What Happened to Talina Zar

What Happened to Talina Zar unravels the chilling mystery of a woman who vanished during the COVID-19 lockdown, the internet sleuths who followed her trail , and the dark subcultures and interpersonal betrayals they unearthed.

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Recent Episodes

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Horizon - Talina Zar E8 Thursday, June 19, 2025

In our season finale, five years have passed since Talina disappeared, but Jess continues to obsess over the details. Meanwhile, Talina’s family searches to define closure as a murder trial remains elusive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Safe - Talina Zar E7 Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Uncovering an incident in Wisconsin from 2014 sends Jess chasing a new set of questions. But as COVID stretches into the fall of 2020, the official investigation slows to a standstill…until a momentous discovery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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One Step Ahead - Talina Zar E6 Wednesday, June 4, 2025

New evidence is popping up all over town - all over Oklahoma, in fact. The police seem closer than ever to solving the case when a sudden death throws Jess - and the investigation - for a loop.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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If I Go Missing - Talina Zar E5 Thursday, May 29, 2025

Talina’s family gets involved in the search from afar. Meanwhile, the non-stop investigation starts to take a toll on Jess. And the police turn up evidence that upends the whole timeline of events.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Mattress - Talina Zar E4 Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Weeks pass with no sign of Talina. Her friends, as well as the online sleuths and the local sheriff start to uncover strange clues—a burned mattress, a missing persons poster—all casting suspicion on Talina’s roommate, Kore. As the pressure builds, Kore shares her side of the story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Belonging — Talina Zar E3 Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Jess discovers Talina Zar isn’t the missing Oklahoma woman’s real name, and the meaning of the moniker unlocks a door to a fantasy world ripped from the pages of 1970s pulp fiction — a fictional world where men reign and women serve and a real-life subculture where people try to live according to the principles in the books. Talina may have found her people in this fringe BDSM community, but was there something more sinister hiding among the kink? And did it have something to do with her disappearance?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Small Town, Big Secrets — Talina Zar E2 Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Jess and the sleuths connect with people who knew Talina Zar in real life. As the sleuths begin to formulate a picture of who Talina is, and what might have happened to her, they get the sense that not everyone is telling the truth. At the same time, local police begin their own parallel investigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Alone Time —Talina Zar E1 Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Jess Trevino lived a quiet life of true crime fandom - until she stumbled upon Talina Zar’s cryptic Facebook post. Isolated because of COVID, Jess assembles an online team of amateur sleuths determined to find out where Talina went. As they get wrapped up in the lives of total strangers, the sleuths discover that the question of What Happened to Talina Zar ? has no easy answers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What Happened to Talina Zar — TRAILER Wednesday, May 7, 2025

It’s April 2020 and the world is locked down. In Oklahoma, a woman named Talina Zar posts a chilling message on Facebook: she’s sick with COVID and heading to a remote lake, alone — to recover, or to die. Then, she vanishes. As days turn into weeks, strangers online — true crime obsessives with time to kill and nowhere to go — begin digging into her disappearance. What they uncover is something far stranger, and far more disturbing, than they could’ve ever imagined.. In Season Three of What Happened To…, investigative journalist Melissa Jeltsen unravels a mystery born from isolation, obsession, and a pandemic that made everyone feel like a potential suspect.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Survivors — Libby Caswell BONUS Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Libby Caswell is unable to share her experience of domestic violence in her own words. In this bonus episode, four anonymous women tell their stories of domestic abuse- the details they remember, the ones they wish they could forget, and how they eventually got out. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline for help at 1-800-799-7233.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Nuisance laws — Libby Caswell BONUS Thursday, February 8, 2024

The nuisance law in Independence, Missouri played a pivotal role in Libby's story. In this bonus episode, hear Melissa's extended conversation with Sandra Park, former ACLU lawyer and current head of the Civil Rights Bureau of the NY State Attorney General’s Office, as they discuss what nuisance laws are, how they're often misused and what's being done about them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Melissa in Conversation — Libby Caswell BONUS Friday, January 19, 2024

Go behind the scenes on the making of What Happened to Libby Caswell. Host Melissa Jeltsen talks to fellow journalist and podcaster Emma Gray (MSNBC columnist, host of the Love To See It podcast, and co-author of the Rich Text Substack) about what drew Melissa to Libby's case, what she looks for when considering a new investigative project, why she focuses on stories about violence against women, and what she hopes both seasons of What Happened To tell us about how we, as a culture, view women's lives and deaths.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Epiphany — Libby Caswell E8 Friday, December 22, 2023

In the final episode, a new witness comes forward with details that raise tantalizing questions. Cindy becomes a national advocate for changes in how domestic violence is handled.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Black Shadows — Libby Caswell E7 Friday, December 15, 2023

Family members defend Libby’s boyfriend and help shed light on his actions over the years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Twist — Libby Caswell E6 Friday, December 8, 2023

A forensic expert discovers evidence that upends the official narrative about Libby’s death and points to a coverup. Local police defend their work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Fight Of Your Life — Libby Caswell E5 Thursday, November 30, 2023

Libby’s mom Cindy hires a private investigator to uncover new clues. Investigative journalist Melissa Jeltsen visits the motel for herself. And Libby’s friends open up about the last week of her life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Toxic — Libby Caswell E4 Wednesday, November 22, 2023

We learn more about the secrets in Libby’s life that threatened to endanger it, and the tumultuous cycle that led Cindy to a difficult decision.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Domestic Disturbance — Libby Caswell E3 Thursday, November 16, 2023

Investigative journalist Melissa Jeltsen explores Libby’s complicated relationship with her boyfriend and their interactions with police. And, a witness comes forward with a harrowing story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Undetermined — Libby Caswell E2 Thursday, November 9, 2023

Libby’s boyfriend is interviewed by police. The medical examiner isn’t sure exactly how Libby died — but the police close the case as a suicide anyway. Libby’s mom, Cindy, questions the official report.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Girl In Room 319 — Libby Caswell E1 Thursday, November 2, 2023

In 2017, Libby Caswell was found dead in a motel room in Independence, Missouri with her boyfriend’s belt around her neck. Her grieving mom Cindy is left with more questions than answers. Award-winning investigative journalist Melissa Jeltsen digs into the circumstances surrounding Libby’s death.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.