The Generation Why Podcast

December 15, 2005. Russellville, Arkansas. Nona Dirksmeyer was a beauty pageant queen, a college student, and a girl loved by many people. She was found murdered inside her apartment on December 15th, 2005, brutally stabbed and beaten to death with the base of her own floor lamp. Two suspects were tried and acquitted in Nona’s murder, meaning her killer either walks free, or is someone the police never found.Generation Why has episodes you have not heard. Find them here: www.patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 4, 2007. Belton, MO. Seventeen-year-old Kara Kopetsky walked out of her high school on May 4, 2007, and disappeared without a trace. From those early days, her mother, Rhonda, suspected Kara’s ex-boyfriend, Kylr Yust, was involved in her disappearance, but there was no way to prove it without physical evidence. So Rhonda waited for a crack in the case. On September 8, 2016, 21-year-old Jessica Runions was last seen leaving a party with Kylr Yust and disappeared afterward. Two missing women almost ten years apart with connections to a single man. Was it a coincidence? Or was Kylr Yust involved in two disappearances and possible murders?All caught up on Gen Why episodes? Get more here: www.patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 26, 1990. Wellington, Florida. Forty-year-old mother of one, Marlene Warren, was enjoying breakfast with her son and his friends when she heard a knock at the door of her home in the Wellington Aero Club in Palm Beach County, Florida. Marlene walked from the kitchen to the front door to be greeted by a clown holding a basket of red and white flowers and two balloons. “Oh, how lovely!” she exclaimed as she opened the door and reached out to take the gifts. The clown produced a handgun and shot Marlene point-blank in the face. Who would want to kill Marlene and why? The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office was determined to find those answers.Get even more episodes from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

March 3, 1998. Haines City, Florida. On March 3rd, 1998. Officer Christopher Todd Horner made a routine stop at Oakland Cemetery, a known crime hotspot. He radioed dispatch that he was going to inspect a suspicious vehicle. No one heard from him again. Officer Horner was found dead at the cemetery, a single gunshot wound to the head, and the killer was nowhere to be found. What happened that morning? Join us as we discuss a case which divided detectives and prompted the question; was it suicide or homicide?Generation Why has bonus episodes you have not heard. Find them here: www.patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

July 3rd, 2015. Bardstown, Kentucky. On July 3rd, 2015 Crystal Rogers spent her day with her boyfriend and youngest child. She stayed up late that night, while her boyfriend went to bed. The next morning, Crystal was gone. Her car was found two days later, and that was it. Crystal had vanished without a trace.Generation Why has even more episodes. Find them here: www.patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

July 7th, 1977. Scarsdale, New York. Bonnie Garland met Richard Herrin at Yale when she was 20 years old. Herrin was more than 3 years older and was head over heels for Bonnie. After Richard changed schools, Bonnie began to grow distant and finally let Richard know that she wanted to remain friends but that she intended to date other people. On July 7th, 1977, Bonnie's mother walked into her daughter's room and saw her covered in blood and fighting to breathe. She would not survive. Meetup Eventhttps://www.eventbrite.com/o/cults-crimes-amp-cabernet-guests-38952853553Get even more episodes from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 15, 2017. Lincoln, Nebraska. Sydney Loofe was a young woman living in Lincoln, Nebraska. She liked using Tinder to meet people. In November of 2016, Sydney matched with a woman named Audrey. They agreed to a first date. It went well and the two women agreed to a second date. What Sydney didn’t know was that she was walking into the trap of two people who were sexually aroused by torture and murder.Meetup Eventhttps://www.eventbrite.com/o/cults-crimes-amp-cabernet-guests-38952853553Get extra episodes from us every month! Visit: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 15, 1989. Peekskill, New York. 15 year-old Angela Correa carried a camera and telephoto lens in a plastic bag and wore a Walkman-type cassette player with a New Kids on the Block cassette inside with headphones on her way to work on a homework assignment for her photography class. The homework assignment was assigned to students in pairs; a boy with a girl. Angela’s partner bailed on the project so she was working alone. She walked from her home on Main Street to the woods behind Peekskill’s Hillcrest Elementary School where she was assaulted and murdered.https://www.deskovicfoundation.org/Support us and get extras by visiting: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

August 27, 2017. Corning, New York. On August 28, 2017, Sergeant John McDivitt of the Corning Police Department responded to a call concerning the welfare of 46-year-old Michele Neurauter. A family friend had stopped by to pick up Michele’s youngest daughter for swim practice and received no response. When he looked through the glass on the front door of the home, he noticed the silhouette of a woman who was motionless and unresponsive and called the police for assistance. Inside was the body of Michele Neurauter who appeared to have hanged herself. But did she? You will not believe where this case leads the detectives...Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 31, 1987. Wichita, Kansas. Mary Fager walked into her house and found the body of her husband so she had a neighbor call 911. When police arrived they found the bodies of Mary's husband and two daughters. They had been brutally murdered, Phillip was shot and Sherri and Kelli had been drowned in the family’s hot tub. The contractor, Bill Butterworth, was missing as was the family's vehicle. Bill would be traced to another state and apprehended. He claimed to have no real memories of that day or any idea how he ended up in Florida. Join us as we discuss a bizarre case that shocked a community.Get extra episodes from us every month! Visit: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.