I just found this the other day while looking for more podcasts about Laureen's case, of which there are very few. I had never heard of this podcasts before, but apparently they did an earlier episode about Laureen's case that I haven't listened to yet.
This follow-up episode (released September 5 of this year) contains an interview with Laureen's friend Michelle who was also 14 at the time and hung out with her for the last time just weeks before she vanished. The information Michelle gives, if true, sheds a whole new light on the disappearance and fills in several holes in the case we've all been wondering about.
In this special episode of Speculating Wildly About Crime, we will revisit the mysterious disappearance of Laureen Rahn, a 14-year-old girl who went missing in 1980. Join co-hosts Jamie and Kristy as they are joined by VERY speical guests- Missy (...
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Where do I even start...
Went in for my weekly checkup on Laureen's thread and saw the new podcast, dropped everything I was doing, made popcorn and went straight into it. I was absolutely shocked and my jaw kept dropping throughout the whole episode. If we assume everything Michelle said on that podcast is true it definitely made me reconsider my opinions and theories. Some of the key points:
1. The family situation - I must admit I didn't believe Laureen's family was disfunctional to the degree Michelle described it. Her dad actually being in NH all along and the fact they actually had contact is fairly interesting to me and I would surely like to know more about their relationship. Next, I was apparently very wrong in my initial assumption that Laureen and Judith were on good terms. I fully believed that any potential conflict between them was overblown by law enforcment and anyone else who pushed for the runaway theory. The detail with the aunts fighting and what was going on between them and the man called Bob is quite horrifying but I'll get to Bob later. Judith selling Laureen's bike so soon after the disappearance is a can of worms in itself.
2. The friends - another wrong assumption as I believed Laureen knew Kristyn for far longer (an assumption based on me believing she had a healthy relationship with her mom). If she really did know Kristyn for just around two weeks it surely makes whatever happened that night far more suspicious. Good to know the male friend's name at last, too. Regarding him, it was very interesting when Michelle remarked how his behavior led people to consider him taking his life a possibility. Once again, would like more information on that as well but I lean into him taking his life not having any connection to the case. Lastly, the interview with Michelle, in my opinion, greatly solidifies the notion that there definitely was a second male present at the apartment that night.
3. The phone calls - the detail with a cousin working as a truck driver as well as the calls being night absent from any police reports lead me to believe that the phone calls from CA are in fact a red herring in this case.
4. Bob - perhaps my personal highlight from this interview, I just have a gut feeling the man has at least some involvement in whatever happened to Laureen.
5. I was very glad to hear any connections to other cases and/or potential perpetrators be largely discarded (thank God I'm not alone in thinking Laureen looks nothing like some of the girls she's often compared to appearance-wise).
6. The Unsolved Mysteries bit shook me to my core.
After taking everything into account, the prevailing theories in my opinion are:
1. The OD theory - I've always been on board with this one, especially now that Laureen apparently knew the friends she had come over for a very short time. From the chance of her overdosing in the first place, to the probability of the others to decide to dispose of her following the OD, this theory should absolutely be on the table in my opinion.
2. Taken and murdered the same night/shortly after - this is where I believe that, if he's really inolved, Bob comes in. The man was obviously shady since he did what he did with Judith and the aunts. Who knows what else could cross his mind and he could've very easily had access to a key just like Michelle said. Regardless of who murdered Laureen, if they did they're either very lucky or very smart since no remains had ever been found.
3. Human trafficking - while I think the other theories are stronger if everything Michelle said is true, I still think there's some weight to this one, especially with Judith's past shady connections and marriages (man who owned a restaurant, turned strip club). This theory is also still my personal favorite so there's bias present as well.
One last thing, I was bummed when Michelle said Sam hadn't responded to her most recent messages in 2025. I would really like to get in contact with Sam, lend him a hand or, if he really wants to distance himself from this case I'd gladly take the investigation over. I completely understand and share the infatuation with the case and his commitment, this podcast/interview only further deepening it. That being said, I have high hopes that we're close to finding out the truth.
