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Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files
by NonStop Local
When she isn't anchoring weekend newscasts, NonStop Local's Hayley Guenthner produces investigative pieces and covers crime all over the Inland Northwest. Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files podcast reveals some of Spokane's most notorious, if not forgotten, crime cases.
Episodes
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Naming the Nameless
In 1984, two fishermen found a woman's torso in the Spokane River. Fourteen years later, a skull police determined belonged to the same victim was discovered on the lower south hill. It took nearly four decades, but a solid partnership between Spokane Police, the Spokane Medical Examiner's Office...
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Aaron Farinacci: Spokane Arson Suspect
On August 1, 2026, detectives believe 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci deliberately started the Old Trails Fire in North Spokane County. His alleged actions burned more than 3,200 acres and destroyed 694 homes. Court documents say Farinacci admitted to starting that fire and more than 20 others...
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What Happened to Wil Hendrick?
Wil Hendrick was a University of Idaho student pursuing a career in theatre. In January of 1999, Wil left the residence he shared with his partner to meet up with friends for a party. What happened after remains a mystery. Wil's vehicle was later found in downtown Moscow with mud on the tires…
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Grant County Bombings | Cold Case Files | Episode 6
In August 2008, two Grant County men were killed just hours apart after unknowingly plugging in devices that had been rigged to explode. William "Bill" Walker, a retired electrician, found a battery charger outside his shop and brought it inside. When he plugged it in, the device exploded. Less...
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The Murder of Toni Tedder | Cold Case Files | Episode 5
The July 1990 murder of 18-year-old Toni Tedder remains one of the most haunting unsolved cold cases in Clarkston, Washington and one of the Pacific Northwest’s enduring murder mysteries. Toni had just graduated from Clarkston High School and was sleeping on her family’s living room couch when…
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The Murder of Linda Strait | Cold Case Files | Episode 4
The 1982 murder of 15-year-old Linda Strait was a cold case for more than 20 years. Advancements in DNA technology finally led Spokane Police to the teen's killer - Arbie Williams. Williams was already serving time for a separate case when detectives finally linked him to Linda's murder. That…
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The Disappearance of Chris Jennings | Cold Case Files | Episode 3
Chris Jennings was your typical teen in the 80's. He was a busy student at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. His family was very active in 4-H activities. That’s what they were busy doing on that September weekend when Chris seemingly vanished. Now, more than 45 years later, what happened to him...
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Danielle Shinaver: 30 Years Later | Cold Case Files | Episode 2
Danielle Shinaver was brutally beaten and killed in her lower South Hill apartment in Spokane, Washington in March of 1996. The case has remained unsolved for decades. Now, both police and family are sharing new information with Hayley Guenthner. Could Danielle Shinaver’s own instincts to defend...
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Downtown Alley Murder | Cold Case Files | Episode 1
*REUPLOAD* On January 3, 1997 a woman named Margaret Anselmo was found brutally murdered. She had been raped and her skull was crushed in. The crime happened as the entire town and law enforcement was consumed by the Spokane serial killer case. It was clear Margaret was not one of this serial...
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The Nurse
It was November of 1981 when 24-year-old Kathryn 'Kathy' Rahe Gregory vanished in Spokane, WA. She was a beloved nurse who specialized in working with critically ill babies. She was married, and the couple lived on the lower south hill. Loved ones knew something was terribly wrong when Kathy…
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On the 12th Floor
In July of 1973, 25-year-old Archie Gonia was found beaten and strangled to death in the downtown Spokane hotel where he was working. The brutality of the crime has been described as 'overkill' by investigators. Archie's family says he was a very kind and gentle soul, and at times overly trusting...
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Forever 16
On October 4,1978 the body of 16-year-old Krisann Baxter was found in North Spokane. She had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted. For decades, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office tried to catch a killer. There was no shortage of suspects, even confessions that were later ruled to be...
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Melinda's Message
No one has seen or heard from Melinda Lopez since November of 2020. Loved ones fear she was the victim of a homicide. The Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information to come forward. To reach those potential witnesses, Melinda's family created a video flyer of Melinda...
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Her Name is Ruth
In June of 1984, two fishermen discovered the torso of a nude woman in the Spokane River. In 1998, the skull of that female victim was found in a vacant lot near 7th and Sherman. Her feet and hands have never been found. For 39 years, the victim remained nameless. Thanks to a tenacious detective...
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The White Purse
In July of 2004, the decomposing remains of Catherine Avis were found in a rural field outside of Valleyford. She had to be identified using a fingerprint and tattoo she had in honor of two of her children. The medical examiner could only determine she had died from homicidal violence.…
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The Little Witness
In August of 1976, a 24-year-old Lewiston mother vanished. For years, Patty Otto's daughters were told she left voluntarily, despite her youngest recalling vivid memories of a violent fight that night between her parents. Patty's husband was arrested shortly after she disappeared, accused of…
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Like a Puzzle
It was Fall of 2003. A suspect broke into a woman's home near the Washington State University campus armed with a knife and firearm. He went on to assault and rape her. Several weeks later, Pullman Police responded again to an eerily similar attack in another residence less than a half-mile away....
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Jane Doe 19
In 1987, 16-year-old Deanna Criswell boarded a bus in Spokane headed for Arizona and was never seen by loved ones again. Her accused killer was identified through DNA long before she was. She was marked 'Jane Doe 19', and that label would remain until 2015 when her family saw a post on the Jane…
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SOLVED: The Campfire Girl
Candy Rogers was just nine-years-old when she was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The crime occurred in March of 1959 and changed the Spokane community forever. The case would go unsolved for decades until a determined detective connected with a Texas DNA laboratory. After 62...
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Red Flags
It's been one year since a Stevens County man vanished. Guy Geyer, 61, was renovating a home near Chewelah. His daughter says after the disappearance, they found his worksite at the residence oddly tidy with his expensive tools left behind. As the days since he vanished continue to stack up, his...
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Missing Angel
Angel Dawn Wilson (Rice) was just 17-years-old when she vanished in Spokane, Washington. Her father recently passed away. He spent the last 14 years of his life consumed with the heartbreaking search for his daughter. Angel's best friend and brother continue to push for answers. If you know...
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The Blue 10-Speed PART 2
The FBI and local law enforcement held a recent press conference on the 40-year anniversary of the abduction and murder of University of Idaho student Kristin David. The 22-year-old was found dismembered in the Snake River. Her case is one of several that occurred in roughly the same area, around...
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The Blue 10-Speed
In June of 1981, 22-year-old Kristin David left Moscow, Idaho on her blue 10-speed. She was headed for the LC Valley. Witnesses reported seeing her speaking with a man in a brown van near Genesee. Days later, her dismembered remains were found in garbage bags in the Snake River. Her cause of…
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Twisted
It took a Spokane County jury less than two days of deliberations to convict Clay Starbuck of murdering his ex-wife Chanin in December of 2011. Prosecutors pointed to a shaky alibi, a switched-off cell phone, and a neck swab that was a partial match to male Starbuck DNA. Nearly a decade later…
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The Hanging on Tubbs Hill
In April of 1996, 17-year-old Jeremiah Taraba was found hanging from a tree on Tubbs Hill. It was quickly labeled a suicide. More than four years after the death, his body was exhumed for autopsy. Still, his family and the many others who have looked into this case have far more questions than...
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Rage at the Rodeway
In 2020, 24-year-old Makayla Young was stabbed dozens of times and nearly decapitated by a man she was dating. Anthony Fuerte entered a plea of guilty to the murder in April and will be sentenced May 24th. The family is asking anyone touched by this story to send statements for the judge to…
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The Good Fight
Sarah Q. Gardner was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and community leader. That's what made her brutal murder so shocking. She was found stabbed nearly 50 times inside her Spokane beauty salon. No one has ever been arrested in connection to the homicide.
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The Deadly Getaway
Ian Eckles went to Kittitas County to go turkey hunting with friends in May of 2020. Ian never showed up to meet them. While looking for clues, friends saw a man driving Ian's vehicle. A three-week search for that armed suspect, since identified as Jorge Alcantara Gonzalez, followed in what has...
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The Missing
This episode digs into the disappearances of three adults, all with ties to Stevens County. Doyle Putnam, 65, vanished near Ford. Guy Geyer, 61, disappeared without a trace outside of Chewelah. Melinda Lopez had ties to Stevens County, but the 35-year-old was last spotted in Newport. While no one...
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Five More Minutes
In January of 2007, 37-year-old mother of three Karen Bodine was murdered. She had been strangled. Her killer(s) posed her body on the side of a busy road in Thurston County. Detectives have DNA and no shortage of suspects, but the case has gone cold. Karen's daughter is now working to get…
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The Last Block: SOLVED
Five-year-old Siobhan McGuinness was walking home in Missoula, Montana in February of 1974. The distance was very short, but just long enough for a killer to find her. After more than 45 years, that killer (since deceased) has now been identified through a familial DNA hit. Richard William Davis...
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A Mystery in the Mountains
In April of 2003, 19-year-old Casey D. Burke vanished. He was last seen near a video rental store in Nespelem, Washington. Casey's family says there have been no shortage of rumors about what happened. The one they believe is that Casey was beaten to death with a wrench and dumped in the…
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Dying Words
In July of 2015, 76-year-old John Sevy went outside of his Kettle Falls home to investigate a strange noise. He crawled back to his front door covered in blood 30 minutes later. Initially, they suspected the injuries were the result of a terrible accident. His own dying words set the record...
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A Secret to the Grave
In August of 2005, a 45-year-old wife and mother vanished in Post Falls. Police and family alike believe Roxann Tolson was murdered in a 'crime of passion.' Detectives have searched for answers everywhere from her own backyard to home foundations across the Inland Northwest.
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Murder on Main Street
In March of 1996, 12-year-old Julie Harris vanished while walking to church in Stevens County. Julie's remains were found the following year. Her mother says the day she vanished, a witness saw Julie walking along Main Street with a tall man wearing a trench coat. Julie's mother fears that man…
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Nothing Good Happens after Midnight
The year was 1984. Debbi Finnern, 30, left all she knew in Omaha, Nebraska behind when she moved to Spokane. Her family believes just a few months after she arrived, she was murdered. Debbi's body was found with multiple stab wounds and evidence she fought back. There have been no shortage of...
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How can dumping a murdered body be a misdemeanor?
Heather Higgins vanished in 2010 from Spokane. Her body has never been found. In 2012, the dismembered remains of another Spokane woman, Kala Williams, were discovered dumped in a heavily wooded area. The families say evidence points to the same man being involved in disposing both women's…
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The House on Heroy
No one has seen 27-year-old Courtney Holden since the summer of 2018. Her adoptive mother and adoptive brother were arrested for stealing her funds and identity. But are they guilty of far more than that?
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Murder, Love and Money
The story begins in Kootenai County, Idaho in the mid-1990s. That's when Christopher Loesch's grandfather was shot to death. In 1998, Christopher's grandmother was also murdered. It would take years, and revelations uncovered in yet another murder, but police finally were closing in on...
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The Devil's in the Details
The wheels of justice have turned at a slow and very painful pace for a Spokane rape survivor. Her attacker broke more than a dozen bones in her body, sexually assaulted her, and left her to suffocate in a tied plastic bag. Because her wrists were so badly broken, she was able to escape the ties...
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The Yates Effect
The late 90's in Spokane was one of the darkest time periods in our history. A serial killer was among us. But Robert Yates wasn't the only killer targetting Spokane women. The family of murder victim Margaret Anselmo knows Yates wasn't her killer, but fear because it happened when it did and...
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The Evidence Room
In August of 1977, the bones of 19-year-old Robert Lee were found scattered in a rural wooded area in Stevens County. Evidence in his homicide was scarce. Because of that, prosecutors held his remains in the evidence room for more than 20 years, longer than he was alive. This case has many…
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Off Ramsey Road
A day at the North Idaho State Fair ended in a mystery that is yet to unravel decades later.
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Into the Woods
In July of 2017, 50-year-old Marty Lang seemingly vanished into thin air. He made it to his rural property outside of Newport after work and set down his lunchbox. It was found about a foot or two from the driver’s side door. Those who knew him best believe there was a deadly encounter in his...
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The Note
It was a cool June night in 2005. Spokane man Steven Allison was walking home from hanging out with his brother. He was found so badly beaten, a shoe print was visible on his face. Could a threatening note found in his room be the key to solving this cold case?
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The Last Block
It was February of 1974. Five-year-old Siobhan McGuinness was walking home from playing with a neighbor friend. The distance was very short, but just long enough for a killer to find her. Two days after the little girl was reported missing, her father says they got confirmation of the entire…
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The Girl in the Lilac Dress
Marsi Belez was just 12 years old when she was raped and stabbed to death in Spokane. Her case has gone cold. Someone out there has gotten away with her murder. KHQ's Hayley Guenthner digs into the final day of little Marsi's life.
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Where is the Justice?
Convicted killer and child abductor Arbie Williams could be released well before completing his prison sentence. Deputies call his crimes as bad as it gets. Will the sentence review board agree?
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Closing Time
It was September 30th, 1992. Richard "Rick" Goodsall, 39, was closing up the bar where he worked. He was viciously stabbed to the death in the kitchen he was trying to clean. "I personally have never set foot in that tavern," said the victim's niece Shannon Welch. For Rick's big brother Jeff, the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
When she isn't anchoring weekend newscasts, NonStop Local's Hayley Guenthner produces investigative pieces and covers crime all over the Inland Northwest. Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files podcast reveals some of Spokane's most notorious, if not forgotten, crime cases.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files have?
Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files currently has 60 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files about?
When she isn't anchoring weekend newscasts, NonStop Local's Hayley Guenthner produces investigative pieces and covers crime all over the Inland Northwest. Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files podcast reveals some of Spokane's most notorious, if not forgotten, crime cases.
How often does Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files release new episodes?
Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files has 60 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files?
You can listen to Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files?
Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files is created and hosted by NonStop Local.
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