Podcast Summary
Podcast: Cold
Host: KSL Podcasts, Dave Cawley
Featured Series: Stolen Voices of Dole Valley
Date: August 19, 2025
Guest Clip Host: Carolyn Osorio

Overview:
This episode of Cold serves as an introduction and preview for a new investigative podcast, Stolen Voices of Dole Valley, hosted by Seattle journalist Carolyn Osorio. Both podcasts focus on the systemic failures that frequently silence women who report abuse and violence. The highlighted story concerns a series of overlooked abductions and murders in Washington State during the 1970s, centered on the harrowing survival of Norma Jean Countryman and the subsequent cascade of failures by law enforcement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Women’s Voices Ignored and Dismissed

   • Dave Cawley opens with a discussion of how women subjected to abuse and violence are met with skepticism and disbelief from authorities (00:00).
   • He connects this recurring theme in Cold to the focus of Stolen Voices of Dole Valley and introduces the main case of the episode: Norma Jean’s survival and lack of support from police.
   • Quote (Dave Cawley, 00:23): “There’s a woman at the center of this podcast who escapes a serial killer literally chewing through her rope bindings, then tells police about it and is not believed.”

2. Norma Jean’s Abduction and Survival

   • Carolyn Osorio details how 15-year-old Norma Jean Countryman was abducted while smoking on the roadside in Ridgefield, WA, in July 1974.
   • The abductor, described in detail, offered her a ride but instead attacked, bound, gagged, and left her tied between two trees in the wilderness.
   • Quote (Carolyn Osorio, 03:10): “It was July of 1974, and teenage Norma was faced with a situation few among us will ever have to contend with… tightly bound in an impossible web of coarse rope…”

3. Norma’s Ordeal in Her Own Words

   • Audio excerpts from Norma herself intensify the narrative.
   • She describes being strung up, choking, beaten, and threatened (05:59).
   • Quote (Norma Jean Countryman, 05:59): “He tied it around another tree and pulled it tight so I could hardly breathe. Then he… hit me real hard, so I was blacked out… If I made any fuss, he’d come back, and… what he just gave me… was mild compared to what I would get.”
   • Norma later explains how she escaped by chewing through the rope, injuring herself in the process (06:50).
   • Quote (Norma, 06:56): "I would use my front teeth to saw on the rope in my mouth… I was chewing and sawing."

4. Trauma and Institutional Betrayal

   • Norma describes being dismissed and disbelieved by police after her escape (07:35-08:35).
   • The psychological aftermath: Norma internalizes guilt for the killer's subsequent crimes, believing authorities might have stopped him if they’d believed her.
   • Quote (Norma, 08:12): "That's what I lived my life with, was that guilt that I couldn't make them believe me…"

5. The Pattern of Systemic Failure

   • Osorio draws a parallel between the literal weakness of rope's individual fibers and the figurative strength that comes from community—a metaphor for the victims’ stories uniting for justice (08:35-10:25).
   • She highlights bungled investigations, lost evidence, and persistent inaction by authorities.

6. Persistence of Families and Investigators

   • Introduction of retired investigator Doug Maas, who credits the project’s tenacity and collective effort for progress in the cold case (10:25).
   • Quote (Doug Maas, 10:25): "I love the strands on the rope story. I don't think we'd be here if you hadn't been doing this..."

7. Introducing Jamie Grissom’s Disappearance

   • Osorio emphasizes that Norma’s case wasn’t isolated; the story begins years earlier with another missing girl, Jamie Grissom, in 1971.
   • Jamie’s sister, Starr, recounts their difficult childhood, systemic failures, and Jamie’s disappearance after school (12:48-18:34).
   • Starr’s heartbreak and immediate certainty that Jamie hadn’t run away are central.
   • Quote (Starr, 18:34): “I got back between 3:30 and 4 from junior high. I noticed Jamie wasn’t there… I said something’s not right.”

8. Law Enforcement’s Dismissal of Runaway Reports

   • Starr and her social worker were told Jamie couldn’t be officially listed as a missing person for 30 days despite her vulnerability and the urgency of the situation.
   • Osorio notes policies and failures that led to crucial time being lost and law enforcement not acting (18:53-19:57).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Chewing through captivity:
  Norma Jean Countryman (07:11): "I was chewing and sawing. I managed to chew through the rope which was so tight against my skin that I had to chew through part of my own lip."
• Systemic indifference:
  Carolyn Osorio (08:35): "The pain and suffering caused by this serial killer is deep and relentless. And 50 years later, the killer has yet to be held fully accountable."
• Victims’ stories as strands of rope:
  Doug Maas (10:25): “I love the strands on the rope story… Everyone's feeling like this is the big deal that we say it is and it's coming at them from multiple directions.”
• Immediate understanding of danger:
  Starr (18:34): “I got back between 3:30 and 4... I noticed Jamie wasn't there... I said, something's not right.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 01:29: Dave Cawley discusses the broader societal issue and introduces Stolen Voices of Dole Valley
• 01:29 – 05:46: Carolyn Osorio sets the stage, describes Norma Jean’s abduction
• 05:46 – 07:35: Norma Jean describes her ordeal and escape in her own words
• 07:35 – 08:35: The aftermath; trauma compounded by police disbelief
• 08:35 – 10:25: Metaphor of rope; systemic failures and hope for justice
• 10:25 – 10:44: Detective Doug Maas on the collective push for answers
• 10:44 – 12:48: Osorio’s investigation links multiple victims
• 12:48 – 18:53: Starr recounts Jamie Grissom's early life, disappearance, and the failed police response

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode of Cold sets a haunting and determined tone, underscoring the importance of listening to survivors and the catastrophic consequences when authorities fail to do so. The preview of Stolen Voices of Dole Valley reveals a harrowing web of ignored warnings, procedural failures, and community action decades later. At its heart, the story is about the power of perseverance—of individuals, families, and investigators weaving together their stories to demand justice and remembrance for the “stolen voices.”