Witness says he is speaking now because he wants justice for Shawna; McDonald County Sheriff’s Office confirms he recently contacted them — This is part of a series on the Shawna Beth Garber Cold Case. You can read the first story here. For more than three decades, Shawna Beth Garber was known only as Grace Doe. After her body was discovered behind an abandoned farmhouse in southwest Missouri in 1990, investigators gave…

DNA links Shawna Beth Garber to a troubled childhood — This is the first in a series on the Shawna Beth Garber cold case. You can find part 2 here: For three decades, the murdered young woman remained nameless. After a couple found her behind an abandoned farmhouse in southwest Missouri, the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office spent 31 years trying…

Many cast doubt on Faycal Ziraoui’s claim but forensics may reveal the truth — This is the second story in a two-part series on the Zodiac. You can read the first installment — “12 Surprising Facts about the Zodiac Killer” — here. It has been a banner year for amateur detectives. In January, true crime activists brought the case of an anonymous hiker found…

What happens when the husband is the ‘good guy’ for 25 years? — We’ve all gotten that cringey gift. Maybe it’s lingerie we wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing. Or a piece of jewelry that borders on gaudy. Or a sweater we wouldn’t be caught dead in. Most of the time, we shrug it off. …

Ghosts, monsters, and murderers for your mystery TBR pile — I’ve always been a gothic junkie but many of my favorite books in this genre are set overseas, in crumbling castles or eerie country estates. I’m a sucker for Old World macabre, especially when it comes to historical fiction. Still, there’s nothing like coming across a gothic novel set in…

The day the dragons returned — There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Which, when all is said and done, is why we never expected them to return. Even now, there is no way to convey to you the shock and delight their arrival in Petris elicited from deep within us. Do I believe this? I…

A low-key guide to the City of Light — After sticking close to home for the past couple of years, I’m ready to start traveling again. Make that more than ready. In the past I’ve been lucky enough to visit a slew of cool destinations: Spain, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Russia and even the near East. …