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This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Shifting a little money here, a little there, and hoping it all works out well. With the name your price tool from Progressive, you can be a better budgeter and potentially lower your insurance bill too. You tell Progressive what you want to pay for car insurance and they'll help you find options within your budget. Try it today@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.
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This is your fix.
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I am your host, Stassi Schroeder. Welcome to Tell Me Lies, the official podcast. What's the most unhinged thing of season three? Steven because he's so evil, I do think he is misunderstood. You see everyone face consequences. It's intoxicating. The writers just know how to trick. Yeah, there's always a twist in this show. Tell Me Lies the official podcast January 6th and streamed the new season of Tell Me Lies January 13th on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
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Jackson Hewitt has a great tax prep deal. $149 or less. Missing out is like ignoring the check engine light in your car. You'll regret it. Seriously, the price is only $149 or less, no matter how complicated. So don't wait. Like when you get a password expires today alert or you're shopping online and there's only one item left. It's like your taxes are in the cart. Just complete the purchase. Hurry. This deal for $1.49 or less is like your phone at 1%. It's about to power down. Limited time offer for new clients on federal return spinning locations only. Turn to jacksonville.com 149.
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This episode contains content related to domestic violence, child neglect and homicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available around the clock through the National Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788. You are not alone. Today's story begins in the quiet corner of Pennsylvania more than four decades ago, when a young mother disappeared and left behind a huge mystery along with her two children. This is the story of Lawneen Rogers. I'm Ashley.
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And I'm Ricky.
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And this is Crime Salad. In northwestern Pennsylvania, long stretches of farmland are side by side with quiet back roads and small rural communities. Townships here are made up of just a handful of homes scattered between fields, forests and hills. And in places like Hayfield Township, a population of only a few thousand people tends to create a community where everyone knows each other. Winter in this part of Pennsylvania can feel especially isolating as snow settles across the open fields and icy winds sweep through the countryside. And on stormy nights, visibility along those dark roads can disappear in a matter of seconds. In this weather, most people stay at home while the cold presses in from the outside.
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In a small place like Hayfield Township, a disappearance doesn't stay private for long. Concern spreads quickly through family, friends and neighbors who begin piecing together the last moments anyone remembers retracing conversations, revisiting familiar places, and asking the same question. How does someone vanish without anyone seeing or hearing a thing?
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So Launeen or Lonnie, as she went by she was born on October 18, 1951, in Ohio to her parents, Ray and Maxine. She was the oldest of three daughters growing up alongside her sisters Glennie and Maya, and from the very beginning, Lonnie had a strong presence in the family and set the tone for everyone else. Youngstown sits along the Mahoning river in northeastern Ohio, and it's not far from the Pennsylvania border. It's roughly halfway between in Pittsburgh and For much of the 20th century, the city was known as a major hub of American steel production, with massive mills lining the river and employing thousands of workers throughout the region. Entire neighborhoods were built around the industry, and generations of families made their living in those plants.
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During the 1950s, when Lonnie was growing up, Youngstown was still very much a working class steel town. The mills ran day and night, and it shaped the city's identity for generations, drawing workers from all over the country and around the world to settle in the Mahoning Valley.
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But inside the Rogers household, the focus was less on the steel industry and more on raising three daughters. Around the age of two or maybe three, Lonnie's grandmother realized that she wasn't reacting when people spoke to her. Calling her name didn't get a response, and voices behind her didn't cause her to turn around. Concerned, the family brought the issue to Ray and Maxine's attention, and soon Lonnie was taken to a doctor. This is where they learned that Lonnie was profoundly deaf, something she had been born with.
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Years later, one of her sisters wondered if the difficult birth Lonnie experienced might have played a role, since it had been long and eventually required the use of forceps. But regardless of the cause, the diagnosis meant that Lonnie would grow up navigating a world built largely and at the
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time, the advice Lonnie's parents received was harsh. They were urged to consider institutionalizing her or sending her to boarding school. But for Ray and Maxine, that was never an option. They refused to let Lonnie's disability define her future. Instead, they made a conscious decision that Lonnie would grow up just like any other child in their family. Supported, encouraged, and given every opportunity to succeed. So when Lonnie reached school age, they pushed back against placing her in a special needs school. They didn't want her separated or singled out because of her hearing. So Lonnie took some classes in the hearing and speech center and took typical classes for the rest of the school day. And because of this, Lonnie grew up refusing to be limited by what others thought she could do or couldn't do. She was extremely comfortable communicating with hearing people. She could do just as much as anyone else. And somet she used hearing aids to help her hear muffled noises and read lips as best she could. And she learned sign language to help communicate with her hands.
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Throughout her childhood and adulthood, one of Lonnie's greatest passions was dancing. Even though she couldn't hear the music the way that others could, that never really stopped her. Lonnie would tell people that she could feel the music, the vibrations moving through the floor and through her body.
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Family described Lani as incredibly strong willed. She never backed down once she set her mind to something. But with being extremely determined, she was also extremely compassionate. She was always looking out for others and was loving, caring and incredibly empathetic to people around her. And during the 50s and 60s, that kind of independence and sense of self was even more significant for someone without hearing. I mean, at the time, there were far fewer resources and accommodations than there are today. So a lot of what Lonnie accomplished came to sheer determination and family support. In 1970, the Rogers family made a big change by packing up and moving from Ohio to Meadville, Pennsylvania, a small city about an hour's drive north of Youngstown. As Ray had gotten a job over there and. And Meadville is in the Crawford county and it is one of the oldest communities in northwestern Pennsylvania. It's been long known for its small town character, historic downtown streets, and a local economy that, much like Youngstown, was shaped for decades by manufacturing and industry. But Lonnie didn't make that move right away. Instead, she stayed behind in Youngstown, living with her grandparents so she could finish her last year of high school.
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It was another example of Lonnie's independence and something that defined a lot of her young life. But since it was only about an hour away, Lonnie would frequently come visit on the weekends as she finished school.
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After graduating, she eventually joined the rest of her family in Meadville. Like many people in the region during that time, Lonnie found work in a factory and they provided steady employment for many working class families. But Lonnie didn't just show up and do the bare minimum. True to her personality, she pushed herself to stand out. She always tried to be the fastest employee when completing tasks, holding herself to high standards. She wanted to do more and do it better than anyone expected. Lonnie also went to what is now Pennsylvania Western University, Edinburgh as a volunteer student, working with others who are getting their degrees in speech language. They would work with her to help develop her speaking skills without hearing. And she wanted to do her best to be understood by those around her. And it was during her 20s that Lonnie's life took another important turn when she met a man named Clinton Rogers. But most people knew him simply as Bud. Bud, like Lonnie, was deaf. The two were introduced through the Erie Silent Club in Erie, Pennsylvania, a social organization where members of the deaf community gathered to meet friends, build relationships, and connect with others who shared similar experiences. And for Lonnie, it was a place where communication could come naturally and where she could be fully part of a community that understood her world. And it was there that she met Bud.
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Clubs like the Eerie Silent Club were incredibly important during that time. Before widespread accessibility tools in modern technology. Spaces like that gave people in the deaf community a place to socialize, date and form lifelong friendships.
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So Lonnie and Bud, they didn't spend very long getting to know each other before their relationship moved forward. The two quickly became a couple, and within a year, they were married. On October 21, 1972, Lonnie Rogers and Clinton Bud Rogers were officially husband and wife. But not everyone in Lonnie's family felt comfortable with this match. In fact, Lonnie's mother, Maxine, was strongly against the marriage from the very beginning. Family members would later say her reaction went beyond simple concern. She was deeply upset about the relationship and didn't try to hide it.
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At one point, Maxine even offered Lonnie a deal. If she would call off the wedding, Maxine would buy Lonnie a car. But Lonnie had already made up her mind.
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She wanted to be married and she wanted to start a family, and nothing was going to change that. Bud was described as a large, good looking man, and Lonnie was clearly drawn to Him. Despite her mother's objections, the wedding went forward as planned, and the tension was hard to ignore. Family members remembered that Maxine spent much of the ceremony sobbing, and at one point, Lonnie's grandmother reportedly had to pull her aside and tell her to pull herself together. But as for Lonnie, she was focused on the future that she would soon be building. And before long, that future included two children, a daughter named Allison and a son named Aaron. And over the years, Lonnie and Bud moved between a few different places before eventually settling into a second floor duplex in Hayfield Township, in the area locally known as Little's Corners.
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For Lonnie, that move was exciting, since her parents and grandparents lived nearby, just across the way, within walking distance. In a small rural community like that, family functions as an everyday support system. If someone needed help with the kids, groceries, or just a quick visit, there was always someone close by.
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At least in the beginning. It may have seemed like Lonnie had built the life she always wanted, but cracks in the marriage began to appear not long after the wedding. Just a few months after they married in late 1972, Bud was caught breaking into a woman's car. That incident would become the start of a pattern that would follow him for years. So Bud frequently blamed his behav behavior on a childhood car accident that had required doctors to place a metal plate in his head. According to him, that injury affected his judgment and decision making. But from a legal standpoint, that explanation didn't stop the arrest. Over time, Bud developed a record involving repeated theft and other criminal activity. And for Lonnie, someone who had never been in trouble with the law, this was unfamiliar territory. At first, Lonnie tried to make the marriage work. She had been determined to build a family, and by all accounts, she put effort into holding things together. But as the years went on, and Bud's legal troubles continued, the strain on the relationship grew harder to ignore. By the fall of 1980, Lonnie had reached a breaking point. She separated from Bud largely because of his ongoing criminal behavior. Bud moved out of the home and went to live with his parents, who lived about 40 minutes away. And for a time, the separation seemed to create distance between them. But as the holidays approached that year, Lonnie made a decision that many family members later described as a true act of kindness. Even though the marriage was effectively over, she allowed Bud to come back and stay at the home so that he could spend time with their kids during the holidays.
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Around Thanksgiving in 1980, Lottie took Allison and Aaron to visit relatives in Toledo, Ohio, including her aunt, uncle, and other extended family members. During that visit, Lonnie told her sister Glennie that she planned to leave Bud for good, but she also explained that she was going to allow him to come home for Christmas so that he could spend the holiday with the kids. This was meant to be temporary, and after the holidays she expected him to leave again.
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But that's not what happened. Once Bud was back in the house, he refused to move out, and by this point Lonnie was also trying to rebuild her own life. She had started working as a housekeeper at a nearby hotel, where it gave her some independence and introduced her to new people outside the immediate family circle. And one of those people was an older electrician who worked at the hotel. He took an interest in Lonnie and often helped her out when she needed it. From what family members understood, Lonnie was flattered by the attention, but there's never
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been any indication that the relationship went further than that, and people close to her didn't believe that she was planning to leave her marriage for him.
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Their flavors are also great too. There's crisp mint, their strongest flavor, and it's great for heavy users. Or my favorite peach blush. It's very fruity and on the sweeter end. So don't just try to quit. Upgrade the habit Loop Fume has already helped over 700,000 people take steps toward better habits and now it's your turn head to try fume.com that's T R Y F U M dot com and use code Salad when you grab a Journey pack, you'll also get a free gift just for using our Code Salad. Start the good habit today. You know, I used to dread buying glasses because it always felt so complicated and overpriced and honestly the styles at the eye doctor felt outdated. And let's be honest, it's a little overwhelming trying to pick out a pair of glasses when someone's standing next to you and you're like, I don't know. Yeah. Well, I'm excited to share with you. Warby Parker Total Game Changer. I love how they have unique trendy styles. Unlike your typical eyeglass store, they are so affordable and their site is so easy to use. Plus they have this virtual try on and it's a total game changer. You can literally try on glasses right from your phone before you buy them so you can get a good feel for them to see if these are the ones for you. And I've tried other virtual try ons that feel pretty janky. But with Warby Parker you just point your camera and boom. You can genuinely tell exactly how the frames are going to feel and look in real time. I recently picked out the Janelle frames with my prescription and I get so many compliments on them. They're like a cat eye, have this really cool pattern on them and you can tell that they are made with premium materials. It's amazing that they're prescription glasses and they start at just $95. Warby Parker doesn't just do glasses either. They have everything you need for happier eyes including contacts and sunglasses. They even have over 300 retail stores across the US if you ever want that in person option. Warby Parker gives you quality and better looking prescription eyewear at a fraction of the going price and our listeners get 15% off plus free shipping when they buy two or more pairs of prescription eyeglasses@warbyparker.com salad again, that's 15% off when you buy two pairs of glasses at w a r b y parker.com salad and after your purchase they will ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them Crime Salad sent you. You know something I've been thinking more about lately? It's just a little thing that we use every day. Don't really question it the water we're drinking because I came across this stat and it honestly surprised me. Did you know three out of the four US homes have toxic chemicals in their tap water and even when water looks completely clear, it can still contain things you wouldn't expect so it made me want to find something that I actually felt confident using at home. That's how I found Aqua Tru. And this is one of those products where I genuinely feel good about introducing Aqua Tru, the countertop water purifier. Tested and certified to remove 84 contaminants, including chlorine, lead, forever chemicals and microplastics. It uses a patented four stage reverse osmosis system that goes way beyond ordinary filters. So you know you're getting pure, healthy water and you can trust it. And I love that there's no installation, there's no plumbing. You just set it on your counter and start using it. It's also been featured in Business Insider, Popular Science, and named Best countertop water filter by Good Housekeeping, which definitely gave me extra confidence in it. And a huge number of people feel the same way. 98% of customers say that their drinking water is cleaner, safer and healthier. So if you've been thinking about upgrading your water at home, you can go to aquatru.com now for 2020% off your purifier using promo code Crime Salad. Aqua Tru even comes with a 30 day best tasting water guarantee. That's aquatru.com a Q U a T R U.com promo code CRIMESALAD. By the beginning of 1981, Lonnie had reached a point where she was ready to move forward with her life. On January 6, 1981, she finished her shift working at the hotel, and after work she picked up her two young children from the babysitter. When Lonnie returned home, she had an argument with Bud, which many believe would have been over his refusal to leave the home despite their earlier agreement that he would move out after the holidays. At some point during the night, the house grew quiet. Bud later woke up and he noticed that Lonnie was no longer in bed beside him. At first he assumed she had simply moved to the couch to sleep after the argument. But as the night went on, he got up and realized that Lonnie wasn't anywhere in the house. Could she have just walked out?
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Northwestern Pennsylvania winters can be extremely harsh, and on that night, Lonnie disappeared. There was a severe snowstorm moving through the area, visibility was poor, the roads were covered, and temperatures were well below freezing. If Lonnie had walked away from the house in the middle of the night, she would have been stepping directly into a dangerous winter storm.
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After realizing Lonnie wasn't home, he woke the children in the middle of the night, made their beds, washed the Dishes, got the kids dressed, gathered their belongings, and loaded them into his truck. Then, in the middle of the snowstorm, he drove them to their babysitter's house. The babysitter, a woman named Sandy, opened the door at three in the morning to an extremely anxious and sweaty Bud, telling her that Lonnie had left him for another man and he needed to go out and find her. And so Sandy agreed to watch the children, and Bud left. And after that point, Bud said that he searched for Lonnie, turned up with nothing, and decided to go to work. So wild Bud was at work. Sandy, who is also deaf, and asked her hearing daughter to place a phone call for her to Lonnie's mother, Maxine, at her workplace. And she told Maxine that Lonnie was missing. And after hearing this, Maxine immediately contacted Lonnie's father, Ray, who couldn't believe what he was hearing. He drove the short distance to Lonnie's duplex, knocked on the door numerous times without any answer. Eventually, after contacting the police, Ray forced his way inside by jimmying the lock. And what Ray and the police discovered inside was an immaculate house with no sign of a struggle or evidence that a physical fight had taken place.
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Everything appeared orderly, and it was unusually orderly. Family members would later point out that Bud was not known for doing housework. But inside the home, the dishes were done, the beds had been made, and nothing was out of place.
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While Lonnie's family and police were inside, Bud eventually returned home. And when officers asked where Lonnie was, Bud repeated the same explanation, that he woke up and she was simply gone. But Lonnie's family struggled to believe that. Her grandparents lived just across the way, within walking distance. And during those years, family members said doors were rarely locked. If Lonnie wanted to get away from an argument or to cool down, she could have easily walked across to their house, but she never did.
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And there were other things that didn't make sense. The night before she disappeared, Lonnie had apparently asked her father for money to help her leave Bud, and Ray gave her what he had, $60. During the interaction at the duplex that day, Ray noticed bud had exactly $60 on him. When Ray confronted Bud about the money, Bud claimed Lonnie had given it to him so that he could pay a bill.
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So inside this home, there was even more things that were telling. The police noted that her personal items were all left behind, which included her hearing aids, her glasses, her purse, and her medication. And her car and her keys were still there. I mean, for someone who relied on her hearing aids and glasses to navigate daily life, leaving without them would have been extremely difficult. And it was also discovered that a large pink blanket that normally belonged in the home was missing. Sandy, the babysitter, was the one who eventually noticed it. And when asked about it, Bud couldn't explain where it had gone. Now, even though the police initially said Lonnie hadn't been missing long enough for them to do anything, Lonnie's parents acted on it right away. They knew that she would have never left her children behind. And they also knew how uncomfortable Lonnie was without her hearing aids or her glasses. And they convinced police to take the situation seriously. Police did attempt to interview Bud about Lonnie's disappearance, but almost immediately, they ran into a major problem. Communication. Because Bud was deaf, and officers, they struggled to understand Bud's attempts to communicate. Without a qualified interpreter available, the interview couldn't effectively continue. So the questioning stopped altogether, and Bud walked out of the station. Meanwhile, the search for Lonnie began. Authorities and volunteers searched the area on foot. Dogs were brought in, helicopters were used to scan from above, and search teams even combed through parts of the countryside on horseback.
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But the weather made the search incredibly difficult. The heavy snowfall from the storm had already begun covering the ground, potentially hiding any signs of movement. And as winter gave way to spring, search teams returned to the area multiple times, hoping that the melting snow might reveal something that they had missed.
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But nothing was ever found, so people wandered naturally. What could have happened? Could Lonnie have simply walked away that night after the argument? I mean, on paper, it might sound possible. Someone stepping outside to cool down, to clear their head. But the conditions that night made the scenario extremely difficult to explain. Remember, it's January 7th. Lonnie's uncle worked for the local highway department and helped plow roads during winter storms. And after hearing about her disappearance, he even spoke to the man responsible for plowing the roads near Lonnie's home that night. And that driver never saw anyone walking along the roads.
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In a rural area like Hayfield Township, there wouldn't be many places for someone to find shelter during a blizzard. Which means that if Lonnie had stepped outside into that storm, she would have had very few options.
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So in the weeks and months after Lonnie disappeared, life didn't simply pause for the family. It just moved on without answers. For Lonnie's children, Allison and Aaron, the years that followed would be incredibly unstable. For nearly eight years, the children were shuffled between different homes. Sometimes they stayed with their father, and other times they were placed with Lonnie's sister, his own sister, family, friends, or in foster care. There was no consistent place where they could settle. When Lonnie first disappeared, her sister Glennie received the call that something was wrong, and she immediately drove from Ohio to Pennsylvania and stayed for several days, trying to understand what had happened and help however she could. And during the visit, Glennie asked if she could take Allison and Aaron back home with her for a while, just to give them some stability. At first, Bud refused, but after some time, he agreed, and the children went to Ohio with Glennie. And this arrangement only lasted about a week. According to Glennie, one day, Bud suddenly showed up at her house, furious, and demanded his children back. And when Glennie resisted, the confrontation quickly escalated. Bud grabbed Allison and Aaron when they were crying and pulled them outside toward his car. The commotion drew attention of neighbors, and Glennie told them to call the police. But before anyone could intervene, Bud loaded the children into his vehicle and sped away. Police did arrive, but legally there was nothing they could do. Bud was still their father now. Eventually, there was an arrangement that was made for Allison and Aaron to live with Bud's sister. But stability never came. Family members say that in the years that followed, there were multiple warning signs that the children were not being properly cared for.
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At one point, According to Glennie, 8 year old Allison went to a neighbor's home and told them that there was no heat or electricity in the house. She said that there was no food and she was scared and that her father hadn't been home for three days. The neighbor contacted the authorities, but despite these concerns, family members say very little changed. Glennie would later reflect that Bud once faced more consequences for abandoning a dog than he did for neglecting his children.
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And to outsiders, he was portrayed as a struggling single father trying to raise two kids after his wife mysteriously disappeared. And then years later, something happened that would permanently change Alison's life. She was 14 years old at the time, and it was Aaron's birthday. They were driving in Bud's truck, and Alison was told she had to sit in the bed of the truck to make room for Erin and Bud's girlfriend. It was October, so it was cold outside. And reportedly, Allison became upset and began demanding to be lit inside the truck. Eventually, Bud, he pulled over at the police station, grabbed Allison, brought her inside, and told her that she needed to tell the officer that she had been bad and that he wasn't taking her home anymore. And because Allison was interpreting for him. During the conversation, she was the one forced to relay those words back and forth. Police asked if there was anyone they could call, and Allison suggested calling her aunt Bud's sister, since that's who normally took her when Bud wanted to get rid of her. But Allison's aunt refused to take her as well. And in the end, Bud walked out, left his 14 year old daughter behind. And that was the last time Allison ever saw her father.
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Family members later say that they were heartbroken by the fact that Lonnie's children were left behind by their father, and they probably believed that they were left behind by their mother as well. It had been nine years since Lonnie disappeared, and there was no sign of anything besides the fact that she walked out the door that night and never came back.
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But in a strange twist of fate, something happened earlier that would end up changing Allison's entire future. So while she was at school earlier, the guidance counselor had given her a piece of paper with her personal phone number on it. And she told Allison, if she ever needed anything at all for whatever reason, to give her a call. Later that evening, after Bud abandoned her at the police station, officers asked Allison if there was anyone she could stay with. Alison reached into her pocket, felt the piece of paper her guidance counselor had given her, pulled it out and handed it to the officer. Allison's guidance counselor picked up the phone that day and immediately made her way to the police station to take custody of Allison. Within a few months, that counselor gained legal custody of Allison and eventually adopted her. And for many years afterward, Allison tried to build a life that had nothing to do with the tragedy surrounding her mother's disappearance. Erin, on the other hand, stayed in the custody of Bud off and on, eventually permanently leaving his care at 16 years old. According to Allison, Allison said that she
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wanted to feel normal and live like a typical teenager. She wanted to grow up without constantly carrying the weight of the mystery surrounding her childhood. But Lonnie Rogers remained missing without a single trace.
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Yes, online shopping is quite literally at our fingertips, but that doesn't mean it's always simple to buy, Whether it's trying to remember one of a million different logins so you can actually place your order, or getting almost all the way through checkout before realizing your card is nowhere near you. There are many hiccups that can get between you and placing that order, which is why it's such a relief when you see that purple pay button that has all of your information saved, Making checkout as simple as a tap of your screen. That iconic purple Shop pay button is why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Meaning less carts going abandoned and more sales going to you. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Thrive Cosmetics, Gymshark and Allbirds to brands just getting started. And they're not just great at converting sales. If people haven't heard about your brand yet, Shopify can help you find your customers with easy to run email and social media campaigns. And they have world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. Tackle all of those important tasks from one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. See less carts go abandoned and more sales go with Shopify and their Shop Pay button. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com realm go to shopify.com realm that's shopify.com realm I'm Mandy. And I'm Melissa. And this is Moms and Mysteries. We're two Florida moms obsessed with true crime. From infamous cases like Ellen Greenberg to shocking Florida stories like the Dan Markell killing. With 55 million downloads, we bring you new deep dives every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen to Moms and Mysteries on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood.
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Could we get something a little bit lighter? Some lighter music here?
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Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show
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that jump started all of our love of true crime?
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I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto and we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries.
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Baby, you will laugh, you will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way.
- [35:13]
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And you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think not are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday you can listen to
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our True Crime rundown where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week.
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So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. For decades, Lonnie's disappearance remained exactly where it started. Unresolved searches had come up empty, interviews had gone dry, and as the years passed, the case slowly faded into the background. In October of 2014, Lonnie's mother, Maxine passed away at the age of 86. She died without ever learning what happened to her daughter. But in recent years, Lonnie's story has been brought back into the light, and the person responsible for that is her daughter, Alison. For much of her life, Alison tried to distance herself from the painful past surrounding her mother's disappearance, building a life that felt stable and normal. Looking back into the case meant reopening wounds that she spent years trying to heal. But eventually, Alison felt ready. In 2021, she began digging into the case herself, reviewing old records, reaching out to investigators, and speaking with people who remembered Lonnie and Bud. And what started as curiosity quickly turned into something much bigger. The deeper Alison looked, the more determined she became, uncovering the truth about what happened on that winter night in 1981.
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But there is one person she has never spoken to again. Her father. Allison has had no contact with Bud Rogers since the night he abandoned her at the police station when she was home. 14 years old. And she made it clear that she has no interest in reconnecting. She believes the truth about what happened to her mother still lies with him and possibly other members of the deaf community that may have known the couple at the time.
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Now living in Brunswick, she traveled back to Pennsylvania to speak directly with law enforcement about her mother's case. She visited investigators in Erie and later met with the Pennsylvania State Police. And when she began reviewing what records remained from the investigation, it appeared that some early leads had never been fully pursued, including Bud's initial interview with police that ended almost immediately because investigators couldn't communicate with him. Over the years, Bud has been contacted multiple times by investigators. But according to police, he has either declined to speak, has not responded to requests for interviews, or there has been a lack of qualified interpretation services available. Investigators say that since he is a person of interest and not a suspect, there's nothing they can do about his refusals. And after four decades, the central problem remains the same. There is no physical evidence that definitively proves anything suspicious happened to Lonnie. But Allison says that theory has never made any sense to her. Lonnie had been planning to leave Bud, not her children. There was a blizzard. Outside, temperatures were dangerously cold, and Lonnie left behind items she had relied on every day, including her hearing aids, her purse, and glasses. According to Allison, her mother would never have willingly walked away from her children, especially knowing the kind of home environment they were living in. And besides, she had her own car. If she really wanted to leave, she could have just drove off In August of 2021, Allison submitted a Right to Know Law, or RTKL, request to the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation file relating to her mother's case. But PSP denied the request, citing exemptions for criminal investigation records, confidential criminal history information, medical information, and information identifying minors. She appealed, arguing that the case involved a missing person, not a criminal investigation. That appeal was denied. And that is so hard to wrestle with because it tells us that there is a criminal aspect to the case that they're investigating, while simultaneously telling Allison that they can't rule out that Lonnie left on her own. And the fact that the case is even still active after 40 years is
- [39:45]
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significant, and that's a huge part in this case. The fact that it's still active makes you wonder what would make them close it. Agencies can close cases if they consider them unsolvable, meaning no prosecutable evidence exists and all leads have been exhausted. Cold cases stay open if there's a possibility of solving them in the future through new forensic methods, new information, or leads yet to be followed. And without a proper interview with Bud Rogers, investigators had a reason to keep it open.
- [40:17]
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Right. So In December of 2021, this marked the 41st anniversary of the disappearance of Lanine Ray Rogers. It approached and Pennsylvania State Police, they were asking for the public's help for any information that may lead to finding out what happened to her. They reported that none of her close friends or relatives had had any contact with her since her disappearance, and there has been no activity on her Social Security number. In February of 2022, Alison published a book called A Daughter's and Story of Resilience, where she detailed the life of her mother and herself. It's available on Amazon for anyone who wants to read more. And as Alison dug into her mother's case, she became acquainted with people who gave her even more information about the reality of Lonnie and Buddha. Friends of Bud's from high school had allegedly come forward and told her about a previous violent sexual assault conviction from before he even met Lonnie. She also learned about the depth of his crimes while he and Lonnie were married. According to Allison, when she requested Bud's criminal record, she received 62 pages of criminal activity throughout his life.
- [41:32]
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62 pages. And not to get off topic, but to put that in some type of context, a typical criminal record printout runs maybe a page or two for someone with a few offenses. 62 pages is a document that's breaking and entering, stealing cars, staging a robbery at his own workplace, multiple theft convictions, across years, jail time served. And that's just what made it into the official record. A violent sexual assault before the marriage even started. Fingerprint bruises on his own son's neck. This is not a man who had a rough patch. This is a man who spent decades doing whatever he wanted to whoever was around him. And yet for years, the public narrative around him was that he was a struggling, deaf single father trying to raise two children after his wife left his family. That was the story that he told. 62 pages of criminal history sat quietly in a filing cabinet while he played the victim. Anyway, Allison was motivated to bring these details to the surface. And in 2023, Allison worked with a professional to undercover her own memories from the night her mother disappeared. One of the first things she realized was that she remembered looking at her mother's car. And the back half of Lonnie's car didn't have snow on it, despite the fact that a heavy snowstorm had just moved through the area. She also remembered hearing her parents arguing. Because both of them were deaf, arguments in their home didn't sound the way that most people might expect when conflicts happened. Those exchanges involved physical movement rather than spoken words.
- [43:17]
A
She remembered cracking open her bedroom door and just slightly hoping to catch a glimpse of her parents hands so she could see what they were signing to each other. At first, she could only see the hallway, but when she opened the door a little further, she said her father suddenly walked down the hallway toward her and told her to go back to bed while slamming the door shut. The argument continued after that, and from the inside of her bedroom, she remembered hearing a loud bang, which made her think something like a chair might have been knocked over. Then everything went quiet, and eventually she fell asleep. Allison also wondered if the electrician that Lonnie knew could have been a suspect. She started to think, did Lonnie leave with him that night? Well, according to investigators, this man was considered, interviewed, and ultimately rolled out. Allison's theory of what happened is that Bud had participated in a crime of passion, that Lonnie was trying to leave Bud for good. With the argument ending in Lonnie saying that she was taking the kids and leaving. And she believed that since Bud had been known to choke people, including her own aunt and brother, he strangled her mother to death, put her in the trunk of her own car, which would have cleared the snow off the back half and disposed of her body. In 2024, Allison started a petition to try to move the case to forward. Investigators with the Pennsylvania State Police said the case remained open and active, and because of that, they couldn't publicly release any details. For Allison, this was frustrating, but it also sparked a new idea. Maybe the law itself needed to change. So Allison began advocating for what she called Lonnie's law.
- [45:04]
B
Under Lonnie's law, investigative files and missing persons or unsolved cases could remain sealed for the first 20 years. But after two decades without resolution, the victim's family would be allowed to review the file in a secure setting. They wouldn't be allowed to remove documents or alter anything, but they could read the records and take notes. The goal is transparency and the possibility that fresh eyes might notice something investigators missed.
- [45:32]
A
Supporters have said that a policy like this could give families a sense of closure or even help generate new leads in cases that have been stalled for decades. Allison said that she would love to see the law pass in Pennsylvania, but she was also trying to find a legislator anywhere in the country to help others as well. She had taken her case all the way up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to try to get access to the files. And even though the judges sympathized with her, they agreed with the police. Empathy doesn't outweigh the law protecting criminal investigative materials from being released. So even though she can't view the files, Allison told news outlets that she had been told by investigators that they have the evidence they need to convict Bud Rogers for murder, but they don't have a body to prove a murder even happened. Things like the missing pink blanket and the fact that he was nervous and sweaty when he dropped the kids off at the babysitter. Allison believed that when Bud left her and her brother with Sandy that night, he went back to the house to dispose of Lonnie's body.
- [46:36]
B
Under Lonnie's law, investigative files in missing persons or unsolved cases could remain sealed for the first 20 years. But after two decades without resolution, the victim's family would be allowed to review the file in a secure setting. They wouldn't be allowed to remove documents or alter anything, but they could read the records and take notes. The goal is transparency and the possibility that fresh eyes might notice something investigators missed.
- [47:04]
A
On November 26, 2025, Rogers finally told authorities when Allison and the rest of her family had slowly come to believe over the past four decades that he killed his wife. According to the affidavit, he said he choked lawning to death on the couch, wrapped her body in the pink blanket, placed her in the bed of his Ford Bronco, drove to a dumpster, and threw her body inside after more than
- [47:33]
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40 years of uncertainty, the man who had long been considered a person of interest was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault, held without bond.
- [47:45]
A
For Alison, the news brought a moment she had spent years hoping for, but never fully believed it would happen. In interviews following the arrest, Allison said hearing the confession was overwhelming. She had spent most of her life living with the unknown, wondering what had really happened to her mother. Even though she always believed Lonnie was no longer alive, the absence of answers had always left a constant question hanging over her life.
- [48:12]
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In the days after the arrest, Allison spoke publicly about what the confession meant to her. She described it as a moment she had always prayed would come, but never truly expected. She said she could finally have some closure, that she was no longer wondering what he had done to her mother. Even though she had never believed Lonnie was still alive, the not knowing had stayed with her for decades. Now she finally had something that she could hold on to.
- [48:39]
A
And Allison had full plans to be at every hearing where her father would be present, saying that she wanted him to see her as a grown woman who is confident and strong, to see her mother in her face, and for him to know that he didn't break her. Alison built a life around helping others, working with children. As a special education teacher, she understands what it feels like to be the kid who needs someone to step up, step in and believe in them. Allison also credited the missing persons community and the work of a private investigative group for helping keep her mother's case moving forward. One organization she worked with is Investigations for the Missing, a non profit group that assists families with cold cases and missing persons investigations.
- [49:25]
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Groups like that review case information, coordinate search efforts, and keep attention to focused on cases that might otherwise fade with time. A lot of people think that outside pressure is part of what drove Bud to confess. Others say that it was because he was homeless and needed stable housing and food, and prison could give him that.
- [49:45]
A
Either way, by the end of 2025, the case that had haunted Lonnie's family for more than four decades was finally moving through the court system. In December, Allison posted an emotional message to supporters the night before the preliminary hearing, and she wrote about the anger, the anxiety, the anticipation, but not fear. The man who had taken her mother from her had never controlled her, she said, and she walked into that courtroom as Lonnie's daughter. In January of this year, 2026, a formal arraignment hearing was scheduled. Clinton Bud Rogers, now in his 70s and reportedly in declining health, was not expected to attend the hearing himself, but prosecutors offered a plea deal involving a reduced charge and a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years. While that may seem shocking, Alison understood that Rogers was an elderly man and even if he served the full sentence, he may never live long enough to complete it.
- [50:48]
B
Alongside the legal fight, Alison had also experienced pieces of her mother's life she had never had the chance to remember through old photographs and family videos. What she says stands out the most in those images is that Lonnie was almost always smiling, laughing, dancing and spending time with friends. She was fully present in every recording Allison saw, confident and joyful, helping Allison to see pieces of her mother within herself.
- [51:17]
A
As of now, the legal process in Lonnie's case is still unfolding. Shortly after a February hearing, Alison received word that the defense had requested another continuance, delaying the next court update to March 30th of 2026. Allison has spoken about how domestic violence, abuse and intimidation can silence victims and families for years, and she believes that standing publicly for Lonnie is a way to stand with others who have experienced similar abuse, abuse or loss. She has encouraged her supporters to attend upcoming hearings to honor Lonnie and also to recognize the many victims of violence and unresolved cases that are still waiting for justice.
- [51:59]
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To keep hearing updates on the case, please follow the justice for Lonnie Rogers Facebook page to see how you can contribute to Allison's fight for justice for her mother after 45 years. And please consider signing Allison's petition to move Lonnie's Law forward. It's currently at 2,500 signatures in our show description.
- [52:19]
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We will have a link to Allison's Facebook page. She uses it to advocate for other missing persons cases that haven't been solved. She is doing amazing work for people who are experiencing the pain and heartbreak that Lonnie's family has gone through for the past 45 years. And we strongly encourage you to follow her along along her journey. And we also encourage you to read Alison's book A Daughter's Journey and Story of Resilience, which goes into much more detail. It's available on Amazon and we want to thank you so much for listening to this week's episode. Even though it took decades to finally get, you know, somewhere with this case, it's really sad to know that much of her family passed away before they could even see this happening. Also, if you are in the Northwestern Pennsylvania Area Law Needs Family invites you to join a peaceful gathering outside the Crawford County Courthouse at 903- Diamond Park Square in Meadville on Monday, March 30, 2026. The gathering is being held in Lonnie's memory and in solidarity with victims of domestic violence and the missing and murdered while the hearing of her case takes place on this day, as Allison and her supporters say she will never stand alone again. Follow the justice for Lawneen Rogers Facebook page for updates and use the hashtag JusticeForLawan to show your support. Our hearts go out to Allison, Erin and the rest of Lonnie's surviving family as they finally move forward with answers. Quick thing before you go, if you would like to support Crime Salad, you can find merch@crimesaladpodcast.com ad free listening is on our patreon@patreon.com CRIMESALADPodcast and while you're there, if you have a minute, please give us a positive review on Apple Podcast. It really does help our show grow and any supporting links will be in the show Notes until next time. Oh the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place or the time when Jane Austen wrote her books, but the Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. And on the Vulgar History podcast, we're going to be looking at the ball, the gowns and all the scandal of the Regency era. Vulgar History is a women's history podcast and our Regency Era series will be focusing on the most rebellious women of this time. That includes Jane Austen herself, who is maybe more radical than you might have thought. We'll also be talking about queer icons like Anne Lister, scientists like Mary Anning and Ada Lovelace, as well as other scandalous actresses, royal mistresses, rebellious princes and other lesser known figures who made history happen in England in the Regency era. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get podcasts, you saw the edit, but that's not the full story. Devonte Anderson from Love Is Blind is finally speaking out. From his relationship with Britney to productions role behind the scenes to the moment everyone's been debating the people of color comment. And yes, we asked him everything, including what Netflix didn't show. Like Brittany meeting his family. A lot was cut and now it's all coming out. No filters, no safe questions, just the truth. Listen now to the Roxanne and Chantel podcast available where you get your podcasts.
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Hi, this is Rob Benedict and I am Richard Speight. We were both on a little show you might not called Supernatural. It had a pretty good run. 15 seasons, 327 episodes.
- [56:14]
A
And though we have seen, of course, every episode many times, we figured, hey,
- [56:18]
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now that we're wrapped, let's watch it all again. And we can't do that alone. So we're inviting the cast and crew that made the show along for the ride. We've got writers, producers, composers, directors, and we'll of course have some actors on as well, including some certain guys that played some certain pretty iconic brothers.
- [56:38]
A
It was kind of a little bit of a left field choice in the best way possible.
- [56:42]
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The note from Kripke was he's great, we love him, but we're looking for like a really intelligent Duchovny type with 15 seasons to explore. It's going to be the road trip of several lifetimes. So please join us and subscribe to Supernatural then and now.