Rainwalker: The Lost Boy

More from the Times Union - 'Long Buried'

After human remains were found during the construction of a new home in the Hudson Valley in April 2024, it took investigators nearly two months to identify them. When they did, the mystery only deepened. Through newly unearthed records, exclusive interviews and a meticulous examination of the evidence, reporter Phillip Pantuso confronts a haunting question: how does a woman disappear for 44 years without anyone asking why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

More from the Times Union - 'The Girl in the Pond'

In the summer of 1908, America was transfixed by the murder of a woman found floating in a country pond in upstate New York. The mystery of a young beauty brutally killed became an instant sensation, splashed across the front page of the country’s newspapers. Was she killed by a spurned lover? Was she leading a secret double life outside of her station as a governess to the wealthy residents of Troy, New York? Did she know too many secrets?  The murder went unsolved, and after about three weeks, the girl in the pond was all but forgotten. More than a century later, the cold case rocketed back into the public eye thanks to a popular television show and true crime-obsessed pop culture.   In this limited series podcast from the Times Union, we’ll go back in time to an era of wealth and prosperity, rampant political corruption, and secrets and lies in Upstate New York. We’ll unravel the mystery of the life and death of one young woman, and why her story still resonates in pop culture today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

More from the Times Union - 'Catastrophic Failure'

The limousine crash that killed 20 people in rural upstate New York on Oct. 6, 2018, remains one of the deadliest ground transportation disasters in United States history. Investigators determined that the brakes failed on the 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine as it barreled down a hill at 100 mph, carrying 17 friends on their way to a 30th birthday party. It plowed into the parking lot of a busy restaurant and slammed into a ditch. All passengers, the driver and two bystanders perished. But brake failure was only part of the story. Host Jessica Marshall and reporter Larry Rulison dig deep into the story of the Schoharie limo crash. How it happened. Why it happened. And how it could have been prevented. The narrative and the details may be upsetting or disturbing at times. Please listen with care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Bonus episode 3: Bones

The discovery of human remains in South Troy, New York, fuels speculation about what may have happened to Jaliek Rainwalker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Bonus Episode 2: Stranger Danger

The abduction of a 9-year-old girl in Saratoga County late last year made national headlines. She went missing the evening of Sept. 30 while riding her bicycle alone in a New York State park campground. State Police issued an Amber Alert, and along with the FBI and other local authorities, conducted a massive two-day search of the park and surrounding area. Police found the girl nearly 48 hours later on a property in Milton, New York. Her alleged abductor has been charged with kidnapping and several counts of predatory sexual assault. The case happened just a county away from where Jaliek Rainwalker went missing 16 years earlier. In this episode of “Rainwalker: The Lost Boy,” we’ll examine the similarities and differences between the two cases, and explore a much larger question: Why do children go missing in America? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]