Indiana True Crime
Season 1
The Hoosier Underworld
Jackson County: The BCHS Parking Lot, The Seymour Library, and The Importance of School Safety
Indiana State University and the Pamela Milam Case
Season 1 Episode 1: Shanda Sharer
by Erica Bohn
Think Indiana is just endless cornfields, high school basketball, and quiet, small towns where nothing ever happens? Think again. Welcome to the dark, beating heart of the Midwestern underworld. For over a century, the Crossroads of America hasn’t just been a quiet country neighbor—it has functioned as a premier sanctuary, highway, and headquarters for organized crime. Our geography made us perfect for it. With thousands of miles of unpoliced rural backroads, direct rail lines to Chicago and Detroit, and historically underpaid local authorities who were easily bought, Indiana became the ultimate playground for vice. Hosted by Erica, this podcast pulls back the curtain on the shadow history running right alongside our state highways and gravel roads. We are weaving together a timeline of past and present Hoosier underworlds. We’ll take you from Depression-era bank robbers outsmarting "escape-proof" jails, down to the luxury, mob-protected resorts of Southern Indiana where Al Capone rubbed elbows with high society. We’ll walk the neon-lit, wide-open streets of mid-century industrial cities run by international gambling syndicates, and we’ll bring it right into the modern era—exposing massive, active federal busts that prove old-school mafia tactics never died, they just went digital. This isn’t just true crime; it’s a masterclass in institutional corruption, hidden local history, and the fierce grassroots community action that rose up to fight it. From high-flying white-collar playboys running multi-million dollar Ponzi schemes to bookies texting mob movie codes on iPhones in crowded local steakhouses, we cover it all with a victim-centered, trauma-informed lens. Forget the wholesome flyover myth. There is more than corn in Indiana. Grab your headphones, earbuds, or whatever you’re using to listen today. Let’s dive into the Hoosier Underworld.
One single act of violence can fundamentally change a community’s sense of safety. In this episode of Indiana True Crime, host Erica connects the dots across fifty years of local history to explore the anatomy of a threat, the power of collective memory, and the thin line between a normal morning and an unthinkable tragedy. We look back at Friday morning, February 22, 1974, at Brownstown Central High School, when the loss of beloved educator and coach Jim Blevins shattered the illusion that rural America was immune to school violence. Then, we trace how that generational scar informed a culture of vigilance that echoed into Wednesday, April 30, 2025—when a heavily armed individual attempted a multi-site tragedy at Seymour High School and the Jackson County Public Library. Utilizing real-time community reflections and TikTok listener commentary, this episode bypasses the shooter to focus strictly on a community’s grief, the everyday citizens who stood up to protect their neighbors, and a fierce, unyielding argument for the structural security measures our classrooms desperately need. Because protecting our most precious population is a job that is never, ever finished. In this episode, we discuss: The legacy of Mr. Jim Blevins and the 1974 BCHS tragedy. The living history preserved by the Jackson County community. A minute-by-minute breakdown of the civilian heroics at the Seymour Library in 2025. The secondary trauma carried by students and families in the aftermath of a near-miss. An urgent call to action regarding walk-through metal detectors and daily anti-complacency discipline in public spaces. An update on the upcoming legal proceedings and jury trial. Disclaimer: Because the events of 2025 are part of an ongoing legal matter with an upcoming trial, all details regarding the pending case are allegations, and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Follow & Support: TikTok: @IndianaTrueCrime Listen, rate, and review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
Episode 2: Pamela Milam: Echoes on the ISU Campus (with Special Guest Trevor) On a clear, warm Friday night in September 1972, nineteen-year-old Indiana State University sophomore Pamela Milam walked out to her car after a campus sorority event and vanished into the shadows. The heartbreaking discovery of her body the next day sent shockwaves through the city of Terre Haute and left a dark cloud over the university that would linger for nearly fifty years. In this episode of Indiana True Crime, we retrace Pamela's final hours on campus, look at why the investigation went completely cold in the 1970s, and break down the incredible 2019 forensic breakthrough that finally utilized investigative genetic genealogy to name her killer, Jeffrey Lynn Hand. To bridge the fifty-year gap between the past and the present, host Erica is joined in the studio by a very special guest: her oldest son, Trevor, a current ISU political science student. Together, they explore the physical geography of the case—contrasting the old campus layout of Normal Hall with the modern green space where the Lincoln Quad once stood—and discuss what it means to walk those same sidewalks today through the lens of a future law student. In This Episode, We Discuss: Retracing Pamela's Steps: Who Pamela was, her job at the university library, and the timeline of September 15th, 1972. The 47-Year Cold Case: The physical evidence preserved by 1972 investigators and the limitations of early forensic science. The Meaning of Justice: A political science perspective on truth, closure, and accountability when a killer is identified decades after his death. A Radical Grace: Celebrating the profound compassion shown by Pamela's family toward the living relatives of her attacker. Connect with Us: TikTok: @indianatruecrime Listen & Subscribe: Available on Spotify and all major podcast platforms. Feedback & Business Inquiries: indianatruecrime@gmail.com Next Week's Preview: Stay tuned until the very end of the episode for a somber, deeply personal lookahead at Episode 3, where we will examine local school safety history through two tragic Jackson County cases: the 1974 shooting at Brownstown Central High School and the 2025 almost incident at the Seymour High School and then the shooting at the library.
In the premiere episode of Indiana True Crime, we examine a case that deeply impacted anyone who grew up in Indiana during the 1980s and 1990s: the tragic loss of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in January 1992. Moving past the sensationalized headlines of the 1990s, this episode centers on who Shanda was—a vibrant, active Midwest preteen—while taking a critical look at the toxic dynamics of juvenile peer pressure, the failures of the judicial system's plea bargains, and the extraordinary legacy of advocacy and grace left behind by her mother, Jacque Vaught. Content Warning: This episode discusses severe bullying, juvenile delinquency, and murder. Out of respect for the victim and her family, explicit details of violence are intentionally excluded. Sources & Further Reading: Cruel Sacrifice by Aphrodite Jones Little Lost Angel by Michael Quinlan Official Court and Indiana Department of Correction Public Records
Welcome to the premiere of Indiana True Crime. In this quick introductory episode, host Erica Bohn steps into the studio to strip away the sensationalized headlines and lay out the heart, the history, and the mission behind this project. Discover how growing up in a small town, navigating personal trauma, and working daily in the intensive aftermath of social work shaped a completely different perspective on true crime—one driven by a survivor’s eye, a social worker’s heart, and an unyielding commitment to victim advocacy. We aren't just reading summary pages. We are digging beneath the surface to correct scrambled timelines, fix historical errors, and reclaim the narrative for forgotten victims. Next Episode: We open the archives for a heavy, deep-dive exploration into the Shanda Sharer case, taking the time to look at the details and systemic aftermath in a way a short social media reel simply cannot do. Hit that follow button so you don’t miss it. Until next time... keep digging, stay safe, and remember what’s lurking just beneath the Indiana surface.