meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
PRETEND

Dakota Spotlight: Meanwhile in Mankato

PRETEND

Javier Leiva

True Crime, Society & Culture, Technology

4.72.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On PRETEND, we tell stories about people who build false identities and hide the truth in plain sight. This week, we are featuring a case that fits right into that world. It is the newest season of Dakota Spotlight, titled “Meanwhile in Mankato.” In 1965, an 18-year-old gas station attendant named Ray Dahm was murdered during an overnight shift at a rural Minnesota truck stop. The person who killed him was a clean-cut 17-year-old who looked harmless, the kind of kid no one would ever suspect. On the surface, it seemed simple. A robbery. A terrible act of violence. Case closed. But that was only the beginning. Reporter James Wolner later uncovered that the killer did not stay locked away for long. Within a few years, he was quietly back in the community, working around teenage girls who had no idea they were interacting with a convicted murderer. His past had been buried, ignored, or conveniently forgotten. “Meanwhile in Mankato” is a story about manipulation, vanished accountability, and the people who were left to carry the fallout of one man’s lies. It is exactly the kind of story we look at on PRETEND, because it shows how someone can reinvent themselves while everyone else looks the other way. If you follow PRETEND, you will want to hear this one. It is sharp reporting, unsettling truth, and a reminder that the most dangerous story is often the one no one bothered to check. Subscribe to Dakota Spotlight on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZqpK6FfXIvS35TUYjckd6?si=fe79cf9a61264247 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

True Story Media.

0:07.5

At CAREFEM, you can choose the abortion care that works best for you.

0:12.0

With in-person visits in Atlanta, Chicago, and the D.C. area, or medically supported abortion

0:17.7

peals by mail-in 20 states. Some people feel more comfortable meeting with a

0:21.9

provider in person and leaving either no longer pregnant or with pills in hand. Others prefer getting

0:27.4

abortion pills by mail. Just fill out a short online form and if eligible, your medication

0:32.9

arrives in a few days in a plain package. When you choose abortion pills, Kara, our text-based abortion companion,

0:40.1

is with you every step of the way,

0:41.9

offering 24-7 support and answers whenever you need them.

0:45.5

However you get care,

0:46.8

KaraFim will support you every step of the way.

0:49.3

Learn more at carefim.org.

0:52.5

Hey, guys, it's me, Javier.

0:54.5

Today, I have a friend of mine, but also a host of a podcast who's also on the

0:59.7

True Story Network.

1:01.2

And his name is James Wellner, and he's with the Dakota Spotlight.

1:05.1

If you guys haven't listened to the Dakota Spotlight podcast, you should because it's

1:09.4

also an independent podcast that does investigative

1:12.7

journalism, which is kind of a rare thing to find nowadays, I think, in this media landscape.

1:19.5

So, James, welcome to the show.

1:22.2

My friend, thank you for having me.

1:23.8

I really appreciate this.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Javier Leiva, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Javier Leiva and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.