The Midnight Sun: Emergency Broadcast

Summary

Up and Vanished: The Midnight Sun – Emergency Broadcast

Release Date: May 10, 2025
Host: Tenderfoot TV
Episode Title: The Midnight Sun: Emergency Broadcast

---

Introduction

In this pivotal episode of Up and Vanished, host Payne Lindsay and the investigative team at Tenderfoot TV confront unforeseen developments that significantly impact their ongoing investigations into the disappearances of Joseph Balderas and Florence Okpealuk in Nome, Alaska. Titled "The Midnight Sun: Emergency Broadcast," the episode delves deep into new evidence, unexpected revelations, and the challenges of pursuing truth in complex cold cases.

---

Emergency Discovery

The episode begins with Payne Lindsay calling an urgent Zoom meeting with his team members, Dylan Harrington and Cooper Skinner, to address a sudden breakthrough in their investigation. This unexpected turn of events necessitates a departure from their planned episode schedule.

Payne Lindsay (03:09):
"We're sitting on an entire podcast session that was essentially going to be part one of the rest of our Joseph Balderas investigation. And now we have new information that changes everything."

This moment underscores the dynamic nature of true crime investigations and the team's commitment to integrity over routine production schedules.

---

Details of Joseph Balderas' Case

Joseph Balderas, an Alaska Native, vanished under mysterious circumstances from the Blackfeet Nation Indian Reservation. The team discusses a crucial piece of new evidence: a witness claim that Joseph was not alone in his truck the day of his disappearance.

Dylan Harrington (17:43):
"A woman from Nome confirmed she saw Joseph in his blue Dodge Dakota on mile 44, with another male—Jake, his roommate—inside the vehicle."

This revelation directly challenges Jake's previously established alibi, introducing significant doubt and reopening investigative avenues regarding Joseph's disappearance.

---

Kevin Pescoia's Death

A significant focus of the episode is the perplexing death of Kevin Pescoia, Christine Pescoia's uncle, whose circumstances may be intertwined with Joseph's disappearance.

Dylan Harrington (29:32):
"We don't have the exact cause of Kevin's death, which is unusual. The consensus from trusted sources is that his truck was found near Joseph's on mile 38, raising unsettling connections between the two cases."

The lack of transparency from local authorities in Nome adds another layer of complexity, as the team struggles to obtain definitive information about Kevin's passing and its potential linkage to Joseph's case.

---

Florence Okpealuk's Case and John Girton

Parallel to Joseph's disappearance, Florence Okpealuk, also missing from Nome, becomes a focal point as new interactions with a key individual come to light. John Girton, the last person known to have seen Florence, becomes central to unraveling the mystery.

Dylan Harrington (42:55):
"John expressed a desire to clear his name and help Florence's family. However, subsequent communication attempts revealed he had gone silent, prompting a renewed search effort."

This segment highlights the evolving nature of the investigation and the delicate balance between building trust and maintaining professional skepticism.

---

Impact on Podcast Production

The emergence of new evidence forces the team to reevaluate their production plans, emphasizing their dedication to accuracy and respect for the victims and their families over meeting publication deadlines.

Dylan Harrington (08:58):
"We can't control what people do or make them confess, but presenting information correctly can create scenarios where the truth comes to light."

Payne Lindsay expresses the ethical dilemma of releasing potentially incomplete information, choosing instead to pause and reassess to honor the cases appropriately.

---

Future Plans and Next Steps

The team outlines their strategy moving forward, which includes verifying new information, engaging with key individuals like John Girton, and preparing for more in-depth episodes that promise to shed light on the unresolved aspects of both cases.

Dylan Harrington (50:15):
"John and I talked for over two hours, and I believe he's being sincere about helping Florence's family find closure. We're not done yet."

Payne announces plans for a live, unedited conversation with John Girton, aiming to extract vital information that could bring new insights into Florence's disappearance.

---

Conclusion

"The Midnight Sun: Emergency Broadcast" serves as a critical juncture in the Up and Vanished series, illustrating the unpredictable challenges of true crime journalism. The episode not only sheds light on the complexities of the Joseph Balderas and Florence Okpealuk cases but also highlights the unwavering commitment of Tenderfoot TV to pursue truth and justice, even when unforeseen obstacles arise.

Victoria McKenzie (53:44):
"The difference in how John talked to you this time was night and day. It felt more candid."

This commitment to thoroughness and authenticity underscores the podcast's mission to provide listeners with insightful, respectful, and impactful storytelling in the realm of true crime.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Payne Lindsay (03:09):
  "We're sitting on an entire podcast session that was essentially going to be part one of the rest of our Joseph Balderas investigation."
  (00:03:09)

• Dylan Harrington (17:43):
  "A woman from Nome confirmed she saw Joseph in his blue Dodge Dakota on mile 44, with another male—Jake, his roommate—inside the vehicle."
  (00:17:43)

• Dylan Harrington (29:32):
  "We don't have the exact cause of Kevin's death, which is unusual. The consensus from trusted sources is that his truck was found near Joseph's on mile 38, raising unsettling connections between the two cases."
  (00:29:32)

• Dylan Harrington (42:55):
  "John expressed a desire to clear his name and help Florence's family. However, subsequent communication attempts revealed he had gone silent, prompting a renewed search effort."
  (00:42:55)

• Victoria McKenzie (53:44):
  "The difference in how John talked to you this time was night and day. It felt more candid."
  (00:53:44)

---

This episode exemplifies the relentless pursuit of truth by Up and Vanished and sets the stage for future revelations that promise to bring resolution to these haunting cold cases.

Transcript

[Payne Lindsay]

You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast.

[Mike Rooney]

Look, if there's anything I've learned so far this year, it's that small habits make a huge difference. And trust me when I say I've had my fair share of bad habits too. I don't know, like drinking coffee all day. That's where Symbiotica comes in. They make choosing healthy habits easy, enjoyable, and actually something to look forward to. There's no better time to hit refresh on your routines than now. Personally, my favorite product is their magnesium. Taking their magnesium L Threonate has changed my life completely. Before, I was pounding coffee all day, dealing with brain fog and just a general lack of focus during the workday. But after taking their magnesium, I can truly feel the difference. It's enhanced my focus, reduced brain fog, balanced my mood, supported my stress management, and most of all, I sleep way better. Fun fact, over 65% of adults in the US are magnesium deficient. Yikes. This can cause muscle cramps, headaches, insomnia. And that's where Symbiotica's magnesium L Threonate comes in to save the day. It crosses the blood brain barrier, delivering nutrients straight to your brain and works directly to improve your memory, focus and mood right away. And that's why I use Symbiotica. With thousands of five star reviews. This product speaks for itself.

[Dylan Harrington]

Synthesis.

[Mike Rooney]

Symbiotica supplements never contain seed oils, preservatives, toxins, artificial additives, or quote unquote natural flavors. Start feeling your absolute best going into spring with Symbiotica Wellness made simple claim. 20% off plus free shipping [e-mail] UAV that's Symbiotica C-Y-M B I O-T I K A.com UAV for 20% off your order plus free shipping. Hey, it's Payne. I want to thank everyone for being a listener of this show and I know a lot of you have been here since the very beginning and for a very long time. We've had no merch or anything for you to show off that this might be your favorite podcast if it is. But now we do. If you go to shop.tinderfoot tv, we have some brand new up and vantage podcast T shirts that you can wear wherever you are in the world and show your support. And right now we're offering 20% off of every order. Just go to shop tenderfoot TV and then use the promo code Payne 20. That's P A Y N E 20 at checkout and get 20% off your entire order. Again, that's shop. Tinderfoot TV. Code pain, 20 for 20% off. Thank you again for supporting this show.

[Dylan Harrington]

We love you guys.

[Payne Lindsay]

For ad free listening and exclusive bonuses, subscribe to Tenderfoot [e-mail] or on Apple. Podcasts. Up and Vanished in the Midnight sun is intended for mature audiences and may include topics that can be upsetting, such as emotional, physical, and sexual violence, rape, and murder. The names of survivors have been changed for anonymity purposes. Testimony shared by guests of the show is their own and does not reflect the views of Tenderfoot TV or Odysee. Thank you so much for listening.

[Dylan Harrington]

This was not part of the plan. Come on, Mikey, let's go. Oh, hey, what do you think, man?

[Cooper Skinner]

Like, after talking to him for this long, have you changed your mind about it?

[Dylan Harrington]

I don't know, man. A part of me during that call, it felt like I was getting close to a confession. Dun dun, dun, dun, dun, dun dun.

[Mike Rooney]

From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, I'm your host, Payne Lindsay.

[Dylan Harrington]

And this is up and Vanished in the Midnight Sun. Yeah. And I was in the middle of editing. I was like, who's calling? I was like, oh, my God, it's John. I have to answer, man. So talk about derailing the original plans today. Yeah.

[Cooper Skinner]

Talk about good timing, synchronicity.

[Dylan Harrington]

Good timing, timing, and also bad timing for a podcast listener. What's crazy is that this reminds me so much of February 2017. I was going on episode 12 of up and Vanished season one, Tarek Renstead. And because I was. I mean, I was new to podcasting at the time, I was making the episodes week to week, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. And for the first time ever, I pat myself on my own back because I got an episode done early. And I was like, yes. And so that Friday morning, I go to the office, I get there super early, crack my fingers like, all right, I'm going to start digging into the next part of this season. I'm ahead for the first time, and as soon as I open Adobe Audition, I get a phone call that there's a press conference coming, and that episode goes bye bye. And now we're on a whole new track. The irony of that happening here today is it's annoying, it's serendipitous. But also, it's kind of literally what we've been trying to generate here is like, we can't control what people do. We can't make people talk, we can't make people confess. We can't arrest anybody. But if we push the right buttons and present things in the right way, we can hopefully create a scenario where something goes pop. And today that happened. And now it's like, okay, what do we do? Because we have. We're sitting on an entire podcast session that was essentially going to be part one of the rest of our Joseph Balderas investigation. And so much of this weaves into Florence's case. And now we have Oregon John back on the line, and so we just talked to him for two hours. It's frustrating because this is a real true crime podcast. These are real people. I deal with the real families. I talk to the sisters and the moms of these victims. I talk to the real suspects and persons of interest and locals in the community. But at the end of the day, also Tenderfoot tv. We're a podcast business. We're a media company. We make shows, right? And so we have obligations and deadlines. And so I call this emergency zoom with you guys. Because I'm sitting here thinking, okay, what's the right thing to do here? I know in my gut what the right thing to do is. We gotta hit pause, and we got to sift through this information that we just got and deliver it in the way to honor the victims of this story and to actually make a difference. At the same time, I don't want to. I don't want our own listeners to think that we're just putting things off and giving them some fluff to make an extra buck, or like that we're bluffing for the sake of it. Interrupting everyone's Friday and saying, hey, don't publish that episode yet. We can't. Dylan, take a zoom call while you're driving. Mike, cancel your wife's dinner plans. Actually, don't do that, Mike. She'll kill me. But. But seriously, that, like, that's where we're at. And so my first thought was, okay, I want to preserve the integrity of this show. I want to preserve the integrity of the lives of Joseph Balderas and Florence Okpialuk, and also the time and energy we've spent into trying to solve these cases and all the people that we've worked with along the way in the community and even some law enforcement. We didn't come this far to rush something out when we have brand new information that changes absolutely everything. My goal is the same as it was on day one, which is solve these cases. We don't get to that point by rushing things out. And so I'm calling this emergency zoom meeting to get your Two cents. Because this is not what anyone else on the business side of our operation wants to hear. If anything, let's just start recording what we're dealing with right now. And I think the true die hard listeners will understand. And, hey, we always come through. Let's just kind of unpack where we're at and what the best game plan is, because we're trying to get this information out as soon as possible. When something new and bigger comes in that changes the narrative and is what you've been looking for for two years. You got to adapt on the fly. What do you all think?

[Victoria McKenzie]

100%. I mean, we have. It's. It's kind of unbelievable how much stuff we have just. Just from this week alone.

[Dylan Harrington]

Just from the last two hours.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Yeah, yeah, especially that. But I mean, even including last week, the week before that, everything we've been doing, a lot of, it's just kind of all coming to an end.

[Dylan Harrington]

Yeah. I mean, I feel like I should say this because I know that a portion of this, if not this entire zoom call is going to become part of an episode today or the episode, which is not what somebody was expecting. So I want to qualify a few things. I think one of the biggest mysteries about true crime podcast, and I'm speaking solely for up and Vanished here, and how we operate, is that there are things that we are doing behind the scenes that we. That we don't tell you because we can't. Right. But I'll go ahead and pull one cat out of the bag for you right now, just to give you an example. We had Joseph's truck months ago, back in October. It made no sense to go to the Internet or to the RSS feed or drop on Apple or Spotify Iheart sa some episode that says, hey, we got Joseph's truck. No, no, no, we don't want to. We don't want to put that out there and. And give room for people to intercept that interrupt our plans. So we sometimes have to work in silence a little bit. And obviously his truck's been out there for a long time. We had high hopes. We didn't know what we would find. But based on our initial assessment, it seemed like the statistics and the odds of us finding anything substantial were pretty low. But after hours of digging around, we did find some things in that truck that may ultimately be of value. The second part of that entire mission for me was to show those who are responsible for Joseph's. For Joseph's disappearance that we are actively looking at this. It on one end. Yes, It's a show, it's a podcast. It's for you to listen to and follow along and maybe even help us solve or at least show your support or maybe get you through your, your workout routine. I don't know. But on the other end, this show is just as much tactical as it is. I hate even using the word entertaining. Part of the entire Truck Forensics episode was to show those who may be guilty of something that we also have some cards up our sleeves, and we're not going to unveil those to you right now. We will eventually. And it's not like we're trying to hold out on the listener, but damn, did that not work beautifully. Because ever since we've dropped that episode, what's happened in Joseph's case, probably the most feedback and the most new information we've ever received to the point where the entire outline we had structured with, with information and tips that we were holding on to and vetting to make sure that they were 100%, 100% solid. Those are almost becoming secondary. And so we're sitting here today going, okay, we, we literally have a full episode, 45 minutes in an Adobe audition session on your computer mic and mine. But I don't feel right in my heart putting this out when we know what we know within the past 24 hours. Just give me yalls take on that dilemma. And I don't know potential paths forward to do this the right way.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Yeah, it's, it's really tough because it's, it's hard to explain it without giving anything away. You know, it's. But we had to pivot like this. How it is now and how it was going to come out today just unfortunately cannot happen.

[Dylan Harrington]

No, it can't. And you know, it's not that my number one concern is making sure the listeners aren't like, oh my God, they're just bluffing. That is not my concern. But at the same time, what I, what I am concerned about is, is that I do want the people who genuinely care about these cases to, to know and believe and to trust me and us with what we're saying. And so I, I kind of made a little hit list of stuff I want to touch on that that we can safely do right now without blowing anything in the next 24 hours for us to show that there's, that there's, there's stuff going on and it's not.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Some stuff that is done and was going to come out today anyways.

[Dylan Harrington]

Yes. Let me pull up that little Google Doc. I I. I feel like I've made 35 Google Docs today. I don't know about you guys.

[Victoria McKenzie]

I think I'm a little more than that.

[Dylan Harrington]

Yeah, I mean, so I'm just gonna go down the hit list here because a lot of this stuff was about to come out tonight, and it's still coming out in the episode, but it's now going to be paired with new information that is more urgent, that fills in gaps that need to be filled in. And I'm not in the business of. I'm not in the business of parsing this out. If I was, I would drop some republished episode. This is harder to do right now. Dylan's driving to his. Wait, where are you driving to, Dylan? Somewhere more important than where are you driving to?

[Cooper Skinner]

One of My sister's graduation. Technically, I'm on vacation today, but this is so important.

[Dylan Harrington]

Your sister's graduation can wait. Dylan, I'm just kidding. But exactly, like, this is not what anyone was planning on doing. But let me just go, like, go down some of these things and let's just talk about them briefly. So this was even new to you guys because there's. I've received so many calls for both Florence's case and Joseph's case. I usually am pretty good about immediately uploading them to the shared Dropbox we have and trying to label them to make sure that it makes sense. But on occasion, I'll be on the road or be in some place with weird service, and it'll just be a voice memo on my phone, and it kind of gets lost in the sauce. And then a month later, I'm recataloging and I'm like, oh, yeah, this one. And so some of these, like, I know, Mike, you hadn't even heard yet. And it's crazy because when I heard it the first time, I knew that it was important. But coupled with everything else I've heard since then, when I listened to it again when we were building what was supposed to be today's episode, it hit different. So I spoke to this woman who called me anonymously. I confirmed her identity. She's from Nome. I know who her mother is. She. This is. This is her account. Joseph's truck was seen. She swears to God it was Joseph in the truck. It was the blue Dodge Dakota. It was out by mile 44. It was on the Saturday afternoon when Joseph was last seen. That we know of. But there was someone else inside that vehicle, and it was a male. And I asked her point blank, did you recognize this person who Is it? She's not guessing. She is convinced she saw this Saturday, the day that Joseph went missing in the person in the other seat was no other than Jake, Joseph's roommate. Now, this is her account. I don't have a video of this. I'm taking her word for it. But she is 100% confident that Joseph wasn't alone out there that Saturday in his truck, but that there was another male in the vehicle. One that she claims with 100% certainty is Jake his roommate. That if true, is not good at all because one, it goes against Jake's entire alibi and his story. It also doesn't mean that Jake did anything. But it also makes you wonder why he lied about this among all the other lies he had. So that's a big one. But it gets me back to the truck, right? We learn all this stuff after we do the forensic examination of the truck and we're sitting on a box of hairs, fingernail clippings, what could be samples of blood, gum wrappers, items and little pieces that may contain trace DNA. Now, if there's an individual who claims that they were never in Joseph's truck.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Bokeh is on a mission to inspire more mindful oral care. It starts with proven ingredients and feel good formulas and culminates into a full body experience. Because when you take care of your mouth, your whole body benefits. Our magic ingredient, nano hydroxyapatite. First used by NASA astronauts in space, N HA rebuilds teeth without fluoride, making it safe to swallow. N ha is a form of calcium that makes up 97% of your tooth enamel and and 70% of your dentin. Because it comprises the primary foundation of teeth and bones, it's restorative for your teeth and enamel. Bokeh is fluoride free, free from parabens, sls, endocrine disruptors, artificial flavoring and it's powered by nature. There's delicious flavors in addition to classic Ella mint. Boca offers delicious elevated flavors such as cocoa ginger and lemon lavender. My hair is kind of red so I prefer the cocoa ginger and honestly since I switched to this toothpaste I feel feel better. The kids flavors are extra delicious. They offer the same efficacy and are safe to swallow. Orange cream, watermelon mint and new strawberry mango. The whitening toothpaste is made without painful peroxide and safe for sensitive teeth. Uses pap, coconut oil and baking soda for a limited time. Bokeh is offering listeners 15% off its best selling toothpaste on Amazon and bokeh.com with code banished15 that's vanished. 15 make the switch to Bokeh for the whole family.

[Mike Rooney]

Get ready to play anytime, anywhere with Chumba Casino, where the fun never stops. Whether you love slots, bingo or solitaire, there's always a new fun game to explore. Dive into hundreds of exciting online social casino games that are all completely free to play, no purchase necessary. If you're looking for some fresh new challenges at Chumba Casinos, new games drop every week, always keeping the excitement going. Plus, just by logging in, you'll unlock free daily bonuses and exclusive welcome offers to get started. So go have some fun. Join a community of players. Spin, win and redeem exciting prizes all from the comfort of your home. Don't wait. Go to chumbacasino.com today to start playing. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited 21 only TNCs apply I'm not someone who shops often, so when I do, I want it to count. That's why I was blown away by Quentz recently. I picked up a few pieces and suddenly my whole wardrobe feels sharper, lighter and just effortless. Quince gets it. They've got the good stuff. Organic cotton silk polos, European linen shorts and pants that somehow manage to be both polished and insanely comfortable. I've worn mine to brunch, to the office, even just hanging out at home. The best part is that everything is 50 to 80% less than what you'd pay at other premium brands. Here's how it works. Quint's works directly with top artisans and just cuts out the middleman so you get high end quality without the luxury markup. And they're committed to using factories that follow safe, ethical and sustainable practices with premium fabrics that truly do feel different. So elevate your closet with quints. Go to quint.com upandvanished for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince.com upandvanished to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com upandvanished.

[Dylan Harrington]

And you have a witness claiming they see someone in this truck. We now because we were smart about it and didn't tell the whole world what we were doing and have the evidence being tested could potentially rule that in or out. You know what I'm saying guys?

[Victoria McKenzie]

A hundred percent. Yeah. I mean and like you said, a lot of these I have not heard before. You just sent me some of this stuff today. A lot of this stuff. But yeah, no, this is potentially just insane. I mean how, how many people are out there that saw something and have listened to this podcast but aren't saying something. I think that's the bigger thing. There's a lot of people who have it could be small information. They have it and they're just now coming forward. They're going to come forward soon, who knows.

[Dylan Harrington]

And this is something that Mike, you and I have both learned me from season one, you starting from season two. A lot of times when the podcast is coming out it does tend to affect the locals perception of the case. Right?

[Victoria McKenzie]

Yeah. The hornet, the hornet's nest is, is kicked at that point.

[Dylan Harrington]

It is. And, and there's a, it's a double edged sword. There's a good side and there's a bad side of that. The good side is that hey, what was once complete silence is now a loud roar. Now everyone's talking. Problem is that sometimes and only sometimes, but it does happen sometimes people who, who contact us claiming to be a witness of something become influenced by what they heard on the podcast. And it's our job to kind of decipher whether or not the account that they're recalling is in any way influenced by what they may have already heard. And so for example, the story of this lady who saw Joseph's truck the day he went missing with Joseph inside the vehicle and another man she claims to be Jake. This, this story is true. It's unadultered. It's because the story was told years before the podcast ever came out. It wasn't until the podcast actually was out that somebody realized that it didn't make sense for Jake to be there at all because they didn't know that at the time because we were playing eight year old, eight year old police tape, Andy's interview tapes, these things had never, this audio had never seen the light of day. And so for a long time no one knew who was supposed to be where or what. You could see Joe Schmo here and it mean nothing to you unless you knew that that person said once upon a time to the police officer who was investigating this case, that I wasn't there. Then you go, holy. But I saw them there. And so in a lot of ways that's what's happening right now. But we still have to be on high alert with how we are digesting the new information that's coming in and coming in really fast. The other thing that we've, that we've talked about in season four, obviously you can't mention Joseph Balderas and not mention the last name Pescoa. Right. And that's Only to say, because they knew each other, they hung out a lot. And Jake was Joseph's roommate. Christine Peskoya was who he was allegedly last with on the beach that Saturday morning with the kids. Kim was also out at the bar that night. So no matter how you slice this, the Pascoa family, no assertion of innocence or guilt here. They're tied into this. They were friends. They were family friends. He would go to outings with them. I do find it a little odd that after all these years and how highly they. How highly they spoke of Joseph, that instead of participating and helping find him, they're just radio silent. And so one of the names that. That came up a lot and wasn't talked about to the deepest degree, which we're planning on talking about in the episode that was supposed to come out today. I'm sorry it's coming out, but I'm going to let you know it. I'm going to give you some insights on it now. Kevin Pescoia, right? This is Christine Pascoia's uncle. We've heard a lot of strange stories about this guy. I don't know which ones are true or which ones are not, which ones are false or which ones are false. What I do know is that I've heard enough stories from different people that are credible ones that match the other stories, that there is some truth to some of them. Now, Kevin. Kevin Pascoia, sadly has passed away. And his name became central in Joseph's disappearance for a multitude of reasons. Starting as early as the search they were conducting, when Joseph's family was there, there were several stories of Kevin Pescoia on his atv, seemingly driving roughly through the terrain in a way that made family and friends feel like he was trying to throw off tracks. Now, this is just somebody's observation, but regardless, we're talking about an ex cop. Maybe that wasn't his intent, but damn, do it a little softer. And Selena, Joseph's sister, she's no police expert, but she's a smart person. She thought, that's weird. Why is he doing it like that? Right? Then you got the whole weird rifle thing. Why does. Why does a rifle go missing that. That Jake had and came from Kevin and. Or did it? And why is there any mystery surrounding this at all? And so his name has come up, but we haven't put too much focus on him because, hey, that's. That's all we know. What we did figure out is that he passed away a few years ago, which is really sad. Which is really sad. But Mike And, Mike, you can vouch for this. I feel like at this point, all these years into this true crime game, we've gotten pretty good at finding stuff like death records and anything of that sort. What have you been able to find on. On his death?

[Victoria McKenzie]

For sure, yeah, we have experience doing that, no doubt about it. But Nome is, I feel like a different kind of town. You know, it's a really small town. There's things are done differently. I mean, even the newspapers are different, the mails delivered differently. There's a lot of just different things about this town I don't think people understand. But it is a little weird with the lack of information you can pull up and honestly, with the lack of transparency from some of the departments related to the city.

[Dylan Harrington]

So I know that you spent months on this because I kept asking you, what'd you find? What'd you find? What did you find as the cause of death for Kiso? What?

[Victoria McKenzie]

I was not able to find anything personally.

[Dylan Harrington]

Is that normal to you, based on all the years and dozens of cases we've worked on?

[Victoria McKenzie]

No, it. You might not get the exact cause, but you usually at least get some kind of idea. So, no, I don't think that is normal in that sense.

[Dylan Harrington]

Well, in a small town like Nome, assuming that an autopsy was performed, somebody somewhere should have some knowledge of this. And so the troubling part, and it's frustrating, you know, it puts us back to square one in this sort of speculative guessing game, which is never a good place to be. We don't know his cause of death. It could be something very natural. And I say this with all due respect to the. To the Pascoia family. But. And I say but here, and it's a big one. I have heard from numerous people. Numerous. And I'm. And I'm talking since 2023 here, since we first started poking around in both of these cases, I have heard over and over again an identical story about how he may have passed. Now, I'm going to loosely gloss over it here because there is still information that we're sorting through that adds more nuance to this. But the story that I've heard is that he was found in his own truck miles and miles outside of. Miles and miles outside of town. Miles and miles outside of town. Allegedly, he had told someone he was going to the airport. He went the opposite direction. What I do know for a fact is that for a couple of days, they were searching for him. So for a minute there, Kevin Pascoia was missing. Ultimately, they did Find Kevin and his vehicle. He was inside of it, from what I know, from what I've heard, because there are no official reports on this, which I find very weird. But the consensus by three to five sources that I trust, by at least five sources that I really trust, is that his truck was found somewhere along mile 38 down Council Road, not too far from where Joseph's truck was found on mile 44. Maybe that's a coincidence. Maybe he wanted to take a drive and that's just where he ended up. I don't know. Where things get darker are all the other details that everyone I've spoken to, who I've trusted and I've vetted, have told me. And it involves pills. It involves a bottle of liquor. A bottle of liquor. And it involves some sort of handwritten note of sorts. Now, we can sit here and speculate all day what that might mean, but I talked to someone who has firsthand knowledge of this, and I'm not going to play their call right now, because I need to do this in the correct order. But there, regardless of what happened to Kevin, and rest in peace, there are conflicting narratives because I've also spoken to someone from the pescoia family who I will not name yet, but you will. You will know their name when this drops, and they have a completely different story. I didn't find their story to be any more convincing. The troubling part here is that I don't want to open up any more old wounds for anybody. Right? I don't want to. Any death in the family, no matter who they were, what they did, that's awful. And that. That is something you have to deal with for the rest of your life and heal from. But at the same time, Joseph Balderas and his family, they don't even know where he is. They have no clue what happened. There isn't some debate as to whether or not it was a suicide or an accidental death or a heart attack or some sort of accident. He just disappeared. He just disappeared. And when it's being suggested in very serious ways that there may be a legitimate link to what happened here to Joseph's disappearance, I cannot ignore it. And so that's one of the things we're grappling with, that you will hear more of. And that's just one of those strange dilemmas. Dylan.

[Cooper Skinner]

Yeah, you know, it's tough. You don't want to speak ill of the dead. Nobody does. But if he is involved, that's an avenue we have to investigate, because if it turns out this is all Connected. And we don't do it just for that reason that we don't want to poke that hornet's nest, we're going to regret it and we're going to leave a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up. And it's. There are just a lot of weird things about it, a lot of coincidences that beg for it to be investigated. I think it's important that we look into it. We have to poke in uncomfortable places in order to get the answers that we need.

[Dylan Harrington]

And that kind of brings me to part one as to why there's not the official finale episode dropping right now, today. One of the reasons is that a member of that family, there is a story that is validated by multiple sources that changes everything. And it's one thing to. You can't look at anyone. It's like if you get arrested, one of the first things they're supposed to say is, you have the right to. You have the right to remain silent. Right. Because you know good and well they're going to use whatever the hell you say against you. That's just the way it works. So hiring an attorney or say, or staying silent, that does not mean guilt. Let's establish that right off the rip here that that's just the way it is. And so we are approaching it from that perspective, and I respect that. Now, what I do find troubling is that the way the Pescoia family, and I mean everyone in that family, the way that they described their loving relationship with Joseph from all the tape and all the interviews that the private investigators conducted nearly a decade ago now, does not match the way that they are behaving now. Now, I'll play devil's advocate in their favor. Maybe they're like, oh, man, that thing I said doesn't make me look good, so I'd rather just not say anymore so I don't look worse. Okay, I could understand that. What I don't understand is that you were so convincing that you cared about this person. And when I've made multiple polite, valiant, respectful attempts to talk to every one of these individuals and it's been met combatively, what am I supposed to think about that? I didn't make anything up about you guys. This is just some. You said one time I wasn't even around. I was working on another case I didn't even know about. This case that concerns me now, back to part one, as to why we're not getting a full episode finale today, tonight is that there is a major story that I believe to be true. That is very vetted. That has to do with a member of a particular family moving Joseph's vehicle. And again, this was a story told years ago. Been in this other family's circle for a long time, but it didn't mean that much to them because they didn't know the ins and outs of this. We gotta remember here all this tape, all this audio from the private investigators, the police, These interviews from 2024 and 2025 of the people involved in these cases and the locals. This is the first time a lot of people in Gnome are ever hearing this. And some of them are saying, holy shit, that doesn't make sense with what I saw now, what I saw that I thought I had a gut, weird gut feeling about actually has some much larger implications. And so that is still being. I wouldn't say vet. That is still being investigated in the sense of we want this to be even more rock solid, but you're going to hear from the exact person per sins and they're telling the truth and someone else is lying. And you'll get to hear that. We had an episode pretty much ready to go. So the initial plan today, before we're on this zoom call right now that you're hearing on your podcast feed, we were going to do a Part one finale, strictly focusing on Joseph Balderas first because there's at least an hour of material that needs to be heard now in the background. For the past two weeks, I've been working my ass off on trying to do what I thought was impossible. And honestly, I'm. I was telling Dylan, Mike before you hopped on how much I still don't believe this, that this was pulled off. Let's go back to Florence Okpialik's case for a second. We know that there are some sketchy individuals that she was around on west beach that night. We know that that is where the story ends one way or the other. The facts are this. Her shoes, her phone, among other items, were found outside of Oregon John's tent. John Girton is his name. I know you remember his name because I catfished him and he met me in Ketchikan at a bar and we talked for several hours and you heard what he had to say. Now, that wasn't my desired way to approach him, but I had a gut feeling that any other way wasn't going to work. But since then, I have made contact with John again and I told him straight up, I'm sorry that I tricked you, but based on the situation, I didn't Think you'd talk to me? And he basically agrees. A lot of that is water under the bridge. Now, John and I have spoken for a little bit, and he's expressed to me that he wants to get his side of the story out there. I said, done. I'll give you the mic. Let's do this. This is not a witch hunt. I'm not trying to frame anybody. I'm basing it off the facts. The facts are, from what I know, Oregon, John was the last person to see Florence. The stories he tells me about that night don't make sense. There are contradictions. These are facts. These are facts. Now, it doesn't mean he did anything, but it means that he's one of the most valuable players in trying to figure out what happened to her. Am I. Am I right?

[Victoria McKenzie]

Thousand percent right, yeah. I mean, how much. How much are we releasing on this call? I don't. I don't want to say too much, so.

[Dylan Harrington]

So, okay, I. I think it's safe to say this. I. I was. I was debating, but this just happened. And this is actually part two of why you're getting this episode today. This is actually the real biggest reason. For the last several weeks, I've been trying to make contact with John again. You may remember from the finale episode before we took a long break, that I did make contact with John, and he expressed gratitude and told me that he was having a rough time in Ketchikan. And I said, hey, man, I want to help you clear the air. And he said, all I want to do is tell you the truth. And I said, that's all I want to hear, too. And at that point, he gave me his real cell phone number. And my plan was to set a time and date and have that conversation man to man. No Facebook trickery, no catfishing. Just get down to it. It's all good. Just tell me your version of events. Problem was I. I tried to reach out to him. Boop, boop, boop. Number's not working. Okay, well, let me try one of the other ones. Boop, boop, boop. Nothing. This number. That number. That number. Okay, now we got a problem. So I got desperate. I just. I started calling other places. I called the local jail. They actually said that they fingerprinted him about a month ago on another charge that he's been released on, but he's not been there. Called the homeless shelter, not there. Called pretty much any place I could think of, and I don't know where he is. I called his former parole officer. No clue where he's at. And so I'm now dealing with somebody who expressed in what I thought was a genuine way that they wanted to tell their true side of the story and clear their name. And now they're a ghost. I don't like when people do that, if you don't know that already. And it just so happened to hit me at the time where I must have been in the right mood or something, but I just literally sat out of my bed at 11:30pm and said, Fuck this, I'm going to find John. And I'm like, wow, deja vu. Wasn't there an episode called Finding John in the first part of this season? Well, Finding John Part two, which you will hear is a lot more insane than the first one, but the end result is a lot better. And so without going into too much detail, I had to pull out a lot of resources and and I will give credit to some listeners out in Ketchikan, some listeners of up and vanished who had sent an email a year prior that I ended up referring to and in a long story short, helped us locate Oregon John.

[Mike Rooney]

This show is sponsored by Liquid iv. Summer is right around the corner and I've got big plans. But with all that fun in the sun, staying hydrated is key to keeping up with the adventure. That's why I always bring my Liquid IV with me. Their new Raspberry Lemonade Hydration Multiplier is my go to for staying refreshed. They're small, they're portable, they taste delicious and I can take them literally anywhere. And right now you can get 20% off your first order when you visit Liquidiv.com and use the code Vanished at checkout. I love how easy it is. Just tear, pour and mix into 16 ounces of water for instant hydration. It's perfect for hot days, outside workouts or just making sure I feel my best all day long. And with flavors like acai berry, lemon, lime and pina colada, plus sugar free options like Raspberry Lemonade and white peach, there's something for everyone. Liquid IV isn't just delicious, it's scientifically formulated with LIV Hydro science giving you three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink and eight essential vitamins and nutrients. Plus it's non gmo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and soy free. Get ready for summer with extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV. Get 20% off your first order when you go to LiquidIV.com and use the code Vanished at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with the code [e-mail] get ready to play anytime anywhere with Chumba Casino where the fun never stops. Whether you love slots, bingo or solitaire, there's always a new fun game to explore. Dive into hundreds of exciting online social casino games that are all completely free to play, no purchase necessary. If you're looking for some fresh new challenges at Chumba Casinos, new games drop every week, always keeping the excitement going. Plus, just by logging in, you'll unlock free daily bonuses and exclusive welcome offers to get started. So go have some fun. Join a community of players, spin, win and redeem exciting prizes all from the comfort of your home. Don't wait. Go to chumbacasino.com today to start playing. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited 21 only TNCs apply.

[Victoria McKenzie]

One of my goals for 2025 is to get a head start on all of these podcast episodes I need to do. But on top of that, I really want to prioritize my own self care. I've been taking Symbiotica's liposomal glutathione and vitamin C for my skin and really I just love their products. They make it really easy to stay healthy and feel good. Not to mention they have a ton of delicious flavors. Sometimes I even like to sneak a little vanilla cream magnesium at night for a little dessert before bed. It really helps me sleep, it helps my memory and it helps me focus. What's so cool about Symbiotica is the quality of their products. They're free from seed oils, preservatives, toxins or any artificial additives that are usually found in supplements. You're only getting the good stuff that your body actually craves. Knowing that Symbiotica's formulas are clean, intentionally sourced and just what I need to feel healthy makes me really feel safe. What makes it even easier to stay consistent is is their convenient monthly subscription service that helps you never run out of your health boosting essentials help establish a healthier you in 2025 with this awesome deal we have for you. High quality holistic wellness right at your fingertips. Be present and feel your best for life's most memorable moments. Go to symbiotica.comuav for 20% off your order plus free shipping today. That's symbiotica.comuav For 20% off your order plus free Shipping today.

[Dylan Harrington]

John and I talked for over two hours. I think I saw the realest side of of John gton that I than I've ever seen and I want to Believe that he's being sincere and genuine when he says that he wants to clear his name and that he wants to help Florence's family get closure now. I'm not done talking to him. I literally had to tell him about 30 minutes ago, I gotta go and call you back because we gotta do this zoom call. But he's willing. He is willing to talk, and I am very willing to listen. I do not have a dog in the fight. All I know is that if anyone holds the key, knowingly or not, to what happened to Florence Okpialik or where she might be today, this man might be able to help. And so two things are going on. There's a two hour conversation that you're going to hear. I'm also going to call him again. This is not the episode you were expecting today, but I'm sitting here honestly with so many mixed feelings that I don't even know which one comes to mind first, other than stressed out. But this story isn't over. Just because you call something a finale episode doesn't mean that we're not going to solve it. So I want to just thank you for your patience. Our plan is to regroup the rest of tonight and tomorrow on Saturday, finish what we had started, and give you the part one of the Midnight sun finale that we were initially planning to give you that primarily focuses on Joseph's disappearance. And in the meantime, I'm continuing my conversations with John, and I'm hoping that as soon as Monday, Part 2, the finale of Florence Okpialik's story in our Current Investigation, airs and shortly thereafter, we have a date, if not that same night, where we go live. No gimmicks, no bs, no editing, just straight and raw. Me, Payne Lindsay, John Girton, what happened. So that's what's coming down the line. And it's not coming in weeks, it's coming in days. And as much as I regret to inform you that it's not coming today, a part of me is ecstatic that after all these years, all this work, all the support from the locals in Nome, just the families staying strong, believing, and even the persons of interest lending their voice at all and not being a coward, this is how we get to the truth. And I'm telling you, we've never been this close in these cases. So bear with us. We will keep you posted. And yeah, anything you guys want to add?

[Victoria McKenzie]

I gotta say, I was on the call. I mean, Dylan and I were on that call with you and John, and the difference between him talking to you like you were a stranger looking for a job opportunity versus how he talked to you on that call was just night and day. It felt. He felt more candid. You know, I think it's just inherently how we talk to strangers versus somebody who. He knows what you do now. He knows who you are. And I think it made a huge difference.

[Dylan Harrington]

There was some emotion in there, and it's hard to decipher entirely, which is why I want it to be a face to face thing in the end. And, you know, my, my, my radar is always on high alert, but. But I believe that some of the emotion he showed today in the call was real. Some of it I questioned, but I'm not done talking to him. And I'm, I'm. And I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now because he's participating. This is not a witch hunt. I just want the truth. And I don't know who could help me out more in finding out what happened to Florence Okpialik than the person who last saw her in his tent, who has her things and has no good explanation for it.

[Cooper Skinner]

Yeah, he was a different guy this time than the first time we met. I mean, you could tell he just really seemed like he wanted to help. Whether or not that's true or he's, you know, just avoiding something is yet to be told. But I think it's really important that he has this time and this space to tell his side of the story. And I think, you know, just from hearing the conversation, I think a lot of times, especially in podcasts, there's this idea that the people of interest are guilty until proven innocent.

[Dylan Harrington]

Right.

[Cooper Skinner]

And I think you did a really good job of staying neutral, giving him time to say his truth without leading him, without making him feel guilty, but also still asking him the tough questions.

[Dylan Harrington]

No, I agree. I mean, that's how I felt. This is John. Hello. Hi. Is this pain.

[Payne Lindsay]

Up? And Vanished in the Midnight sun is a production of Tenderfoot TV and association with Odyssey. Your host is Payne Lindsay. The show is written by Payne Lindsay with additional assistance from Mike Rooney. Executive producers are Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Lead producer is Mike Rooney, along with producers Dylan Harrington and Cooper Skinner. Editing by Mike Rooney and Cooper Skinner with additional editing by Dylan Harrington. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Additional Production by Victoria McKenzie, Alice Kanique, Glenn and Eric Quintana. Artwork by Rob Sheridan. Original music by Makeup and Vanity. Set mix and mastered by Cooper Skinner. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. Special thanks to all of the families and community members that spoke to the team. Additional information and resources can be found in our show Notes. For more podcasts like up and Banished, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.

[Dylan Harrington]

Foreign.

[Mike Rooney]

Looking to buy your first car or home? Understanding your FICO score is key to achieving your life goals.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Knowing your FICO scores helps you apply.

[Mike Rooney]

For loans with confidence and avoid surprises. With MyFICO, you get access to your FICO score credit reports24.7 monitoring and alerts.

[Victoria McKenzie]

On the Go Take the mystery out.

[Mike Rooney]

Of your score and get your FICO score for free today. Visit myfic fico.com free and discover the.

[Victoria McKenzie]

Score lenders use most.