EPISODE 335: Shane Sprenger

Shane Sprenger disappeared from Vida, Oregon, on November 2, 2021. Shane was a contractor, and on that day, he was working at a job site near McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. Around 9:30 am, Shane left the job and returned to his home in Vida. No one ever saw Shane again. In the days following his disappearance, Shane's truck was found abandoned on a logging road near the Blue River Reservoir, about 16 miles away from his home. The area where they found the vehicle was one of Shane's favorite mushroom picking spots. It was suggested by some people close to Shane that maybe he had gone mushroom picking and got lost. However, it was later discovered that Shane planned to return to the job site to meet with a subcontractor. It did not make sense that Shane would have stopped to pick mushrooms because all clues indicated that he was planning to return to work after a quick break. Shane's family in Minnesota had no idea that anything was wrong until they got a phone several days after Shane vanished. They made the trip to Oregon to search for him. They began to hear strange stories about the day Shane disappeared, tales that simply weren't adding up.

If you have any information about Shane Sprenger's disappearance, please contact the Lane County Sheriff's Office at 541-682-4150.

UPDATE- On June 26, 2023, Shane’s family posted the following statement on social media: “We as Shane Sprenger’s family can finally let you know that some bones were found a while ago and identified through DNA as Shane’s. We will not comment any further as it’s an ongoing active investigation. Thank you all.”

EPISODE 334: Antonio "TJ" Vela Jr.

In mid-June of 2017, 36-year-old Antonio Vela spent an evening hanging out at a local bar in Victoria, Texas. He left right before closing and told the bartender that he planned to grab some food and head home for the night. Hours later, Antonio’s roommate woke up and was getting ready for the day when he decided to take the trash out. He exited the home through the garage, where he found a strange scene. Antonio’s car wasn’t there, but his snacks and phone were lying on the ground. That was when he realized that Antonio wasn’t home and that something wasn’t right. Antonio’s roommate started calling around and asking on social media if anyone had seen him. As Antonio’s family learned he was missing, they began frantically searching for him. More than four and a half years have passed, and they are still searching for answers.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Antonio Vela Jr., who also goes by TJ or Speshul Ed, please contact the Victoria Police Department at 361-485-3700 or Crimestoppers at (361) 572-4200.

To find Claudia Rivero's coverage of Antonio's case, please check out her website and YouTube channel.

EPISODE 333: Jamie Grissim

On December 7, 1971, 16-year-old Jamie Grissim left her home in Vancouver, Washington, to catch the bus to school. Jamie attended classes but got out early because she only had two classes scheduled on that particular day. Jamie had told her foster mother that she would walk home and expected to be there around 1 PM. Jamie never made it home and was never seen or heard from again. Jamie’s family was concerned, but local police assumed she was simply a runaway. Months later, in the spring of 1972, some of Jamie’s belongings turned up strewn alongside a country road in rural Clark County, Washington. Then, as the years wore on, more young women began to disappear from the area, and it became apparent that this was much more serious than a teenager who had run away from home.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jamie Grissim or the other unsolved cases we discussed in this episode, please contact the Clark County Sheriff’s Office at 564-397-2211.