A Body Lying There

The cool waters of the Catawba River, drifting through the quaint suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina became the backdrop of a horrific tragedy discovered by passing jet-skiers who were just out for a day on the water. A car had run down the banks of the river and lying next to it was the body of Ira Yarmolenko, a popular young college co-ed. The ligatures wrapped tightly around her neck signaled death by asphyxia, and led investigators to conclude she'd been murdered... The circumstances surrounding her death, as well as the ensuing investigation left a community gripped in fear while cops conducted an intense manhunt to solve a real 'whodunit'. They narrowed their sites on two fishermen close by, cousins, and eventually charged them with Ira's murder. Follow the twists and turns as Fedora, a Los Angeles-based media company, re-investigates the circumstances surrounding the death of Ira Yarmolenko. Have the police truly 'got their man', or is their still a murderer walking yet among us?

episode 19 – the devil's advocate 08/03/2025

episode 19 – the devil's advocate It might be hard to picture yourself on the river that fateful day — after all, there was “no one else around.” Those were the quiet words of Mark Carver, describing what he saw as he pulled into his favorite fishing spot, expecting just another peaceful day on the river. Some say the devil’s greatest trick was convincing the world he didn’t exist. But if we ever needed proof, why look any further? He was there that morning. We don’t always have to see… to believe. The lifeless body of a vibrant college student, lying beside her car on the Catawba River’s edge, is all the proof we need. Was it him at the top of the hill, trying to push Ira’s car into the river? Or maybe he was the one who drove her car into the YMCA parking lot, only to turn around and disappear — choosing instead a dirt road through the neighboring subdivision… down to the river that way. Was he at the fishing spot too, hiding in the shadows - watching the cousins cast their lines while quietly setting his trap to frame them? Maybe he was with them all along, whispering lies and curses into their ears… One thing’s certain: it was his hands that tied the ligatures around her neck. It was his feet that scrambled at the river’s edge, desperately trying to salvage a shattered plan — a plan to sink her car deep beneath the surface of the water, wiping away all trace of what he had done. He had it all worked out... he thought. It would’ve worked, too… until that damn tree stump stopped his diabolical plan. Now the car sat exposed on the shore, like an open tomb. He had to think fast. artist crafts a chilling backdrop, drawing listeners into a mystery...a murder-mystery. As the crisp spring breeze drifted along the tranquil flow of the Catawba River, tragedy waited just ahead. The noon sun beat down on a small-town police department and its tight-knit community — a place unaccustomed to the kind of crime found in large cities. Jetskiers and helicopters buzzed around and above Ira’s car and her lifeless body, while whispers of murder stunned the everyone-knows-everyone town, casting dark shadows over peaceful streets and turning neighbors into suspects. As townsfolk went about their daily lives, they suddenly found themselves looking over their shoulders — wondering… could it be him? /episode/index/show/693b6fa2-9c09-48be-90c1-54b70ca92f6d/id/37530455