Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold C...
Dakota Spotlight is a true crime series investigating unsolved murders, cold cases, and missing persons in North Dakota and the Midwest. Hosted by investigative journalist James Wolner, each season takes a deep dive into one case, from rural crime and small town murders to decades-old disappearances. Through meticulous research, exclusive interviews, and on-the-ground reporting, Dakota Spotlight brings forgotten crimes back into the public eye and gives voice to victims and their families. Alongside full investigative seasons, the show also features shorter standalone episodes that explore individual mysteries in a single sitting. If you are drawn to investigative journalism, small town true crime, and real crime stories based on actual events, Dakota Spotlight offers gripping and respectful storytelling you will not forget.
1
The Bagpiper and His Brother (4): The Delivery
A late-night trip to the airport in Huron, South Dakota ends in an explosion that pulls Lloyd and Wallace Brenna into the center of the case.
33 min
2
The Bagpiper and His Brother (3): The Wiretap
A hidden wire inside a St. Paul office leads back to Lloyd Brenna, exposing behavior that doesn’t match the life he appears to be building.
25 min
3
The Bagpiper and His Brother (2): Between Priso...
A young Lloyd Brenna enters the prison system, is given a rare second chance on parole, and quickly throws it away, as Wallace Brenna’s path begins to take shape.
29 min
4
The Bagpiper and His Brother (1): Strange Begin...
A hockey arena reveals the first clues in the story of Lloyd Brenna, an engineer living a seemingly ordinary life in 1960s Edina, Minnesota, but a dark past follows him and an even darker future awaits.
39 min
5
The Bagpiper and His Brother: Season 13 Trailer
A story of two brothers whose ordinary lives unravel into crime, a bombing, and lasting consequences across the Midwest.
2 min
6
More Than a Missing Hiker - Talking Valley of S...
A conversation with Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd, followed by Episode 1 of Valley of Shadows exploring the disappearance at the heart of the series.
67 min
7
From Vacation to Investigation - Inside Someone...
A conversation with Someone Knows Something host David Ridgen, followed by Episode 1 of his investigation into the disappearance of Jaclyn Ferland-Smith.
46 min
8
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (7): 15...
Years later, those connected to the case reflect on what remains unanswered.
37 min
9
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (6): Tr...
Inside the courtroom, the case is tested and a verdict is reached.
34 min
10
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (5): Th...
The case takes shape as investigators and prosecutors lay out what they believe happened.
23 min
11
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (4): A ...
Family and friends remember Joel Lovelien and the life behind the case.
26 min
12
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (3): Tr...
Attention turns to Travis Stay as investigators begin to piece together his movements.
32 min
13
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (2): Th...
Witness accounts from a chaotic Halloween night begin to shape the early investigation.
41 min
14
Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien (1): Ha...
A 2026 interview offers new insight before returning to the night Joel Lovelien was attacked.
65 min
15
Inside the Talina Zar Investigation
With journalist Melissa Jeltsen, creator of What Happened to Talina Zar
44 min
16
Filed and Forgotten - The Untested Podcast on R...
James speaks with Gina Barton about Untested, the USA Today podcast exposing how rape kit backlogs allowed a serial offender to slip through the cracks.
46 min
17
Across the River from Yankton - The Death of Ta...
A 19-year-old leaves a party in Yankton, crosses the Missouri River, and days later is found dead in a Nebraska ravine, sparking decades of questions that refuse to fade.
16 min
18
When Harry Met Rachel - A Long-Term Romance Sca...
A man believes he has found lasting love until he uncovers a decades-long romance scam rooted in deception, emotional control, and carefully constructed lies.
31 min
19
The Kid from the Cafeteria - A Story of Stolen ...
How a casual college acquaintance led to a decades-long case of identity theft that enabled far more serious harm.
34 min
20
When Karma Comes Calling - The Robin Enockson M...
The full police interview of Edward Royal Reitan, recorded after his arrest for the 1990 murder of Robin Enockson.
72 min
21
From North Dakota to Roughing It: Peter Hicks R...
A special conversation with returning Dakota Spotlight contributor and Zeeland composer Peter Hicks about his debut novel Roughing It.
24 min
22
Ten Years From Killing - The Murder of Robin En...
An escape from a state hospital set off a chain of events that ended in the 1990 murder of Robin Enockson in rural North Dakota.
19 min
23
They Found Her in Water - A Case Reexamined wi...
A cold case is reopened when a DNA test reveals a murdered woman’s identity and exposes evidence that vanished for decades.
39 min
24
A Christmas Message
A brief holiday note from Dakota Spotlight
1 min
25
Meanwhile in Mankato (6): Reckoning in Rapidan ...
Decades later, those left behind confront the lies, the loss, and the meaning of justice.
52 min