Valley of Shadows – Episode 8: "The Finish Line"

Release Date: February 23, 2026
Podcast by: Pushkin Industries
Hosts/Reporters: Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepard

Episode Overview

Episode 8 of Valley of Shadows, titled “The Finish Line,” concludes the season’s investigation into the mysterious disappearance of LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay in 1998. As the hosts, Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepard, revisit the ruins and repercussions of the case, they expose systemic failures, corruption, and unanswered tragedies nested within the Mojave Desert’s methamphetamine underworld and a sheriff’s department reluctant to confront the truth. The episode documents old alliances reforming, dogged attempts to penetrate police secrecy, and a haunting sense of unfinished business as the case’s shadows refuse to fade.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Relentless Loop (03:09–06:19)

• Emotional Toll: Betsy shares a dream (03:36) where they endlessly pursue Aujay on the trails of Devil’s Punch Bowl, mirroring the investigative loop both reporters and former detectives find themselves trapped in.
  • Quote: "Like we're fucking Sisyphus rolling the stone up the hill, but instead we're chasing after this man." (03:56 – Betsy Shepard)
• Hayley dwells on how close they often feel to resolution—one witness or piece of evidence away—yet it remains elusive.

2. Retired Detectives Reunite (07:38–13:52)

• The hosts coordinate a reunion between former homicide detective Larry Brandenburg and narcotics detective Darren Hager. Their complicated histories—once partners in pursuit of the truth, then at odds—are rekindled with hopes to break the investigation’s impasse.
  • Quote: "What got these guys to cover so much stuff up and to lie like they lied on to cover up Ajay?" (13:46 – Larry Brandenburg)
• They revisit critical dead ends, including the mysterious linkage of deputy Rick Engels, Tom Hinkle, and an unidentified pager central to the case—never properly pursued by LASD.
  • Quote: “That number Angles and Hinkle were paging could have been the key that unlocked the case. But it was never identified as far as we know.” (13:28 – Betsy Shepard)

3. The Double Deaths at Engels’ Home (14:05–23:15)

• The episode focuses intensely on two deaths at Rick Engels’ house in 2006: Jennifer Vories Strosli and her father Lee Vories, both ruled as suicides under questionable circumstances.
  • Investigation Review: The physical evidence (autopsy findings) directly contradicts Engel’s account, particularly the trajectory of gunshot wounds.
  • Quote: “He assumed she shot herself in the mouth. And this entry wound is actually he's calling an exit wound. It's not because it's clearly an entry wound because the bullet's up here and her skull's fractured.” (19:37 – Darren Hager)
  • Brandenburg’s Theory: “I think Ingalls killed her...I think he executed her. And then he had to kill the fucking dad, too.” (22:26 – Darren Hager)
• Observations about LASD’s lack of follow-through, inappropriate handling of the crime scene, and ignoring of clear red flags are emphasized.

4. Patterns of Violence & Departmental Evasion (26:00–33:26)

• Betsy relates conversations with the victims’ family, who believe Engels was responsible for the deaths and had a known history of threatening behavior.
  • Quote: “They were scared to come forward because they felt like the department had Rick Engels’ back.” (29:09 – Betsy Shepard)
• Mike Bauer, Ajay’s former boss, highlights the wider pattern—Engels’ connection to multiple suspicious deaths and disappearances: Rodney Katseff (investigator, missing), Lyle Tyler (shot by Engels), with each incident swept under the rug.
  • Quote: “The goal was to find one missing person, John O.J...I found that this matter's linked to a number of other missing people and murders.” (31:37 – Mike Bauer)

5. Direct Confrontation & Stonewalling (33:26–38:57)

• The hosts attempt direct calls to both primary suspects: Tom Hinkle (meth dealer, refuses to talk) and Rick Engels (noncommittal via his wife, never returns the call).
  • Quote: “I don’t have to. I’m not gonna. I don’t want to. I don’t want to talk to nobody about anything.” (34:34 – Tom Hinkle per Haley Fox)
• The officers' evasive responses match years of departmental reluctance to press for answers—to the reporters’ frustration.

6. The Limitations of Oversight (42:11–46:35)

• Betsy and Hayley contact official oversight agencies (LA County Civilian Oversight Commission and Office of Inspector General) but learn these bodies lack power to compel testimony or real action.
  • Quote: “Cooperation from the Sheriff's Department is just voluntary. They can and do simply refuse to share information with outsiders. So this watchdog group is only as effective as the LASD allows it to be, making law enforcement the gatekeeper to its own secrets.” (44:45 – Betsy Shepard)
• The hosts reflect: the real “Untouchables” are the department itself, unanswerable even to supposed oversight.

7. Accepting Uncertainty, but Refusing to Quit (47:03–50:26)

• Captain Mike Bauer discusses the demoralizing realization that some mysteries may never be solved, yet hints at the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department on behalf of Aujay’s estate.
  • Quote: “I will never solve this. Well, we’ll see about that.” (48:13 – Mike Bauer)
• Both Brandenburg and Hager express difficulty in moving on: “I mean, I don't know what else to do. Otherwise, we'll just take it to our grave.” (49:42 – Darren Hager)

8. A Season of Shadows, and a Glimmer of Light (50:00–55:52)

• Hayley and Betsy visit Devil’s Punch Bowl one last time, reflecting on the tangibility of the place amid so many intangible truths.
  • Quote: “So much of John Augie's story is...elusive and intangible and feels impossible to hold onto. And the Devil's Punch bowl is the one place where we can actually go and feel some part of the story.” (50:59 – Haley Fox)
• As the sun sets, the story closes on ambiguity—but with a last-minute update: the FBI responds to a records request with evidence of a substantial case file (485 pages), though it will take four years to process. The investigation is not yet over.
  • Quote: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” (55:31 – Darren Hager)

Memorable Quotes

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|:--------------|:------| | 03:56 | Betsy Shepard | "Like we're fucking Sisyphus rolling the stone up the hill, but instead, we're chasing after this man." | | 13:46 | Larry Brandenburg | “What got these guys to cover so much stuff up and to lie like they lied on to cover up Ajay?” | | 19:37 | Darren Hager | “He assumed she shot herself in the mouth. And this entry wound is actually he's calling an exit wound...it's clearly an entry wound.” | | 22:26 | Darren Hager | “I think Ingalls killed her...I think he executed her. And then he had to kill the fucking dad, too.” | | 29:09 | Betsy Shepard | “They were scared to come forward because they felt like the department had Rick Engels’ back.” | | 31:37 | Mike Bauer | “I found that this matter's linked to a number of other missing people and murders.” | | 44:45 | Betsy Shepard | “Cooperation from the Sheriff's Department is just voluntary...making law enforcement the gatekeeper to its own secrets.” | | 48:13 | Mike Bauer | “I will never solve this. Well, we'll see about that.” | | 55:31 | Darren Hager | “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” | | 50:59 | Haley Fox | “The Devil's Punch bowl is the one place where we can actually go and feel some part of the story.” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Start of Episode / Emotional toll of investigation: 03:09–06:19
• Detective reunion & implications: 07:38–13:52
• Reviewing Engels’ involvement in suspicious deaths: 14:05–23:15
• Victims’ family perspective & discussion of patterns: 26:00–33:26
• Attempting to contact suspects (Hinkle, Engels): 33:26–38:57
• Oversight dead ends & institutional immunity: 42:11–46:35
• Mike Bauer and retired detectives—accepting uncertainty: 47:03–50:26
• Closing reflections & new FBI development: 50:00–55:52

Episode Tone & Style

The episode is steeped in frustration, fatigue, and the ache of unresolved trauma. Hayley and Betsy’s voices are candid, vulnerable, yet persistent—alternating between investigative intensity, personal struggle, and wry humor. The tone is determined but weary, capturing the near-impossibility of seeking justice from a system designed to shield itself.

Closing Reflection

Valley of Shadows’ final episode doesn’t deliver the answers listeners may crave, but it provides something more honest: an unvarnished account of the cost of persistent secrecy, institutional inertia, and the limits of accountability in American law enforcement. In the coda, a late-breaking update from the FBI suggests hope the story isn’t quite finished—mirroring real-life investigations that refuse to rest, and the dogged refusal of truth-seekers to give up the chase.

If you have information about the disappearance of John Aujay, contact:
213-262-9889 or email shadows@pushkin.fm