In the summer of 1924, a railroad worker was found dead near tracks in Little Rock. Weeks later, his wife was found dead in another state. What followed was a series of headlines that pointed to one woman—Winona Spriggs. Her name would appear again and again over the next fifty years, linked to crime, escape, and murder. This is the story of a family broken, and of the woman who never stopped running.

Join the Community on Patreon

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com

Episode Sources

Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1974
Arkansas Democrat (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1954
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), 1924–1954
Tulsa Tribune (Tulsa, OK), 1924–1948
Miami News-Record (Miami, OK), August 1946
The Salinas Californian (Salinas, CA), 1953–1954
The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October–November 1974
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), March 16, 1954
Associated Press (AP) wire reports, 1924–1954
Pulaski County Circuit Court records (Arkansas)
Oklahoma criminal investigation records (Miami, OK)
California Superior Court records (Salinas, CA), 1954
Arkansas State Penitentiary records and parole files
Oklahoma Department of Corrections records
California Department of Corrections records
U.S. Census records (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940)
Marriage and divorce records for Winona Spriggs / Winona Green / Winnie Ola Freeman
Death records for J.R. Green, Lena Green, Robert Sheldon Wilkinson, Harold Jonassen, and Winnie Ola Freeman
Library of Congress, Chronicling America newspaper archive
Newspapers.com archival database
Ancestry.com historical records
Unknown Misandry blog: “Winnie Ola Freeman (Winona Green): The Cat Woman” (2014)

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.