Hi, crime junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. And today, I am bringing you a special

episode. If you recognize the name, Marilyn Nikki McCown, then you've either been with us

since the very beginning or you've made it all the way through our archives. Because Nikki's

story was the very first one I ever told on crime junkie back in December of 2017,

before we even knew what this show would become, before the millions of you listening now,

and long before we had a team of investigative reporters digging into these cases.

And her case really shaped the future of what this show

would become because I remember, Britt, I'm sure you do too. I can tell you where I was standing.

The day after that episode dropped, Nikki's daughter, Payton reached out to me, said that she

listened, said she was grateful for the attention, but, you know, there was more to the story.

I drove all the way up

to Richmond, Indiana. I met with her. And I held that conversation with me every day for the next

eight years, this reminder that even when we had no following, the people who lived these

stories would be listening to these stories. I never forgot her. I never forgot her mom. And I kept

tabs on the case the whole time. But not much had changed eight years later. So I had this idea.

Back in 2017, this show was a lot different. It's evolved so much over that time. And maybe it's hard to notice unless you binge. So I wanted to really show everyone how far we've come to thank you our listeners for showing up every week, for caring and for giving us the resources to grow. And I want to show you how we put those resources to work. Because what started out as

me and Britt here just retelling a story that's already been told, like many true crime shows do,

this is now a full-fledged investigative reporting operation with a team of people, team of reporters

to bring you never before her details on cases that you thought you knew, like this one.

So, little by little over the last year, me and the team have been digging into this case

with fresh eyes. And now I'm here to bring you the real story of Nikki McCown with never

before released information that you aren't going to believe.

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