In the summer of 1973, 7-year-old Susan “Susie” Jaeger vanished from her family’s tent while camping at Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, Montana. A hole had been sliced into the tent, her stuffed animals were left behind in the grass, and one of America’s earliest serial predator investigations had just begun.
In this episode, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat unravel the terrifying story of David Meirhofer, a killer whose crimes shocked investigators and helped shape the FBI’s earliest work in criminal profiling.
You’ll learn about the abduction of Susan Jaeger on June 25, 1973, the disturbing phone calls made to the Jaeger family afterward, the disappearance and murder of Sandra Dykman in Manhattan, Montana, the earlier killing of Michael Raney at the same campground years before, and how investigators slowly realized these cases could all be connected.
As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a remote ranch property tied to horrifying discoveries, a suspect who inserted himself into investigations, evidence linking multiple crimes across Montana, and one of the first real-world uses of FBI behavioral profiling to help identify a serial killer.
This case became a turning point in criminal investigations.
Because while many investigators were still chasing physical evidence alone, the FBI’s early profilers believed the killer’s behavior could reveal who he was before anyone had proof.
And they were right.
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Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.
About Ashley Flowers
Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.
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Watch Crime Junkie true crime podcast dedicated to covering the cases we just can’t get out of our heads. Every Monday, host Ashley Flowers on SloppBoxx.Com.
I was around during the infancy of this of profiling criminals meaning I was a fan of daytime talk TV back when geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue, Jessie Raphael, Oprah and others there was a lot of pushback during these segments police officers from different police forces including New York, Los Angeles the cities would come on and dispute and argue with the detectives ,how it wasn’t going to help catch killers in solve cases basically the police officers were saying it was just a bunch of mumbo jumbo It would never work, thank God the men and women didn’t back down and continued with their work on profiling criminals look where it’s at today
No one has contacted our family recently learned that my brother and I were both there..he’s tried to tell our story no one listens..my father is deceased but he was involved in her murder
Does anyone know the name Hohenshilt??
A man on the hunt for a child is way worse than the possibility of being attacked by a bear.
You guys say maybe he was alone at the hotel but the receipt says number in party:2
My ex husband is related to this guy – second cousins or something through his mom….
Pit in my stomach when they brought up the freezer.