The Binge Crimes: The Vanishing of Janis Rose
Episode 2: Risk Taker
Released: September 9, 2025
Host: Larison Campbell
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Larison Campbell explores the tangled, elusive trail left by Janis Rose—a young Mississippi mother of four who vanished in the late 1970s. With retired investigator Mark Ogden on the case decades later, the episode probes the dual nature of Janis: devoted mother and restless risk taker. As Campbell traces Janis’s steps through relationships, small-town rumors, and even the orbit of America's most prolific serial killer, the episode blurs the line between victim and orchestrator in Janis’s story, raising new questions about how and why she kept slipping away.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Reopening Janis's File
[00:00–01:36]
- In 2019, Investigator Mark Ogden is seen pouring over Janis’s old case file at the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department.
- He’s drawn to a name rumored to be connected with her and decides to visit an old address outside of Picayune, Mississippi.
Quote:
"I kind of took a chance one morning and I just drove down to the address."
—Mark Ogden (01:36)
2. Uncovering a Secret Relationship
[01:55–04:22]
- Ogden visits two sisters who reveal Janis was dating their younger brother at the time of her disappearance—he was 19 or 20, and Janis was six years older.
- The brother, now a long-haul truck driver, recalls breaking up with Janis after catching her in bed with another man, and the sisters note that she never spoke of having a family or children.
- They also mention Janis worked at a diner in nearby Poplarville.
Quote:
"Had no idea she had kids or was married or anything other than whatever story she give them."
—Mark Ogden (03:50)
3. The Poplarville Diner & a Dangerous Relationship
[04:51–05:46]
- The sisters point Ogden to Dick’s Diner, where Janis both worked and dated the owner, Dick Dido, who years later murdered his girlfriend and her son before killing himself.
- Janis’s association with Dido gives the case a dark turn.
Quote:
"The owner of that property, Dick Dido, he actually murdered his girlfriend. And it wouldn't be far off that he may have done something to her."
—Mark Ogden (05:17)
4. Questioning Janis’s Motivations as a Mother
[05:46–08:46]
- Campbell ponders the paradox of Janis as both a doting mother and someone who left her children behind.
- Interviews with Janis’s best friend, Kathy, reveal how Janis was perceived as nurturing and school-involved, but also as a risk taker.
Quote:
"We were both always class officers... We were risk takers."
—Kathy, Janis's best friend (07:50, 07:58)
5. Teenage Pregnancy and Early Marriage
[08:46–11:29]
- Flashback: Kathy recalls Janis confessing at age 15 that she believed she was pregnant, highlighting the social stigma and lack of options for young women in 1970s Mississippi.
- Janis and her boyfriend Glenn ran away and married, leading to Janis becoming a mother of four by her late teens.
Quote:
"You might as well have an A on your forehead."
—Kathy (09:13)
6. Early Attempt at Escaping
[11:29–14:15]
- Kathy recounts Janis’s earlier attempt to leave her husband, moving with her kids to Jackson, MS, where she found new freedoms and social connections.
- Ultimately, Janis returned home, but Kathy felt Janis tasted escape and yearned for more.
Quote:
"She had made the great escape. That's the feeling I got from her when she was in Jackson."
—Kathy (14:07)
7. Janis’s Life at Dick’s Diner
[16:23–19:24]
- Testimonies from Peggy Perkins, a teen who frequented the diner, describe Janis as vibrant, flirtatious, and quickly involved with the owner, Dick.
- Janis lived with Dick, seemingly making a home but keeping her past and children secret.
Quote:
"Blue jeans. And she had big breasts so she would really get that cleavage going on... She just popped up one day. There she is."
—Peggy Perkins (16:23)
8. Hidden Fears and Another Escape
[19:40–21:00]
- Diner coworker Jane recalls Janis confiding she was afraid of Dick and planning an escape, with Jane suggesting Janis head to Lockport, Louisiana, for a new start.
- Soon after, Janis vanishes—Poof, she's gone.
Quotes:
"She said she had to get away from him because she was scared of him."
—Kathy/Jane (20:27)
"It was like a thief in the night. She was gone."
—Peggy Perkins (21:05)
9. Dick Dido’s True Nature Revealed
[21:00–22:30]
- Dick’s later murder-suicide brings further fear Janis may have met a similar fate, especially after a friend reports Janis once stole from Dick.
- Ogden hits dead ends seeking old diner business records or direct evidence.
Quote:
"He thinks it was the third time that Dick found she was stealing from him is when she disappeared for good. He never saw her after that."
—Mark Ogden (22:30)
10. The Serial Killer Theory: Samuel Little
[25:27–37:57]
- Ogden explores whether Janis could have fallen victim to Samuel Little, a prolific serial killer active in the region, especially given rumors she frequently left with truckers.
- Lt. Darren Versaidgia discusses Little’s modus operandi: traveling the region, targeting vulnerable women, often strangling and leaving little evidence.
Quotes:
"If the opportunity was there, he would take advantage of the situation... If the situation was perfect and he could get away with it, he would do that."
—Lt. Darren Versaidgia (30:41)
"Nobody gives a shit about them. We're not working those anyway, so just label it as an overdose."
—Lt. Darren Versaidgia (31:16)
- FBI circulates portraits of victims drawn by Little; Ogden pores over them, hoping to spot Janis, but finds nothing definitive.
Quote:
"In prison, he would draw pictures of the females that he killed... I studied those pictures more than once, you know, trying to see if Jan was in there."
—Mark Ogden (37:01)
11. Janis Reappears – Yet Again
[39:24–39:50]
- Years after her disappearance from Poplarville, Janis unexpectedly returns to visit Peggy’s mother, revealing she has been living in Louisiana and is pregnant with a fifth child.
Quote:
"Wow. Jan's here. Mom's like, what? Yeah, Jan's here. She invited us to come down to Raceland. That's when she came to tell my mama she was pregnant."
—Peggy Perkins (39:40)
12. Reframing Janis: Not a Victim, but a Master of Escape
- Larison Campbell closes by reflecting on how Janis's ability to vanish continually undermines investigators' expectations. The narrative suggests Janis wasn’t always running from danger—sometimes, she was simply running toward what she wanted, always a few steps ahead.
Quote:
"Vanishing wasn't just something that Janice did to get out of a bad situation. It was just something she did. Janice isn't a typical victim. In fact, she might not be a victim at all... because every time he's gotten close to her and just about figured her out, she's already two steps ahead."
—Larison Campbell (closing remarks)
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- "We were risk takers." — Kathy (07:58)
- "You might as well have an A on your forehead." — Kathy (09:13)
- "She had made the great escape. That's the feeling I got from her when she was in Jackson." — Kathy (14:07)
- "She said she had to get away from him because she was scared of him." — Jane/Kathy (20:27)
- "He thinks it was the third time that Dick found she was stealing from him is when she disappeared for good. He never saw her after that." — Mark Ogden (22:30)
- "If the opportunity was there, he would take advantage... If the situation was perfect and he could get away with it, he would do that." — Lt. Darren Versaidgia (30:41)
- "Vanishing wasn't just something that Janice did to get out of a bad situation. It was just something she did... every time he's gotten close to her... she's already two steps ahead." — Larison Campbell (39:50–end)
Important Segments & Timestamps
- 01:36–04:22: Ogden's cold call to the sisters and discovery of Janis’s secret relationship
- 05:17–05:46: Introduction of Dick Dido as a possible suspect
- 07:50–09:13: Kathy describes Janis's nature and school years
- 11:08–13:19: Janis's first independent life in Jackson
- 16:23–19:24: Peggy describes Janis's life at the diner and relationship with Dick
- 20:27: Janis’s confession of fear to her coworker, Jane
- 25:27–34:14: Consideration of serial killer Samuel Little's involvement
- 39:24–39:50: Janis's dramatic reappearance in Louisiana
Conclusion
Episode 2, "Risk Taker," probes beneath the surface of Janis Rose’s disappearance, dismantling both the myth of the perfect mother and the narrative of the pure victim. Instead, it paints Janis as paradoxical—loving yet restless, vulnerable yet resourceful. Through interviews, recollections, and investigative dead-ends, the episode raises as many new questions as it answers about how and why Janis really vanished, leaving listeners anxious to understand just how far she’ll go next.