Casefile Archives 10: Ben McDaniel

Casefile Archives 10: Ben McDaniel

Author: Casefile Presents May 16, 2026 Duration: 1:12:39

On Friday, August 20 2010, officers from the Holmes County Sheriff's Department were called to Vortex Spring, a commercially operated dive park just outside the Florida town of Ponce de Leon. A 30-year-old scuba diver from Tennessee by the name of Ben McDaniel had failed to resurface after diving into the narrow cave network under the basin of the spring two nights earlier, and nobody had seen or heard from him since. 


When a recovery mission failed to find any sign of Ben, his loved ones and members of the cave diving community were left in shock. Was Ben stuck in an unexplored part of the cave somewhere, or was something else entirely at play?


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Casefile Archives is a series of special bonus releases revisiting the earliest years of the show. The re-run episodes have been completely edited, polished, re-recorded and freshly produced from start to finish to match our current production standards. They are not complete rewrites - our goal wasn’t to alter the cases or reshape the writing, but to preserve the original storytelling while giving the production the refinement it didn’t have when we started the show back in 2016. 


Where appropriate, updates have been added, but the core structure and storytelling remain faithful to the originals. Because of this, these re-releases may sound a little different to our recent episodes, but they allow us to bring some of the earliest episodes up to the technical quality listeners expect today.


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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Elsha McGill 

Production & music – Mike Migas

Audio editing – Anthony Telfer


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The stark reality of criminal investigations often proves more unsettling than any crafted story. Casefile True Crime meticulously explores this territory, presenting deeply researched narratives of solved and unsolved cases from around the globe. Each episode is a comprehensive audio documentary, structured with a deliberate and respectful tone that focuses on the facts, the timeline of events, and the human impact at the core of every story. This approach creates an immersive experience, allowing the details to unfold without sensationalism. The podcast, presented by Casefile Presents, delves into a wide spectrum of incidents, from historical mysteries that have shaped forensic science to contemporary investigations that challenge legal systems. Listeners will hear a thorough examination of police procedures, courtroom dynamics, and the often-overlooked perspectives of those affected. The narration is clear and focused, prioritizing factual accuracy and narrative cohesion to build a complete picture of each case. It’s a show for those who appreciate detail-oriented storytelling within the true crime genre, where the priority is understanding the sequence and significance of events rather than speculative commentary. The result is a consistently engaging and sobering look at the complexities of crime and its lasting repercussions on society and culture. For supporters seeking an ad-free experience and additional content like bonus Q&A sessions and the exclusive ‘Behind the Files’ series, a premium subscription is available.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Casefile True Crime
Podcast Episodes
Casefile Archives 9: The Frankston Serial Killer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:25
*** Content Warning: serial killer, extreme violence, animal cruelty ***In early 1993, Frankston resident Donna received a series of unnerving prank calls. Afraid of being home alone, she accompanied her boyfriend during…
Case 339: Waco (Part 3/3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49:08
[Part 3 of 3]*** Content warning: Gun violence, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, child abuse ***The standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians held firm for more than a month, with David Koresh and his followers…
Case 339: Waco (Part 2/3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:04
[Part 2 of 3]*** Content warning: Gun violence, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, child abuse ***In 1992, a chance discovery by a UPS delivery driver would lead to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives…
Case 339: Waco (Part 1/3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:02
[Part 1 of 3]*** Content warning: Gun violence, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, child abuse ***In 1981, a 20-year-old named Vernon Howell drove more than two hours from his hometown in east Texas to visit a church near…
Case 338: The Folbigg Children (Part 2/2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:55
[Part 2 of 2]*** Content warning: child victims ***As police looked into the deaths of Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura Folbigg, they were introduced to Meadows Law – the theory that one infant death is a tragedy, two is…
Case 338: The Folbigg Children (Part 1/2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:28
[Part 1 of 2]*** Content warning: child victims ***Married couple Craig and Kathleen Folbigg wanted nothing more than to be parents. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Kathleen gave birth to four children—Caleb, Patric…
Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 4/4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:26
[Part 4 of 4]*** Content warning: child victims ***As police closed in on the elusive B.T.K, they received a floppy disk that contained some stunning information – including the name: Dennis...---Narration – Anonymous Ho…
Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 3/4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:30
[Part 3 of 4]*** Content warning: child victims ***B.T.K resumed his cat-and-mouse game with police, who raced to identify and capture the serial killer before he could strike again…---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch…
Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 2/4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:29
[Part 2 of 4]*** Content warning: child victims ***After claiming seven victims and terrorising Wichita for nearly three decades, the unidentified killer known as B.T.K. suddenly fell silent. Then, in 2004, a letter bear…
Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 1/4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:52
[Part 1 of 4]*** Content warning: child victims ***The quiet suburban life of Wichita, Kansas, was shattered in 1974 when four members of the Otero family, Joe, Julie and their two youngest children, Josie and Joey, were…