Episode Details

For over a decade, Sheriff Howard Sills has carried the unsolved murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond with him — a case that's outlasted every other investigation of his forty-year career. In this episode, we go deep into the man behind the badge, the staggering range of theories the public threw at this case — mafia, cult, extremism, even an alligator — and the family who's spent twelve years asking not for revenge, but simply for an answer.

We also trace the forensic breakthroughs that have quietly reshaped this case in recent years: cellphone geolocation data, a touch-DNA discovery on Russell's own clothing, and a 2026 update suggesting these threads are finally converging. Somebody out there knows what happened at that lake house. This episode asks how much longer they can stay quiet

This case is still open. If you have any information about the murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond, contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 706-485-8557 or the FBI at 404-679-9000. A reward is still active.

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