Carolyn DeFord, Part 3: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and People
Release Date: 11/25/2022
The Fall Line: True Crime
Mothers Day 2019 was the last time Calvin Willie Martinez’s family heard from him. After suffering an immense loss in 2014, Calvin had struggled with depression and alcohol dependence. But he always stayed in contact with his loved ones—so when he called them from a truck stop in Albuquerque, NM, and promised he was heading home, they believed him. But Calvin never arrived. Ever since, his sister Becky Martinez has been advocating for her brother. And as she discovered in late 2023, that persistence was vital: otherwise, his case would have remained erroneously closed. ...
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We sit down with podcaster and author Nina Innsted to discuss her coverage of and investigation into Michigan’s unsolved missing persons cases and unresolved homicides—many of which are detailed in her new true-crime book. Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at #rulapod Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Order Nina’s book now: The Fall Line® is an investigative true...
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We continue our coverage of missing child Arden Pepion, and her family’s reflections on what justice really means. In April of 2021, three-year-old Arden Pepion was taken to a shooting range on the banks of the Two-Medicine River on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana. She hasn’t been seen since—and despite years of search efforts, her family still doesn’t have an answer. What happened to Baby Arden? In the first of a two-part series, we cover her disappearance and the experiences of her paternal grandmother, cousin, and MMIP advocate Rhonda Grant Connelly. ...
info_outlineThe Fall Line: True Crime
In April of 2021, three-year-old Arden Pepion was taken to a shooting range on the banks of the Two-Medicine River on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana. She hasn’t been seen since—and despite years of search efforts, her family still doesn’t have an answer. What happened to Baby Arden? In the first of a two-part series, we cover her disappearance and the experiences of her paternal grandmother, cousin, and MMIP advocate Rhonda Grant Connelly. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. ...
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For the family of Anastasia Ferriera, the search has been defined by obstacles: a detective they waited six months to meet, and tips that arrived too late or led nowhere. Her mother, Natalie, and grandmother Brenda have largely driven the investigation themselves, canvassing the International District, funding billboards and radio ads, and connecting with advocacy group Aunties for Justice. In this conclusion, we follow the leads that emerged after Anastasia's disappearance, including a search warrant executed at a southeast Albuquerque address, a missing persons flyer recovered from a...
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Nineteen-year-old Anastasia Ferriera grew up close to her mother, Natalie Padilla, and her grandmother Brenda. Birthdays were always spent together, and texts flew back and forth throughout the day. In March 2023, that contact stopped. Anastasia was last seen in Albuquerque's International District, and her family has been searching ever since. In this first episode of a two-part series, we trace Anastasia's life in Albuquerque's International District and the days leading up to her disappearance. Her family has never stopped searching. They hope someone out there knows something. Rula...
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Eleven-year-old Andrew Oliver Escobar was finally settling back in with his father in Albuquerque. Re-enrolled at his old elementary school, he was playing chess, learning . Then, on June 25, 2023, Andrew went to his mother's for a court-ordered weekend visit. He never came back. In this first episode of our new season, we examine Andrew's disappearance and the painful reality facing families when a child is taken by a parent: that the system is rarely built for them. Andrew is now fourteen years old. His father has never stopped searching. Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when...
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This week we're sharing an episode from our friend Kristen Seavey, who creates and hosts Murder, She Told. Kristen is a credentialed victim's advocate and one of the best cold case researchers working in the field. In 1963, Emil Martens, a Danish immigrant living in a one-room cabin in the woods of Aroostook County, Maine, was murdered. The case went cold. At some point, the Maine State Police told his family the files had been lost. His name does not appear on any unsolved case list in the state. Kristen tracked down records that had never been released publicly and worked directly with...
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Roycinda Alexander thought that justice would come swiftly for her son, Darren Gray, who was murdered in public, in a city park, during his own child’s birthday party—but she soon discovered that the neighborhood she’d raised her family in began to feel like a land of strangers. On May 8th, 2010, 24-year-old Darren Gray attended his child’s birthday party at a Norfolk-area public park; during the celebration, he was attacked by a group of men and endured a brutal beating that ended in his murder. Close to 13 years later, his mother and siblings have more questions than answers,...
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On May 8th, 2010, 24-year-old Darren Gray attended his child’s birthday party at a Norfolk-area public park; during the celebration, he was attacked by a group of men and endured a brutal beating that ended in his murder. Close to 13 years later, his mother and siblings have more questions than answers, and though some suspects were identified—and eventually, convicted—of Darren’s beating, his murderers remain at large. If you have information in the unsolved murder of Darren Gray, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887). We are sharing our two-part...
info_outlineThis week, in honor of National Native American Heritage Day, we are re-releasing one of our most popular series: our three-part interview with Carolyn DeFord.
In the final installment in our series covering the life of MMIW advocate and daughter of a missing person, Carolyn DeFord, we learn how the disappearance of her mother, Leona Kinsey, has shaped her current world--and work--and the crisis she sees in MMIWCR cases; disappearances and murders are undercounted, underreported, misclassified, and rarely addressed outside action groups and specific political campaigns. Carolyn, and advocates like her, are changing that. And they need your help.
Pre order Laurah’s book LAY THEM TO REST: https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/laurah-norton/lay-them-to-rest/9780306828805/
Submit a case to The Fall Line: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/case-submissions
Written, researched, and hosted by Laurah Norton, with research assistance from Bryan Worters, Kyana Burgess, and Michaela Morrill/Interviews by Brooke Hargrove/Produced, scored, and engineered by Maura Currie/Content advisors are Brandy C. Williams, Liv Fallon, and Vic Kennedy/ Theme music by RJR/Special thanks to Angie Dodd, Liz Lipka, and Sarah Turney
Sources at our website: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/sources
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2022 All Rights Reserved The Fall Line® Podcast, LLC
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