The Vanished Podcast

This episode originally aired on June 22, 2020. Since that time, there have been significant updates in Trudy's case.On the morning of August 21, 1996, Dennis Appleby left his Moline, Illinois, home to head to work, leaving his 11-year-old daughter, Trudy, at home to spend the summer day. Around 9:30 a.m., a neighbor saw Trudy with a man who appeared to be in his 20s, with dark curly hair and a baseball cap. The unidentified man was driving a silver or gray four-door sedan.Dennis came home from work that evening and was surprised to find that Trudy was not home. He called neighbors and some of Trudy’s friends, but she was not with any of them. That is when Dennis called the police to report Trudy missing.For decades, Trudy’s case remained unsolved. In this episode, originally released in 2020, we discuss the people investigators believed may have been responsible for Trudy’s disappearance and the evidence that led them there.In 2025, there was an arrest in Trudy’s case. Stay tuned until the very end of the ep

Over the past three weeks, we’ve followed Andrew Dixon’s story from the beginning, from the life he was trying to build, to the challenges he faced, to the fear and confusion that seemed to grow in the weeks leading up to his disappearance.We traced Andrew’s final known movements, the early investigation, and the discovery of the car abandoned along a remote stretch of highway roughly 45 miles north of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. But beyond that point, Andrew’s trail goes cold. There is no way to know for certain whether Andrew was behind the wheel when that vehicle was abandoned, or whether he ever made it to that stretch of highway at all.As the investigation continued, new information complicated the picture. Early assumptions began to shift, and those closest to Andrew were left trying to make sense of details that often did not fully add up.In this fourth and final installment of Andrew’s story, we take a closer look at the search efforts, the theories surrounding what may have happened to Andrew,

Over the past two weeks, you’ve heard the first two parts of Andrew Dixon’s story. In Part 1, we explored Andrew’s early life in Oklahoma and the complicated family history that followed him into adulthood. After moving to New Mexico, Andrew built a life and became a father, but by 2025, that stability had begun to unravel. He was struggling with addiction, his relationship had ended, and a legal situation left him temporarily unable to see his daughter, something that deeply affected him.In Part 2, we focused on the days leading up to his disappearance. Andrew appeared increasingly fearful, telling others he believed he was being watched or followed. Some saw this as paranoia fueled by substance use, while others weren’t so sure.On July 28, 2025, Andrew was last seen in Truth or Consequences. By the next day, both he and his roommate’s Toyota Camry were gone. Andrew was reported missing on July 30.As Detective Jeffers began working the case, he uncovered digital evidence and interviewed those close to him, b

Last week, you heard Part 1 of Andrew Dixon’s story. You learned about Andrew’s early life in Oklahoma and how, from the very beginning, his story was complicated. Over time, the patterns he was born into followed Andrew into adulthood.Andrew ultimately left Oklahoma for a fresh start in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After a long-term relationship with the mother of his child had ended, Andrew moved north to Truth or Consequences, hoping to begin again.There, a childhood friend's family opened their home to Andrew while he worked to get back on his feet. Andrew found work and, for a time, seemed to be rebuilding some stability. But in the months before he went missing, another painful setback emerged. A legal situation involving his child's mother left Andrew temporarily unable to see his daughter until the matter was resolved in court. Those who were close to him could see that the loss hit at the center of who Andrew was. Being a father wasn’t just important to Andrew; it was the role that mattered most. As

On the evening of July 28, 2025, surveillance cameras at the Sierra County Detention Facility in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, captured a white Kia Soul pulling into the parking lot. The driver parked, stepped out, and walked away. Investigators believe that the driver may have been 32-year-old Andrew Dixon. That brief moment on surveillance video would later take on new significance.Two days later, Andrew was reported missing. A man contacted police to report that his 2004 blue Toyota Camry was missing, and he believed his friend and roommate, Andrew Dixon, may have taken it. He had tried multiple times to reach Andrew, but got no response. He also told investigators that this behavior was out of character. Andrew had never taken anything from him before.Andrew’s own car, the Kia seen on surveillance, had been left behind at the detention facility. No one knew why he would leave his vehicle there, why he would take his roommate’s Camry instead, or where Andrew may have been headed.As Detective Sergeant

Last week, you heard Part 1 of William Gray’s story. In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas, leaving behind questions that remain unanswered more than three years later. In Part 1, we explored Will’s life, the mounting tension in his marriage, the events leading up to the day he vanished, and the early stages of the investigation.In the months before his disappearance, Will had been injured at work and underwent back surgery in September 2022. According to his sister, Beverly, he told her that once he was cleared to return to work, he planned to retain an attorney and file for divorce. He wanted to make sure he had everything in place before taking that step.At the time, Will continued living on the property he shared with his wife because he didn’t want to leave his young son behind. Beverly said he told her he had been sleeping in a camper on an adjoining property and that he was documenting what was happening around him. He said he had installed cameras and

In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas. At the time, Will was in the middle of a difficult chapter in his life. He was recovering from back surgery following a work-related injury and was temporarily sidelined, but looking forward to returning to his job soon. According to those close to him, Will had been making plans. He told family members that once he was back at work, he intended to retain an attorney and move forward with filing for divorce.Beneath those plans, tensions had been escalating. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Will confided in family that he had growing concerns for his safety, though he reassured them that he was documenting everything. Then, he sent a message to his ex-wife, the mother of his two older children, that included a police report number and a request for her to protect the kids. Days later, Will was gone.More than three years have passed, and the question remains: what happened to William Gray?If you have any inform

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. It has been remastered and now includes new information at the end regarding significant developments in this case.At 8:30 PM on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, told her family she was going Christmas shopping. She left her home in Stoneville, North Carolina, driving her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van with North Carolina license plate “ROK-N-ON.” She was headed to Martinsville, Virginia, less than 20 miles away.Shopping at night wasn’t unusual for Michele. It wasn't long before Christmas and shortly before her oldest daughter’s birthday. No one thought twice about it. But by midnight, Michele still hadn’t returned. Her husband woke their 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, concerned that something was wrong. Michele never came home.For more than 24 years, Michele’s disappearance remained unsolved. Then, in February 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Michele had been located alive. This re-r

On the evening of February 28, 2006, 23-year-old Travis Roberson traveled from his home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to downtown Fayetteville to attend a Mardi Gras celebration. He was there with friends, enjoying what was meant to be a night of music, crowds, and celebration. At some point during the evening, Travis told the others he wasn’t feeling well and said he was going to walk back to the car to wait until everyone was ready to leave. When the rest of the group returned to the vehicle later that night, Travis was nowhere to be found. At first, there was no immediate panic. Friends assumed Travis may have met someone or found another way home, and that he would call to let them know what was going on. But hours passed, then days, and that call never came.Travis’s family reported him missing to the Siloam Springs Police Department. Since Travis was last seen in downtown Fayetteville, police later said the case was transferred to the Fayetteville Police Department. What happened next would have long-last

Keyonta Davis disappeared from Baltimore, Maryland, just days after his twenty-first birthday in March of 2020. On his birthday, Keyonta stopped by his mother Angie’s home, and the two made plans to get together the following day so she could bake him a cake. The next day, Keyonta went to work and called Angie during his lunch break. Nothing about that conversation suggested anything was wrong, but he never showed up for that birthday cake, and Angie never heard from her son again.Keyonta was a young adult with disabilities who needed ongoing support as he moved into adulthood. He worked part-time at an adult day care center, a job he enjoyed and took pride in. Although he was no longer living at home, Keyonta stayed in regular contact with his mother and other family members. Disappearing without a word was completely out of character for him.In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Keyonta confided in Angie about the people he was living with. He told her they were taking his money and using the benefi

In early March of 2020, 35-year-old Michael Green left his home in Winnfield, Louisiana. It wasn’t unusual for Michael to come and go, and a few days without hearing from him didn’t immediately raise concern. But as the days stretched on, his absence began to feel heavier. Michael was usually in touch, or at least visible somewhere around town. This time, he wasn’t.Michael's sister sent him messages, but Michael didn’t respond. That alone was unsettling. In mid-March, she sent him a message on Facebook Messenger, saying their mother was worried and asking him to get in touch. She could see that Michael’s account was active, a small sign that he was still out there. Then, that too was gone. Deactivated, it vanished just like Michael himself had.Michael's family reported him missing to the Winnfield Police Department, and horrifying rumors about what happened to him quickly spread around town. Nearly six years later, the question of what happened to Michael Green remains unanswered.If you have any information a

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma, and gave her cash so she could return to Illinois. The plan, he said, was for Joan to pick up her other children and then fly to Texas to meet them. Joan Bernal has never been seen or heard from again.Over the years, this case has been marked by conflicting accounts, unanswered questions, and lingering uncertainty about what truly happened to Joan. Investigators and Joan’s loved ones have wrestled with whether she could still be alive, whether foul

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma, and gave her cash so she could return to Illinois. The plan, he said, was for Joan to pick up her other children and then fly to Texas to meet them. Joan Bernal has never been seen or heard from again.Over the years, this case has been marked by conflicting accounts, unanswered questions, and lingering uncertainty about what truly happened to Joan. Investigators and Joan’s loved ones have wrestled with whether she could still be alive, whether foul

On June 13, 2016, 44-year-old Amy McHale said goodbye to her mother and left her home in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nothing about that moment suggested it would be the last time her family would see her, but it was.In the early morning hours of June 14, Amy called her daughter, Amanda, and left a voicemail. When Amanda listened to the message later that morning, it didn’t raise any immediate alarm bells, but when she tried to call her mother back, it went straight to voicemail. In the message, Amy said she was staying at her ex-husband’s house, something she did from time to time. At first, no one was overly concerned. Amy was an adult who had her own routines, and everyone assumed she would resurface, as she always had before. As hours turned into days with no word, concern for Amy began to grow. Amy’s ex-husband told family members that she had been at his home when he went to bed on the night of June 13, but when he woke up the next morning, Amy was gone. From that point forward, there were no confi

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving 2025, the family and friends of 59-year-old Daniel Davis began to grow increasingly concerned. Dan was known as deeply reliable. His coworkers couldn’t even remember him missing a single day of work in decades. Much of Dan’s life revolved around his job at 115 Bourbon Street, a well-known music venue in Merrionette Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb just outside the city of Chicago.They soon learned that Dan had been involved in a car accident late on the night of Monday, November 24. After the crash, Dan was dropped off at his workplace, where he walked inside and briefly greeted the two remaining coworkers. In the early morning hours of November 25, Dan was seen walking away from 115 Bourbon Street.Once Dan's loved ones learned about the accident, questions immediately followed. Where was he, and why wasn’t he answering calls or text messages? Had Dan sought medical attention afterward? As hours passed without contact, it became clear that something was wrong. Dan was

On January 12, 2025, 50-year-old Robert Maguire, known to those closest to him as Bobby, said goodbye to his father and boarded a bus in Wilmington, Delaware. His destination was Scranton, Pennsylvania. Those cities are only about 2 to 3 hours apart, but the route the bus Bobby boarded included a stop at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, where he was expected to transfer to a second bus bound for Scranton. On the other end of the trip, Bobby’s cousin was waiting for a call to let him know he had arrived and was ready to be picked up. That call never came.At first, the silence did not raise an immediate alarm. Bobby’s cousin assumed he had decided not to make the trip. His family in Delaware believed he had arrived safely. As more time passed with no word from Bobby, those assumptions fell away, and the family realized something was wrong. What makes Bobby’s disappearance especially difficult is the uncertainty of where it occurred. Somewhere between Wilmington, New York City, and Scranton, Bob

On the afternoon of January 8, 2023, deputies from the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a trespassing call in Dow, Illinois. A landowner reported seeing two men riding across his fields: one on a four-wheeler and the other driving a blue Buick. When deputies caught up with one of the men, he explained that he was searching for his girlfriend, 39-year-old Kaila Vincent Vatole, who had left their residence earlier that day. He said he didn’t know which direction she had gone, but he was worried about her and told deputies she might be suicidal.Given the seriousness of the situation, a search for Kaila began immediately. Deputies arrived on scene shortly after 2 p.m., and, with daylight already fading in the winter months, a helicopter was requested to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall. Several other agencies were called in to assist with the search efforts. Deputies went door to door, asking neighbors if anyone had seen Kaila, but no one had. It was as if she had simply vanished

Kay-Alana Turner’s episodes first aired in November 2023. On March 9, 2023, 27-year-old Kay-Alana Turner left a friend’s home in Silsbee, Texas, and began driving toward Austin, about four hours away, apparently to visit a friend. In the days leading up to March 9, Kay-Alana had not been sleeping well and did not seem quite like herself. In the early morning hours of March 10, witnesses in Hockley and Tomball, Texas, interacted with Kay-Alana after she asked if she could sleep in their driveways. By that time, her phone had died.Around 6 a.m., a homeowner in the Holly Creek Estates subdivision in Tomball noticed Kay-Alana’s car parked in their driveway, with Kay-Alana asleep inside. The homeowner contacted someone from the homeowner’s association and nearby neighbors. As several people gathered around the vehicle and attempted to wake her, Kay-Alana became frightened. When she tried to leave, her car was blocked. An officer from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office then broke the driver's side window of her veh

Kay-Alana Turner’s episodes first aired in November 2023. On March 8, 2023, 27-year-old Kay-Alana Turner stayed overnight at a friend’s home in Silsbee, Texas. Her friend noticed that Kay-Alana hadn’t been sleeping well and that something appeared to be troubling her. The following morning, Kay-Alana was believed to be asleep when her friend left for work, but as the day wore on, attempts to contact her raised concern. When Kay-Alana was briefly reached by phone, something didn’t seem right, and no one knew where she was. Loved ones later learned that Kay-Alana had planned to drive to Austin, about four hours away. Her loved ones began searching for her, but by the next morning, troubling reports about her behavior began to surface. These were accounts her family and friends felt were completely out of character. What was clear was that Kay-Alana was missing, and they needed to find her.On April 19, 2024, after more than a year of searching, Kay-Alana Turner’s remains were found by Texas Equusearch in Montgom

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2019. On July 6, 2019, 25-year-old Chance Englebert spent the day golfing with family in Gering, Nebraska. He later left with his wife, Baylee, and their infant son to stop by Baylee’s grandparents’ house. According to Baylee, it was in her grandparents’ driveway around 7:30 p.m. that Chance got out of the car and walked away. He was captured on surveillance video walking in Terrytown and was never seen again. On October 10, 2025, more than six years after Chance Englebert disappeared, his remains were discovered below a steep cliff in a remote area of Scotts Bluff National Monument. The location was approximately three to five miles from where he was last seen on surveillance video in Terrytown, though some route-based estimates of the distance he would have traveled on foot place it closer to eight miles. Authorities say evidence at the scene was consistent with a fall of up to several hundred feet, and multiple forensic specialists concluded his death was a