Podcast Summary: Everything They Missed

Episode: The Record Button
Host: Stephanie Tinsley
Date: September 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, host Stephanie Tinsley peels back the layers of the unsolved 2007 murder of Danny Harris, a father and veteran, whose body went undiscovered in his Memphis apartment for two months. The episode delves into the police investigation, focusing on overlooked evidence, contradictory confessions, and the questionable practices of law enforcement. Tinsley scrutinizes how an initial suspect’s name—Wayne Bobo—spread rapidly, how a confession emerged under dubious circumstances, and why key forensic facts seemed to be ignored. The result is a chilling exploration of what happens when the details that should matter most instead slip through the cracks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene in Cordova (01:43–03:51)

• Tinsley and friends drive to Cordova, east of Memphis, where Harris was murdered.
• Elizabeth describes Cordova as “a white flight neighborhood... cookie cutter subdivisions” (01:43) and “the kind of place that wants you to believe nothing bad happens here” (02:07).
• The group finds Harris’s former apartment—ordinary, nondescript, with a stillness belying the violence that took place.
• Tinsley reveals, “He was dead in there for two months. Can you imagine?” (03:23), underscoring the community’s silence.

2. Tammy Vance and the First Leads (04:37–07:27)

• Tammy Vance (Harris’s girlfriend) becomes a central figure. Her interrogation tapes shape the initial investigation. Tinsley reads through her statements:
  • Tammy describes Harris’s decline, her prostitution at his apartment, and taking his possessions after his alleged death.
  • Tammy introduces Wayne Bobo as someone who had her trust and possibly a key to the apartment.
  • Detectives latch onto Wayne Bobo as a suspect, partly because “the old tube TV she stole... not something Tammy could have hauled off on her own... the scene itself, it was savage.” (06:58)

3. The Character of Tammy Vance (07:27–09:17)

• Elizabeth is blunt: “If somebody asked me to describe Tammy, I would say... Jabba the Hutt.” (08:28)
• Tinsley finds universal negativity from those who knew Tammy: “every single one... said the same thing. You’re not going to find anyone with something nice to say.” (08:53)
• The implication: Tammy’s story about Wayne Bobo “doesn’t just raise questions. It feels strange.” (08:59)

4. Sarah Lucas’s Statement (12:19–13:40)

• Sarah Lucas (Tammy’s daughter) is interrogated. A voice actor recreates her statement:
  • Admits knowledge of her mother’s prostitution and Harris enabling it for money (12:36).
  • Justifies Tammy’s possession of Harris’s truck and phone.
  • Mentions hearing Wayne Bobo in the background during a call (13:22).
• Sarah’s knowledge seems circumstantial, relying on what her mother told her.

5. Tammy and Sarah Jailhouse Call (14:30–16:46)

• A jail call transcript re-enacted by voice actors shows how Tammy and Sarah meticulously “corroborate” their stories:
  • Tammy: “Did you mention Wayne Bobo?” (15:57)
  • Sarah: “Yeah, I told them that I knew him. I didn’t lie to them about nothing.”
  • Tinsley flags the oddity of their language: “It doesn’t sound like fear or confusion. It sounds like Tammy’s strategizing.” (16:08)

6. Spotlight Shifts: Andrew Wayne Hayes (17:45–24:19)

• Detectives detain Andrew Wayne Hayes—coincidentally called “Wayne”—a young Black man living in the same household as Tammy after confusing leads about Wayne Bobo.
• Hayes claims ignorance of the case, but is interrogated for hours.
  • Hayes: “They treated me like I wasn’t even human... just like they wanted what they wanted, you know, they didn’t care what I had to say...” (23:06)
• Tinsley discovers key police interrogations were never recorded—the Tennessee law makes it optional.

7. Interrogation Tactics and False Confession (24:47–33:22)

• Hayes recounts 27 hours of pressure, threats, and feeding of facts:
  • They scream, accuse, and tell him he’ll never see his family again (29:57).
  • “If that’s what y’all wanna hear me that I did, okay, I did it... I was tired 27 hours.” (33:22)
• Notable flaws in Hayes’s forced confession:
  • Claims apartment is upstairs (it isn’t).
  • Details the wrong wounds (front vs. back of the head).
  • Wrong timeline (claimed murder happened two weeks prior—instead, body showed two months of decomposition).
• Tinsley is skeptical: “Why would he say any of this at all? So I asked him.”
• Hayes: “Let’s get it over with man, I’m tired. You know, sitting in the same spot for 27 hours. Anybody get tired?” (33:22)

8. The Domino Effect: Tammy’s Sudden Admission (34:02–34:30)

• Once Andrew confesses, detectives confront Tammy Vance again—she suddenly claims, “me and him did it together”.
• Tinsley notes: “the moment Andrew confesses, all of it disappears. Every other lead, every detail that doesn’t fit, gone.” (34:30)

9. Undermining the Closure: The Checkbook Fingerprints (35:40–36:08)

• After the confession, crime lab results come in:
  • “Fingerprints pulled from a checkbook found in Danny’s stolen truck... didn't match Danny, didn't match Tammy, didn't match Wayne Bobo, didn't match Andrew.” (35:40)
  • Tinsley asks, “So the question is, who do they belong to?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He was dead in there for two months. Can you imagine?”
  —Stephanie Tinsley (03:23)
• “If somebody asked me to describe Tammy, I would say... Jabba the Hutt. That’s what I picture.”
  —Elizabeth (08:28)
• “I noticed that word ‘corroborated.’ It’s not how people talk...It sounds like Tammy’s strategizing.”
  —Stephanie Tinsley (16:08)
• “They treated me like I wasn’t even human, just to be honest with you. Talking about like a real piece of... just like they wanted what they wanted, you know, they didn’t care what I had to say...”
  —Andrew Wayne Hayes (23:06)
• “If that’s what y’all wanna hear me that I did, okay, I did it... I was tired. 27 hours. I was exhausted. I was tired. I was just ready to get it over with.”
  —Andrew Wayne Hayes (33:22)
• “He said Danny’s apartment was upstairs... but I've been there. There is no upstairs.”
  —Stephanie Tinsley (32:08)
• “Fingerprints pulled from a checkbook... didn't match Danny. They didn't match Tammy. They didn't match Wayne Bobo. And you know who else they didn't match? Andrew. So the question is, who do they belong to?”
  —Stephanie Tinsley (35:40)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:43–03:51: Setting the scene in Cordova and the discovery of Harris’s apartment.
• 04:37–07:27: Tammy Vance’s initial interrogation and the emergence of Wayne Bobo as a suspect.
• 12:19–13:40: Sarah Lucas’s statement and her view of the situation.
• 14:30–16:46: Jailhouse call between Tammy and Sarah introduces the idea of story-crafting.
• 17:45–23:06: Andrew Wayne Hayes is interrogated and his background revealed.
• 24:47–33:22: Description of his lengthy interrogation, confession, and contradictions.
• 34:02–34:30: Tammy Vance suddenly implicates herself and Andrew after his confession.
• 35:40–36:08: Breakthrough forensic result—fingerprints exclude all suspects.

Tone and Style

Stephanie Tinsley narrates with a mix of skepticism, empathy, and investigative rigor. She’s openly critical of police tactics, meticulous about discrepancies in testimony, and intent on giving marginalized voices a platform. The tone is tense, questioning, and determined—never sentimental, but always deeply invested in uncovering the truth.

Final Reflection

This episode exposes how a homicide investigation slipped into tunnel vision: how suspects were targeted not because evidence pointed to them, but because it was convenient; how confessions might be wrung from exhaustion rather than fact; and how key physical evidence—the fingerprints on the checkbook—remained an enigma. Tinsley’s careful, relentless retracing of the case leaves the listener wondering just how much was missed—and who really killed Danny Harris.

For further details and extended interviews, visit everythingtheymiss.com or follow Stephanie Tinsley on social media.