20. Austin Lee Edwards: Cross Country Catfishing Cop

20. Austin Lee Edwards: Cross Country Catfishing Cop

A red Kia Soul runs out of road in the California desert. Patrol units close in. A helicopter circles overhead. Police believe a 15-year-old girl is inside the car—along with an armed driver. Then the name comes over the radio: Austin Lee Edwards. Deputy sheriff. Former Virginia State Police. And suddenly this isn’t just an abduction alert—it’s an authority nightmare. Because the “boy” she thought she knew online wasn’t a boy at all. Investigators say Edwards used a fake teen identity to communicate with her—using the familiar mechanics of grooming and sextortion across platforms like Instagram and Discord: attention, secrecy, pressure, and control. And when the screen stopped being enough… he drove cross-country from Virginia to Riverside, California—turning a digital lie into a real-world emergency, one that began behind a phone and ended with police uncovering what was left behind on Price Court. This episode isn’t only about one predator. It’s about the mechanism: how authority bias can become camouflage… and how a badge can buy a dangerous person time. Content warning: grooming/sextortion themes involving a minor, abduction, violence, and death. 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/]

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/]