The Good Neighbors (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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What happened on the cold December day in the small town of Maine?
Hey Prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin Podcast one month early and all episodes ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. It was a frigid December day in a small logging town in Maine, roughly an hour's drive from the US-Canadian border. But despite the falling snow, Christmas shoppers were out in full force. While most of the shoppers hurried from store to store, a small crowd had gathered in front of the police station. The shoppers watched as an officer stapled a poster to a telephone pole. Then, when he was done and stepped aside, they all shuffled closer for a better view. The poster was a sketch of a middle-aged woman. She had a narrow face, thin nose, glasses, and bangs.
And according to the text above the image, the police were looking for this woman in connection with a recent double homicide. The murders were horrible, but they were also the most exciting thing to happen in this part of rural Maine for as long as anyone could remember. So despite the cold and the need to go buy Christmas gifts, these shoppers all stood there studying the sketch and discussing whether it looked like anyone they knew. And these shoppers were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice a bundled up figure hurrying past them on the sidewalk. And this figure slowed down just long enough to glance at the poster and recognize the face in the sketch, which bore a striking resemblance to their own face. Then, before anyone could notice them, the figure turned and hurried off into the falling snow.
But before we get into that story, if you're a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast because that's all we do and we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please give the follow button's phone number to as many telemarketers as you can. Okay, let's get into today's story.
When a young woman named Desiree vanishes without a trace, the trail leads to Cat Torres, a charismatic influencer with millions of followers. But behind the glamorous posts and inspirational quotes, a sinister truth unravels. Binge all episodes of Don't Cross Cat early and ad-free on Wondery+.
Who were Big Mike and Val, and what was their life like?
On the evening of November 27th, 2009, Michael Miller, or Big Mike as pretty much everyone knew him, was stomping around his property in Webster Plantation, Maine, studying his double-wide trailer and thinking through the new addition he was planning. Like his nickname suggested, 47-year-old Big Mike was a huge man, and he had a big bushy beard, and he looked right at home in this desolate rural setting. The trailer stood at the center of a snowy clearing along the edge of dark woods. There were no other buildings in sight since Big Mike's closest neighbor lived almost 20 miles away. His hometown of Webster Plantation wasn't really a town at all. It had a population of 85 people, a one-room town hall, two roads, and no streetlights. There had never really been much to do there, aside from, you know, creek fishing and taking in the nature, and for a lot of people, working at the local lumber mill.
Big Mike had been a seasonal employee there for 29 years, but just one week ago, he'd been laid off. The loss of his job had stung, but he wasn't too worried. He and his wife Val lived frugally, and so they had enough cash stowed away to get by until he found another job. Big Mike was just about to head back inside when he heard a vehicle approaching. He turned to see a pair of headlights sweep through the trees. Then a familiar white Ford Explorer came into view and pulled up to his mobile home. It was his two sons, 27-year-old Mike Jr. and 26-year-old Matt. Mike Jr., the oldest son, was like a smaller, clean-shaven version of Big Mike. But Matt was a lot different. He was skinny and pale, with a buzz cut and tattoos along his neck.
Matt also had heavy shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well. Big Mike had not expected to see his kids tonight, but was happy for the visit. So he walked up and gave them each a big hug and invited them inside. Then he called out to Val that the boys had stopped by for a visit, and within seconds, his wife appeared from the kitchen with a tin of her famous coffee cakes in hand.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened on the cold December day in the small town of Maine?
0:00–2:43
2
Who were Big Mike and Val, and what was their life like?
2:43–13:07
3
What led to the discovery of the Millers’ double homicide?
13:07–19:08
4
What did the detectives find at the crime scene?
19:08–29:28
5
What was revealed about Big Mike’s secret business?
29:28–34:26
6
Who is Clayton Gidden and what was his connection to the Millers?
34:26–38:27
7
What were the initial investigative steps taken by the detectives?
38:27
8
How did the family members react to the tragedy?
31:03–42:01