Hush

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Hush is an investigative podcast from OPB, uncovering the buried truth about critical stories in the Pacific Northwest. 

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  1. Episode 1

    Episode 1: The Last to See Her Alive

    In March 2019, in the wooded hills above the rural river town of Rainier, Oregon, 18-year-old Sarah Zuber was found dead 400 feet from her front door. Six years later, her family still has no clue what happened to their daughter.

  2. Episode 2

    Episode 2: Don’t Speak Ill of the Dead

    OPB Journalists Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas are reluctant to engage in an investigation that slips into true crime pitfalls. The pair attend True Crime 101 at Oregon State University and speak to professor Justin St Germain — whose life has been impacted by violent crime. They learn who typically dictates a true crime story: the police, the community and the media.

  3. Episode 3

    Episode 3: We All Fam

    In an absence of information about the Zuber case, and in reaction to issues around law enforcement in Columbia County, Jennifer Massey - a citizen sleuth and wife of a St Helens Police officer – rises up as the loudest voice of the community on the Sarah Zuber case. Alongside several other community members, Massey starts the Justice for Sarah Zuber Facebook page, using it to push for greater transparency in this case. Eventually, Massey decides to run for mayor of St Helens — the seat of Columbia County — and puts the Sarah Zuber case at the center of her campaign.

  4. Episode 4

    Episode 4: Boogeyman

    Typically, true crime stories tell tales of women killed by the men in their lives. And in the early days of the Zuber investigation, close attention was paid to the two men in Sarah Zuber’s life: her father, Randy, and her 17-year-old boyfriend, Vishal Christian. The Hush team looks at the ways police focused on these two men, and the resulting damage to the Sarah Zuber investigation and the community.

  5. Episode 5

    Episode 5: The Good Old Boys Club

    If the third group that tells a true crime story is the media, Columbia County is lacking in this department. The local newspaper is on its last legs and closes after more than 140 years of operation. Facebook and TikTok take over as the primary news sources in the county. We discover how this new type of media is working to take on – and reinforce – a culture of secrecy after a new scandal rocks Columbia County.

  6. Episode 6

    Episode 6: Persons Unknown

    If the three parties that tell a true crime story – the police, the community and the media – are failing to find answers for what happened to Sarah Zuber, can robust journalism find out what really happened to Sarah Zuber? The Hush team takes a look at the top suspect to find out how much is fact and how much is simple speculation. OPB also uncovers a dizzying array of mistakes from the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office that may have undermined the investigation from nearly the first day.

  7. Episode 7

    Episode 7: Cornered

    When Jennifer Massey became mayor of Columbia County’s largest town, she moved from being one of the leading critics of people in power to now being a person in power. But that move was not simple. Now, Massey is the one facing the tough questions. A bombshell report on the local police leads some community members to raise questions about Massey’s intentions when she took up Sarah Zuber’s cause.

  8. Episode 8

    Episode 8: The Allure of an Answer

    The Zuber family continues to tend to a memorial every day for their daughter, just a few hundred feet from their front door. On the other side of their home is the cemetery where Sarah is buried. For the past six years, all they’ve wanted are answers about what happened to their daughter so they live a life that doesn’t feel stuck. The parties of a true crime story - the police, the community, the media - have mostly failed to deliver those answers. We sit down with the Zubers for a final interview to lay out the facts of this case, and seek some accountability from the people who have let this family down.

  9. Season 2 Trailer

    Hush: Season 2 Trailer

    Hush is an investigative podcast from OPB, uncovering the buried truth about critical stories in the Pacific Northwest. In season 2, Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas investigate the 2019 death of Sarah Zuber, and the ways declining local media, citizen sleuthing and a police department that can’t find answers have led to serious rifts in rural Columbia County, Oregon — as well as the damage done when true crime tropes take over.

See All Season 2 (9)

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Hosts & Guests

About

Hush is an investigative podcast from OPB, uncovering the buried truth about critical stories in the Pacific Northwest. 

Information

  • Creator
    Oregon Public Broadcasting
  • Episodes
    21
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © OPB
  • Show Website
    Hush

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