After a successful first run, a unique cold case podcast with ties to the north will delve into the disappearance of Luke Joly-Durocher in its second season.
According to founding member and co-host Susie, the Shedding Light Podcast attempts to go deeper than a recounting of events. Although she says retelling the story is an important part of any cold case, Shedding Light is true to its name and wants the details people don't think are important to be shared. Shedding Light wants to ignite conversations among people who may know more than even they know.
"We want to invite people like us, who want to help but don't know how they can help — we encourage them to reach out," Susie says of the podcast hosted by mothers and lifelong friends Candy, Susie and Angela. "We use what we call 'tidbits.' We take the bits of information people leave as tips and connect the dots."
The Melanie Ethier case is the subject of the five-episode first season, which recently wrapped up and is available on podcast platforms, including here. The first season took months to research and plan. Then, for several days, the three co-hosts immersed themselves physically in the case as they visited the New Liskeard, Ont., locations relevant to the case, retraced Ethier's steps, and spoke with locals before reporting their findings in podcast form.
So far, the format has been well-received. The episodes have been downloaded over 16,000 times at last count, confirming to the three leading ladies they are onto something.
"It's unreal, it has blown us away," offers Susie about the response to Shedding Light.
Like the upcoming season focusing on the Luke Joly-Durocher case, Susie says it was essential to receive the blessing of the family to proceed with the investigation — as they did with the Ethier case — as well as the cooperation of local law enforcement.
As far as the new season, Susie hopes the recollections of Luke's family and friends — and members of the public — will play a crucial role in jogging memories or encouraging someone who knows something about the case, no matter how mundane it seems, to come forward.
Production continues for season two and Susie says it is looking like the first episode of the Joly-Durocher season will premiere before the end of the month. She says the schedule of weekly Wednesday episode releases used for season one will likely continue.
Shedding Light hopes to deliver content on the Joly-Durocher disappearance many have never heard before and Susie feels there is more than enough to engage listeners for a season similar in length to the first.
"We want people to reach out to us," she says about the interactive nature of the podcast. "Whether they think it's unimportant or not, it could be one of the dots that connect the hundreds of other dots."
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Susie makes it clear the Shedding Light group is in no way trying to usurp the role of the police, nor is their work about receiving credit. Susie says they truly want to help find answers for families.
Even with production underway on season two, the team continues to elicit fresh tips, with the aim of helping families and the missing, no matter how they are delivered. From the Shedding Light Facebook page: "If you know anything about the disappearance of Luke Joly-Durocher please do the right thing and contact the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS) or nearnorthcrimestoppers.com."
And then, "If you have any knowledge regarding Luke’s story and are more comfortable reaching out to us," please contact us.
"Sometimes, a less aggressive approach works," adds Susie, who constantly receives tips via email, text, phone and Facebook messages as she speaks with BayToday. The three also have a working relationship with the anonymous tip website Please Bring Me Home.
Susie feels the secret to their success is their passion shows and this puts people at ease as far as sharing information. "As three moms, we're pretty approachable."
For Candy, Susie and Angela, who research, run down leads, and voice the episodes of the Shedding Light Podcast in their spare time, the endeavour is a labour of love, borne in the loss and misery of a close friend. They feel as though they are just hitting their stride and have many seasons left in them as they try to bring peace to families.
