Advertise on podcast: Black Girl Gone: A True Crime Podcast

On June 3, 2023, twelve-year-old Lori Paige was reported missing from her home in Tallahassee, Florida. She had just finished sixth grade. Police initially classified her as a runaway, but as the months passed, the search for Lori crossed state lines. It would take nearly two years to find her, and evidence uncovered during the search would point investigators to the person they believed had killed her. In this episode of Black Girl Gone, I tell Lori’s story and look at what can be overlooked when a missing child is labeled a runaway. Support the show Thank you to this episode’s sponsors, EarnIn, Shopify, Lola Blankets, and BetterHelp. Use code GIRLGONE with any of these sponsors to support our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 25, 2021, Shawtyeria Waites was celebrating her 20th birthday with friends in Houston, Texas. But after meeting a man at a nightclub and accompanying him to an apartment complex, Shawtyeria suddenly vanished. Her friends searched for her, but her phone went straight to voicemail, and no one could explain where she had gone. That same night, a neighbor reported hearing a woman screaming inside an apartment, prompting a police response that would later raise troubling questions. As Shawtyeria's family desperately searched for answers, investigators began uncovering disturbing evidence that revealed what happened to her on the night she disappeared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A conviction brought accountability, but Stepha Henry’s family is still waiting to bring her home. On this episode of Afterthoughts, Amara and Jason discuss the seventeen-year wait for trial, the sacrifices her parents made to keep searching, and the loss her younger sister, Shola, carried into adulthood. We also reflect on what justice means when the man convicted of murder refuses to reveal where his victim’s remains are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2007, 22-year-old Stepha Henry traveled from Brooklyn to South Florida to celebrate her younger sister’s sixteenth birthday. After days of shopping, family visits, and a reggae concert, Stepha went out for one final night before heading home. She never returned. As her family searched desperately, investigators uncovered disturbing evidence inside the car that had taken her to the nightclub. But an arrest was only the beginning of a seventeen-year wait for justice. This week on Black Girl Gone, we share Stepha’s story, her family’s relentless fight for answers, and the painful question a murder conviction still could not resolve: Where is Stepha? SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Earnin Download Earnin in the App Store or Google Play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For seven years, they called her “Baby Bones.” In March 2005, a hunter discovered a little girl’s remains in the woods of Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey. Investigators had no name, no confirmed cause of death, and no missing-child report that led them to her identity. Someone had tried to destroy her remains—but who was she, and why hadn’t anyone reported her missing? In 2012, her older sister came forward. The child was nine-year-old Jon-Niece Jones, and the account her sister shared would reveal a devastating story of abuse, secrecy, and the adults who concealed her death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years after Tiesha Sargeant was murdered inside her Brooklyn apartment, her family is still waiting for justice. On this episode of Afterthoughts, Amara and Jason discuss the unanswered questions surrounding her boyfriend’s account, the concerns expressed by those closest to Tiesha, and how reporting about drug activity overshadowed her life and death. We also reflect on the media attention her case lost—and the devastating cost of two decades without answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Mother’s Day in 2006, 26-year-old Tiesha Sargeant was murdered inside her Brooklyn apartment. Her boyfriend told police that masked gunmen had broken in and tied them together—but only Tiesha was shot. He survived unharmed. On this episode of Black Girl Gone, I tell Tiesha’s story and explore the unanswered questions surrounding a murder that remains unsolved twenty years later. Sponsor: Bilt joinbilt.com/girlgone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 2010, Sony Millbrook disappeared after dropping her five children off at school and daycare. Her family immediately knew something was wrong, but weeks passed without answers. Then, a foul odor inside the Memphis motel room where Sony had been staying led to a horrifying discovery revealing not only what happened to her, but a series of missed opportunities that allowed the truth to remain hidden. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Earnin Download in the App Store or Google Play Shopify Shopify.com/girlgone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 26, 2010, seventeen-year-old Tarasha “Pooh” Benjamin left her home in Selma, Alabama, for a routine Saturday trip to the local flea market. Hours later, the SUV she had been driving was found abandoned and damaged—but Tarasha was nowhere to be found. More than sixteen years later, her disappearance remains unsolved, and her family is still waiting for answers. SUPPORT OUT SPONSOR Earnin Download Earnin in the App Store or Google Play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Afterthoughts, Amara and Jason discuss the murders of Brandi Peters and her three children, Tamiyah, Taniyah and JaVante. They talk about the haunting details left behind inside the family’s home, the evidence that complicated the investigation, and how two juries could hear the same murder case and come to very different conclusions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November 2010, 27-year-old Brandi Peters and her three young children, six-year-old twins Tamiyah and Taniyah and three-year-old JaVante, were found murdered inside their Tallahassee, Florida home. With no obvious signs of forced entry, investigators began looking closely at the people in Brandi’s life. What followed was a years-long investigation filled with lies, unexpected evidence, competing theories, and a case that would ultimately require two trials before Brandi and her children finally received justice. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS BetterHelp BetterHelp.com/girlgone Shopify Shopify.com/girlgone Bilt joinbilt.com/girlgone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 11, 2023, 35-year-old mother and teacher Rachel King was shot and killed while sitting in her car in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. The seemingly random attack left investigators searching for a motive, but surveillance footage, a suspicious vehicle, and a complicated relationship would eventually uncover a calculated murder-for-hire plot driven by jealousy. Support Our Sponsors Shopify Visit www.Shopify.com/girlgone Earnin Download the Earnin App in App Store or Google Play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Afterthoughts, Amara and Jason discuss the abduction and murder of 28-year-old Ahrea’l Smith, who was taken after closing the convenience store where she worked in January 2022. They discuss the frightening circumstances of her abduction, the unanswered questions surrounding her connection to Tyrone Samuel, and how quickly investigators were able to identify the man responsible Sponsor: Download the Bilt app and join the membership for where you live at joinbilt.com/girlgone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 year-old Ahrea’l Smith disappeared on January 12, 2022, after closing the convenience store where she worked in Claraville, Virginia. The next morning, her car was found still running in the parking lot with her belongings inside. Surveillance footage captured Ahrea’l’s final movement but what happened just beyond the cameras would lead investigators to the man responsible for her disappearance. Support Our Sponsors Shopify Visit www.Shopify.com/girlgone Earnin Download the Earnin App in App Store or Google Play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spring of 2004, twenty-four-year-old Tamika Huston disappeared from Spartanburg, South Carolina. At first, her family hoped she had simply left town. But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, it became clear that something was terribly wrong. An abandoned car, a mysterious ring of keys, and a series of unexpected investigative breakthroughs would ultimately lead detectives to the truth about what happened to Tamika—and expose a calculated effort to conceal her murder. On this episode of Black Girl Gone, I tell the story of Tamika Huston, the fifteen-month investigation that finally brought her home, and the family who refused to let her be forgotten. Support Our Sponsors BetterHelp betterhelp.com/girlgone Bilt joinbilt.com/girlgone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices