of the figures who helped shape the modern American mob. Through his partnerships with Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, he became closely tied to the development of legalized gambling in Las Vegas and casino operations in Cuba, earning the nickname the “Mob’s Accountant.” He was also remembered by his family for his insistence on education, philanthropy, and what his grandson describes as being a “mobster with morals” who believed in helping the communities where he did business.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes Meyer Lansky II to discuss his new book, The Lansky Legend: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky. Meyer shares his memories of his grandfather, how he gradually came to understand the life his grandfather lived, and his grandfather’s role in Prohibition, gambling, Cuba, and the early development of Las Vegas.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl introduces Meyer Lansky II and the legacy of his grandfather, Meyer Lansky

(2:00) What motivated Meyer to tell his grandfather’s story through The Lansky Legend

(5:00) The grandfather Meyer knew and the importance he placed on education, discipline, and doing things well

(7:00) What Meyer says about the reported $300 million fortune and what happened to his grandfather’s money

(10:00) The childhood gambling loss that taught Meyer Lansky never to bet again●

(11:15) How Meyer Lansky met Bugsy Siegel and why their opposite personalities worked so well together

(12:30) A confrontation with Lucky Luciano that became the beginning of another lifelong alliance

(14:45) Meyer Lansky II begins to realize his grandfather is not the ordinary businessman his family described

(16:30) The attempted kidnapping that led to FBI protection and his family secretly leaving town

(21:15) Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel’s early vision for Las Vegas and the Flamingo

(23:45) The FBI surveillance that followed Meyer Lansky into retirement and continued through the end of his life

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Meyer Lansky II is the grandson and namesake of one of the most recognizable figures in American organized crime history. He grew up knowing his grandfather personally and now shares those memories and family stories to help preserve a more complete picture of Meyer Lansky and the era he helped shape.

Meyer Lansky II’s The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky is available now. Learn more about the book and order your copy here.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum●

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during an altercation at a high school track meet and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Anthony’s defense team sought a new trial, and hearings this week revealed that prosecutors and the defense had agreed to keep certain evidence from the original jury.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by civil litigator Reagan Charleston Thomas to discuss what that newly disclosed information could mean for the case. They look at the agreement between prosecutors and the defense that kept information about both teenagers out of the original trial and the strategy behind that decision. Sheryl and Reagan also discuss the Nolan Wells case and the dispute over access to his phone before reacting to Judge Michael Chitty’s ruling denying Karmelo Anthony’s motion for a new trial.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl recaps the Karmelo Anthony case and introduces civil litigator Reagan Charleston Thomas

(3:00) Reagan discusses her work in digital harm litigation and why teenagers’ phones can become critical sources of evidence

(4:15) How lawyers build a case by telling a story within the framework of the law

(5:30) The agreement that kept damaging information about both Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf out of the original trial

(6:45) When a school could potentially face civil liability for known threats, bullying, or violent behavior

(8:00) Karmelo’s alleged text about shooting up the school and questions about why prosecutors chose not to introduce it

(12:00) A reported statement about stabbing someone and the evidence involving Austin’s prior graffiti arrest

(16:00) The role racial tension and concerns for both families' safety played in shaping trial strategy

(18:45) Reagan explains why the alleged knife-related text messages changed the way she viewed the evidence and self-defense claim

(21:45) Whether jurors should hear the good, the bad, and the ugly when attorneys decide what evidence reaches the courtroom

(25:45) What information cellphones may contain, the Nolan Wells case, and the dispute over access to his phone

(33:30) Judge Chitty denies Anthony’s motion for a new trial, and Reagan explains why the case is far from over

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Reagan Charleston Thomas is a civil litigator whose work includes social media addiction and digital harm litigation. A magna cum laude graduate of Loyola University law school, she also provides legal commentary for Fox News, Fox News Radio, and OutKick.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While executing an unrelated search warrant, law enforcement discovered 16 children in an isolated Ohio home, ranging in age from 18-month-old twins to an 18-year-old. Parents Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders face neglect allegations, while Gary Jr. has also been charged with misdemeanor counts of public indecency. All 16 children were taken to the hospital for evaluation after being removed from the home, with several requiring additional treatment.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum talks with Law&Crime correspondent Angenette Levy about the case. Angenette describes the deplorable living conditions inside the home, what school and truancy records reveal about the children’s years away from the classroom, and the medical treatment some required after being removed from the home. She and Sheryl also look at how an entire family could seemingly disappear from public view and what is known about how the household was being supported financially. Angenette closes the episode with a remarkable story of the day she was assigned to cover an active Amber Alert and ended up finding the missing toddler at the center of it.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl introduces Angenette Levy and explains why she turned to her for the latest on the Ohio case

(3:00) Authorities execute a sealed search warrant and unexpectedly find 16 children inside the Ohio home

(5:30) What is known about the public indecency charges against Gary Siders Jr. and what remains unclear

(8:30) School and truancy records raise questions about the children’s years away from the classroom

(12:30) A neighbor recalls seeing children run toward the house and later came to believe the property was vacant

(15:00) Reports about the conditions inside the home

(17:15) Angenette looks at public benefits, a local diaper bank, and questions how the household was being supported

(20:00) The role schools and mandated reporters can play in identifying children at risk

(22:45) The children’s medical treatment after being removed from the home

(26:00) Angenette shares how she found a missing toddler while covering an Amber Alert

(33:00) Where the children are now and the additional support provided through therapeutic foster care

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Angenette Levy is a correspondent and host with Law&Crime Network. She has covered major trials, including Steven Avery, Kyle Rittenhouse, and Derek Chauvin, and was Emmy-nominated in 2015 for a story in which she helped find a missing toddler during an active Amber Alert.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint

River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by human trafficking survivor and advocate Tina Dixon, who ran away as a young teenager before being trafficked through the Dixie Mafia’s network of brothels and organized prostitution across the South. Together, they discuss the grooming, manipulation, violence, and addiction traffickers use to control their victims and how organized trafficking operations adapt to changing technology as recruitment expands through social media and other online platforms. Tina also explains what finally helped her break free after decades of exploitation and why she has made it her mission to help others escape trafficking and rebuild their lives.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl explains the Dixie Mafia’s ties to human trafficking and the importance of understanding victimology in investigations

(2:00) Why investigators distinguish between different forms of commercial sexual exploitation and how those differences shape an investigation

(3:45) Tina runs away at 14, arrives on Bourbon Street, and becomes involved with an outlaw motorcycle club

(8:30) The differences between a “Cassanova pimp” and a “gorilla pimp” and how traffickers use manipulation before violence

(10:15) Inside Louisiana's prostitution “circuit” of roadside bars, gambling rooms, and brothels hidden throughout the bayous

(11:45) How traffickers groom children online using social media, emotional manipulation, and false promises

(15:00) Childhood abuse, addiction, and the vulnerabilities traffickers intentionally exploit

(17:15) Inside a rural brothel: how victims are trained, controlled, and punished

(23:15) Why traffickers profit while victims are left with addiction, trauma, and nothing to show for years of exploitation

(24:15) How online predators continue using the same grooming tactics to recruit children today

(26:45) The confrontation that led to Tina being shot twice

(30:00) Why Destiny House, Hookers for Jesus, and EMDR finally succeeded after 17 rehab attempts

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Tina Dixon is the founder and executive director of Queens Arise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping survivors of human trafficking build independent futures through education, career training, mentorship, and long-term recovery support. After surviving decades of trafficking herself, Tina now helps survivors create lasting stability while advocating for survivor-led solutions.

Learn more about Tina and sign up for updates on her upcoming memoir, Going to the Country: https://queensarise.org/tina-dixon/

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast●

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum takes a closer look at the ransom note released in the Nancy Guthrie case. Based on her decades of crime scene investigation experience, Sheryl examines the message line by line, pointing out the inconsistencies in its wording, timeline, demands, and structure while explaining why she has never believed the case was motivated by money. She’s been saying since day one: it doesn’t add up.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl’s long-held belief that Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance was never about money

(2:30) Why “Hello, Savannah” reads more like a greeting than a demand

(4:30) Timeline problems and contradictory deadlines that raise red flags

(6:30) A “safe drop-off” promise that doesn’t fit real kidnapper behavior

(8:15) Contradictions surrounding negotiation, payment demands, and deadlines

(10:00) The shift from “we” to “me” and why it may matter more than the author intended

(11:45) The watch detail and the stronger proof Sheryl says should have been included

(13:00) Details someone who was actually inside the house should have been able to describe

(14:15) A timeline of the ransom emails, family responses, reward increases, and missed deadlines

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by board-certified forensic pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee for a conversation about the ongoing investigation into the death of Nolan Wells. Using publicly known facts of the case, Dr. Priya explains how forensic pathologists approach a suspected drowning and why an autopsy is only one part of a death investigation. Together, they discuss why following the evidence, not speculation, is what will bring Nolan’s family the answers they need.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces Dr. Priya Banerjee to Zone 7 and explains why Nolan Wells’ family deserves facts, not speculation

(3:00) Why forensic pathologists rarely release preliminary autopsy findings before an investigation is complete

(6:00) Reconstructing Nolan Wells’ timeline and why seemingly trivial details can become important evidence

(7:45) What forensic pathologists look for when investigating a possible drowning

(10:15) Water in the lungs, stomach contents, decomposition, and why drowning is never diagnosed by one finding alone

(12:15) When families seek a second autopsy and how independent findings are evaluated

(15:00) The emotional impact conflicting forensic opinions have on grieving families

(18:15) Ruling out foul play: why investigators wait for a complete forensic examination

(20:45) How timelines, witness statements, GPS data, and autopsy findings must support one another

(22:15) The cost of speculation during an active death investigation

(24:00) Pattern recognition and the role of evidence in forensic investigations

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Dr. Priya Banerjee is a board-certified forensic pathologist with extensive experience in death investigation, clinical forensics, and courtroom testimony. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, she served for more than a decade as an assistant medical examiner for the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners and leads a private forensic pathology practice. She previously co-hosted Pathology with Dr. Priya, a forensic science series within Zone 7.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by retired Secret Service agent and polygraph examiner Brad Beeler to discuss what 25 years of talking with suspects, witnesses, victims, and some of the worst offenders taught him about getting people to open up and tell the truth. Brad covers why trust has to come before truth, the damage one accusatory word can do to a conversation, and how respect gets people to open up faster than pressure ever will. He also shares practical signs that may indicate deception, why sometimes the best thing you can do is stop talking and listen, and how the same principles he relied on in high-stakes investigations can help anyone become a better communicator.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces retired Secret Service agent Brad Beeler and the moment she saw his commitment to a cold case firsthand

(5:30) Why making people feel heard, respected, and genuinely listened to can change a conversation

(8:00) The worst thing you can call someone when you are trying to get the truth

(10:00) Why Brad aims to listen 80% of the time and what investigators can learn when they stop talking

(15:45) “Create a space where truth feels safe enough to emerge”

(17:45) Why even the worst offenders have to be treated with respect if investigators want answers

(21:30) How Brad evaluates possible deception without relying on a single supposed ‘tell’

(23:15) Turning a story into a yes-or-no question to test whether someone will stand behind what they said

(24:30) Delayed answers, vocal inflection, overly specific responses, and qualifying words that may signal deception

(27:15) Why respect matters more than rapport when you have little in common with someone

(28:30) What protecting foreign dignitaries taught Brad about professional respect across cultural and political divides

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

---

Brad Beeler is a retired U.S. Secret Service agent and polygraph examiner with 25 years of experience conducting high-stakes interviews and investigations. Named Secret Service Special Agent of the Year, he is also a recipient of the Director’s Service Award and Forensic Hero Award and a former instructor at the National Center for Credibility Assessment. He is the author of Tell me Everything: A Secret Service Agent’s Proven Strategies for Earning Trust, Revealing Truth, and Communicating with Anyone.|

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by investigative journalist Angeline Hartmann, along with Kevin Verville Sr. and Angelica Ramsey. Together, they revisit the unsolved 1980 kidnapping of newborn Kevin Verville Jr., taken at 17 days old from off-base military housing near Camp Pendleton by a woman posing as a social worker. For more than 45 years, the Verville family has never stopped searching for Kevin, who they believe has no idea he was ever taken. They believe someone listening today could recognize Kevin, help identify the woman responsible, and finally reconnect him with his family.

Watch Kevin’s Story from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20MNq579m3k

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces Angeline Hartmann and the podcast investigation that helped identify six-year-old William DaShawn Hamilton

(5:30) The tip that identified a child John Doe more than 20 years after his remains were found

(9:30) How Angeline brought the kidnapping of Kevin Verville Jr. to Sheryl

(11:00) Kevin Verville Sr. and Angelica Ramsey join the podcast to discuss their missing son and brother, Kevin Verville Jr.

(12:00) A woman posing as a social worker gains the family’s trust through a fake assistance program●

(16:15) Kevin Sr. recalls the ruse that got his wife out of the car moments before the suspect drove away with their newborn

(19:00) The distinctive hand tattoo investigators hope someone will recognize

(22:15) Angelica explains why age progression, DNA databases, and public awareness remain critical to finding Kevin Jr.

(26:15) Why renewed public interest in infant abduction cases could help generate new leads

(27:45) Why investigators believe Kevin Jr. was deliberately targeted

(32:15) How the suspect entered the off-base military housing complex without passing the vehicle checkpoint

(34:15) Angeline and Sheryl confront the victim-blaming Kevin Jr. ’s parents faced after

the abduction

(36:15) Cultural background, small-town trust, and how the suspect exploited the family’s openness

(37:15) Why Kevin Jr. may have grown up under another identity without knowing he was abducted

(39:00) How listeners can share Kevin Jr. ’s age progression and help identify both Kevin Jr. and the woman who took him

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

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Angeline Hartmann is the Director of Communication for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and an award-winning investigative journalist. She previously worked with America’s Most Wanted and hosts the Inside Crime with Angeline Hartmann podcast.

Kevin Verville Sr. is the father of Kevin Verville Jr., abducted at 17 days old from off-base military housing near Camp Pendleton on July 1, 1980.

Angelica Ramsey is the sister of Kevin Verville Jr., born after his abduction. She advocates for his case, sharing his age progression image and searching for the brother she has never met.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by retired Las Vegas Police Sergeant Jenn Benjamins for a look inside undercover police work. Jenn explains what separates basic surveillance from true deep cover, where officers must build believable identities, speak the language of the street, and think fast enough to avoid being “made.” She discusses prostitution stings, pimp culture, human trafficking, and why undercover work requires a specific kind of officer. Jenn also shares how she now carries that experience into Covert Blue LLC, her law enforcement training company, where she helps prepare officers for undercover operations, investigations, leadership, and the realities of the job.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces retired Las Vegas Metro Police Sergeant Jenn Benjamins and her 22 years on the force

(1:15) Jenn explains why undercover work can produce some of the strongest evidence in criminal investigations

(2:15) “Doing theater” for suspects and why successful undercover work requires acting, instinct, and total commitment to the role

(4:15) How officers avoid getting “made” while working prostitution and narcotics cases

(8:00) Why only a small percentage of officers may be suited for undercover assignments

(11:15) The importance of knowing street talk, pricing, roles, and expectations during vice investigations

(16:00) Sheryl and Jenn discuss the kind of money that moves through high-end escort work in Las Vegas and why leaving is often more complicated than people assume●

(19:00) Jenn explains the different types of pimps, including Casanova and gorilla pimps, and how violence and gang culture changed the prostitution landscape

(22:30) Major events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup, the “circuit,” and how large

gatherings can bring increased prostitution, trafficking, and related crime into host cities

(29:30) Jenn talks about dressing the part, avoiding entrapment concerns, and building a believable undercover appearance

(35:15) Sheryl honors Jenn’s law enforcement service and her work training future undercover officers through Covert Blue LLC

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

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Jenn Benjamins is a retired Las Vegas Metro Police Department sergeant with more than 22 years of experience in patrol, investigations, criminal intelligence, vice, organized crime, and undercover operations. She is the founder of Covert Blue LLC, where she trains law enforcement professionals in undercover work, investigations, leadership, and officer wellness.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint

River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.