Mike DeBardeleben (Part Three: Accomplices)

Mike DeBardeleben (Part Three: Accomplices)

Author: Unresolved Productions February 19, 2024 Duration: 31:38
"I feel that I have been unjustly tormented, degraded and shit upon by society... In order to regain an adequate self-image, I feel compelled to somehow restore my self-respect..."

Shortly after his stint at Western State Hospital in Virginia, Mike DeBardeleben would begin a series of relationships with young women. All followed a series of repeated steps, centered around breaking down the women in question and making them dependent entirely upon Mike. This was usually accomplished through typical emotional abuser techniques, but also contained a significant element of physical and sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, Mike's criminal behavior began to take shape in other troubling ways. First came simple schemes meant to take money from elderly women. After that came complex bank robberies. Then more violent crime followed. The women ensnared in Mike's life would become not only his wives, but also his captives. And in another sense, his accomplices...



Research, writing, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

Music composed and created by Micheal Whelan

Additional music includes "Unresolved Mysteries" by Ailsa Traves (podcast theme song, end credits)

Learn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.me

If you would like to support this podcast, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or Producer

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved-a-true-crime-mystery-podcast--3266604/support.

For those drawn to the shadows where stories lack a final page, there's Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast. Hosted by Micheal Whelan, this podcast operates on a simple, haunting premise: some questions demand to be asked, even if the answers remain just out of reach. Since 2015, each episode is a deep, respectful exploration into the voids left by history and crime. You'll hear meticulously researched narratives on cold cases that have grown dusty, the enigmatic patterns of unidentified perpetrators, and disappearances that left only silence in their wake. This isn't about easy conclusions; it's about the weight of the unknown. The podcast gives voice to the details that complicate simple theories and honors the lingering questions that haunt families and investigators alike. By focusing on mysteries that refuse to be neatly solved, Unresolved creates a space for thoughtful reflection on the nature of justice, memory, and the stories we can't afford to forget. It's for listeners who find compelling narrative not in resolution, but in the pursuit itself, in following every thread no matter how faint or where it leads. Tune in for a sobering, immersive journey into the cases that defy closure.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast
Podcast Episodes
D.B. Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:10
"Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb."In November 1971, a man in a suit boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle, calmly handed a note to a flight attendant, and claimed he had a bomb. He demanded $200,0…
The Zone of Silence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:26
"I don't believe in any nonsense... but I'll keep an open mind. Out here, who knows?"In July of 1970, an Athena RTV rocket was launched from Green River, Utah. Containing the radioactive element cobalt-57, the rocket was…
Laura Howard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:37
"We have no idea how many other victims are out there, past and present."In April 2013, relatives of 53-year-old Laura Howard began to grow concerned. She wasn't responding to any phone calls, and the tone of her text me…
The Dardeen Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:52
"I believe it was a very personal, deliberate thing."On 16 November 1987, the three-member Dardeen family returned to their rural home in Ina, Illinois after a weekend away. As Thanksgiving approached, 30-year-old Elaine…
"The Buzzer" (UVB-76) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:35
"There's absolutely no information in the signal."For decades now, an odd and mysterious audio signal has operated on the shortwave spectrum. Since the late 1970s, a strange pulsating sound has repeated at 4625 kilohertz…
The Lead Masks Case (Part Two: Seekers) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:10
"I have no doubt they died of an experiment with psychic forces for which they were ill-prepared and which turned out to be fatal."By the end of 1967, the official investigation into the Lead Masks Case was brought to a…
The Lead Masks Case (Part One: Vintém Hill) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:44
“16:30 be at the specified location. 18:30 ingest capsules, after effect protect metals await signal mask.”On 20 August 1966, a teenager was flying a kite on Vintém Hill, a rural location outside of Niterói, Brazil. He w…
TEST SIGNAL: The First American Myth (Post-Truth I) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:04
Hey y'all. Unresolved will return next week, but in the meantime, here is the first episode of the newest podcast from Unresolved Productions: Post-Truth. Hope you enjoy. If you do, please go and subscribe to Post-Truth…
Toyah Cordingley (Update: March 2025) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:28
There has been an update in the story of Toyah Cordingley (episode #169 from 2021). In February 2025, 40-year-old Rajwinder Singh's trial for Toyah's 2018 murder began, leading to an unexpected outcome...Researched, writ…