Underwater Forensics and the Murder of Christine Elkins

In 1989, Maryville was a small, quaint town in central Missouri with a major methamphetamine problem. One Maryville resident was a single mother by the name of Christine Elkins who was also struggling with a gnarly meth addiction. Due to some unfortunate series of events, and not wanting to go to prison for her own drug crimes, she agreed to become a confidential informant for the federal Bureaus of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) in hopes of bringing down Maryville’s local dealer and kingpin Tony Emery. However, on August 4, 1990, Christine dropped her son off at a neighbor’s house, then walked out of the door into the night. It would be seven years before anyone found out what happened to Christine. This case explores the dedication of law enforcement, the necessity of interagency efforts and underwater forensics to finally unlock the answers to a mystery that rocked a small town for almost a decade.

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​​Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen. Editing/Production for the podcast by Bltzwolff 

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References:

Emery v. Warden, 2:20-cv-00322-JPH-DLP (S.D. Ind. Mar. 15, 2022)

Jackson, S. (2019). No stone unturned: The true story of the world’s premier forensic investigators. WILDBLUE PRESS.

Justia US Law. (n.d.). United States of America, appellee, v. Tony E. Emery, appellant, 186 f.3d 921 (8th cir. 1999). Justia Law. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/186/921/569318/

NIDA. (2021, April 13). What are the immediate (short-term) effects of methamphetamine misuse?. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-are-immediate-short-term-effects-methamphetamine-misuse

Missouri Census Data Center. (2023, May). Missouri Population 1900-1990. https://mcdc.missouri.edu/population-estimates/historical.html

Stewart, G. B. (2010). Underwater forensics. Lucent Books.

Whyte, M. (2021, March 31). Underwater Forensics - page 4 of 9. In The Loop. https://www.in-the-loop.net.au/underwater-forensics/4/

Woehlk, G. (2023, July 14). Forum flashbacks: July 13-19. The Maryville Forum. https://www.maryvilleforum.com/features/forum_flashbacks/forum-flashbacks-july-13-19/article_56c36496-21a7-11ee-933c-17a067ae4497.html