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The Vanished is a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. The Vanished goes beyond conventional news reports to take a deep dive into the story of a different missing person each week. Host Marissa Jones brings you exclusive interviews with family members, friends, law enforcement and experts. What will The Vanished uncover next?

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Vanished Podcast ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

The Vanished Podcast

In April 2010, 24-year-old Tanner Sharp left his sister’s home in California and told his family he was heading to Kansas, where a friend had a job waiting for him. Over the next few weeks, Tanner remained in contact, but his calls were brief, and he shared very little about his new life. During his final calls to family, he said he was getting a new phone and would reach out once he had the new number. But they never heard from Tanner again.

As Tanner’s family began looking for him, they discovered that some of what they believed about those final weeks wasn’t true. What followed was a trail of strange details, unanswered questions, and evidence that seemed to point in more than one direction.

More than 16 years later, Tanner’s family is still searching. Was he trying to leave his old life behind, was he struggling with something his family couldn’t see, or did someone else become part of the story?

If you have any information about the disappearance of Tanner Sharp, please contact the Galt Police Department at 209-366-7000.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Tanner Sharp

Last week, in Part 1 of Wade Hack’s story, we followed Wade’s final months in Baltimore and the account of what happened in the days before he disappeared. But as his family and friends began trying to verify that story, they kept running into the same problem: so much of it depended on information they could not independently confirm.

In Part 2, we’ll learn what Wade’s loved ones uncovered when they began working from the opposite direction, setting aside the pieces they could not independently verify and focusing instead on the information they could confirm. As they retraced his time in Baltimore, they uncovered inconsistencies surrounding Wade's belongings, new questions about his relationship with Tony, and messages that suggest Wade may have made other plans to get back to North Carolina.

What they found did not solve the mystery of Wade’s disappearance, but it did suggest that his final days in Baltimore may have looked very different from the story his loved ones were first given.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Wade Hack, please contact the Baltimore County Police Department at (410) 887-2214.

Wade’s loved ones have also created an email address for anyone who may have information related to his disappearance: FindWadeAlan@gmail.com.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wade Hack Part 2: The Backup Plan

In June of 2024, 31-year-old Wade Hack traveled from North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, to spend time with a man he had met online. What was supposed to be about a week-long visit stretched into several months. By late October, Wade was making plans to return home. But just days before his family was expecting him back in North Carolina, Wade disappeared.

The initial account of Wade’s disappearance centered on a note he was said to have left behind, suggesting he intended to be gone only briefly. But as his family and friends began retracing his final days, even the most basic details became difficult to pin down. Accounts of when and where Wade was last seen shifted, key stretches of time remained unexplained, and his loved ones were left trying to reconstruct his movements in a city where he had spent only a few months and had very few connections of his own.

In Part One of Wade’s story, we will examine how he ended up in Baltimore, his final days before he disappeared, and why the timeline his loved ones were initially given became increasingly difficult to verify.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Wade Hack, please contact the Baltimore County Police Department at (410) 887-2214.

Wade’s loved ones have also created an email address for anyone who may have information related to his disappearance: FindWadeAlan@gmail.com.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wade Hack Part 1: Last Days in Baltimore

This episode originally aired on December 5, 2022. Since then, there have been significant developments in Aidan Spear’s case. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for an update.

On January 24, 2022, 21-year-old Aidan Spear had plans to meet with her mother, Jessica, at 11 AM. About 20 minutes before they were due to meet, Jessica received a message from Aidan stating that she had to say goodbye to someone and would be a little late. She promised to call later and said she would still meet her, just not at the original time. Jessica never heard from her daughter again.

At first, Jessica assumed that Aidan had just flaked on her, but the days continued to pass with no sign of Aidan. Then, Jessica began hearing from Aidan’s friends that they hadn’t heard from her either. Nearly a year later, Aidan was still missing, and Jessica was desperate to uncover the truth.

More than four years after Aidan disappeared, her remains were identified after being found in a wooded area on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.

If you have any information regarding Aidan Spear’s disappearance or death, please contact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office at (253) 798-7530.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Replay: Aidan Spear - Where the Search Ended

May 26, 2026, started like any ordinary day for 53-year-old John Kapaun. He got up that morning, packed a lunch for his daughter, Alyssa, spent some time playing guitar, and later played a game with his son, Jacob. Around 2:00 p.m., John left the Burnsville, Minnesota, home he shared with his children for his daily walk.

John was known to walk long distances and usually followed the same route to Terrace Oaks Park, where he often walked several laps and foraged. His routine was predictable, and he was usually home before 5:00 p.m., around the time Alyssa returned from work. John often had dinner waiting for his children.

When Alyssa arrived home that afternoon and John wasn’t there, it seemed unusual, but not immediately alarming. She assumed he was running a few minutes late. As more time passed, she tried calling him, only to hear his phone ringing from inside the house. That’s when she realized John had left without it.

Alyssa began searching the places her father normally walked, but there was no sign of him. John has Type 1 diabetes and followed a regular insulin schedule, so when he failed to return in time for his evening dose, the situation became increasingly urgent. That night, law enforcement began searching the areas John was known to frequent, but they found no trace of him.

Later, a witness came forward, stating they had seen John shortly after he left home. The person recognized him from seeing him on his walks many times before. But according to the witness, John was walking in the opposite direction from the route he normally took to Terrace Oaks Park.

If that sighting was accurate, John may never have been heading to Terrace Oaks that afternoon. Was he intentionally taking a different route? Was he heading somewhere else entirely? Did he suffer a medical emergency, accept a ride from someone, or make a decision his family never saw coming?

Nearly three months later, John remains missing. His family continues searching, revisiting possible sightings and trying to understand what happened after he walked away from home that afternoon. Somewhere between his front door and wherever he was going, John’s trail goes cold.

If you have any information about the disappearance of John Kapaun, please contact the Burnsville Police Department at 952-641-1126.

John’s family has also created a website dedicated to bringing him home. There, you can find additional information about the search efforts, along with a detailed map tracking areas that have been searched and where possible sightings have been reported. You can also follow the family’s ongoing search efforts through the John Kapaun Search Party Facebook group, where they share updates and information related to the search.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Kapaun

On May 13, 2020, 21-year-old Lillian Payne was spending time with her brother and his girlfriend when they encountered a man at a Flying J truck stop in York County, South Carolina. Lilly had met him once or twice before and knew him as Ray Atkinson. The group decided to continue hanging out, with Lilly riding with Ray while her brother and his girlfriend followed in their own vehicle. Lilly’s brother began having trouble with his vehicle and decided to leave. He asked Lilly to come with them, but she chose to stay with Ray. Around 4:00 a.m., her brother and his girlfriend drove away. It was the last time anyone in Lilly’s family saw her alive.

When Lilly’s family reported her missing and provided the name of the man she had last been seen with, they were shocked when investigators told them that Ray Atkinson did not appear to exist. Unwilling to accept that as a dead end, Lilly’s family turned to social media, sharing his photograph and asking anyone who recognized him to come forward. Before long, a woman did, providing them with a different name and opening an entirely new line of questions about the man Lilly had last been seen with.

More than two months later, Lilly’s remains were discovered in neighboring Chester County, South Carolina, and her death was ruled a homicide. Finding Lilly ended the search for where she was, but it began a new search for answers. What happened after her brother drove away that night? Who killed Lilly, and why? And what did the man she knew as Ray Atkinson know about her final hours?

If you have any information about the disappearance and murder of Lillian Payne, please contact the Chester County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 581-5131. To follow Lilly’s family’s ongoing fight for justice, visit the Justice for Lillian Payne Facebook Group.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lillian Payne

This episode first aired on November 2, 2017. In February 2016, 19-year-old Morgan Bauer left Aberdeen, South Dakota, with plans to begin a new life in Atlanta. She’d arranged to stay with people she met on Craigslist, but within weeks of arriving, Morgan stopped contacting her friends and family and vanished without a trace. Her case was soon overshadowed by damaging internet rumors that called her disappearance into question and diverted attention from the people last known to have been with her. Nearly six years after our original episode aired, investigators recovered Morgan’s remains in Porterdale, Georgia, and arrested the same couple discussed in our 2017 coverage. One has since pleaded guilty to her murder, while the other remains accused. Stay with us after the replay for an update on the major developments that finally revealed what happened to Morgan.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Replay: Morgan Bauer - The Unthinkable Truth

This episode originally aired on January 26, 2026. Since this episode first aired, there have been significant developments in Amy’s case. Stay tuned after the original episode for more information.

On June 13, 2016, 44-year-old Amy McHale said goodbye to her mother and left her home in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nothing about that moment suggested it would be the last time her family would see her, but it was.

In the early morning hours of June 14, Amy called her daughter, Amanda, and left a voicemail. When Amanda listened to the message later that morning, it didn't raise any immediate alarm, but when she tried calling her mother back, the call went straight to voicemail. In the message, Amy said she was staying at her ex-husband's house, something she did from time to time.

At first, no one was overly concerned. Amy was an adult with her own routines, and her family believed she would return, as she always had before. But as hours turned into days with no word from Amy, concern quickly grew.

Amy's ex-husband told family members that she had been at his home when he went to bed on the night of June 13. When he woke the following morning, he said she was gone. From that point forward, there were no confirmed sightings of Amy and no clear answers about what happened to her.

A decade has passed since Amy vanished, and her loved ones continue searching for answers, hoping that someone who knows the truth will finally come forward.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Amy McHale, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department at (215) 686-3013.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Replay: Amy McHale - The House on Chew Avenue - Where Reality and Fiction Collide

In Part 4 of Junaliza Chappell’s story, we focused on Ashley and the weight she has carried since her mother disappeared. As Ashley grew older, memories from her early childhood began to connect with records, conversations, and details shared by the people who had been searching for Juna for years. Those discoveries were painful. They helped Ashley better understand her mother’s fear, but they also forced her to confront parts of her own story that remain unresolved.

We also examined the frustration surrounding Juna’s case: missing records, confusion over which agency had what, and the question of whether Juna’s disappearance ever received the attention it deserved. Retired U.S. Marshal Katrina, who had worked alongside Atlanta Police years earlier, still had files connected to the case. When Ashley reached out to her earlier this year, it reignited Katrina’s effort to get that information into the right hands.

In this fifth and final episode, we take a look at where things stand now. Nearly two decades have passed since Juna vanished. For many of those years, the people connected to this case had at least some peace of mind knowing that Timothy Chappell was behind bars. But his release date is now approaching, and for Ashley, Kareen, Faye, and Katrina, that has brought back fear they have never fully been able to put down.

In Part 5, we will discuss Tim’s alleged hit list, the concerns surrounding his release, the search for any remaining legal options, and why the people who have spent years fighting for Juna believe her case cannot be allowed to sit quietly in the past.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Junaliza Chappell, please contact the Atlanta Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 404-546-4235. Tips can also be sent anonymously to: bringjunalizahome@gmail.com.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Junaliza Maturan Oroc Chappell Part 5: The Hit List

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been untangling the disappearance of Junaliza Chappell, a young mother who was trying to leave her husband, Timothy Chappell, and start over in California with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Juna had a plan. Ashley was already in California with people Juna trusted. Juna had completed job training in Florida and was supposed to return to Atlanta, get her car, and drive west. But Juna never made it back to her daughter.

After Juna vanished, Timothy disappeared with Ashley. U.S. Marshals eventually found him driving Juna’s car with Ashley in the backseat. Many of Juna’s personal belongings were still inside the vehicle. Timothy was arrested that day, but not for anything connected to Juna’s disappearance.

In Part 3, we looked more closely at Timothy’s history, the records Ashley later found, and the pattern that began to emerge, including his 2010 arrest for exploiting a 15-year-old girl, a case that eventually sent him to federal prison for 20 years.

Part 4 is different. This episode centers on Ashley and the way her story is intertwined with her mother’s disappearance. Ashley was only 3 years old when Juna vanished. For most of her life, she carried memories from that time, some painful, some confusing, and some so fragmented that she questioned whether she could trust them at all. But as Ashley began searching for answers, some of those memories began to connect to records, conversations, and details she had never fully understood before.

Ashley is not only trying to understand what happened to her mother. She is also trying to understand what happened to her and what Juna may have been trying to protect her from.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Junaliza Chappell, please contact the Atlanta Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 404-546-4235. Tips can also be sent anonymously to: bringjunalizahome@gmail.com.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Junaliza Maturan Oroc Chappell Part 4: Intertwined

Sometime in March 1976, 20-year-old Brian Vargo vanished from Austin, Texas. He had unenrolled from all of his classes at the University of Texas at Austin at the end of February, just a few weeks prior to his disappearance. He indicated in his application to unenroll that he intended to return to classes in the summer quarter of 1976. However, Brian seemingly vanished into thin air and has not been seen or heard from since. His story is one of soul-searching and a young man who seemed to be looking for an independent identity as an adult, finding his own way in life. Whether or not he ever achieved that goal and what happened to him remains a mystery.

If you have any information about Brian’s disappearance, please call the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5210.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian Vargo

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