The Toll focuses on the effects a violent crime or traumatic event has on a family and community. Season 1 focuses on a cold case from Springfield, Missouri; the 1975 murder of 9-year-old Shirley Jane Rose. Our host, award winning journalist Nancy Simpson, interviews investigators and family members, taking the listener on a journey of what ends up being not just one, but many tragedies intertwined.
Nancy here... A pregnant teenager was murdered in the Ozarks in the 1970s. My mother married the girl's killer. So many lies. What was the truth? Eventually, I had to know more.
A woman's body was found on a truck stop parking lot in Springfield, Missouri in 1997 - far from her home near Memphis. Gloria Jean Barnes' body was discovered the day before her 36th birthday. No family gathering, no cake, no celebration. Gloria got an autopsy for her birthday. As police work on leads, all they find are dead ends. For the first time in over two decades, Gloria's sister and brother are speaking out about what they believe happened the night Gloria was taken from Joiner, Arkansas. A family's secret, a mother's crusade to catch a killer, and details in this case that have never been revealed. It's a cold case brought back to life by "The Toll: Hearts For Gloria."
A woman's body was found on a truck stop parking lot in Springfield, Missouri in 1997 - far from her home near Memphis. Gloria Jean Barnes' body was discovered the day before her 36th birthday. No family gathering, no cake, no celebration. Gloria got an autopsy for her birthday. As police work on leads, all they find are dead ends. For the first time in over two decades, Gloria's sister and brother are speaking out about what they believe happened the night Gloria was taken from Joiner, Arkansas. A family's secret, a mother's crusade to catch a killer, and details in this case that have never been revealed. It's a cold case brought back to life by "The Toll: Hearts For Gloria."
A bartender and mom of 3 went missing after closing up after work in Ava, Missouri. A newly elected sheriff picks up the case several years later, looking to find who murdered Rene Williams. What he uncovers is a suspected serial killer. Where was Rene buried? Who helped move her body? How many more victims are connected to Christopher Revak? Join us on our journey into a murder in the Ozarks. Part 2 of “The Toll: Unsettled”
A bartender and mom of 3 went missing after closing up after work in Ava, Missouri. A newly elected sheriff picks up the case several years later, looking to find who murdered Rene Williams. What he uncovers is a suspected serial killer. Where was Rene buried? Who helped move her body? How many more victims are connected to Christopher Revak? Join us on our journey into a murder in the Ozarks. Part 1 of “The Toll: Unsettled”
Nancy interviews a family member of Jim Sullivan, aka Snakeman, from episode 5. Sullivan was a drug manufacturer and dealer who was murdered in an ambush killing in 1986.
The house Shirley called home intrigues her cousin Kristi, who requests a tour of her own. What does Kristi see in the ghost video? What happens in the basement?
With the help of a private investigator, Nancy was able to track down one of two men arrested for the murder of Shirley Jane Rose in 1975. They were both released for lack of evidence. The case remains unsolved. Here's their conversation.
The Toll team discusses follow-up questions to "The Path Back Home” with expert murder investigator, Cloyd Steiger. Two new layers of this story are also revealed.
Suspect or source; Nancy speaks with a man who is well-connected to the Shirley Jane Rose murder case and listens to his story about his encounter with the community’s main suspect. Will Springfield PD solve the cold case?
In this episode, Nancy Simpson tells the story of another Springfield girl abducted from the same area four decades later. Ten-year-old Hailey Owens was snatched off the street and murdered. Listen to The Toll another child loss has on this community.
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