Transcript
Ashley Flowers (0:00)
All right, everyone, if you have been waiting for the perfect moment to pick up my latest novel, the Missing Half, this is it. Because it is officially out on paperback and there is more waiting for you inside. There is nothing better than getting cozy and diving into a story that you can't put down. And now you can take the missing Half anywhere, crack the spine, roll the COVID and lose yourself in a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. And in paperback, the ending extends beyond
Chuck (0:31)
where the story has before.
Ashley Flowers (0:33)
And just when you think you have it all figured out, now there is a new chapter. One more piece of the puzzle, one more twist that you didn't see coming.
Chuck (0:43)
If you're ready for a story full
Ashley Flowers (0:45)
of secrets, surprises, and a final turn that will stay with you, grab your paperback copy of the Missing Half now. Wherever books are sold this week, I wanted to resurface an important old episode for you because there's more information that's out there now. You see, there is a person of interest in Tanya Teske's case that I didn't even mention in the original episode because there wasn't enough information about him when we released it in 2023. Well, we have learned a whole lot more since then. And I want to tell you about a guy named Mark D. Douglas Burns. He is a terrifying individual that just came up in a crime junkie episode that I dropped in the fan club. Mark Burns confessed to murdering a young mom in her home back in 2001, and authorities believe that he could be capable of much more. Now, law enforcement in Tanya's case have not gone to talk to Mark in prison yet, so he has neither been officially ruled in normal or ruled out. But the overlaps between him and Tanya's last known movements can't be ignored. So re listen to today's episode closely. And then if you're interested, go check out the episode on Sue Higgins murder in the crime Junkie fan club and tell me what you think. Could Mark be the missing link to solving Tonya's case?
Chuck (2:18)
Our card this week is Tanya Teske, the two of spades from Idaho. Free spirited Tanya was 18 and choosing to live her life on the open road by hitchhiking all around the Mountain west when one summer day in 1997, she hitched a ride that would be her last. For the past 26 years, the investigation into Tanya's murder has spanned across several states, and detectives are very close to solving it. So I need you to listen close because they've decided to provide us with the most information they have ever released in her case in hopes of a resolution. I'm Ashley Flowers and this is the deck. August 15, 1997 was a Friday afternoon and a trucker named John and his wife had just picked up a load of produce in East Idaho. John hopped into the passenger seat while his wife took the wheel and on the off they went. But when they turned onto the on ramp of U.S. highway 20 near Yukon, Idaho, something out the window caught John's eye. It was a naked woman lying motionless on her back down the grassy embankment off the highway ramp. John told his wife to pull over onto the shoulder and when she did, they got out and flagged down two more cars behind them. John, his wife and one of the other drivers stayed put while the other motorists took off to the nearest truck stop to call for help. Deputies from the Bonneville County Sheriff's office arrived on scene at about 5:45pm when they walked down the grassy hill to the woman, it was clear right away she was dead. But there wasn't any noticeable blood on her at the scene, so it wasn't immediately clear how she died, though she did have some noticeable scratches and bruises. Officers secured the scene and called for the coroner as well as the Idaho State Police forensic lab to come quickly. Here's Detective Prescott Sagers, who is the lead on the case today.
