Blood Trails

In October of 2024, Dustin Kjersem drove into the mountains south of Bozeman, Montana, to prepare for a romantic weekend of camping. He was never seen alive again. When his girlfriend finally discovered his body, she thought he'd been attacked by a bear. But the truth, it turned out, was far more disturbing. To find Dustin's killer, investigators followed a trail that led through a bloody campsite, a missing axe, two tequila glasses, and a pair of cell phones found by a man who claimed he saw them in a dream. This is a story about finding justice for a man who had never made an enemy — a carpenter, a father, and a friend who welcomed a stranger into his tent without a second thought.
Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File.
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When Bill Roland went missing from Lake Sam Rayburn in 1997, nothing about the case made sense. Weeks later, his boat turned up hidden in a cove, shot multiple times with a shotgun in an apparent attempt to sink it. His truck was found burned. His trailer was somewhere else entirely. And Bill was nowhere to be found. Investigators were left to piece together a puzzle with missing parts: a fisherman who may have had no enemies… or may have had more than anyone realized. Was this a random encounter on the water or something that started long before he ever launched his boat?
Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File.
Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon.
Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater
MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube
Blood Trails on Instagram
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Future Wild is a one-on-one interview podcast pairing host, author, and outdoorsman Mark Kenyon and world-class subject matter experts to explore topics relevant to the future of wildlife and wild places, hunting and fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. Future Wild is here to answer the questions being asked by the deeply curious and passionate in the hunting, angling, and outdoor communities.
Follow now for the first episode, featuring Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard, dropping on Wednesday, May 27th on the Cal of the Wild podcast feed, soon to be called MeatEater Conservation.
Thanks to our sponsor, Conservation First Bank.
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Tommy Ballard refused to let his daughter’s disappearance fade away. After Crystal Rogers vanished in 2015, Ballard became the face of the search. He organized volunteers, worked with investigators, and publicly called out the man he believed was responsible. A year later, while hunting with his grandson, Ballard was shot and killed. The attack was precise. Intentional. And, to many, not a coincidence. As investigators worked to unravel both cases, one question loomed over everything: was Tommy Ballard murdered because he got too close to the truth?
Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File.
Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon.
Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater
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Blood Trails on Instagram
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On his birthday in 1971, Wisconsin game warden Neil LaFave went out to post “No Hunting” signs. He never came home. The next morning, searchers found his body buried in a shallow grave. The brutality stunned investigators: multiple gunshots, and a horrifying attempt to conceal the crime. Suspicion quickly centered on a young poacher with a history of conflict with LaFave. But proving it would take something new: one of the first wiretaps ever used in a Wisconsin murder case. What followed was a breakthrough that changed the investigation, and revealed just how far someone was willing to go to avoid getting caught.
Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File.
Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon.
Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater
MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube
Blood Trails on Instagram
Jordan Sillars on Instagram
MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.