When Toni Bachman disappeared from White Bear Township, Minnesota in April 1997, investigators initially faced uncertainty. Some believed she may have left on her own. But as police searched the family home, disturbing evidence began to emerge—evidence that challenged the idea that Toni had simply walked away.

In Part 2 of this two-part series, we follow the investigation into Toni Bachman’s disappearance as it shifted from a missing persons case to something far darker. Inside the Bachman home, authorities uncovered blood, tissue, and signs of violence. Yet despite mounting evidence, no arrest came for years.

This episode explores the long aftermath of Toni’s disappearance: the changing explanations, the pressure placed on Norman Bachman’s children to recount what they witnessed, allegations of violence that followed, and the decades-long wait before charges were finally filed.

Nearly eighteen years after Toni vanished, a confession would offer answers—but not closure.

Because Toni Bachman has never been found.

If you have information about the disappearance of Toni Bachman, please contact the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office at 651-266-9670.

📍 White Bear Township, Minnesota | April 25, 1997

📖 Featuring an original poem written in her honor, read by actress Astrid Rotenberry.

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📚 Get Aimee’s book, Doe, now available via University of Akron Press, Bookshop.org, and Amazon.

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More about Astrid Rotenberry:
Astrid Rotenberry is a New York–based actress best known for her role as Catherine Kelly in Netflix’s His & Hers. Other credits include The Four Seasons, Law & Order: SVU, and the upcoming Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed on Apple TV+. Originally from Tennessee, she holds a BFA in Theatre Performance and is passionate about making the arts accessible and encouraging young artists to pursue their dreams.

In 1997, as the internet connected strangers across state lines, Minnesota-native Toni Bachman formed a close bond with a man in West Virginia. Friends say she was thinking seriously about change. About leaving. About building a future that looked different from the life she had.

Then she disappeared.

At first, there were questions no one could answer. Did Toni leave her marriage behind? Did she run away to begin a new life? Or did something happen inside the home she shared with her husband and stepchildren?

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we explore Toni’s life before she vanished: her marriage, devastating personal losses, career instability, and the online relationships that became a source of comfort during one of the hardest periods of her life.

If you have information about the disappearance of Toni Bachman, please contact the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office at 651-266-9670.

📍 White Bear Township, Minnesota | April 25, 1997

📖 Featuring an original poem written in her honor, read by actress Astrid Rotenberry.

➡️ Help bring attention to missing and unidentified women—subscribe and share this episode.

📍 Find us on Instagram & Facebook.

📚 Get Aimee’s book, Doe, now available via University of Akron Press, Bookshop.org, and Amazon.

📰 For more women-centered true crime content, subscribe to Aimee’s newsletter, GIRLHUNT.

More about Astrid Rotenberry:

Astrid Rotenberry is a New York–based actress best known for her role as Catherine Kelly in Netflix’s His & Hers. Other credits include The Four Seasons, Law & Order: SVU, and the upcoming Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed on Apple TV+. Originally from Tennessee, she holds a BFA in Theatre Performance and is passionate about making the arts accessible and encouraging young artists to pursue their dreams.

An unidentified woman found living in Honolulu in 2004 remains without a name—exploring the rare and overlooked reality of living Jane Doe cases in the U.S.

In 2004, an unidentified woman was found living in a beach park in Honolulu, Hawaii—alive, but unable to say who she was.

Known as the Honolulu Jane Doe, she was diagnosed with dementia and schizophrenia, leaving her without a name, a history, or a way to return to whatever life she once had.

In this episode of She Goes by Jane, we examine her case and the broader, often overlooked reality of living Jane Does in the United States. What happens when someone is found alive but cannot identify themselves? Why are these cases so difficult to resolve? And what does it reveal about the systems meant to protect the most vulnerable?

We situate her story within larger conversations around mental health, identity, and the gaps in investigative processes that leave some women unnamed, even in life.

📍 Honolulu, Hawaii | 2004

📖 Featuring an original poem written in her honor, read by Louise Penny, bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series (Three Pines).

➡️ Help bring attention to missing and unidentified women—follow, rate, and share this episode.

➡️ Join us on Patreon! Your support helps us continue to shine light on America’s missing and unidentified women.

📍 Find us on Instagram & Facebook

📚 Doe by Aimee Baker — available via University of Akron Press, Bookshop.org, and Amazon

📰 Subscribe to GIRLHUNT for more women-centered true crime

About Louise Penny:
Louise Penny is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series, adapted into the television series Three Pines. Her work has received numerous awards and is internationally acclaimed.