Lurkers

19. Morata's Triple Murder (Spain): The Spell and the Debt

Morata de Tajuña sits just outside Madrid, Spain, a small town where routines are a heartbeat. And when that heartbeat stops… everyone feels it. Three elderly siblings, known around town and always moving together, suddenly vanish from daily life. Days turn into weeks. The shutters stay closed. The lights don’t come on. And when authorities finally enter the home, Morata realizes this isn’t just a disappearance… it’s the end of something that had been building quietly for years. This episode follows two forces that collide: The Spell: a long-running Facebook romance scam, messages that feel personal, promises that feel divine, and an “inheritance” that’s always one payment away. The Debt: when the money runs out, belief doesn’t disappear. It gets heavy. It turns local. And it becomes dangerous. Because their debt now has an address. Hosted by Frank Battiston. Produced by Daniel Urdanivia. A PowerTale Podcasts production. Stay Aware · Stay Present · Stay Safe. — Follow LURKERS: Instagram: @thelurkers_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thelurkers_podcast/] TikTok: @thelurkerspodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@thelurkerspodcast] YouTube: @TheLurkersPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLurkersPodcast] Website: www.thelurkerspodcast.com [http://www.thelurkerspodcast.com/]

18. Ryan Last & Eli Heacock: 45-Minute Sextortion

Two teenagers. Two different states: California and Kentucky. One crime that spreads faster than shame can be spoken out loud: sextortion. It starts with a message that feels private, a quick exchange. Then the screen flips. Suddenly, it’s online blackmail, and the threat comes with a timer: 45 minutes. Pay, or your life gets detonated in front of everyone you know. In this episode, we tell two stories side by side. Ryan Last pulled into a sextortion scam built on urgency and fear. And Elijah “Eli” Heacock, facing a chilling evolution of the same trap... where the leverage can be manufactured, including AI-generated explicit images designed to feel real enough to ruin you. This isn’t about “bad choices.” It’s about a system engineered to isolate victims, rush decisions, and keep them silent. We break down how the scam works, the red flags families miss, and what to do in the first critical minutes... before the countdown wins. Resource: NCMEC Take It Down (free tool): https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/ [https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/] Hosted by Frank Battiston. Produced by Daniel Urdanivia. A PowerTale Podcasts Production. Stay Aware · Stay Present · Stay Safe. — Follow LURKERS: Instagram: @thelurkers_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thelurkers_podcast/] TikTok: @thelurkerspodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@thelurkerspodcast] YouTube: @TheLurkersPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLurkersPodcast] Website: www.thelurkerspodcast.com [http://www.thelurkerspodcast.com/]

17. Sydney Loofe: The Tinder Mask

Sydney Loofe goes missing in Lincoln, Nebraska after a night connected to Tinder... and within hours, the search isn’t just happening in the streets. It’s happening online. A video appears. A calm voice. A plea that sounds like concern. But in a missing-person case, a public narrative can become a weapon… especially when it’s posted before anyone can verify the timeline. Investigators and friends focus on the first real digital lead: a dating app profile name, “Audrey.” A chat thread. A phone number. And a version of events that starts to bend the more it’s repeated. This episode follows the case as two timelines collide: what people thought they were watching… and what the evidence quietly starts to reveal. Hosted by Frank Battiston. Produced by Daniel Urdanivia. A PowerTale Podcasts production. Stay Aware · Stay Present · Stay Safe. — Follow LURKERS: Instagram: @thelurkers_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thelurkers_podcast/] TikTok: @thelurkerspodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@thelurkerspodcast] YouTube: @TheLurkersPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLurkersPodcast] Website: www.thelurkerspodcast.com [http://www.thelurkerspodcast.com/]

16. Laura Kowal: The Mysterious Disappearance

Kelly Gowe gets a voicemail from a federal agent: “I’m calling in regards to your mother, Laura Kowal, who may have been involved in a fraud scam.” She calls her mom. Laura answers. She is alive. But her voice doesn’t sound right. Scattered. Distant. Like she’s already inside something she doesn’t want to explain. Then Laura disappears. What started as online dating becomes something darker: a romance-scam persona, a fake “investment” opportunity, and a slow shift from affection… to instructions… to control. We follow the breadcrumbs—messages, accounts, and a widening trail of movement that takes investigators far from home—leaving Kelly with a timeline full of gaps and a conclusion that doesn’t feel like an answer. The official conclusion raises new questions… and Kelly believes the truth is darker. Hosted by Frank Battiston. Produced by Daniel Urdanivia. A PowerTale Podcasts production. Stay Aware · Stay Present · Stay Safe. — Follow LURKERS: Instagram: @thelurkers_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thelurkers_podcast/] TikTok: @thelurkerspodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@thelurkerspodcast] YouTube: @TheLurkersPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLurkersPodcast] Website: www.thelurkerspodcast.com [http://www.thelurkerspodcast.com/]

15. Ashley Wadsworth: When Love Turned into a Trap

She was 19. He was charming from a distance. Ashley Wadsworth meets Jack Sepple online, and what starts as attention quickly becomes a relationship built on messages, calls, and promises that feel bigger when you’re young and hopeful. Before long, Ashley leaves Vernon, British Columbia, and moves to Chelmsford, England. Into his orbit, into his control. But the real story isn’t just “a bad boyfriend.” It’s how fast isolation can happen when love is long-distance… and how quickly the warning signs escalate when the relationship becomes real life. This episode follows the timeline as Ashley’s world narrows—friends growing worried, family kept at a distance, and the tension behind closed doors turning into something she can’t talk her way out of. And it ends with the moment everyone around her feared: when the person she trusted most became the danger. Hosted by Frank Battiston. Produced by Daniel Urdanivia. A PowerTale Podcasts production. Stay Aware · Stay Present · Stay Safe. — Follow LURKERS: Instagram: @thelurkers_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thelurkers_podcast/] TikTok: @thelurkerspodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@thelurkerspodcast] YouTube: @TheLurkersPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLurkersPodcast] Website: www.thelurkerspodcast.com [http://www.thelurkerspodcast.com/]