Podcast Summary: Up and Vanished – Inside the Investigation with Payne Lindsey, Dennis Cooper, and Kyle Tekiela

Date: November 24, 2025
Podcast: Up and Vanished
Host: Payne Lindsey (Tenderfoot TV)
Guests: Kyle Tekiela (Crook County), Dennis Cooper (Culpable)
Setting: Live from CrimeCon

Episode Overview

In this deeply insightful roundtable, Payne Lindsey (host of Up and Vanished) is joined by fellow true crime podcast hosts Kyle Tekiela (Crook County) and Dennis Cooper (Culpable). They candidly discuss their unique investigative journeys, the emotional toll and catharsis of chronicling true crime, and the creative and ethical pressures inherent in storytelling. The episode offers a rare peek “inside the investigation”—not of a case, but of the emotional and procedural realities behind the genre’s best-known podcasts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Personal Stakes in Storytelling

• Kyle Tekiela’s Story (Crook County):

  • Kyle unpacks the bombshell revelation that his own father secretly led a double life as a Chicago Mafia hitman—news Kyle only learned as an adult.
  • The initial disbelief and long emotional processing culminated in him creating Crook County for both personal catharsis and, ultimately, as a public project.
  • Quote: “He was just a firefighter, paramedic in my eyes. We had no idea… We just thought we were a regular. A regular family.” – Kyle Tekiela [02:50]
  • Key emotions: Shock, anger, conflicted gratitude (for not suffering mafia blowback), and a need to process, which eventually became cathartic.
  • Quote: “Now that it’s all done, it’s extremely cathartic. Like, I feel like that monkey’s off my back now and it’s no longer my burden.” – Kyle Tekiela [06:24]

• ** vulnerability and family dynamics:**

  • Kyle emphasizes that in telling his family’s story, he had to become a character in his own narrative—requiring honesty, vulnerability, and detachment from ego.
  • Quote: “You kind of just have to be completely shameless and get rid of the ego. … I have to treat it like I’m the director.” – Kyle Tekiela [17:11]

2. Investigating Cold Cases: Challenges & Approach

• Dennis Cooper’s Entry into True Crime (Culpable):

  • Inspired by other podcasters (namely Payne Lindsey), Dennis dove in after encountering families handing out flyers at CrimeCon—including the Christian Andreacchio case, which became season one of Culpable.
  • Quote: “...ultimately, at the end of the day, you want to solve these cases that you follow, but a big part of it too, is just getting them the attention that they need and deserve.” – Dennis Cooper [10:59]
  • Acknowledges the challenge of starting investigations with cold or obstructed police case files and the difficulty in gaining law enforcement cooperation.

• The Emotional Contract and Lifelong Impact:

  • Telling these stories forges lasting relationships with victims’ families, with a sense of lifelong responsibility.
  • Quote: “In a way I was signing a contract with the family of, like, we’re in this together forever, essentially.” – Dennis Cooper [15:33]
  • The emotional weight and trauma of the cases never truly fades.
  • Quote: “These stories never leave you.” – Payne Lindsey [14:01]; Dennis affirms and expands on this [14:46].

3. Creative Process, Authenticity & Boundaries

• Personal vs. Impersonal Cases:

  • Kyle and Dennis discuss the delicate balance between protecting victims/families’ emotions and doing honest reporting.
  • Kyle’s process was unexpectedly introspective and required surrendering defensiveness.
  • Creative freedom:
    • Dennis extols the podcast format for its accessibility and emotional power, compared to visuals.
    • Quote: “You can convey a lot and you can tell a really compelling story by just having your heart in it and through audio only.” – Dennis Cooper [22:14]

• Dealing With Judgment and Pressure:

  • All three agree on the constant self-doubt, audience skepticism, and industry pressure.
  • Quote: “There’s a period time where everyone’s like, ‘I don’t really get what he’s doing, to be honest.’ And you gotta push through that part.” – Payne Lindsey [26:33]
  • Perseverance, authenticity, and creative curiosity are essential—regardless of “qualifications”.

4. Sustaining the Work: Burnout, Growth, and the Need for Change

• Emotional fatigue and the need for self-care arise after months (or years) steeped in traumatic material.

  • Physical signs of burnout—“the bags under the eyes”—and the importance of recovery are discussed.
  • Quote: “I think I’ve shaved years off my own life… I didn’t realize when I signed a contract to do that show that in a way I was signing a contract with the family… forever, essentially.” – Dennis Cooper [15:17]

• Creativity and Growth:

  • Dennis highlights the creative opportunities different cases and new material can provide, and the appeal of branching into different genres to stay fresh.
  • Quote: “I also would like to break out at some point and try some. Something different. … It didn’t sound quite as emotionally exhausting.” – Dennis Cooper [24:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kyle Tekiela:
  • “So it’s weird knowing now that that whole part of my life was kind of like a lie and that there was always danger around every corner.” [03:15]
  • “If he wasn’t such a fuck up… the mafia thing didn’t destroy the family. His heroin addiction destroyed the family.” [04:29]
• Dennis Cooper:
  • “These stories never leave you.” [14:01]
  • “I am signing a contract with the family of, like, we’re in this together forever, essentially.” [15:33]
• Payne Lindsey:
  • “You learn that through time and you gotta, like, take care of yourself… to be able to do something, especially about anyone. Everyone else.” [25:19]

Key Timestamps

• [01:45] – Kyle Tekiela introduces ‘Crook County’ and his father’s secret life.
• [02:50] – The shock and family fallout from his father's secret.
• [04:29] – Family destruction rooted in addiction, not the mafia.
• [06:24] – Creating the show as catharsis.
• [10:16] – Dennis Cooper recounts his launch into true crime podcasting.
• [11:40] – Investigative difficulties due to cold cases and lack of police cooperation.
• [14:01] – The “stories never leave you” moment.
• [15:33] – Emotional contract with victims’ families.
• [16:37] – On vulnerability and being part of one’s own story.
• [20:20] – Passion as the continued motivator despite negative feedback.
• [22:14] – The unique creative power of audio and podcasting.
• [24:12] – The urge to move into new, less emotionally draining genres.

Overall Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is candid, raw, at times humorous (with plenty of friendly ribbing and self-deprecation), but always grounded in deep respect for the power and responsibility of true crime storytelling. While the subject matter is heavy, the camaraderie and empathy between the hosts make for an inspiring deep dive into the craft and calling behind some of podcasting’s best true crime investigations.

Final Thoughts

For listeners interested in the people behind true crime podcasts, this episode is essential listening. It reveals the emotional labor, authenticity, and resilience necessary to do the work well—and reminds us that, behind each gripping story, there are storytellers wrestling with their own burdens, boundaries, and drives for justice.

Recommended episodes for further listening:

• Crook County by Kyle Tekiela
• Culpable by Dennis Cooper
• Previous seasons of Up and Vanished (notably the Florence Okpealuk and Joseph Balderas cases from Alaska)