I enjoy listening to true crime podcasts. They often provide interesting information about different crime stories. Some crime stories are known while others have less notoriety. One of the better podcasts I listen to is The Vanished—a podcast created by Marissa Jones. Although it’s not about crime, some of her episodes have involved criminal investigations.
Since 2016, she has profiled missing people. What I appreciate about her podcast is that Jones never discriminates against profiling a case because of someone’s social status. She covers people from all walks of life since they all have something in common—they are missing.
I have listened to many different episodes. Unfortunately, they rarely end well. Several have died while others have vanished into the abyss. The most unfortunate cases are ones where both parents die before knowing what happened to their missing son or daughter.
For instance, the podcast covered Gregory “Keith” Mann Jr. After a night out with friends on May 10, 1997, they dropped Mann off at his apartment around midnight. It was the last time anyone ever saw him again. Today, his disappearance still remains an unsolved mystery. His case has gone stone-cold. Although he vanished over twenty years ago, Mann’s father and stepmother are still hoping they find out what happened to their son.
Other cases like Jamison Lemons, who vanished in May 2017, have closure. Remains of Lemons’ body were found burned and dismembered. Police have since arrested a suspect named Justin Jammison and charged him with killing Lemons. Although Lemons died, his family know what happened to him.
I also consider the podcast educational. It goes into great depth about sex trafficking and drug addiction. Unfortunately, many people on the podcast either have arrest records or past drug addictions. Regardless, just because a person has a drug addiction or criminal record, it doesn’t mean their case is any less deserving in receiving media coverage.
Although I find the profiled cases disturbing, what I find even more disturbing is how law enforcement handles missing people. While some law enforcement departments dedicate extensive manpower to locating a missing loved one, others may only offer minimal help. You might assume that a missing person case might become a priority, but this isn’t always true. The quality of assistance you will receive from law enforcement depends on the police department assigned to handle your case. The reason is because there isn’t a universal protocol throughout all law enforcement agencies used to find missing people.
Before dedicating resources to finding someone, a law enforcement agency must decide if someone is missing or if he or she doesn’t want to be found. You must remember that it’s not illegal for adults to walk away from their lives. Therefore, a police agency may believe someone walked away from his or her life and no crime is involved.
I reached out to Jones to get more information about her podcast. She provided me with some great information about The Vanished. She started her podcast early in 2016 as a hobby. Before the podcast, she worked as a paralegal. Although successful, she had a desire to focus her energy more on helping people. As a true crime podcast fan, she focused her podcast on covering missing person cases that have received little media coverage.
Jones also has a personal interest in finding missing people because her grandfather vanished in 1928. Unfortunately, her family received no answers. Her podcast has gained a large following, myself included.
Shortly after starting her podcast, the Wondery Network picked up her show. She then started getting advertisers. In 2017, she turned her passion for giving coverage to missing people into a full-time venture. Jones said she lives and breathes this project when she’s not spending time with her three sons. If you have a missing person case you would like profiled on The Vanished, you can submit a case request form at www.thevanishedpodcast.com. The website has links to episodes and contact information if you want to know more about finding missing people.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and avid reader. He can be contacted through his website at www.themarcabe.com, through Facebook: www.facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. And be sure to listen to his podcast at www.spreaker.com/show/the-marcabe.