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. 3D AGO

    Missing: The Springfield Three

    Three women vanished from a home in the early hours of the morning. No signs of forced entry. No clear struggle. No confirmed sighting of what actually happened inside that house. At first glance, it looks like nothing happened at all. But when you strip the case down to what actually holds up—the timeline, the scene, the behavior—a very different picture begins to emerge. This wasn’t random. It wasn’t chaotic. And it wasn’t a mystery without structure. It was controlled. In this episode of The Grimes Files, we break down the Springfield Three case from the ground up—separating what’s stable from what’s noise, and focusing only on what can actually be trusted. No speculation. No recycled theories. Just the mechanics of what had to happen—and what that means. Because when you remove everything that doesn’t hold… what’s left is a case that makes far more sense than people realize. And that may be the most unsettling part. 🔗 All links / socials: https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles 💰 Support the show / donations: https://cash.app/$TheGrimesFiles Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    40 min
  2. Missing: Brian Shaffer

    MAR 24

    Missing: Brian Shaffer

    On March 31, 2006, Brian Shaffer went out with friends in Columbus, Ohio. It was a normal night. Bar hopping, drinks, a crowded city full of people. At 1:55 a.m., Brian is seen on surveillance footage entering the Ugly Tuna Saloona. He never comes back out. There is no footage of him leaving. No confirmed sightings after that moment. No activity on his phone or bank accounts. Inside the bar, there were no cameras tracking his movements. Witnesses say he was calm, talking with two women near closing time. At one point, he tells them he is heading back toward the stage area. Deeper into the bar, not leaving. That is the last confirmed moment anyone sees him. His friends leave later that night without him, believing he had already gone. But there is no clear moment where they separate. No goodbye. No explanation. Just absence. Investigators reviewed everything. Every camera angle. Every possible exit. Every route through the building. Nothing. Nearly two decades later, Brian Shaffer is still missing. Because this is not just a disappearance. It is a moment that should exist, but does not. 🔗 Full episode and socials https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles If you would like to support these investigations https://cash.app/$TheGrimesFiles Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    25 min
  3. Unmissed: Hedviga Golik

    MAR 10

    Unmissed: Hedviga Golik

    In May 2008, residents of an apartment building in Zagreb, Croatia forced open the door to a small attic apartment that had remained closed for decades. Inside, they found human remains. The woman who lived there had never left. Her name was Hedviga Golik, and investigators believed she had been dead for more than 30 years. For decades, neighbors assumed Hedviga had simply moved away. Some believed she had joined a religious group. Others thought she had left the city entirely. No one reported her missing, and because of local tenancy laws, no one felt comfortable entering the apartment. So the door stayed closed. Behind it, time simply stopped. In this episode of The Grimes Files, host Joey Grimes examines the real story behind one of the internet’s most widely misreported cases. Viral retellings often claim Hedviga Golik was found sitting in a chair in front of a television decades after her death. But the original Croatian reporting tells a very different story. Through archival reports and forensic explanations, this episode explores what investigators actually know about Hedviga Golik’s life, her disappearance, and the disturbing discovery that shocked Zagreb. Because Hedviga Golik didn’t disappear in a remote place. She died inside an apartment. In the middle of a city. Surrounded by neighbors. And for more than three decades… no one realized she was still there. Follow & Support The Grimes Files Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TheGrimesFiles Support the show / Donate: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/cef31eb2-a731-4b09-b2e4-f6b293fd4f4a/donations Sources Index.hr Jutarnji List Dnevnik.hr Metro Portal Slobodna Dalmacija Večernji List Host: Joey Grimes Podcast: The Grimes Files These sources come directly from the contemporaneous Croatian reporting corpus from May 2008, which consistently describes Golik’s body as being discovered on a bed in the apartment’s bedroom, contradicting later viral claims about her being seated in front of a television.   Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    22 min
  4. Missing: Brandon Swanson

    FEB 24

    Missing: Brandon Swanson

    On the night of May 13, 2008, nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson left a friend’s house in rural southwestern Minnesota and began driving home. Sometime before 2 a.m., his car went into a ditch. He called his parents for help. He told them he wasn’t hurt. He believed he knew where he was. For nearly an hour, he stayed on the phone while walking through dark farmland toward what he thought were town lights. Then he said, “Oh, s—.” And the line went silent. In this episode, we reconstruct Brandon’s final known movements using documented timelines, cell tower data, search reports, and public statements from law enforcement. We examine how a miscalculated location shifted the search by nearly twenty miles, how rural geography complicated early response efforts, and how a scent trail that led toward water shaped the investigation that followed. We also take a close look at the large-scale search operation — tracking dogs, river searches, seasonal re-examinations, and years of continued efforts that produced no physical evidence. From there, we examine the legislative aftermath: how procedural confusion in the early hours contributed to the passage of Brandon’s Law in 2009, permanently changing how missing adult cases are handled in Minnesota. This is not an episode built on speculation. It is a reconstruction of what is documented — and a recognition of what remains unexplained. Brandon Swanson has never been found. And his case remains open. ⸻ 🔗 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 publicly available reporting, official case summaries, and legislative records, including: • Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) missing person bulletin • FBI ViCAP alert and FBI case page for Brandon Swanson • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) poster entry • Lincoln County and Lyon County Sheriff’s Office statements • Contemporary reporting from The Marshall Independent, The Star Tribune, CBS News, ABC News, and regional Minnesota outlets • Interviews with BCA agents and Lyon County sheriffs in later retrospective coverage • Minnesota Legislature records for H.F. 1242 (2009), known as Brandon’s Law • Minnesota Statutes § 299C.53 (Missing Persons Procedures) Additional geographic context sourced from Minnesota DNR, USGS watershed documentation, and Yellow Medicine River public records. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    23 min
  5. Missing: Kyron Horman

    FEB 10

    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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    50 min
  6. Escaped: Sharon Kinne

    JAN 27

    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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    23 min
  7. Unidentified: Benjaman Kyle

    JAN 13

    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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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

    12/30/2025

    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). Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    34 min
See All (20)

4.4
out of 5
8 Ratings

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
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Grimes Files

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