Did you know that there are several disappearances from the television show, Disappeared, that have actually been solved since their release?! Walk through five of those cases that hosts Patrick Hinds and Ellyn Marsh have covered on their true crime podcast, Obsessed with Disappeared. Then, let us know on Twitter @disappearedpod if any of these on our list surprised you! Be warned: spoilers ahead.
When Rosemary Christensen vanished from her home in 1999, investigators looked to her husband, Robert Temple, as a key suspect. But after he cooperated with the police, Robert seemed less likely to have had a hand in Rosemary's disappearance... until Robert's GIRLFRIEND led police to the BODY of Rosemary. Then in 2011 – 12 years after Rosemary was killed – Robert actually represented himself in court and took the stand, where he admitted to disposing of Rosemary's body. After the proceedings, Temple was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole, being found guilty for the murder of Rosemary. He died in prison in 2018.
In 2007, 17 year-old Kara Kopetsky left for school – and never returned home. At the time of her vanishing, Kara had a temporary restraining order against a boy named Kylr, but she called him the day she died, according to phone records. Initially, he was cleared as a suspect. It wasn't until anonymous tips began to flood in to police about Kylr's disturbing and abusive behavior years later that police found the new lead that led to the remains of a young woman named Jessica Runions. And next to whom was Jessica buried? Kara Kopetsky. A decade later, in 2017, Kara was finally laid to rest, and according to NPR, her killer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter for Kara’s death and second-degree murder for Jessica's death.
The McStay family led a normal and pretty predictable life. So, when the entire family vanished one day with no explanation, friends and family were baffled. For years, the few clues that existed led the investigation nowhere. However, in 2013, three years after their initial disappearance, police found the bodies of all family members in the desert. The culprit? The McStay father's business partner, Charles Merritt. He was sentenced to death in 2020.
Tanya Rider went missing in 2007. Just when police suspect her husband in her disappearance... Tanya was found ALIVE and still strapped into her car, having barely survived a horrible accident. She lived, strapped in her car, without food and water, for eight days. EIGHT. DAYS. But what happens after she was found just enraged us even more... You've got to listen to how the police handled this case (hint: POORLY!).
When 32-year-old mother of four Amber Gerweck vanished, investigators thought the worst. They suspected her family may even be in involved in her disappearance. But what they found instead... are you sitting down? Good. The police found her – ALIVE – in the hospital with amnesia. Her mind was literally stuck in the 1980s. She didn't even remember her kids at first. Luckily, she's doing better and remembering more, with time. What a bananas twist!!
Listen to these episodes and more from Obsessed with Disappeared wherever you download podcasts.