Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders
Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders revisits the 1983 murders of two teenagers in Texas, exploring decades of rumors and false leads. Investigative journalist M. William Phelps reopens the case, uncovering new witnesses and hidden evidence. The nine-episode series reveals a web of deaths that may be connected, questioning who has been hiding the truth.
Episodes
Introducing: Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry
A decades-long true crime nightmare set in the shadowy woods of Putnam County, New York. Two wrongful convictions, a brutal predator hiding in plain sight, and a system that protected him for years—until a dogged pursuit uncovered the truth. Hosted by Rolling Stone’s Paul Solotaroff and Lava for Good CEO Jason Flom, The Devil You Know dives into the terrifying story of Howard Gombert,
The Bodies Were Shaking
In this final episode of the season, Phelps tracks down someone who claims to know what happened to Shelly and Vincent: where and how they were murdered, who killed them, and why. And this source ain’t no stranger … he’s kin to Shelly Colliflower.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oh My God... What Kind of Mess is This?
As Phelps keeps digging, new sources come forward. Has all of this been some sort of witch hunt to pin the murders on two innocent men, so the real killers walk free?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Frosty the Ice Man
Small-town rumor and speculation seem to dominate discourse in Weatherford. Phelps has to ask: is Wendy Robinson’s murder connected to Vincent and Shelly’s? When Wendy’s case is finally solved, serial killers are in the mix, Phelps realizes the cases need to head into a new direction if answers are the goal. Until a bombshell out of nowhere is dropped into his lap. See omnys
He Went to Sleep Forever
As Phelps seems to be getting somewhere with Shelly and Vincent’s case, another teenager is found murdered and sexually assaulted, changing the dynamic and path of his investigation considerably. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Like Bodies Through a Meat Grinder
Phelps dives deeper, trying to separate fact from rumor, while new suspects come into play—and a third teen murder rocks the town of Weatherford. But could a noted serial killer be responsible for Vincent and Shelly’s murders?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bump Monkeys
As Phelps interviews sources connected to the Weatherford teen murders, including law enforcement working the case at the time, two new theories emerge—sending him deep into a dark, dangerous underworld straight out of Breaking Bad. Meanwhile, a victim’s family member accuses his uncle of involvement with the murders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Until My Last Dying Breath
Phelps teams up with a local private investigator discovering that things are not what they seem in Weatherford, Texas… and learns peculiar new information about the case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Piss Hill
As family members panic without word from teens Vincent and Shelly, Vincent’s father heads out to search for the kids. Meanwhile, a local private investigator gets involved in the case 40-plus years later and starts stirring up the hornet’s nest, creating a groundswell of new information. Phelps steps into the fray to sort fact from fiction—before discovering things aren&rs
The Preacher's Daughter
In Texas: teens are dying. Two teens go missing on a March night in 1983—and that’s only the beginning. A body count of kids and teens, missing and murdered, in a county that many say is run by corrupt cops - with those at the top covering for them. In the first episode of season five, Phelps heads to Weatherford, Texas, to begin one of the most sprawling investigations of his ca
Introducing: Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders
Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders takes you back to 1983, when two teenagers were found murdered, execution-style, on a quiet Texas hill. What followed was decades of rumors, false leads, and a case that law enforcement could never seem to close. Now, veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps reopens the file — uncovering new witnesses, hidden evidence, and a shocking web of deat
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 him with the evidence, Phelps implores law enforcement to knock on the suspect’s door and interview him. A final call is made about the connection between the two
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 connections to his new suspect. Phelps uncovers an old tape of a revealing interview with the man’s ex-wife. Armed with new evidence, Phelps finally convinces t
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, lost recording of a new suspect - unheard until now. Phelps teams up with the detectives investigating the Shauna Garber case, evaluating similarities between her
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 compares the similarities in the cases—as infamous serial killer Dennis “BTK” Rader enters the narrative as a major suspect in both homicides.See omnystudio.com
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 man. Just over the Missouri border, not far from the Dana Stidham crime scene, a second young woman’s body is discovered. Are the cases linked? Phelps uncovers
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 bizarre theft. Phelps’s contemporary, real-time investigation branches out and he questions whether the evidence against the chief suspect supports law enforcem
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 producer, host and investigative journalist M. William Phelps heads to Bella Vista to meet with a source who helps him unravel several potential new threads—includin
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 searching for her. Law enforcement receives scores of sightings and potential leads. Dana’s family is frantic, concerned, but also hopeful… that is, until her car an
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. William Phelps arrives on the scene to reinvestigate a once-cold case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 kidnapping and murdering more than 50 women in the '80s and early '90s. Was Tammy one of them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. Plus, Tammy’s friends and loved ones reflect on the significance of 30 years after her murder, and share what they think she’d be doing today.See omnystudio.com/l
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 forward with a troubling new claim. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 enforcement on why they didn’t do more to exonerate an innocent man. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 investigation, hoping to discover why a key suspect was never arrested or charged.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 privacy information.
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 highway. As a massive search effort for the college student gets underway, Tammy’s loved ones are left wondering about her fate: Where is she? What happened to T
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 Tammy Jo Zywicki? Hear the story when PAPER GHOSTS returns with a new season on February 1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 end, Puerto Rico struggles under U.S. leadership, and Phelps completes his search for Victor Gerena.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati
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 court, and a key player jumps bail and returns to clandestinity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 dive deep into a Cuban connection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 investigators with a huge break – and a new suspect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 security guard’s background and uncovers a potential motive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 cryptic lead sends police to a local airport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 LaSabre, and disappeared into the night. At the time, it was one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history. But that was just the beginning. WHITE EAGLE l
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 silent so we return to Crystal Lake with some new experts and equipment to search for more answers.For more true crime stories, listen to M. William Phelps' other
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 at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 Thompson. So she decided to do something about it herself. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener fo
‘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 cops and fled town–and introduces a woman with a dangerous past. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listen
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 more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 new person of interest with connections that are hard to ignore – a man many warn is not someone to tangle with or upset. Learn more about your ad-choices at ht
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 are revealed when a cache of never-before-heard recordings are discovered and reveal a puzzle of new information. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://
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 wrong person? An incident that takes place at one of the family's fireworks stands just days before the murders becomes an eerie prelude as the suspect list begins
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. But when their house is burned to the ground and everyone inside is found dead, long buried secrets of the past are exposed. Learn more about your ad-choices
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 years-long investigation, new developments help track the movements of a new suspect and uncover a series of mysterious deaths that could expose what really happe
The Last Remains
As far as the investigation into the five cases has gone, a major piece of the puzzle always felt missing. The victims' families have long asked the State Police to bring search dogs out to the biggest points of interest where the bodies of the missing girls may be buried. Those requests have been ignored ... until now.If you have any information regarding the cases involving Janice Pockett, Lisa
The Witness
He was best friends with Bob LaRosa. His ex-wife has described him as violent. And he’s been talking about bodies being buried in local water wells. It’s time for the Witness to speak. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'Are You Aware of the Ransom Calls?'
For just a moment in 2013, there was a glint of hope that the remains of one of the missing girls had been discovered. For their families, it was a discovery that finally felt like there would be answers. As the investigation heats up, a new source comes forward and flips the entire investigation upside down. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.c
The Runaway
The faces of Janice Pockett, Lisa White, and Debbie Spickler appear side by side on one missing persons flier that continues to be posted around town to this day. The public and media have always grouped these cases together. Three young girls, suddenly gone. Yet that is where the similarities stop. Recently uncovered documents help clear up the misinformation that’s been reported on 13-year-old D
A Grave For Many
A frantic call brings forward a new lead, with new clues and a new person of interest with connections to Bob LaRosa. As local authorities have been focused on a group of violent, sexually perverted men exploiting and violating young women in the area, a surprising connection links this new person of interest back to the water walls where police have been looking. Learn more about your ad-choices
A Dangerous Man
All of the missing cases have become like the five points of a star—no matter how you draw it, each point shoots a dotted line back to one person of interest: Bob LaRosa. However, there are far more nefarious secrets buried deep within his family that could lead to another suspect and new answers—starting with yet another missing young woman Bob knew very well. Learn more about your ad-choices a
'Mommy, Wake Up'
WARNING: This episode contains material that may be unsuitable and difficult for some to hear.The story has always been that Susan LaRosa left her apartment to pick up baby supplies and call her mother the night she disappeared. She did this just about every night at the same time at a nearby drug store. Her husband was considered a suspect immediately. More than 40 years later, an eyewitness has
A Hell House
Susan LaRosa was 20 years old and already a mom to three young children when she disappeared in 1975. She had dark black hair, cut just above her shoulders. She was petite, 95 pounds. Her husband said she left their apartment one evening to get diapers and baby formula and never returned. That’s the extent of what you’d know about Susan LaRosa if you read about her case in the newspapers. But afte
‘I Wish It Was You That Was Dead'
One year after Janice Pockett went missing in Tolland, CT, another young girl was abducted just a few miles from where Janice was last seen. Lisa Joy White was 13 when she suddenly vanished on her way home from a friend's house in 1974. Early belief was that Lisa ran away. Police believed her friend knew what happened. Now, for the first time, Lisa's friend is telling her side of the story. Learn
The Dead Butterfly
Janice Pockett was only 7 years old when she went missing during the summer of 1973. She had been given permission for the first time to ride her bike alone, so she made her way down the dirt road near her family’s home. As she turned the corner, it was the last time anybody ever saw her again. For decades, the case has remained unsolved. It was not until recently, when a new piece of information
Introducing Paper Ghosts
Four girls go missing, all within miles from one another in neighboring New England towns. And not one arrest is made. Fifty years later, the search for answers is reignited when a call reveals new information that sets the investigation in motion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
