Valley of Shadows, Episode 5: The Legend of Bigfoot

Release Date: February 2, 2026
Podcast by: Pushkin Industries
Hosts and Reporters: Haley Fox & Betsy Shepard

Overview

Main Theme:
This episode explores "the Legend of Bigfoot"—not the mythical creature, but a nickname for Rick Engels, a resident L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy with a shadowy reputation. The investigation into the disappearance of Deputy Jon Aujay in 1998 is entwined with Engels's legacy, deepening suspicions of meth trafficking, corrupt law enforcement, and a pervasive culture of silence in the Mojave Desert. Through new witness accounts, informant interviews, and internal police documents, the episode dissects the overlap between local legend, law enforcement, and criminal activity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Devil's Punch Bowl & Bigfoot Legend

• Camping near the crime scene: Haley and Betsy camp in the Angeles National Forest, near one of the last places Aujay was seen (03:03–03:34).
• Bigfoot lore: Stories of a Sasquatch in the area are introduced—1973 sighting by three young men, one being Rick Engels, later dubbed "Deputy Bigfoot" (03:55–06:26).
• Why Bigfoot? The legend mirrors Engels's reputation: larger than life, mysterious, and lurking in the local consciousness.

2. Rick Engels: Deputy, Outlaw, or Both?

• Engels's unique position: Resident Deputy of Pearblossom, known for knowing the landscape and its criminals intimately—a throwback to Old West single-lawmen (11:00–12:30).
• His absence in the Aujay search is telling: Despite deep local ties, Engels did not participate in the search for Aujay, even though his home was just 4 miles from the park (14:10–15:08).
• Quote:
  “Everybody else in Antelope Valley, even guys that were off duty, went up there and volunteered, not getting paid.” – Detective Larry Brandenburg (14:21)

3. Building the Case: Informants, Witnesses, and Rumors

• Circulating accusations: Multiple informants and ex-cops allege Engels’s involvement in the meth trade, working with known dealers such as Tom Hinkle (16:07–17:25).
• Suspicious policing: Engels busted many meth labs—but left key dealers (like Hinkle) untouched (17:10–17:43). This selective enforcement hints at complicity.
• Key observation:

  “Certain major players were never touched by Deputy Ingalls… That raised a red flag to me.” – Informant (17:25)

• Blurred lines: The “resident deputy” system created unsupervised, powerful figures who could become entangled in local crime (19:43–20:08).
• Quote:

  "It’s not safe, not because of criminals. It’s not safe because of law enforcement. And there’s nothing worse than that.” – Mike Bauer, retired LASD Captain (20:08)

4. Witness Testimony: The Roger Interview

• Roger (an inmate) tells all: Roger, afraid for his life, shares what he saw in 1998—he was in Tom Hinkle’s house, overheard Hinkle talking with someone named Ingalls, recognized only later as a deputy (21:55–24:02).
• Crucial overheard conversation:
  • Ingalls thanked Hinkle “for the bag of lye,” referencing “taking care of loose ends” and “no one will ever find it” (25:07–26:03).
  • Lye speeds decomposition—ominous implications for Aujay’s fate.
• Aftermath: Roger receives a death threat with a dead rat and flees, deeply traumatized and fearful of retribution (27:16–28:05).
• Quote:

  “I can't go to LA County Jail. I can't go there. They're going to kill me. They know I know this stuff.” – Roger (22:09)

5. Piecing Together the Theory: Multiple Informants, Overlapping Narratives

• Converging claims: Different stories, same conclusion—Deputy Engels in league with meth dealers and bikers, present when Aujay disappeared, named by several informants (32:04–34:17).
• The finger gun gesture: Multiple witnesses describe Tom Hinkle indicating Aujay was “taken care of,” using a gun gesture.
• Circumstantial but mounting evidence: Outlaw bikers, a meth lab near the disappearance site, reports of gunshots the night Aujay vanished—all point to a criminal conspiracy (32:30–35:30).
• Alternate scenario: Suggestion that Aujay may have approached Engels (believing he needed backup with bikers), only to become a liability and victim (36:05–36:35).

6. Investigative Roadblocks & Culture of Silence

• Operation Silent Thunder: Detectives secure phone records showing Engels and Hinkle communicating (sometimes through intermediaries) after Aujay’s disappearance—adding hard data to the circumstantial web (37:28–39:03).
• Failed search warrant: Brandenburg drafts a warrant to surveil Engels, but his captain, Frank Merriman, shuts it down, forbidding further action (40:13–41:55).
• Departmental stonewalling:

  “Detective, do not find out if this guy’s guilty or innocent. Don’t do it. Who does that? Why stop it? The only thing it would hurt is if he’s guilty. And if he’s guilty, they sure don’t want to find out that he’s guilty.” – Informant (43:59)

• Brandenburg pulled from the case: Files are taken, investigation is stifled, and the cover-up seems institutional (40:56–42:05).
• Quote:

  “I was shut down... Because if you do [keep investigating], you’ll be in trouble. So it was like, oh, I’m done.” – Detective Larry Brandenburg (41:55)

7. The “Code of Silence”

• Operation Silent Thunder persists: Despite LASD interference, external and federal partners (DEA) continue to pursue the case using wiretaps and outside resources (44:23–44:57).
• Overarching theme: The cultural code of silence in law enforcement—a system protecting its own, even to the detriment of justice.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Engels's legend:

  “Bigfoot Eyewitness Deputy Rick Engels would become something of a legend himself... a boogeyman with a badge.” – Narrator (06:50)

• On the reality of dirty cops:

  “Dirty cops are really to be afraid of because they walk around with immunity pretty much.” – Detective Larry Brandenburg (09:35)

• On threats and fear:

  “There was a dead rat on my step with a knife through it… I packed my $*&% and I left. I took off without even telling my mom.” – Roger (27:16/27:45)

• On being stonewalled:

  “I had him review it. DA friend of mine… all Brandenburg needs is a signature from a judge and a signoff from his captain…Frank, he immediately went ballistic. And he started yelling at me. Took the warrant, put it in his drawer... you’re not taking it to a judge. Deputy, I’m ordering you not to. And if you do, you won’t work here anymore.” – Detective Larry Brandenburg (39:59/40:13)

• On the code of silence:

  “It does exist. It’s not written down anywhere. No one could ever prove it. But this case right here just shows 100% that there is a code of silence.” – Informant (44:45)

Key Timestamps

• 03:55: Introduction of the Bigfoot legend and Rick Engels's connection
• 06:26: Engels’s shadowy reputation and informant allegations
• 09:35: Discussion of the dangers posed by dirty cops
• 14:10: Engels’s notable absence during the search for Aujay
• 17:10–17:43: Patterns in Engels's criminal enforcement—questions of selective prosecution
• 21:55–28:11: Roger’s detailed testimony about Engels, lye, and threats
• 32:04–35:30: Coalescing informant stories—a theory of Aujay’s murder
• 37:28: Discovery of suspicious phone/pager activity linking Engels and Hinkle after Aujay disappeared
• 40:13: Brandenburg’s search warrant blocked by brass
• 44:23: Operation Silent Thunder, the federal investigation not hindered by LASD
• 44:45: The “code of silence” in law enforcement culture

Episode Tone

Gritty, skeptical, often incredulous, and infused with dark humor about the myth-versus-reality of “Bigfoot.” The hosts and detectives maintain a frank, sometimes irreverent style, using banter and local color to tease out the episode’s darker truths.

Conclusion

Episode 5 of Valley of Shadows lays bare how local legend, personal relationships, and structural shortcomings in law enforcement can intertwine to hide—or reveal—deep corruption. The “legend of Bigfoot” blurs the line between myth and misconduct, with the missing deputy Jon Aujay’s fate seemingly caught in that shadowy space. Witnesses fear for their lives, investigators get shut down, and the code of silence reigns. Yet the search—for answers, for accountability—presses on.

Next time on Valley of Shadows: Operation Silent Thunder continues, and the federal dragnet threatens to expose the secrets shrouded by the badge—and by decades of silence.