New Podcast “Freeway Phantom” Investigates the 1970’s Serial Murders of Six Black Girls in Washington, DC

New Podcast "Freeway Phantom" Investigates the 1970's Serial Murders of Six Black Girls in Washington, DC

From Jay Ellis' Black Bar Mitzvah, Tenderfoot TV, and iHeartPodcasts, the Show will be Hosted by Award-Winning Journalist, Author, and Public Radio Veteran Celeste Headlee

Listen To The Official Trailer Here

WHAT: Between 1971 and 1972, six Black girls ages 12 to 18 went missing in the Washington D.C. area: Their names are Carol Spinks; Darlenia Johnson; Brenda Crockett; Nenomoshia Yates; Brenda Woodard; and Diane Williams.

Each girl was found murdered and discarded alongside DC highways; local media began to call the killer "The Freeway Phantom." The killer taunted police with a chilling note claiming responsibility, and terrorized victims' families with calls to their homes. Five decades later, their killer has never been brought to justice. From iHeartPodcasts, Tenderfoot TV, and Black Bar Mitzvah, "Freeway Phantom" will share the stories of the six victims and explore new evidence which could crack these cold cases wide open.

The 10-episode series is hosted by journalist and public radio veteran Celeste Headlee (NPR, PBS, TEDx), who's spent the past two years sifting through boxes of documents and interviewing investigators and family members who are still haunted by these murders. One of Headlee's most notable contributors throughout the podcast is retired DC police detective Romaine Jenkins, who spent a great deal of her career working on the Freeway Phantom murders. The series also explores racial disparities, how strategies for solving murders have evolved over time, the lack of trust between law enforcement and local communities - a theme that persists today - and the role of community action in bringing forth justice. From the creators of "Atlanta Monster," "Monster: DC Sniper," and "The MLK Tapes," "Freeway Phantom" premieres on February 15th.

"This is an engrossing story, not only because of how much has changed in the way we track down serial killers, but also what has not changed," says host Celeste Headlee. "Our effort to protect the public is still hampered by racism, mistrust between communities and authorities, and a lack of cooperation among those whose job is to protect and serve. This series answers so many tough questions and asks just as many."

"What struck me when I first heard about these cases was both the tragedies that these families have had to endure for so long, and the parallels happening today with other missing Black and Brown girls throughout the country," says Jay Ellis, President, Black Bar Mitzvah. "That's what fueled my desire for Black Bar Mitzvah telling this story - to shine a light on the stories of the victims and their families, and the inequities that continue to exist 50 years later."

"The lack of coverage, then and now, surrounding the murders of these six Black girls is shameful," says Donald Albright, co-founder and CEO of Tenderfoot TV. "We are grateful to collaborate with iHeartPodcasts and Black Bar Mitzvah to not only tell their stories, but to further investigate these horrific crimes, and address many of the same systemic issues that persist today."

WHO: "Freeway Phantom" is produced by Tenderfoot TV, in partnership with iHeartPodcasts and Black Bar Mitzvah. The series is hosted by internationally recognized, award-winning journalist, bestselling author, radio and podcast host, Celeste Headlee.

In her 20-year career in public radio, Headlee has been the executive producer of "On Second Thought" at Georgia Public Broadcasting and anchored programs including "Tell Me More," "Talk of the Nation," "Here and Now," "All Things Considered," and "Weekend Edition." She also served as co-host of the national morning news show, "The Takeaway," from PRI and WNYC. In 2019 she received the Media Changemaker Award.

Headlee is also a professional speaker and author of the bestselling books, We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter, Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism - and How to Do It, and You're Cute When You're Mad: Simple Steps for Confronting Sexism. Her TEDx Talk, "10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation," has been viewed over 34 million times. She also serves as president and CEO of Headway DEI, a non-profit that works to bring racial justice and equity to journalism and media through targeted training and interventions, and she is on the board for the National Center for Race Amity.

WHEN: The first two episodes of "Freeway Phantom" will premiere on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. The following eight episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.

WHERE: "Freeway Phantom" will be available on the iHeartRadio app and across all podcast platforms. Ad-free listening and early access will be available on Tenderfoot+.

About Tenderfoot TV:
A leader in premium podcast content, Tenderfoot TV was founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright. The 2016 launch of the award-winning true-crime podcast, "Up and Vanished," marked Tenderfoot's entry and ascension in podcasting. The viral sensation became an international news story after influencing 2 arrests in a decade-old cold case and receiving over 400 million downloads. Tenderfoot has since created additional breakthrough podcasts including the critically acclaimed "Atlanta Monster," "The MLK Tapes," "Radio Rental" starring Rainn Wilson, and 2019's AP Podcast of the year, "To Live and Die in LA." With over 750 million downloads to date, Tenderfoot continues to develop fiction and nonfiction projects as podcasts, and has expanded into TV and film, airing the first season of "Up and Vanished" (TV series) on the Oxygen network in 2020. Having collaborated with the likes of HBO, Netflix, iHeart, Audible, Cadence13, QCode, Spotify, and Issa Rae's label Raedio, Tenderfoot has become the premiere creative hub for podcasting, and aims to be a leader in multi-platform storytelling. Visit tenderfoot.tv for more company information.

About Black Bar Mitzvah:
Black Bar Mitzvah is a production company created by Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick, Insecure) and Aaron Bergman to champion fresh stories told by dynamic storytellers with authentic perspectives. The company is currently in production on the documentary feature SUE BIRD: IN THE CLUTCH, alongside Jigsaw, Waffle Iron, and Nike. Their unscripted series ALL THE SINGLE LADIES premiered on OWN in January with 44 Blue. Their television projects have been set up at FX, HBO, AMC Studios, Onyx, and BET+. They have also had projects premiere at Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. On the podcast side, Black Bar Mitzvah has produced WRITTEN OFF with Lemonada Media, highlighting the writings of formerly incarcerated young adults with Walter Thompson Hernandez hosting. Ellis also hosted and executive produced the Webby award-winning podcast, THE UNTOLD STORY.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company's live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry's largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company's fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company's digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company's Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation's largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

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