Podcast Summary: The Peacemaker
Episode 4: Off Campus
Hosts: Ben Westhoff & Ryan Krull
Date: November 4, 2025
Production: iHeart Podcasts and Coolfire Studios
Theme: Investigating the Kirksville/Truman State suicide cluster, focusing on the unexpected death of Alex Vogt and the roles/community ties of landlord Dan Vogt and Brandon Grossheim.
Episode Overview
This episode examines the suicide of Alex Vogt—a student from Moberly Area Community College—and his connection to the suicide cluster surrounding Truman State’s Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. The hosts retrace Vogt’s background, his relationships, and the environment in which multiple deaths occurred, bringing into sharper focus the presence of Brandon Grossheim at the center of these tragedies. The episode also explores key figures in the Kirksville community, particularly Dan Vogt, and how the physical and social landscape of a small college town contributed to these events.
Major Discussion Points and Insights
1. The Unfolding of a Hidden Death
[03:05–07:09]
- About eight months after her son’s death, Melissa Bottorff Aery meets with police and learns of a fourth suicide: Alex Vogt. Until then, only three (all AKL members) were publicly linked.
- Alex Vogt was not a Truman State student nor formally part of the fraternity, but “incredibly, he killed himself shortly after Brandon moved in across the hall.”
- The hosts point out: “So that made four suicides under similar circumstances with Brandon at the center. It boggled the mind.”
2. Who Was Alex Vogt?
[07:09–10:20]
- Vogt, a 21-year-old Moberly Area Community College student, was remembered as kind and supportive by friends, but also as depressed by acquaintances.
- Dalton McVeigh: “I always got the vibe that he was a very unhappy individual… you just kind of, like, you see it, you know.” ([06:53])
- He had a history of severe depression, psychiatric treatment, personal and legal struggles, estrangement from his child, and heavy medication.
- Tensions peaked in fall 2016: a breakup attempt by his girlfriend led to a suicide attempt, which she intervened and stopped.
3. Enter Brandon Grossheim
[10:20–13:00]
- Brandon Grossheim, recently kicked out of AKL and Truman State, moves into Vogt’s building (owned by Dan Vogt, Alex’s father).
- Both work at the Wooden Nickel, a central Kirksville bar/restaurant; they bond through LSD use and socializing.
- Known pattern: Brandon often befriended people struggling with mental health before their deaths.
4. The Night of Vogt’s Death
[13:00–15:00]
- Alex and his girlfriend reconcile temporarily and spend time together at the Wooden Nickel on the night of his suicide.
- She wakes up in the morning to find Alex dead, hanging from a water pipe next to their bed.
- When police arrive, Brandon lets them in, shares his account (brief hallway interaction) but then makes an odd request to see Vogt’s body.
- Police note the strangeness, referencing Brandon’s similar behavior with his grandmother’s body years earlier.
- Host Ben Westhoff: “Brandon seemed fascinated by people who had just died in a way that I believe goes beyond normal curiosity.” ([14:19])
5. Theories & Community Perceptions
[15:00–15:28]
- Brandon refuses police efforts to contact his family after Vogt’s death.
- No “smoking gun” evidence linking Brandon to encouraging or abetting Vogt’s suicide.
- Post-Vogt, Brandon is quoted as telling acquaintances:
- Gentry Meininger recalls: “[Brandon] went into a spout about how suicide was your own free will… no one should try to stop you… only try to understand and accept it.” ([14:49])
6. The Wooden Nickel – Local Hub of Grief and Drama
[19:09–23:04]
- Many central figures, including Brandon, Alex, and several AKL members, worked or hung out at the Wooden Nickel, making it “the backdrop during a time when many young people’s lives began to unravel.”
- Hosts visit the bar to gain contextual understanding of its place in this saga, noting its unique local culture and ownership.
7. Dan Vogt: The Landlord, Boss, and Father
[23:09–28:27]
- Dan Vogt (Alex’s father) owned both the Journal Building and, formerly, the Wooden Nickel. He was both landlord and employer to many young people involved, including Brandon.
- Notably, Dan is not suing Brandon (unlike other parents).
- “Dan Vogt had some pretty weird run-ins with Brandon when Brandon was his tenant”—including a dispute over Brandon siphoning electricity via extension cord.
- Brandon (to police): “At one point, Dan cut the extension cord… he didn’t like me using electricity from Cody’s apartment.” ([28:17])
- Community members describe Dan variously as passionate, tough, and sometimes hard to work for; rumblings about his relationship with Alex possibly contributing mental strain.
- Dalton McVeigh: “Their relationship… probably put some mental strain on him and contributed to, you know, eventually reaching that breaking point. But I don’t think it would be justified to call it the sole factor.” ([27:01])
8. On-the-Ground Reporting and Local Color
[28:48–38:00]
- Hosts attempt to interview Dan Vogt, who refuses further comment on the tragedy: “‘I’m not interested in speaking about that at all or my family. Goodbye.’ And then he hung up.” ([33:15])
- The hosts witness an argument at the Wooden Nickel involving Dan’s daughter, Jen Ray (current owner), and observe tense family and community dynamics in real time.
9. Preview: More Deaths at the Journal Building
[41:50–End]
- The Journal Printing Company building emerges as especially consequential: “This was the apartment building where…the fourth and the fifth deaths happened. That’s right, a fifth death.”
- Next episode will address the mysterious death of a 29-year-old woman there, with a curious encounter: “…she had a strange encounter with someone from the building right before her death. That person was, you guessed it, Brandon Grossheim.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
- Melissa Bottorff Airey: “That’s when the shit hit the fan… at that point, to find out that Brandon had been either present to find the bodies or had been the last known person to be seen with them… that’s when I started putting some of the back pieces together.” ([03:55])
- Dalton McVeigh: “I could certainly agree with the statement that…the relationship, the father-son relationship with the Vogts, was a tenuous one that probably put some mental strain on him and contributed to…reaching that breaking point.” ([27:01])
- Gentry Meininger (recalling Brandon’s view on suicide): “If you felt [suicide] was the best decision for your life…then that was your own personal choice and no one should try to stop you… should only try to understand and accept it.” ([14:49])
- On-the-ground moment: The hosts witness “a bit of a ruckus” at the bar between Jen Ray and another local, then observe her disputing with her father Dan, highlighting the personal toll and complexity of the social ties. ([36:46–38:00])
- Host Ben Westhoff on Dan Vogt: “Sure, it’s admirable that he employs people and…has a neat looking bar and restaurant, but man, the dude is kind of scary. But I’m also glad we got to see the world where he, Brandon, and several of our other characters inhabited.”
Important Timestamps by Topic
- [03:05] – Melissa Bottorff Airey learns of the fourth suicide (Alex Vogt)
- [06:53] – Dalton McVeigh on Alex Vogt's visible depression
- [10:20] – Brandon Grossheim enters Alex’s life (move-in, shared workplace, drug use)
- [13:00] – Night of Vogt’s death: timeline and aftermath
- [14:19] – Brandon’s odd fascination with death and request to see Vogt’s body
- [14:49] – Brandon’s quoted views on suicide as free will
- [19:09] – Wooden Nickel as central social hub; character sketches
- [27:01] – Analysis of Alex-Dan Vogt relationship and community context
- [28:17] – Brandon’s conflict with Dan Vogt (electricity dispute)
- [33:15] – Dan Vogt’s open refusal to discuss the deaths
- [36:46–38:00] – Argument at the Wooden Nickel involving Jen Ray and Dan Vogt
- [41:50] – Introduction of the Journal Building as the scene of further deaths and preview of next episode
Conclusion
Episode 4 peels back the layers of tragedy in Kirksville, focusing on the overlooked case of Alex Vogt and the complex intersection of mental illness, substance use, family strain, and the perplexing role of Brandon Grossheim. Through interviews, on-the-ground reporting, and community anecdotes, the episode paints a vivid portrait of a college-town ecosystem under immense strain—one where personal and institutional relationships remain fraught, and unsettling questions persist.