In this episode, And Then They Were Gone host Kona Gallagher sits down with Director Michael Bayer to discuss the Heather Elvis case, a missing persons investigation that remains unsolved. The conversation delves into the complexities of the case, including the impact of online harassment, the role of social media in investigations, and the ongoing struggles of the Elvis family. Bayer shares insights into the making of the documentary Vanished: The Heather Elvis Case and highlights the importance of keeping such stories alive to raise awareness and prevent similar tragedies.

vanishedfilm.com

vanished film.com

In December 2013, 20-year-old Heather Elvis was going through a transitional period in her life. After an ill-advised relationship with a married man, she had just gone on a first date, and was getting ready to start a new job. She was trying to make a fresh start and had plenty to look forward to in life.

But in the early morning hours of December 18, Heather’s car was found abandoned at a remote boat landing in her home town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She was never seen again.

The investigation into Heather’s disappearance revealed a complicated story: a secret affair, relentless harassment, and two people who would eventually be convicted for kidnapping her. But despite the arrests and trials, one devastating mystery remains—what actually happened to Heather Elvis?

If you have any information about the disappearance of Heather Elvis, please contact the Horry County Police Department at 843-915-5350 or Crime Stoppers of South Carolina at 1-888-CRIME-SC. You can remain anonymous.

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At 10:45 am on June 13, 2001, 19-year-old Jason Jolkowski was seen outside his family’s home in Omaha, Nebraska, helping his younger brother bring in the trash cans.

He was scheduled to work that day at a local Fazoli’s restaurant. But because his car was in the shop, Jason had arranged for a coworker to pick him up at his old high school—just eight blocks away. He told his family he was heading out. He never made it to the school. He never made it to work. And he was never seen again.

There were no witnesses. No security footage. No clues. Just a young man who vanished in the middle of a sunny day, in a quiet residential neighborhood, during a walk that should’ve taken ten minutes.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jason Jolkowski, please contact the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5818.

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This episode originally aired on February 2, 2022

Mary Johnson hadn’t been acting like herself for months. She and her husband were having marital problems, and she was thinking about next steps. The 39-year-old was staying with friends, only returning home to shower and pick up more clothes. On Friday, November 25, 2020, Mary started walking toward a church in Tulalip, Washington. She never arrived. It would be nearly two weeks before she was reported missing, at which point Mary Johnson became part of America’s growing problem of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Anyone who has any information on Mary Johnson’s disappearance, please call the FBI's Seattle Field Office at (206) 622-0460. You may also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre la desaparición de Mary Johnson, llame a la oficina de campo del FBI en Seattle al (206) 622-0460. También puede enviar una sugerencia en línea en tips.fbi.gov.

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October 24, 1953 was a typical fall Friday night in La Crosse, Wisconsin. La Crosse State College was playing their homecoming game, and families and students filled the stands.

Fifteen-year-old Evelyn Hartley was supposed to be at that game too, but at the last minute, she agreed to help a family friend and babysit their toddler so the parents could go to the game themselves. She brought her schoolbooks and planned to spend the night studying after the baby went to bed. It was supposed to be a quiet evening, and an opportunity for Evelyn to make some extra money.

But when Evelyn’s father tried to call her later that night and didn’t get an answer, something didn’t sit right with him. He got in his car and drove over to the house where she was babysitting. What he found wasn’t just unsettling—it was a scene that would spark one of the most intense missing persons investigations in Wisconsin's history.

Anyone with any information about Evelyn Hartley’s disappearance is urged to call the La Crosse Police Department at 608-785-5962.

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On August 27, 2006, two-year-old Trenton Duckett was tucked safely into bed at his home in Leesburg, Florida. But when his mother, Melinda Duckett, went to check on him, she said she found an open window, a sliced screen, and an empty bed. She immediately called 911, launching a frantic search for the missing toddler. But as investigators dug deeper, Melinda's story began to fall apart, and in its place was deception, a bitter custody dispute, and a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

Anyone with information related to the disappearance of Trenton Duckett is urged to call the Leesburg, Florida police department at 352-787-2121.

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This episode was originally released in 2022.

In 2015, 19-year-old Katelin Akens was getting ready to start a new life. The teenager fell in love, and left her small Virginia town to move across the country to Arizona with her fiancee. She was living her life and making changes, but when her sister gave birth to a son that December, Katelin immediately flew home to meet her new nephew. The trip was a short one, only about four days. She had a plane ticket back to Arizona on December 5, but she never made it to the airport. Six years later, Katelin still hasn’t been found, but her family believes they know exactly who knows the full story.

If you have any information on Katelin Akens’s whereabouts, please contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office at 540-582-7115.

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Though our podcast focuses on unsolved missing persons cases, over the course of the last five years, we’ve seen movement on many of the cases we’ve covered, including some resolutions. This week, we’re going to revisit a few of the missing people whose stories we’ve told on this podcast and give you updates on what’s going on in their cases today.

This week, we're updating you on the stories of Tyler Goodrich, Aubrey Dameron, Mamta Kafle, and Alicia Navarro.

Full Episodes:

• Tyler Goodrich
• Aubrey Dameron
• Update: Mamta Kafle - New Charges
• Update: Mamta Kafle
• Mamta Kafle
• Found: Alicia Navarro
• Alicia Navarro



Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime Stories

Buy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came Home

Submit a case

Find us everywhere

Get episodes early and ad-free on Patreon

Merch store

For a full list of our sources, please visit our blog