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Beyond the headlines, the terror, and the tears, lies a story of resilience. Kidnapping Stories brings you the raw, unfiltered accounts of those who faced the unimaginable and emerged. We...
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Beyond the headlines, the terror, and the tears, lies a story of resilience. Kidnapping Stories brings you the raw, unfiltered accounts of those who faced the unimaginable and emerged. We delve deep into the human spirit's capacity to endure, to fight, and ultimately, to survive.
Each episode of Kidnapping Stories presents a harrowing true crime narrative, focusing on the victims' experiences and their incredible journey back from captivity. This isn't just about the crime; it's about the emotional aftermath, the recovery process, and the powerful lessons learned. We explore the complex psychology of survival and the unwavering hope that can bloom in the darkest situations.
New episodes are released daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring a constant stream of compelling content. You'll hear first-hand testimonies, expert analysis, and a compassionate exploration of these traumatic events.
Kidnapping Stories is for listeners drawn to true crime stories, real-life dramas, and the indomitable strength of the human will. If you seek to understand the profound impact of abduction and the incredible power of resilience, this podcast is for you. Subscribe now to uncover the stories that define courage.
show less
Each episode of Kidnapping Stories presents a harrowing true crime narrative, focusing on the victims' experiences and their incredible journey back from captivity. This isn't just about the crime; it's about the emotional aftermath, the recovery process, and the powerful lessons learned. We explore the complex psychology of survival and the unwavering hope that can bloom in the darkest situations.
New episodes are released daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring a constant stream of compelling content. You'll hear first-hand testimonies, expert analysis, and a compassionate exploration of these traumatic events.
Kidnapping Stories is for listeners drawn to true crime stories, real-life dramas, and the indomitable strength of the human will. If you seek to understand the profound impact of abduction and the incredible power of resilience, this podcast is for you. Subscribe now to uncover the stories that define courage.
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
12 SEP 2026 · Dropped Notebook, Cracked Tail Light: How Gloria Survived Eleven Days
Fear of the ordinary turning deadly: a red notebook in frozen dirt, a cracked tail light noted on a receipt, and a woman who vanished after a routine six-thirty walk - could those small details be the key to finding her alive? The case centered on a partial license plate, a distinctive worn heel, and a single all-caps plea written on the first page: HELP. How did those clues point to where Gloria was and who had been watching her?
In this episode, we tell what the investigators found and how routine observations shaped the search, following the sequence of evidence that mattered most. We trace Gloria Hill’s last known movements from the cell tower ping at 6:47 to the ridge trail, and ask how a septic technician’s discovery and a retired walker’s receipt together changed the course of the case.
Person: Gloria Hill
Age: 38
Date: early March (Tuesday morning, seven fourteen)
Location: Hatchett Ridge Road / Orchard Terrace
Detective: Marcia Thompson
- Gloria walked the same trail every morning at 6:30, a 3.5-mile round trip to the ridge overlook.
- At 7:14 AM a septic pump technician discovered a small red notebook in frozen dirt below a concrete inspection cover.
- The notebook’s visible page contained a partial license plate, the words "checks Mar. and Fri, propane," and the single capitalized word HELP.
- Gloria’s phone last pinged a cell tower one mile northeast of her home at 6:47 AM; the signal stopped after that.
- Dennis Hoag noted the first three characters of a license plate on the back of a receipt after seeing a gray pickup with a cracked rear tail light on Monday and Thursday mornings two weeks before Gloria disappeared. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
11 SEP 2026 · He Knew His Name-Trapped, Watched, and Left a Cereal Plea
He disappeared after buying water and crackers at 4:40 PM on February 5, 2019, and five days later was found locked inside a decommissioned pump station with only his jacket and the back of a cereal box. He spoke a name, a truck color, and asked about a tip-line call the moment deputies reached him-so who had taken him and how had that person been watching the search?
In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the gas station security footage to the moment deputies found him, showing where the calls, the white pickup truck, and a volunteer tip intersect with the missing-persons timeline. How did a prepaid number, a volunteer named John, and a white pickup become the first clues in a disappearance that ended with a man alive but bound in a small county's forgotten structure?
Person: Wade Baker
Date: February 5, 2019
Location: Timber Court, Caulfield / Route Nine gas station
Case: Missing person found in decommissioned pump station
Investigator: Charles Kowalski
- At approximately 4:40 PM on February 5, 2019 Wade Baker purchased a bottle of water and a sleeve of crackers on Route Nine and was on camera for less than three minutes.
- Marcus Lofton saw a white pickup with hazard lights blinking near the Timber Court cul-de-sac on the evening of February 5; about twenty minutes later both the white truck and Wade's gray truck were gone.
- Wade’s gray truck was found in his driveway on the morning of February 7 with his coat on the hook, phone on the counter, and wallet and keys missing; a stove burner was left on under a dried pot of soup.
- A man identified himself as John Nelson, volunteer search coordinator, called the tip line within the first 48 hours and gave a prepaid, unregistered phone number that received no callback.
- Five days after the gas-station sighting, a retired postal worker reviewing field photographs for owls noticed Wade, a 63-year-old man, locked inside a decommissioned pump station with only his jacket and the back of a cereal box. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
10 SEP 2026 · She Hid a Puzzle Piece - How Sharon Outsmarted Her Kidnapper
She turned seven shallow dents into a life-or-death message and trusted that a random paper route would deliver it - an orange foam puzzle piece with a hidden phone number was found at 5:47 AM on January 9, 2019; could one small object really be the difference between rescue and oblivion? What exactly did Sharon calculate that made that gamble worth taking?
In this episode, we tell how Sharon Bailey used a loose alphabet mat piece to encode seven digits, how investigators linked a three-minute van gap and an offline camera log to a suspect, and why a family call - not 911 - was the confirmation she counted on to survive. How did timing, memory, and geometry converge to make her message matter?
Person: Sharon Bailey
Date: January 2-9, 2019
Location: Grover Falls; workshop on Voss Creek Path (11 miles from Caldwell Crossing)
Person: Jerry Whitfield
Investigator: Detective Sherry Lawson
- The foam piece was found by a paperboy at 5:47 AM on January 9, 2019.
- Sharon had been held in a workshop for seven days after being taken on January 2, 2019.
- She pressed seven evenly spaced dents into the orange foam using a metal shelf bracket to represent a phone number.
- The parking-structure camera outage began on December 28 and included levels two and three where Sharon was taken.
- The van exited the structure at 8:01 AM and Jerry Whitfield badged into Brentwood Climate Services at 8:04 AM. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
9 SEP 2026 · The Bloody Thumbprint That Led Them to Her Captor
The blooded thumbprint on a laminated bingo card turned up 8.8 kilometers from Pamela Powell's front door, and the print - hers - was pressed deliberately into the lower right corner. No blood, no forced entry, and her car parked at home: how did a single, intentional message travel so far from the place she disappeared? Who could have controlled Pamela's last minutes well enough to send that exact signal?
In this episode, we walk through the timeline from Pamela's last night at Lakeview Recreation Center to the discovery on Tennick Mill Lane, following the clues that turned a winter gutter into a crucial piece of evidence and asking how a routine life became the center of a calculated message.
Person: Pamela Powell
Date: December 8-9, 2011
Location: Colbert Street home and Tennick Mill Lane (8.8 km apart)
Investigator: Detective Craig Walsh
Finder: Erin Jenkins, Hallet Public Works snowplow driver
- Pamela was 48 years old and worked as a billing coordinator at a regional orthopedic clinic.
- She attended Thursday night bingo at Lakeview Recreation Center for 2.5 years, arriving at 6:50 PM and leaving between 9:00 and 9:15 PM.
- The laminated bingo card was found at 5:30 AM on December 9, 2011, frozen into the gravel 8.8 kilometers from her house.
- The thumbprint on the card was a clean left-hand print in Pamela's blood, confirmed by forensic tests returned within 36 hours.
- At the Colbert Street house officers found Pamela's car in the driveway, the kitchen light on, the back deadbolt unlocked, and no blood or signs of struggle. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
8 SEP 2026 · Quinn's hand at fire station; asked how to help
Fear that someone you trust could be the last person to see a missing teacher - a volunteer search coordinator who ran grid searches turned out to be central to the case when a car was found forty feet off a rural road. A receipt in that car showed the vehicle had been 112 miles north the night the owner vanished, and a small, dark note on its back became the turning point in ten days of captivity; who wrote that note and why did it matter?
In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the last ordinary errand to the discovery that upended the search, and we follow how investigators moved from a fed but unattended rabbit and an untouched wallet to a suspect who once led rescue teams; how did routine community roles conceal something darker?
Person: Stanley Stevens
Date: November 16
Location: Calloway Drive (last seen), car found forty feet off a rural road
Person: Neil Simpson
Person: Kimberly Quinn
- Stanley fed his rabbit Cope between 5:30 and 5:45 PM on November 16, then left for the library and never arrived.
- The Nissan Altima had been missing since November 16 and was found three days later parked forty feet off a rural road.
- A receipt inside the car placed the vehicle 112 miles north the night Stanley disappeared.
- Stanley's rabbit required probiotic pellets twice daily at 7:00 AM and 5:30 PM; the morning feeding was missed and noticed by neighbor Frank Deluca.
- Neil Simpson, age 44, was a county search-and-rescue volunteer coordinator who later stood at the search command post and was ultimately arrested. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
7 SEP 2026 · Locked Garage, Library Note: How Cheryl Built Her Escape in Twelve Days
A soaked park, a bone-dry library book, and five penciled words folded inside a plastic sleeve - a mundane find that unlocked a twelve-day disappearance. The book was two weeks overdue and linked a missing 52-year-old billing coordinator to a man with a pattern of moves and disappearances; how did the message get there and who placed it?
In this episode, we lay out the timeline from Cheryl Hensley’s last ordinary Wednesday through the jogger’s discovery at 6:52 a.m., tracing calls, rentals, and a single eyewitness sighting that raised more questions than answers. Could a routine renewal and a brief phone call be the hinge that explains what happened next?
Person: Cheryl Hensley
Age: 52
Date: October 13-14, 2009
Location: Portsmith / eastern Galbraith County (nine miles apart)
Item: Large-print gardening memoir (due October 13; two weeks overdue)
- Cheryl called the library to renew the book at 10:40 a.m. on October 8, 2009, 23 minutes after a 22-minute incoming call from Jerry Becker.
- Jerry Becker had lived at seven addresses across three counties over 14 years, never staying more than three years per address.
- A retired postal carrier, Bud Acheson, saw Cheryl get into the passenger side of Becker’s dark pickup at about 7:30 p.m, on October 12, carrying a bag and the book.
- Todd Griffin found the book upright on a concrete bollard in Decker Municipal Park at 6:52 a.m. on October 14; the bollard and ground were soaked from heavy rain but the book was bone dry.
- The gardening memoir was checked out from Portsmith Public Library, large-print, due date October 13, and inside was a folded strip of brown paper with five words written in pencil. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
6 SEP 2026 · Locked in a Storage Unit: How Sarah Outsmarted Her Kidnapper
The thought of a calm, methodical neighbor disappearing without a ransom call is chilling: Sarah Duncan was missing for 14 days, left a torn cereal-box message pushed 18 inches through a chain-link gap, and the only clue that brought her home mentioned Cedar Mill Road Storage. Who wanted something only she could give, and how did those eight words reach rescuers in time?
In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sarah's routine on Fieldmoor Avenue to the discovery of two unrecorded units at Cedar Mill Road Storage, and we track the investigators piecing together a silence that hinted at a non-transactable demand. How did a reassigned file, a faint compression mark in the gravel, and a manager's memory lead detectives to a locked storage unit?
Person: Sarah Duncan
Date: September 9-22, 2019
Location: Fieldmoor Avenue; Cedar Mill Road Storage
Case: Non-transactable demand; missing person for 14 days
Person: Randy Bennett
- A torn strip of cereal box bore eight words: "SARAH DUNCAN ALIVE RANDY BENNETT CEDAR MILL ROAD STORAGE."
- The message traveled eighteen inches through a chain-link gap on the night of September 22, 2019.
- Sarah Duncan had been missing for fourteen days when the message was found.
- Officer Derek Cauley responded at 9:17 AM on September 13 and found no forced entry and a locked home with Sarah's gray Honda CR-V in the driveway.
- Detective Thomas Schultz wrote "non-transactable demand" in his case notes on September 18, nine days after Sarah disappeared. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
5 SEP 2026 · Dispatcher Counts Generator Cycles to Find Her Way Home: The Marcia Schmidt Case
A torn work-order sheet stamped 4:14 a.m. slid through a mail slot and lay on a basement floor for nearly five hours while its author, eleven feet away in the dark, waited to see if a wire had reached far enough. Marcia Schmidt, a 28-year-old dispatcher with four years on the job, was bound in a four-hundred-square-foot sub-basement with only a short length of copper wire, a ballpoint pen, and a maintenance pad within reach - how did those small, overlooked items become the tools of her survival?
In this episode, we follow the timeline from Marcia’s Thursday evening visit with her grandmother to the maintenance log that recorded a “loose neutral connection” and the technician George Sharp’s forty unobserved minutes in the Carver building sub-basement - and ask how a routine repair and a taped-open interior latch created an opportunity for abduction and the improvised measures that followed.
Person: Marcia Schmidt
Age: 28
Date: August 13, 2019
Location: Carver building sub-basement, Dunnmore
Supervisor: Doug Keppler
- A torn work-order sheet with a timestamp of 4:14 a.m. was found on the basement floor and remained there for nearly five hours.
- Marcia lived three blocks from the Carver building and typically left work at 4:30 a.m. and was home by noon.
- Marcia had filed a complaint about flickering lights; Kessler Municipal Power logged a minor voltage irregularity and dispatched a technician for Monday, August 12.
- Technician George Sharp signed a maintenance log noting “loose neutral connection, common circuit, corrected on-site” and spent forty minutes alone in the basement area.
- Sharp propped open the sub-basement interior latch with a strip of electrical tape and left a short length of copper wire, a ballpoint pen, and a maintenance clipboard within reach of the column where Marcia was secured. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
4 SEP 2026 · She Walked Out With One Paper - How She Escaped Seven Days of Hell
Cold and barefoot, she emerged from a drainage ditch holding a single printed reservation confirmation that would eventually close the case - but no one knew if she was alive for seven days. The paper was booked under a false name using a compromised credit card and an email created from a public library terminal; who placed that reservation, and why was it the one thing she risked everything to keep?
In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning Judith Smith vanished from her duplex to the discovery at a remote cabin and the small mistake that unraveled the plan. We describe where she was found, the details of the cabin booking and the person tied to it, and the single item she insisted be photographed - what did that paper reveal?
Person: Judith Smith
Age: 54
Date: July 2, 2019 (disappearance); July 9, 2019 (found)
Location: duplex service passage; Millhaven Ridge Cabin on Route Seven, Crestfall County
Person: Kent Barnes
- Judith was found on the morning of July 9, 2019, barefoot, wrists raw, holding one sheet of paper pressed to her chest.
- Her car, a silver Subaru, was locked and parked one block from the duplex and had not been moved.
- The cabin booking for seven nights starting June 28 was made under the name Doris Pratt using a compromised credit card.
- The email account used to book the cabin was created from a public library terminal in Crestfall and the sign-in log showed the name Kent Barnes.
- Barnes returned to the duplex service passage seven times between April and July 2, 2019, and allegedly transported Judith to a lofted cabin reachable only by a single staircase and sealed skylight. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
3 SEP 2026 · She Wrote "Help Me Please" - Found by Smell, Not Sight
A woman who had lived in total darkness for eleven years scratched "help me please" into a cheap eleven-dollar watch and dropped it in a river at 12:05 AM on June 5, 2019-yet she survived nine days because a fisherman set a hook, a rubber bracelet carried a partial fingerprint, and one tiny overlooked detail pulled the case back from the brink. How did a routine volunteer route and a parked silver Chevy Traverse turn a familiar four-block walk into a deliberate trap?
In this episode, we follow the timeline from Gloria Gray's last volunteer shift to the discovery of clues that connected a cleaning worker to the scene, asking how small, practical habits and a few chance moments combined to save a life. What sequence of choices and accidents made rescue possible?
Person: Gloria Gray
Date: June 5, 2019
Location: Cutter River / four-block route between Marden Avenue and Hanover Street
Person: Angela Jones
Person: Detective Vicki Morris
- The watch hit the water at 12:05 AM on June 5, 2019 and had "help me please" scratched into its plastic case.
- Gloria Gray had been blind for eleven years and was 22 years old in the summer of 2019.
- Gloria left the Outreach Center at approximately 5:45 PM on June 4, 2019 and did not arrive at the Hanover Street bus stop.
- A silver Chevy Traverse appeared on convenience store footage at 5:44 PM, one minute before Gloria's logged departure.
- Brightside Property Services was a sole proprietorship filed 18 months before the abduction with one listed employee, Angela Jones, age 41. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
Beyond the headlines, the terror, and the tears, lies a story of resilience. Kidnapping Stories brings you the raw, unfiltered accounts of those who faced the unimaginable and emerged. We...
show more
Beyond the headlines, the terror, and the tears, lies a story of resilience. Kidnapping Stories brings you the raw, unfiltered accounts of those who faced the unimaginable and emerged. We delve deep into the human spirit's capacity to endure, to fight, and ultimately, to survive.
Each episode of Kidnapping Stories presents a harrowing true crime narrative, focusing on the victims' experiences and their incredible journey back from captivity. This isn't just about the crime; it's about the emotional aftermath, the recovery process, and the powerful lessons learned. We explore the complex psychology of survival and the unwavering hope that can bloom in the darkest situations.
New episodes are released daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring a constant stream of compelling content. You'll hear first-hand testimonies, expert analysis, and a compassionate exploration of these traumatic events.
Kidnapping Stories is for listeners drawn to true crime stories, real-life dramas, and the indomitable strength of the human will. If you seek to understand the profound impact of abduction and the incredible power of resilience, this podcast is for you. Subscribe now to uncover the stories that define courage.
show less
Each episode of Kidnapping Stories presents a harrowing true crime narrative, focusing on the victims' experiences and their incredible journey back from captivity. This isn't just about the crime; it's about the emotional aftermath, the recovery process, and the powerful lessons learned. We explore the complex psychology of survival and the unwavering hope that can bloom in the darkest situations.
New episodes are released daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring a constant stream of compelling content. You'll hear first-hand testimonies, expert analysis, and a compassionate exploration of these traumatic events.
Kidnapping Stories is for listeners drawn to true crime stories, real-life dramas, and the indomitable strength of the human will. If you seek to understand the profound impact of abduction and the incredible power of resilience, this podcast is for you. Subscribe now to uncover the stories that define courage.
Information
| Author | OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT |
| Organization | OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT |
| Categories | True Crime |
| Website | - |
| creators@obomedia.com |
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