Up and Vanished | Episode 25: "Final Boarding Call"

Release Date: January 16, 2026
Host: Payne Lindsay (Tenderfoot TV)

Overview

In this episode, host Payne Lindsay investigates the mysterious 2016 disappearance of Joseph Balderas, a 36-year-old with a promising future, from the remote city of Nome, Alaska. Through in-depth interviews, timeline reconstruction, and leaked family phone calls, Payne unpacks the web of inconsistencies, evasions, and possible secrets surrounding Joseph’s last days — focusing especially on the tight-knit Pascoia family, who may hold more answers than they're willing to share.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Disappearance of Joseph Balderas

• Context on Joseph:
  Joseph was well-liked, responsible, made future plans, and had a strong relationship with his fiancée, Megan Ryder, in Juneau. He was in Nome for a temporary job—not to disappear.

  • "Joseph Balderas wasn't reckless. He wasn't spiraling. He wasn't running from his life." (02:24, Narrator)

• Friday, June 24, 2016 – The Anchor Night:
  Joseph is last reliably seen at a bar with Christine Pascoia and others. There are photos confirming this appearance (04:01–04:53).

• Saturday, June 25, 2016 – The Day the Timeline Breaks Down:

  • Joseph allegedly goes unresponsive after plans with Christine to visit the beach. His fiancée receives texts from his phone that "didn't sound like him." (07:18–07:41)
  • Christine claims her phone’s data — including last communications — is wiped after she restores it. (08:11–08:55)

• Jake (Joseph’s Roommate) and the Faked Alibi:

  • Jake, Christine’s cousin, was supposed to be home Saturday night but was actually at a bonfire, pressuring friends to provide him a false alibi. (12:02–13:07; 14:23)
  • When confronted, Jake admits to lying but maintains nervousness and confusion as excuses. Payne raises critical questions about motivation:
    "If nothing happened on Saturday night, then there's no reason to lie about Saturday night." (15:17, Narrator)
  • These lies push the timeline forward, claiming Joseph was alive on Sunday—a narrative with no corroboration and inconsistent with Joseph’s close pattern of communication.

The Pascoia Family’s Role

• Christine Pascoia:

  • Last known person to see Joseph. Her version of events (~beach plans, text exchanges) cannot be corroborated outside her narrative.

• Kirk Reynolds (Christine’s Stepfather) & Bonnie Pascoia (Christine’s Mother):

  • Claim to have seen Joseph's truck drive past their camp on Sunday (20:33–22:51).
  • Their testimonies shift the 'last seen' timeline to Sunday—a recurring theme in the family’s statements.
  • Conflicting stories: Christine says Bonnie was "very adamant" Joseph was on the beach with her from 1:30 to 3:00pm—but was this Saturday or Sunday? Direct contradiction arises. (19:57–20:12)

• Kevin Pascoia (Christine's Uncle):

  • His name comes up at "pressure points." During the search, he exhibited "odd behavior."
  • A tip-line call from 2017 describes a disturbing scene involving Kevin, implicating him and another relative (Harvey Miller) moving Joseph's blue truck and possibly burying evidence in a filled backyard sinkhole soon after Joseph's disappearance (25:20–29:30).

The Gun – A Key Overlooked Clue

• Joseph recently purchased a handgun; both the gun and its case disappeared along with him (05:23, 31:07–32:03).
• This was apparently not reported properly by Alaska State Troopers; "they weren't interested" and "didn't enter it as stolen." (31:25, Private Investigator Andy Clamser)
• Multiple family members repeatedly refer to Joseph being unarmed or without bear spray, suggesting inside knowledge:
  • "To me, what makes sense is he's running on a ridge with no gun, no bear spray..." (49:01, Bonnie Pascoia)
• Payne notes no evidence Joseph didn’t have his gun—since nothing of Joseph's has ever been found—and how certainty about him being unarmed is suspicious. (45:28–46:46, 50:00–50:53)

Family Dynamics and Motive?

• Insightful Letter About the Family:
  • Provides background: Pascoia-Reynolds family is highly insular, with a strong emphasis on family image and loyalty; central figures (Carol, the matriarch; Kirk and Bonnie) exercise substantial control.
  • Kirk Reynolds is described as someone who "will comply with whatever Carol or Bonnie wishes," and is noted for prioritizing the Pascoia family over his own relatives—even in dire circumstances.
  • Joseph's inclusion for weekly dinners signals special status, and family members allegedly pressured Joseph and Christine to get together.
  • "I am not surprised Joseph would have felt welcomed... Also not surprised if the family reacted strongly to any perceived rejection or slight involving Christine..." (Letter paraphrased, 33:51–45:28)

Confronting Evasion and Obfuscation

• The timeline of Joseph's disappearance seems actively manipulated by key family members, with stories shifting to push his last known alive time later, making the period of suspicion "safer."
• The absence of physical evidence and the family's consistent, defensive, and sometimes showy public behavior raise further questions about what happened.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Early on Joseph’s character:
  "Charismatic, smart guy who loved Alaska, and had a lot of plans for the future."
  — Private Investigator Andy Clamser (02:55)

• Christine on losing her phone data:
  "According to her, she locked herself out of her iPhone and completely restored it... a digital footprint that’s gone forever." (08:25, Narrator)

• On Jake’s false alibi:
  "If nothing happened on Saturday night, then there's no reason to lie about Saturday night. And then we get to Sunday. Suddenly Joseph isn't last seen on Saturday. Now he's alive and well on Sunday." (15:17, Narrator)

• Private investigator emphasizing the importance of the missing gun:
  "Not only was his gun missing...but the case for the handgun was missing. I think that's a very significant fact." (31:07, Private Investigator Andy Clamser)

• Family’s casual dismissal on a leaked call:
  "This is a stupid podcast person... He doesn't know anything. This guy doesn’t even know anything. He’s just making all this stuff up... I think he should be sued for lying and for trying to scare people."
  — Bonnie Pascoia (48:14, leaked call)

• Highlighting the suspicious certainty that Joseph was unarmed:
  "No gun, no bear spray." — Kirk & Bonnie Pascoia (49:01, leaked call)
  Payne Lindsay: "How do you know someone is unarmed if you never find that person at all? Easy answer. You don't." (45:28, Narrator)

• Family dynamics letter, on Kirk Reynolds:
  "While I want to believe he would not be directly involved in wrongdoing, I do believe he would bend moral boundaries to protect the family’s image... He has always treated rules as flexible, especially when they conflict with loyalty or self-interest."
  (33:51–45:28, Letter read aloud/paraphrased by host)

• The tip-line caller’s chilling conclusion after describing seeing Joseph’s truck and a filled-in backyard hole:
  "I think Joseph was killed that night." — Harvey Miller Jr. (29:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Welcome and context about Joseph’s life and disappearance: 01:53–04:53
• Friday/Saturday timeline; last seen evidence: 04:53–07:41
• Christine’s phone and Jake’s initial lies: 08:11–09:09, 12:02–13:07
• Jake’s confession and fabricated alibis: 14:23–15:17
• Introduction of Kevin, Bonnie, Kirk, and their shifting testimonies: 16:29–22:51
• 2017 tip-line call implicating Kevin and possible evidence burial: 24:23–30:09
• Discussion on the significance of the missing gun: 31:07–32:03, 45:28–46:46, 50:00–50:53
• Family dynamics letter giving context for suspects' behaviors: 33:51–45:28
• Leaked phone call discussing the podcast and sidestepping direct accusations: 48:14–50:00

Summary Table: Key Questions Raised

| Point of Confusion/Deception | Family Member(s) Involved | Suspicious Detail | |-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | Saturday evening alibi | Jake Pascoia | Admitted lying, arranged false alibi | | Last seen on Sunday? | Bonnie & Kirk Pascoia, Jake | Claimed to see Joseph/truck after Saturday, all uncorroborated | | Missing phone evidence | Christine Pascoia | Phone wiped after disappearance | | Blue truck movement, backyard hole| Kevin Pascoia, Harvey Miller Jr. | Seen moving Joseph’s truck, suspiciously filled sinkhole | | Pre-knowledge of missing gun | Kirk & Bonnie Pascoia | Certainty Joseph unarmed, not publicly known |

Conclusion

This episode paints a complex, unsettling portrait of the Joseph Balderas disappearance, raising many questions about complicity, family loyalty, and truth. Through intense examination of timelines, conflicting testimony, and family dynamics, Payne Lindsey reveals the cracks in the official story and brings to light evidence that Nome’s tight-lipped community may be hiding more than it admits. The missing gun, coerced alibis, secretive behavior, and the power structure within the Pascoia family all represent threads that may, together, unravel the truth behind Joseph's vanishing.

For listeners:
This episode offers a gripping, methodical dissection of a cold case riddled with family secrets and local silence. If you want a real sense of the investigation, start by marking these timestamps—especially the segments involving Jake's fabricated alibi (12:02–15:17), the tip-line revelations (24:23–30:09), and the candid family call (48:14–50:00)—and listen for yourself.

Next Episode Preview:
The investigation continues with more from the leaked phone call, new revelations, and a deeper dive into the pressure points of the case.