Podcasts · True Crime

Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

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58 episodes · in order · Explicit

Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders takes you back to 1983, when two teenagers were found murdered, execution-style, on a quiet Texas hill. What followed was decades of rumors, false leads, and a case that law enforcement could never seem to close.

More about the show

Now, veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps reopens the file — uncovering new witnesses, hidden evidence, and a shocking web of deaths that may all be connected.

Over nine gripping episodes, Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders unravels a story 42 years in the making… and asks the question: who’s really been hiding the truth?

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. Introducing Paper Ghosts

    · 2:30 · Trailer

    Four girls go missing, all within miles from one another in neighboring New England towns. And not one arrest is made. Fifty years later, the search for answers is reignited when a call reveals new information that…

  2. The Dead Butterfly

    · 36 min · S1 E1 · Explicit

    Janice Pockett was only 7 years old when she went missing during the summer of 1973. She had been given permission for the first time to ride her bike alone, so she made her way down the dirt road near her family’s…

  3. ‘I Wish It Was You That Was Dead'

    · 34 min · S1 E2 · Explicit

    One year after Janice Pockett went missing in Tolland, CT, another young girl was abducted just a few miles from where Janice was last seen. Lisa Joy White was 13 when she suddenly vanished on her way home from a…

  4. A Hell House

    · 31 min · S1 E3 · Explicit

    Susan LaRosa was 20 years old and already a mom to three young children when she disappeared in 1975. She had dark black hair, cut just above her shoulders. She was petite, 95 pounds. Her husband said she left their…

  5. 'Mommy, Wake Up'

    · 33 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    WARNING: This episode contains material that may be unsuitable and difficult for some to hear. The story has always been that Susan LaRosa left her apartment to pick up baby supplies and call her mother the night she…

  6. A Dangerous Man

    · 39 min · S1 E5 · Explicit

    All of the missing cases have become like the five points of a star—no matter how you draw it, each point shoots a dotted line back to one person of interest: Bob LaRosa. However, there are far more nefarious secrets…

  7. A Grave For Many

    · 35 min · S1 E6 · Explicit

    A frantic call brings forward a new lead, with new clues and a new person of interest with connections to Bob LaRosa. As local authorities have been focused on a group of violent, sexually perverted men exploiting and…

  8. The Runaway

    · 30 min · S1 E7 · Explicit

    The faces of Janice Pockett, Lisa White, and Debbie Spickler appear side by side on one missing persons flier that continues to be posted around town to this day. The public and media have always grouped these cases…

  9. 'Are You Aware of the Ransom Calls?'

    · 26 min · S1 E8 · Explicit

    For just a moment in 2013, there was a glint of hope that the remains of one of the missing girls had been discovered. For their families, it was a discovery that finally felt like there would be answers. As the…

  10. The Witness

    · 24 min · S1 E9 · Explicit

    He was best friends with Bob LaRosa. His ex-wife has described him as violent. And he’s been talking about bodies being buried in local water wells. It’s time for the Witness to speak. Learn more about your ad-choices…

  11. The Last Remains

    · 25 min · S1 E10 · Explicit

    As far as the investigation into the five cases has gone, a major piece of the puzzle always felt missing. The victims' families have long asked the State Police to bring search dogs out to the biggest points of…

  12. Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 2

    · 2:24 · Trailer

    During the 1981 Fourth of July weekend, four people were found dead inside a massive farmhouse that belonged to a wealthy Ohio family. Desperate to find answers, surviving family members reached out to M. William…

  13. Four Coffins

    · 28 min · S2 E1 · Explicit

    Everyone in Bethel, Ohio, has a theory about what happened to the Stevenson family on July 6, 1981. They were one of the town’s most popular, wealthiest families and operated a number of lucrative firework stands in…

  14. The Rival

    · 35 min · S2 E2 · Explicit

    Police quickly learn that what was initially considered a deadly accident inside the Stevenson home was actually the scene of a quadruple homicide. Was it retribution from a business deal gone wrong? Had Billy shown…

  15. Brookville

    · 25 min · S2 E3 · Explicit

    As the focus starts to shift towards the mystery man who visited the Stevensons just hours before the murders, unique investigative techniques are implemented by law enforcement in an effort to find answers. Forty…

  16. Dick and Dru

    · 27 min · S2 E4 · Explicit

    In light of all the discoveries made during the investigation, authorities still don’t have tangible evidence leading to who is responsible for the murders. Yet, as it feels like the case is beginning to run cold,…

  17. Checkmate

    · 35 min · S2 E5 · Explicit

    Dick Weston is the key to the Stevenson murders. As the Sheriff’s Department and FBI begin to build a case against the former convict, their investigative aim steers toward the two women who alibied him. Learn more…

  18. Killing Carol

    · 27 min · S2 E6 · Explicit

    As Dick Weston remains the prime suspect in the Stevenson murders, one question keeps coming up: Where is family friend Ron Thomas? Meanwhile, an unlikely source surfaces with new information that adds weight to a…

  19. ‘The Lincoln Has Been Sold’

    · 33 min · S2 E7 · Explicit

    Is Ron Thomas a cold-blooded killer, or misunderstood? To really understand Ron, one needs to look at his life before the Stevenson murders. A detective helps reveal where the Stevenson family friend had been hiding…

  20. Ron Returns

    · 27 min · S2 E8 · Explicit

    In the months after the Stevenson murders, Dick Weston and Drucilla Merida were indicted by a federal grand jury–but not for murder. Ron Thomas, on the other hand, was no longer the Fed's priority. This didn't go over…

  21. Cookie Crumb Day

    · 26 min · S2 E9 · Explicit

    When you spend your entire life cheating and stealing, karma is bound to show its dark face and destroy you. Thank you for listening to season 2 of Paper Ghosts. Stay tuned and subscribed for more to come. Learn more…

  22. Season 1 Update: A Return to Crystal Lake

    · 29 min · Bonus · Explicit

    It’s been more than a year since season one aired, but the scores of tips regarding Janice Pockett, Lisa White, Debbie Spickler, Susan LaRosa, and Irene LaRosa have only continued. The Connecticut State Police have…

  23. Introducing: White Eagle

    · 2:54 · Trailer

    From the team behind Paper Ghosts, WHITE EAGLE is a six-part true crime series about a 1983 heist where a 25-year-old armored truck driver from West Hartford, Connecticut, tied up his co-workers, stuffed more than $7…

  24. The $7 Million Man

    · 30 min · Episode 1

    The West Hartford Police Department springs into action after two Wells Fargo security guards reveal that a coworker, 25-year-old Victor Gerena, held them at gunpoint, drugged them, and drove off with more than $7…

  25. Be On The Lookout

    · 30 min · Episode 2

    A nationwide manhunt takes a turn after police recover the car used in the heist. Then, law enforcement learns what a key witness knows about Victor Gerena’s movements the morning of the robbery. This, as Phelps digs…

  26. Epiphany

    · 32 min · Episode 3

    After Victor Gerena surfaces to take credit for the robbery, money starts showing up in the heart of Hartford’s Puerto Rican community. Then, a missile strike thousands of miles away reveals an unassuming piece of…

  27. Aguila Blanca

    · 32 min · Episode 4

    A top Macheteros soldier explains exactly what happened the night of the Wells Fargo heist, including where Victor took the cash in the days that followed. Plus, internal dissent and hubris threatens to derail the…

  28. Lawyers, Guns and Money

    · 36 min · Episode 5 · Explicit

    A series of FBI raids send more than a dozen Macheteros back to Connecticut to stand trial in the Wells Fargo robbery case. Plus, an attorney for the group unpacks the government’s “sloppy” legal strategy, Juan’s…

  29. Where is Victor Gerena?

    · 31 min · Episode 6

    In the final episode, President Clinton’s decision to grant clemency to members of the Macheteros and the FALN ignites a firestorm on Capitol Hill and spells trouble for the First Lady’s Senate bid. A top Macheteros…

  30. Introducing Paper Ghosts Season 3

    · 2:25 · Trailer

    When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away in another…

  31. The Last Goodbye

    · 33 min · S3 E1 · Explicit

    It was late summer 1992, and Tammy Jo Zywicki was driving from suburban New Jersey to Grinnell College in Iowa. But what started as a routine trip took a mysterious turn when the 21-year-old’s car was found abandoned…

  32. Everyone's Daughter

    · 34 min · S3 E2 · Explicit

    A gruesome discovery in Missouri shakes Tammy’s loved ones to their core, as Phelps uncovers a decades-old eyewitness statement that changes the course of his investigation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…

  33. The Man With the Truck

    · 35 min · S3 E3

    Details begin to emerge about Tammy’s cause of death, including how long she was on the roadside before her body was discovered. Then, Phelps travels to Missouri to connect with the man who found Tammy’s body. See…

  34. The Missing Watch

    · 36 min · S3 E4

    A bold claim about a missing musical watch pits law enforcement against one another, as the ISP doubles down on its search for a truck-driving serial killer. Then, Phelps digs in and examines a lead from the earliest…

  35. A New Investigation

    · 39 min · S3 E5

    Tammy’s case gets a second look from a seasoned group of exclusive investigators, who cast doubt on several core theories and point the Illinois State Police in a new direction. Phelps digs further into two key…

  36. The Reckoning

    · 39 min · S3 E6

    Investigators working Tammy’s case take a big risk in an effort to match her killer’s DNA. Phelps and former Master Sergeant Marty McCarthy have a heated conversation about the issues with his prime suspect, as a…

  37. One of Their Own

    · 33 min · S3 E7

    A bombshell revelation upends long held speculation about Tammy’s killer, as the most promising suspect yet is revealed. Phelps discusses everything he’s learned about Tammy’s case thus far, and explains why an arrest…

  38. Remembering Tammy Zywicki

    · 21 min · Bonus

    Tammy Zywicki was more than just a headline. In this bonus episode, hear friends and loved ones share their favorite memories of the playful, strong-willed soccer player who was obsessed with cats and knew how to break…

  39. Is Serial Killer Larry Hall Connected to Tammy’s Murder?

    · 20 min · Bonus

    Law enforcement investigating Tammy Zywicki’s murder spent decades looking into known and suspected serial killers operating in the Midwest. Among them was Larry Dwayne Hall, who authorities have long suspected may be…

  40. Introducing - Paper Ghosts Season 4: The Ozarks

    · 3:21 · Trailer · Explicit

    Summer 1989: in the heart of the Ozarks. A young woman goes missing before a body is found, not far from the Missouri border. Soon, a second body is discovered nearby. The hunt for a possible serial killer heats up as…

  41. Episode 1: “Forever Pain”

    · 45 min · S4 E1 · Explicit

    In the heat of the Ozarks summer, 1989, an 18-year-old woman goes missing. Dana Stidham vanishes in the middle of the day, from the parking lot of a local supermarket. Everyone in the small town of Bella Vista,…

  42. Episode 2: “The Evidence of Things Not Seen”

    · 48 min · S4 E2 · Explicit

    As the search for Dana Stidham continues, her sudden disappearance baffles family, friends, and police, as everyone grows increasingly alarmed that Dana has met with foul play. Then, a break in the case comes as Paper…

  43. Episode 3: “The Skull in the Creek Bed”

    · 47 min · S4 E3 · Explicit

    As the 1989 holiday season looms, Dana Stidham’s body is discovered by a local hunter in a Bella Vista creek bed. Law enforcement shifts its focus from missing person to murder… and begins to zero in on a suspect after…

  44. Episode 4: “The Cave”

    · 38 min · S4 E4 · Explicit

    The investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office heats up in Dana Stidham’s gruesome murder, zeroing in on one particular suspect. Phelps digs deeper, speaking to the suspect and wonders if law enforcement has…

  45. Episode 5: “Grace Doe: Shauna Garber”

    · 48 min · S4 E5 · Explicit

    With the discovery of a second young female murder victim just over the Missouri border, 20 minutes away from where Dana Stidham’s body was found, a new suspect seems to be playing cat-and-mouse with law enforcement.…

  46. Episode 6: “Spawn of Hell”

    · 48 min · S4 E6 · Explicit

    The second female victim, known only as “Grace Doe” for nearly 30 years, is identified as Shauna Garber. Phelps’s investigation turns toward a new suspect in the murder of Dana Stidham (and possibly Shauna), while…

  47. Episode 7: “Killer Confrontation”

    · 51 min · S4 E7 · Explicit

    With investigative pressure mounting on the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s suspect in Dana Stidham’s murder, Phelps uncovers a disturbing phone call made to a local woman in charge of Dana’s tip-line. Meanwhile,…

  48. Episode 8: “The Boogeymen”

    · 1 h 08 min · S4 E8 · Explicit

    In this final episode of season 4, Phelps interviews a suspected serial killer, who he believes could be responsible for Dana Stidham’s murder—the first time anyone has spoken to the suspect about the case in 33 years.…

  49. Introducing: Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

    · 3:57

    Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders takes you back to 1983, when two teenagers were found murdered, execution-style, on a quiet Texas hill. What followed was decades of rumors, false leads, and a case that law…

  50. The Preacher's Daughter

    · 56 min · S5 E1 · Explicit

    In Texas: teens are dying. Two teens go missing on a March night in 1983—and that’s only the beginning. A body count of kids and teens, missing and murdered, in a county that many say is run by corrupt cops - with…

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