Introducing Valley of Shadows: The Devil’s Punchbowl

Crimes of the Times

L.A. Times Studios

Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles, La Times, Los Angeles Times, True Crime, Chris Goffard, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 42.8K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

LA Times Studios producers are excited to share a new podcast from our friends at Pushkin -- Valley of Shadows -- A new true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay set out for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park — and never came back. Aujay has yet to be found. The Sheriff’s Department rules Aujay’s disappearance a suicide, but friends, family, and fellow deputies insist the story doesn’t add up. Instead, they believe Aujay may have stumbled into the Mojave Desert’s criminal underworld — where outlaw biker gangs crank out methamphetamine and local cops operate on both sides of the law. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, journalists Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd explore one of Southern California’s most mysterious missing person cases. In Valley of Shadows, they ask: What is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department hiding? Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, all. Mary Knoff here, one of the producers of Crimes of the Times, jumping back into your feeds to share a preview of another true crime podcast that explores a compelling unsolved case here in L.A.
0:11.4	It's called Valley of Shadows, and it follows the 1998 disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy John Aja.
0:18.6	Ajae was an ultramarathon runner who went for a run in Devil's Punchable Park in Antelope
0:23.1	Valley and never returned.
0:25.0	His body has yet to be found and the people closest to him insist the ruling of his
0:29.0	disappearance as a suicide just doesn't add up.
0:32.0	Instead, they believe Aja may have stumbled into the desert's criminal underworld and his
0:35.9	own department is covering it up.
0:38.3	The investigation into what happened to John Ajae took place under Sheriff Lee Baca,
0:42.6	who longtime listeners will remember as the corrupt officer at the center of our Pandora's box series.
0:48.5	In Valley of Shadows, investigative journalist Haley Fox and Betsy Shepard share exclusive interviews,
0:53.7	reveal wiretaps, and buried
0:55.3	police files. In their exploration of one of the state's most mysterious missing persons cases,
1:00.9	they ask, what is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department hiding? Enjoy this clip. If you like
1:06.4	what you hear, find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts. And if you want to hear the entire story
1:11.3	ad free right now, you can binge the series with a Pushkin Plus subscription. Sign up on the
1:16.2	Valley of Shadows page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm slash plus. This series includes content
1:24.3	that may not be suitable for all listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
1:28.3	Is this okay?
1:31.3	Yeah, I'll turn it down just a little bit because sometimes you get animated.
1:35.3	I get pissed off, pissed off old cop.
1:38.3	This pissed off old cop is Mike Bauer.
	...

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