EPISODE 502: Samantha Tolbert

In late February of 2024, 46-year-old Samantha Tolbert vanished from Carroll County, Georgia, a rural area in western Georgia, along the Alabama state line. At first, Samantha’s absence didn’t raise an alarm. She kept in touch with her daughter, but it wasn’t unusual for some time to pass between calls. 

That all changed on March 7, 2024, when deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in Tyus, a small community in Carroll County. There, they discovered Samantha’s ex-husband was deceased. What stood out immediately was that the vehicle he had driven to the scene wasn’t his; it was Samantha’s truck, but she was nowhere to be found.

Investigators attempted to contact Samantha because she was the registered owner of the vehicle, but all efforts to reach her were unsuccessful. Friends and family they contacted said they hadn’t heard from her either. In that moment, the troubling truth came into focus: not only was Samantha’s ex-husband dead, but Samantha herself was missing. Suddenly, two stories collided, one ending in death, the other vanished. With Samantha’s ex-husband no longer alive, investigators were left with a haunting mystery: what really happened in those final days, and what secrets did he take with him?

If you have any information about the disappearance of Samantha Tolbert, please contact Investigator Amber Cardell with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at 770-830-5916 or email acardell@carrollsheriffga.gov.

EPISODE 501: Joel Judd

In the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake, the nights in late December are long and unforgiving. On December 28, 2019, 27-year-old Joel Judd was staying with a relative in town. By the end of that evening, he had set out for a night out. By the next morning, he was gone, and no one ever saw or heard from Joel again.

That night in Slave Lake, Joel went to a local bar where he spent time with other patrons. As the night wore on, Joel left with a few of them. On their way to one person’s home, they stopped at a local inn to purchase alcohol. Joel phoned his uncle and told him he was with a friend. Eventually, the group arrived at the home, where the party continued late into the night. At some point in the early morning hours, according to those present, Joel got up and walked out. No one saw where he went, and he never came back.

When Joel failed to return to his uncle's, his family grew concerned and later reported him missing. Investigators traced his steps, using banking records to confirm who he had been with that night, which led them to a house on Whitetail Way, a few miles west of Slave Lake’s city limits. Despite extensive searches of the property and the surrounding area, no sign of Joel has ever been found.

Nearly six years later, his family is still searching for answers. Why did Joel leave that home in the middle of the night? Did something happen after he stepped outside? Is it even true that he walked out on his own? Or did something occur at that house party that has never been revealed? 

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joel Judd, please contact Slave Lake RCMP at 780-849-3045 and reference case#202015563. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip.

EPISODE 500: Conrad Jason Ducharme

In northern Alberta, long roads cut through forest and farmland, connecting small, close-knit communities. It was along these highways in the summer of 2016 that 43-year-old Conrad Jason Ducharme, known to family and friends simply as Jason, was last seen.

Jason was believed to be traveling on foot to Dixonville for a tent meeting. He made it there and was later spotted in Manning. But after that, his trail went cold. Known for walking long distances and sometimes catching rides, Jason often stayed with friends or relatives scattered along his route. At first, his family assumed he was with someone else. Only later did they realize no one had seen him, and by then, his trail was already fading.

What alarmed them most was that Jason missed his son’s birthday at the end of July, something completely out of character. Nearly a decade later, no trace of Jason has ever been found. His family continues to hold onto hope that answers may still come, and that by sharing Jason's story, someone who remembers something might step forward.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Conrad Jason Ducharme, please contact the Manning RCMP at 780-836-3769 and reference case#: 2016-1416531. Or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at canadiancrimestoppers.org.