Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Young mom, Sara Ebersole, vanishes without a trace and her family is still searching for answers. On March 31, 2023, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office post a release about Sara’s disappearance. According to the post, Sara was captured on security footage on March 2, 2023, at around 10:00 p.m., in the area of the Circle K gas station located at 17980 N Highway 441 in Reddick, Florida. The release also states Sara willingly left the convenience store in a black pickup truck with two unknown males. The then-26-year-old Ebersole was given a ride from the convenience store to a residence located off Highway 441 in Reddick. She was dropped off at the home with another individual. Sara spent a portion of that night with a male, who lived in one-half of a subdivided residence. The sheriff’s office states that at around 1:25 a.m. on March 3, 2023, that male known as James Robinson begins texting a man identified as Morman. In those messages, Robinson mentions Ebersole is “hanging out” at his home. During the conversation, Morman asks if Ebersole would be interested in meeting him and asked if he could come to Robinson’s residence. Robinson agreed, and Morman arrived shortly thereafter.  According to Sara's family, she goes missing on March 3, 2023, from Reddick, Florida and Sara's Gmail timeline was viewed and deleted and her iCloud location shows on and she's using YouTube until 240am. Someone also attempted to get on Sara's snapchat, at 1:47pm. Sara is not just missing; she is classified as an endangered person.  Marion County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any information from the public that may help find Sara. If you have any information, please call Detective Ryan Stith at (352) 368-3542 or the Marion County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number of (352) 732-9111. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-71 in your tip.    Joining Nancy Grace today,   * Michele Tullis - Sara Ebersole's sister * Matthew Barhoma - Trial attorney with Power Trial Lawyers, website: powertriallawyers.com, Instagram: @MatthewBarhoma * Dr. Leslie Dobson Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Host of a New Podcast on iHeart titled: "Intentionally Disturbing,"  www.drlesliedobson.com [http://www.drlesliedobson.com/] , Author of the Book “The Friend Cleanse - How to set boundaries with energy vampires” @drlesliedobson * Ashley Wardlow- Private Investigator and Chief Operations Officers at Nathans Investigations, website: www.nathans-investigations.com [http://www.nathans-investigations.com/], IG: @miamiprivateinvestigators, FB: nathansinvestigations * Geovany Dias - Reporter for WFTV 9 in Florida, Professor at Valencia College, website: WFTV.com, Instagram: @GeovanyDias01 See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

A Special Agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 20 years, Ed Newcomer worked in Los Angeles in a variety of international posts before retiring in 2022. During his career, he conducted numerous high-profile international wildlife trafficking investigations involving every continent, including Antarctica, and is known for bringing down some of our planet's most notorious wildlife criminals. He is a recipient of the Humane Law Enforcement Award from the Humane Society of the United States and holds a record six Law Enforcement Awards from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Listeners can learn more about Ed Newcomer on his podcast - Nature’s Secret Service [https://naturessecretservice.com/], and on LinkedIn @EdNewcomer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-newcomer]   In February 2004, an Idaho hiking trail became a deadly crime scene when 58 elk-meat “meatballs” laced with a lethal pesticide were scattered in a known wolf habitat. The suspect’s goal? Kill endangered gray wolves. What followed was an extraordinary, boots-in-the-snow investigation involving forensics, environmental science, and sheer tenacity. In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, and Ed Newcomer, a retired special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, walk us through the forensic lab breakthroughs that tied the poison, the elk meat, and even a suspect’s boots directly to the scene. Along the way, you'll hear how a rookie game warden’s decision to bag “yellow snow” ended up sealing the case. If you’re heading to CrimeCon, don't miss Sheryl and Ed on the main stage for Creator’s Row. They’ll be covering another unbelievable wildlife crime case live and in person. Y’all are gonna want a front-row seat!   Highlights: * (0:00) Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum welcomes Ed back to Zone 7 * (1:30) Poison: sneaky deadly, and a nightmare to investigate * (3:00) Yellowstone wolves: hunted down, written off, and finally restored and protected * (6:45) A dog finds a meatball... and the day goes downhill from there * (12:00) 58 meatballs, one drainage area, a hiking trail, and a whole lot of collateral damage * (18:00) A hunting boot with a missing nub becomes a critical lead * (21:15) Rookie collects “yellow snow” (and yes, it matters later) * (24:00) Forensics lab confirms the type of meat and poison * (25:45) “If I see a wolf, I’m gonna kill it.” A memorable encounter from years prior helps hone in on a suspect * (32:45) Search warrant yields boots, poison, elk blood, and hostile bumper stickers * (40:00) DNA results confirm the elk in the poisoned meatballs came from the suspect’s home * (43:00) Why being a wildlife officer is one of the most dangerous law enforcement jobs * (45:45) Influenza, frozen urine, and a guilty plea * (53:45) “It all starts with the wolves.” —Peter Wohlleben       If you’re enjoying Zone 7, please consider leaving a rating and review —it helps others discover the show and supports our mission to share these stories. --- Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students, and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.   Social Links: * Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com [coldcase2004@gmail.com] * Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/coldcasetips@ColdCaseTips [https://mobile.twitter.com/coldcasetips] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl.mccollum/@sheryl.mccollum [https://www.facebook.com/sheryl.mccollum/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialzone7podcast/?img_index=1@officialzone7podcast [https://www.instagram.com/officialzone7podcast/?img_index=1]   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert [https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert] Here's some of our top stories this week: Laken Snelling withdraws from school. A dad hunts down & shoots his teen daughter's accused rapist in a roadside clash...after the family says he kidnapped her. A YouTube comment threatening to “shoot up” and “skin” Black preschoolers leads to federal charges against a North Carolina man. Former Alaskan Airlines pilot; Joseph Emerson is accused of trying to stop the engines of an aircraft that was travelling with over 80 passengers on board.  Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Dr. Hamid Mirshojae's widow is suing the his ex-wife, who is now accused of planning his murder.   Mirshoje was ambushed, shot in the parking lot of his medical office. Prosecutors say this murder-for-hire plot was organized and funded by ex-wife, Ahang Mirshojae. And according to a new lawsuit the plotting did not end with the doctor's death.  The lawsuit claims  the ex-wife is plotting to get real estate and other properties,  for herself and the three grown children the former couple had.   New wife and widow, Ghazal Simorgh,  has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ahang Mirshojae and the others accused in the killing.   Dr. Hamid Mirshojae and his new wife have a six-month-old daughter. He also has the three children from the first marriage, which ended in an ugly divorce and legal battles that have continued for 15 years. Dr. Hamid Mirshojae and his first wife, Ahang Kelk Mirshojae, began divorce proceedings in 2009 when he applied for a restraining order to keep her away from their $6 million marital home. In the petition, he cited "physical violence," accusing Ahang of repeatedly punching him. Legal disputes have continued since. Ahang Mirshojae managed the office of the Woodland Hills Medical Clinic and remained an employee there until 2016, when Dr. Mirshojae reportedly caught her embezzling substantial sums from the clinic. Dr. Mirshojae continued his standard practice. An hour after closing Woodland Hills Medical Clinic and Urgent Care for the day, he was ambushed by a masked gunman near his SUV around 5:30 p.m. The LAPD arrived 42 minutes later to find the 61-year-old primary care and emergency physician with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say a single gunman fled on foot. The investigation led officers to his ex-wife. Joining Nancy Grace today, * Dr. Alireza Mirshojae - Brother * Ana Debasa - Former Patient * Troy Slaten - Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Slaten Lawyers, APC; X:@TroySlaten * Caryn Stark [http://www.carynstark.com] - Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice * Mike McCormick [http://www.MCMInvestigations.com] - Owner and Lead Investigator of M.C.M. Investigations, Former LAPD [for over 25 years]; Facebook: MCM Investigations * Dr. Eric Eason - Board-certified Forensic Pathologist, Consultant; Instagram: @eric_a_eason, Facebook: Eric August Eason, LinkedIn: Eric Eason, MD * Israel Salas-Rodriguez [http://the-sun.com] - Senior News Reporter at The U.S.;Twitter/X: @Israel_SR34 * See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Donna Adelson, accused mastermind in the shooting death of her former son-in-law, Dan Markel,    was arrested at Miami International Airport in an alleged attempt to flee to a non-extradition country. Investigators believe Adelson had Markel killed after a failed push by ex-wife Wendi to move their children to  South Florida, closer to her family. Donna Adelson is the fifth person charged in the murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a Florida State University Law Professor and well-known throughout Tallahassee. The first person brought to justice Luis Rivera, agreed to a plea deal. Rivera testifies he and his lifelong friend, Sigfredo Garcia, drove from Miami to Tallahassee to carry out the hit and Garcia was the triggerman. Rivera, once a Latin Kings gang leader, accepted a 19-year prison sentence in exchange for flipping on his close friend. This week, in Donna Adelson's trial, some of the most dynamic pieces of evidence is the money changing hands and the wiretaps. Mary Hull, from Florida Department of Financial Services, breaks down financial records before and after the murder of Dan Markel. Rivera admits on the stand he received over $33,000 for the hit. Also, the jury hears the feds wiretaps, Charlie and Donna Adelson talk in code and the bump which was orchestrated to trap the co-conspirators into a phone frenzy.  Joining Nancy Grace today, Eric Faddis - Trial Lawyer and TV Legal Analyst, Founding Partner of Varner Faddis Elite Legal, former felony prosecutor and current criminal defense and civil litigation attorney Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy),  www.panthermitigation.com [http://www.panthermitigation.com/], Twitter: @TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology"   Ron Bateman - Former Sheriff for Anne Arundel [AIR -un-dull] County, Maryland - Former Homicide and undercover narcotics detective, Author of his crime trilogy "Silent Blue Tears" and he is currently directing and producing a film documentary on the murders at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis. Website: Ronbatemanbooks.com , TikTok: @Ron.Bateman.655   Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue” launched last week, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Gigi McKelvey -) Journalist, Host of the podcast “Pretty Lies and Alibis” prettyliesandalibis.org, Facebook, IG, TikTok: @PrettyLiesAndAlibis, Twitter: @PrettiesLiesAlibi Dave Mack - Crime Stories Investigative Reporter      See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.