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.
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Thanksgiving message
Nov 26, 2020. Just a quick shout-out on this American holiday to thank all of you who are listening. There is no Season 4 "Chasing Billy" update this week. I am currently working on a couple of leads and hope to have an episode for...
13 min
202
Chasing Billy (3): The Pursuit for Justice Cont...
Episode 3 features Bud Warren, who knew Billy Wolf and later investigated his 1978 unsolved murder, while revisiting an arrest tied to this haunting North Dakota cold case.
24 min
203
Chasing Billy (2): Time Traveling Back to 1978 ...
Episode 2 revisits Billy Wolf’s final days in 1978, with memories from his friend Nanci and insights into retrieving long-buried details that may help solve this North Dakota cold case.
38 min
204
Chasing Billy (1): A Pursuit for Justice – Unso...
Episode 1 begins the William “Billy” Wolf cold case, an unsolved 1978 murder in North Dakota, after his severed remains were discovered in the Red River near Fargo in a chilling true crime story.
34 min
205
A Murder in Minot
A kindergarten teacher masterminds a brutal murder
32 min
206
The House on Sweet and Seventh (6): Escape to t...
Episode 6 features Misty Jones, the girl with the little red car, as she recounts her past, her struggles, and her firsthand memories of the 1998 Erickstad family murders in Bismarck.
37 min
207
The House on Sweet and Seventh (5): A Sick Salu...
Episode 5 covers the arrest of Robert Lawrence and Brian Erickstad, the disturbing loyalty of the East Sweet crew, and reflections from detectives on the night Barbara and Gordon were killed.
44 min
208
The House on Sweet and Seventh (4): One of Thes...
Episode 4 reconstructs the final hours before Barbara and Gordon Erickstad’s murders, revealing timelines, police interviews, and the darker side of Robert Lawrence.
27 min
209
The House on Sweet and Seventh (3): Patience Pa...
Episode 3 captures how patient police work and a terrified witness revealed the truth about the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad, shaking Bismarck’s sense of innocence.
32 min
210
The House on Sweet and Seventh (2): Never Ever ...
Episode 2 follows Bismarck police as they question teens connected to Brian Erickstad and Robert Lawrence, hoping to uncover what happened to Barbara and Gordon Erickstad.
44 min
211
The House on Sweet and Seventh (1): A Little Re...
Episode 1 begins the Erickstad family true crime story in Bismarck, where a 17-year-old girl told police her boyfriend might have hurt his parents, Barbara and Gordon Erickstad.
38 min
212
Coming Soon
Season 3 Trailer
2 min
213
Zeeland (9): Sebastian Speaks Out – The Wade an...
Episode 9 features a prison interview with Sebastian Feist, who reflects on Zeeland, the 1976 Zick murders, and his perspective on why Wade and Ellen were killed.
32 min
214
Zeeland (8): Update – Love Letters & Murder Bal...
Episode 8 features musician Peter Hicks of Sleepy Driver, whose music shapes Zeeland, as he reflects on songwriting, inspiration, and telling stories tied to true crime and memory.
25 min
215
Zeeland (7): Crossing the Street – The Wade and...
Episode 7 of Zeeland explores the aftermath of Wade and Ellen Zick’s murders, with stories of weapons, dreams, and choices that blurred the line between innocence and guilt.
38 min
216
Zeeland (6): Flip a Coin – The Wade and Ellen Z...
Episode 6 of Zeeland examines Wade and Ellen Zick’s 1976 murders through chapters on jail time, shocking conversations, and the people whose choices reshaped the case.
41 min
217
Zeeland (5): Caramel Rolls – The Wade and Ellen...
Episode 5 revisits the Zeeland murders of Wade and Ellen Zick, uncovering small town conversations, calls for truth, and a community still struggling to speak out decades later.
42 min
218
Zeeland (4): Pink Slip – The Wade and Ellen Zic...
Episode 4 continues the 1976 Zeeland investigation into Wade and Ellen Zick’s murders, uncovering new community stories, shifting suspicions, and the growing search for answers.
37 min
219
Zeeland (3): Z is for Zick – The Wade and Ellen...
Episode 3 retraces the night of Wade and Ellen Zick’s murders in Zeeland, North Dakota, through witness accounts of darkness, dawn, and the fear that haunted the small town.
44 min
220
Zeeland (2): No Banker Tomorrow – The Wade and ...
Episode 2 continues the 1976 Zeeland investigation into Wade and Ellen Zick’s murders, as new discoveries emerge through phone lines, neighbors, and early community suspicions.
40 min
221
Zeeland (1): A Deed Without a Name – The Wade a...
Episode 1 revisits the 1976 Zeeland murders of Wade and Ellen Zick, beginning with unmade beds, a Sunday morning search, and the crime that shocked a small North Dakota town.
43 min
222
Bonus – The little town that could
While waiting on Season 2 to be released, I'm releasing an edited version of a story I did in 2015 about a young boy with a dream, and the town that got behind him in 1976. - Also a short word on Season 2. -
48 min
223
Zeeland (Trailer 2) – Investigating the Zick Fa...
Trailer 2 previews Season 2 of Dakota Spotlight, a documentary style true crime series investigating the 1976 Zeeland murders of Wade and Ellen Zick in rural North Dakota.
5 min
224
Zeeland (Trailer 1) – The Untold Story of Wade ...
Trailer 1 introduces Season 2 of Dakota Spotlight, revisiting the 1976 Zeeland murders of Wade and Ellen Zick, a shocking North Dakota true crime story of violence in a small town.
2 min
225
Victor Newberry (10): A Bar Named Heaven – The ...
In the Season 1 finale, James Wolner shares his theory and supporting evidence about the events that may have led to Victor Newberry’s tragic death, closing his investigation with gratitude to Glen Ullin and Victor’s family.
42 min