Just The Tip-sters

In 1956 Chicago, it wasn't unusual for a couple of young women to venture out on foot at night to see a movie at a local theater.  So when 15 year-old Barbara Grimes and her 12 year-old sister Patricia - both huge fans of Elvis Presley - asked their mom if they could walk to the local cinema to watch "Love Me Tender" for the umpteenth time on December 28, 1956, Loretta Grimes had no problem saying "yes."  Except that Loretta never saw Barbara or Patricia ever again.  After launching one of the most exhaustive missing persons investigations in Chicago history - and with pleas on radio and television from even Elvis himself - the frozen, nude bodies of both girls were found nearly a month after their disappearance.  In the months and years that followed, police received dozens of reports of sightings of the girls in the days between their disappearance and the discovery of their bodies.  Many of those reports led to actual suspects, but none of those leads panned out.  In 1974, the Chicago PD declared the case

Back a few episodes ago (JTT Episode 98 to be precise) Melissa covered the puzzling 1963 murder of young Hollywood actress Karyn Kupcinet.  Karyn's killer has never been identified, but her demise was surrounded in a shroud of weirdness, including a tie to the JFK assassination and a possible link to a tough guy matinee idol named Lawrence Tierney, who, Melissa was once told by a colleague of Tierney's, coulda just mighta well y'know maybe sorta was involved in the Kupcinet case...Fast forward to a few weeks later, when Melissa got a call from her friend - writer and witness Cynthia Hawkins - whose own personal story about Tierney sent a chill down Melissa's spine.  Cynthia agreed to impart her tale to Melissa in front of our Homestead Studios microphones - and on this episode you can decide for yourself if maybe...possibly...hmmmmmm...  SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY - go to www.kleanspa.com and get 15% off your total order.  Kleanspa - prepare to smell delicious!

Matthew Weaver Jr. was troubled - but really not that much more troubled than any other 21 year-old young man is troubled.  So when he went for a late night ride in the hills above Malibu California in August 2018, it seemed a perfectly natural thing for him to do, to catch his breath and settle his mind.  Except that he never returned.  His car was found perilously perched at a place called Rosas Overlook, abandoned and  otherwise untouched.  Since that day, Matthew's disappearance has been treated with a level of disinterest by law enforcement that is both disheartening and infuriating.  This is the story of Matthew's family and friends, who have never given up looking for him, and who have actually done more work and uncovered more evidence than the police.  It is also the story of how law enforcement's incredible, mysteriously vague treatment of the case can lead to serious questions the police probably don't want asked.

In August 1994 a sports fisherman cruising the Hawkesbury River in Sydney Australia got a tug on his line unlike any he'd gotten before.  Hauling what he thought was going to be a prize flathead into his boat, he instead encountered pure horror: The macabre remains of a man's body tied to a cross-like rack.  Forensic science determined that the man had been killed roughly one year prior - but that's about the only fact that could be determined.  Fast forward 25 years - a full quarter-century following the man's death - when the New South Wales State Coroner's Office suddenly declared that DNA testing had finally determined definitively that the body was that of a certain Matt (aka "Max") Tancevski, who - although a known gambler, had no underworld or other criminal connections.  Tag along with Melissa as she wonders aloud about the wide range of questions this new information has raised...who would want Tancevski dead?  If it was a simple gambling debt gone bad, would the killer have devised such a unique and

It's the 100th episode of "Just The Tip-Sters" - and Melissa marks the occasion with a tragic story from her home state of Kentucky - in honor of those who perished and in celebration of the positive strides, both culturally and in the law, that sprang forth after that terrible day.  On May 14, 1988, a converted school bus carrying 63 (mostly) young teenagers and four adults (including the bus driver) left the Assembly of God church in Radcliff, Kentucky to spend the day at the King's Island amusement park in Ohio.  That night, on the way home, just south of the town of Carrollton Kentucky, the bus was hit head-on by a drunk driver in a pickup truck at a high rate of speed.  The impact damaged the bus' front door (making it impossible to open) and ripped open the gas tank, igniting a fire that consumed the bus and its passengers in a matter of seconds.  In all, 24 of the teenagers and three of the adults perished.  Of the survivors, many were left with life-altering injuries.   To this day, the Carrollton Bus

This episode Melissa details two unrelated cases involving two sets of two best friends, one case a little weird but solved , the other completely mysterious and just as completely unsolved.   In July 2019, school teachers Kenneth Anderson Jr. and Mark Anderson (no relation, believe it or not) were found dead in the swimming pool of a house they were sitting in Davenport Iowa.  Local police recently stated that a security camera caught the whole thing, and that it was just a tragic accident - but why hasn't anyone outside law enforcement seen the video?  Hmmmm?  But that mystery is nothing compared to the gruesome 2011 murders of Ryan Riddell and Mark Prasse whose gunshot bodies were discovered in the basement of Prasse's home in Central Illinois. To this date, no arrests have been made, and he cops are saying essentially the case will never be solved. But wait - what about that bizarre attempted bank heist Ryan Riddell was caught in the middle of just a few months before he was killed?  No connections there?

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Karyn Kupcinet was a beautiful young actress working her way up the Hollywood ladder, using her grit, tenacity (and her dad's solid connections throughout the entertainment industry) to eventually get steady work and even praise for her acting ability.  In November 1963 - just 8 days after the Kennedy assassination, Karyn was found murdered in her apartment, strangled to death by an unknown assailant - who remains unknown to this day.  But oh, are there ever guesses.  From a haunting call to police just minutes prior to JFK's demise to a disturbingly possible link between the murder and an admired journeyman Hollywood character actor, Karyn Kupcinet's murder isn't as simple as it looks at first glance.  Join Melissa as she traverses the life, times and untimely death of a young woman who might just have gotten a little too far over her head and tried to make things right only after it was too late.  SPONSORED BY KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Make sure to enter the Promotional Code "TIPSERS" at checkout to receiv

In 1978, while hitchhiking to visit a relative, 15 year-old Mary Vincent  was abducted, then repeatedly raped and sodomized, then tortured by 51 year-old Lawrence Singleton, who then attempted to finish the teenager off by cutting both of her arms off with an ax, then kicking her into a drainage ditch.  Almost impossibly, young Mary found the will to stuff dirt into the stubs that were once her forearms, crawl out of the ravine and walk - naked and near death - THREE MILES to the nearest highway, where she was rescued by passing motorists.  Listen as Melissa takes you through the horror of Mary Vincent's ordeal, her absolute defiance in the face of death, and the awful, disturbing details of what happened to her would-be murderer. Ultimately, this is a story of great hope and - yes - beauty and love - a reminder that the human spirit is capable of miracles.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH & BODY by Jennifer Hardaway.  Make sure to enter promotional code TIPSTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your to

In April 1989, Ramon Salcido, a husband and father of three girls, went on a drunken, ghastly, deadly rampage, killing seven people, including his wife, two of his daughters, his mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and a coworker.  What he did with his three daughters was particularly evil - he  took them to a dump, slit their throats from ear-to-ear and left them to die in piles of garbage.  The sole survivor was young Carmina, the youngest of Salcido's daughters - who was just about to turn 3 years old - we repeat, THREE years old.  Somehow the toddler was able to sit herself up and bend her head forward to prevent the wound to her neck from killing her.  And then she sat there for 36 hours until rescuers found her and saved her life.  Join Melissa as she recounts the heartbreaking, harrowing and ultimately life-affirming story of Carmina, who refused to die when just a baby - and despite continued hardship throughout her life, still maintains her strength and determination to carry on.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR -

Here's a quick between-regular-episodes MURDERTIZER to abate your appetite for All Melissa, All the Time - and it's got some BIG NEWS - Peter Chadwick, the millionaire (alleged) wife killer who told cops one of the stupidest "my spouse was murdered" stories ever (allegedly) concocted and then, once arrested, got out on bail and (allegedly) skipped the country for four years - has finally been found in southeastern Mexico and extradited earlier this week.  Join Melissa as she revels in the capture of a truly (allegedly) awful dude, work herself into a righteous froth remembering how the Newport Beach police kept facts from the public - and excitedly previews an upcoming interview with a Long Beach, California detective who was a member of the task force that finally brought Chadwick back home to face justice.

SURVIVOR MONTH on Just The Tip-Sters begins with our first edition of MURDER NERD UNIVERSITY - where Melissa focuses on the sciences and practices and interesting people - both in the past and in modern-day criminology - that contribute to the art of criminal justice.  In late 2017 Brigida Uto (who later changed her surname back to maiden name McInvale for reasons that will become obvious) got very sick for no apparent reason.  The young special needs teacher, who by all accounts had a happy life and rewarding career, a naval officer husband and a young child - was suddenly seeing her health degrade slowly, day after day, week after week.  Moving back and forth between the naval hospital and a local community hospital, doctors could not diagnose what was wrong with Brigida, as the symptoms seemed to be all over the map.  Finally, when it became too painful for Brigida to even walk, she landed in the emergency room of the community hospital on a night when the attending physician happened to also be a toxicolo

It was October 7, 1992 in Morphett Vale, South Australia, and 12 year-old Rhianna Barreau was on a school holiday.  Rhianna, who lived with her mother and brother, wanted to buy a Christmas card for her pen pal in America (remember, this was 1992 and it took awhile for a card to get from Australia to the U.S.).  The family lived only about a mile or so away from a local shopping center, so when Rhianna asked her Mom if she could walk there to buy the card for her American friend, Mom said okay.  When Mom came home from work later that day, the television was blaring, one of Rhianna's favorite record albums was lying on the floor - and that Christmas card Rhianna had wanted to purchase was on the table.  But Rhianna was nowhere to be found.  And to this day, she's still missing.  In this episode, Melissa retells the details of Rhianna's last known whereabouts, the witnesses who saw her that day walking back home - the mysterious fact that there was no sign of forced entry into the house - the fact that none of

Back around the turn of the century...no not 2001....no, no, not 1901...the turn of the century before THAT, in the late 1700s and early 1800s...a young man raised in a good family in France was very busy being a very very bad boy, all over France as well as a good chunk of Europe.  His name was Eugene Francois Vidocq, and his penchant for getting into trouble with the law was matched only by his way with the ladies - he was such a rounder that he married no fewer than three times during his 82 years and was never far from romantic...er...adventure.  His criminal behavior was legendary - Vidocq was so addicted to trickery, forgery and downright slippery behavior that he often helped other criminals just because he enjoyed being devious.  He landed in jail many times, and was once even sentenced to death (which he obviously ended up avoiding...somehow...).  But sometime in his mid-thirties, something happened to Eugene Vidocq.  He decided to stop plotting and running and going to jail - and begin to use his ta

Back at Season 2, Episode 28 Melissa covered the missing person case of Savannah Spurlock, a young single mother who lived near Lexington, Kentucky and who disappeared after leaving a bar with two men in January of 2019.  Her family's quick response to her disappearance and steadfastness in making sure law enforcement stayed relentless in finding out what happened has been nothing short of phenomenal. In this update of the case, Melissa reports on the recent discovery of remains and clothing in the back yard of one of the men Savannah left with the night she vanished, his arrest, and some puzzling questions - most importantly among them:  What took so long for the cops to make a bust?  SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY by Jennifer Hardaway - perfumes, rubs, moisturizers and oils, all made with naturally inspired ingredients and featuring dozens of unique, hand-crafted fragrances.  Enter Promo Code TIPSTERS at checkout and receive 15% off your total order!  www.kleanspa.com - Prepare to smell delici

The tragic 1987 public suicide of Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer is one of the most well known, horrifying and sad media events ever to occur in the United States.  A media event because Dwyer shot himself in the mouth with a .357 magnum revolver during a live, highly-publicized press conference.  Horrifying because it was a snow day and kids were home from school watching TV when it happened.  Sad - so sad - because of the details that led to Dwyer's desperate action.  In this episode Melissa details the life of a meticulously honest public servant done in by petty political revenge and a misguided sense of duty to take care of his family...and the interesting side note of a song written by someone deeply affected by it and a story of how his intentions were first misunderstood, then understood and forgiven, by another artist - one who lost his friend to a fate almost identical to Dwyer's.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR - KLEANSPA BATH AND BODY - get 15% off your total order by visiting www.kleanspa.com an

In the dark early evening of November 20, 2011, 23 year-old David Michael Grubbs left his job at a local supermarket in Ashland Oregon, carrying some groceries, to walk home.  Just a couple of hours later, David's body was found just off a bike path that was on his route home.  The body was nearly decapitated by what police determined was a medium to large blade such as a sword or machete.  Now going on eight years since the horrific crime, law enforcement is still struggling to arrest a suspect - despite a raft of possibilities - including the fact that Ashland is home to dozens of LARPers (Live Action Role Players) who routinely use such weapons in their games.  And other than David's family, no one is more frustrated and determined to bring his killer to justice than Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara, who at the time of the murder was a uniformed officer, and first on the scene.  Listen as Melissa and Chief O'Meara discuss the case,some possible motives and even a person of interest that police have not b

On January 4, 2019 Savannah Spurlock, a 22 year-old mother of 4 who had given birth to twins just a month earlier, was told by her mother that she should take a break and go have some fun.  So with grandma watching the kids, Savannah did just that - she and two friends went to downtown Lexington Kentucky for a night on the town and ended up at a place called The Other Bar.  After one friend left to be ready for an early day the next morning and the second friend left after she and Savannah had an argument, Savannah stayed at The Other Bar until security cameras caught her leaving with three men.  From there the story gets weird - and not for reasons one might think.  Savannah has not been seen or heard from since the early morning hours the following morning.  But this isn't just the story of a missing young woman - it is also the story of her family, who from virtually the moment they realized Savannah was missing, did not hesitate and did not wait.  This incredible group of loved ones is fully engaged in ev

Recently a Tip-Ster from Boston - "Tip-Ster Jennifer" - brought a case to Melissa's attention that she had not been aware of - the 1993 murders in Houston Texas of 14 year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16 year-old Elizabeth Pena.  The facts of the case are among the most gruesome and disturbing Melissa has ever encountered - but more than the horror of the crimes themselves were two compelling side-stories...one is that Tip-Ster Jennifer was a friend of Jennifer Ertman at the time she was murdered...and the other is the awe-inspiring story of Jennifer Ertman's dad, Randy who, along with his wife and the family of Elizabeth Pena, waged a crusade not only to find the killers, but once they were caught, to change the laws to give victims' families higher standing in the judicial system - things we take for granted today like victim impact statements and the right for families to remain in the courtroom even when other family members are testifying.  Tip-Ster Jennifer calls in from Boston on this episode to talk about

On the last day of June in 2017, Craig Lackey got to watch his 25 year-old son Chase compete in a ballgame in his home town of Houston, Texas.  After the game, Craig hugged his son and told him he'd had a great game - and Chase, a dazzlingly cheerful, happy young man and friend to all who knew him, told his dad he loved him.  That was the last time Craig saw his son.  The next day, Chase was seen walking his dog outside his apartment near the Houston Beltway - and then he vanished.  And no one - not Chase's family, his friends, his neighbors, and most especially not the police - have a clue what happened to him.  On this episode Melissa is joined by Craig Lackey, who discusses his dedication to finding his son and the frustration of dealing with nearly two straight years of not knowing what the police are doing - or if they're doing anything at all - to find the son he loves.  SPONSORED BY KLEANSPA BATH & BODY - Prepare to smell delicious!  Go to www.kleanspa.com and get 15% off your total order by enteri