This episode covers two Missouri missing persons cases that later became homicide investigations. Megan walks through the timelines, forensic developments, and lingering questions in Howell County and Jefferson County, while keeping the focus on the people at the center of each case. In the first case, Ira Lee Briscoe and Limon Landon Little disappeared in December 2020 while living together in rural Lanton. Their remains were identified years later after being found in an abandoned cistern. The episode also examines the disappearance of Amanda Kay Jones, who vanished in 2005 while eight and a half months pregnant. Both cases remain painful examples of how long families can wait for answers.

Case 1: The Howell County Cistern Murders (Ira Briscoe & Limon Little)

• Broadcast Deep Dives: The multi-part digital investigative series by KY3 News explores the timelines and forensic developments. You can watch the full case breakdown on the KY3 Ozarks Unsolved Digital Extra video package.
• Local Journalism & Forensic Reports: For concrete details surrounding the DNA matches and official law enforcement statements, the local publisher at Howell County News tracks the transition from a missing persons search into a double homicide investigation.
• Community & Family Pages: To review local timelines, public call-outs, and updates compiled by the victim's family, you can explore the dedicated Ira Lee Briscoe "Justice" Advocacy Group.

Case 2: The Disappearance of Amanda Jones & Baby Hayden

• Audio Case Profiles: For a chronological, comprehensive audio history featuring extensive background context on Amanda, her daughter, and the primary suspect, listen to The Vanished Podcast: Episode 133.
• Investigative Multi-Part Series: FOX 2 News St. Louis reporters Andy Banker and Katie Kormann have covered this case extensively. Their specialized series features on-scene footage, family interviews, and updates on the 2024 withholding of Westfall’s interrogation tape. Review their multimedia package on the FOX 2 Special Series Feature Page and their documentary updates via the FOX 2 St. Louis YouTube Report.
• True Crime Independent Overviews: Author and independent crime journalist Synova Cantrell provides a detailed text summary of the case's red flags and civil law complexities on the Synova Ink Crime Blog.

This Missouri Mayhem episode follows the extraordinary, decades-spanning story of Sharon Kinne, a Missouri woman whose life moved from Independence to Kansas City, then into Mexico, California, and Canada. It covers two murder cases, a Mexican prison escape, and the eventual forensic identification that finally solved where she had disappeared to. Megan and Mindy trace Sharon’s early life, the deaths of James Kinney, Patricia Jones, and Francisco Ordonez, and the long legal and investigative trail that followed. The case matters not just for the mystery, but for the human cost left behind by Sharon’s actions and her years on the run.

Official Law Enforcement Reports & Case Closures

• KCPD & Jackson County Sheriff's Office Case Breakdowns: The joint official media briefing and exhaustive timeline released on January 30, 2025, detailing how a December 2023 Crime Stoppers tip combined with fingerprint data and forensic genealogy exposed her life in Canada.
• KCPD Statement on Case Resolution: The social media logs and public notifications from the Kansas City Missouri Police Department announcing the official dropping of all pending counts following verification of her death under the alias "Diedra Glabus".

Investigative Journalism & News Coverage

• KCUR 2025 Retrospective Report: A regional retrospective exploring how a resident from Independence, Missouri, successfully evaded authorities for over 54 years after her 1969 escape from the Iztapalapa prison in Mexico City.
• Associated Press National Case Discovery Briefing: Detailed global coverage summarizing her life, her 1970 marriage in Los Angeles, and her later career as a real estate agent in Taber, Alberta, leading up to her death in January 2022.
• The Independent World News Breakdown: An analytical article detailing the specific statements and reactions delivered by Kinne’s surviving children at the 2025 press conference.

Audio, Visual, & Biographical Media

• Unsolved Mysteries Case Profile: The classic database documentation covering the multi-jurisdictional investigations and the initial ballroom charm tactics she used to win over her first Missouri juries.
• The Killer Next Door Video Investigation: A true crime visual breakdown from late 2026 analyzing her early life in Independence, her relationship with James Kinne, and her psychological patterns.
• Murderess Podcast Series: A multi-episode audio documentary tracing her local Missouri history, nicknamed "The Pretty Widow".

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

This Still Missing & Unsolved episode covers two Missouri mysteries that still resist a clean explanation: the death of Ricky McCormick, whose body was found with unreadable handwritten notes, and the disappearance of Branson Perry, who vanished from a family property in Skidmore in 2001. The episode matters because both cases show how a few surviving clues can be more frustrating than having none at all.

Ricky McCormick Case Resources

• Official Law Enforcement Files:
  • FBI Vault – Ricky McCormick Case Files: Access the fully digitized, primary documents from the FBI Laboratory's Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU). This file contains high-resolution copies of the actual encrypted notes (labeled Q1–Q3), investigative reports, and the bureau's formal standard analysis documentation.
• Case Overview & Public Cryptography Portals:
  • Wikipedia – Ricky McCormick's Encrypted Notes: Provides a highly detailed breakdown of the timeline, the layout of the 30 rows of code, the internal contradictions regarding McCormick's literacy, and a comprehensive summary of how the case transitioned into a public-facing cryptography puzzle.
• Media Coverage & Investigative Deep Dives:
  • CBS News Investigative Profile: Detailed national coverage highlighting the FBI’s rare decision to lift case restrictions to request amateur crowd-sourced cryptanalyst support.
  • WNYC Studios – "Takeaway" Interview: An interview segment from April 2011 breaking down the unique nature of the cipher and why standard military-grade code-breaking mechanisms completely failed.

Branson Perry Case Resources

• Official Databases & Case Tracking:
  • Uncovered Case Profile – Branson Perry: A dedicated chronological visualization platform that tracks all known names, entities, and geographic points of interest tied to the 300 block of W Oak St. in Skidmore, MO.
• Recent Investigative Tracking & Local Reporting:
  • FOX4 KC – FBI Joint Investigation Report: Details regarding the FBI bringing specialized tools to northern Missouri, specifically documenting the physical tracking, excavation, and sonar examination of the remote well location in Quitman, Missouri.
  • KQ2 News St. Joseph – 25th Anniversary Reward Release: Local news coverage highlighting the 25th anniversary developments, including the active $100,000 cash reward criteria set by his brother Phillip, and the distribution of the Missouri Department of Corrections' 2026 Cold Case Playing Cards initiative (featuring Branson on the 2 of clubs).