EPISODE · Aug 17, 2025 · 42 MIN
Mommy Is In The Trees: The Tube Sock Killer | UNSOLVED
from True Crime BFF · host Lauren K
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! [email protected]…DM us on socials!Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod) FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcastTikTok @truecrimebffpodcastSOURCES: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 KillerSeattle Times Skull discovery revives Washington murder mystery WAYBACK 4/14/2011Mystery lingers: Discovery of trapper's skull adds clue to couple's 1985 disappearance | The OlympianGoogle NewspapersTimgruver-the-tube-sock-killingsUnsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20
What this episode covers
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! [email protected]…DM us on socials!Instagram True Crime BFF Podcast (@truecrimebffpod) FACEBOOK | true crime bff podcastTikTok @truecrimebffpodcastSOURCES: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 KillerSeattle Times Skull discovery revives Washington murder mystery WAYBACK 4/14/2011Mystery lingers: Discovery of trapper's skull adds clue to couple's 1985 disappearance | The OlympianGoogle NewspapersTimgruver-the-tube-sock-killingsUnsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20
NOW PLAYING
Mommy Is In The Trees: The Tube Sock Killer | UNSOLVED
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Apr 17, 2026 ·16m
Apr 8, 2026 ·17m
Aug 12, 2025 ·26m
Aug 8, 2025 ·11m
Jul 21, 2025 ·25m
Jul 15, 2025 ·58m