Paper Ghosts: The Ozarks

iHeartPodcasts

It’s the dead of summer, 1989, in the heart of the Ozarks. An 18-year-old woman goes missing from Bella Vista, Arkansas. As the search moves forward, several suspects emerge. Then… a body is found not far from the Missouri border, and a homicide investigation begins. Soon, a second body is discovered nearby. What was a mystery transforms into the hunt for a possible serial killer stalking young women throughout the Ozarks. M. William Phelps digs in nearly 35 years later and begins to understand that things aren’t always what they seem.

read less

Our Editor's Take

In the 1970s, four girls went missing in New England. No one was arrested. Fast forward to 1981, 4th of July weekend, an Ohio farmhouse burns to the ground, killing four. If you think these events that occurred ten years apart have nothing to do with each other, think again.

Paper Ghosts: Burned, hosted by M. William Phelps, is a podcast connecting the dots between a massive Ohio fire-turned-homicide case and the tragic disappearances of four young women from Connecticut.

Phelps is a bestselling author, investigative journalist, and host of this shocking true-crime podcast. He is more than connected through interest alone; he’s been actively exploring the investigation for over a decade. His walk-through of the investigation is linked to his personal experience covering the cases of these missing girls from his hometown. Throughout the podcast, Phelps recalls living through these crimes, witnessing a panicked community, and watching town members grow paranoid and suspicious of one another as the shock of these events occurred.

Paper Ghosts covers these vanishings, traces through the timeline, and discusses hot leads at the time that quickly turned cold—until a breakthrough sparked further investigation. In this gripping podcast from the iHeart Podcast Network, Phelps deconstructs everything the world thought they knew about this fire and the Connecticut disappearances—one declassified document at a time.

An absolute must-listen for true-crime devotees everywhere, Paper Ghosts gives listeners a front-row seat to the shocking discoveries that Phelps seamlessly orchestrates. Get ready for the suspense, chills, and breathlessness that only a true crime podcast could give you—with decades-long twists you won’t believe.

read less

True CrimeTrue Crime

Play Trailer

Introducing Paper Ghosts

Introducing Paper Ghosts

Four girls go missing, all within miles from one another in neighboring New England towns. And not one arrest is made. Fifty years later, the search for answers is reignited when a call reveals new information that sets the investigation in motion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 4

Episode 1: “Forever Pain”

Episode 1: “Forever Pain”

In the heat of the Ozarks summer, 1989, an 18-year-old woman goes missing. Dana Stidham vanishes in the middle of the day, from the parking lot of a local supermarket. Everyone in the small town of Bella Vista, Arkansas, is seemingly searching for her. Law enforcement receives scores of sightings and potential leads. Dana’s family is frantic, concerned, but also hopeful… that is, until her car and clothing are found, several early suspects emerge, and a mystery 34 years in the making begins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2: “The Evidence of Things Not Seen”

Episode 2: “The Evidence of Things Not Seen”

As the search for Dana Stidham continues, her sudden disappearance baffles family, friends, and police, as everyone grows increasingly alarmed that Dana has met with foul play. Then, a break in the case comes as Paper Ghosts executive producer, host and investigative journalist M. William Phelps heads to Bella Vista to meet with a source who helps him unravel several potential new threads—including, perhaps, a secret life Dana lived that no one knew about. New suspects emerge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3: “The Skull in the Creek Bed”

Episode 3: “The Skull in the Creek Bed”

As the 1989 holiday season looms, Dana Stidham’s body is discovered by a local hunter in a Bella Vista creek bed. Law enforcement shifts its focus from missing person to murder… and begins to zero in on a suspect after he is arrested for a bizarre theft. Phelps’s contemporary, real-time investigation branches out and he questions whether the evidence against the chief suspect supports law enforcement’s push to arrest him – and whether Dana’s case is part of a more widespread series of murders by a serial killer targeting victims throughout the Ozarks during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4: “The Cave”

Episode 4: “The Cave”

The investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office heats up in Dana Stidham’s gruesome murder, zeroing in on one particular suspect. Phelps digs deeper, speaking to the suspect and wonders if law enforcement has been chasing the wrong man. Just over the Missouri border, not far from the Dana Stidham crime scene, a second young woman’s body is discovered. Are the cases linked? Phelps uncovers several exclusive, recorded interviews never-before-heard, speaks to several sources who claim that not only are the cases the work of one killer, but the suspect has been hiding in plain sight, taunting police, all along.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 5: “Grace Doe: Shauna Garber”

Episode 5: “Grace Doe: Shauna Garber”

With the discovery of a second young female murder victim just over the Missouri border, 20 minutes away from where Dana Stidham’s body was found, a new suspect seems to be playing cat-and-mouse with law enforcement. Phelps drills down and compares the similarities in the cases—as infamous serial killer Dennis “BTK” Rader enters the narrative as a major suspect in both homicides.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 6: “Spawn of Hell”

Episode 6: “Spawn of Hell”

The second female victim, known only as “Grace Doe” for nearly 30 years, is identified as Shauna Garber. Phelps’s investigation turns toward a new suspect in the murder of Dana Stidham (and possibly Shauna), while uncovering a revealing, lost recording of a new suspect - unheard until now. Phelps teams up with the detectives investigating the Shauna Garber case, evaluating similarities between her and Dana Stidham’s death. All of it leads Phelps to the doorstep of a potential killer walking the streets a free man, confronting the man some think is a prolific serial killer who has eluded law enforcement for some 34 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 7: “Killer Confrontation”

Episode 7: “Killer Confrontation”

With investigative pressure mounting on the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s suspect in Dana Stidham’s murder, Phelps uncovers a disturbing phone call made to a local woman in charge of Dana’s tip-line. Meanwhile, Phelps continues to make connections to his new suspect. Phelps uncovers an old tape of a revealing interview with the man’s ex-wife. Armed with new evidence, Phelps finally convinces the suspect to agree to an interview, a man he now believes is likely behind Dana Stidham’s murder, with jaw-dropping revelations made.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 8: “The Boogeymen”

Episode 8: “The Boogeymen”

In this final episode of season 4, Phelps interviews a suspected serial killer, who he believes could be responsible for Dana Stidham’s murder—the first time anyone has spoken to the suspect about the case in 33 years. After confronting him with the evidence, Phelps implores law enforcement to knock on the suspect’s door and interview him. A final call is made about the connection between the two murders - and who, ultimately, is to blame. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 3

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3

When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away in another state. What happened to Tammy Jo Zywicki? Hear the story when PAPER GHOSTS returns with a new season on February 1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye

It was late summer 1992, and Tammy Jo Zywicki was driving from suburban New Jersey to Grinnell College in Iowa. But what started as a routine trip took a mysterious turn when the 21-year-old’s car was found abandoned on the side of a busy highway. As a massive search effort for the college student gets underway, Tammy’s loved ones are left wondering about her fate: Where is she? What happened to Tammy Jo Zywicki? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone's Daughter

Everyone's Daughter

A gruesome discovery in Missouri shakes Tammy’s loved ones to their core, as Phelps uncovers a decades-old eyewitness statement that changes the course of his investigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Man With the Truck

The Man With the Truck

Details begin to emerge about Tammy’s cause of death, including how long she was on the roadside before her body was discovered. Then, Phelps travels to Missouri to connect with the man who found Tammy’s body.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Missing Watch

The Missing Watch

A bold claim about a missing musical watch pits law enforcement against one another, as the ISP doubles down on its search for a truck-driving serial killer. Then, Phelps digs in and examines a lead from the earliest days of the investigation, hoping to discover why a key suspect was never arrested or charged.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A New Investigation

A New Investigation

Tammy’s case gets a second look from a seasoned group of exclusive investigators, who cast doubt on several core theories and point the Illinois State Police in a new direction. Phelps digs further into two key suspects, and pushes law enforcement on why they didn’t do more to exonerate an innocent man. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigators working Tammy’s case take a big risk in an effort to match her killer’s DNA. Phelps and former Master Sergeant Marty McCarthy have a heated conversation about the issues with his prime suspect, as a former detective comes forward with a troubling new claim. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Their Own

One of Their Own

A bombshell revelation upends long held speculation about Tammy’s killer, as the most promising suspect yet is revealed. Phelps discusses everything he’s learned about Tammy’s case thus far, and explains why an arrest could be imminent. Plus, Tammy’s friends and loved ones reflect on the significance of 30 years after her murder, and share what they think she’d be doing today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering Tammy Zywicki

Remembering Tammy Zywicki

Tammy Zywicki was more than just a headline. In this bonus episode, hear friends and loved ones share their favorite memories of the playful, strong-willed soccer player who was obsessed with cats and knew how to break the ice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder?

Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder?

Law enforcement investigating Tammy Zywicki’s murder spent decades looking into known and suspected serial killers operating in the Midwest. Among them was Larry Dwayne Hall, who authorities have long suspected may be responsible for kidnapping and murdering more than 50 women in the '80s and early '90s. Was Tammy one of them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 2

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2

Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2

During the 1981 Fourth of July weekend, four people were found dead inside a massive farmhouse that belonged to a wealthy Ohio family. Desperate to find answers, surviving family members reached out to M. William Phelps for help. After a years-long investigation, new developments help track the movements of a new suspect and uncover a series of mysterious deaths that could expose what really happened that terrible night 40 years ago. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone in Bethel, Ohio, has a theory about what happened to the Stevenson family on July 6, 1981. They were one of the town’s most popular, wealthiest families and operated a number of lucrative firework stands in high demand each summer. But when their house is burned to the ground and everyone inside is found dead, long buried secrets of the past are exposed. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.