Episodes
Monday Aug 02, 2021
Episode 93 Murdered in Brooksville
Monday Aug 02, 2021
Monday Aug 02, 2021
On May 9, 1981, Ricky Merrill and Dori Colyer left Hilltop Lounge in Brooksville, Florida. They never returned. 40 years on, their families are still waiting for justice
Anyone with information on this Cold Case Homicide is asked to contact Detective George
Loydgren at 352-754-6830.If you would like to remain anonymous – Please call Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or submit your tip online at
hernandocountycrimestoppers.com
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Episode Sources
Who Killed Rick Merrill and Dori Colyer? RickAndDori.com
Father of car’s owner fears worst. St. Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. May 12, 1981
Families complain of delay in identifying bodies. Tampa Bay Times. May 14, 1981
Services planned, but car-fire victims' identities still unconfirmed. Tampa Bay Times. May 15, 1981
Identities confirmed of 2 found in burning car. Tampa Bay Times. May 16, 1981
Cause of death still unknown in care fire. St Petersburg Times, Hernando Times. May 19, 1981
Police have four suspects in murder of two persons found in burning car. St Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. August 1, 1981
Quest remains unfulfilled as tragedy strikes again. St. Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. September 9, 1988
Case of double murder, vehicle arson still cold after 38 years. Fox 13 Tampa. May 10, 2019
Deputies need your help solving 39-year-old Brooksville cold case. WTSP. May 8, 2020
Cold Cases: Ricky Merrill & Dori Colyer. Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. October 12, 2020
Episode Music
Tranquility Base, Clean Soul, Slow Hammers, Virtutes Instrumenti, Drone in D by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher. The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use
Monday Jul 19, 2021
Episode 92 Taunted By A Killer
Monday Jul 19, 2021
Monday Jul 19, 2021
17 year old Shari Faye Smith and 9 year old Debra May Helmick were kidnapped and murdered in neighboring South Carolina counties in the summer of 1985. Their killer taunted the Smith family and police until a piece of evidence Shari Smith left behind led police to her killer.
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Website: southernmysteries.com
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Twitter: @southernpod_
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Episode Music
Organic Meditations, Despair and Triumph, Almost in F Tranquility, Reawakening, Ambient, March of the Mind by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher and God Be With You Til We Meet Again by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.
Episode Sources
State v. Bell. South Carolina Supreme Court Decisions. February 26, 1990
We May Never Find Missing Woman. UPI. October 7, 1996.
Larry Gene Bell. Murderpedia
The Genesis of a Murderer. The Herald. October 20, 2007
Keep on believing: Dawn Smith Jordan on hope after tragedy. South Carolina United Methodist Advocate. March 26, 2019
The Summer of Shari. The Chrysalis Chapters. May 21, 2019
Kidnapper Forces Victim to Write Last Will and Testament Before Killing Her. The True Crime Edition. November 11, 2020
Larry Gene Bell: The Murders of Shari Smith and Debra Helmick. Talk Murder With Me. December 27, 2020
Denise Newsom Porch. The Charley Project.
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Episode 91 The Alabama Torso Murders
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Monday Jul 05, 2021
In June 1959, the discovery of two dismembered torsos terrified residents in North Alabama. The unknown victims were dubbed Mr. X and Mr. Y until a tip led investigators to a farm where they met the woman behind one of Alabama's grisliest crimes. See photos and sources for this episode at southernmysteries.com
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Sources
Drawings Were Sure to Break Torso Case. The Birmingham News. July 17, 1959.
Mr. X and Mr. Y Source Materials. Jacksonville State University Digital Commons Special Collections. 1959.
Redeemed in the Valley. The Anniston Star. January 14, 2009
Notorious 'Torso Murders' blood trail revealed in AL.com Vintage photos. Al.com February 11, 2016.
Music
Despair and Triumph, Lost Time and Brethren Arise by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriske, Meditation 1 by Audionautix, Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallager. Licensed under a Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Episode 90 The Mystery of the Poisoned Milk Bottle
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Walter Samples was a retired engineer who lived a quiet life in Memphis. That was until someone left a poisoned bottle of milk on his front porch in February 1941. His murder investigation revealed the 69 year old had been living a double life and dozens of people had motive to kill him. See photos and sources for this episode at southernmysteries.com
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Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Relaxing Piano Music, Lamentation, Long Note Two, Concentration and Colorless Aura by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com Slow Hammers by the Mini Vandals. Licensed under a Creative Commons
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Episode 89 The Mysterious Murder of Nell Cropsey
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Monday Jun 07, 2021
The body of 19 year old Nell Cropsey was found floating in North Carolina’s Pasquotank River over a month after she disappeared in 1901. Her boyfriend was accused of killing her. But three people in the Cropsey home the night Nell disappeared later took their own lives. Were they hiding the truth behind her disappearance and death? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
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Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
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Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use; At Rest, Ambient, Reawakening, Echoes of Time and Organic Meditations Three by Kevin McLeod Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; I Am A Man Who Will Fight by Chris Zabriske. Licensed under Creative Commons; Alone by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons
Monday May 24, 2021
Episode 88 Leesburg Stockade Stolen Girls
Monday May 24, 2021
Monday May 24, 2021
In the summer of 1963, 15 girls between the ages of 12 and 15 were held in the Leesburg Stockade for the crime of demonstrating for integration in the deep south. For weeks their parents didn’t know where they were or if they were alive. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
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Twitter: @southernpod_
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Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.
Burden Laid Down by The Westerlies, Pink Horizon by Chris Haugen, St Francis by Josh Lippi and the Overtimers and Magic Forest by Sir Cubworth Licensed under a Creative Commons; Dark Times, Peace of Mind, Elegy and Virtues Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com
Monday May 10, 2021
Episode 87 Watery Grave The Mysterious Death of Fannie Madison
Monday May 10, 2021
Monday May 10, 2021
On March 14,1885, the body of Fannie Madison was recovered from the Marshall Reservoir in Richmond, Virginia. Police quickly arrested Fannie’s cousin Thomas Cluverius who was believed to be the father of her unborn child. Did Thomas murder his cousin? Did Fannie take her own life? Or did someone else have motive to kill her? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
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Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
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Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.
Ossuary New Beginning, Ambient, Clean Soul, Organic Meditation Evening Fall Harp, Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; I Am A Man Who Will Fight by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons; Falling From Grace by White Hex Licensed under Creative Commons
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Episode 86 Deceptive Delivery The Murder of Lita McClinton Sullivan
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Lita McClinton was murdered in her Atlanta townhome in 1987. Someone posing as a flower delivery man rang the doorbell and shot Lita when she opened the door. Lita’s family, Atlanta PD and the FBI agreed on the prime suspect but it would take nearly 20 years to build a case against him. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
Support The Show
Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Dark Fog, Drone in D, Lamentation, Echoes of Time, Autumn Sunset, Meditation Impromptu, by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. Gloomy Night by Marwan Nimra Licensed under Creative Commons.Resolution by Wayne Jones Licensed Under Creative Commons Magical Forest by Sir Cubworth Licensed Under Creative
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Episode 85 The Kingdom of the Happy Land
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
A group of emancipated slaves made the long journey from the Deep South to the Carolinas after the Civil War. There, they established a new life and a kingdom. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
Want more Southern Mysteries?
Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Alone by Lee Rosevere Licensed under Creative Commons. Relaxing Piano, Journey Home and Slow Hammers by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriskie Licensed under Creative Commons.
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Episode 84 Mysteries and Murders at the Magnolia Hotel
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
The Magnolia Hotel in Seguin, Texas is one of the most haunted hotels in the state. 13 spirits are attached to the hotel including Emma Voelcker, a 12 year old girl whose alleged killer stayed at the hotel the night of her murder. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com
Support The Show
Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
Music
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Alone and Shadowlands by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons. Ambient, Drone in D, Anguish, Dreams Become Real, Dark Times and Ossuary 6 by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. Wandering by Lee Rosevere. Licensed under Creative Commons.