Update - Katelin Akens
And Then They Were Gone
Little Monster Productions
4.3 • 971 Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2026
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2015, 19-year-old Kately Akens was visiting her family in Spotsylvania, Virginia and celebrating her new nephew. On December 5, she was supposed to board a flight back home to her fiancee in Arizona, but she never made it to the airport.
A suspect quickly emerged in her case, but police were never able to find enough evidence to make an arrest. Then, in April 2026, 10 years after she failed to board that plane, The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office announced that they had arrested Katelin’s ex-stepfather, James Branton. Though Katelin was named as a victim, the arrest wasn’t related to her disappearance. Despite this, authorities and Katelin’s loved ones hope that they’re one step closer to finally getting the answers they’ve been searching for.
If you have any information on Katelin Akens’s whereabouts, please contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office at 540-582-7115.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Darkcast Network, Indie Pods with a Darkside. |
| 0:08.0 | In 2015, 19-year-old Caitlin Aikens was visiting her family in Spotsylvania, Virginia, and celebrating the birth of her nephew. |
| 0:16.8 | On December 5th, she was supposed to board a flight back home to her fiance in Arizona, |
| 0:21.8 | but she never made it to the airport. |
| 0:24.6 | A suspect quickly emerged in her case, |
| 0:26.8 | but police were never able to find enough evidence to make an arrest. |
| 0:31.0 | Then, in April 26, 10 years after she failed to board that plane, |
| 0:36.8 | the Spotsylvania Sheriff's office announced that they |
| 0:39.0 | had arrested Caitlin's ex-stepfather, James Branton. Though Caitlin was named as a victim, the arrest |
| 0:47.3 | wasn't related to her disappearance. Despite this, authorities and Caitlin's loved ones hope that |
| 0:53.8 | they're one step closer to finally getting the answers they've been searching for. |
| 0:59.9 | When a person goes missing, there's a special kind of pain in the not knowing. |
| 1:03.5 | I want to tell the stories of those who never came home. |
| 1:06.3 | Today, I want to update you on the story of Caitlin Aiken's. |
| 1:10.5 | I'm Conan Gallagher. |
| 1:11.6 | And I'm Ethan Flick. |
| 1:12.5 | And this is, and then they were gone. |
| 1:36.2 | I'm going. Welcome back, everyone back. |
| 1:37.6 | I'm Kona. |
| 1:38.3 | And I'm Ethan. |
| 1:40.7 | And we're the husband and wife team behind this podcast. |
| 1:43.8 | Each week, I tell you the story of an unsolved missing person's case. |
... |
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