Decades before Jon Aujay’s disappearance, the Devil’s Punchbowl was infamous for something else: Bigfoot sightings. Sasquatch became a known boogeyman in the area. But beneath the folklore lies something real —- a local deputy, named Rick Engels, whose reputation inspires a different kind of fear. As detectives Brandenburg and Hager look into their colleague, they uncover a surprising connection to the Aujay case.

Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack here.

Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

Decades before Jon Aujay&rsquo;s disappearance, the Devil&rsquo;s Punchbowl was infamous for something else: Bigfoot sightings. Sasquatch became a known boogeyman in the area. But beneath the folklore lies something real &mdash;- a local deputy, named Rick Engels, whose reputation inspires a different kind of fear. As detectives Brandenburg and Hager look into their colleague, they uncover a surprising connection to the Aujay case.
Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack <a href="https://lnk.to/VOSsoundtrack">here</a>.
Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-of-shadows/id1858046983">Apple Podcasts</a> or at <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus">Pushkin.fm/plus</a>.

How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up.

On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened.

Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up.

Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years.

Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. New episodes release on Mondays.

Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on Spotify.

How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up.
On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff&rsquo;s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California&rsquo;s Devil&rsquo;s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn&rsquo;t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened.
Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there&rsquo;s another theory that many of Aujay&rsquo;s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true&hellip; that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up.
Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff&rsquo;s department has kept hidden all these years.
Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. New episodes release on Mondays.
Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-of-shadows/id1858046983">Apple Podcasts</a> or at&nbsp;<a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-stringify-link="http://Pushkin.fm/plus" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Pushkin.fm/plus</a>. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4JqqPNYDkyAHVFFEv7pEeq">Spotify</a>.

Valley of Shadows

How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave’s meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up.

On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened.

Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up.

Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years.

Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. New episodes release on Mondays. 

Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, starting January 12 by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on Spotify.

How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave&rsquo;s meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up.
On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff&rsquo;s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California&rsquo;s Devil&rsquo;s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn&rsquo;t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened.
Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there&rsquo;s another theory that many of Aujay&rsquo;s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true&hellip; that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up.
Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff&rsquo;s department has kept hidden all these years.
Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. New episodes release on Mondays.&nbsp;
Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, starting January 12 by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-of-shadows/id1858046983">Apple Podcasts</a> or at&nbsp;<a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-stringify-link="http://Pushkin.fm/plus" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Pushkin.fm/plus</a>. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4JqqPNYDkyAHVFFEv7pEeq">Spotify</a>.

Episode 5: The Legend of Bigfoot

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3a388eb5-1b77-40bd-addf-b3d10116566c/transcript