When 30-year-old Alyssa Romine-Olson is found floating naked and face down in the pond of a Gilbert, Arizona nature preserve in 2016, online coverage makes the case sound like a suicide. But her missing belongings, an undetermined cause of death, and key evidence found at the scene tell a different story. And investigators soon realize, nothing in this case is as it seems.
Duration
1h 2m
Broadcast on
24 Aug 2026
Audio Format
other
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When 30-year-old Alyssa Romine-Olson is found floating naked and face down in the pond of a Gilbert, Arizona nature preserve in 2016, online coverage makes the case sound like a suicide. But her missing belongings, an undetermined cause of death, and key evidence found at the scene tell a different story. And investigators soon realize, nothing in this case is as it seems.
If you know anything about the 2016 death of Alyssa Romine-Olson at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona, you can contact the Gilbert Police Department by submitting a tip at GilbertAZ.gov/SubmitATip, in reference to case #16-9745.
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- Hi, crime junkies, I'm your host Ashley Flowers. - And I'm Britt. - And guess what, Gilbert Petey? We're back. (laughing) We saw the responses all you crime junkies had to our episodes out of Gilbert, Arizona. Rachel Hanson, Nick Cordova, Laura Sweetman. And we heard your call to tell more of their cases, the lesser known ones, the ones that you really need to dig into to get to the bottom of. Well, little did you know, we were already waist deep, and we're about to fill you in. The case I have for you today is one that has been spun every which way by the police and the media. And that's meant that for over 10 years, one family has been forced to bury their grief. But today, we're telling you the real story of a woman who was found floating naked and face down in the pond of a local nature preserve in 2016. And the headline is, don't believe the headlines. This is the story of Alyssa Romine Olson. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
It's June 10th, 2016 when Alyssa Romine Olson's body is found floating in a pond at the riparian preserve in Gilbert, Arizona. And almost as quickly as she is removed from the water, authorities start crafting a story. One about a 30 year old woman who was depressed, who was suffering due to recent health problems, who just separated from her husband of nearly four years and moved back in with her parents. In local news articles, the word is never used, but to Alyssa's family and friends, the Gilbert community, the insinuation is clear. Whatever happened to Alyssa, she did it to herself. So no foul play involved, no threat to the public. And therefore, those who heard the story in the local community felt no need to put pressure on the Gilbert police department to rush their death investigation. In all honesty, when our reporter Nicole started looking into this case, that was her first impression too. She actually called me from Arizona and she was like, "Hey, you know, like, based on what I'm seeing,
Transcription truncated.
When 30-year-old Alyssa Romine-Olson is found floating naked and face down in the pond of a Gilbert, Arizona nature preserve in 2016, online coverage makes the case sound like a suicide. But her missing belongings, an undetermined cause of death, and key evidence found at the scene tell a different story. And investigators soon realize, nothing in this case is as it seems.
