Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

Today, we’re replaying our 2024 episode about Emma Compton Layne, a woman remembered by the people who loved her for her generous heart, her contagious joy, and the way she always showed up for her family. Emma disappeared in June 2017 after working at her store in Halifax County, Virginia. Months later, her remains were found, leaving her loved ones with years of grief and unanswered questions.

Since we first shared Emma’s story, there has been a significant development in the case. In November 2024, Emma’s husband, Russell Wayne Layne, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death. As this episode is re-released, his trial is underway. We’re revisiting Emma’s case because she deserves to be remembered not only for what happened to her, but for the life she lived and the love she gave so freely. Our hearts are with Emma’s family and everyone who continues to carry her memory through this difficult time.

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Sources:

https://www.timesvirginian.com/news/article_1686a486-580b-11e7-822b-0f6070bab2df.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/emma-compton-layne-still-missing-four-months-after-disappearing-n815781

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/four-years-dateline-s-missing-america-90-still-missing-n826516

https://www.facebook.com/TomRodgers197/posts/missing-woman-in-halifax-county-vaemma-layne-age-52-was-last-seen-on-saturday-ev/260060507734080/

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/remains-found-very-shallow-grave-identified-missing-virginia-woman-emma-n837286

https://www.chathamstartribune.com/news/article_f342c0f2-d52f-11e7-b4bc-cb5cabdfc22a.html

https://www.yourgv.com/news/local_news/medical-examiner-neck-injury-caused-death-in-2017-homicide/article_2b07667a-9396-11e9-b9b5-37dda535c91f.html

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/New-billboard-in-Halifax-Co-to-help-solve-Emma-Compton-Layne-murder-561157591.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgqWAZ1cQdY&ab_channel=WSLS10

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Vigil-to-be-held-for-Halifax-County-murder-victim-Emma-Compton-Layne-568552601.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0RPQ3cLtTwBFHE3aAISaGC2hhFOku8wH6jBQTdgJRygpxfes7UJDocxJo_aem_dDfHz6nR1coB6kCl-KWbOg

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Three-years-later-Who-murdered-Emma-Compton-Layne-571298181.html

https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/11/22/emma-compton-layne-murder-still-unsolved-six-years-after-her-body-was-found/

https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/11/24/family-emma-compton-layne-still-seeking-justice-six-years-after-her-murder/

https://www.yourgv.com/news/local_news/justice-for-emma-rally-hosted-in-unsolved-death-of-nathalie-woman/article_f7b56cd2-2c0a-11ef-a6d6-bbbd81dc549b.html

https://www.change.org/p/5-years-no-justice-for-emma-compton-layne

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Emma-Laynes-family-wants-justice-for-her-murder-469039723.html

https://wset.com/news/local/one-year-later-emma-laynes-sister-still-seeking-justice

https://www.yourgv.com/news/local_news/reward-offered-in-search-of-missing--year-old-cody/article_31787f4a-59e0-11e7-a45e-7f5dc8ffffb9.html

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Halifax-County-missing-woman-search-continues-two-weeks-later-431832353.html

https://www.wsls.com/news/2017/08/03/vigil-being-held-for-missing-halifax-county-woman/

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Human-remains-found-in-Halifax-Co-foul-play-expected-459605953.html

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Family-believes-human-remains-found-in-Halifax-County-belong-to-Emma-Layne-460626173.html

https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/SHARE-Police-search-for-missing-woman-from-Halifax-county-429921923.html

https://www.evaporatethemissing.com/post/with-butterfly-kisses

https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindEmmaComptonLayne

https://www.yourgv.com/news/lightmare-says-sister-of-missing-cody/article_d96de88e-6d86-11e7-a1cd-d3a4270a79ed.html

https://www.yourgv.com/obituaries/sylvia-whitlow-mccurry/article_5d5effb4-b1e5-11e7-95a9-8bf90331c580.html

Interview with Shawna

https://www.ywcaneks.org/blog-collection/blog/2020/12/04/why-survivors-dont-call-the-police

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In the fall of 1988, Peggy Carr, her son Duane Dubberly, and her stepson Travis Carr became violently ill inside their rural Florida home. The symptoms were strange and terrifying: severe nerve pain, numbness, weakness, trouble walking, and eventually, hair loss. Doctors discovered they had been exposed to thallium, a rare and deadly heavy metal.

The source was even more disturbing. Someone had carefully opened glass bottles of Coca-Cola, added thallium, resealed the caps, and placed the bottles inside the Carr home. Peggy died after spending more than four months in a coma. Six other members of the household were also poisoned, including a young child.

The investigation pointed to George Trepal, the Carr family's next-door neighbor. He had chemistry knowledge, a history of disputes with the family, and a bottle-capping machine in his garage. We cover the poisoning, the undercover operation that gave investigators access to Trepal's home, the trial, and the later questions about FBI testimony that did not overturn his conviction.

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SOURCES:

https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1993/77667-0.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1378976.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-11th-circuit/1606616.html

https://www.leg.state.fl.us/capitalcases/inmatedetails7d85.html?IID=403

https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/special/9704a/21trepal.htm

https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/345265/file/01-2267_petition.pdf

https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/apb/ALL_POINTS_BULLETIN%2C_VOL_1%2C_NO_3%2C_1991.pdf

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/01/Poisoning-suspect-had-staged-murder-party/4393641534400/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/04/08/sebring-man-arrested-in-fatal-cola-tampering/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/26/suspect-used-poison-before-officials-say/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/05/fatal-cola-tampering-case-goes-to-jury/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/06/man-guilty-of-murder-in-poisoning-of-neighbors/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/03/08/family-s-bitterness-persists-despite-death-sentence-for-man/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/09/17/murder-on-the-mind/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/04/16/u-s-probe-fbi-lab-work-flawed-florida-convictions/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2000/10/27/judge-calls-fbi-agent-s-work-sloppy-but-death-verdict-stands/

https://books.google.com/books/about/Poison_Mind.html?id=jkoR8UN8-PIC

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38420185/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8249271/

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When 32-year-old nurse Alex Pennig was found dead inside the bathroom of her St. Paul apartment, the man who called 911, Matthew Ecker, insisted she had taken her own life behind a locked door. Alex had struggled with depression and addiction in the past, and at first, there were details that seemed to support his story. But the scene inside the bathroom told a much more complicated story.

Investigators found a strangely clean gun resting on Alex’s chest, almost no blood on Matthew despite his claims that he had tried to save her, and a bathroom door that didn’t seem to fit his version of events. Matthew’s explanation of what happened also began to change. Then, underneath Alex’s head, investigators discovered a tiny piece of metal from the bathroom door’s locking mechanism, which was the evidence they believed showed the door had been forced open before Alex was shot.

We cover Alex’s life and the struggles she worked so hard to overcome, her complicated relationship with Matthew, the final hours before her death, the inconsistencies investigators found inside her apartment, and the small piece of evidence that helped reveal what really happened behind that bathroom door.

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Sources:

Alexandra PENNIG Obituary (2023) - Lindstrom, MN - Pioneer Press

State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Matthew Phillip Ecker, Appellant

The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig | Full Episode + Post Mortem

Matthew Ecker Murder Sentence Longer Than Expected | Fergus Now

Fergus Falls Man Charged with 2nd Degree Murder in St Paul

Staged Suicide | Matthew Ecker Interrogation

A Minnesota woman is fatally shot in her bathroom. Who pulled the trigger? - CBS News

How a small piece of a bathroom door lock helped solve the murder of a Minnesota nurse - CBS News

Where is Matthew Ecker’s Family Now?

https://coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicviewer/OffenderDetails/Index/268547/Search

Tracking the hours before a young Minnesota woman became a murder victim - CBS News

ER practitioner gets 30 years for murdering girlfriend, staging suicide in her downtown St. Paul apartment

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On September 14, 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden left his home in Doncaster dressed for school. After his family left for the day, he returned home, changed out of his uniform, withdrew £200 from his bank account, and bought a one-way ticket to London.

Andrew arrived at King’s Cross Station at 11:20 that morning. CCTV captured him walking out of the station alone five minutes later. That is the last confirmed image of him. Nearly 19 years later, his family still does not know why he went to London or what happened after he arrived.

We cover Andrew’s life, the carefully planned trip, the missed opportunities in the early investigation, the possible sightings, and the questions that remain in one of the United Kingdom’s most enduring missing person cases.

Thank you to this week's sponsors!

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New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

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SOURCES

https://mipp.police.uk/operation/14SY26A01-PO2

https://www.southyorkshire.police.uk/news/south-yorkshire/news/missing/pre-march-2024/missing-andrew-gosden---new-age-progression-photo/

https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/help-us-find/andrew-gosden-07-019198

https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/experiences/stripped-back-kevin-gosden

https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/the-power-of-memory

https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/experiences/andrews-oak-tree-by-kevin-gosden

https://helpustofindandrew.weebly.com/

https://helpustofindandrew.weebly.com/blog.html

https://helpustofindandrew.weebly.com/blog/missing-things-unseen

https://forenseek.app/the-disappearance-of-andrew-gosden-interview-with-kevin-gosden/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-strange-disappearance-of-andrew-gosden/

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/20/family.children

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/11/two-men-arrested-over-andrew-gosden-disappearance-in-2007

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2023-07-10/dad-of-boy-missing-for-16-years-still-barely-able-to-function

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2023-09-20/men-arrested-over-kidnap-of-missing-teenager-released-from-investigation

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2025-09-08/appeal-for-teenager-andrew-gosden-who-went-missing-from-doncaster-18-years-ago

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For months, Harold Allen suffered from worsening illnesses that doctors could not fully explain. When he died in Freetown, Indiana, just days before Christmas 2022, his death was attributed to serious cardiac problems. His family believed they had lost him to a sudden decline in his health.

Nine months later, a burglary at the home of Harold’s widow, Marsha Allen, gave investigators a reason to look again. What began as a break in led detectives to thousands of text messages between Marsha and her daughter, Ashley Jones, and evidence of a poisoning plot that included a root beer float. In 2025, Ashley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Marsha died before she was charged.

We cover Harold’s life, the illnesses that were not what they seemed, the burglary that changed the investigation, and the evidence that finally explained what happened.

Thank you to this week's sponsors!

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