Obscura: A True Crime Podcast

Anchorage’s pipeline boom promised prosperity, but under the neon and snow, someone was hunting. In this episode, we revisit the disappearances of young women—Megan Emerick, Mary Phil, Roxanne Eastland, and more—whose lives were too easily dismissed as the city looked the other way. Through survivor testimony, including Cindy Paulson’s harrowing escape, we chart the failures that let a predator thrive and the dogged investigators who refused to let the case go cold. Forensic breakthroughs and psychological profiling peel back the mask of Robert Hansen, the “Butcher Baker,” revealing calculation where others saw banality. Obscura’s trademark approach—unflinching, empathetic, and meticulously sourced—honors the victims while mapping the long, frozen road to justice.Join Black Label on Patreon to unlock our entire back catalog ad-free, plus every Black Label premium episode: https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast [https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast] Our Sponsors: * Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com * Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content [https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Anchorage during the oil boom promised quick money and fresh starts—but the wilderness kept its own secrets. In this episode, we trace the disappearances of young women drawn north by opportunity, and the investigators who fought isolation, scarce resources, and a chilling pattern surfacing in the tundra. At the center stands Robert Hansen, the seemingly ordinary baker whose long shadow fell over a city in rapid transformation. Through survivor voices, case files, and methodical police work, we reconstruct how the truth closed in—without losing sight of the lives behind the headlines. Dark, patient, and unflinching, this is Obscura at its most atmospheric.Join Black Label on Patreon to unlock our entire back catalog ad-free, plus every Black Label premium episode: https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast [https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast] Our Sponsors: * Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com * Check out Chime: https://chime.com/OBSCURA * Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content [https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Not long after 9 PM on that Sunday night, in the sleepy new-build development of Dragon Rise, the back door security light of Jennifer and Stephen Chapple’s home flicked on. Their two boys aged 5 and 6 years old had been put to bed hours before and were sleeping soundly upstairs.36-year-old Stephen was a well-loved IT teacher at West Somerset College. It was a secondary school in Minehead in Somerset, 23 miles away from his home in Dragon Rise. His wife 33-year-old Jennifer worked as a Customer Service Advisor at the coffee shop of the popular Otter Garden Centre in Norton Fitzwarren. At that time on a Sunday night, they were probably thinking about preparing for bed themselves. They had no idea what was about to explode into their home.Join our Black Label at https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast [https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast] to unlock the full ad-free catalog of Obscura Episodes AND Black Label premium episodes. Our Sponsors: * Check out Chime: https://chime.com/OBSCURA * Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content [https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Not long after 9 PM on that Sunday night, in the sleepy new-build development of Dragon Rise, the back door security light of Jennifer and Stephen Chapple’s home flicked on. Their two boys aged 5 and 6 years old had been put to bed hours before and were sleeping soundly upstairs.36-year-old Stephen was a well-loved IT teacher at West Somerset College. It was a secondary school in Minehead in Somerset, 23 miles away from his home in Dragon Rise. His wife 33-year-old Jennifer worked as a Customer Service Advisor at the coffee shop of the popular Otter Garden Centre in Norton Fitzwarren. At that time on a Sunday night, they were probably thinking about preparing for bed themselves. They had no idea what was about to explode into their home.Join Black Label on https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast [https://www.patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast] to unlock the entire Ad-Free Obscura library + entire Black Label Bonus Episodes! Our Sponsors: * Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com * Check out Chime: https://chime.com/OBSCURA * Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content [https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Listener, the story I am about to tell you is about greed, power and control exerted in the coldest way imaginable. On a normal day in July 2015 in Escambia County, Florida, three members of the same family got up in the morning and set about their daily routine. They didn’t know the brutality that was going to be rained on them, snatching away their lives before the day was done. Our Sponsors: * Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com * Check out Chime: https://chime.com/OBSCURA * Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content [https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]