Missouri Mayhem: Mystery & Murder with Mindy & Megan! · Megan Owens & Mindy Johnson

The Horrific Murder of Cassidy Rainwater - Windyville, Missouri 2021

March 16, 2026·41 min·2 clips

A quiet Missouri town conceals an unspeakable tragedy in summer 2021.

Windyville is introduced as a small, unincorporated community around Buffalo and Lebanon in the Missouri Ozarks, where long distances between homes and all that quiet can hide a lot. Megan and Mindy use that setting to frame Cassidy Rainwater’s story. Cassidy was 33 years old when her life ended in unimaginable violence on a secluded rural property in the summer of 2021. The hosts treat the place as part of the case, not just scenery. They keep coming back to how isolation can make terrible things easier to conceal. James Phelps is described as reclusive, private, and odd. He had prior run-ins with law enforcement that included a firearm-related charge and drug offenses. Timothy Norton is presented as a lifelong friend from the same area. He was 56, had a criminal history that included petty theft and drugs, and often spent time on Phelps’s property. He was an over-the-road trucker, and he would sometimes park his truck there and say he slept in it. The hosts discuss Cassidy’s connection to James as a family acquaintance rather than a close relationship. That detail matters because it makes the moment feel ordinary at first. One woman asking for help from someone her family has known for years is the kind of thing small towns recognize right away. The conversation stays focused on how local familiarity can lower suspicion. Megan and Mindy also point out that outward normalcy does not tell the whole story. To outsiders, the men might have looked like isolated Missouri acquaintances living off the beaten path. The show makes clear that this impression was dangerously incomplete. Their behavior was capable of torture, murder, and violence. The episode keeps returning to Cassidy as a real person whose death should not be reduced to spectacle. By the end, the hosts move into a broader appeal for awareness, community diligence, and support for survivors. They urge listeners to notice what seems off and to speak up when something feels wrong. The tone stays grave, but it still feels like a conversation.

As heard by us

A grim Missouri case told with rural texture, empathy, and a steady eye on warning signs.

The episode makes good use of remote Windyville, Missouri, letting the distance between homes, the quiet, and the ordinary routines around the property shape the tension.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Listen if you want a true crime case rooted in place, not just headlines.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Missouri Mayhem: Mystery & Murder with Mindy & Megan!