Sign up for free to listen for longer

Get unlimited radio, access to exclusive and original podcasts and non-stop music stations.

Control the way you listen to your favourite music, podcasts and radio.

Already have an account?

Log in

Sign up for free to listen for longer

Get unlimited radio, access to exclusive and original podcasts and non-stop music stations.

Control the way you listen to your favourite music, podcasts and radio.

Already have an account?

Log in

The Vanished

The Vanished

The Vanished is a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. Join host Marissa Jones as she explores each case, often interviewing the loved ones who are still searching for answers.

Follow
Share
Episodes
You might also like
1 hr, 5 min
30 Jun

David Shier Part 3: Hollow Answers

Over the past two weeks, you’ve heard the story of David Shier, who vanished from Trinidad, Colorado, in February 2022, and the exhaustive search that followed. Despite the urgency, no clues surfaced. Dave's family was forced to reexamine every detail, lead, and possibility.On the morning of Dave's disappearance, he asked his wife to drive him to meet someone about a property. But who was that person? Why was his truck parked oddly, so unlike him? And what about the neighbor’s report of a white truck at the house around the time he disappeared?From the beginning, Dave’s loved ones felt law enforcement had dismissed his case as a medical emergency, simply an older man who had wandered off and passed away. However, for the family, when they didn't find him during the searches, they believed he deserved a thorough investigation.The last confirmed sighting was a trail camera image of Dave walking away from his home. For more than a year, the case stayed cold. Then, something unexpected happened. A grave was opened in Starkville Cemetery. It was supposed to contain one man, who had also been missing, but inside were two bodies.The coroner claimed both were buried in 2019, well before Dave vanished, but the man who performed the exhumation, a seasoned professional, said the second body seemed too intact to have been in the ground that long. That stopped the Shier family in their tracks.Dave’s wife watched the exhumation footage and couldn’t shake the bad feeling that overcame her when she noticed the outline of legs in a body bag that looked familiar. Could it be Dave? Could he have been buried without anyone telling his family?No matter who the second body was, what was unfolding at the cemetery disturbed the family deeply. The secrecy, inconsistencies, and lack of care were unacceptable. They believed no one should be buried without dignity, and no family should be left in the dark. So the Shiers acted, fighting for truth, transparency, and change.Last week, you heard how the Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened an inquiry into what happened in Las Animas County. This week, we take you inside that investigation, what it uncovered, how it ended, and where it leaves the Shier family now on their quest for answers.If you have information about the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211.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:FacebookInstagramPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Shier Part 3: Hollow Answers
Mark as played
Share
Share
1 hr, 3 min
23 Jun

David Shier Part 2: Graveyard of Secrets

Last week, in Part 1 of David Shier’s story, you heard about his sudden and unexplained disappearance from Trinidad, Colorado, on February 11, 2022. Dave’s wife recalled that he asked her to drive him somewhere because a person had called about a property. She didn’t know more than that, but Dave was frustrated with her because she already had plans to run errands for one of their daughters. She last saw him around 11 AM, and when she returned later that afternoon, Dave was missing.When Dave didn’t return and no one had heard from him, his family reported him missing. Given his age and the unusual circumstances, law enforcement took the case seriously and launched immediate search efforts. A snowstorm that night forced them to pause, but searches resumed the following morning and continued for months, even years.Clues began to surface: the unusual positioning of Dave’s truck, and a report of a white vehicle spotted near the home. Then came a crucial discovery, a neighbor’s trail camera footage, which law enforcement initially overlooked due to technical limitations. The neighbor eventually found an image of Dave walking away from the property around noon on the day he vanished. That footage is the last known sighting of him.Despite extensive efforts, no trace of Dave was found, and the case went cold. Then, more than a year later, there was a strange twist in the case when the local coroner came under fire after the body of a man was exhumed, a man who had been considered a missing person for several years, and they found two bodies inside the grave where there was only supposed to be one. Suddenly, David Shier’s case was back in the spotlight, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation launched a broader inquiry into potential misconduct in Las Animas County.In this episode, we follow the strange and disturbing developments that brought new attention to Dave’s case, and explore the question: could he be the second person buried in that grave?If you have any information regarding the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211.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:FacebookInstagramPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Shier Part 2: Graveyard of Secrets
Mark as played
Share
Share
1 hr, 16 min
16 Jun

David Shier Part 1: A Walk into the Unknown

On February 11, 2022, David Shier disappeared from his home in Trinidad, Colorado. That morning, his wife, Rosemarie, saw him around 11 a.m. before she left home to run some errands. When she returned later that day, David was gone. She tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. She also reached out to friends and family, but no one had seen or heard from Dave. As the hours passed and Dave failed to return home, the family decided it was time to report him missing.Dave's truck was still parked at home, so it was assumed that he may have left on foot, possibly heading to his workshop in the neighboring town of Starkville. Deputies went to the shop and gave the area a quick look, but there was no sign of him there. They combed the path between his home and the workshop, but still no clues. Later, it was discovered that a neighbor’s trail camera captured Dave walking away from his property on the day he vanished, but it wasn’t enough to tell where he was going or what may have happened next. Despite extensive searches of the surrounding area, not a single trace of David Shier was ever found.For a while, it seemed like the case had gone cold. But about a year later, something unexpected happened, something that brought David’s name back into the spotlight. The county coroner came under scrutiny by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after being accused of improper secret burials, misuse of funds, and shocking misconduct.At first, it sounded like a completely unrelated scandal, but something shocking and unexpected happened that prompted the investigation. While exhuming the body of one man, investigators found a second body buried in the same grave. A body that wasn’t supposed to be there. For the Shier family, the possibility that it could be Dave was chilling. The mystery surrounding Dave's disappearance only deepened, leaving his loved ones with more questions than answers.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211.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:FacebookInstagramPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Shier Part 1:  A Walk into the Unknown
Mark as played
Share
Share
59 min
19 May

Larry Riegel Part 2: Dusting off the Case

Last week, we brought you Part 1 of Larry Riegel’s story. You learned about Larry’s life, career, and sudden disappearance from Yakima, Washington, around Christmas in 2009. On Christmas morning, Larry spoke with his mother, and around 4 PM that afternoon, he had a conversation with his son, Brian. But when Brian called back later that evening, Larry didn’t answer. Larry had planned to visit his family the day after Christmas, but when he failed to show up for their annual holiday gathering on the evening of December 26, they knew something was wrong. Larry would never have missed the family celebration, especially without letting them know. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena. Family members contacted Ladena to inquire about Larry, but they were met with a series of contradictory, shifting stories. Ladena claimed Larry had left for the coast, even though Larry hated traveling there. This was another red flag for Larry's family.Determined to find answers, Larry’s sister, Susan, went directly to Ladena. Susan was met with a confusing mix of bizarre and inconsistent tales that didn’t seem to lead anywhere. Susan couldn’t make sense of it at the time, but over the years, some of those details began to take on new meaning.The family launched their own search, trying to find anyone who had seen or heard from Larry. Despite their efforts, no solid leads emerged. As weeks passed, Larry’s family only felt more desperate. In January, they decided to report Larry missing. However, when one of Larry’s sisters tried to file the report, she was told she couldn’t report Larry missing. Larry's sisters were shocked to learn that on January 5, many days after Larry’s Christmas disappearance, Ladena had gone to the police, claiming that Larry returned to their home and assaulted her on January 4. That accusation dramatically altered the perception of Larry’s character and disappearance. Authorities believed he was on the run. To those who knew Larry best, none of this added up.Years later, frustrated by the lack of progress and the mounting inconsistencies, Larry’s family demanded a meeting with the police chief. That meeting marked a pivotal moment in the case. A new investigator, Nolan Wentz, was assigned to take a fresh look at the evidence.For years, it seemed like Larry’s case had been left to gather dust, forgotten and cold. But now, with a new investigator on the case, there was hope that the truth would finally be uncovered. With fresh eyes and new determination, what was once a dead-end investigation started showing signs of life.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS.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:FacebookInstagramPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Larry Riegel Part 2: Dusting off the Case
Mark as played
Share
Share
1 hr, 10 min
12 May

Larry Riegel Part 1: Shifting Narratives

It was Christmas 2009 when 57-year-old Lawrence Riegel vanished from Yakima, Washington. Larry had plans to visit his family the day after Christmas, but he never showed up, which was completely out of character for Larry. He was known for always arriving with his famous peach pie in hand. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena, who told the family that Larry had left town and headed for the coast. That explanation didn’t sit right with his loved ones. Larry didn't like traveling to the coast and would never have missed Christmas, especially without calling to let his family know.Ladena later said that Larry returned in early January, and the two got into a physical altercation. Larry supposedly walked out and was never seen or heard from again. This new story raised even more questions. No one else has reported seeing or hearing from Larry since Christmas Day. Though Ladena's account has long been viewed with suspicion, Larry’s disappearance remains unsolved more than 15 years later.Today, Larry's family is pushing for a renewed effort to reexamine his case, hoping to uncover new information that will lead them to Larry.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS. 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.

Larry Riegel Part 1: Shifting Narratives
Mark as played
Share
Share