Everything They Missed

Episode: "Protocol | The First 48 Hours After Danny Harris’s Murder"

Host: Stephanie Tinsley
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In the debut episode of "Everything They Missed," host Stephanie Tinsley begins an in-depth re-investigation into the unsolved 2007 murder of Danny Harris—a father, veteran, and Tennessean whose case faded into obscurity despite glaring red flags and mishandled evidence. Stephanie, joined by attorneys and ex-cops, unpacks the initial 48 hours after Harris’s body was discovered, laying out a tangled web of questionable police procedures, lost evidence, unreliable witnesses, and the personal connections that clouded the search for truth. Through new interviews and previously unheard recordings, the episode sets out to uncover what was missed—and why the case never got the scrutiny it deserved.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Warning & Context ([00:01–01:20])

• The episode begins with a legal disclaimer and tense tape of an unknown woman threatening to sue if her name is connected to Danny’s murder.

  • “If this shit don't stop, I was to sue the pants out of your little justice system. Do you understand?”
    — Anonymous Female, [00:01]

• Stephanie sets the stakes: the episode is about “one of the most savage murders I’ve ever come across,” and introduces a tape being aired for the first time.

2. Discovery of the Crime Scene ([02:01–05:42])

• Joe Jacqueline, a retired NYPD cop, describes the unforgettable nature of death’s smell at crime scenes ([02:01]).

  • “The smell of death is undeniable. It goes through sheetrock, it goes through ceilings, it goes through walls.”
    — Joe Jacqueline, [02:01]

• Danny Harris’s decomposing body is discovered after a routine welfare check in his Cordova, TN apartment, following missed rent payments.

  • Apartment details: one-story, brick, small, AC cranked, candles burned, air fresheners used, towel under bedroom door ([04:03–04:31]).
  • Stephanie’s narration of the scene is graphic—Harris is unrecognizable; the body is decomposed, and evidence of attempts to mask the decomposition (cold air, air fresheners) is everywhere.
  • “His pacemaker told the rest: he had been dead for two months.”
    — Stephanie Tinsley, [04:43]

3. Initial Police Theories and Investigation Protocol ([05:42–09:46])

• Police first consider burglary or drug deal gone wrong, quickly dismiss this as evidence surfaces the murder was personal.

• Joe Jacqueline introduces “the first 48” concept—the critical window for solving homicide ([06:18])—but notes its origin as TV dramatization, not strict procedure.

  • “It makes for great TV... the longer it goes, the worse it gets.”
    — Joe Jacqueline, [06:41]

• Police at the scene include Sergeant Carolyn Mason, one of the department’s TV-famous detectives, who finds graduation memorabilia for Chris Harris—a local sheriff and the victim’s son ([07:29]).

• Detectives, believing the victim is a stranger, eventually learn Danny Harris is Chris’s estranged father—Chris is called to the scene.

  • This decision is harshly criticized:
    • “But the issue that comes down to is it makes for investigations extremely difficult because of the condition that the body is in... What I do question is the condition that the victim was in to bring the son in to try to identify.”
      — Joe Jacqueline, [09:12, 09:46]

4. Major Evidence Mishandling & Protocol Breaches ([10:50–13:48])

• Stephanie and Jason Gishner outline multiple failures:

  • Key forensic items left untested:

    • Red rag stuffed in victim's mouth: not DNA-tested
    • Bed comforter and towels: not tested
    • Five bloody fingerprints: only two collected
    • Alarm system: never dusted for prints
    • Detectives miss or ignore women's jewelry on the nightstand and other clues

  • “Nothing was tested for DNA.”
    — Jason Gishner, [11:40]

  • “If all of these items they missed sounds sloppy and half-assed, then I don't know how else to prepare you for what's coming. Because it gets worse. Much worse.”
    — Stephanie Tinsley, [12:25]

• Stephanie contextualizes the case as another “botched investigation” but asserts its unique failures began to consume her life.

5. Host’s Personal Investment and Entry into the Case ([13:49–15:55])

• Stephanie explains her and her husband’s connection to the infamous Murdaugh murders, which stoked her interest in telling her own true crime story ([13:49–14:27]).
• She learns of Danny Harris’s case through attorney Jason Gishner (after her child’s friend presents about his parent’s job at a school assembly).
• Jason was initially terrified the story would go public, aware of its sensitive, unresolved nature.
  • “Once that happens, I lose control of the narrative.”
    — Jason Gishner, [15:46]

6. Missing Truck, TV, and Gun: Following the Trail ([15:55–19:01])

• Danny’s distinctive truck, TV, and .40 pistol are missing. Police put out BOLOs and lean on street informants.
• Enter “Snow,” real name Janice Jefferson: a police informant who rents rooms and helps police identify people in trouble.
• Snow’s account:
  • Tammy Vance and daughter Sarah Lucas arrive, battered, trying to pawn a TV, later produce a gun from the truck.
  • Snow calls police suspecting truck is stolen.
  • Police trace and arrest Tammy at a Mapco gas station, with Snow watching ([18:26–19:09]).

7. Interrogations & Key Witnesses Emerge ([19:09–25:08])

• Attorney Elizabeth Bolling helps reconstruct the aftermath—police process the tip, question Snow and accompanying individuals.
• Tammy Vance, driving the truck, acts surprised to hear Danny is dead. Under questioning, she breaks and details her relationship with Danny, leading to more suspects.
  • “It seems like Tammy was obviously considered a suspect because she was driving a stolen truck, but she pretended that she didn't know Danny was dead.”
    — Elizabeth Bolling, [20:20]
• Clark Chapman, with unique access to Tammy, recounts their dating site meeting, her moving in to help with bills, and the large flow of strangers into the apartment ([20:42–24:21]).
• Danny allows Tammy to bring men she meets back to his home for paid encounters—opening the door to numerous possible suspects.
• Turmoil mounts as Tammy, during interrogation, names "Wayne Bobo," igniting a rapid but flawed police pursuit.

8. Systemic Failures & Closing Thoughts ([25:08–27:31])

• The investigators are accused of seizing too quickly on a suspect after a single name drops, with the case rapidly and shoddily closed.

  • “This was one of the quickest cases to get closed and one of the most poorly investigated cases I've ever seen.”
    — Jason Gishner, [26:40]

• Further procedural problems: contradictory claims about interview recordings and ATM card use after the murder ([26:48–27:20]).

• Stephanie ends with a vow to keep pushing:

  • “What led me to the investigation of Danny Harris wasn’t a podcast, news story, or family member. It was actually another murder, which my entire life got pulled into... I made a decision to... trace every name, every lie, every dead end they gave up on until it’s outed who’s responsible. And if you look it up, what you’ll find is this case is closed. But we’re just getting started.”
    — Stephanie Tinsley, [25:08–26:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The smell of death is undeniable. It goes through sheetrock... you can never forget that smell.”
  — Joe Jacqueline, [02:01]
• “If all of these items they missed sounds sloppy and half-assed, then I don't know how else to prepare you for what's coming. Because it gets worse. Much worse.”
  — Stephanie Tinsley, [12:25]
• “Once that happens, I lose control of the narrative.”
  — Jason Gishner, [15:46]
• “He wanted her to stick with what she was already doing.”
  — Clark Chapman, on Danny’s acceptance of Tammy’s sex work, [23:49]
• “Wayne Bobo... when Tammy Vance said his name, it was like dropping a match into gasoline.”
  — Stephanie Tinsley, [25:08]
• “This was one of the quickest cases to get closed and one of the most poorly investigated cases I've ever seen.”
  — Jason Gishner, [26:40]

Key Timestamps for Reference

• 00:01 — Legal disclaimer, tense audio; sets the immediate stakes
• 02:01 — Joe Jacqueline describes the crime scene and recognition of death
• 03:00 — Introduction to Danny Harris’s life and apartment
• 04:03 — Discovery details: evidence and attempts to mask smell
• 06:18 — Discussion of the “first 48” and police urgency
• 07:29 — Detective connections: Carolyn Mason and Chris Harris
• 11:40 — Breakdown of forensic failures and mishandling
• 13:49 — Stephanie’s transition from observer to participant post-Murdaugh case
• 15:46 — Jason’s apprehension about reopening the story
• 17:00 — Enter "Snow" (Janice Jefferson)—the informant key to new leads
• 19:09 — Attorney Elizabeth Bolling on follow-up evidence
• 20:42 — Clark Chapman on Danny and Tammy’s relationship
• 25:08 — Tammy Vance’s interrogation: the “Wayne Bobo” bombshell
• 26:40 — Final condemnation of the investigation’s closure

Episode Tone

Stephanie’s tone is direct, skeptical, and at times deeply personal. She’s critical of the original investigation but remains empathetic to victims and their families. The contributors (cops, lawyers, informants) provide a mix of gruff, world-weary realism and frustration at the justice system’s failures.

Summary

This episode meticulously lays out the basic facts, missed opportunities, and unresolved questions haunting Danny Harris’s murder case. It establishes a narrative of police oversight, contaminated evidence, and the all-too-human elements that complicate real justice. The host’s vow to keep digging sets up a series dedicated to untangling what the original investigation missed—suggesting much more will be revealed.