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A Simpler Time True Crime

A Simpler Time True Crime

Written by: Megan Storm
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About this listen

 I’m Megan, your host, and each week I revisit unsolved cases from decades past—stories that have too often been forgotten or overlooked. Together, we examine the facts, question the myths of “the good old days,” and ask whether a simpler time was ever really a safer one.
This podcast honors the people at the heart of each case—focusing not on sensationalism, but on the lives affected and the justice still waiting to be served.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-simpler-time-true-crime--6665681/support.Copyright Megan Storm True Crime
Episodes
  • The Blizzard of '96: The Murder of Thomas Dorr Sr.

    The Blizzard of '96: The Murder of Thomas Dorr Sr.
    Feb 23 2026
    On January 7th, 1996, a historic storm moved into the Northeastern United States, and first responders across the region began preparing for what they knew could be a long and unpredictable night. When Thomas Dorr received a call from the firehouse where he volunteered in his town, he told them he would head in and stay overnight to help if needed. But Tom never made it to the firehouse.

    A search for him would end in a devastating discovery at a local park near his home. In the years that followed, suspicion turned toward those closest to him. Still, three decades later, no one has ever been charged in Tom’s brutal death.

    Tom was known as a hardworking and dedicated member of his community, someone who consistently showed up when others needed help. His friends and colleagues have worked to keep his name and story alive ever since. This episode aims to do the same.

    TIPS: Westchester County Police Department Detectives Division at (800) 898-TIPS (8477) or you can submit online at tips@wccops.com.
    Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
    IG: @simplertimecrimepod
    Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
    Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/
    Thumbmail art: Lauren Kelty, host of True Crime BFF Podcast

    Source Material:


    https://www.theexaminernews.com/cold-case-unraveled-revisiting-gentle-giant-tom-dorr-sr-s-gruesome-murder/
    https://pix11.com/news/firefighters-wife-and-son-remain-suspects-in-his-bloody-unsolved-death/
    https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/thomas-dorr-murder-cold-case/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-firefighter-slain-i/191599977/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/citizen-register-pleasantville-residents/191881187/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-unsolved-killings-s/191881542/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-stump-investigators/191881593/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-historic-blizzard/191893792/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-city-catches-storms-drift/191893965/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-police-checking-lea/191896390/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-friends-mourn-slai/191897140/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-vigil-held-family/191897327/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-evidence-examined-i/191897462/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-6-month-mark-firefighter/191897644/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/putnam-reporter-dispatch-firefighter-par/191899339/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-raising-money-for-r/191899678/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-slaying-bring-memo/191900674/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-statesman-dorr-reward/191901396/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-1-year-vigil/191901826/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-friends-remember-1/191901952/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/tarrytown-daily-news-96-a-year-of-viole/191902198/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-2-year-anniversary/191902577/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-memorial-tree/191902819/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-unsolved-homicides-12/191903272/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-unsolved-22/191903313/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-5-years-later-2-suspec/191903543/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-police-investigate-wife/191904090/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-slaying-suspect-tries-f/191905126/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-retirement-hearing-22/191905332/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-8-year-anniversary/191905883/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-10-year-anniversary/191906022/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-13-year-vigil/191906226/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-reward-boosted-in-1996/191906484/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-21-year-anniversary/191906581/

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-simpler-time-true-crime--6665681/support.
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    37 mins
  • A Mother's Search For Answers: The Abduction of Mitchell Owens

    A Mother's Search For Answers: The Abduction of Mitchell Owens
    Feb 16 2026
    In February of 1983, young mother Ora Owens woke up to every woman’s worst nightmare. A man standing over her bed watching her as she slept as she is home alone with her children. After leaping out of bed to try to run for help, the stranger caught up to her, dragging her back into her bedroom and violently attacking her. In the middle of the attack, her four-year-old son Mitchell walked in. He bravely said to the assailant “You’re hurting my mom, and I’m going to tell.” After that Ora was knocked unconscious. Miraculously, she was found still clinging to life and rushed to the hospital. When she awoke, her life was forever shattered when she learned that her other two boys were found at the house, but her son Mitchell was gone. 43 years have passed without any answers as to who tried to kill her that night and what happened to her son. I’m so grateful that Ora has entrusted me with her story and it’s a responsibility I do not take lightly. In this episode, she sits down with me to tell her story fully for the first time publicly on this type of platform. We will tell you more about Mitchell and more about the case than just the scant information in newspaper clippings. And in the end, you’ll hear where the case stands and where there are calls to action. Because what once seemed like an impossible case to solve may now have some light at the end of the tunnel.

    Ora's GoFundMe for Helping Cold Case Families: https://gofund.me/678c6399f

    TIPS:
    Menlo Park Police Department at
    (415) 858-3300
    Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
    IG: @simplertimecrimepod
    Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
    Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/
    Thumbmail art: Lauren Kelty, host of True Crime BFF Podcast


    Sources:
    https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/mitchell-deon-owens
    https://charleyproject.org/case/mitchell-deon-owens
    https://charleyproject.org/case/kevin-andrew-mccarthy-collins
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-second-page-o/148174240/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-second-page-o/148174240/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-february-10th/148174579/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-peninsula-times-tribune-mitchell-owe/148175744/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-peninsula-times-tribune-april-1984-n/148200394/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-peninsula-times-tribune-search-effor/148200542/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-enterprise-photo-cartons/168561291/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-21083-owens/188328011/
    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-22-wants-son/188330394/

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-simpler-time-true-crime--6665681/support.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • A Conversation With Retired NYPD Bronx Homicide Detective Robert Klein

    A Conversation With Retired NYPD Bronx Homicide Detective Robert Klein
    Feb 14 2026
    I first came across Detective Robert Klein while covering the 1996 murder of Jasmine Porter. Detective Klein was the lead investigator on her cold case, and more than two decades later, he was the one who put the handcuffs on her killer.

    Recently retired from the NYPD after an accomplished career that included reaching the rank of Detective First Grade, Detective Klein joined me to talk about what detective work really looks like behind the scenes. We discuss his path through one of the largest police departments in the country, how cold cases are revisited and solved, what families should know when they are still waiting for answers, and he responds directly to listener questions. If you enjoy this conversation, there is more to come. Detective Klein and I are already working on two additional episodes, one revisiting a solved case and another taking a deep dive into an unsolved case that is still waiting for answers. Though retired, he continues to lend his expertise to investigative initiatives.


    I hope you enjoy this bonus episode. Please share, comment, and leave a 5 star review.

    Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
    IG: @simplertimecrimepod
    Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
    Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/
    Thumbmail art: Lauren Kelty, host of True Crime BFF Podcast

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-simpler-time-true-crime--6665681/support.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 20 mins
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