In the winter of 1985, Diane Robertson & Mike Riemer set out into the Washington backwoods with their toddler to cut down a Christmas tree— they never returned. Later that evening, their 2-year-old, Crystal was found wandering alone in a Kmart parking lot. She couldn’t say who she was or how she got there, only repeating: “Mommy is in the trees.”

Her mother, Diana Robertson, would be discovered months later — murdered and left in the woods with her hands bound and a tube sock tied around her neck. Her father, Mike Riemer, vanished without a trace.

But this wasn’t the first crime of its kind. Just months earlier, another couple — Steven Harkins and Ruth Cooper — had also been killed in the wilderness, Ruth was also found with a tube sock knotted around her neck.

For decades, theories swirled. Was Mike a violent killer who struck twice? Or the fourth victim of a predator still at large?

I want to hear from YOU! Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on socials!

Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod)

FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcast

TikTok @truecrimebffpodcast

SOURCES:

Amazon.com: '85 Remembrances and Threads of Truth: Seeking Justice for the Victims of the Tube Sock Killer *Book by Sheryl Cooper, the daughter of a victim of the notorious Minerals Tube Sock Killer

Seattle Times Skull discovery revives Washington murder mystery WAYBACK 4/14/2011

Mystery lingers: Discovery of trapper's skull adds clue to couple's 1985 disappearance | The Olympian

Google Newspapers

Timgruver-the-tube-sock-killings

Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20

In this Brief BFF, we spotlight a case that may not have made huge headlines, but absolutely should have.

I hope you will joining me in honoring Laura and sending a big fuck you to the loser that killed her.When 25-year-old Laura Sardinha tried to break free from an abusive partner, she did everything right—documented the abuse, filed for a restraining order, even changed her locks. But it still wasn’t enough. While she was being murdered, Laura left behind a recording that convicted her killer. Her story deserves to be told.

*** If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, there is help. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or visit thehotline.org.

Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on socials!

Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod)

FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcast

TikTok @truecrimebffpodcast

SOURCES:

LA Times

People

KTLA

FOX 11

We are condensing two timely and ongoing important cases down to brief summaries that are ongoing and deserve your attention!

Melina Frattolin, a 9-year-old abducted and found murdered in Lake George, NY — a case that seemed like a stranger abduction, but quickly turned into something far more devastating. **Police are actively seeking witnesses in the area of the I-87 Northway between Exits 28 (North Schroon Lake: US 9, NY 74 to Ticonderoga) through exit 20 (Fort Ann, Queensbury, Lake George, NY 149 & US 9) during the evening hours of July 19, 2025.

Shannon Keeler, a college freshman whose 2013 rape case went cold — until a chilling Facebook message from her rapist years later finally pushed the system to act.

This episode contains discussions of child murder and sexual assault. Please take care.

I want to hear from YOU! Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on socials!

Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod)

FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcast

TikTok @truecrimebffpodcast

SOURCES

NY State Police Press Release

CBS News

AP News 9-year-old Montreal girl found in an upstate New York pond drowned in a homicide

People

AP

Politico

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

“Dad, Mom came back. I have to go with her. Give the boys lots of kisses and hugs and also you too. Love, Annette.”

In 1987, 26-year-old Korrina Malinoski vanished without a trace from her rural South Carolina home, leaving behind her three young children. 318 days later, her 11-year-old daughter Annette Sagers also disappeared—this time on her way to school, from nearly the exact same spot her mother was last seen.

Two disappearances. Same family. Same location. No arrests. No bodies. No answers.

In this episode, we look into the events leading up to both vanishings, the troubling behavior of the one person connected to them both, and the theories—both official and speculative—that have kept this case alive for nearly four decades.

Was this the work of a stranger or a tragic coincidence? Or something far more deliberate?

I want to hear from YOU! Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on socials!

Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod)

FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcast

TikTok @truecrimebffpodcast

SOURCES

Bring Them Home: 'Secrets in the Swamp' explores the story of a missing mother & daughter

Experts take new look at Berkeley County cold case of missing mother, 11-year-old girl

321DFSC - Annette Deanne Sagers

4718DFSC - Korrina Lynne Sagers Malinoski

Cryptic Note Leaves Investigators Puzzled In Double Disappearance Of Mother And Daughter | Oxygen

Somerset, Kentucky, July 3rd, 1994.

21-year-old Linda Gibson and her 4-year-old half-brother Cody Garrett left their Somerset, Kentucky apartment for what should have been a routine trip to the corner store for chips and a soda. But four days later, their bodies were found beaten to death in an overgrown field. More than 30 years later, their case remains unsolved.

Writing by Faith Ndukauba

Research • Editing • Proofreading • Story Development

Faith helps podcasters, writers & content creators bring their stories to life.

Reach out to Faith: ndukaubafaith5@gmail.com

Opening and closing music “Under Your Thumb” by Nom Fabrique - listen to Nom on Spotify!

I want to hear from YOU! Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on socials!

Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod)

FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcast

TikTok @truecrimebffpodcast

SOURCES

Lexington Herald-Leader

The Courier Journal

The Commonwealth JournalLEX 18 News

WYMT News

Pulaski County Sheriff's Department - Gibson-Garrett Double Murder

25 years later, victims' brother still searching for Kentucky double-murderer

Mother of murdered children still awaiting justice | Local News | somerset-kentucky.com

Cody Lee Garrett (1989-1994) - Find a Grave Memorial

In the fall of 2010, Knox County, Ohio was shaken by the sudden disappearance of Tina Herrmann, her two children—13-year-old Sarah Maynard and 11-year-old Kody Maynard—and her friend Stephanie Sprang. What begins as a routine missing persons case quickly unravels into something far darker. Investigators follow a trail that leads to a literal house of horrors—and a fucking loser - Matthew Hoffman. His obsession with trees and leaves concealed something truly monstrous. At the heart of it all is Sarah, the only one to survive. This case is as surreal as it is haunting, and the truth behind it is almost too strange to believe.

Pretty much all the trigger warnings- take care of yourself.

Opening and closing music “Under Your Thumb” by Nom Fabrique - listen to Nom on Spotify!

I want to hear from YOU! Send True Crime BFF an email! truecrimebffpod@gmail.com

OR…DM us on IG, FB or TikTok.

SOURCES:

The Girl in the Leaves (Berkley True Crime) by Robert Scott, Sarah Maynard, Larry Maynard

CBS News

Daily News

The News Herald

CNN

San Diego Union-Tribune

Tina Herrmann Obituary - Columbus, OH

13-year-old Sarah Maynard recalls nightmare kidnapping

Charges against father of OH kidnap victim dropped

Matthew Hoffman (murderer) - Wikipedia