Hey Dark Down Easters, thank you for tuning in to another episode of Dark Down East.

When I started this podcast almost two years ago now, I had so many goals and visions for what I

wanted the show to be. I wanted to honor the humans at the heart of each case, giving victims

and their surviving family members a platform to share their story while bringing attention to

long-standing unsolved cases. I hoped that the show would reach an audience who understood

that these cases, these stories, and the people deserve more than being reduced to a form of

entertainment. I wanted to inspire action and demand accountability from investigative agencies

to keep pushing forward in pursuit of answers, because I could not and would not allow for

these names and stories to be lost with time. Now, I also had a secret whispered goal

that felt like a really far reach for a small town main girl starting a podcast in her closet.

Having been a listener of True Crime Podcasts before I ever created one myself,

my entire library was filled with hundreds of episodes from dozens of shows,

from small independent productions all the way to the big ones. Like, for example, consistently ranked

number one podcast crime junkie created and hosted by Ashley Flowers. Ashley is also founder and CEO

of AudioChuck, the podcast network behind even more giants in the True Crime space, like the deck,

counter clock, Strangeland, and more. That secret whispered goal of mine was to someday have a

conversation with Ashley Flowers on Dark Down East. I never miss an episode of anything she puts out

for one thing, but more than that, Ashley is a leader in the podcast industry and the True Crime

space, continually seeking new ways to not just create edge of your seat storytelling, but she's

also dedicated to give back to the community of families and victims whose stories she tells each

week. So this is a full circle moment for me, having an opportunity to host Ashley Flowers

on Dark Down East. In this conversation, she shares the origin story of crime junkie and what

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