Paper Ghosts: The Ozarks
It’s the dead of summer, 1989, in the heart of the Ozarks. An 18-year-old woman goes missing from Bella Vista, Arkansas. As the search moves forward, several suspects emerge. Then… a body is found not far from the Missouri border, and a homicide investigation begins. Soon, a second body is discovered nearby. What was a mystery transforms into the hunt for a possible serial killer stalking young women throughout the Ozarks. M. William Phelps digs in nearly 35 years later and begins to understand that things aren’t always what they seem.
Episodes
Introducing: Hands Tied
Hi, Paper Ghost listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Hands Tied! Hands Tied: Lizz Melgar Rose went from being interested in true crime to living true crime. Back in 2012, relatives fou…
Introducing: The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer
What does it mean to be a victim, or a villain? What happens when the line between the two starts to blur? On 7th July 2010, Kelly Harnett says her abusive boyfriend murdered a man right in front of her. So how did she end up in prison for…
Introducing: Cold Case Files: Miami
Hello, Paper Ghosts Fans! We want to share our new show, "Cold Case Files: Miami." About the show: Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Ca…
Episode 8: “The Boogeymen”
In this final episode of season 4, Phelps interviews a suspected serial killer, who he believes could be responsible for Dana Stidham’s murder—the first time anyone has spoken to the suspect about the case in 33 years. After confronting hi…
Episode 7: “Killer Confrontation”
With investigative pressure mounting on the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s suspect in Dana Stidham’s murder, Phelps uncovers a disturbing phone call made to a local woman in charge of Dana’s tip-line. Meanwhile, Phelps continues to make c…
Episode 6: “Spawn of Hell”
The second female victim, known only as “Grace Doe” for nearly 30 years, is identified as Shauna Garber. Phelps’s investigation turns toward a new suspect in the murder of Dana Stidham (and possibly Shauna), while uncovering a revealing, lo…
Episode 5: “Grace Doe: Shauna Garber”
With the discovery of a second young female murder victim just over the Missouri border, 20 minutes away from where Dana Stidham’s body was found, a new suspect seems to be playing cat-and-mouse with law enforcement. Phelps drills down and …
Episode 4: “The Cave”
The investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office heats up in Dana Stidham’s gruesome murder, zeroing in on one particular suspect. Phelps digs deeper, speaking to the suspect and wonders if law enforcement has been chasing the wrong…
Episode 3: “The Skull in the Creek Bed”
As the 1989 holiday season looms, Dana Stidham’s body is discovered by a local hunter in a Bella Vista creek bed. Law enforcement shifts its focus from missing person to murder… and begins to zero in on a suspect after he is arrested for a …
Episode 2: “The Evidence of Things Not Seen”
As the search for Dana Stidham continues, her sudden disappearance baffles family, friends, and police, as everyone grows increasingly alarmed that Dana has met with foul play. Then, a break in the case comes as Paper Ghosts executive produ…
Episode 1: “Forever Pain”
In the heat of the Ozarks summer, 1989, an 18-year-old woman goes missing. Dana Stidham vanishes in the middle of the day, from the parking lot of a local supermarket. Everyone in the small town of Bella Vista, Arkansas, is seemingly searc…
Introducing - Paper Ghosts Season 4: The Ozarks
Summer 1989: in the heart of the Ozarks. A young woman goes missing before a body is found, not far from the Missouri border. Soon, a second body is discovered nearby. The hunt for a possible serial killer heats up as investigator M. Willia…
Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder?
Law enforcement investigating Tammy Zywicki’s murder spent decades looking into known and suspected serial killers operating in the Midwest. Among them was Larry Dwayne Hall, who authorities have long suspected may be responsible for kidnap…
Remembering Tammy Zywicki
Tammy Zywicki was more than just a headline. In this bonus episode, hear friends and loved ones share their favorite memories of the playful, strong-willed soccer player who was obsessed with cats and knew how to break the ice.See omnystudi…
One of Their Own
A bombshell revelation upends long held speculation about Tammy’s killer, as the most promising suspect yet is revealed. Phelps discusses everything he’s learned about Tammy’s case thus far, and explains why an arrest could be imminent. Plu…
The Reckoning
Investigators working Tammy’s case take a big risk in an effort to match her killer’s DNA. Phelps and former Master Sergeant Marty McCarthy have a heated conversation about the issues with his prime suspect, as a former detective comes forw…
A New Investigation
Tammy’s case gets a second look from a seasoned group of exclusive investigators, who cast doubt on several core theories and point the Illinois State Police in a new direction. Phelps digs further into two key suspects, and pushes law enfo…
The Missing Watch
A bold claim about a missing musical watch pits law enforcement against one another, as the ISP doubles down on its search for a truck-driving serial killer. Then, Phelps digs in and examines a lead from the earliest days of the investigati…
The Man With the Truck
Details begin to emerge about Tammy’s cause of death, including how long she was on the roadside before her body was discovered. Then, Phelps travels to Missouri to connect with the man who found Tammy’s body.See omnystudio.com/listener for…
Everyone's Daughter
A gruesome discovery in Missouri shakes Tammy’s loved ones to their core, as Phelps uncovers a decades-old eyewitness statement that changes the course of his investigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Last Goodbye
It was late summer 1992, and Tammy Jo Zywicki was driving from suburban New Jersey to Grinnell College in Iowa. But what started as a routine trip took a mysterious turn when the 21-year-old’s car was found abandoned on the side of a busy h…
Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3
When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away in another state. What happened to…
Where is Victor Gerena?
In the final episode, President Clinton’s decision to grant clemency to members of the Macheteros and the FALN ignites a firestorm on Capitol Hill and spells trouble for the First Lady’s Senate bid. A top Macheteros leader meets a violent e…
Lawyers, Guns and Money
A series of FBI raids send more than a dozen Macheteros back to Connecticut to stand trial in the Wells Fargo robbery case. Plus, an attorney for the group unpacks the government’s “sloppy” legal strategy, Juan’s former lover testifies in c…
Aguila Blanca
A top Macheteros soldier explains exactly what happened the night of the Wells Fargo heist, including where Victor took the cash in the days that followed. Plus, internal dissent and hubris threatens to derail the entire operation, and we d…
Epiphany
After Victor Gerena surfaces to take credit for the robbery, money starts showing up in the heart of Hartford’s Puerto Rican community. Then, a missile strike thousands of miles away reveals an unassuming piece of evidence that provides inv…
Be On The Lookout
A nationwide manhunt takes a turn after police recover the car used in the heist. Then, law enforcement learns what a key witness knows about Victor Gerena’s movements the morning of the robbery. This, as Phelps digs into the 25-year-old se…
The $7 Million Man
The West Hartford Police Department springs into action after two Wells Fargo security guards reveal that a coworker, 25-year-old Victor Gerena, held them at gunpoint, drugged them, and drove off with more than $7 million in cash. Plus, a c…
Introducing: White Eagle
From the team behind Paper Ghosts, WHITE EAGLE is a six-part true crime series about a 1983 heist where a 25-year-old armored truck driver from West Hartford, Connecticut, tied up his co-workers, stuffed more than $7 million into a Buick La…
Season 1 Update: A Return to Crystal Lake
It’s been more than a year since season one aired, but the scores of tips regarding Janice Pockett, Lisa White, Debbie Spickler, Susan LaRosa, and Irene LaRosa have only continued. The Connecticut State Police have once again gone radio sil…
Cookie Crumb Day
When you spend your entire life cheating and stealing, karma is bound to show its dark face and destroy you. Thank you for listening to season 2 of Paper Ghosts. Stay tuned and subscribed for more to come. Learn more about your ad-choices …
Ron Returns
In the months after the Stevenson murders, Dick Weston and Drucilla Merida were indicted by a federal grand jury–but not for murder. Ron Thomas, on the other hand, was no longer the Fed's priority. This didn't go over too well with Carol Th…
‘The Lincoln Has Been Sold’
Is Ron Thomas a cold-blooded killer, or misunderstood? To really understand Ron, one needs to look at his life before the Stevenson murders. A detective helps reveal where the Stevenson family friend had been hiding every time he evaded cop…
Killing Carol
As Dick Weston remains the prime suspect in the Stevenson murders, one question keeps coming up: Where is family friend Ron Thomas? Meanwhile, an unlikely source surfaces with new information that adds weight to a possible motive. Learn mo…
Checkmate
Dick Weston is the key to the Stevenson murders. As the Sheriff’s Department and FBI begin to build a case against the former convict, their investigative aim steers toward the two women who alibied him. Learn more about your ad-choices a…
Dick and Dru
In light of all the discoveries made during the investigation, authorities still don’t have tangible evidence leading to who is responsible for the murders. Yet, as it feels like the case is beginning to run cold, Detective Cooper finds a n…
Brookville
As the focus starts to shift towards the mystery man who visited the Stevensons just hours before the murders, unique investigative techniques are implemented by law enforcement in an effort to find answers. Forty years later, those tactics…
The Rival
Police quickly learn that what was initially considered a deadly accident inside the Stevenson home was actually the scene of a quadruple homicide. Was it retribution from a business deal gone wrong? Had Billy shown off his money to the wro…
Four Coffins
Everyone in Bethel, Ohio, has a theory about what happened to the Stevenson family on July 6, 1981. They were one of the town’s most popular, wealthiest families and operated a number of lucrative firework stands in high demand each summer.…
Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2
During the 1981 Fourth of July weekend, four people were found dead inside a massive farmhouse that belonged to a wealthy Ohio family. Desperate to find answers, surviving family members reached out to M. William Phelps for help. After a ye…