3:13 AM Crash Alert: The Murder of Melody Hoffman
Crime Salad
08/07/26
•44m
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At 3:13 AM automated Apple SOS crash alert from a daughter's phone would send any parent into a frantic search. This was the terrifying reality for the mother of 20-year-old Melody Hoffman. But instead of a car crash, she found Melody's shattered phone abandoned on an empty road, a discovery that raised a chilling set of questions. Hours later, a devastating find was made in a secluded area near Lily Pond.
In this episode, we untangle the heartbreaking case of Melody Hoffman, a trusting, bright young woman from Marion, Iowa, who was betrayed in a premeditated plot fueled by a volatile love triangle. We walk through the chilling digital deception used to cover the killers' tracks, the timeline of that tragic night, and the forensic evidence that ultimately brought them to justice. Melody believed in the goodness of people and just wanted to make others smile; this is her story.
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The Coward's Route: Ryan Borgwardt
July 25
•46m
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From reversing a vasectomy in secret, to exploiting Western Union loopholes, to fleeing to Eastern Europe, this case proves that the truth is often stranger than fiction. We unpack the devastating financial reality of community property laws, the psychological toll of marital waste, and how a father's desperate fight-or-flight response sparked a viral international manhunt.
Ryan Borgwardt, a local cabinet maker living in Wisconsin with his wife and three kids, chooses to stage an accidental death like it’s a movie set and flee the country. His travels take him by child-sized inflatable raft, to a hidden e-bike, to a Greyhound bus, and finally onto an international flight to meet a distant connection he fell for online. Will his grand illusion work, or will his family be left absolutely devastated and heartbroken to discover he’s actually not at the bottom of Green Lake but has been planning a cowardly escape route right under their noses? Debt. Lust. Greed.
In this bizarre true crime investigation, we dive deep into the chilling timeline of the Green Lake missing kayaker. When an empty kayak and a floating life jacket trigger a massive 58-day underwater sonar search by first responders and Bruce's Legacy, a grieving community believes the worst. But a cracked laptop, a secret second passport, a $375,000 life insurance policy, and a staggering $200,000 in hidden marital debt soon reveal a mind-blowing twist.
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Next Episode
In November 2023, the tight-knit community of Lacey, Washington, was rocked when a beloved local chiropractor, Dr. Karen Koep, mysteriously failed to show up for work. When deputies arrived at the home she shared with her husband, Davido, they found a chilling scene: the exterior locks had been bizarrely drilled out, and the air was thick with the chemical smell of bleach. Inside, investigators discovered an "unsurvivable" amount of blood, with the frantic tracks of a household vacuum cleaner dragged straight through it. But Karen and Davido were nowhere to be found.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on the couple's rental property compound and a tenant named Timothy Burke. To put it simply, what began as a standard landlord-tenant dispute had secretly mutated into a terrifying, paranoid delusion, culminating in every property owner's absolute worst nightmare.
Join Ashley and Ricky this week as they break down the chaotic forensics of the crime scene, the chilling digital footprint left behind by the killer, and the tragic loss of a couple who dedicated their lives to healing and helping those around them.
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