Popular true-crime show examining Humboldt cases
The Humboldt Five
In the latest episode of Humboldt Last Week
A popular true-crime podcast called The Murder Squad has been examining select local cases of missing women, known as the “Humboldt Five.”
“Billy and Paul begin their look into the Humboldt Five with this first part of a two part series,” reads the synopsis for their October 12 episode. “They delve into the missing person cases of Jennifer Wilmer, Karen Mitchell, and Christine Walters. Each young woman disappeared near Humboldt County and hasn’t been seen again. The circumstances swirl around the California Redwoods, marijuana, the Grateful Dead, and an infamous potential serial killer.”
That aforementioned potential serial killer, of course, being Robert Durst. He lived in Trinidad in the ’90s.
The Murder Squad consists of hosts Paul Holes, an investigator known for his work on cases such as Zodiac, Golden State Killer, Laci Peterson, and Jaycee Dugard, as well as Billy Jensen, a journalist who has written crime stories for Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Magazine and who helped the late Michelle McNamara with the book “Golden State Killer, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.”
We’ll stay tuned for Part 2 of their Humboldt-focused coverage, which is slated to focus on the more recent cases of Danielle Bertolini and Sheila Franks.
Episode Description: Reader’s Digest, Pawn Stars, an upcoming UFC debut, cougar talk in the redwoods, motorists charged after protest incident, playing with fire money, 911 texting, wine, National Geographic, weed hopping, maskless troubles, the 2020 election, D1 football leaves, a popular true-crime show tackles the Humboldt Five, and more.
Humboldt Last Week is Humboldt County’s news podcast, brought to you in part by Dylan Cimbura-Hernandez LMFT, Belle Starr Clothing, North Coast Co-op, Bongo Boy Studio, Photography by Shi, NCJ, RHBB, and KJNY. Also, enjoy our new-music show Humboldt Fresh Finds 🎵 Saturdays 7-8 PM here.
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So did Robert Hunter pen Dire Wolf after the psychotic murderer Robert Durst?
Seriously?
All white girls I see.
Right, missing are the vanished or murdered Native American women
What about the Thai and Samoan guys that mysteriously deleted.
I’m all for outside agency investigation, but as a society we need life in general to have value.
White and blond? OK calling all cars.
Calling all cars ?? Actually that’s not what happened at all. One of those women was my friend and I witnessed the response when she went she went missing. Her mom came up here and did a lot of the publishing herself. Your identity politics bullshit comment here comes across as incredibly callous [edit]
They’ve been getting lots of attention lately. Native communities have a high rate of missing people and so does Humboldt in general.
I put the cases together, right after Sheila and Danielle went missing. After researching cold cases , the five had the most in common, as to possibly being linked to the same perpetrator. Today all of them except one had known the same guy . We put the families together and made the Humboldt Missing Five page.
It has nothing to do with race at all. In fact it has brought awareness, to all missing the persons in Humboldt County.
Does that person have the initials JJ?
Is it OK if we still try to solve the crimes, even though they were committed against privileged white girls?
Because the angle that some media outlets (not kym) feels makes this interesting is the possibility of a serial killer who target a certain demographic. That’s why other missing people have been left out.
Many serial killers have found a home in Humboldt. 2 pretty notorious ones in sohum in the last 40 years.
Charles Ng was one, the other’s name I don’t remember but both lived for a while up Fruitland Ridge
John Annabel
Charles Ng wasn’t in Humboldt. Southern Mendo for a bit, but his spree came after that.
Thank you. Misinformation. Ng & Leonard lake lived on greenfield ranch before their murder spree in calaveras
Leonard Lake, although he went by some other names.
I remember a body that was recovered at the mouth of bear Creek when the low water bridge was still there.
I don’t recall the name, or even if the body was identified. They recovered the person just before the river rose and would have carried them away.
Now another across the river behind the caltrans yard.
Wonder how long before her identity is released or if her killer will be found?
That was most likely some tweekers that had a fight. Most folks that had a car would not burn a body on the river bar. Esp. during fire season….
So then by many you ment one?
“The circumstances swirl around the California Redwoods, marijuana, the Grateful Dead, and an infamous potential serial killer.”
Thats typical entertainment BS. Lure people in. Make them think its an article about the Dead, and a serial killer. Fuck them.
Kym, are the going to cover the disappearance of Leanne Cleo Eller…
Not to my knowledge.
Why these girls. What about other family’s who have had if not worse crimes of young people missing or murdered under the age of 16. And have no justice. Check out del norte county, some of the worst cold or just botched investigations
….
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see “researchers”comment above for your answer.
Mr. Jones?
People always have said if ya gonna kill some one do it in humboldt cause ya get a way with it there. I was friends with one of those girls,And I say good atleast some one is going to try to solve these classes ,its a start & tomorrow maybe some other cases to raither white blood,brown skined ,Indean,what ever,they should all get investagated ,&hopefully solved,& if this 5 are the start ,good atleast its a start.its something atleast.
rural county lot of places to hide the evidence.
Justice for all!.!.!.
I knew two of these woman, their families deserve closure. If our local Leo can’t get to the bottom then bring in the big guns. JJ should be in prison for his role.
We all know what he did he has admitted it many times just not to the right people.
Rest In Peace Danielle and Sheila. And the rest of the missing woman too.
Sounds like you might want to talk to these investigators about JJ’s role…. Maybe that will help them find the Fortuna motel serial killer. Please do, Gazoo!
As an avid listener of this podcast- everyone who is concerned about the lack of representation please rest assured that they just aired a very good episode a few months ago on indigenous women and cover cases of trans women and poc very often.
Neither of them are from or have been to humboldt. I don’t think they understand how many indigenous people have gone missing here. They do say every name of every missing women in the area with tribal representation. It would be cool if you guys actually wrote in to them instead of complained on here. Those cases deserve attention but comments on this page don’t do a lot. I also recommend listening to the episode.
Thank God these guys care! The sheriff cant figure shit out up here and should have gotten someone involved a long time ago
Alison Richards and Emily Elam told me they knew the guy who killed Karen Mitchell. Said he used her skull as an ash tray can anyone please give this info to investigators , they both live in eureka and shouldn’t be hard to find hopefully Karen’s friends and family finally get the answers they’ve been waiting for. 💔