← Going West: True Crime
Going West: True Crime
Hall of Crime with Daphne and Heath + Q & A // 600
01:15:32
Join Daphne and Heath for five rounds of drafts for their true crime hall of fame and learn their most haunting disappearance case, most baffling unsolved case, biggest twist in a case, case they want solved in their lifetime, and their true crime Roman Empire - all from cases they've covered over the years. To follow is a Q & A using questions sent in by the listeners!
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- [00:00]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
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- [01:01]
Heath
You're great at protecting your data, but lots of places could still expose you to identity theft.
- [01:05]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I thought I was safe.
- [01:07]
Heath
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- [01:48]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And I'm your host, Daphne.
- [01:49]
Heath
And you're listening to the very special 600th episode of Going West.
- [01:55]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Woo. At this rate, we are doing over 100 episodes a year, but with two episodes every week sometimes, you know, it's fun to stray from the usual structure and do something a little bit different. So for our 600th episode, we have a special like hall of Crime ready for you guys, followed by a little Q and A where we answer questions you yourselves submitted this week on our socials.
- [02:18]
Heath
Yes, and we've got five rounds of drafts today and Daphne and I will answer each of those. And we also want it to be kind of interactive for you guys. So head on over to our socials after you listen and submit your own answers.
- [02:30]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
This is going to be a fun one. We're going to talk a lot about true crime cases. Actually, it's funny because when we did the Q and A, a lot of our drafts, like the prompts for the drafts were questions from you guys Anyway, so as those were coming in, I was like, oh, we're already gonna.
- [02:45]
Heath
Kind of worked out perfectly.
- [02:46]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, kind of conveniently. So thank you guys so much for bringing us to episode 600. Let's do at least 600 more.
- [02:55]
Heath
Yes. We love you guys. Appreciate you being here for all 600 episodes. So without further ado, this is episode 600 of Going West. So let's get into it.
- [03:26]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
So like we said, we're gonna do five rounds of our, you know, hall of Crime today. We're gonna have five prompts. I'm gonna answer one, Heath's gonna answer it. And we're pulling from all 600 episodes of Going west, which was really hard as Heath and I were going through these and trying to figure out which cases to put for which prompt, because there. It feels so endless. We've covered so many cases.
- [03:49]
Heath
Yeah. Honestly, we have just such a long catalog of episodes and cases that we've covered.
- [03:55]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. So we had to choose one per. But it was very hard to narrow down. Now, the first one, Round one Most Haunting Disappearance. So my selection for that, I decided to go with Caitlyn Akins. The really haunting disappearances, I think are kind of our bread and butter and the type of stories we are the most fascinated by. But just one of the cases that I often think about is the disappearance of Caitlyn Akins. Now, we covered her story back in 2021 in episode 102 of Going West. And I truly think about it from time to time. There was actually a very recent update in her story that kind of put this case really back on the map for me, and I'm sure a lot of you guys. So let's go into the details of that one for a second. So Caitlyn was a 19 year old woman from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who vanished on December 5, 2015. She had been visiting family in Virginia and was scheduled to return to Arizona, where she lived with her fiance and mother. Now, one of the biggest reasons that she even went to Virginia was because she was about to start cosmetology school, which she was super excited about. But she realized her high school diploma was back home in Virginia. So she also realized she could kind of kill two birds with one stone by heading back home to get this diploma and see her family, particularly to watch her nephew be born. But she was so excited to get back to Arizona to start school. Now, according to her stepfather, James Branton, who she was with that very week, he drove her to the Springfield town center so she could Take the Metro the rest of the way to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. But shortly afterward, Caitlin, or should I say Caitlyn's phone, texted her family claiming that she had arrived at the airport. She said, quote, I'm at the airport, battery dying, so won't be able to text for a bit. This text was received at 2pm but weirdly, four minutes earlier, at 1:56pm, Kaitlyn's fiance Amber received a very different text from Caitlyn that said, quote, something came up, I'm not coming back today. I'll let you know when I get a new flight. Then another text came in saying I won't be able to text for a bit. So she's telling, or her phone is again telling various members of her family that she cannot text for a bit, but for different reasons. Investigators later determined that her phone never actually got to the airport, though, and there was no explanation as to where she was otherwise. On top of this, Caitlyn never boarded her flight and continued to send these strange text messages telling her fiance that she cheated on her and that she was never coming back. But then two days later, her suitcase, including her wallet and identification, were discovered abandoned in a roadside ditch in Spotsylvania county while her phone and some clothes were still missing. And I remember going over that particular detail of the suitcase, like back in our episode on this case, like where this ditch was, we posted photos on our socials because it was basically a drainage ditch on a very rural wooded road. And this is the same highway road that she and her stepfather James would have had to have taken to get to the airport or at least to the metro station that was gonna supposedly take her the rest of the way, which is pretty suspicious. Leaving many to wonder if James was involved in whatever happened to her.
- [07:44]
Heath
I mean, yeah, that seems like that's kind of where your mind naturally wants to go. He's the last person to have seen her. They were on their way to the airport. Then she goes missing.
- [07:54]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, she never surfaced after this. There's already some kind of weird shit going on with her text messages. So investigators are like, huh, is this guy involved? But although police did search his entire home, his vehicles, his 10 acre property, and the swamp behind his home, there was no sign of Kaitlin or any of her belongings, and there was no evidence that anything had happened there. Well, get this. In April of 2026, just the week before this episode comes out, the case took a significant turn when authorities arrested Kaitlin's stepfather, James Branton, on multiple felony sex Offense charges related to the alleged abuse of his stepdaughters, including, apparently, Caitlyn. The charges reportedly stem from incidents dating back to around 2006 when Caitlin was just a child. So he now faces several counts, including child cruelty, indecent exposure to a minor, custodial indecent liberties, and aggravated sexual battery. Law enforcement officials have stated that Caitlin is believed to be one of the victims in these abuse cases. Following his arrest, investigators executed yet another large scale search of James rural property using advanced forensic tools, including excavation equipment and ground penetrating radar, you know, in an effort to uncover new evidence. But as of right now, he still has not been charged in connection with Caitlyn's disappearance. But if more comes out on this proving that he was, we will definitely do an update episode. So that is why this is one of the most haunting disappearances to me, because of the weird text, the suitcase, and then the forefront of the case being this creepy pedophile.
- [09:52]
Heath
And it's kind of crazy, just considering the fact that this crime took place over a decade ago and now it's like it's kind of going back to exactly what most people already thought, that James Branton was probably involved, and he probably is.
- [10:08]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And I really hope that they prove him to be, just so this case gets some closure finally.
- [10:14]
Heath
Yeah, kind of crazy. I mean, I definitely agree that this is one of the most haunting disappearances that we've talked about.
- [10:19]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. And I want to say big shout out to Jordan, who is one of our amazing listeners. She's the first person who sent this update to us, and so we saw it because of her. So thank you so much. I truly think about this one a lot. It is so amazing that it seems like we might be very close to resolution on it. I know I kind of gave some spoilers in this one, but it's only because of that recent news update. But there's still so much that we didn't get to in that little snippet there. But if you'll listen.
- [10:49]
Heath
Yes, exactly. I was going to say, if you haven't gone back and listened to episode 102 on Caitlin Akins, go back, check that out, and we'll try to keep you guys as updated as we can as new information is coming out.
- [11:01]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Absolutely. All right, Heath, what is your most haunting disappearance of all 600 episodes of going West?
- [11:08]
Heath
You know, this is one that I bring up very frequently because it's one that I personally cannot stop thinking about, and it is that of the disappearance of Bryce Laspiza. And we actually covered his case in episode 426 of Going West. Now, the disappearance of Bryce Laspiza is one of California's most perplexing missing persons cases and for very good reason. So Bryce Laspiza was a 19 year old college student attending Sierra College in Northern California. And in late August of 2013, those close to him began noticing some very strange changes in his behavior. Friends reported that he had become withdrawn, emotionally unstable, and was heavily using alcohol and the prescription stimulant Vyvanse. Now, in the days before his disappearance, Bryce even gave away a bunch of his personal belongings, including some sentimental items, and then abruptly ended his relationship with his girlfriend. So these were actions that in hindsight appeared to kind of signal distress and prove that he was going through something. But the story doesn't go the more cut and dry route that you might be thinking based on these movements because on the night of Aug. 28, 2013, Bryce, who again was just 19 years old, left his girlfriend's home in Chico, California and began what should have been a pretty straightforward drive south to his parents house in Laguna Niguel, which was a trip that normally takes about eight, eight or so hours.
- [12:43]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, he's going down to Southern California. You just hit the five and you go all the way down.
- [12:47]
Heath
Exactly. It's a straight shot.
- [12:49]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, it really is.
- [12:50]
Heath
But instead, eerily, the journey stretched into nearly two days, marked by long inexplicable stops and truly concerning interactions. By the morning of August 29, the first day, Bryce had run out of gas near Button Willow, California, which was roughly 70% into his drive to his parents house. Now a roadside assistance worker had to deliver fuel to him, which he did successfully. But this worker later reported that Bryce remained parked in that very same location for hours. And you might be thinking, well, what was he doing? He was doing absolutely nothing.
- [13:31]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, just sitting on the side of the road, like pulled over on the side of the road. Not even like in a nice shaded parking lot or something under a tree.
- [13:42]
Heath
There was absolutely no reason for him to be there for that long. And actually because Bryce's parents found out about this fuel delivery, they had even called this worker at the gas station to ask if he could go check on Bryce to see if he was still there. And guess what? He was hours later just sitting in his car. So the worker just encouraged him to continue driving. He's like, hey, you've been sitting here for a really long time. I already delivered you fuel, you should be good to go. But Bryce just remained there.
- [14:14]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And that's like the first of what makes this case so truly unnerving is what is he doing in his car just sitting there? It almost makes you think of a, like a paranormal element. I'm not saying there was one. I don't think there actually was. But it, it does make your mind go to just. That's so bizarre.
- [14:33]
Heath
Yeah. Like when we talked about in the dark parts, we actually talked about like that loop.
- [14:38]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes. Or whatever. Okay. That's the type of thing I'm talking about, like a time loop. Like there's just such an unexplainable strangeness to it.
- [14:47]
Heath
Well, police eventually located him nearby that evening after his parents called to ask them to look for him, because, you know, they're waiting for him to arrive, only to find that he's just chilling in his car alone instead of driving. They're like, it, it really shouldn't have taken him this long to get to us.
- [15:02]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And it's worrying them so much that they are calling the local police, asking them to ask him why he's sitting there and not responding to them.
- [15:11]
Heath
And guess what, guys? When the police, you know, eventually did show up, police found him in that very same spot. And they described him as calm, coherent, and not visibly impaired. So they allowed him to continue on his way. Well, throughout this day, Bryce remained in intermittent contact with his parents and particularly his mother. And despite their growing concern, he reassured them that he was fine and was still headed home to them. Now, around 2am on August 30, Bryce made his final phone call stating that he was too tired to continue driving and that he would just pull over to sleep, which is one of the
- [15:54]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
weirdest parts because he's now been on the road for, you know, more than an entire day for a trip that was only supposed to take eight hours. So he could have and should have been at his parents house asleep for hours at that point.
- [16:08]
Heath
Well, a few more hours pass and instead of Bryce arriving home, authorities came to his parents door with devastating news. His 2003 Toyota Highlander had been found crashed near Castaic Lake, which is about two hours from home. The vehicle had apparently gone down an embankment and was severely damaged. But get this. Bryce was nowhere to be found. Inside the car. Investigators found his personal belongings, including his phone, wallet and laptop. And the rear window had been broken or removed, indicating that he exited the vehicle this way after the crash. There was even a little bit of blood found in the car that was attributed to the accident, but was not consistent with like life threatening injuries. So they're like, okay, yeah, the car did crash, but the back window's broken out. So we know that he left the car, but where did he go? So I don't want to give too much away because I definitely want you guys to go listen to the episode, but this is one of the most haunting cases to me because afterwards, like in the aftermath, people said that there were some sightings of him apparently, but nothing has ever been concrete and Bryce has never been found.
- [17:26]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, and then there's like the surveillance footage that they want to look at. There's so many searches. There's scent dogs, there's truck stops, and
- [17:35]
Heath
of course, rampant speculation.
- [17:37]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Of course. Because what, what the hell? I totally understand why, why you chose this one. This is one we think about a lot.
- [17:44]
Heath
I will truly never be able to wrap my head around the time frame, really. You know, the fact that he was sitting there on the side of the road for so many hours and then eventually crashes his car and then goes missing. And, you know, just the way that the investigators were saying, like, this crash wasn't enough to kill Bryce, so where the fuck is he?
- [18:05]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Definition haunting. Honestly, it is. All right, round two, most baffling unsolved case. You know, like, how is this not solved? That's where we're going with this one. Okay, so mine is kind of a cheat because it was a bonus episode, but I think of this story so often, like, I couldn't not choose this one and I don't think enough people know about it. So we called this episode a Murder in West Cork, and we dropped it back in 2022 on our Patreon and Apple podcast series, Real CR. It was an hour and seven minute episode, which is long for a bonus episode. So there was a lot to go over and I don't want to spoil too much, so I'm just going to give you a little rundown of it. But basically, the murder of Sophie Toscan Duplantier is one of Ireland's most infamous unsolved cases. Because Sophie was a 39 year old French film producer who frequently traveled to her holiday home in west coast Cork, Ireland. And on December 23, 1996, she was found brutally murdered outside her isolated cottage. Her body showed signs of a violent struggle as she had been beaten repeatedly with a heavy object, very likely a concrete block or a similar tool. And this attack appeared very personal, like it was frenzied, which of course suggested the possibility that she knew her killer or that the perpetrator just acted with intense rage. You know, you obviously can't really tell. But it did feel very personal. Now, the remote location of Sophie's house really complicated the investigation from the onset because there were no eyewitnesses and forensic evidence was limited due to the weather and the slight delay between the attack and. And the discovery of her body. But still, Irish authorities quickly identified a primary suspect, a quirky English journalist who lived nearby. But the setting of this one is so interesting to me with it taking place obviously in the lush Irish country. And then her last sighting, or one of her last sightings was at a local pub having tea. And she apparently encountered this woman, like this local legend called the White Lady.
- [20:31]
Heath
Oh, I remember that, yes.
- [20:32]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
It was like a. Or it still is a fable about a ghost woman who supposedly haunts this particular area. And she went there on a walk right before she went missing. So it's just such a spooky case. And then of course, due to her status of being this French film producer and how high profile the case was and how small this area was like, I am surprised they haven't concretely solved it. And the main reason I'm using this is because it technically is solved because someone was arrested and charged. But it didn't fully pan out as we explain in the episode, which is why it's such a shock as well that it's not actually solved. But I was so close to putting Jody Husentruit, whose disappearance we covered last year.
- [21:19]
Heath
Oh yeah, there are so many people who are very invested in Jodie's case.
- [21:23]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
How could you not be? It's like all the evidence that was found at the scene of her disappearance, the fact that her body has not been found, there's so many suspects in that one too.
- [21:32]
Heath
Yeah, she was this kind of local celebrity as well. She was a news anchor.
- [21:36]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
That is a wild one. Okay, Heath, what is your most baffling unsolved case?
- [21:44]
Heath
Well, there are many of these cases that can be grouped into one category, the young missing men category. But I chose Joshua Guimand. This was in episode 457 of Going West. And I chose it because there's just. It really is such a baffling one that you feel like. You feel like it could be solved, you know, just with how much information there was. And I honestly just can't believe that there aren't answers in this still. Now, Joshua Guillemond was a 20 year old junior at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Now he was a political science major with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. So he was known as intelligent, responsible, but still very socially active, on the evening of November 9, 2002, he attended a small card party at an apartment in the Metton Court complex on campus with several friends. Then, sometime shortly before midnight, Joshua quietly left the gathering without saying goodbye. And it is believed that he was intending to walk the short distance back to his dorm room at St. Maur House, which was less than a three minute walk. But Joshua never arrived. Now, Joshua was reported missing the following day when he failed to attend a scheduled activity. And a large scale search quickly followed, focusing on the wooded campus and nearby bodies of water, including Stump Lake. Now, authorities initially theorized that Joshua may have accidentally fallen into the lake and possibly drowned, especially given the dark, cold conditions that night. But even after extensive searches, including dive operations, they could never locate his body. His personal belongings added to the mystery as well, because his wallet, keys, and glasses were found inside his dorm room, suggesting that he had gotten home and something happened to him afterwards. But there was no evidence of a struggle along his route and no confirmed sightings after he left that party. Years later, the case took a more complex turn when investigators uncovered unusual activity on Joshua's computer.
- [24:08]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
The computer is a crazy angle to this story, and there's so much to this element, it's wild. Give us a peek.
- [24:15]
Heath
Yeah, that computer was a huge piece of the puzzle. So I'll just tell you guys like, a little bit about this. So, forensic analysis revealed that in the months before his disappearance, he had visited chat rooms and websites related to anonymous sexual encounters, sometimes using a pseudonym. So this raised the possibility that Joshua may have arranged to meet somebody the night that he vanished. But more than 20 years later, the absence of physical evidence or confirmed sightings leaves investigators and loved ones with only theories and the enduring hope that one crucial piece of information will finally reveal what happened that November night. Now, Daphne, I remember that you and I sat down to specifically watch a documentary about Joshua's case. And. And I remember when the computer angle came in, you and I were just. Our minds were blown.
- [25:10]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
It's a creepy angle because there's so much more as well regarding whether his computer was used after he got home, if somebody else was in his room.
- [25:21]
Heath
Right.
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Daphne Wollsoncroft
Like, it's a very, very eerie story.
- [25:25]
Heath
And we also talked about a suspicious car that was seen in the area that night. And not only that night, but on another occasion where a certain incident took place that some people kind of attribute to Joshua being missing.
- [25:41]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, this is a baffling, unsolved case, to say the least. All right, round three. Biggest twist in a case. So this is hard because we don't want to give the twist away for anybody who hasn't listened to these episodes. The one I'm talking about is an insane story that we covered kind of recently. So I'll just elude for those who do know and recommend anybody who hasn't. Just go listen after this episode. So here's a little spoiler free synopsis and convo. So Kristeel Krug, whose episode or whose case we covered in episode 569 of Going west, was a 44 year old engineer, wife and mother of three living in Broomfield, Colorado, which is just north of Denver. People in her life described her as intelligent, creative, and deeply devoted to her family and her husband. But in the fall of 2023, her life took a very disturbing turn because Christeel began receiving countless unsettling messages, texts and emails that quickly escalated from strange to threatening. The sender claimed to be someone from her past, someone she had not had meaningful contact with in years. And the messages suggested intimate knowledge of her daily life, where she had been, what she was doing, even photos of her or her husband while they were out and about with their kids.
- [27:18]
Heath
So clearly somebody is following the family.
- [27:21]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. So it was really creating the terrifying sense that she and her family were being watched all the time. As the communications intensified, Christeel became increasingly frightened. So she reported the harassment to police and took whatever steps necessary to protect herself and her family, including her husband, installing security cameras around their house. On December 14, 2023, 44 year old Christie went about her normal routine. But shortly afterwards, she was found dead in the garage of her home, the victim of a brutal attack involving blunt force trauma and a stab to her heart. But with the investigation came an even deeper look into Christeel's obsessive stalker. And what police uncovered from it shocked them, shocked her family and everybody else who has heard this story, including us. You know, we often see deception, but I feel like we rarely see a big twist in cases, but this one spooked me because it was so, like, seemingly masterful.
- [28:37]
Heath
Yes, it really was. And you know, when you get to the twist, you're like, holy shit, how? How was this pulled off?
- [28:45]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And then it wasn't. And then you're like, how was this not found out sooner?
- [28:50]
Heath
Yeah, absolutely. I agree. This is one of those ones where, you know, it's always so interesting when there is a twist in a case because a lot of times, you know, we cover cases that are pretty straightforward where it's like you, you kind of either it's unsolved or it's solved and you just, you know immed who it is.
- [29:07]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Well, what is your biggest twist in a case?
- [29:10]
Heath
Heath oh man, if you guys don't know about this case, I mean this is one of the biggest twists I think I've ever seen in a true crime case.
- [29:34]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
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- [29:46]
Heath
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Heath
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Heath
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Heath
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Heath
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Heath
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Daphne Wollsoncroft
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Heath
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Daphne Wollsoncroft
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Heath
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Daphne Wollsoncroft
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Heath
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Heath
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- [36:23]
Heath
Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com goingwest go to shopify.com/goingwest that's shopify.com/going west. So my biggest twist in a true crime case is the case of Carrie Farver. Now for some reason this next one was a bonus episode of ours instead of a regular episode. I honestly don't know why and we covered it all the way back in 2021. But I think it just goes to show you that we really do cover some very wild cases over on our bonus series. But some of you may be pretty familiar with this one. The Murder of Carrie Farver. Now here's the gist. So Carrie Farver was a 37 year old mother and computer programmer working in Omaha, Nebraska. And in 2012 she began casually dating a man that she had recently met. Now by all accounts, the relationship was pretty brief and relatively normal until the morning of November 13, 2012 when everything changed. After Spending the night together at this man's apartment, Harry abruptly left for work. Then shortly afterwards, she sent a series of unexpected and alarming text messages stating that she wanted to move in with this man immediately, which was completely out of character for her. And when he declined, since, you know, they had literally just started dating, the tone of the messages shifted dramatically. And what followed was the beginning of a harassment campaign that would last for years. Because despite the unusual messages, Carrie was never seen again after that morning. Her car was later found abandoned in a nearby parking lot with her purse inside. And she failed to pick up her young son and stopped showing up to work, which of course, deeply concerned her family. Yet strangely, communication from Carrie did not stop. Over the following months, and eventually years, friends, family members, and her former romantic partner continued to receive thousands of texts, emails and messages from Kerry's phone and accounts. The messages ranged from erratic and emotional to threatening and obsessive. And at times they included claims that she had left town voluntarily and didn't want to be found. Now, to those receiving them, it seemed as though Carrie was still alive, but behaving in a way that felt increasingly unstable and frightening. But soon her family would find out what really happened to her and what was actually going on.
- [39:27]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Keith, I totally forgot about this case, but holy shit.
- [39:32]
Heath
Yeah, that's all you could really say, right? Holy shit.
- [39:34]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. I mean, what, it just gets flipped on its head?
- [39:39]
Heath
So if you are interested in one of the biggest twists we've ever covered in any true crime case, definitely go subscribe over on Patreon. You can subscribe there patreon.com you can also access the bonus episode series on Apple subscriptions. But yeah, go check it out. We've got tons of episodes over there for you guys, including this crazy one. Alright guys, we are on to round four and this is the case that we want solved in our lifetime. Daphne, tell us all about it.
- [40:12]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
This is hard. We obviously want every unsolved case solved, including the disappearance of my mom's sister, Carol Wollsoncroft, whose case we covered back in episode 100. I'm sure a lot of you guys remember that one, but I guess in my heart that case is mostly solved. Like we know it was the guy that she was living with at the time, a horrible man named Eugene Le Fay Jr.
- [40:37]
Heath
Yes, piece of shit.
- [40:38]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
But we still don't have her body or know exactly what happened to her. So obviously I would love for my mom and my grandma to have some resolution there and for them to feel like they could finally close that Horrible chapter, actually, many of you probably don't know. Wrote an essay for Oprah Daly last year about her disappearance, which is about Carol and the impact that her case had on starting going west with you, Heath. And on how it affected my mom and my grandparents and how it changed the way that I was raised, et cetera. But I'll read the part of that piece that tells her actual story. In August of 1984, my aunt Carol Wollstonecroft vanished from Florida. She was 20 years old, luminous and unafraid. Though in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, she was rightfully petrified of the man she lived with. He was four years older, charming at first, a cook at a Fort Myers bar and grill where blonde, bubbly Carol also worked. Within a month they moved into a modest house with others from the restaurant. But as the heat of summer thickened, so did the dread as it became ever apparent that the devil doesn't always arrive in darkness. Sometimes he walks in with a smile and the scent of friar grease on his shirt. And oh, did 24 year old Eugene Lafayette Jr. Wear both like a disguise. It didn't take long for him to show Carol his true colors, though bad temper, violent and drug dealer aren't names you'd find in a crayon box. Less than three months passed between their introduction and the night he's believed to have taken her life. My grandparents, Ann and Ed, were out of state when Caril reached out. First a worried phone call and then a letter. She couldn't say everything aloud as she feared he might overhear, but one thing was clear. She needed help escaping the terrifying grasp of what seemed at first to be a whirlwind courtship gone wrong. Though as her parents would come to find, it was so much more than that before they learned the full story from the police themselves. Ann and Ed promised her they'd come home early and suggested she stay at their house or her grandmother's until they returned. By the time they did so the following week, Carol's rust colored 1981 Mazda GLC sat parked in their driveway. For a brief moment, relief swept through them until they noticed her keys still hanging from the ignition behind the glass and a note in the kitchen from Eugene. Carol left and I don't know where she is. They rushed to her house and found Eugene feigning ignorance, surrounded by all of Carol's belongings, her clothes, her jewelry, every small detail that accentuated her feminine, polished Persona. Most chilling of all was the gun on Eugene's dresser at the sheriff's office. Ann And Ed unspooled. The week's already unraveling. Carol's concerning correspondence, Eugene's contradictions, the growing dread that had pulled them home early. When they mentioned Eugene's weapon, the deputy stiffened. Eugene, they were told, wasn't allowed to have one. He was on probation, having served time for the rape of a 15 year old girl. A crime sealed with threats and a metal club. The news landed with a grief all its own, especially since it was clear to them Carole hadn't known. But perhaps in those final days, she had begun to. Perhaps that's part of what scared her into wanting to leave him. Eugene claimed she had left while he was visiting family. But when police followed his story, those relatives denied ever seeing him. His father eventually broke, trembling, intimidated. He told investigators that on the night Carol vanished, Eugene arrived at his house demanding a shovel and the use of his car. He watched his son load a large object into the trunk of his regal Buick and drive off. When he returned home, Eugene burned the shovel in the backyard. So his father said, threatening him against speaking of what he saw. But the mileage didn't lie. Eugene had driven 14 miles. To police and my family, it seemed within a seven mile radius was Carol. Yet somehow she was nowhere at all. He would go on to kill again. At least three more lives extinguished in New York before the system finally caught up to him. Him. He died in prison in 2016, silent to the very end, carrying the truth of what happened to Carol with him.
- [45:30]
Heath
And I guess, you know, this is obviously such a horrible tragedy for your family. What, what do you think would, would give you the closure, give your mom and your grandmother the closure? Would it be, you know, like finding her remains?
- [45:45]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, I definitely think, you know, because obviously he's dead, so it's not like he can give us an answer because he never would have done it anyway. Yeah.
- [45:52]
Heath
And we're fairly certain that he was the person that was responsible, so.
- [45:56]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Absolutely. So, yeah, finding her remains, I think would be everything. Of course, like I just said, we believe that she is somewhere within a 7 mile radius of Eugene's father's house. And that's outside of Fort Myers in Lehigh Acres. So I don't know. They searched for her body, but there's so much swamp land out there and it's really difficult. There have been a lot of rebuilds over there, but as far as we know, she has not been found.
- [46:28]
Heath
Yeah, and we've talked about in a lot of cases where sometimes the perpetrator will drive across state lines or they'll Drive hundreds of miles to dispose of a body, but, you know, we're talking about 14 miles. So it's really tough because it feels like it's so close, yet it's so far away.
- [46:44]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Truly, truly. But I want to say too, outside of my own family, a case I think about a lot as well that I would love to see solved would be the murder of Beryl Atherton in Marblehead, Massachusetts. We called that episode Murder in Marblehead. It happened in November in the 1950s during this nor'. Easter. And that one, it feels like they were ready and they almost had it solved and they just needed money to do this test. And we literally reached out to them after we covered that case to say we would like to fund this testing and help close this case. And they literally never got back to us.
- [47:25]
Heath
Yeah.
- [47:25]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
So we were really trying to find them.
- [47:28]
Heath
If anybody's listening that that has any connections to that, we still, we still would love to fund that.
- [47:35]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, we called, we emailed, because that one is on the brink of being solved. So would love for that to be closed because her family, like she doesn't have any living family members and it feels like otherwise her story is just going to be completely forgotten. Yeah, but she was a schoolteacher. And go check out that episode if you haven't.
- [47:53]
Heath
You know, Daphne, we talk about so many unsolved cases and probably you and I could mention so many of them that we would love to be solved in our lifetimes.
- [48:04]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Every single one, you know, but one
- [48:05]
Heath
that has always kind of stuck with me is the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. We covered that in episode 34 of Going west and then we recovered it in episode 588 this year. Now, Brianna Maitland was a young woman whose life seemed to be in transition just before she vanished, leaving behind a scene that felt more like the aftermath of a crash than a disappearance. At first glance, Brianna was a 17 year old living in Vermont, described as independent and smart. She was working two jobs and staying with friends after leaving her parents home by choice, all while trying to establish stability and move forward after leaving high school early and getting her GED instead, which she was just about to complete right before she disappeared. Now, on the night of March 19, 2004, 17 year old Brianna finished her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery and began the short drive away from work along the rural country back roads of that area. But by the early morning hours, something had gone terribly wrong. Her car was discovered, backed into the side of an abandoned barn along this highway, headlights still on, positioned at a Very odd angle, as though it had been quickly or forcefully driven there. Yet Brianna herself was nowhere to be found.
- [49:30]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
The image of her car backed into that barn is truly haunting.
- [49:35]
Heath
It's burned into my memory. Her belongings, including personal items, remained inside that car. And there were no clear signs of what had happened in the moments after that crash, creating immediate concern that her disappearance was definitely not voluntary. As the investigation unfolded, attention turned to Brianna's recent experiences. Like, you know, there were reports of tension with peers and accounts of a physical altercation shortly before she vanished in which another female teenager assaulted her, raising questions about whether she may have encountered someone that night or maybe even been targeted, while others considered the possibility that she had accepted a ride or possibly left the scene with someone that she knew. And, you know, this one really is so mysterious to me, just given the fact that, you know, we talked about the lime that was on top of the car. You know, it's like these little weird details that you're, like, what was going on by that barn right before she vanished? And, like, how did her car get backed up into that barn?
- [50:42]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Especially because of the direction it was facing and where she was coming from and the person who was at her work. And like you said, what had happened shortly before with that altercation. And we even go into something that happened earlier that same day when she was out with her mom. Like, truly a spooky story. And her dad is still looking for answers constantly.
- [51:06]
Heath
Yes. Bruce Maitland, he's actually the founder of Private Investigations for the Missing, which is a nonprofit organization that basically helps families get the resources that they need to help try and find answers in their loved ones cases. You know, he's done such an incredible job, and I think that's why this one really does stick in my mind a lot, because not only is he still looking for his daughter, but he's also just trying to help so many families out there because truly, what the
- [51:35]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
hell happened to her?
- [51:36]
Heath
I truly hope that someday we have answers in Briana's case.
- [51:40]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
You know, and then talking about her dad makes me think of Daniel Robinson's dad, who is also constantly fighting for answers in what Happened to Daniel, which we covered that case in episode 140, and that one also completely stumps me. So that would be a great one to get answers for as well. And we can just go on and on and on and on. But now, round five. What are our true crime Roman empires? Sorry, I have another bonus episode, but this is a legit one that creeps me out whenever I think of it. Because of how shocking and truly confusing it is. And that would be the Dupont de Ligones murders. The Dupont de Ligones family appeared on the surface to be a traditional, well educated Catholic family living in France. Xavier and Agnes Dupont de Ligones had four Arthur, Tomas, Anne and Benoit. By all accounts, they were a close knit family, with Agnes described as a devoted mother, deeply involved in her children's lives and committed to maintaining a sense of stability and faith within the home. Her children were students, siblings and young people with their own routines and friendships and futures unfolding, making their abrupt absence all the more alarming when in early April 2011, they began to vanish from daily life. One by one, their absences were explained away with unusual but carefully constructed stories. Schools were told the children wouldn't be returning. Neighbors were informed the family had abruptly relocated. And acquaintances and family received messages suggesting they had left France for a new life abroad under very sudden and unexpected circumstances. At the same time, disturbing details painted a stranger picture, mail piled up. The house remained totally shuttered, and the family's usual presence in the neighborhood ceased, which created this eerie sense that they had left in a hurry, but without the visible signs of a typical move. So as the days passed, concern grew and grew. And when authorities eventually searched the family home, they uncovered a horrific truth. Agnes and her children had been killed and buried beneath the terrace of their home, transforming what first seemed like a sudden relocation into one of the most disturbing family tragedies in modern France. The uncertainty in this story and with the father and husband Xavier, and then the security footage in the case and the ATM visits and the cell phone data, like there is so much, but at the same time there is nothing at all. And I don't think I will ever get over this story.
- [54:52]
Heath
Yeah, I remember covering this one and it really does take. You could even put this one in the shocking twist category.
- [54:59]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes, absolutely.
- [55:00]
Heath
Just because you're like, how the hell did this happen? And why and why, you know, and
- [55:05]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
what really occurred here.
- [55:07]
Heath
Yeah, that one is definitely Daphne's Roman Empire.
- [55:10]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Oh, and Heath, Heath, yours is also. I completely agree with your choice. It's one that goes way back for Going West. Tell us your true crime Roman Empire.
- [55:21]
Heath
Yeah, you know what, it actually goes so far back that it was the very first episode that we ever covered on Going west and for good reason. And we are sure that all of you guys know this one. So Brandon Swanson was a 19 year old college student from Marshall, and this is in Minnesota, known for being responsible and very close with his Family. And on the night of May 13, 2008, after celebrating the end of his college year at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, he began driving home when his car veered off a rural gravel road and became stuck in a ditch. Now, this happened in a very remote area near Lynd, prompting him to call his parents for help. Now, believing that he was near Lynd, Brandon stayed on the phone with his father as he set out on foot, attempting to navigate the dark farmland and reach a nearby town or familiar landmarks, describing his surroundings as he walked, mentioning gravel roads, fences, and even lights in the distance. Meanwhile, his father was driving around this area trying to locate him, the two narrowly missing each other multiple times in the darkness. As the call continued for nearly 45 minutes, Brandon's tone remained very calm until suddenly he exclaimed, oh, shit. And the line went dead. Now, despite repeated callbacks, he never answered the phone again. As hours passed, concern quickly escalated, and when daylight arrived, search efforts began across this rural area, eventually locating Brandon's car miles from where he had believed himself to be, which just completely deepened the mystery of his final movements. I mean, nobody could figure out what happened here. And this is one that has truly haunted Daphne and I for so many years. Once in a while, Brandon will just randomly pop up into my head and I'll be like, man, I really wonder what happened to him that night.
- [57:27]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Especially because of that. Oh, shit. As we went over in our original episode and our re covering of it, if you will, why did he say, oh, shit? Did he fall? And then his phone died and then he picked it up and then something happened to him an hour after that.
- [57:45]
Heath
Yeah.
- [57:46]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Was the oh, shit? Because something was happening to him in that moment. Did he see somebody? Yeah.
- [57:52]
Heath
And I think one of the reasons why this case is so mysterious and why it's so deeply upsetting is just how close Brandon's parents were to finding him.
- [58:02]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
They.
- [58:03]
Heath
They believed that they were right in that very same area that Brandon was. At one point, Brandon felt like he could see their lights.
- [58:11]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
This is kind of time loopy, too, because of the fact that they were actually in completely different areas and they thought they were in the very same place.
- [58:21]
Heath
Yeah. And just how abrupt. You know, that phone call ended. And like, you can only imagine being a parent and being out there looking for your child. You feel like you're so close to finding them, and then they just vanish off the face of the earth forever.
- [58:36]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Especially because they did find his car in the ditch. And if he had just stayed at his car, everything would have Been okay. They eventually would have found him that next day, but he was trying to find them. He thought he was in a different area than he was. But why? And where did he end up? What happened to him? Where is his body? Infinite questions and theories.
- [59:00]
Heath
Which is exactly why it's a Roman Empire.
- [59:04]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Indeed. Alrighty, guys, thank you for joining us today with this very special haul of crime. Now, we wanted to do a little Q and A because we haven't done one since the very beginning of this show. We kind of did one on our last summer's episode, the Hiding Anatomy of a Serial Killer. That was when my thriller novel Night Watcher came out. We did like a little Q and A, but that was just about me and my book writing process. But, yeah, we thought it would kind of be fun to. To do one of these finally.
- [59:35]
Heath
Yeah. And you guys gave us some really good questions, so.
- [59:38]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
All right, first we have a question from Jason. He says, weird question, but I have pondered this since episode one. For a married couple, you guys are so polite to each other on air. In real life, what, if anything, do you argue about?
- [59:53]
Heath
Oh, my God. You know, Jason, we are married, we live together, we work together. So, you know, it's. We do our best to try to stay as professional as possible. But of course, being a married couple is, you know, we have our differences with things sometimes, but. I don't know, like what. What exactly do we argue about?
- [60:14]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I don't know. Just like, normal things. But. Yeah, I mean, we would never do it in an episode because it's just not relevant.
- [60:19]
Heath
Yeah, I think. I think it's just dumb stuff. Like, just everyday. Norma. Normal things. It's like things you could easily get irritated with somebody about.
- [60:28]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
There's not like a topic. It's just general. General married things. Yeah, but, like, we're great.
- [60:36]
Heath
Yeah, it's not that. It's not that often. Okay, now we have a question from Jessica. She asked, I've always wondered more about your families. I know Daphne is a twin, but what about your childhood and other siblings? Slash, you know, best friends, parents experience, etc.
- [60:51]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I do have a twin sister. Her name is Charlotte. I also have an older brother named Oliver. I have a younger brother named Everett. I grew up in la. My parents divorced when I was a teenager. They're both happily remarried, so I have four parents now.
- [61:05]
Heath
Your dad lives in Oregon and that's how you and I met.
- [61:07]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes, my dad. Somebody specifically asked more about my dad, and I'm so sorry I didn't write down your name because I was just going to answer it with this, and now I can't remember what she asked. She said something like, I want to know more about your dad. So, my dad's name is Duke. He's an artist and he used to be in a band. He's a really cool, awesome guy.
- [61:29]
Heath
Your dad's my boy. You know, he's. He's like. He's. He just has, like, the best stories, you know, from back in the day. He'll tell you about his music days and, you know, all sorts of cool stuff. Like he's a great dude to go camping with because you can sit around the campfire and have a beer with him and he'll tell you a million
- [61:45]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
stories all while he's got a joint in his fingers.
- [61:47]
Heath
Yeah, exactly. He's always. He's always smoking some weed. Yeah.
- [61:51]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
All right, Heath, tell us about your family. Oh, and wait really quick. My best friends, I mean, we. Heath and I, we have a really great friend group where a lot of, like, my twin sister Charlotte's husband is one of Heath's best friends. So we have a. A lot of situations like that where a lot of his friends, girlfriends, or wives are really good friends of mine. So we have this really amazing, big, huge friend group. And we all love each other.
- [62:19]
Heath
Oh, absolutely. And if somebody new tries to come into the friend group, we're automatically. We raised an eyebrow. We're like, what are your intentions?
- [62:26]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
No, no, we're very welcoming. Okay, tell us about your family.
- [62:29]
Heath
My family, I grew up in a small town in Oregon, Small rural town. I have one sister. I'm very close with my dad. He's. He's, you know, like. He's. My dad's like my superman, you know, Growing up, I always wanted to be like my dad. Even though he's. He's kind of a little more. He's a little more country, a little bit.
- [62:49]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And we love him. He's. He's such a fixer. He's a do it yourself guy.
- [62:54]
Heath
Yeah. I mean, that dude can fix anything ever. And my mom, she's just the most quirky, silly lady, but she's great, you know, she's the person that I can always talk to about everything. Yeah, my family, my parents are still together. They're. They're very sweet. Very sweet human beings. A lot of people call them the salt of the earth because that's truly what they are.
- [63:14]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
They are. They're very, very good, honest people.
- [63:17]
Heath
Yes.
- [63:18]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
So, yeah, we both come from very good families. Childhood wise, we moved around a lot but it was always around LA mostly. And yeah, we watched a lot of movies. My parents are huge fans of, like, Alfred Hitchcock. My mom is a great writer. She loves the Twilight Zone. Very close with her. We did, like, Heath. You did a lot of road tripping. We just. My dad's from France, so we went to Europe a lot. But I never did, like, a great American road trip, which I want to do now.
- [63:50]
Heath
That was definitely my family's thing. It was like loading up in the minivan and taking a trip to, like, fucking Yellowstone or something, you know, I love it. And me just annoying my sister in the backseat because I'm an older brother, of course. But yeah, I mean, as far as my childhood goes, it was just, you know, I was on the swim team. I was on the swim team for a long time, long period of time of my. My childhood. Aside from that, we were just very outdoorsy people.
- [64:13]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Still are.
- [64:14]
Heath
Yeah, still are. We love to camp. We love to take road trips. That was just kind of our thing.
- [64:18]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
All right, question three, Chris asks, were you both interested in true crime before you met, or did one's interest rub off on the other?
- [64:28]
Heath
So growing up, my mom used to watch a lot of true crime content. Like she would watch Dateline or Cold Case Files or Forensic Files. So I would just sit on the couch and watch those episodes with her. And that's kind of how I got into it. But what about you?
- [64:41]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
My dad always watched those shows, but he never showed it to any of us. My dad was such a so good with TV shows and was always watching the latest something. My brothers and I watched Lost with him when it was out and shows like that. But he never, ever, ever watched true crime shows with us. I honestly think it was out of respect for my mom since her sister Carol went missing. So we just were not a true crime family. But my mom loves spooky stuff, like I said, so it was always fictional spookiness. But I just fell in love with true crime podcasts because I wanted to be more invested in the genre for Carol's sake.
- [65:21]
Heath
Yeah. And that's how we kind of got into it is Daphne was actually shout out to True Crime Garage. Those guys were a huge inspiration for us to see start the show. But Daphne basically came to me and said, hey, I think we could do this. And then from there just we kind of had like a little bit of shared true crime interest, and then that just blossomed and developed into going west. So Tori asked, what did you all do before being true crime podcasters? Is it tough working together and living together. Like, do you ever get sick of each other being around each other so much?
- [65:53]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Let's answer the second part of that first. It's so funny. You and I were talking about this last night. When we're working together, we're really only working together mostly when we're in the studio recording an episode. I have, like, my office area that I like to work in. Heath is more of like a couch.
- [66:11]
Heath
Yeah.
- [66:11]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Guy.
- [66:12]
Heath
I like to sit on the couch and do my research with Dewey.
- [66:15]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
But for me, I'm like, I need to be at a desk and have everything organized. So I. We don't always work next to each other, so. But even when we do it, it's like we're not really spending time together in that way. So when it's time to cook dinner or hang out afterwards, it's not like, oh, my God, you again. Yeah, it's not really like that during the day.
- [66:36]
Heath
Yeah. Because, like, we're basically, like, preoccupied mentally with other things during that time that we're working. So when we do come together for dinner, it's like, okay, now we can. Now we can spend that. That other kind of time with each
- [66:49]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
other and just talk about other things. But before being true crime podcasters, I was working for a wine brand. I think Keith and I have worn many hats in the job industry, but I was working for a wine brand, and I loved that, but I really wanted to be an author. I also. I wanted to do something creative as well. I really wanted to work in film.
- [67:15]
Heath
Yes. Daphne has always been a very creative person, and she's always tried to kind of put her hand in many different pies.
- [67:21]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes. Too many pies.
- [67:23]
Heath
So before starting going west, I was going to school because I wanted to become a park ranger. I mean, just being from the. Yeah. Being from the Pacific Northwest and being an outdoorsy guy, I thought that that would be, like, probably the most fulfilling career path for me.
- [67:38]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I still see it.
- [67:39]
Heath
I mean, hey, if. If, you know, one day going west is no more. You know, maybe we'll become a camp host or something. Yeah.
- [67:47]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Okay. So Katie asks, what are your favorite things to do together and what is a typical night, like, in your house? You know, after work, we cook dinner together. We usually cook different dinners because I'm a vegetarian and Heath is not. Oftentimes we cook separately, but together. And then we just love hanging out on the couch.
- [68:06]
Heath
Yeah. That's kind of just our thing. We'll watch, like, a new show or, you know, sometimes I'll Go game or something in my game room. And Daphne is usually reading a book. But, yeah, we pretty much just do, like, what everybody else typically does to decompress.
- [68:20]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. Or if we go out, we love to go to, like, cozy bars that we like nearby. Or like, I always am dragging Heath to Universal City Walk.
- [68:30]
Heath
To go see a movie. To go see a movie. But, hey, I get to go to Margaritaville, so.
- [68:34]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes. Or getting frozen yogurt or something. And hanging out with Dewey or going out with our friends. We also host a lot of parties at our house and do a lot of barbecues. Barbecues, pool parties, stuff like that. So we. We have our friends around and family around quite often.
- [68:49]
Heath
So Trudy asks, what's the best vacation or trip that you've taken to, where and what made it great? So I'm going to say the best vacation that you and I have taken together was to Mexico. We went to this really very small resort. It was kind of a boutique hotel. This was in Troncones, Mexico.
- [69:10]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Shout out Los Serenio.
- [69:11]
Heath
Yeah, shout out Los Serenio. Like, I felt like we just had the whole resort to ourselves. And it was so peaceful.
- [69:18]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
That was so fun. That was, like, a year ago. I agree. That was my favorite trip we've taken together separately. I. My choice of destination is always, like, Paris or Europe, but Heath is a big tropical destination guy.
- [69:31]
Heath
Still waiting for. For that. Still waiting on that Caribbean trip I still have not been to. But, you know, we're going to make that happen someday.
- [69:39]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
We will. Bailey asks, if you could choose your last meal, what would it be?
- [69:44]
Heath
Oh, man. I'm actually going to let you start with this one because.
- [69:47]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Oh.
- [69:47]
Heath
Oh, okay. You got this, though.
- [69:49]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Okay. I'm going to go, like, just first thing off the top of my head, appetizer to dessert. Hummus plate with some really good crudite and some feta cheese. Then I'm going to do nachos, Vegetarian, of course, with lots of beans.
- [70:05]
Heath
Okay, nice.
- [70:06]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And then for my entree, I'm probably going to say In N Out. Grilled cheese.
- [70:12]
Heath
Did you just swallow? Because you're. Because you're hungry.
- [70:17]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Okay. In N out is my addiction. But I get a grilled cheese, raw onion, extra lettuce, no tomato. I love tomato. But for some reason, with In n Out, I prefer no tomato.
- [70:28]
Heath
Just don't fuck with it.
- [70:29]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, yeah. And then animal fries. And then for dessert, I'm gonna say something chocolate. You know what? I'm gonna do my frozen yogurt order, which is coconut. And then Some type of chocolate with mini M and Ms. On it and, like, a nice Coke Zero and a glass of red wine. What about you?
- [70:49]
Heath
Wow, I feel bad for that prison guard. He's gotta bring all that shit out. I know.
- [70:55]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
It's an elite order.
- [70:56]
Heath
Well, hey, you know, last meals are just this way, but that's the nature I'm gonna go with. I'm gonna do, like, two hot dogs fully loaded with diced white onion. That is very important.
- [71:08]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And mayo.
- [71:08]
Heath
And mayo. And then I'm going to say, probably got to do, like, a shrimp cocktail for sure. And then we have to have a. Like a bucket of coleslaw. Like a. Like a fucking bucket of coleslaw. I will eat the entire thing. Then probably a Coke Zero to wash it down. And then I'm going to do like a. Like a six pack of Coors Banquet.
- [71:30]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
No dessert. You know, not a big sweets guy.
- [71:34]
Heath
You know what? I might. I'm gonna do your. Oh, no, this is what it is. I'm gonna do Reese's peanut butter cups. That's so that's my dessert. Yeah, I just keep it simple and easy.
- [71:45]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Love it. I can't believe neither of us said Caesar salad. Criminal.
- [71:48]
Heath
Oh, yeah, that is criminal.
- [71:50]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
But, yeah, add a little side Caesar.
- [71:52]
Heath
I don't know if we'll have room.
- [71:53]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I know we're gonna be pretty stuffed. Samantha asks, what did you want to be when you grew up? And if you weren't podcasters, what would you be doing? And this also couples with Linnae's question, Did either of you go to college? If so, what did you study? So I did go to college. I only went to community college, but I studied film. Actually, I really wanted to be a director and screenwriter, but I was then rejected from film school. Shout out Woodbury and Burbank for rejecting me. But if they had accepted me, I probably would not be here today with you, because then I just joined the workforce or. Well, I was already in it, but I was just continued to work and I really just wanted to be an author and then eventually decided, you know, I found true crime podcasting when I was 23 is when we started going west. So it was pretty early. So I am also a thriller author. For those who don't know. My second novel is coming out this summer. Then my third will be out sometime after that.
- [72:56]
Heath
So essentially, like you would have. If you had not been doing podcasting, you would be doing what you're doing right now, which is being an author. And then possibly I would say probably working in wine in some way, right?
- [73:07]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. I mean, if I had. If I had to have, like, a more regular job that wasn't for myself, I would love to work in wine. But it's funny because I think about it that way. Being a screenwriter director or a podcaster or an author is all just a spooky storyteller. So I think at my. At my core, that's what I really want to be doing, and it's what I am doing, which is great. But what about you, Heath?
- [73:28]
Heath
And people also don't know this about you, that you're. You're a level two sommelier, right?
- [73:33]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah. Well, not a sommelier. It's the wsets. There's four levels, and I am a level two. So I am very passionate about wine.
- [73:41]
Heath
Yes. For myself. I. So before, obviously, you know, I mentioned I was going to school to become a park ranger. That was definitely something that at one period of time, I wanted to do. But aside from that, what I really wanted to do when I grew up is I wanted to be a musician. I wanted to play in a band. I wanted to tour in a band. You know, I actually was a part of a touring band for a little period of time, so that's definitely something that I wanted to do. But, you know, this transition to podcasting has been amazing, and I. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
- [74:14]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
And you have been making music for a while under Ghostly?
- [74:18]
Heath
Yeah, a little bit.
- [74:18]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Go check out Heath's music. It's very good.
- [74:21]
Heath
It's. It's kind of 80s pop, if you're into that. I don't know.
- [74:24]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Love it. You need to make more. All right. Hannah asks, speaking of music, what music do you guys listen to?
- [74:31]
Heath
Wow. A lot of stuff lately. Been listening to a lot of yacht rock, surprisingly. I don't know if that's surprising or not, but it's not. You know, I listen to yacht rock, I listen to classic rock. I listen to some pop. Like, you know, actually, my. My. My new favorite artist is Somber. I think he's incredible.
- [74:50]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
So good.
- [74:51]
Heath
Been listening to a lot of him, but, yeah, I mean, I can listen to anything. Country, you know, hip hop, whatever. It doesn't matter. As long as I think that the song is good, I'm gonna listen to it.
- [75:00]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, we love Somber. My two favorite artists are somber and the 1975 through and through.
- [75:06]
Heath
Yeah, those are great, great musicians.
- [75:08]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
At our wedding, the DJ was because I put so many 1975 songs on there, because I've just been a die hard for, like, 15 years. He was like, I've never seen so much. 1975 on a wedding.
- [75:21]
Heath
He's like, can you calm down, please?
- [75:22]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I was like, no, I can't.
- [75:24]
Heath
So Stephanie asks, how do you begin researching a case?
- [75:28]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
You know, we get so many recommendations, sometimes it's hard. We first have to Google and see is there enough information about this? We utilize newspapers.com a lot and go on there and see. Are there old articles and archives of articles on this case that we can pull from? Is there really enough to discuss here? We'll always check. Did another podcast cover it too recently? Is there a documentary on it? We do like a very base level search. When we determine that there is enough, then we try to get the basic gist of the story. Like, we'll read a summary of the case just to see what it's really about. So we have like the shell of the story and then we start at the beginning.
- [76:13]
Heath
Yes. Then we can really start diving into the details.
- [76:16]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Courtney asks, what's your favorite snack? When the munchies hit.
- [76:21]
Heath
Ooh, favorite snack.
- [76:23]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Let's do munchies. And then normal non munchies.
- [76:26]
Heath
Okay. What is the difference?
- [76:27]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I don't. I don't know if she meant if we're high and we want to eat or if she meant when you're hungry.
- [76:33]
Heath
Oh.
- [76:34]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Because I have two different answers. I don't know about you. Okay.
- [76:38]
Heath
You know, I think my munchies are kind of the same as, like, my regular snacks as well. But I want to say, like, I want to say Built Bars. They're like these protein bars. I've been eating the shit out of Built bars lately. And I've been eating Chomps. They're like jerky sticks. And then we've already mentioned Coke Zero. That's my go to. I will chug like 10 of those in a day.
- [77:00]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
If I'm, like, stoned. There's one thing that I want, and it's cold watermelon. I love cold fruit.
- [77:06]
Heath
Because then you're just like, yeah, you do love that.
- [77:08]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Because you're in this, like, euphoric moment where you're so thirsty and you're just being quenched with something sweet and cold. And it's like the most perfect thing ever. And I would say otherwise. Uncrustables are my addiction, as many of you know. And I just. I'm a chip gal. I love a good chip.
- [77:25]
Heath
Yeah, Yeah, I love a good chip too.
- [77:26]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
But, like, salt and vinegar.
- [77:27]
Heath
Cool Ranch Doritos.
- [77:29]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yeah, those are good ones.
- [77:30]
Heath
I'll do that. Okay, so Chris asks, how many episodes do you record each day? Slash, recording session.
- [77:37]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
We could not record two episodes in a day or in a row. That would be mind numbing.
- [77:42]
Heath
We have. We definitely have done it before, but it is a grueling process, I'll tell you.
- [77:49]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
It's just hard because you're, like, invested in one story and then you need to pivot really fast and dive into a different one. It's honestly emotionally heavy, and you wouldn't think. But recording when we get out of the studio, it's like running a mental 5K. Like, when you're done, you're like, oh, I'm exhausted from speaking loudly.
- [78:10]
Heath
Yeah. You know, and I've always been the type of person that, you know, I enjoy, like, manual labor jobs, things where I can use my hands. So, like, when I have to use my brain too much to figure out, like, details or just the exhaustion of, like, speaking so much.
- [78:24]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
No, you wouldn't think talking is hard, but it is.
- [78:26]
Heath
It is. You just. You do get tired from it. So. Yeah, I mean, we just do the twice a week, but if we go
- [78:32]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
on vacation or a trip somewhere and we have to record more in a week, it's like, it's weirdly a lot. So we stick to one a day and a couple times a week, if we can keep it as spread out as possible. Okay. Finally, Rachel asks, what's in the future for you both individually and together and for going west? Very pointed timing, Rachel, because for going west, I'll say first, Heath and I, in the next couple months, we're gonna start doing video.
- [79:06]
Heath
Yes, we're switching over to video, so
- [79:09]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
that's gonna be fun. Obviously, you'll still be able to listen on audio, but we're also gonna offer full video podcasts of us sitting in the studio like we are now, and offering the full episode on video on YouTube, which is gonna be really exciting. But also otherwise, for going west, just continuing to come out with episodes twice a week and never stopping.
- [79:30]
Heath
Yeah, yeah. We also might start doing, like, little segments, little, like, happening now, short segments of things that maybe there isn't, like, a ton of information to cover a full story on it. But we'll give you, like, the, you know, the details that are out at that particular time.
- [79:44]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes.
- [79:45]
Heath
So I think that's going to be very exciting as well. And then, Daphne, what do you have plans for?
- [79:50]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Just keep writing books. I have a project that I'm working on that I can't talk about yet, that I'm really excited about. Where this is going to go that we hopefully will be announcing very soon.
- [80:02]
Heath
Yes.
- [80:03]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
But yeah, otherwise just writing my books which I'm so passionate about if you guys want to check those out. My first novel is a thriller about a masked serial killer. It's called Night Watcher by me, Daphne Wollsoncroft and it came out last, came out last summer. So you can buy that wherever you get your books. And then my next thriller takes place on a lake in Washington and it's called the Season of Sinking. That is a thriller but it's also about grief and sisterhood and motherhood. So yeah, just writing books and together just being married. A lot of people asked us if we want kids. So I would say like in the next couple years or so. Starting a family in here in la. What about you, Heath?
- [80:46]
Heath
That's definitely something that is on our minds. You know, starting a family. We've already got Dewey the bulldog and he's kind of our mascot. So would love to like build more of that family. But aside from that, I have been working on a children's. Basically it's like a like horror adventure, but it's for kids. It's essentially like Goosebumps, but like a new age version of that. It's middle grade. It's super fun to write. It brings me back to my childhood and it's just so fun. So I'm hoping to get the first book of that series finished fairly soon.
- [81:29]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Thank you so much everybody for listening to episode 600 of Going West.
- [81:34]
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I hope you guys got to know us a little bit more. Thank you for being here and cheers to 600 more episodes of Going West.
- [81:45]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
Yes, thank you guys. This was a ton of fun to kind of change it up a little bit. But we will be back on Tuesday with one of the craziest cases we've ever covered.
- [81:53]
Heath
Oh yeah, you guys are going to love Tuesday's episode. I'm telling you right now.
- [81:57]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
I can't wait to record that one, honestly. Yeah, like we're going to have a lot of comments on that one. So don't forget to tune in at. And thanks for tuning into this one guys. We love you.
- [82:08]
Heath
Yep, we love you guys. So for everybody out there in the
- [82:10]
Daphne Wollsoncroft
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