Criminology Podcast: "Ebby Steppach"

Episode 404 | April 5, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Morford

Overview of the Episode

This episode of the Criminology podcast takes a deep, critical look at the tragic and perplexing 2015 disappearance and death of 18-year-old Ebby Steppach in Little Rock, Arkansas. Through detailed timelines, interviews, and commentary, hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford discuss the events leading up to Ebby's vanishing, the frustrating investigation, controversial handling by the police, persistent rumors, and the agonizing aftermath for her loved ones. The episode highlights both the haunting questions that remain unanswered and the various theories as to what happened to Ebby during her final days.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ebby Steppach: Background and Events Before Disappearance

• Major Life Changes (03:20–04:12)

  • Ebby, 18, was seeking independence: transferred from a charter to a public school, moved out of her parents’ home, and sought fewer rules.
  • “She was rebellious, she was independent. She's going to do whatever she wants.” – Friend Daniel Westbrook [03:20]
  • Spent time at different friends’ and relatives’ homes during this period.

• The Night of the Disappearance (04:12–06:27)

  • October 24, 2015: Ebby spent a typical day with her grandparents, ending in a trip to TCBY for frozen yogurt.
  • That evening, Ebby called police twice (neither call lasted long) and texted her stepfather, Michael, saying she needed to report a sexual assault from a recent house party.
  • The nature of the assault is unclear; reports suggest multiple assailants and that one recorded it.
  • “She had told people, you know, she reached out to her stepfather. But then you have these texts that night apparently to the men that she was planning to accuse. Now we don't know exactly what was in the text, but I think these are very important details when you know that she is going to go missing.” – Mike Morford [07:30]

• Last Contact with Family (08:12–10:59)

  • After telling family she was going to meet her stepfather, Ebby left her grandparents’ house and stopped answering calls.
  • She called her brother, Trevor, the next evening from an unknown location, disoriented, sounding scared and “messed up” but not physically present where she claimed to be.
  • “She said, ‘I'm fucked up.’ Then she hung up. It was the last time he'd ever talked to his sister.” – Mike Ferguson [09:23–09:33]
  • Family reported her missing, but police enforced a 12-hour wait since she was legally an adult.

Discovery and Mishandling of Evidence

• Abandoned Car at Chalamont Park (12:14–14:33)

  • October 28, 2015: Ebby’s car found abandoned at Chalamont Park, with contents inside including her purse, makeup, phone, keys, and contact lenses. Expensive makeup was broken and strewn inside—uncharacteristic for Ebby.
  • Car impounded with the trunk left open, allowing days of rain to destroy potential evidence.
  • “Leaving this trunk open while it's at the impound lot… to me, that's a gaffe because we don't know if there was evidence in there, but why would it not be sealed up?” – Mike Morford [13:13]

• Initial Police Response and Early Investigations (15:31–18:22)

  • Police considered Ebby a runaway despite her belongings being left behind.
  • Family and friends, dissatisfied, searched on their own. A family friend, Margie Foley, smelled decomposition in a park drainage pipe and reported it, but police dismissed her concerns.
  • “I was kind of dismissed by them.” – Margie Foley [16:15]
  • Cadaver dogs brought in subsequently did not detect a scent.

Cold Case Developments & Continued Search

• Detective Hudson Takes Over (17:19–18:22)

  • 2017: Detective Tommy Hudson revived the case, criticized earlier efforts as sloppy and incomplete.
  • “When I got the case, there were things that weren't done that should have been done on the front end.” – Det. Hudson [17:19]
  • “I believe we would know where our daughter is had they not mishandled her case.” – Lori Steppach [17:19]

• Discovery of Remains (19:24–21:25)

  • May 22, 2018: After years of missed opportunities, Ebby’s remains were found in the Chalamont Park drainage pipe, just 20 yards from her car, following excavation after repeated tips and a focused search.
  • “For three years, she had been less than 20 yards from where her car had been found parked.” – Mike Ferguson [19:24]
  • Family and friends expressed a mix of relief, anger, and guilt at the discovery.
  • “Why didn't I dig up the parking lot? Why didn't I insist that the drain had been searched?” – Lori Steppach, THV11.com [21:25]
  • “It just makes me physically ill thinking that... she was decaying down there, and that's what I smelled. And nobody did anything.” – Margie Foley, AP News [21:25]

Frustrations, Criticisms & Theories

• Mishandling & Consequences (22:20–24:50)

  • Medical examiner kept the cause of death confidential, possibly to protect the investigation.
  • Family asserts that finding her sooner might have preserved evidence and clarified her cause of death.

• Rumors of Police Cover-up and Alternative Theories (25:38–29:51)

  • Public suspicion: Rumors that one of the party suspects was the son of a police official, fueling cover-up theories.
  • Some believe Ebby may have trusted someone (genuine officer or impersonator) at the park, leading to her disappearance.
  • Others point to the region’s dark history of mishandled cases, referencing the “Boys on the Tracks” case.
  • “One infamous case in that area is the boys on the Tracks case from August 1987...” – Mike Morford [29:51]

• Speculation Closer to Home (31:11–33:57)

  • Questions arise about why Ebby confided in her stepfather rather than her mother.
  • Lori, Ebby’s mother, said, “I'm grateful that I wasn't told about that text about what happened. I know I would have been hysterical and rushed over.” [31:11]
  • Discussion of suspicion falling heavily on family members by default in unsolved cases.

• Family Member's Criminal History (34:46–36:35)

  • Ebby’s uncle later convicted of a sexual offense, sparking unfounded suspicion towards the family.
  • Detective Hudson explicitly stated: “I can categorically tell you that her stepfather, her father, nobody in her family is a suspect that we're looking at in the case.” [34:46]

New Suspects and Human Trafficking Angle

• Eyewitness Accounts & Link to Traffickers (37:14–39:09)

  • The security guard (Guy Hooper) who found Ebby’s car reported seeing her with men later identified as having been charged with human trafficking in Louisiana.
  • “Guy was able to pick his photo out of a lineup because he was charged with human trafficking and promoting prostitution in Louisiana.” – Mike Morford [37:14]
  • The significance of her company at the park and their potential links to her fate are discussed.

• Party Attendees Refuse Cooperation (39:09–40:51)

  • Young men Ebby intended to accuse refused to cooperate or hand over phones.
  • Speculation persists whether her death was retribution for her intent to contact police.

Other Possibilities: Suicide, Accident, or Cover-Up?

• Questioning Suicide Theory (40:51–41:39)

  • A text she sent to a friend read "I'm going to kill myself", but hosts–and facts–find suicide physically unlikely due to the strength required to enter the drain and other evidence.
  • “It’s unlikely that Ebby could have lifted the manhole cover on her own and climbed into the pipe. So suicide seems to be the least likely scenario.” – Mike Ferguson [40:51]

• Boyfriend’s Perspective (41:39–42:49)

  • Her boyfriend, Eric, described her as behaving strangely, as if she knew she wouldn’t be okay. He speculated she may have been given something by friends and that her death was accidentally covered up.
  • “She just wasn't her normal self... Just like she knew something was about to happen. She almost knew she wasn't going to be okay.” – Eric [41:39]

Lingering Mysteries & Current Status

• No Arrests, Unanswered Questions (43:54–46:43)

  • As of 2026, no arrests have been made.
  • Authorities have pieced together some of Ebby’s last movements, but crucial investigation steps were delayed by years.
  • “It's frustrating that Shalomont park had been searched earlier in the investigation, multiple times even, but nothing was found. Abby's body was not in the opening of the tunnel.” – Mike Ferguson [24:50]
  • Ongoing hope for breakthroughs with new cold case units and investigators revisiting evidence.

• Enduring Pain for the Family (44:25–45:11)

  • Her brother Trevor, last person to speak to her, died in 2019. Their mother, Lori, has not given up hope for closure.
  • “I really believe that there's more than one person who knows what happened. I just hope they have the courage to come forward.” – Lori Steppach [44:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She was rebellious, she was independent. She's going to do whatever she wants.”
  – Daniel Westbrook, Ebby’s friend [03:20]

• “Why didn't I dig up the parking lot? Why didn't I insist that the drain had been searched?”
  – Lori Steppach, Ebby’s mother [21:25]

• “I can categorically tell you that her stepfather, her father, nobody in her family is a suspect that we're looking at in the case.”
  – Detective Hudson [34:46]

• “I felt like I had failed when I learned that. Why didn't I dig up the parking lot? Why didn't I insist that the drain had been searched?”
  – Lori Steppach [21:25]

• “Maybe her death, if she was murdered, has nothing to do with any of the scenarios or people we've talked about. Could she have died at the hands of a stranger that she just happened to encounter? Or might her death be some kind of accidental death or overdose that somebody tried to cover up?”
  – Mike Ferguson [47:52]

• “Her body being in the drain pipe, to me, is someone needing to hide her body in the hopes that it wouldn't be found for some time, which it wasn't. And, you know, they were successful, whoever that was.”
  – Mike Morford [49:00]

Timeline & Key Timestamps

• 03:20 – Ebby’s life changes and independence
• 04:12–05:16 – Last day with grandparents, sexual assault revelation
• 06:27–07:30 – Steps to involve police after assault
• 09:23–10:59 – Last call with brother, signs of intoxication or distress
• 12:14 – Car discovered, evidence mishandled
• 16:15–16:49 – Family friend reports odor of decomposition, dismissed
• 17:19–18:22 – Detective Hudson’s critique of initial investigation
• 19:24–21:25 – Discovered remains in Chalamont Park drain
• 22:20–24:50 – Cause of death withheld, evidence lost to time and neglect
• 24:50–26:55 – Multiple searches at park missed the body
• 29:51 – Reference to regional history of criminal justice failures
• 31:11–33:07 – Speculation about family involvement
• 34:46 – Detective’s categorical exoneration of the family
• 37:14–39:09 – Security guard’s identification of men linked to human trafficking
• 40:51 – Suicide theory rebutted
• 41:39 – Boyfriend’s recollection of Ebby’s state before vanishing
• 44:25 – Continuing grief and hope for resolution from Ebby’s mother
• 47:52–49:00 – Final theories and summary of outstanding mysteries

Conclusion

The episode powerfully captures the heartbreak, frustration, and confusion surrounding Ebby Steppach’s disappearance and death. Though the discovery of her remains provided some measure of closure, the case remains unsolved a decade later, due in part to a series of investigative failures and persistent questions about motive and suspects. Ferguson and Morford balance empathy for Ebby’s loved ones with persistent, critical examination of the facts, urging anyone with useful information to come forward.

If you have information about the Ebby Steppach case, contact the Little Rock Police Department’s Cold Case Unit at 501-404-3128 or email ebitips@gmail.com.