Valley of Shadows artwork

True Crime · Pushkin Industries

Valley of Shadows

by Pushkin Industries

How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years. Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. New episodes release on Mondays. Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on Spotify.

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

This podcast really suffers from the presenters injecting themselves into the narrative. There’s no point to these painful, goofy “tee-hee, we’re two girl besties investigating a mystery!” digressions. Totally bloated with this nonsense by about a whole episode’s worth of time. This would’ve been much more sleek, effective, and compelling without all that. Credit, though, they do have a good story here.

Fionn MacCumhaill · Apr 2026

I loved this podcast! Not only did it keep me captivated every episode it was easy to listen to and highly entertaining. Love Haley and Betsy, they are hilarious and fun to listen to! Hope to hear more from you both in the future.

4theloveofPod · Mar 2026

Appreciate all the time and dedication it took to put this together. You can really feel the compassion from the hosts and really helped me understand just how badly the sheriff department dropped the ball! Will support future shows by these hosts.

Conniemackn · Feb 2026

>> Highly recommend << The story is a combination of Chicago PD and Sons of Anarchy, and presents as if it’s a Dateline special. Interesting and compelling. Worth the listen. Additionally - Betsy has been in the investigative podcast space for quite some time. And Hayley has had work published in Rolling Stone, VICE, and the LA Times. It’s worth looking up their prior work. Both are very talented.

Manda_Panda17 · Feb 2026

Good production and interesting story at first, but the series becomes paywalled at episode 7 without any clear warning on Apple Podcasts. That lack of transparency is disappointing for listeners who start the show expecting a full free run.

BettyBrennan42 · Feb 2026

Evidence is emphasized, then disappears from the host's focus. Meandering story telling. Annoying childlike banter in a serious story. No conclusion. And where's the editor? There are more and more of these types of amateur podcasts in the genre. If you like an intelligent story with serious investigative journalism ... this isn't it.

Stay Fat · Feb 2026

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.

More podcasts like Valley of Shadows

Popular shows in True Crime, for your next listen.

Browse charts by category

Daily updated Apple Podcasts rankings for the United States.

About Valley of Shadows on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Valley of Shadows and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

Contact

Questions or issues? Reach us at hello@reason.fm

0:000:00