Crime Salad

In late spring 2009, Florida State University students in Tallahassee, Florida were wrapping up finals when 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman became the center of a police operation that would end in tragedy. In this episode of Crime Salad, we break down the Rachel Hoffman case, focusing on how a “controlled” and “by-the-book” confidential informant (CI) operation unraveled, and why officers reportedly waited more than 90 minutes after her last contact before launching a search.

Rachel Hoffman was a college student with big plans, described as driven and fearless, working toward her future when she was asked to assist law enforcement as an informant during a drug sting in Tallahassee. What happened next raised serious questions about informant safety, police procedures, and accountability when undercover operations go wrong.

We cover the timeline, the decisions made leading up to that night, and the broader issue of how confidential informants are used in drug investigations, especially when the informant is young, vulnerable, or under pressure. This is the story of Rachel Hoffman, and the failures that followed.

Keywords: Rachel Hoffman, Rachel Hoffman case, Rachel Hoffman murder, Tallahassee Florida, Florida State University, confidential informant, CI, police informant, drug sting, controlled buy, undercover operation, law enforcement negligence, informant safety, true crime podcast, Crime Salad.
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Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Nikki advocacy links


We Stand With Nikki (website): https://westandwithnikki.com/


We Stand With Nikki (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/WeStandWithNikki/

In September 2017 in Poughkeepsie, New York, a routine traffic stop led police to Nicole “Nikki” Addimando, a shaken mother of two who said she acted in self-defense. Hours later, her partner, Christopher Grover, was found dead, and Nikki was arrested. As investigators uncovered years of documented domestic violence, sexual assault, coercive control, and disturbing evidence of abuse, the case became a flashpoint for how the justice system treats criminalized survivors.

In this Crime Salad episode, Ashley and Ricky break down the Nikki Addimando case, the trial, what the jury was and was not allowed to hear, the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, and the advocacy that helped bring Nikki home.

Domestic violence help and resources


National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7): https://www.thehotline.org/


Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)


Text: START to 88788

If you are in immediate danger, call 911

Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
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In May 2002, 28-year-old Jennifer Harris of Bonham, Texas, vanished on Mother’s Day weekend. The next morning, her green Jeep was found abandoned near the Red River in rural Fannin County. Days later, Jennifer’s body was recovered from the river. With no clear cause of death and no arrests, her case remains unsolved more than twenty years later.

Follow to support this case:

https://www.facebook.com/justiceforjenniferharris

 ​​https://www.facebook.com/R4Justice/

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Crime Salad steps into Weird History, traveling back to the early 1900s, when a glowing new element promised progress, beauty, and modern life.

In this episode of Weird History by Crime Salad, we explore the rise of radium mania, from the young women who became known as the Radium Girls, to the powerful corporations that insisted radium was safe while workers grew sick and died.

We touch on crumbling jaws, altered death certificates, and why early causes of death were quietly labeled as syphilis instead of radium poisoning. Names like Grace Fryer and Mollie Maggia emerge as whispers of a much larger truth.

But the danger was not limited to factories.

While workers were suffering, wealthy Americans were drinking radium by choice. Products like Radithor promised vitality and youth, until cases like Eben Byers forced the country to pay attention.

From glowing watches and military dials made with Undark, to radium water crocks, cosmetics, alarm clocks, toys, and other everyday items, radioactive products found their way into homes across America.

This episode looks at what happens when science, profit, and blind trust collide, and how the voices of the Radium Girls ultimately changed workplace safety and radiation laws forever.

Sometimes the most dangerous things are the ones that glow.

Radium Girls

Radium poisoning

Syphilis death certificates

U.S. Radium

Undark paint

Radithor

Eben Byers

Revigator

Radium cosmetics

Radioactive consumer products

Workplace safety history

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Twenty-year-old Kaylene Marie Oehling disappeared from Etna, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 2020. What followed were years of confusion, frustration, and heartbreaking silence. At the center of this story is her father, Jason Oehling, whose relentless determination to find answers has never faded. For more than three years, Jason pushed for movement in a case that had stalled almost from the beginning. Then, in March 2023, Kaylene’s remains were unexpectedly discovered in a wooded area miles from where she was last seen. Much of what we share in this episode does not come from detailed police reports or official statements. Instead, it comes from Jason himself, someone who has been outspoken across social media, news interviews, and podcast appearances as he fights for clarity in his daughter’s case. We also spoke directly with Jason to confirm the details discussed in this episode. This is one of those cases where a family carries the weight of telling the story. Public information is limited. The timeline is fragmented. Investigators have not identified a cause or manner of death, and no one has ever been charged. Still, Jason continues to push forward, driven by love and the belief that the truth is still out there. In this episode, we walk through the known timeline of Kaylene’s disappearance, the recovery of her remains, the years of advocacy by her family, and the urgent need for answers. This is a case that has haunted a community and one that deserves far more attention.

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Crime Salad Live Murder Mystery Event

Get tickets here:  https://www.pave.live/crimesalad

• KMNO – Help for the Missing and Murdered https://www.facebook.com/people/KMNO-Help-For-The-Missing-Murdered/61563347895168/

Justice for Kaylene – Community Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/480311013138270/

Public Petition: https://www.change.org/p/justiceforkaylene-kaylene-oehling

 Submit a Tip 

If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please reach out.

• Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit  412-473-1200

• Anonymous Tip Line  https://allegheny.crimewatchpa.com

Kaylene’s Memorial Fund

 GoFundMe: GoFundMe

Crime Salad Merch: https://crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com/

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Thanks for Supporting Crime Salad!

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Keywords: #JusticeforKayleneOehling true crime podcast, missing persons, cold case, Pennsylvania true crime, Etna PA, Pittsburgh crime story, unsolved homicide, Kaylene Oehling, Crime Salad, justice for Kaylene, family-led investigation, true crime 2024, disappearance case, unresolved cases, Allegheny County, true crime storytelling
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