Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers, and I'm Britt.

And the story I have for you today is about a young man who vanished without a trace back

in 2001 from one of America's most notorious small towns, a town whose residents share

an unspoken vow of silence, one that has felt an unruly pressure to bury their deepest,

darkest secrets. This is the story of Branson Perry.

Deep情况

April 12, 2001 is a windy Thursday afternoon in the rural town of Skidmore, Missouri.

And Joanne's stint is on her way home from the grocery store when she decides to stop

by her son, Bob's house.

I mean, it's on the way and she wants to check on her 20-year-old grandson, Branson, who

she hasn't heard from in a couple of days.

You see, Branson lives with his dad and pretty much always has.

Though that wasn't always the plan.

After high school, Branson was determined to join the army, but because of a heart condition

that he had been diagnosed with at birth, he was ineligible.

So instead, he worked as a rougher for a while and then kind of like bounced around doing

some odd jobs like working with a traveling petting zoo.

Oh, yeah, that is kind of an odd job, right?

Now, he was pretty much piecing together work while he looked for something more permanent.

Anyway, Branson had been so low and holding down the fort at the house for the last like

three or four days while Bob was in the hospital.

And I don't know exactly why he was in the hospital.

...