Up and Vanished, Ep. 26 – "This is the Captain Speaking"

Date: January 31, 2026
Host: Payne Lindsey | Tenderfoot TV

Episode Overview

This unusually raw and unfiltered episode departs from Up and Vanished’s regular format. Host Payne Lindsey shares a series of candid phone calls between an anonymous source and members of the family at the center of the Joseph Balderas disappearance case in Nome, Alaska. Rather than editorializing or providing commentary, Payne allows the family to speak in their own words, capturing their distress, grievances, and frustrations as a true crime podcast investigates their role in two unresolved disappearances.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Intense Impact of the Podcast Investigation (01:34 – 07:39)

• Family members express outrage and distress about becoming subjects of speculation and online abuse following the release of Payne Lindsey's investigative podcast.
• Allegations swirl on various online platforms, accusing them of being involved in Joseph’s disappearance and branding them as members of a "mafia."
• The family describes feeling “dragged through the dirt,” harassed, and publicly defamed.

"There's a stupid podcast person who like does investigative stuff on missing people and he started doing this podcast about Joseph. Well, it's turned into this ridiculously crazy deal… They're just dragging all of us through the dirt."
– Family Member 2 (01:34)

2. Rumors, Misinformation, and Online Hostility (06:07 – 11:23)

• The family is upset by how unfounded rumors are amplified, including false claims of suicide notes, relationships, and drug use.
• Discussion about the complex network of family members, alibis, and the pain caused by internet gossip.

"There's so many rumors out there, so hurtful. And it's really bad. It's really bad. You know, we haven't been sleeping very much because the stuff they're saying is really bad."
– Family Member 3 (05:03)

• They describe being harassed in messaging apps, having their pictures taken from Facebook and reposted without permission, and feeling powerless to stop the spread.

3. Frustration with Legal Limitations and Media Practices (12:00 – 23:59)

• The family consulted lawyers regarding defamation, but were told they would not likely win under free speech protections; legal costs are prohibitively high.

"The lawyer wants 10 grand up front to even start. And he said we wouldn't win anyway because of the freedom of speech rules. He says anybody can say anything they want about anybody else these days."
– Family Member 1 (14:02)

• Family expresses regret regarding interviews provided to law enforcement years earlier, which are now accessible to Payne and allegedly used in the podcast without their consent.
• They accuse the podcast and its followers of exploiting their pain for entertainment and profit, stating they feel like “targets” due to their local influence.

4. Transparency in the Investigation and Defensive Stance (23:59 – 33:37)

• Claims that law enforcement thoroughly cleared family members, and all alibis were verified. The family participated voluntarily in interviews at the time of disappearance.
• Persistent allegations center around missing evidence, such as Joseph’s credit card being used post-disappearance and contradictory statements about the last time he was seen.

"Why'd you lie to the investigator about the day you saw the truck?"
– Interviewer (25:29)
"I didn't lie to the investigator… That's eight years ago. You know, how am I supposed to remember exact details from eight years ago…?"
– Family Member 1 (25:33)

• Admissions are made regarding past minor drug use, but these are framed as irrelevant to the disappearance.

5. Personal Consequences: Harassment and Withdrawal from Public Life (39:02 – 41:16)

• The family details how constant harassment has forced members to shut down social media accounts, increase privacy settings, and live in fear of further intrusion.
• They believe their silence is the best response, hoping that lack of engagement will gradually reduce public interest and speculation.

"We've deleted every single thing we can find of this guy. Blocked him on all of our social medias we've made. All our social media is private. Jake and Gwen have actually canceled all their Facebook stuff because this guy was harassing them so bad… So there's, you know, this guy's kind of scaring them."
– Family Member 1 (39:02)

6. Unresolved Questions and Frustration with Podcast's Narration (24:03 – 38:59)

• The family disputes rumors that someone in the family used Joseph’s credit card and that a family member lied to police, but frequently notes faulty memories due to the time elapsed.
• They express anger that alternative explanations (like animal predation) are minimized or omitted in the podcast narrative in favor of more sensational theories implicating them.

7. Themes of Pain, Alienation, and the Powerlessness vs. Media (Throughout)

• The emotional toll of being accused and persistently gossiped about is a central theme, with repeated statements about sleeplessness, stress, and frustration over being misrepresented.
• The family frames themselves as victims of an entertainment machine, painting Payne Lindsey and similar podcasters as “bloggers” profiting from sensationalism, and failing to understand local dynamics or the realities of rural Alaska.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Media Exploitation:

  "He's just doing this to get his podcast going so he makes money off the stupid podcast. He's just... He's a piece of. It's horrible. It's just bad." – Family Member 1 (15:32)

• Legal Barriers:

  "The lawyer wants 10 grand up front to even start. And he said we wouldn't win anyway because of the freedom of speech rules." – Family Member 1 (14:02)

• On Being Cleared:

  "Even though the FBI, the Alaska State troopers, everybody cleared everybody in our family a long time ago… they cleared us all because we all had alibis… That's why the case was closed, because there's no evidence of anything." – Family Member 1 (17:25)

• Frustration with Coverage:

  "He’s just slandering us and lying to everybody about everybody. Oh, my gosh." – Family Member 1 (14:41)

• Harassment’s Toll:

  "Chrissy's just stressed out all the time because this guy… is constantly calling and harassing him. He's… trying to get him to do. Jake won't answer… I think he's going to actually go to the known police and file a retraining order." – Family Member 1 (28:53)

• Refusal to Engage Further:

  "We just shut up about it. It'll just go away. And that's… starting to do that finally because he has no new stuff to go off of, and it's just…" – Family Member 1 (28:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:12] – Payne Lindsey introduces the episode and his decision not to comment but present raw calls.
• [01:34 – 07:39] – Family members describe escalating rumors and personal attacks traced to podcast and online speculation.
• [12:00 – 15:32] – Detailed grievances about defamation, failure of legal system to protect them, and specific examples.
• [23:59 – 25:33] – Direct questions about the evidence, missing credit card, and truthfulness during police interviews.
• [28:48 – 30:43] – Why the family isn’t trying to clear their reputation more publicly; financial and emotional burden.
• [39:02 – 41:16] – Impact on family’s privacy and final statements about why they refuse to further engage with podcast or its listeners.

Tone and Language

The tone throughout is defensive, stressed, frequently exasperated, and deeply personal. The speakers are clearly hurt by the public suspicion, feel unjustly targeted, and are openly angry at Payne Lindsey’s methods and at the true crime audience’s appetite for sensationalism.

Summary

This episode of Up and Vanished is a raw, firsthand window into how true crime investigations—especially those presented in serial podcast format—can impact families who become suspects in the public eye. The family fiercely contests accusations against them, details the emotional and practical fallout of online speculation and harassment, and voices their sense of powerlessness against high-profile media figures. Payne Lindsey delivers the calls without commentary, letting listeners draw their own conclusions from the unresolved pain and conflict that marks the ongoing mystery of Joseph Balderas’s disappearance.