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In 1997, a 16 year old boy was found a few hundred miles from Madrid, Spain. Police brought him to the station to determine his identity, and found that this boy supposedly disappeared from San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Three years prior to this person being found in Spain, a 13 year old disappeared and was reported missing by his family. His name was Nicholas Barclay. The Barclay family was overjoyed when they heard the news, although their joy was soon replaced with sadness.

Come with Tori and MyKenna as they share a silly filled beginning with what animal they resemble most, what happens to the Barclay family, and who the Spanish police really found.

Disclaimer: this is a serious episode, but delirious moments will occur since Tori and MyKenna recorded after school on a Friday following a LONG week back!

References:

“A Serial Imposter Convinced Everyone He Was a Missing Texas Teen. He Confessed to Me.” The Independent (2023)

“The Many Lives of Frédéric Bourdin.” The New Yorker (2008)

“The Imposter (2012).” IMDB (2012)

“The Imposter, a Tale of Identity Theft Par Excellence.” The Guardian (2012)

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In December of 1926, a woman kissed her daughter goodnight, got into her car, and vanished. The next morning, her vehicle was found abandoned 15 miles away from her home. The headlights were on, a suitcase was inside, and there were no signs of a struggle. Within days, the story had made headlines and a thousand police officers and volunteers were searching the English countryside.

But the missing woman wasn’t just anyone. She was Agatha Christie, the rising crime writer who built her career on creating mysteries and carefully constructed twists. Eleven days later, the mystery of her disappearance was only partially solved…

Follow along with Tori and MyKenna as they unpack this wild mystery and discuss their favorite books.

References

“Agatha Christie” Britannica (2026)

Morgan, Janet P. (1984) Agatha Christie: A Biography. Collins.

“The Curious Disappearance of Agatha Christie” Historic UK (2014)

“Agatha Christie’s Real-Life Mystery at the Silent Pool” BBC News (2010)

“What Happened to Agatha Christie? Inside the Crime Novelist’s Mysterious Disappearance The Mimicked One of her Books” People (2026)

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In November of 1971, a man boarded a plane for a flight from Portland to Seattle. During the flight, this man, known as D.B. Cooper, threatened to detonate a bomb if he did not receive his asking ransom. His request following the ransom was to release all passengers, although the crew must remain to fly him to Mexico. Sometime during the flight, the man prepared himself to jump from the plane with his money. This closed FBI case remains unsolved but leaves everyone with possible theories of their own.

Come along with Tori and MyKenna as they are all over the place – fictional lands they wish were real, crazy plane stories of their own, cat-technical issues, and who they believe D.B. Cooper was.

References

“Who Was the Mystery Hijacker D.B. Cooper?” History (2025)

“D.B. Cooper Hijacking” FBI (2016)

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In 2017, the luxury music event of the decade collapsed into chaos. What was promised as an exclusive, influencer-filled paradise on a private island became a viral disaster of FEMA tents, cheese sandwiches, and stranded guests. In this episode, Tori and MyKenna discuss Valentine’s Day classroom chaos, chaotic field trips, and the rise and fall of Fyre Festival.

“A 23-year old created a club for elite millennials where everyone gets a black card and parties in a New York City penthouse.” Business Insider (2015)

“Fyre Festival: Inside the world’s biggest festival flop.” BBC (2019)

“Fyre Festival Hit With Third Lawsuit.” Pitchfork (2017)

“Fyre Festival: Anatomy of a Millennial Marketing Fiasco Waiting to Happen.” Vanity Fair (2017)

“Fyre Festival: How a 25-year-old scammed investors out of $26 million.” CNBC (2019)

“Lawyers seeking big wins over Fyre Festival woes.” IQ Magazine (2017)

“Fyre Festival sells troubled brand for just $245K on eBay.” NBC News (2025)

“Fyre Festival 2: ‘No record or planning’ for event in Playa del Carmen says local government.” DJ (2025)

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In 2019, William Woods walked into his bank, complaining of stolen identity and was arrested. After years of being incarcerated, a detective in Iowa listened to his pleas and started his own investigation into this identity theft. Follow along to find out what happens to William Woods and his claims of identity theft.

On this episode of True Crime Teacher Time, Tori and MyKenna discuss an upcoming birthday, crazy stolen classroom items, and how one detective from Iowa was able to help William Woods prove his identity.

“Former Hospital Administrator Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison in Identity Theft Scheme That Spanned Three Decades.” United States Department of Justice www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/former-hospital-administrator-sentenced-12-years-federal-prison-identity-theft-scheme

“Identity Thief Whose Deception Led to His Victim’s Incarceration Gets a 12-Year Prison Term.” U.S. News www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2025-01-31/identity-thief-whose-deception-led-to-his-victims-incarceration-gets-a-12-year-prison-term

“UI Detective Unravels Identity Theft Scheme.” stories.uiowa.edu/uipd-detective-unravels-decades-long-identity-scheme

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In October 2009, a homemade silver balloon drifted across the Colorado sky as the entire country watched in horror. Authorities feared a six-year-old boy was trapped inside as news helicopters followed the balloon live. What began as a terrifying rescue mission quickly became one of the most infamous media moments of the 2000s.

In this episode of True Crime Teacher Time, we talk about the Balloon Boy case exactly as the world experienced it, moment by moment, saving the shocking truth for the very end. Along the way, we unpack the media panic it created and how this case could have happened in today’s TikTok era.

References:

“The Balloon Boy Hoax and the True Story Behind the Incident.” ATI (2025)

“10 Years Later, ‘Balloon Boy’ and his Family Still Denounce Idea that it was a Hoax.” ABC News (2019)

“Balloon Boy Charges May Not Come Until Next Week.” The Press Democrat (2019)

“‘Balloon Boy’ Parents Plead Guilty.” CNN (2010)

“Richard and Mayumi Heene: Where are the Balloon Boy’s Parents Today?” Moviedelic (2025)

“Feared Lost in Balloon, Boy Found at Home.” NBC News (2009)

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Today, Tori and MyKenna discuss the Sherri Papini story – where an extensive search was conducted to find a missing woman. Upon her return, the investigators begin to uncover her strange disappearance. Follow along as the girls discuss alternate lives, an ever changing disappearance, and what kind of meetings they wouldn’t second guess skipping.

References:

“Kidnapping, Reverse Ransom and a Bounty: The Strange Case of Sherri Papini.” The Guardian (2016)

“Sherri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison in Hoax Kidnapping Case.” ABC News (2022)
“Sherri Papini, Convicted of Faking Her Own Kidnapping, Again Claims She Was Kidnapped.” NBCNews.Com (2025)

“Sherri Papini Accused of Faking 2016 Kidnapping, Lying to FBI.” KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco (2022)

“Where Is Sherri Papini Now, 9 Years after Kidnapping Hoax? Inside Her Life Today.” People.Com (2025)

“Missing Northern California Mother Found Safe.” CNN (2016)

Sherri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Lying to Federal Agents about Being Kidnapped and Defrauding the California Victim Compensation Board.” Eastern District of California (2022)

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In this episode, two teachers and a guest kick things off with a classroom icebreaker before diving into one of New York’s strangest crime sprees. In the early 2000s, a masked figure dressed entirely in black and silently entered homes across Staten Island, often while residents were inside. We tell the story of the burglaries and the fear that spread through the community.

References:

“History of the ‘Ninja Burglar’ Crime Spree in Staten Island”Silive.com (2016)

“His fight with the ‘Ninja Burglar’” Silive.com (2007)

“Staten Island ‘Ninja Burglar’ Captured” Silive.com (2008)

“Official Press Release: ‘Ninja Burglar’ Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison” Staten Island District Attorney’s Office (2018)

“‘Ninja Burglar’ in Custody After a Decade of Break-Ins” NBC New York (2016)