The Unsolved Death Stephanie Wasilishin
Morbid
09/18/25
•55m
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In the early morning hours of July 9, 1993, police in Sedona, Arizona received a dispatch call from 911 regarding a domestic violence related shooting at a home on Coffee Pot Drive. When they arrived at the home, officers found thirty-one-year-old Russell Peterson performing CPR on his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Wasilishin, who was lying on the floor of the couple’s bedroom with a large hole in her neck from a .44 caliber bullet. Also present in the bedroom was the couple’s four-year-old daughter.
At first, Peterson told investigators that Stephanie had fired the gun at him in the living room, then retreated to the bedroom, where the two struggled over the gun, during which Stephanie was shot. Later, however, Peterson changed his story, telling detectives he couldn’t remember what happened, but he thought Stephanie shot herself. Further complicating matters was the couple’s daughter, who told detectives “Papa killed her.”
For decades, the Wasilishin family has sought justice for Stephanie, but that justice and the answers to their questions have remained elusive. With the passage of time, is it possible for investigators to close the case on Stephanie Wasilishin’s death, or has too much time passed for a resolution to present itself?
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Thank you to the Amazing Dave White (of BRING ME THE AXE PODCAST) for research and writing assistance!
References
Brooks, Scott. 1993. Miscellaneous offense report, Peterson/Wasilishin. Incident Report, Sedona, Arizona: Sedona Police Department.
Eland, Ron. 2020. Sedona Police Department adds more pieces to puzzle in 1993 death. July 27. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.redrocknews.com/2020/07/27/sedona-police-department-adds-more-pieces-to-puzzle-of-1993-death/.
—. 2020. Sedona Police Department returns to 1993 case. July 16. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.redrocknews.com/2020/07/16/sedona-police-department-returns-to-1993-case/.
Irish, Robert. 1993. Sedona Police Department Supplementary Report, case #93-4944. Supplementary Report, Sewdoa, Arizona: Sedona Police Department.
Keen, Dr. Philip. 1993. Report of Autopsy, Stephanie Wasilishin. Autopsy, Phoenix, Arizona: Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Spokes, Walter. 1993. Russell Peters interview, 10-21-93. Interview transcript, Sedona, Arizona: Sedona Police Department.
Spokes, Walter. 1993.
Supplementary Report, case # 93-4944.
Incident report, Sedona, Arizona: Sedona Police Department.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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Previous Episode
The Enfield Poltergeist
September 15, 2025
•72m
In the summer of 1977, single mother Margaret Hodgson called the police to her council estate apartment in Enfield, London to report that she and her two daughters, Janet and Peggy, had seen furniture move in the apartment and were hearing strange noises coming from within the walls. That simple albeit unusual call set in motion a chain of events that would thrust the unassuming Hodgson family into the center of a debate about the existence of the supernatural and forever associate them with one of England’s most notorious paranormal cases, the Enfield poltergeist.
Over the course of roughly eighteen months, the family claimed they were subjected to a variety of supernatural harassment that ranged from moving furniture and knocking in the walls to disembodied voices and even involuntary levitation. Soon after the report was made to the police, the story attracted a variety of news outlets and paranormal investigators, all determined to either prove the case a genuine poltergeist or a hoax perpetrated by two adolescent attention-seeking girls.
Nearly fifty years later, the case remains controversial among skeptics and believers, all of whom want to know what exactly did happen in the Hodgson's apartment and who—or what—is to blame for the disturbances.
Thank you to the Amazing Dave White (of BRING ME THE AXE PODCAST) for research and writing assistance!
References
Amin, Meghna. 2022. "Man behind photos of the Enfield poltergeist ‘still can’t believe’ what he saw." The Metro, October 28.
Brimmer, Ryan. 1978. "Ghost Story." Daily Mirror, March 30: 20.
Cambridge Evening News. 1978. "Pitfalls facing psychic investigator." Cambridge Evening News, March 31: 18.
Couttie, Bob. 1988. Forbidden Knowledge: The Paranormal Paradox. Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth.
French, Chris. 2016. Five reasons why London’s most famous poltergeist case is a hoax. June 17. Accessed October 7, 2023. https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/five-reasons-why-londons-most-famous-poltergeist-case-is-a-hoax-061616.
Grosse, Maurice. 1977. "Poltergeist in Enfield." The Observer, November 20: 16.
Hyde, Deborah. 2015. "The Enfield 'poltergeist:' a sceptic speaks." The Guardian, May 1.
Nickell, Joe. 2012. "Enfield Poltergeist." Skeptical Inquirer 36 (4): 12-14.
Playfair, Guy Lyon. 1980. This House is Haunted. New York, NY: Stein and Day.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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Next Episode
Dialing the Dead: A Séance with Sam & Colby
September 22, 2025
•113m
Weirdos! This week, we’re diving headfirst into the haunted and the unexplainable with none other than Sam & Colby! They’ve shared their passion for seeking the paranormal, taunting the unknown, and occasionally screaming at shadows in abandoned places. Sam & Colby talk about some of their most terrifying (and hilarious) experiences on the road, as well as answer questions we can confidently say they’ve never been asked!
Want to watch their ghost hunts? Check out their YouTube Channel HERE!
Interested in doing a ghost hunt at the haunted school they purchased? Book your experience HERE!
Check out their Escape Room: Room 1952 Asylum? Book it HERE!
Purchase their NEW Hunt A Killer Game: The Haunting of Wicker Ridge HERE!
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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