DeOrr's dad allegedly failed 5 polygraphs
Private investigator Philip Klein claimed Vernal DeOrr Kunz failed 5 polygraph tests and his mother Jessica Mitchell failed 4.
Snapshot · Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder
Ep. 117 | Mysterious Missing Children Cold Cases
Explore episode
Jul 1, 2026
Where this was said
Private Investigators, Polygraphs, and a Defamation Lawsuit
At 32:00 · chapter starts 31:10
Three private investigators worked the DeOrr Kunz Jr. case over the years, and the saga reads like a textbook in chaos. Frank Vilt arrived in August 2015, initially concluded kidnapping, reversed course to accuse the parents of lying within a month, cut ties in September, and died in August 2023. Philip Klein, brought in by the Kunz family in November 2015, concluded the boy was dead and the parents knew what happened; by March 2016 the family had fired him, but he claimed anonymous funding kept him working the case. Klein alleged Mitchell knew where DeOrr's body was but refused to say. Most explosive: Klein reported Vernal Kunz failed 5 polygraphs and Mitchell failed 4 — saying in 26 years he had never seen results that bad. Kunz and his father took Klein to court for defamation in 2017, but a judge dismissed the case in 2019 for insufficient evidence of slander. David Marshburn, the third PI, disagreed with Klein entirely, focusing suspicion instead on Rainwand and continuing to work with the family as of 2025. [1] — Host "DeOrr's dad allegedly failed 5 polygraphs: Private investigator Philip Klein claimed Vernal DeOrr Kunz failed 5 polygraph tests and his mot…" 32:00
The Human Cost of Suspicion — DeOrr's Parents Fall Apart
Vernal DeOrr Kunz was driven to suicidal ideation by relentless online accusations that he killed his own son. He left Idaho Falls entirely. The couple split; Jessica Mitchell remarried and stayed. His lawyer sued the administrator of a Facebook group called Justice for Baby DeOrr. A child disappeared — and a family collapsed in every direction.
Similar snapshots
Sued for $250B before Uber
Before Uber, Kalanick built a peer-to-peer file-sharing system and was sued for a quarter of a trillion dollars by 33 major media companies.
Arms dealer Edwin Wilson: 52-year sentence
CIA operative Edwin Wilson, part of the illegal arms network used by Oliver North, was sentenced to 52 years for supplying Libya with 10,000 machine guns and 20 tons of C4.
186-year prison sentence sought
US prosecutors sought a 186-year prison sentence for Kim Dotcom, largely because of his financial support for WikiLeaks.
Mario Tabraue sentenced to 100+ years
Mario Tabraue, a central figure in Monsters of God linked to drug trafficking and murder, was sentenced to over 100 years in prison but served only 12 years.
Disappeared October 3, 2024
Zelig Williams disappeared on October 3rd, 2024 after leaving his mother's home in Columbia, South Carolina and has not been seen since.
Season 5 — 6 new unsolved mysteries
Dateline: Missing in America Season 5 features six new unsolved missing-persons mysteries, hoping a listener may hold a crucial clue.
Strickland got 2 felony GBI charges
At a high school party, Strickland broke one victim's nose, jaw, and knocked out teeth requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries, resulting in two felony GBI charges.
55 years unsolved
Joyce LePage's murder has remained unsolved for 55 years despite active investigation from the start.
Mark's mental institution history
Joyce's own letter revealed that Mark Wadley had once stayed at a mental institution for trying to strangle people — a detail investigators apparently never followed up on.
