Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

On April 27, 2021, the quiet community of Zanesville, Ohio, was shattered when 23-year-old Jayla Wyatt was found shot to death in the entryway of a local apartment. She had been shot six times, including a devastating direct shot to the face. The apartment belonged to Patrick Downes, a man significantly older than Jayla with whom she had recently started staying.

When investigators began looking into who could have targeted Jayla, they quickly uncovered a toxic web of addiction, obsession, and volatile relationships. The trail led directly to 20-year-old Tristaney Baker and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Devin McKnelly. Driven by a deep, drug-fueled jealousy over Patrick, Tristaney had planned the execution, while Devin provided both the firearm and the getaway vehicle. Within twenty-four hours of the crime, police used emergency cellphone tracking to locate the couple in Columbus, Ohio, bringing an end to their short-lived flight from justice.

In this episode, we discuss the heartbreaking details of Jayla's life, the explosive and dangerous dynamic between her killers, and the rapid police investigation that brought them both to justice.

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For years, local authorities in Charlotte County, Florida, were called to the home of Scott Lee Huss and Yana Huss. There were restraining orders, allegations of child abuse, threats, arrests, and repeated warnings from neighbors, teachers, and deputies that the situation was spiraling out of control. Yet, despite nineteen police visits in less than a year and multiple domestic violence charges, the system repeatedly failed to protect Yana. On the morning of April 25, 2007, the violence reached a tragic and predictable end when Scott stabbed Yana to death inside their Port Charlotte home, forcing her eight year old son, Petir Huss, to witness the horrific attack and help cover it up.

In this episode, we discuss the devastating details of Yana's life, the cycle of abuse that kept her trapped, and the catastrophic failures of the justice system that allowed a dangerous man to remain free. We also look at the aftermath of the crime, including Scott's bizarre 12 page manifesto, his wild claims of a Russian mafia conspiracy, and the custody battle fought by Yana's mother, Elena Kuchinskaya, to bring her grandchildren to safety.

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Netflix is dropping a documentary today called "The Murder of Rachel Nickell," and if you want the full story before you watch, you are in the right place. On a warm morning in July of 1992, a young mother named Rachel Nickell was walking with her two-year-old son, Alex Hanscombe, on Wimbledon Common in southwest London. In broad daylight, an attacker emerged and brutally murdered Rachel.

Little Alex was left alone in the woods, clinging to his mother and trying to wake her. The crime shocked the United Kingdom and put immense pressure on the Metropolitan Police to find the killer.What followed became one of the most controversial investigations in British history. Desperate for a lead, detectives focused entirely on an innocent local man named Colin Stagg and launched a manipulative undercover sting known as Operation Edzell to trap him into confessing. Meanwhile, the real killer, Robert Napper, remained free to commit more violent crimes, including the tragic murders of Samantha Bisset and her daughter, Jazmine Bisset.

In this episode, we cover the devastating details of the attack, the police failures that led to a massive miscarriage of justice, and the long road to healing for Rachel's family.

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Back in January, we laid out ten major true crime cases we were watching closely for the first half of 2026. Now that we are halfway through the year, the courtroom developments have been absolutely wild. In this episode, we are checking in on all ten cases to bring you the shocking verdicts, final sentences, and dramatic updates that have unfolded across the country.

We cover the sentencing of Paul Caneiro in New Jersey, the disturbing family dynamics in the Kevin Ellis trial in Utah, and the stunning acquittal of former officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons. Plus, we have major updates on high profile cases like Kouri Richins, Courtney Clenney, Larry Millete, and the bizarre pregnancy fraud allegations against Laura Owens. Some of these outcomes will absolutely blow your mind, so join us as we break down where these cases stand today.

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On March 13, 2023, 24-year-old Colby Vinson received the news he had been fighting for all year. A judge officially granted him 50/50 custody of his four-year-old daughter, Preslee. But just six days later, on the very first night he brought her home, Colby was executed on his own doorstep while his little girl stood nearby.

When investigators dug into the young father's life, they quickly realized this was not a random act of violence. The trail led directly to his ex, Rachiel Moore, and her former stepfather, a man with a violent past named Jason Curtis. What followed was the unraveling of a cold, calculated murder plot documented in a series of chilling text messages and funded by fifty dollars in gas money.

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