The bar receipt that shifted one day and buried the truth

A rain jacket buttoned to the collar sits dry on a rock by Lake Cresser - how did that jacket never get wet? The bar receipt that shifted one day and buried the truth In this episode, we lay out the physical record, witness logs, and procedural choices around Darlene Casey’s death and the clerical detail that guided investigators for decades. What did a single misdated bar receipt obscure, and why did nobody follow the other traces? Person: Darlene Casey Date: October 11, 1986 Location: Lake Cresser, Harwick Falls, Indiana Medical finding: "mild perimortem bruising, bilateral forearms" Evidence item: bar receipt dated October 9 (copied as October 10) - A fifteen-year-old paperboy found a buttoned jacket upright on a shoreline rock while Darlene lay twelve feet away underwater. - Deputy Len Farrow recorded a bar receipt in his notes as October 10; the original paper in evidence shows October 9. - Darlene worked at the Harwick County Municipal Records Office; overtime logs show her and supervisor Megan Mueller signed the same night despite conflicting departure claims. - The medical examiner, Dr. Susan Varga, noted symmetrical bruising on both forearms-four words left unexplained in the file for thirty-five years. - Investigators treated the scene as an accidental drowning and closed the case within months, leaving key physical details unreexamined. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].