Up and Vanished

The amount of effort put into this investigation really sets this apart from other shows for me..also the amount of time and all the family and witnesses interviewed really shows that Payne really cares about getting to the bottom and finding the truth

Real cases, and true investigative journalism! Payne isn’t gathering sources from other media or tracking down court documents from cases that have already played out. He is the first to map out sources and clues for much of these cases. He’s talking to suspects and family members and even going undercover to get people talking. You have a front row seat and can’t help but to feel a roller coaster of anxiety as you tag along on his investigative journeys. Payne puts his life on the line to find justice for people from all walks of life (not just a white beauty queen as accused). These cases are real and they are grueling. It is hard not to notice the toll it has taken on his mental health. Because he is investigating real lives often in real time, it’s unrealistic to expect neat plot lines or for things to be tied up with a bow for the listeners. It seems that some of us have become desensitized to the humanness of true crime podcasts, and expect them to play like a novel or an episode of “Law & Order.”

This really is a wonderful investigative reporting podcast, and I appreciate the effort and care that the host and producers put into telling the stories of the missing people they’re trying to find, most notably contextualizing the latest season with the incredibly high rate of missing Alaskan natives and the lack of effort and resources being used to bring these families peace and answers as well as find them. My only complaint would be how it’s edited. It’s VERY repetitive and sometimes I’ll think I’m listening to the same episode twice even though I’m on the next one. In future seasons, consider toning this down a bit and I think that could go a long way towards improving the podcast and making it easier to follow.

This podcast is so well done. Research, honest feelings, vivid descriptions! It moved me when feelings were shared. Raw and real. Solemnity.

I listened to all seasons and season 4 has got to be the worst. I like the story telling on previous seasons but season 4 is just all over the place, it’s very hard to find just regular episodes because there are all these 3 minute “preview” and bonus episodes… why? And then a new episode months later repeating the same thing and constantly switching up between two stories but never actually finishing or going deeper on one story. Why not just have separate seasons for the two stories, it gets very confusing. And constant repetition of the same recordings etc , I feel Like I listened to an entire season but didn’t really get any new info. Used to be my favorite podcast but now ready to give it up, it’s been too annoying.

Season one was good, season two was okay, but seasons three and four were all over the place. It was hard to follow, constantly bouncing between two storylines. I kept trying to find a connecting thread, but there really wasn’t one. There was a lot of repetition and very little substance. I thought I’d at least listen to the finale, but since it’s been almost two years since the story started, I got lost in the characters and fake drama, lost interest and turned it off after about 15 minutes. Good luck on the families. Hope they find some answers.