Going West: True Crime

The Tacoma Girls // 527

In the summer of 1986, two young girls vanished mere months apart, both while out riding their bikes in Tacoma, Washington. Despite exhaustive efforts, both cases went cold, until decades later, when a surprising breakthrough revived the investigation. With new forensic tools and a fresh set of eyes, detectives began to piece together a puzzle that had haunted the community for years, finally finding answers over 30 years later. These are the murders of Michella Welch and Jenni Bastian, otherwise known as the Tacoma Girls.

The Devil's Den Murders (Happening Now) // 526

In July of 2025, a couple and their two young daughters were hiking at the Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas after recently relocating to the area. But while on the trail, a strange man approached the family, stabbing and murdering the parents. Within days, someone was arrested for the slayings, and his identity would shock the nation. These are the murders of Clint and Cristen Brink, also known as the Devil's Den Murders.

Veronica Butler & Jilian Kelley // 525

In March of 2024, two women set off on a short drive through the rural backroads of Oklahoma, but they never made it to their destination. Hours later, their car was found abandoned by the side of the road, but suspiciously, along with signs of a struggle. As the search for them intensified, authorities uncovered a trail marked by custody battles, a religious cult, and secrets buried deep in a small-town community, which would ultimately lead to five arrests. These are the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.

Hadden Clark // 524

In the 1980s and ’90s, a deeply disturbed man from New Jersey drifted from town to town, hiding behind a soft-spoken voice and a childlike demeanor. Seemingly tormented by delusions, and obsessed with revenge, he harbored gruesome secrets. By the time investigators connected him to the 1986 disappearance of six-year-old Michele Dorr, and later, the baffling vanishing of Harvard graduate Laura Houghteling, it was clear: this man wasn’t just strange... He was deadly. And he may have left behind more victims than anyone ever realized. This is the story of Hadden Clark, also known, as the Cannibal Gardener.

Keith Warren // 523

In July of 1986, a 19-year-old man was found hanging from a tree near his Maryland home. Authorities swiftly ruled it a suicide, but those closest to him questioned everything about the scene; from the small tree, which could barely support his weight, to the lack of an autopsy, to the suspicious friends who seemed to vanish in the wake of his sudden death. Years later, his mother received a suspicious envelope on her doorstep, and new evidence would challenge the original ruling. This is the death of Keith Warren.