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SERIAL KILLER: David Meirhofer

In the summer of 1973, the Jaeger family wakes at a Montana campground to every parent's nightmare: their young daughter, Susie, is gone. Searches turn up nothing, until a man begins tormenting the family with chilling calls and letters. He has Susie, and he has no intention of giving her back. As investigators race to find her, more victims begin to surface. The case finally breaks when a determined mother joins forces with the FBI’s newly formed behavioral profiling unit. Together, they uncover the truth about what happened to Susie and bring long-awaited answers to three other grieving families.
Duration
57m
Broadcast on
01 Jun 2026
Audio Format
other

In the summer of 1973, the Jaeger family wakes at a Montana campground to every parent's nightmare: their young daughter, Susie, is gone. Searches turn up nothing, until a man begins tormenting the family with chilling calls and letters. He has Susie, and he has no intention of giving her back. As investigators race to find her, more victims begin to surface. The case finally breaks when a determined mother joins forces with the FBI’s newly formed behavioral profiling unit. Together, they uncover the truth about what happened to Susie and bring long-awaited answers to three other grieving families.

 

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- Hi, crime junkies, I'm your host Ashley Flowers. - And I'm Britt. - And today, I'll be taking you on a trek through the mountains of Montana, where a little-known serial killer went undetected for years despite his brazen crimes. Murders that he likely would have gotten away with had it not been for the surprising investigative combo of a mother's unrelenting determination for answers. And this brand new thing that the FBI was developing, a little something that you might be very familiar with now, but at the time, no one had heard of. Criminal profiling. It was still in its infancy at the time, but this would be one of the very first cases where the FBI put their learning to work to catch serial killer, David Meyerhofer. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
It's summer 1973 and 12-year-old Heidi Yeager wakes up to a breeze on the back of her head. She might have had this brief hazy moment where she embraces the Montana mountain air, but then she realizes that's all wrong. Yes, she's outside, she's camping with her family, but she's inside a tent, there shouldn't be a breeze. When she opens her eyes, it is pitch black. So she starts to like feel around and her hand actually touches grass. When her eyes finally adjust to the darkness, she notices that there is this gaping hole sliced through the back of her tent. And her little sister, Susie, who had been sleeping right next to her, is gone. Now, Heidi doesn't hesitate, she runs to wake up her parents in their nearby camper. Bill and Marietta Yeager hurry out with flashlights, hoping to see seven-year-old Susie wondering their campsite somewhere, maybe using the restroom, but what they find causes even more panic. Susie's stuffed animals that she'd been sleeping with are in the grass outside the back of the tent near where the hole was. Now, they figure that she couldn't have been gone very long. It's just after 5 a.m. now. And Heidi tells them that she last laid eyes on her sister at 1.30 a.m. They both like woken up, chatted for a little bit before then falling back asleep.

Transcription truncated.

In the summer of 1973, the Jaeger family wakes at a Montana campground to every parent's nightmare: their young daughter, Susie, is gone. Searches turn up nothing, until a man begins tormenting the family with chilling calls and letters. He has Susie, and he has no intention of giving her back. As investigators race to find her, more victims begin to surface. The case finally breaks when a determined mother joins forces with the FBI’s newly formed behavioral profiling unit. Together, they uncover the truth about what happened to Susie and bring long-awaited answers to three other grieving families.