The Grimes Files

Joey Grimes

Cold cases. Buried voices. Forgotten victims. I’m Joey Grimes, and this is The Grimes Files: Gone, Not Silent—a true crime podcast exposing cases that never got justice. Season one reopens the 1998 murder of Helen Eskew in Douglasville, Georgia, where silence and fear still surround the truth.

  1. Missing: Kyron Horman

    4 DAYS AGO

    Missing: Kyron Horman

    On the morning of June 4, 2010, seven-year-old Kyron Horman walked the halls of his elementary school during a science fair. By the end of the day, he was gone. In this episode, we reconstruct Kyron’s last confirmed movements minute by minute, separating what is known from what has been assumed over the past fifteen years. We examine how a crowded school, delayed attendance procedures, and gaps in supervision created a critical window where Kyron vanished without immediate notice. We also take a hard look at the investigation itself — how early uncertainty turned into hardened public narratives, how “soft evidence” and rumor often replaced proof, and why suspicion filled the vacuum left by the absence of physical evidence. This is not an episode about certainty. It’s about systems, timelines, and the uncomfortable reality of what can — and cannot — be proven. Kyron Horman is still missing. And the case remains unresolved. 🔗 Follow & Support Linktree (all socials, episodes, and resources): 👉  https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles Support independent investigative work: If you’d like to help keep these cases visible, you can donate here: ❤️  https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Every contribution helps fund research, records requests, and continued coverage of underreported cases. 📚 Sources & Research This episode draws from a comprehensive review of primary reporting, public records, and investigative analysis, including: Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office press releases and public statements (2010–2025)Portland Public Schools attendance policies and schedulesFBI and Oregon State Police search operation summariesContemporary reporting from The Oregonian, KGW, KATU, KPTV, ABC News, CBS News, and PeopleCourt filings related to the Horman family (divorce, restraining orders, civil proceedings)Compiled timeline reconstructions, media-vs-fact audits, and soft-evidence reviews prepared specifically for The Grimes Files Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    50 min
  2. Escaped: Sharon Kinne

    27 JAN

    Escaped: Sharon Kinne

    In 1969, Sharon Kinne walked out of a women’s prison outside Mexico City and was not reported missing for nearly twenty one hours. She was serving a thirteen year sentence for murder. By the time anyone acknowledged she was gone, the window to find her had already closed. This episode traces how that moment became possible and what led up to it. It begins in suburban Missouri in 1960 with a husband found shot to death inside his home. Police ruled it an accident. Years later, another woman was killed. That case ended in acquittal. A third death finally resulted in a conviction. And even then, accountability did not hold. Escaped is not a story about criminal genius or a daring prison break. There was no elaborate plan and no flawless execution. What allowed Sharon Kinne to disappear was something quieter and more unsettling. Early assumptions went unchallenged. Patterns were treated as isolated events. Delays became normal. Responsibility fractured across jurisdictions. And eventually, pursuit stopped altogether. After her escape, Sharon Kinne lived openly under another name. She married. She worked. She raised children. She aged. She was never arrested. She died without ever being held accountable for what she had done. This episode focuses on institutional failure rather than spectacle. It examines how the system responded at each critical moment and how every missed opportunity narrowed the path to justice until there was nothing left to pursue but memory. Sharon Kinne did not beat the system once. She outlasted it. 🔗 All episodes and socials https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles 💛 Support independent investigations https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    23 min
  3. Unidentified: Benjaman Kyle

    13 JAN

    Unidentified: Benjaman Kyle

    In August 2004, a man was found nearly dead behind a Burger King dumpster in coastal Georgia. He had no identification, no memory of who he was, and no clear explanation for how he got there. Law enforcement treated the discovery as a medical issue, not a crime. The scene wasn’t preserved. The questions stopped early. For more than a decade, that man lived in plain sight — moving through hospitals, shelters, and media appearances — while remaining legally nonexistent. He was known first as “Burger King Doe,” and later by the name he chose for himself: Benjaman Kyle This episode is not a whodunit. There is no suspect board and no clean resolution. Instead, it follows what happens when someone survives a catastrophic break from identity — and enters systems built to process data, not people. We trace Benjaman’s story from the morning he was found, through years of institutional limbo, public doubt, and failed attempts at identification. We examine how assumptions about homelessness, trauma, and credibility shaped the way he was treated — and how the longer his case remained unsolved, the more suspicion shifted onto him rather than the circumstances that failed him. Eventually, DNA genealogy does what fingerprints, media exposure, and public appeals could not. In 2015, Benjaman Kyle is identified as William Burgess Powell. But knowing his name does not restore his memories, nor does it explain how he ended up behind that dumpster in the first place. Because this case is not really about amnesia. It’s about identity. About verification. About how easily someone can slip out of the structures meant to protect them — and how quietly it can happen. Follow & Support 🔗 Follow The Grimes Files on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles 💛 Support independent investigations and reporting: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    36 min
  4. Joyce Carol Vincent: Unmissed in North London

    30/12/2025

    Joyce Carol Vincent: Unmissed in North London

    In January 2006, bailiffs arrived at a small bedsit above Wood Green Shopping City in North London. They weren’t there for a welfare check. They weren’t responding to concern. They were there because rent hadn’t been paid — and paperwork had finally caught up. Inside, the television was still on. The heat was running. Christmas presents sat wrapped near a small tree. And Joyce Carol Vincent — thirty-eight years old — had been dead for more than two years. This is not a whodunit. There is no suspect board, no dramatic reveal, and no confirmed crime. What happened to Joyce is something quieter — and in many ways, more disturbing. This episode examines how someone can die in one of the largest cities in the world and not be noticed. Not for days. Not for weeks. But for years. In this episode of The Grimes Files, we walk through the scene exactly as it was found, then rewind to Joyce herself — a professional, socially active woman with friends, family, and plans for the future. We trace the changes in her life, including her experience with domestic violence, her withdrawal from her support systems, and the housing placement meant to keep her safe. From there, we lay out the systems failure piece by piece: housing benefits, utility practices, assumptions made by neighbors, and the quiet efficiency of bureaucracy that allowed a person to become invisible in plain sight. We examine what is known — and what cannot be known — about Joyce’s death, including the open verdict, the medical possibilities, and the limits of speculation. This is not a story about a killer. It’s a story about absence. About how responsibility gets diffused. About how “someone else will notice” becomes no one noticing at all. Joyce Carol Vincent wasn’t missing. She was unmissed. Follow The Grimes Files & additional case materials: https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles Support independent investigative work: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Content note: This episode discusses domestic violence, death, and advanced decomposition (non-graphic). Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    34 min
  5. Missing: Patricia Vaughan Pt. 5 - When Silence Breaks

    16/12/2025

    Missing: Patricia Vaughan Pt. 5 - When Silence Breaks

    Over the last few weeks, rumors have torn through Hardy County—bones in a backyard, a surgical plate, and whispers that eighteen-year-old Patricia “Patty” Vaughan may have finally been found. But rumors aren’t answers. In Episode 5, Joey Grimes corrects the record—publicly and personally—then follows the evidence and testimony where it actually leads: into the silence that swallowed Patty’s name, into one of the earliest known survivor accounts connected to Doug Sager, and into the disturbing discovery along Route 259 that reignited this case. This episode includes: Major factual corrections about Patty’s background and identifying detailsWhy so many locals say they never even heard Patty’s name until nowAn early survivor account that predates Patty—showing Doug’s pattern years earlierA clear breakdown of what’s confirmed (and what is not) regarding the bones, plate, and ongoing testingA witness who lived beside Doug’s former land—and what he learned about the chicken houses tied to multiple accounts Content warning This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, coercion, grooming, violence, and traumatic experiences. Listener discretion advised. Help keep this investigation independent If you want to support records requests, travel, forensic consultation, and ongoing reporting, you can donate here: Donate: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Join the case community Facebook Group (Missing: Patricia Vaughan): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1RyvCFadui/ Follow Joey + get all links in one place Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles TikTok / Instagram / updates and documents are posted as this case develops. Tips, leads, and witness outreach If you worked with Doug Sager, knew him, trucked alongside him, or you have information about Patty Vaughan—or any woman you believe may be connected—reach out. Confidentiality respected. Contact: joeyg@mcwgp.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    51 min
  6. Paul Merhige: The Thanksgiving Massacre

    02/12/2025

    Paul Merhige: The Thanksgiving Massacre

    On Thanksgiving night in 2009, the Sitton family gathered in Jupiter, Florida for a warm, ordinary holiday—full of food, laughter, piano music, and the kind of comfort only family can create. But sitting quietly among them was a man who hadn’t come to reconnect. He had come with a plan. This episode of The Grimes Files tells the full, chilling story of Paul Michael Merhige—how a lifetime of untreated mental decline, deep resentment, and quiet fixation turned into one of the most devastating family massacres in recent American history. We take you from Paul’s early struggles and escalating obsession, to the days of preparation leading up to Thanksgiving 2009, where he shaved his entire body, bought ammunition, mapped out his escape, and waited for a moment when his entire family would be gathered under one roof. Inside the Sitton home that night, we walk through the moments of calm before the violence: the conversations, the TV humming in the living room, the kids falling asleep, and six-year-old Makayla Sitton joyfully playing piano for her cousin one final time. And then, we follow the horror minute-by-minute as Paul retrieved a handgun from his car and opened fire—killing his twin sister Carla, his cousin Lisa Knight and her unborn child, and young Makayla, while wounding others who tried desperately to hide or flee. From there, we cover Paul’s calculated escape, the multi-state manhunt, the media frenzy, and the break that came when a motel employee recognized him after seeing the case featured on America’s Most Wanted. His quiet arrest, days later in the Florida Keys, shocked even seasoned investigators. Finally, we explore the courtroom aftermath: Paul’s guilty plea, the decision to remove the death penalty, the heartbreaking victim impact statements, and the seven consecutive life sentences that ensure he will never walk free again. We look at how the Sitton, Knight, and Merhige families have carried their grief forward, honoring the memories of Makayla, Lisa, Carla, and Baby Knight while navigating the lifelong aftershocks of trauma. This is the full story of a Thanksgiving that became a nightmare—and a family whose strength, faith, and commitment to remembrance refuse to let their loved ones be defined only by the violence that took them. Support the Show Help keep The Grimes Files independent and investigative. Donate here: ➡️ https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Follow Me on Social Media Stay connected for case updates, behind-the-scenes research, new episodes, and more: ➡️ TikTok / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook: @TheGrimesFiles Credits Hosted, written, and produced by Joey Grimes. Thank you for listening and supporting independent true crime journalism. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    47 min
  7. Truck Stop Killers: Redhead Murders and I-81 Strangler

    17/11/2025

    Truck Stop Killers: Redhead Murders and I-81 Strangler

    From 1983 to 1995, women were vanishing along America’s highways—pulled from truck stops, gas stations, on-ramps, and interstate corridors stretching from Tennessee to West Virginia. Their bodies appeared miles from where they were taken, often strangled, discarded, and left unidentified for decades. The press called them the Redhead Murders. Later, law enforcement whispered about another pattern: the I-81 Strangler. But these weren’t isolated series. They were a network of predators using the interstate system as their hunting ground. In this episode, we break down the victims, the trucking routes, the law enforcement failures, and the long-haul drivers tied to multiple states and multiple murders—including Jerry Leon Johns, Henry Wise, Sean Patrick Goble, and Warren Luther Alexander. We look at the survivors who escaped, the victims who still have no names, and the cases that overlap in terrifying ways. And we connect this landscape directly to the disappearance of Patty Vaughan in 1982—because the world she vanished into wasn’t random. It was already full of men who knew how easy it was to make a woman disappear along America’s highways. This is Truck Stop Killers. Follow & Contact Stay updated on the investigation: @thegrimesfiles on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Submit tips (confidential): @thegrimesfiles or joeyg@mcwgp.com Support the Investigation Every donation helps fund travel, records, FOIA requests, interviews, and boots-on-the-ground work. 👉 https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    53 min
  8. The Halloween Files 2025

    04/11/2025

    The Halloween Files 2025

    Once a year, the archive doors open. This Halloween, The Grimes Files presents a chilling anthology of real stories that blur the line between truth and terror. From a 1950s Hollywood murder born out of jealousy and disguise… to a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood hiding secrets behind its gates… to the haunting mystery of a young woman known only as “Orange Socks.” Each case in The Halloween Files 2025 unearths a different kind of darkness — the kind that lingers in quiet suburbs, behind bedroom windows, or down lonely country roads. Together, they form a portrait of what fear really looks like when it’s rooted in reality. Step inside the evidence room. Turn off the lights. And remember — every file you’re about to hear is true. 👁️‍🗨️ Written, narrated, and produced by Joey Grimes. 🎧 A Grimes Files Special Presentation 💀 Support the investigation: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-grimes-files-gone-not-silent/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    58 min
See All (16)

About

Cold cases. Buried voices. Forgotten victims. I’m Joey Grimes, and this is The Grimes Files: Gone, Not Silent—a true crime podcast exposing cases that never got justice. Season one reopens the 1998 murder of Helen Eskew in Douglasville, Georgia, where silence and fear still surround the truth.

Information

  • Creator
    Joey Grimes
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Grimes Files

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