Melissa Jeltsin

As COVID hits Oklahoma, Aris doesn't get to see her friend very often. Talena has rheumatoid arthritis and other health issues that make contracting the virus a real concern. She was immunocompromised, so she was taking it very, very seriously. But Talena still wants to hand off the mattress, as she promised. And so on Friday, March 27th, Talena texts Aris to organize a pickup.

As COVID hits Oklahoma, Aris doesn't get to see her friend very often. Talena has rheumatoid arthritis and other health issues that make contracting the virus a real concern. She was immunocompromised, so she was taking it very, very seriously. But Talena still wants to hand off the mattress, as she promised. And so on Friday, March 27th, Talena texts Aris to organize a pickup.

I said, okay.

I said, okay.

A few days go by. Having not heard from her friend, Eris checks in.

A few days go by. Having not heard from her friend, Eris checks in.

This is her last exchange with Talena before she goes missing. From iHeart Podcasts, I'm Melissa Jeltsin, and this is What Happened to Talena Tzar?

This is her last exchange with Talena before she goes missing. From iHeart Podcasts, I'm Melissa Jeltsin, and this is What Happened to Talena Tzar?

Episode 2, Small Town, Big Secrets.

Episode 2, Small Town, Big Secrets.

This is Greg, the local handyman in Wagner.

This is Greg, the local handyman in Wagner.

When Talena moved to Wagner, Oklahoma in late 2016, she did it with her partner, Tom. They left their longtime home in Indianapolis and purchased a brown ranch house in Whitehorn Cove, a lake community near the border of Arkansas. From the outside, the home is rustic-looking, cozy, private, set back from the road and nestled among the tall trees.

When Talena moved to Wagner, Oklahoma in late 2016, she did it with her partner, Tom. They left their longtime home in Indianapolis and purchased a brown ranch house in Whitehorn Cove, a lake community near the border of Arkansas. From the outside, the home is rustic-looking, cozy, private, set back from the road and nestled among the tall trees.

It's not easy to move to a totally new place when you're in your 50s and beyond, but the couple had their reasons for choosing Wagner, of all places. One being, they had a group of friends who were already established there, like Eris Howell.

It's not easy to move to a totally new place when you're in your 50s and beyond, but the couple had their reasons for choosing Wagner, of all places. One being, they had a group of friends who were already established there, like Eris Howell.

The two women were several decades apart, and Eris looked up to Talena like a big sister.

The two women were several decades apart, and Eris looked up to Talena like a big sister.

And it helped that they shared the same offbeat sense of humor. Eris told me about one time Talena was giving her some spices from her pantry that she no longer needed.

And it helped that they shared the same offbeat sense of humor. Eris told me about one time Talena was giving her some spices from her pantry that she no longer needed.