343. Dardeen Family Massacre

343. Dardeen Family Massacre

Author: Our True Crime Podcast January 21, 2026 Duration: 55:42
In the quiet, unassuming town of Ina, Illinois—where life moved slowly and danger felt distant—Keith and Elaine Dardeen were building a modest, faith-centered future with their young son, Peter, and a baby on the way. Their trailer sat tucked into the woods near the highway, close enough to hear passing traffic yet isolated enough to disappear into the darkness. When Keith failed to report for his night shift on November 18, 1987, concern quickly turned to dread as calls to the home went unanswered. What investigators would soon discover was beyond comprehension: the entire family had been brutally massacred. Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Dardeen Family Massacre.’ Listener discretion is by @octoberpodVHS Music by our EP @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/141094349/ https://books.google.com/books?id=PEDSSsFlDOcC&pg=PA46 http://www.nwherald.com/2014/04/12/unsolved-1987-slaying-of-illinois-family-haunting/auj00b/ http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/pat-gauen/gauen-gruesome-illinois-mystery-appears-to-end-with-texas-execution/article_b5a3da6c-c649-5725-8a7e-23f96873f514.html http://www.14news.com/story/7372700/unsolved-murder-still-haunts-tri-state-family-two-decades-later https://thesouthern.com/news/article_51b2456d-80ff-5def-9511-6292e669c94e.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/03/13/13-year-vigil-of-fear-eases-in-illinois-town/ https://www.firstalert4.com/2022/01/21/gruesome-murder-an-illinois-family-remains-unsolved-main-suspect-is-executed/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/1fzq8zj/on_the_evening_of_november_18_1987_police_went_to/ https://www.kfvs12.com/2019/11/05/heartland-unsolved-never-forget/ https://www.10minutemurder.com/blog/keith-and-elaine-dardeen-a-family-trying-to-escape-death/ https://medium.com/@tonyakpan45/the-dardeen-family-massacre-de3b9fdb5bb6 https://people.com/dardeen-murders-unsolved-who-killed-illinois-family-8649561 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a whole world of strange and unsettling stories that rarely make the headlines, and that's exactly where you'll find Our True Crime Podcast. Each episode digs into one of those bizarre, lesser-known cases from any corner of the globe, stories that often defy easy explanation. Hosts Jen and Cam guide you through these peculiar narratives with a genuine sense of respect for those involved, balancing the darker details with their own conversational chemistry and a bit of well-timed humor. You might even get a smidge of song along the way, because real life, especially the strange parts, rarely follows a single tone. This isn't just a retelling of facts; it's a shared exploration of the oddities hidden within human behavior and society. Tuning into this podcast feels like pulling up a chair with two friends who have a knack for finding the most compelling, offbeat tales. You'll hear the careful research, the thoughtful discussions, and the personal touch that Jen and Cam bring to every story, making even the most obscure case feel immediate and fascinating. If you're looking for a true crime experience that ventures far beyond the usual cases and does so with character and heart, you've found it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Our True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
348: The Missing Six & The Monster of Malherbe Street [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:40
Thank you, Petra, for the episode suggestion. In 1990, a teenage girl escaped from a house in Pretoria, South Africa, narrowly avoiding an unimaginable fate. Her story revealed that she was not the first of several young…
Mysterious Death of Brent Brand with Hopper from Final Trace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:52
In this month’s special, Cam and Jen talk with Hopper from Final Trace. In the summer of 1986, 18-year-old Brent Brand went to a party in Vincennes, Indiana, and never made it home. Eight days later, across state lines,…
347.  The Cruelest Betrayal: Ashley Kline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:00
On a bitterly cold night just before New Year’s Eve, 23-year-old Ashley Kline disappeared from her home in Robesonia, Pennsylvania, after walking to a friend’s house just four blocks away. She was never seen alive again.…
346.  Charmed: Margie's Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:56
In the middle of a spring night in 1988, Margie slipped from her bed, which she shared with her husband, and slowly crept into the other room where he kept his briefcase with all his important documents. There was no dou…
345. Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:16
For much of the twentieth century, Mississippi was a place where racial violence was not merely ignored but actively erased. Witnesses stayed silent. Juries looked away. It was just a different time, they say. James Crai…
344. Trusting Evil: The Murder of Sarah Everard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
In March 2021, Sarah Everard left a friend’s house in London and started walking home. It was a normal evening, the kind of walk most people do without thinking twice. But when she didn’t return, her family and friends b…
Bill & Peggy Stephenson with Melissa From Just the Tip-Sters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:02
In this month's special, Melissa from Just The Tip-Sters shares a case close to her heart with Cam & Jen. It's a head-scratcher. In May 2011, Bill and Peggy Stephenson, a kind, generous, and deeply loved couple from Flor…
342. Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Wayne Adam Ford [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:16
In November 1998, Wayne Ford was troubled and scared. He called his brother Rodney and said he had “hurt some people.” Rodney could hear the worry in his voice, so he drove six hours through the night to be with him. Whe…
341.  Missoula Mauler: Wayne Nance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:22
It was supposed to be an ordinary night in a quiet Missoula neighborhood, the kind where doors stayed unlocked because nothing bad ever happened. But just after 10 p.m., Doug and Kris Wells pulled into their driveway and…