The Vanished Podcast

It was a hot August evening in 1989 when 13-year-old Elisa Roberson left her Aransas Pass, Texas, home to walk a short distance to meet a friend. The girls planned to meet halfway near an elementary school. The phone rang shortly after, and Elisa's younger sister, Ruby, answered. On the other line was the friend that Elisa had left to meet. She told Ruby that Elisa never showed up. Elisa's mother, Marina, was nearby and overheard the conversation. Marina began to worry, Elisa was her oldest child, and she was always dependable. If she wasn't with her friend, then where had she gone?Elisa's family is desperate for any information that could lead to finding Elisa. They are currently offering a $20,000 reward for any information that could help solve this mystery. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Elisa Roberson, please contact the Aransas Pass Police Department at 361-758-5224. The family and private investigator can also be reached via email at missingelisa1989@gmail.com. Stay updated on Elisa's case by following Missing Elisa Roberson on social media.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On December 7, 2023, 36-year-old Danielle Croft was at the home of a man she recently began seeing. He said Dani left his Bonham, Texas, home around 3 or 4 AM to walk around town and look at Christmas lights. No one ever saw or heard from Dani Croft after that time. Hours later, he said he left home to walk to a local store. Along the way, he said he found Dani's clothing on the road. He continued to Dani's grandmother's nearby home to alert her, which was just the beginning of this strange tale.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dani Croft, please contact the Bonham Police Department at (903) 583-2141.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We first brought you Judith Brown's story on May 2, 2022. In April of 1977, 19-year-old Judith Brown vanished without a trace from New York City. But Judy wasn't the only person to disappear. She had recently begun dating a man named Richard, whom she met while briefly seeking treatment for depression. This man was much older and had a violent history. How much of that Judy knew, we can't be certain. She was still a teenager and likely groomed by him. Richard was housed at the Creedmoor facility after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 1971 murders of his wife and 17-month-old son, and that is where he and Judy crossed paths. Richard was given many freedoms at Creedmoor, even to wander the city alone. One day, he walked off the grounds and never returned. Judy's family was concerned that they hadn't heard from her, but then, the FBI came to their door as they were trying to track down Richard. Judy's family believed that law enforcement was looking for her since the FBI was on the case, but it doesn't appear that much was done to find Judy. Decades later, Judy's case began to heat up after a younger family member, Julian, took an interest in pursuing answers. Since we first spoke to Julian in 2022, he has kept digging. Julian joined us again to provide an update on Judy's case.You can find Julian's page for Judith on Facebook at Judith Anne Brown Missing - "Vanished With a Killer." If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Judith Brown, please contact the NYPD missing persons squad at 212-694-7781.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19-year-old Judith Brown disappeared from New York City in April of 1977. Judith lived on her own, so her family wasn’t immediately aware that she was missing. Judith’s family learned she was missing when the FBI came knocking at their door. They were shocked to learn that Judith had disappeared along with someone else, a murderer who had escaped from a local mental health facility. More than 45 years later, both of them remain missing. For many years, Judith’s family kept quiet about this. It was too upsetting to reopen those wounds. As the years wore on, a younger generation of Judith’s family took an interest in finding answers. Today, they are left to sift through the remaining clues passed down through family members and old documents. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Judith Brown, please contact the NYPD Missing Persons Squad at 212-694-7781.You can follow this case on social media at Judith Anne Brown Missing - “Vanished With a Killer.” Special thanks to Erika from The Apex & The Abyss, and Melissa from Just the Tip-sters for voicing letters in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On October 26, 2023, 23-year-old Michelle Arnold was picked up at her home in Maple Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and dropped off at her girlfriend's apartment just a few miles away in Warrensville Heights. In the days that followed, those close to Michelle became concerned when they hadn't heard from her and couldn't reach her by phone. By November 3, they were concerned enough to go to the police station and report Michelle missing. The stories about Michelle's disappearance didn't add up from the beginning. People in Michelle's circle weren't being truthful, but it was difficult to understand why. As the months wore on with no sign of Michelle, her case took a frightening twist after an informant came forward with a terrifying story about what happened to her. But was that the truth? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Michelle Arnold, please contact the Warrensville Heights Police Department at (216) 581-1234.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On November 3, 2023, 35-year-old Tyler Goodrich spent the day at work and stopped by a Costo store on the way home to pick up some pizza. Tyler was seen on camera there smiling; nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That night, he planned to go to his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, eat some pizza, and watch a movie with his husband and one of their sons. However, things didn't go as planned. Tyler and his husband, Marshall, had a discussion that some have characterized as a disagreement or argument. The topic of conversation that night was divorce. Marshall recorded that discussion on his phone, and when things began to escalate, Marshall called the police. While Marshall was speaking to a dispatcher, someone was captured on a household camera running out of the garage. Many believe this was Tyler, while others say they can't be sure because the footage is too grainy. After that time, Tyler Goodrich was never seen or heard from again.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Tyler Goodrich, please call the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office at 402-441-6500.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Around 10 PM on May 7, 2023, 63-year-old Richard Johnson left the apartment he shared with his wife in Lansing, Michigan. Rick planned to walk to a friend's apartment nearby. The friend lived in a different complex, but it should have only been a short walk to get there. Rick never returned home that evening, which was very out of character. Rick and his wife, Kim, were extremely close; some would say attached at the hip. Rick wouldn't have left Kim there to worry about him all night. Plus, Rick had some severe health concerns and wasn't known to stray far from home. By the following morning, Kim was concerned enough to alert the authorities and, later, their children, Justin and Jessica. Since that day ten months ago, Rick's family has been searching for any clue that could point them toward where Rick may have gone or what could have happened to him.If you have any information about the disappearance of Richard Johnson, please call the Eaton County Sheriff's Office at (517) 543-3512.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was the first weekend in November of 2023 when Jared McColloch left his home in Louisiana and set out on what appears to be a spur-of-the-moment trip to visit his son in Illinois. During Jared’s drive across several states, the time changed, falling back one hour, which has caused confusion as his loved ones worked to establish a definitive timeline of his disappearance based on phone pings, surveillance footage, and receipts. At some point during Jared’s trip, he veered off course and headed east, away from his intended destination, and no one seems to know why. There was an unconfirmed sighting of Jared, his truck, and dogs at a restaurant near the border of Illinois and Indiana. Jared’s truck was later found abandoned in Indiana. According to records, his vehicle ran out of gas, and the battery died around 6:30 PM. Jared’s phone last synched around that same time, as well. Law enforcement searched around the vehicle to no avail. Others stepped up to help with the search efforts and were stumped. Jared left behind a trail of bizarre clues that no one has been able to piece together to solve this mystery- at least not yet.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jared McColloch, please contact the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 882-7660.Special thanks to Brothers Underwater Recovery and Band Together K9 Search, Rescue and Retrieval.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of November 4, 2023, 33-year-old Jared McColloch left his home in Marion, Louisiana, for a spur-of-the moment trip. It is believed that Jared was planning to drive to the Salem, Illinois, area to visit his teenage son. Jared packed his truck with some supplies and his two beloved dogs. That 500-plus trip should have taken Jared roughly eight and a half hours. Along the way, Jared stopped at various gas stations to fill his gas tank and grab food and drinks. Jared was spotted on camera arriving in the Salem, IL, area in the early morning hours of November 5, where he purchased some gas and an energy drink. Several hours later, he was seen at another nearby gas station. After this time, Jared seemed to veer off course from his intended destination. He was then seen a third time at yet another gas station, but he now appeared to be heading east toward Indiana, and no one knows why or where he was going. The following day, Jared's mother received a phone call from law enforcement in the state of Indiana, informing her that her son's truck had been found abandoned in a very remote area with some of the doors left open. Jared's dogs were still sitting inside. The news was highly alarming to Jared's loved ones; he would have never left his dogs like that. Since that day, they have been poring over the bizarre clues left behind, looking for any explanation for what happened to Jared and why. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jared McColloch, please contact the Knox County Sheriff's Office at (812) 882-7660.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In early September of 2021, Kevin Winters disappeared from Lahaina, Hawaii, after spending an evening doing what he enjoyed most: going out for dinner and a few drinks. Kevin was seen on a surveillance camera at an ATM late on September 2 and again at the same ATM the following morning. After that time, Kevin’s phone pinged a few miles away, but he was never seen or heard from again. Where Kevin was that night between the two trips to the ATM remains a mystery, along with where he may have headed next. From the beginning, it was difficult for Kevin’s family to search for him because they were all thousands of miles away. In the months that followed Kevin’s disappearance, his sister decided to make the trip to Hawaii to see if she could get somewhere, but things only got more bizarre. Kevin’s family has spent the last two and a half years digging for any clues that may uncover what happened to him. They have been sent down various rabbit holes only to come up empty-handed. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Kevin Winters, please call the Maui County Police Department at (808) 244-6400.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of September 2, 2021, Kevin Winters was at one of his favorite restaurants having dinner in Lahaina, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. About an hour later, Kevin was seen on camera depositing a check at a nearby ATM. It remains unclear where Kevin went after that time. It’s believed that Kevin had taken public transportation to the restaurant that evening, and the place he had been staying was about 29 miles away. Kevin showed up on the same ATM camera the following morning, still wearing the same clothes he had on the night before. Kevin was once again making a deposit. Kevin walked away from the ATM that morning and was never seen or heard from again. Kevin had a close relationship with their mother; the two spoke twice every single day. When she didn’t hear from Kevin and couldn’t reach him by phone, she knew something was wrong. Thousands of miles away in Michigan, Kevin’s parents decided it was time to report their son missing. Nearly two and a half years later, Kevin’s family is still working to piece together the trail of bizarre clues left behind. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Kevin Winters, please call the Maui County Police Department at (808) 244-6400.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 26, 1992, 22-year-old Brenda Lambert spent much of the day celebrating her son’s first birthday at her home in Bluewell, West Virginia. Brenda was surrounded by her close family and many extended relatives. This party should have been a joyous occasion for Brenda, who loved being a mother to her two young children, but something was off that day. Brenda seemed upset or bothered. During the party, Brenda quietly asked several of her siblings if they could stay the night with her, but they each had a reason why they couldn’t. By the next morning, Brenda was gone. Her car, purse, and keys were all left behind at the home. Rumors began to spread around town about what had happened to Brenda, even stories that her disappearance was connected to another missing person. However, Brenda’s family has been adamant since the very beginning that they know exactly who made Brenda Lambert disappear and why.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Brenda Lambert, please call the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office at 304-487-8364.If you have a missing loved one you would like featured on the show; please fill out our case submission form.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

By the summer of 2023, most would say that Amber Arnett had hit rock bottom. She had lost her home and job after allowing her boyfriend to stay at the care facility that she managed. Amber was also now facing charges due to this incident. She was due to be in court on July 13, 2023, but Amber never made it. In fact, Amber disappeared from Lansing, Michigan, just 19 days before she was to appear in court. We may never know whether Amber was innocent or guilty of the charges because she never had the opportunity to plead her case before the court. As Amber’s loved ones began searching for her, they heard stories about what happened to Amber. They were told that in the lead-up to Amber’s disappearance, suspicions had been brewing in her circle, suspicions that Amber was planning to snitch. If this is true, we have no way of knowing, but the consensus has been that some people believed that Amber was gathering evidence about something so that she could trade that information for a lighter sentence on her pending charges. What that something was, we can’t be sure. There was plenty of criminal activity going on in that circle, but some believe that Amber had witnessed a very serious crime, a murder. You can follow the search efforts for Amber on social media at Help Us Find Amber. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Amber Arnett, please call the Lansing Police Department at (517) 483-4600.If you have a missing loved one you would like featured on the show; please fill out our case submission form.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late June of 2023, 39-year-old Amber Arnett contacted her mother, Marty, asking if she could stay with her at her home for a bit. Amber expressed that she didn’t feel safe where she had been living. Marty was away on a trip and told her daughter that she would be home late the following day. Marty expected to see or hear from Amber after she returned to Lansing, Michigan, but she never heard from her daughter again. The days began to pass, and Marty still had not heard from Amber. At first, Marty assumed she had found somewhere to stay or that maybe things had turned out okay. However, Amber was outgoing and frequently posted on social media and messaged back and forth with those she was close to. Marty began asking around, and no one had seen or heard from Amber. That was when Marty decided to go to the police to report Amber missing. Over the past seven months, Marty has been digging for clues to help find Amber, and she has uncovered a tangled web of people and stories. Still, nothing has led to concrete evidence pointing to what happened to Amber Arnett.You can follow the search efforts for Amber on social media at Help Us Find Amber. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Amber Arnett, please call the Lansing Police Department at (517) 483-4600.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late December of 1978, 15-year-old Larry Goodman disappeared from Park Ridge, New Jersey. His mother left home that day to go shopping and asked Larry if he would like to go along with her, but he declined. When she arrived home, Larry was gone. His mother reported that he had left home wearing a red flannel shirt, jeans, a denim jacket, sneakers and had $30 in his pocket. Investigators spoke to the teen's friends, teachers, and parents, but no one knew where he may have gone. Larry was a good student, and there didn't appear to be anything in his life to run from. There were articles in the local paper detailing Larry's mysterious disappearance. The local police stated they had run down every lead and hoped to appeal to the public for information. Everyone was shocked when Larry reappeared 27 days later on his 16th birthday. Larry told his mother he had been hundreds of miles away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The police closed the case now that he was home safe, but that wouldn't last long. Soon, Larry was gone again. Everyone assumed he had run away from home again and would return soon. This time, there were no articles in the newspaper about Larry Goodman. He never called or came home, and 45 years later, Larry's case remains unsolved.If you have any information about the disappearance of Larry Goodman, please contact the Park Ridge Police Department at (201) 391-5401 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

38-year-old Mary Badaracco disappeared from Sherman, Connecticut, in August of 1984. At the time, Mary had been married to her husband, Dominic, for 14 years. According to Dominic, Mary left him and took almost all of her belongings and $100,000 in cash that he had stashed inside their home. Dominic didn't report Mary missing; according to Mary's daughters, he discouraged them from reporting their mother missing to local authorities. The last time that one of Mary's daughters had heard from her was on August 19. Dominic said he saw Mary on August 20, but she was gone when he returned from work. Following Mary's disappearance, one of Mary's daughters went to Mary and Dominic's home and found Mary's car parked in the driveway. How had she left without her car? Even more disturbing, the windshield was shattered. Just as Mary had, the vehicle later disappeared, too. In the months that followed, Dominic divorced Mary and moved on to a new relationship. Years later, the case heated up when a member of the Hell's Angels came forward with a tip about what happened to Mary, which may just be the closest they have ever come to finding answers. However, this is a case that many people seem too afraid to speak about. For four decades, rumors have swirled about what happened to Mary Badaracco. The truth has always been just out of reach and clouded by dangerous people. The story of Mary's disappearance spans the spectrum from motorcycle gang members with ties to organized crime to threats against a local politician and even bribery of a judge.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Mary Badaracco, please call the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad Troop A at 800-376-1554.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On January 2, 1999, 11-year-old Mikelle Biggs was playing outside with her 9-year-old sister, Kimber. Mikelle was on Kimber's bike while Kimber walked the dog on a leash. The girls could hear an ice cream truck in the distance, but Kimber got while cold waiting and went inside. When Kimber got back to the house, her mom told her to go back and tell Mikelle it was time to come in. Investigators estimate that Kimber was only gone for 90 seconds. In those 90 seconds, Mikelle vanished. In this episode, I'm joined by Kimber to discuss her sister's case.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Mikelle Biggs, please call the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on March 24, 2018. On May 26, 1992, 13-year-old Brandy Myers disappeared after she had left her apartment to go door-to-door for a school fundraiser. Many years went by with no good leads until the Canal Killer was apprehended for two murders. Is Bryan Patrick Miller also responsible for Brandy's disappearance?If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late December of 2022, 30-year-old Lauren Willhoit disappeared from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Lauren spoke with family members over the phone on December 28th, and she was seen by her boyfriend leaving their home that same day. It's believed that Lauren may have been staying at a hotel on Mannheim Road in the Melrose Park area in the days leading up to New Year's Eve, though the facts are difficult to pin down in this case. After that, Lauren was never seen or heard from again. Her family became alarmed in early January when her boyfriend called to ask if they had heard from Lauren. Since that day, Lauren's sister, Michelle, has been working diligently to piece together every clue she can find to figure out what happened to her sister.If you have any information about the disappearance of Lauren Willhoit, please call the Cook County Sheriff's Office at 708-865-4896.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Friday, May 15, 1987, 32-year-old Daniel Maleska left his home in Princeton, Minnesota, to travel about three hours north to Gunn Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. That weekend, Dan, his brother Mike, and several other longtime friends planned a camping trip for the opening of fishing season. Dan and Mike were raised as avid outdoorsmen, and opening weekend was a big deal. While this was their first time visiting Gunn Lake, this annual trip was something they looked forward to all year. The area where the men were camping was very rural and densely wooded. It wasn't a campground with amenities; they were roughing it, but that was how Dan and his buddies liked it. The men set up camp, spent many hours fishing on the lake, drank some beers, and seemed to be having a great time. However, by Sunday morning, Dan had vanished. They found a canoe in the water with some of his fishing supplies still inside. It looked like he had been plucked from that boat, leaving his items undisturbed. Despite extensive searches of the lake and surrounding wilderness, no trace of Dan Maleska has ever surfaced. The circumstances have left his loved ones to wonder if the scene was staged and Dan planned to disappear.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dan Maleska, please call the Itasca County Sheriff's Office at (218) 326-3477.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.