BONUS: An FBI Agent and Neighbor Ric Metts on the Kidnapping
FBI agent Ralph Harp discusses the investigation and working for the FBI. “We see the harm done. Other people read about it, but they don’t see it up close and personal They don’t touch it, they don’t smell it, and so they are kept back a distance from it,” said Harp, adding that as an FBI agent “you’re right up on the edge of it.”
Then, family friend Ric Metts on his perspective on the case: “It wasn’t my first polygraph where I had done nothing,” said Metts.
BONUS: How the FBI Decides When to Arrest
FBI agent Cindy Rosenthal worked on the McKay Everett case as both an FBI agent and a lawyer, as chief division counsel for the Houston office.
“The bureau decided it was really good to have someone who had both the agent experience and the agent training as well as the legal training,” said Rosenthal.
In this bonus episode of Ransom, Rosenthal walks through how the FBI decides when to pull the trigger and arrest someone they suspect of involvement in a crime.
“The boy’s life is first and foremost what we’re worried about,” said Rosenthal. “The probable cause to arrest, it’s just going to come with everything that leads up to it.”
BONUS: The Ransom Caller Irene Flores
Irene Flores was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and served 23 years in prison for her role as the raspy-voiced ransom caller. When we first reached out to her, we didn’t hear back, so producer Ben Kuebrich tracked her down and knocked on her door. At first, Flores was hesitant to talk, but she ended up having a lot to say. She told us about her relationship with Hilton Crawford, what led her to participate in the crime, and how she feels about the whole ordeal more than two decades later.
“I allowed myself to be lead,” said Flores. “I was more angry at me.”
BONUS: The Standoff in the Swamp
The night deputy Marcus Guidry discovered McKay’s body something else happened – he nearly got into a shootout. Guidry was ununiformed and got into a tense encounter with a deputy from a different parish, Jerry Stassi. The two say they’ve investigated many crimes at Whiskey Bay – a strange no man’s land out in the middle of the Atchafalaya swamp.
BONUS: Tannie Shannon’s Tapes of Hilton Crawford
Author Tannie Shannon spent years interviewing Hilton Crawford in prison. In the early days, Tannie was allowed to document the conversations on a tape recorder. On one of the tapes Hilton talks about his early life, his relationship with his wife, and his law enforcement career with the Beaumont Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
BONUS: Professor Katherine Shear on Prolonged Grief Disorder
Grief takes many forms and recently psychiatrists realized that some suffer from extended grieving which may require therapy to get over. Dr. Shear worked to investigate this phenomenon, which was officially recognized in psychiatry’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) as ‘prolonged grief disorder’ in 2022. Studies show it’s particularly common with tragedies like McKay’s – following the sudden, unexpected death of a spouse or child, especially in horrific circumstances like murder.
BONUS: Psychiatrist Timothy Fong on Gambling Disorder
Dr. Fong describes the history of gambling disorder, how the rise in online gambling and day trading may be leading to a gambling epidemic, and how he thinks about whether gambling addiction or sociopathy can better explain a crime.
BONUS: Witnessing More Executions Than Anyone in America
Reporter Mike Graczyk shares the insights he’s learned from forty years of covering executions and death row inmates for the Associated Press. He also discusses his experience reporting on Hilton Crawford and the McKay Everett case.
BONUS: The Making of Ransom with Donnie and Austin Miller
This podcast came to be because the son of an FBI agent asked his dad about the hardest case of his career. In our final bonus episode, agent Donnie Miller and his son Austin join host Art Rascon and producer Ben Kuebrich to talk about why the kidnapping of McKay Everett was so devastating.
Ransom is a nine-part true crime podcast, with nine accompanying bonus episodes. Follow or subscribe to Ransom using these links to make sure you don’t miss the next episode: