EPISODE 163: Laura Nimbach

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On February 17, 2009, 22 year old Laura Nimbach went missing. According to reports, Laura’s last interaction was with a police officer in St. Petersburg, FL. Laura allegedly told the officer that she had been at a domestic violence shelter the previous day, but had left for unknown reasons. Laura was in the midst of leaving a highly abusive relationship and was currently without a permanent place to stay. She had been bouncing around from friends homes to shelters. After this interaction Laura Nimbach told the officer she would make her way to another shelter, but after they parted ways Laura was never seen or heard from again. In the days following her disappearance, Laura was due to make an appearance in court to testify against her abuser, but she never showed up.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Laura Nimbach please call the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office 727-582-6333

You can follow Laura's case on social media at What happened to Laura Nimbach.

This episode was co-researched and written by Marissa Jones and Erika Gwynn. To find more of Erika's work, please check out her podcast at https://www.apexandabyss.com.




EPISODE 162: Kayla Unbehaun

On July 4, 2017, while Americans all over the United States were celebrating Independence Day with barbecues, fireworks, and quality family time, 9-year-old Kayla Unbehaun was spending time visiting her mother in Wheaton, Illinois.  The following day, her father, Ryan Iskerka, left work and went to pick up his daughter, Kayla. However, when he arrived at Kayla’s mother’s residence, Kayla and her mother, Heather, were nowhere to be found. Heather’s father and uncle told Ryan that Heather had taken Kayla camping in Wisconsin but Ryan knew that something wasn’t right and immediately called police. In the 18 months that have passed since that day, Kayla and Heather have not been seen or heard from. Heather Unbehaun currently has an active warrant for felony kidnapping.

Link to more information on sovereign citizens: https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2010/april/sovereigncitizens_041310/domestic-terrorism-the-sovereign-citizen-movement

If you have any information about Kayla’s disappearance, please call the South Elgin Police Department at 847-741-2151.

You can follow Kayla's case on social media at Bring Kayla Home.

2023 UPDATE: On May 13, 2023, Kayla Unbehaun was found in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Kayla’s mother, Heather Unbehaun, was arrested and is being held in the Buncombe County Jail pending extradition to Illinois.

EPISODE 161: Grundy County Jane Doe

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On October 2, 1976, a farmer and his young granddaughter were riding a tractor through the fields of Seneca, Illinois. The farmer saw what he thought to be a deer laying in a ditch and wanted to show his granddaughter. As he approached, he found a young woman, nude, her head covered in a plastic bag and a sweater. The farmer drove back home and notified authorities. Soon after, the Grundy County Sheriff’s officers arrived and found a young black woman dead of a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities tried to identify the woman but no one came forward. They were unable to match her to any missing persons reports. Six weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, she was buried in an unmarked grave in a local cemetery. 43 years later, she remains unidentified. On this episode of The Vanished, we are taking a look at the other side of missing persons cases; the unidentified.

Jane Doe's case was re-opened last year. Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson and Chief Coroner John Callahan join us to speak about their mission to give Jane Doe her name back. This episode also includes an interview with Cook County Detective Sergeant Jason Moran who is assisting with Jane Doe's case and also working to identify the remaining unidentified victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Finally, we spoke to Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick from the DNA Doe Project about what they are doing to help solve cold cases just like Jane Doe's.

If you have any information about Jane Doe’s identity or her murder, please contact Grundy County Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson at 815-941-3359 or email him at bjohnson@grundyco.org.

You can follow Jane Doe’s story on Facebook at facebook.com/grundycountycoldcase.

UPDATE: In June 2024, it was announced that Jane Doe had been identified as JoAnn “Vicky” Smith from Ohio. Vicky’s murder remains unsolved.

Photo of JoAnn “Vicky” Smith