Betsy Shepard

It sounded like a Southern expression my mom just forgot to teach me.

But then it clicked while I was watching The Departed, the Martin Scorsese movie about corruption within the Boston Police Department.

I think what Megardly is saying is that he doesn't ask a lot of questions because he prefers to be kept in the dark about things that don't concern him.

And who can really blame him?

I mean, law enforcement agencies are not exactly known for their culture of transparency.

Dave Rathbun, Ajay's former partner, says the sheriff's department is unusually protective of the Ajay case file.

So Rathbun asked his buddy, a retired detective working cold cases for the Sheriff's Department, to review the Ajay case.

Those red flags are another reason Rathbun and others just can't get behind the party line.

And that brings us back to the poop mushroom.

It might thrive in darkness, but to me, that's not an ideal environment for policing.

I mean, the whole concept behind law enforcement is that watchful eyes deter crime, right?

But who is watching the police?

There's very little oversight of law enforcement agencies, and it's hard to hold them accountable since they control the collection and release of information about internal problems.

Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?

My theory on feds is they're like mushrooms.

Feed them shit and keep them in the dark.

That's how offensive that is.

So that's where the murders came in.

Hey listeners, Betsy Shepard here.

I'm dropping into your feed to bring you a preview of my new podcast, Valley of Shadows.