Podcast
Who Took Misty Copsey?
Hosted by ID · EN
In September 1992, 14-year-old Misty Copsey goes to the Washington State Fair with her best friend. Misty doesn’t make it home that night, and she is never seen again. Police initially deem her a runaway. Misty’s mom, Diana, insists they are wrong. Five months later, a search party finds a potential clue: a pair of jeans, socks and underwear crumpled along the side of a highway. Diana recognizes the jeans immediately, but the police are skeptical. More than 30 years later, through multiple investigations, no other trace of Misty has ever been found. How does a young girl disappear into thin air?And how could investigators fail to pursue leads that were right under their noses? In this captivating new series from ID, cold case investigator Sarah Cailean works through anonymous tips, interviews with Misty’s family and friends, police records, and media reports in an attempt to get to the bottom of whether Misty’s disappearance is the work of a serial killer or that of someone who knew Misty. Sarah won’t stop until she answers a question that’s haunted western Washington for more than three decades: Who Took Misty Copsey?
Also, go back and listen to Season 1, "Why Can't We Talk About Amanda's Mom?" and Season 2, "Who Killed Jennifer Judd?"
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Your Next Listen: Fear Thy Neighbor
May 400:36:31Tap to summarizeIf you're looking for your next listen, check out Fear Thy Neighbor, from ID. What would you do if the person you feared most… was living right next door? On Fear Thy Neighbor, we dive deep into stranger than fiction stories about neighbors gone wrong. We’ll hear these true stories as told by the victims, their families and their neighbors... featuring real 911 calls and surveillance archives. Tune in to hear what happens when simple issues turns into living nightmares with horrific and often fatal consequences.Check out the first episode of the new season here, and follow Fear Thy Neighbor wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →
Your Next Listen - Mind of a Monster: The Cross-Country Killer
Jan 1300:43:35Summary readyIf you enjoyed Who Took Misty Copsey?, you may also like Mind of a Monster, from ID. Across the 2000s and early 2010s, family man Israel Keyes is hiding a secret life as a mass murderer. Over six episodes, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward consults with friends and detectives to investigate his double life. Follow Mind of a Monster wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Summary
Your Next Listen - Mind of a Monster: The Killer Nurse
Sep 2400:38:56Summary readyIf you enjoyed Who Took Misty Copsey? you may also like Mind of a Monster: The Killer Nurse, from ID. Listen to Episode 1, "Kristen Gilbert" here, and follow Mind of a Monster wherever you get your podcasts. From 1989 to 1995, nurse Kristen Gilbert murdered four of her patients, attempted to murder two more and is suspected of killing dozens of others at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Massachusetts by injecting a hard to trace drug into their bloodstreams. Across six episodes, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward consults with detectives, journalists, victim’s families, and witnesses to dive deep into the case of Kristen Gilbert. Investigating her crimes, Dr. Ward delves into Kristen’s twisted mind to try to discover how she was able to kill right under the noses of her colleagues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.8: Mine Hunting
Sep 300:50:27Summary readySarah returns to Washington with forensic anthropologist Marion Davidson to conduct a comprehensive search of the former Schmidt family farm. Following anonymous tips about specific locations on the property, Sarah and Marion dig deeper – literally and figuratively – into potential burial sites, in search of the breakthrough this decades-old mystery desperately needs. As Sarah prepares to present her findings to authorities, she has an emotional conversation with Misty’s brother Colton and another family member who deeply loved Misty. After more than three decades, will Sarah finally answer the question that has haunted their family for years: who took Misty Copsey? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.7: Closing In
Aug 2700:46:46Summary readySarah meets with a woman connected to Rheuban Schmidt’s family who shares chilling, decades-old allegations against Rheuban, his notorious family, and a shocking rumor from the night Misty disappeared. When Sarah visits the current owners of the former Schmidt family farm, she learns of a series of mysterious break-ins at the property… in which the intruders seemed less interested in stealing valuables than in finding something specific, buried in the barn’s rafters. Back home in Philadelphia, Sarah consults with her mentor Dr. Ann Burgess, who helps her realize that a new field of forensics may help Sarah potentially locate Misty's remains and solve this 33-year-old mystery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.6: A Person of Interest
Aug 2000:55:40Summary readySarah meets with Puyallup Police Captain Jason Visnaw to learn about his efforts to reinvestigate the case of Misty Copsey, but he is tight-lipped, not wanting to jeopardize future convictions. Digging deeper into Rheuban Schmidt's story with local reporter Sean Robinson, Sarah finds glaring holes and red flags in his statements to police – including suspicious comments about knowing where Misty was buried. On the way to scope out the remote family farm that Rheuban admitted driving to around the time Misty disappeared, Sarah stumbles upon a social media post from someone claiming to be Rheuban's nephew with explosive accusations about his uncle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.5: The Best Friend
Aug 1300:43:55Summary readySarah sits down with Trina, Misty's best friend who went to the fair with her the night she disappeared – the first time Trina has spoken publicly about the case in more than 30 years. In a deeply emotional conversation, Trina reveals crucial details about their friendship, Misty's home life, and what really happened the night of the fair. She addresses the conflicting accounts about their plans that evening, and why she initially lied to police about how she got home. As Trina opens up about the people in their lives, including disturbing revelations about the men who swirled around them as teenagers, one suspect starts to rise to the top of Sarah’s list. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.4: Rumors and Narratives
Aug 600:41:26Summary readySarah meets Misty's brother Colton for an intense conversation about how his sister’s disappearance in 1992 shaped the rest of his mother Diana's life and his own childhood. As Sarah examines the original police investigation, she learns of shocking failures and missed opportunities. When Sarah digs deeper into the statements of Trina, Misty's best friend who went to the fair with her, she discovers troubling inconsistencies in Trina’s story, which raise Sarah’s suspicions around a new suspect. Then Sarah receives a surprising email: a key witness finally agrees to talk after decades of silence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.3: Evidence?
Jul 3000:50:38Summary readyHost Sarah Cailean continues to unravel the details of the case of Misty Copsey. When a former investigator reveals that the only evidence in the case – a pair of jeans, socks and underwear found months later along the side of a highway – may not have belonged to Misty, Sarah’s entire understanding of the case is thrown into question. Sarah sits down with local investigative reporter Sean Robinson to discuss. If these clothes weren’t Misty’s, why was Misty’s mother adamant that they were? And if they were Misty’s, what new layers does that add to this decades-old mystery? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryEp.2: Killing Fields
Jul 2300:41:19Summary readySarah Cailean is on the ground in western Washington, determined to get to the bottom of whether the disappearance of Misty Copsey is the work of someone she knew – or that of a serial killer. Sarah quickly learns that Washington is rightfully-known as a serial killer capital of the world, and Misty disappeared at a time when serial killers and predators often went undetected or unapprehended. Speaking with a local investigator who solved two decades-long cold cases, Sarah looks for similarities between the work of known serial killers and the events surrounding Misty’s disappearance. Then – the rug gets pulled out from under her. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Summary