Victim Advocacy Episodes

In the early hours of the evening on March 21st, 2012, police were called to the scene of a horrific and chaotic attack on Craig Road in North Las Vegas. The 911 calls indicated that a man had gone on a rampage attacking a woman with a machete and then had started cutting his own throat in a parking lot. Maria Del Carmen Gomez was lying in the parking lot outside of her place of work in a pool of blood, next to her apparent attacker, who was also bleeding profusely from his neck. What happened ...

In week 3 of Domestic Violence Month, we're sharing an episode from PNW Haunts & Homicides, hosted by the amazing and talented Caitlyn and Cassie. Normally they focus on all things spooky in the Pacific Northwest, but in this two-part episode, they have branched out to talk about the Highway of Tears. In case you haven't heard of this, the Highway of Tears refers to a stretch of Highway 16 in British Columbia, Canada, where many Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been found murdere...

Carolyn Clark knew something was wrong right away when her daughter Sagittarius Gomez started dating Eric Covington in 2008 and introduced him to her and her grandchildren, who were only 2 and 5 years old at the time. She saw the signs of domestic abuse in Eric and Sagitarius’s relationship and feared for her daughter’s safety and for the safety of her grandchildren. When the unimaginable finally happened, it was the third time tragedy had struck their family and the second time in only 3 month...

MMA fighter Jonathan 'War Machine' Koppenhaver had a reputation for violence both inside and outside the ring. But it wasn’t until 2014 that the full extent of his brutality came to light. From his disturbing comments about fellow fighters, to an all-out tantrum over a Slurpee, to a chilling attempt at murder, this story shows the dangerous overlap of domestic violence and athletes. https://sinspod.co/47sources Domestic Violence Resources http://sinspod.co/resources Click here to become a memb...

Last season, we shared stories of domestic violence victims from all walks of life. For the next two weeks, we’re turning our attention to a space where these stories make headlines—but are quickly forgotten once the stadium lights turn on. We’re talking about professional sports. The big names, the scandals that briefly make the news, and then… we move on. But for the victims, these stories don’t disappear so easily. From the NFL to the WNBA and beyond, domestic violence in sports is a topic ...

On March 5, 2024, around 7 p.m. on Dreamy Hill Avenue, near Commerce Street and Tropical Parkway in North Las Vegas Justin Smith (his loved ones called him “Jay”) was shot multiple times and crashed his car. He was taken to the University Medical Center and after several days, sadly, he did not make it, leaving behind so many people who loved and depended on him. We speak to three of those many loved ones, Jojo, his son’s mom, his brother Xavier, and his partner Sam. They knew him best so we’re...

We’ve covered quite a few missing and unsolved cases this first season on Sins & Survivors, and so many times we end up mentioning the same thing, that the news media often has very little to say beyond the basic details of a case, and maybe the physical attributes of the victim. Every victim we’ve talked about this season was so much more than what happened to them, and we think it’s important to tell their stories whenever possible. We have a case like that today for you, but happily, we wer...

Camille Dardanes Dotson vanished from Las Vegas in September of 1994. Her friends and loved ones chased down lead after lead, hoping to find any clue of what had happened to her. 30 years later, they are still searching. “Someone knows something” is a phrase you’ve heard us say many times on Sins & Survivors. When all the leads have dried up and all you’re left with are unanswered questions and theories, finding hope can be nearly impossible. Camille’s daughter Ashley hasn’t given up, and she’s...

July of 2024 was the hottest July on record. The sun was setting on July 25 when 2 people cut through the parking lot behind a grocery store in the middle of Las Vegas. When they walked past the dumpster, they heard the sound of whimpering, coming from inside a large plastic storage tub. The plastic storage bin had been sealed shut with tape and left next to the dumpster. They pulled off the tape, opened the lid, and were immediately panicked by what they saw inside. It was an English bulldog,...

It was after 9 pm on Sunday, October 5, 1980, when homicide detective John Trouble Williams was called out to the desert on the far outskirts of Henderson. Two brothers had discovered the remains of a teenage girl along the side of Arroyo Grande Boulevard. The girl would be known only as Jane Arroyo Grande Doe for more than 40 years until she was finally identified and given back her name. https://sinspod.co/episode40sources Domestic Violence Resources http://sinspod.co/resources Click here to...

The murder rate in Las Vegas from the early 1970s to the late 1980s was 3 to 5 times as high as it is now. Given the technology of the day and the fact that Las Vegas has always been somewhat transient with people constantly moving in and moving out, it was often difficult to identify victims. This week and next week, we’ll cover the cases of two teenagers who were murdered in Las Vegas during this time, reportedly as they were just passing through town on their way to California. It would be o...

It's easy to think that DNA is the panacea that will solve every cold case. The technology has come mind-blowingly far and has been used to solve many many cases including the murder of Stephanie Isaacson that we covered just a few weeks ago, and of...

This week, because Erick Rangel Ibrarra, Lesly Palacio's murderer has finally been apprehended in Mexico after 4 long years, we're presenting this Flashback episode from March in which we cover the tragic case of Lesly Palacio an amazing woman loved by her friends and family whose life was tragically cut short We intend to follow every step of Ibarra's prosecution hoping along with friends and family that he truly pays for his horrible senseless crime. http://sinspod.co/episode19sources Domest...

In the early morning of Saturday, October 4th, 1997, a resident of east Las Vegas was woken up at 6:30 am by his dog barking incessantly. What he discovered would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Marillorky Tamayo-Cruz moved to the Las Vegas area in 2018, for a reason it feels like we’ve cited a lot in recent cases we’ve covered: to find a better life for herself and her children. She was, as it so often happens though, married to an abusive...

In January 2009, it seemed like the murder case against Thomas Randolph would be moving forward to bring him to justice for the murders of Mike Miller and his wife Sharon Randolph. Finally, he would face some accountability for the decades of pain he...

When the story around Sharon Randolph’s murder seemed to be increasingly full of holes, the investigation into Tom Randolph led investigators to find out about the 5 previous wives that Tom Randolph had had and sent them down the rabbit hole trying to...

Last week we covered the murder of Sharon Randolph on May 8th, 2008. Thomas Randolph called 911 and reported that his wife, Sharon, had been shot by an intruder, and he had shot and killed the intruder in self-defense.  When the details of Tom’s...

On May 8th, 2008 Las Vegas Metro PD received a panicked 911 call from Thomas Randolph. He was distraught and stammering, and he told the dispatcher, “My wife’s been shot, and there’s a guy in my house, and I shot him.”

Robin Jenkins and David Frostick had a troubled relationship even before they were in Las Vegas, where they moved in 2009 for a fresh start and to help Robin continue and expand her music career. It didn't end up helping, and shortly after moving here, Robin took out a restraining order against Frostick The judge and her family were both shocked and confused when just a month later, she went back to court to have the order lifted. It would turn out to be a fatal mistake. Just 6 days later, Fros...

Michele’s trip to Las Vegas was supposed to be a fun getaway with friends, but days later, her burned body was found in the desert. As investigators uncovered the truth, all signs pointed to her ex-boyfriend, Justin Burns. “We had no idea, absolutely zero idea, until it was too late,” John Carson, Michele’s father told the press after his daughter was found dead in the desert south of Las Vegas. http://sinspod.co/episode28sources Domestic Violence Resources http://sinspod.co/resources Click he...

Karla Rodriguez, whom her family called “Karlita” was like any other 7-year-old little girl living here in the Las Vegas Valley in the late 1990s. Her parents moved here to give their kids a better life and to pursue more opportunities. Karla disappeared on the evening of Wednesday, October 20th, 1999, and hasn't been seen since, but her family has never given up hope that she's out there somewhere, that she had the opportunity to grow up somehow. Police drew strong connections to serial kille...

Let us know what you think about the episode n this heartfelt episode, host Arlene delves into the tragic story of her uncle, Leon Laureles, whose life was cruelly taken in an execution-style murder outside Brownwood, Texas, in 1996. This poignant tale is not just about an unsolved crime; it's a journey through grief, injustice, and the relentless pursuit of closure. Arlene's narrative explores the complexities of Leon's case, a potential hate crime lost in a system overwhelmed with over 20,0...

Stephanie Isaacson was finishing up her freshman year at El Dorado High School in Las Vegas back on June 1st, 1989. She walked to school, just like she did every day, walking up Stewart Avenue, then taking a left on Linn Lane. She often took a shortcut through a desert area, and June 1st was no exception. Stephanie never made it to school that day. In the wake of her murder, despite a vigorous investigation, the case soon went cold. It would be nearly 32 years before her family got the answer...