Lindsay Janes has been exploring the Peace Country’s unsolved mysteries and crimes past in her podcast Disturbing the Peace.
Since launching in January, the Grande Prairie local has made 19 episodes (22 if you include specials) and has captured the attention of about 10,000 listeners.
“I always wanted to be in the creative space, but finding that thing, along with having a full-time job, children at home and a husband who works really hard for us - which means he's away about 25 days of the month - it's not easy to go out and audition, let's say to do like a play,” said Janes.
She noted a driving force is being struck by tragedies close to her, knowing that these crimes are still happening today and leaving families with little comfort.
“I've had a few people in my life who have had really heinous things happen to them.”
Janes said she is surprised by how many local stories there are to tell and that she does not have to “dig too terribly deep” to find her next story.
Her husband purchased her two microphones last Christmas and encouraged her to launch the new creative endeavour.
She has since gained the help of other local podcasters and found tips on YouTube.
Janes describes the podcast as being “about the Peace region and its secrets,” mostly covering true crime stories. She has also covered topics such as the Spanish Flu, Sasquatch and the great maple syrup heist.
“I try to bring dignity and empathy to the victims of these crimes and the families that are affected by them while also trying to remain unbiased and also try to have a little bit of fun.”
She also sees the podcast as a way of keeping some of the region's history alive and adapting the storytelling so the next generation will learn about the area's history.
Janes said people in her generation simply are not using the library or museums like they used to and may not even know of some local resources, such as the South Peace Regional Archives.
“It's just very interesting to go and learn about the place you live and the history of what surrounds you. And so I've always been really passionate about educating people about the area and what we have to offer, as well as the historical people, places, and events that have built the area to be what it is today.”
“One night, when Dr. Cooper invites Dr. Snider to his office late at night to discuss their issues in a lawsuit that one has filed against the other. Dr. Snider goes willingly, hoping that this is the beginning of a solution between him and Dr. Cooper's feud. And then, unfortunately, Dr. Snyder goes missing. There's blood in Dr. Cooper's office. Body is never found, but Dr. Cooper ends up charged with murder and serves an eight-year sentence for it. That story was very interesting to do. I did a lot of research for it.”
She’s also done a podcast on Dawson Creek that has seen 11 people murdered or gone missing in recent years.
She said that although CBC’s The Fifth Estate recently covered the story, it needs more coverage as there have been no arrests, information for families has been lacking, and the investigation also seems to be lacking.
“Her body has never been found, and no one has ever been named. In the case of the suspect, there's been no arrests, and of course, there's been no justice for the family.”
She hopes that spreading the word on a cold case like Pruyser’s might encourage someone to speak up if they ever saw anything that could help investigators.
“When was the last time someone's heard about her?
“When was the last time someone talked about her?
“When was the last time someone said, ‘Hey, let's look at this case again?’ And I mean that in a community sense. You know, the RCMP claims that it's still an active case, and they're still actively working on it, but a lot of the time, these cases are solved by the community.
“They're solved by people who maybe saw something and didn't think much of it. But when you jog their memory like that, they go, ‘oh my goodness, I need to tell somebody about, you know, this menial thing that maybe happened at a grocery store that I didn't think meant anything. But now that I hear this story, this could be the thing that solves that case’.”
Disturbing the Peace is available on Apple Podcasts, Acast, Spotify and on Facebook.
Lindsay’s spooky podcast choices
Episode 4: Wrong Place At the Wrong Time
Fox Creek double homicide on June 30, 2015. Daniel Goodridge is the murderer. Found not criminally responsible.
Episode 7: Richmond Avenue Rampage
In the autumn of 1976, a gunman armed with three different high-powered rifles starts shooting indiscriminately from the third-floor apartment window of Richmond Avenue Apartments after an argument with his girlfriend.
An infamous case in Grande Prairie from 1918, which remains unsolved, between two neighbouring farmsteads. Six people are found brutally slain.
One of Canada's youngest serial killers, Cody Legebokoff, was caught literally red-handed on the Highway of Tears in 2010 after murdering a 15-year-old girl.