Deep Dark Secrets
Claim This Podcastby Lost Girls
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<p>Lost Girls, hosted by Amy Smith and LaDonna Humphrey -- Every Girl Deserves Justice!</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
9/13/2022
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Recent Episodes
July 13, 2026
The Disappearance of Freida Louise Franks
<p>In August 2001, 37-year-old Freida Louise Franks left Neosho, Missouri, for what was supposed to be a family camping trip with her 11-year-old daughter and Mark Terrell Walsh. She never returned.</p><p>As investigators pieced together the events surrounding her disappearance, they uncovered a heartbreaking story of abuse, courage, and a mother who they believe gave her life trying to protect her child from a sexual predator.</p><p>After the trip, Freida's daughter disclosed that she had been sexually abused by Walsh. He was later convicted on two counts of first-degree sodomy and sentenced to life in prison. Investigators believe Freida's disappearance is directly connected to those crimes.</p><p>According to law enforcement, Walsh later claimed he burned Freida's body over several days before scattering her remains in the Osage Creek area south of Green Forest, Arkansas. Despite extensive searches and years of investigation, Freida has never been found.</p><p>Nearly twenty-five years later, her family is still waiting for the answers they deserve.</p><p>In this episode, we examine:</p><ul><li>Freida's final known movements.</li><li>The camping trip that ended in tragedy.</li><li>The investigation into her disappearance.</li><li>The abuse that changed the direction of the case.</li><li>Why investigators believe Freida died protecting her daughter.</li><li>The continuing search to bring her home.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Freida Louise Franks was more than a missing person. She was a mother, a daughter, and a woman whose courage may have cost her everything. Her story deserves to be remembered.</p><h3>If You Have Information</h3><p>If you have information about the disappearance of <strong>Freida Louise Franks</strong>, please contact:</p><p><strong>Newton County Sheriff's Office</strong></p><p> 📞 417-451-8333</p><p>or</p><p><strong>Missouri State Highway Patrol Missing Persons Clearinghouse</strong></p><p> 📧 missingpersons@mshp.dps.mo.gov</p><p>Please reference <strong>Case Number: 02000614</strong>.</p><p>You may also contact the <strong>Stone County Sheriff's Office</strong> at <strong>417-357-6117</strong> if you have information related to the original investigation.</p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others. Every share helps keep Freida's name in the public eye, and every listener is another chance that someone with information will come forward.</p><p><strong>Because every girl deserves justice.</strong></p>
July 6, 2026
The Disappearance of Trudy Leann Appleby
<p><strong>The Lost Girls Podcast | The Disappearance of Trudy Leann Appleby | The 1996 Illinois Cold Case That May Finally See Justice</strong></p><p>In this episode of <strong>The Lost Girls Podcast</strong>, hosts <strong>LaDonna Humphrey</strong> and <strong>Amy Smith</strong> examine the heartbreaking disappearance of <strong>Trudy Leann Appleby</strong>, an 11-year-old girl who vanished from <strong>Moline, Illinois</strong>, on <strong>August 21, 1996</strong>.</p><p>For nearly three decades, Trudy's family searched for answers while investigators pursued countless leads in one of Illinois' most haunting missing child cases. Although her remains have never been found, the investigation never stopped. Today, prosecutors have brought murder charges in a case that many believed might never reach a courtroom.</p><p>This episode carefully explores the known facts surrounding Trudy's disappearance, the early investigation, the witnesses who eventually came forward, the years-long focus on Campbells Island and the Mississippi River, and the recent criminal charges that have renewed hope for justice.</p><p>Because this remains an active criminal case, we also discuss the legal process and emphasize the importance of the presumption of innocence. The individual charged has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations will ultimately be decided in court.</p><p>Throughout this episode, we distinguish between documented investigative findings, witness statements, and allegations presented by prosecutors so listeners can better understand where the evidence stands today.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we discuss:</strong></p><p>• The disappearance of 11-year-old Trudy Leann Appleby from Moline, Illinois</p><p>• The last confirmed sighting on August 21, 1996</p><p>• Why investigators abandoned the runaway theory</p><p>• The significance of the silver or gray four-door vehicle</p><p>• The role of Campbells Island and the Mississippi River searches</p><p>• William "Ed" Smith and the investigation that unfolded over decades</p><p>• Witness statements that reshaped the case</p><p>• The forensic work that continued long after Trudy disappeared</p><p>• The 2025 indictment and murder charges</p><p>• The ongoing search for Trudy's remains</p><p>• Why families never stop searching for answers</p><p>Cases like Trudy's remind us that time does not erase the need for justice. Behind every missing child is a family waiting for answers, investigators refusing to give up, and a community that can still make a difference by remembering.</p><p>If you have information about the disappearance of <strong>Trudy Leann Appleby</strong>, please contact the <strong>Moline Police Department</strong> at <strong>309-797-0401</strong>. Investigators continue to believe there are people who know more than they have shared.</p><p>If you believe in giving a voice to missing women and children, please help us by subscribing, sharing this episode, and leaving a review. Every share increases the chances that someone who knows something will hear Trudy's story.</p><p><strong>The Lost Girls Podcast</strong> is hosted by investigative journalist and author <strong>LaDonna Humphrey</strong> and researcher <strong>Amy Smith</strong>. Together, they shine a light on missing persons, unsolved murders, cold cases, and the families who continue searching for answers because every victim deserves to be remembered.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Trudy Leann Appleby, Trudy Appleby, Moline Illinois, missing child, missing girl, cold case, Illinois cold case, unsolved disappearance, true crime podcast, missing persons, LaDonna Humphrey, Amy Smith, Campbells Island, Mississippi River, Rock Island County, murder indictment, child abduction, unsolved mystery, The Lost Girls Podcast.</p>
June 29, 2026
The Vanishing of Audrey Chin
<p>In July 1981, 20-year-old Audrey Chin left her family's home in East Norwich, New York, for what should have been a quick trip to the grocery store. She never returned. More than four decades later, her disappearance remains one of Long Island's enduring unsolved mysteries.</p><p>In this episode of The Lost Girls Podcast, Amy Smith and LaDonna Humphrey examine the life of a young woman whose future seemed full of promise. Audrey was working as a typist while attending night classes at the State University of New York's Agricultural and Technical College at Farmingdale. She hoped to transfer to Stony Brook University that fall to continue her education and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Friends and family described her as responsible, hardworking, and happy. Nothing suggested she intended to disappear.</p><p>After Audrey vanished, investigators located her tan 1976 Chevrolet Nova abandoned in the parking lot of a diner at Old Country Road and South Oyster Bay Road in Plainview. Several of the tires were flat, and investigators found cigarette ash inside the vehicle, despite Audrey being a non-smoker. The discovery only deepened the mystery.</p><p>Amy and LaDonna also explore one of the more unusual aspects of the case. The night before Audrey disappeared, she fainted in her family's bathroom, striking the back of her head. Although she was evaluated at a hospital and doctors found no serious injury, Audrey's mother later wondered whether the fall or a delayed medical complication could somehow have played a role in her disappearance. Investigators have never found evidence to support that theory, but it remains one of several unanswered questions surrounding the case.</p><p>The hosts discuss why Audrey's family never believed she left voluntarily. On the morning she disappeared, she scheduled a veterinary appointment for her kitten later that afternoon and left several hundred dollars in cash untouched in her room. She also left behind the life she had been carefully building, including her job, her education, her boyfriend, and her future plans.</p><p>More than 40 years later, Audrey Chin has never been found, and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance. Amy and LaDonna examine the timeline, the evidence, and the lingering questions that continue to haunt investigators and Audrey's loved ones.</p><p>If you have any information about the disappearance of Audrey Chin, please contact the Nassau County Police Department at 516-573-8800.</p><p>Join Amy Smith and LaDonna Humphrey as they continue telling the stories of missing women and girls whose cases deserve renewed attention—because every girl deserves to be found, and every family deserves answers.</p>
171 total episodes available
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- What is Deep Dark Secrets?
<p>Lost Girls, hosted by Amy Smith and LaDonna Humphrey -- Every Girl Deserves Justice!</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 6 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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