Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

Episode 1: “Forever Pain”
Host: M. William Phelps
Date: February 21, 2024
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This first episode of Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders introduces listeners to the unsolved 1989 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old Dana Stidham in rural Arkansas. Veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps sets out to re-examine the cold case, interviewing family, friends, law enforcement, and witnesses, while exposing a web of secrets, rumors, and unresolved pain that persist more than 30 years later. The episode offers an intimate look at Dana’s life, her family’s heartbreak, the small-town setting, the perplexing details of her last day, and the tangled, frustrating early investigation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Emotional Toll of Loss and Uncertainty

• Christy Smith, Dana’s cousin and best friend, shares raw anguish over Dana’s unsolved case:
  • "I have nightmares about this. I have nightmares that she's asking for help and I can't help her." (01:47)
  • The enduring pain of not knowing what happened is described as "forever pain" by both Christy and Phelps. (03:13)

2. Benton County, Arkansas: Place and Community

• Small, low-crime, and close-knit, Benton County is upended by the crime:
  • "Not only for that to happen to a young girl, but also for it to be not immediately known what happened creates fear and panic in folks... that's an earth shattering event." — Local Commentator (03:49)
• Such tragedies can either unite or divide small communities:
  • "I've seen it bring a community together... and then certainly I've seen it do the other side, where you have two battlegrounds." — Community Member (04:53)

3. Dana Stidham: A Portrait

• Christy recounts Dana’s vibrant, typical life—her love of swimming, camping, her close family ties, and her youthful ambitions:
  • "She was more of a sister than a cousin." (07:59)
  • "We lived in the moment and just took every day as it was and played and enjoyed our lives..." (09:28)
• Dana recently moved out on her own with her brother and friends, had a job at Kmart, and was described as popular, artistic, and independent. (08:20, 10:53, 23:33)

4. Last Known Movements & Disappearance (July 25, 1989)

• Dana’s Day:
  • At home doing laundry; runs an errand for her dad around 2:35pm.
  • Seen at Phillips Grocery (where she used to work) at 3:17pm. Witnesses see her talking to a man, identity ambiguous. (12:22 - 15:26)
  • Vehicle (with a possibly low tire) and Dana are later seen roadside near the Bella Vista Museum between 3:25–5:00pm with two men and another woman; witnesses confirm seeing Dana. (16:11 - 17:53)
• She never returns home; initial family search and police confusion due to reporting the wrong car model (Plymouth Horizon vs. Dodge Omni). (28:04 - 29:10)

5. Missing Persons Report, Investigative Dead Ends, and Strange Calls

• By 9:15pm, family is alarmed, not believing Dana would have disappeared voluntarily.
  • "She would have come home and gotten ready for what her plans were." — Christy (18:32)
• Two mysterious calls are made to a local general store:
  • At 4:00pm: Female caller says, "Tell him I really want to go home and that's it." (32:34)
  • At 11:00pm: Caller says, "Dana's dead. And Mike knows what happened to her." (33:17)
  • "Whoever makes that call knows she's missing." — Investigator (39:31 - 40:00)

6. Discovery of Evidence & Key Suspects

• Dana’s clothing is found discarded on Wellington Road, close to where a former male co-worker described by several as creepy lived. (35:16 - 38:05)
  • "He was just a creepy dude. But I do know that some of the girls felt he was kind of handsy." — Former Co-worker (37:28)
• Police focus both on this older man and a co-worker ex-boyfriend.
• Important potential suspect, “Mike,” emerges after the late-night call:
  • Mike’s family owned the general store; he had been rejected by Dana and lied about his whereabouts. His truck was reportedly seen the night of the disappearance. (47:00 - 48:19)

7. Vehicle Discovery and Suspicious Details

• Dana's Dodge Omni appears the next morning on Route 71; keys are in the ignition, seat pulled back for a taller driver, groceries and purse missing, and a tire is still low—but the car hadn't been seen by anyone searching overnight. (40:20 - 45:19)
  • "It's just unusual. It's not what she would have done." — Investigator (44:23)
  • "She would never just abandon her car on the side of the road. She lived for that car, so she wouldn't just leave it." — Christy (45:19)

8. Lingering Questions and Next Steps

• Law enforcement and Phelps are left wrestling with conflicting witness accounts, a shifting suspect list, missing evidence, and the eerie timing of key discoveries.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "That not knowing is hard. Picturing the fear that she must have been in when whoever took her, took her… It's horrific for anyone to go through that."
  — Christy Smith (01:47)
• "It's what some refer to as forever pain."
  — M. William Phelps (03:13)
• "Unsolved murder magnifies that change. And when murders start to multiply, all hell breaks loose."
  — M. William Phelps (06:26)
• "Whoever makes that call knows she's missing."
  — Investigator (39:31)
• "We drove everywhere we could think of... my first thought was, did she have an accident?"
  — Christy Smith (31:36)
• Christy's account of Dana's personality and life:
  • "She was spoiled. She could do whatever she wanted. ...She wasn't in any of the clubs at school. ...She was in dance, but not at school. ...Every teenage girl was into boys." (22:46 – 23:48)

Important Timelines & Timestamps

• [01:47] Christy Smith shares ongoing nightmares and pain of not knowing
• [03:09] "Hope" as a driving force for families of missing persons
• [07:59] Christy Smith details close relationship with Dana
• [12:22–15:26] Review of Dana’s last known visit to Phillips Grocery; ambiguous meeting with an older man
• [16:11–17:53] Sightings of Dana’s car with men and another woman, details on vehicle’s location
• [18:32] Christy and family realize Dana is missing (evening hours)
• [28:04–29:10] Police confusion over make/model of missing vehicle
• [32:34] Mysterious 4pm phone call to the store
• [33:17] Chilling 11pm phone call implicating “Mike”
• [35:43–36:12] Family finds Dana’s clothing discarded on Wellington Road
• [37:28–38:58] Descriptions of an inappropriate, unsettling former co-worker and possible links to case
• [40:20–45:19] Discovery, forensic details, and analysis of Dana’s abandoned car
• [47:00–48:19] Emergence of “Mike” as a potential suspect, conflict in alibi

Tone & Atmosphere

• Sensitive, intimate, and somber—rooted in the persistent agony of unresolved tragedy, but powered by relentless investigation, the bonds of family, and a thirst for truth.
• Phelps’s narration is methodical and empathetic, highlighting both procedural confusion and the deep, enduring pain of loved ones.

Conclusion

Episode 1 sets a gripping, emotionally charged foundation for the season—balancing a tender portrait of Dana Stidham and her family with the suspense and frustration of the investigation’s early days. Listeners are left with haunting questions: What really happened to Dana that afternoon? Who made the chilling calls? And is the answer hidden in plain sight amid divided loyalties and rumors in a small Arkansas town?

Next episode tease:

• Phelps and investigators close in on “Mike” as a suspect, explore new leads regarding the discovery of Dana’s remains, and continue untangling the complicated web of relationships and secrets surrounding the case.