Here's episode 2 from Valley of Shadows, a new Pushkin true crime podcast that examines 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.

After deputy Jon Aujay disappears, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department claims he was suicidal—pointing to marital troubles and erratic behavior in the weeks before he vanished. But the LASD’s official story doesn’t square with what Aujay’s loved ones and colleagues remember. Then, investigators start to hear rumors that the deputy didn’t take his own life, but was murdered for something he witnessed out in the desert.

Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts. Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on (00:00:35) Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.