The Toll · Murderabilia · Serial
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the true crime that's worth your time
A new podcast seeks to illuminate a 44-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of an Missouri child. The pod is called The Toll (not to be confused with the Indianapolis Star’s excellent crime newsletter, The Toll), and it’s hosted by Nancy Simpson, an anchor at local broadcast station KTTS.
Simpson tells the Springfield News-Leader that for the pod, she interviewed law enforcement agents who investigated the disappearance of Shirley Jane Rose, who was last seen talking to a man in a blue Chevy on the evening of October 17, 1975. Two months later, her body was discovered near McDaniel Lake, the Springfield area’s public water source. Her killer has never been found.
As she reported out the pod, Simpson says that she interviewed family members of a since-deceased suspect in the case, but says that the case remains open. “Obviously some of the important people involved in the case are deceased. But DNA evidence has come a long way,” she says. “We can't give up hope that maybe evidence will lead to an end.” The first episode of The Toll drops on October 17, the anniversary of Rose’s disappearance. You can listen to the trailer -- and subscribe, if you’re so inclined -- here. -- EB