Trace Evidence Podcast
Weekly true crime podcast focused on unsolved murders and disappearances.
Newest Episode
250 - The Murder of Janet Shirar
John and Shelly Markley
Sunday, May 25th, 1980 -- Kokomo, Indiana. Twenty-nine year old special education teacher Janet Shirar doesn't show up for a pre-planned family gathering and birthday party for her nephew. After multiple calls to her apartment go unanswered, her mother, stepfather and friend arrive to check on her. They find her car in the parking lot, the door slightly ajar and her apartment cloaked in darkness.
Entering, they notice several concerning details and items out of place. A small, bloody handprint is clearly visible on the wall beside her bedroom door. As they approached the bedroom, their eyes were drawn to the open bathroom door and there, lying face down on the cold tile floor, they discovered Janet's lifeless body. She had been the victim of a vicious knife attack.
Over the course of the next sixteen months, investigators commit all of their time and energy to tracking an unidentified woman who has made bizarre statements about the crime and, possibly, her involvement it. However, when the case becomes a political issue, a debate between the prosecutor's office and detectives leaves the family with neither answers nor justice. More than forty-five years later, the truth remains obscured and Janet's killer continues to walk free.
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Trace Evidence is a true crime podcast that focuses on unsolved cases, from chilling murders to mysterious disappearances. Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines each case, diving deep into the evidence and exploring the theories which revolve around them. For each unsolved case, there are the victims and their families, who want answers and the abductors and murders who hide the truth.
“To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only truth.” - Voltaire
Trace Evidence has been the recipient of multiple accolades, including being listed by Oxygen.com as one of the "7 True Crime Podcasts You Should Listen to Right Away" as well as being recognized by WhatPods.com as one of their "Best True Crime Podcasts." Most recently, Women.com listed Trace Evidence #3 on their list of the "27 Best True Crime Podcasts." In "Ad Large Strike Killer Deal," an article written by Radio Ink Magazine about the new True Crime Network, Trace Evidence was pointed out as one of the top titles in their collective. PodcastManiac listed Trace Evidence as one of the "Top 5 True Crime Podcasts I Subscribe To." WCCO News Anchor Amelia Santaniello listed Trace Evidence as one of her favorite podcasts in “Sharing their Favorite Podcasts” for TwinCities.com. Stayathomemum.com listed Trace Evidence #3 on their list of “42 Chilling True Crime Podcasts that are Just Terrifyingly Terrific.” Vox.com writer Aja Romano in her article “Netflix’s Ted Bundy documentary review: Conversations with a Killer” referred to Trace Evidence as one of the podcasts that goes above and beyond to memorialize and focus on victims.
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