EPISODE 423: Mary Badaracco

38-year-old Mary Badaracco disappeared from Sherman, Connecticut, in August of 1984. At the time, Mary had been married to her husband, Dominic, for 14 years. According to Dominic, Mary left him and took almost all of her belongings and $100,000 in cash that he had stashed inside their home. Dominic didn't report Mary missing; according to Mary's daughters, he discouraged them from reporting their mother missing to local authorities. The last time that one of Mary's daughters had heard from her was on August 19. Dominic said he saw Mary on August 20, but she was gone when he returned from work. 

Following Mary's disappearance, one of Mary's daughters went to Mary and Dominic's home and found Mary's car parked in the driveway. How had she left without her car? Even more disturbing, the windshield was shattered. Just as Mary had, the vehicle later disappeared, too. In the months that followed, Dominic divorced Mary and moved on to a new relationship. Years later, the case heated up when a member of the Hell's Angels came forward with a tip about what happened to Mary, which may just be the closest they have ever come to finding answers. However, this is a case that many people seem too afraid to speak about. For four decades, rumors have swirled about what happened to Mary Badaracco. The truth has always been just out of reach and clouded by dangerous people. The story of Mary's disappearance spans the spectrum from motorcycle gang members with ties to organized crime to threats against a local politician and even bribery of a judge.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Mary Badaracco, please call the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad Troop A at 800-376-1554.

EPISODE 422: Lauren Willhoit

In late December of 2022, 30-year-old Lauren Willhoit disappeared from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Lauren spoke with family members over the phone on December 28th, and she was seen by her boyfriend leaving their home that same day. It's believed that Lauren may have been staying at a hotel on Mannheim Road in the Melrose Park area in the days leading up to New Year's Eve, though the facts are difficult to pin down in this case. After that, Lauren was never seen or heard from again. Her family became alarmed in early January when her boyfriend called to ask if they had heard from Lauren. Since that day, Lauren's sister, Michelle, has been working diligently to piece together every clue she can find to figure out what happened to her sister.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Lauren Willhoit, please call the Cook County Sheriff's Office at 708-865-4896.

EPISODE 421: Daniel Maleska

On Friday, May 15, 1987, 32-year-old Daniel Maleska left his home in Princeton, Minnesota, to travel about three hours north to Gunn Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. That weekend, Dan, his brother Mike, and several other longtime friends planned a camping trip for the opening of fishing season. Dan and Mike were raised as avid outdoorsmen, and opening weekend was a big deal. While this was their first time visiting Gunn Lake, this annual trip was something they looked forward to all year. The area where the men were camping was very rural and densely wooded. It wasn't a campground with amenities; they were roughing it, but that was how Dan and his buddies liked it. The men set up camp, spent many hours fishing on the lake, drank some beers, and seemed to be having a great time. However, by Sunday morning, Dan had vanished. They found a canoe in the water with some of his fishing supplies still inside. It looked like he had been plucked from that boat, leaving his items undisturbed. Despite extensive searches of the lake and surrounding wilderness, no trace of Dan Maleska has ever surfaced. The circumstances have left his loved ones to wonder if the scene was staged and Dan planned to disappear.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dan Maleska, please call the Itasca County Sheriff's Office at (218) 326-3477.