Detailed Summary of Going West: True Crime, Episode 551 – Joan Webster (November 4, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman take a deep dive into the mysterious case of Joan Webster—a 25-year-old Harvard graduate student who vanished after arriving at Boston's Logan Airport in November 1981. Tracing Joan’s steps, the investigation ran cold for years until her remains were found nearly a decade later, raising even more questions. The episode explores various theories, a controversial suspect, possible cover-ups, and the passionate efforts of Joan’s family to bring answers to light.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joan Webster’s Background

[03:37 – 07:53]

• Joan Lucinda Webster, born August 19, 1956, in Ohio, youngest of three children.
• Family settled in Glen Ridge, NJ; Joan developed a reputation for warmth and intelligence.
• Attended Syracuse University (interior design), later worked at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in NYC.
• Moved to Cambridge to study architecture at Harvard in September 1980.
• Family and friends described her as patient, artistic, academically accomplished, and well-loved.
  • Quote (Joan’s sister-in-law Eve Carson, 07:53):

    “Joan was a wonderful person. She was very level headed and as sweet as could be with this infectious giggle. People loved being around her.”

2. Timeline of Disappearance

[08:27 – 18:59]

• Joan flew home to NJ for Thanksgiving (Nov 26, 1981) and returned to Boston on Nov 28.
• Last seen around 10:30pm at Logan Airport, heading to the taxi line with a man—described as middle-aged, white, dark curly hair, glasses, bearded, average build, under 6 ft, 160 lbs—after an apparent altercation involving a cab driver (Fenton Allen Moore).
  • Quote (Heath, about the potential ruse, 11:21):

    “If he created an argument about the bags, this unknown man, so that he could get her into a different specific car as like a ruse...”

• Joan never made it to her dorm or a Sunday morning study session.
• Missing person investigation began Dec 1 after a friend alerted her family.

3. Initial Investigation & Key Evidence

[15:25 – 19:37]

• Hundreds of interviews and intensive searches, but no leads.
• Four days post-disappearance, Joan’s pocketbook and wallet (with cash missing) were found dumped on Route 107 near the Pines River—suspicious as the location was miles away from campus and airport.
• Attempts at extorting the family with ransom calls went nowhere.
  • Quote (Sgt. Neil Meehan, 14:30):

    “From her parents and friends, we have found that she is not the type of person who would disappear or go off by herself without telling them.”

• Later, Joan’s suitcase is found in a Boston bus station locker (Jan 29, 1982).

4. The Leonard Paradiso Angle: Jailhouse Informant & Suspect

[19:37 – 32:53]

• In 1983, jailed murderer Robert Bond alleged fellow inmate Leonard Paradiso had confessed to Joan’s murder and that of local woman Marie Iannuzi.
• Bond’s story: Leonard lured Joan to his boat, made a pass, struck her with a whiskey bottle when she refused, then dumped her in Boston Harbor.
  • Quote (Robert Bond, quoted, 23:20):

    “I bent that bitch ass all over the boat. She gave up because I had hit her with a whiskey bottle.”

• Police raised and searched Paradiso’s sunken boat. No evidence was found, and it had sunk months before Joan disappeared.
• Despite these doubts, ADA Timothy Burke focused on Paradiso as the prime suspect for both Joan and Marie’s murders.
• Paradiso’s criminal history: prior sexual assault, attempted rape, and alleged pattern of picking up women, consistent with how Joan went missing.
• Physical descriptions and composite sketches failed to match Leonard.
• Circumstantial connections: Both the area where Joan’s belongings and Marie’s body were found (Revere/Saugus) were near Paradiso’s fishing contacts.

5. Questionable Confession & Cover-Up Theories

[32:53 – 35:08]

• Skepticism arose: Informant Bond could have fabricated the confession for self-gain; Paradiso insisted on his innocence; evidence against him was shaky.
  • Quote (Leonard Paradiso, 31:02):

    “I can look at you in the eye and tell you I didn’t kill Maria Iannuzi...”

• Leonard was convicted of Marie’s murder but maintained innocence for both murders until his death.
• Joan’s sister-in-law, Eve Carson, published research suggesting a police cover-up and wrongful conviction, notably disagreeing with Joan’s immediate family and law enforcement.

6. Discovery of Joan’s Remains & Forensic Evidence

[48:49 – 51:35]

• In April 1990, Joan’s remains were accidentally found in a wooded area near Hamilton, MA—30 miles from the airport.
• Cause: severe blow to the head (hole 2"x4" on her skull); body wrapped in plastic, covered with logs, showing the perpetrator revisited the site.
  • Quote (Daphne, about forensic oddity, 48:49):

    “...I don’t know if hitting somebody in the head with a glass bottle could possibly create a hole in their head. A 2x4 hole in their head. It feels like maybe kind of hard to believe, but I don’t know.”

• Discovery on land contradicted Bond’s story about disposal at sea.

7. Alternate Theories, Family Divisions, and Lasting Mystery

[52:49 – 57:56]

• Eve Carson believes there’s a broader police/FBI cover-up, even hinting at possible abuse within Joan’s family tied to their alleged CIA backgrounds.
  • Quote (Eve Carson, 52:49):

    “I believe Joan knew secrets that resulted in her loss. As painful as learning the facts has been... state and federal authorities are still covering up this crime.”

• Eve has become estranged from Joan’s family due to sharp disagreements and her own theory.
  • Quote (Daphne, 56:45):

    “...we are, as the public, are missing too many pieces to believe what she's saying fully.”

• Another wild, though widely dismissed, theory: the Zodiac killer connection, based on a cryptic card received by Joan’s parents.
• Both the official and alternate theories have gaps; evidence is mostly circumstantial or speculative.
• Paradiso died in 2018 without confessing; ADA Burke still believed him responsible for multiple Boston murders, while Eve insisted on his innocence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On police bias and error:

  “You also can’t just railroad the situation to work for you. You have to achieve accuracy, actual justice here.”
  (Heath, 26:22)

• On skepticism of witness reliability:

  “It’s always really hard when we’re working or we’re talking about an informant, because usually the informant will get something out of it...”
  (Daphne, 31:02)

• On the conflicting perspectives within the family:

  “I mean, that to me really means nothing, because it means nothing to me either. I mean, he was a criminal, and it's not like he was a murderer. And oftentimes, these guys don't confess to things on their deathbeds because they don't give a fuck.”
  (Heath, 57:50)

• On the unresolved nature of the case:

  “So who is correct?...they have very different points of view.”
  (Heath and Daphne, 59:40)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Joan’s Background & Life: [03:37–08:27]
• Timeline of Disappearance: [08:27–15:25]
• Evidence & Early Investigation Developments: [15:25–19:37]
• The Jailhouse Informant & Paradiso Connection: [19:37–32:53]
• Skepticism and Alternative Theories: [32:53–35:08]
• Joan’s Remains Found: [48:49–51:35]
• Family Tensions and Eve Carson’s Theory: [52:49–57:56]
• Closing Reflections by Hosts: [59:28–60:38]

Summary Tone & Final Thoughts

The hosts keep a conversational, thoughtful, and sometimes irreverent tone, weighing evidence and expressing skepticism and empathy. They acknowledge the limited answers, the pain for Joan’s family, and how conflicting narratives obscure the truth. Listeners are encouraged to keep an open mind and share their theories.

“Based on everything that you guys now know about today’s case, let us know your thoughts, let us know what you think happened.” (Heath, 60:12)

For those unfamiliar with the Joan Webster case or following her story over the years, this episode offers a comprehensive, accessible rundown of facts, theories, and enduring questions—while delicately highlighting the shadowy areas where justice remains elusive.