Richie Buck finally has the evidence he has been waiting for. After Sheriff Bradley Dewberry repairs Richie’s ancient VCR, Richie plays the 1985 Christmas tape Ruthie Barker Guest recorded in her living room. What he discovers is explosive. Ruthie rants about Santa, threatens revenge, and whispers a strange clue that rewrites everything Richie thought he knew. She mentions the Easter Bunny. And the Tooth Fairy.

With this revelation echoing in his head, Richie retreats to his garage headquarters. Fishing line replaces yarn as he connects every clue from the crime scene. The missing mitten. The owl blood. The suspicious Easter-themed sponsors. The tunnels. The burrow. The grass green Kia Soul with a smashed headlight. Every detail begins to point in one direction.

Richie follows the trail to the home of the Easter Bunny, AKA - EB Cooper. Inside a mound-like dwelling that smells like carrots and damp earth, Richie finds jars of preserves, stacks of baskets, and a mitten identical to the one found near the crime scene. The Easter Bunny brags about Santa’s downfall, complains about holiday politics, and slips up. He admits he set a trap for Ruthie Barker Guest. He admits he wanted her gone. And he admits Santa reached the scene before he could finish the job.

Richie leaves shaken and triumphant. For the first time, he has a fully formed theory of Christmas Eve. The Easter Bunny hit Ruthie Barker Guest with his Kia Soul. The owls followed his scent. Santa crashed into the panicked birds. And the sheriff arrived moments later to arrest the wrong mythical figure.

Richie is ready to take everything he has learned to Detective Samantha Strong. But before he can, a package appears on his porch. Inside are files, photos, and dental x-rays. The sender warns him about another danger lurking in Santa’s circle. A woman named Wanda Van Bratton. Richie knows her by a different name.

The Tooth Fairy.

Santa’s story may be ending, but Richie’s new investigation is just beginning.

It's like Santa Claus. As a suspect. On Dateline. In the South.

Cast: Richie Buck - Jason Usry Santa Claus - Pat Picone Sheriff Bradley Dewberry - Kevin Grogan Ruthie Barker Guest - Kristi Chandler Grogan Detective Samantha Strong - Shiloh Catanese The Easter Bunny - The Easter Bunny

Head Elf, Jason Usry Co-Executive Elves: Rebekah Sebastian, Dr. Shiloh Catanese, Dr. Scott Musgrove, and Michelle Kaz. Santa Maybe, a Criminal is written and produced by Jason Usry Music and Sound FX sourced through Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, Audiio, Universal Music for Creators and more. Additional music and atmospheres provided by Captain Fathands. Follow the show on social media: X - @santamaybe Facebook - @SantaMaybePodcast Web - santamaybe.com

Until next time: BE NICE

The world is talking about Santa Claus. True crime podcasters are weighing in, conspiracy shows are spinning theories, and Richie Buck finds himself caught in the crossfire as the story explodes far beyond his small podcast. Richie pushes the chatter aside and throws himself back into the investigation, beginning with a meeting he both needs and fears. Dr. Peter Vimsickle has completed Santa’s psychological evaluation, and the results are not what Richie hoped for.

According to the doctor, Santa shows signs of narcissistic and histrionic disorders, obsessive tendencies, and a level of paranoia that has only intensified since his arrest. Even worse, Dr. Vimsickle plans to testify for the prosecution. The assessment forces Richie to confront a truth he has been avoiding. His faith in Santa might be less about evidence and more about the comfort the holiday has always given him.

Looking for a wider perspective, the doctor sends Richie to meet cult and ritual expert Dr. Princess Jesper. Their encounter takes place in a cemetery by a lazy river, where Richie discovers a hidden shrine and a voodoo-style Santa doll complete with a shaved-off beard and the scent of hunch punch. Dr. Jesper raises a chilling possibility. Someone may have cursed Santa long before Christmas Eve.

Over pancakes and bacon at The Bacon Shack, Dr. Jesper and Richie discuss the elves, the factions at the North Pole, and whether Santa’s continued absence could destabilize the entire operation. Richie leaves with more questions than answers and a growing fear that Santa’s world might be more divided than he realized.

Back home, Richie sorts through his mail and finds a package containing old VHS tapes labeled Barker Christmas. When he loads the first tape into his ancient VCR, it jams immediately. But Richie has a guy who can fix it, and he knows the contents of those tapes might finally reveal the truth about Ruthie Barker Guest.

Next episode, those tapes will speak from beyond the grave. And Richie will follow the evidence straight to the person he believes framed Santa Claus.

Cast: Richie Buck - Jason Usry Santa Claus - Pat Picone Dr. Peter Whimsickle - Scott Musgrove Dr. Prentice Jesper - Rebekah Sebastian

Head Elf, Jason Usry Co-Executive Elves: Rebekah Sebastian, Dr. Shiloh Catanese, Dr. Scott Musgrove, and Michelle Kaz. Santa Maybe, a Criminal is written and produced by Jason Usry Music and Sound FX sourced through Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, Audiio, Universal Music for Creators and more. Additional music and atmospheres provided by Captain Fathands. Follow the show on social media: X - @santamaybe Facebook - @SantaMaybePodcast Web - santamaybe.com

Until next time: BE NICE

Richie Buck wakes up on his final morning at the North Pole with a pounding headache, a mysterious gift in his pocket, and Mrs. Karen Claus standing in his bedroom.

Karen drops every bombshell on him at once: her affair with Cam D. Kane, Santa’s own affair with Ruthie Barker Guest, and her belief that Santa may have run RBG down “like a dog in the street.” And she wants Richie to be the messenger.

But she also gives Richie one question to take back to Santa - one that makes Richie’s breath catch: Why didn’t you run?

As Richie prepares to leave the North Pole for good, Ellie the Elf bids him farewell with a wink, and Richie boards the long, cold journey back to his quiet southern hometown. He barely steps off the plane before Detective Samantha Strong and half the sheriff’s department close in, escorting him straight from the airport to an interrogation room. Strong has new information: Ruthie Barker Guest hasn’t received a gift from Santa since 1985. She was on the permanent naughty list.

And then, the twist Richie has been guarding, Santa’s sleigh wasn’t covered in Ruthie’s blood at all.

It was from an owl.

Still, nothing prepares Richie for the conversation that follows when he finally sits across from Santa again. As Richie reveals Karen’s affair, the forgotten gifts, and the locket he salvaged, Santa crumbles under the weight of decades-old secrets. But when Richie asks why he didn’t flee the night of the arrest, Santa’s answer stops him cold:

“Because only the guilty run.”

Now Richie is home with more questions than ever, and a voicemail waiting on his machine. Dr. Whimsickle has finished his psychological assessment of Santa.

And his news is disturbing.

Cast: Richie Buck - Jason Usry Santa Claus - Pat Picone Karen Claus - Laura Anderson Ellie the Elf - Sydney Catanese Detective Samantha Strong - Shiloh Catanese Dr. Peter Whimsickle - Scott Musgrove

Head Elf, Jason Usry Co-Executive Elves: Rebekah Sebastian, Dr. Shiloh Catanese, Dr. Scott Musgrove, and Michelle Kaz. Santa Maybe, a Criminal is written and produced by Jason Usry Music and Sound FX sourced through Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, Audiio, Universal Music for Creators, and more. Additional music and atmospheres provided by Captain Fathands. Follow the show on social media: X - @santamaybe Facebook - @SantaMaybePodcast Web - santamaybe.com

Until next time: BE NICE