More Than a Missing Hiker - Talking Valley of Shadows with Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James Wolner

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.8 • 900 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2026

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

James is joined by Dakota Spotlight researcher Mari Zoerb Hansen for a conversation with investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd about the making of Valley of Shadows, their deep dive into the disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay. It’s a discussion about reporting, persistence, and what happens when a case refuses to stay buried. Following the interview, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the series. Listen to Valley of Shadows: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/valley-of-shadows About Valley of Shadows: How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years. Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. Episode 1: The Devil's Punchbowl: Deputy Jon Aujay is former military, an ultramarathon runner, and a part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s elite SWAT unit, so when he fails to return home from a run in Antelope Valley’s Devil’s Punchbowl…no one knows what to think. The sheriff’s department launches a widespread search for him, but finds no trace. Theories of accident, suicide, and desertion swirl, but Aujay’s former boss — retired CaptainMike Bauer — is convinced there’s something darker at play. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact info@sixhorsemedia.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact info@sixhorsemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:58.9	episodes, consider supporting this independent podcast.
1:02.2	You can do so on Patreon or by becoming a Spotlight Plus subscriber right in your Apple
1:06.9	or Spotify app.
1:08.6	Learn more at DakotaSpotlight.com. You're listening to Dakota Spotlight. My dakotaspotlight.com.
1:11.9	You're listening to Dakota Spotlight. My name is James Wulner.
1:14.8	Guys, I recently listened to a fascinating podcast from Pushkin Industries, and today I'm excited
1:20.5	to share a conversation I had with investigative reporters Haley Fox and Betsy Shepard
1:26.2	about their podcast, Valley of Shadows.
1:29.5	And following my interview with them, you'll hear episode one of this great podcast.
1:34.9	Valley of Shadows focuses on the 1998 disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy John
1:41.4	Aege. He went out for a run in a remote area of Southern California
1:45.2	and never returned. But if you're thinking, ah, missing hiker in an unforgiving terrain,
1:51.8	just hang on. The deeper they go, the more complicated it all gets. There are questions and
1:57.3	allegations of corruption within the Sheriff's Department. And even now, decades later, a former law enforcement officer continues to fight for answers.
2:05.6	It's a great podcast series, and I was very excited to speak with the creators Haley Fox and Betsy Shepard.
2:11.6	Also joining on this call was Mari Zorb Hansen, who often assists me with research here at Dakota Spotlight. So first our
2:19.7	conversation, and then right after that, episode one of Valley of Shadows. Haley and Betsy, thank you so
	...

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