Crime Junkie

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SERIAL KILLER: David Meirhofer

Explore episode Jun 1, 2026
True Crime
Bones in the Burn Pile

SERIAL KILLER: David Meirhofer · Jun 1, 2026 True Crime

A search for missing 19-year-old Sandy Dykeman led deputies to an abandoned ranch where they found her car hidden under hay — and over 1,000 bone fragments in a burn pile. Forensic experts determined the remains belonged to at least two people, including a girl aged 5 to 8.

Where this was said

The Investigation Goes Cold — and Sandy Dykeman Goes Missing

At 22:50 · chapter starts 20:30

The FBI lab results come back a dead end: no fingerprints, blood samples unsuitable for further testing, and hair consistent only with Susie's own. The case limps through the winter holidays, and by early 1974, Susie's investigation has no active leads. Then in February, Sandy Dykeman — a 19-year-old waitress in Manhattan, Montana — disappears, her small white car missing too. When deputies fan out across the county, they stumble onto an abandoned ranch with a bloody whip, melted candle wax, a nailed-shut closet full of feces, and Sandy's car hidden under hay. And then, in a burn pile, they find over 1,000 bone fragments. Forensic experts determine the remains belong to at least two people — including a girl aged 5 to 8. Susie.

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