Joel Judd

The Vanished Podcast

Wondery

True Crime, Society & Culture, Cold Case, Investigative, Find The Missing, Vanished, Missing Persons, Documentary, News, Disappeared, Exhibit C

4.5 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake, the nights in late December are long and unforgiving. On December 28, 2019, 27-year-old Joel Judd was staying with a relative in town. By the end of that evening, he had set out for a night out. By the next morning, he was gone, and no one ever saw or heard from Joel again.

That night in Slave Lake, Joel went to a local bar where he spent time with other patrons. As the night wore on, Joel left with a few of them. On their way to one person’s home, they stopped at a local inn to purchase alcohol. Joel phoned his uncle and told him he was with a friend. Eventually, the group arrived at the home, where the party continued late into the night. At some point in the early morning hours, according to those present, Joel got up and walked out. No one saw where he went, and he never came back.

When Joel failed to return to his uncle's, his family grew concerned and later reported him missing. Investigators traced his steps, using banking records to confirm who he had been with that night, which led them to a house on Whitetail Way, a few miles west of Slave Lake’s city limits. Despite extensive searches of the property and the surrounding area, no sign of Joel has ever been found.

Nearly six years later, his family is still searching for answers. Why did Joel leave that home in the middle of the night? Did something happen after he stepped outside? Is it even true that he walked out on his own? Or did something occur at that house party that has never been revealed?

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joel Judd, please contact Slave Lake RCMP at 780-849-3045 and reference case#202015563. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	We contacted Sainville.
0:13.1	We got the miscarousal person's report out.
0:16.3	They got video of Joel being at the bar, and we got a hold of the cab driver that drove them to the party.
0:24.7	He just remember dropping them off at that house party and that was it.
0:27.8	Local people gave us the names of whose house he was at and who was at this party.
0:32.5	According to them, they were partying having a good time, but at some point, Joel got up and walked out.
0:39.3	And I don't know where he went.
0:41.3	He just walked like.
0:42.3	There's no trace of Joel after that.
0:44.3	After the first two searches, I felt that my brother didn't just up and walk away and
0:50.3	pass away because he was outside or that he froze.
0:55.0	In my mind and my heart, I feel that if that was the case, we would have found him.
0:59.0	And because we haven't, I feel like there was foul play.
1:02.0	Who was responsible for it?
1:04.0	I can't be for certain on anyone that was around that night.
1:08.0	In the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake, the nights in late December are long and
1:13.5	unforgiving. On December 28, 2019, 27-year-old Joel Judd was staying with a relative in town. By the end of
1:22.3	that evening, he had left for a night out. On that fateful night in Slave lake, Joel went to a local bar and spent time with other patrons.
1:31.4	As the night wore on, Joel left with a few of them.
1:34.7	On their way to one person's home, they stopped at a local inn to purchase alcohol.
1:39.8	Joel phoned his uncle and told him that he was with a friend.
1:42.9	Eventually, the group arrived at the home,
	...

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