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

The Tragic Murder of 9 Year Old Elizabeth Olten - St. Martins, MO 2009

February 2, 2026·37 min·10 clips

Megan and Mindy welcome listeners back and quickly make clear that this is a heavy episode. They place the case in Missouri and frame it as one of the state’s most disturbing and perplexing recent crimes. The story centers on the murder of nine-year-old Elizabeth Olten by her 15-year-old neighbor, Alyssa Bustamante. From there, the hosts widen the lens to look at adolescent psychology, mental illness, trauma, family dysfunction, and community response. They move carefully through Alyssa’s background. The conversation notes that she moved in with her grandparents when she was eight. It also covers a suicide attempt around age 13. Self-harm comes up as well, including cutting behavior described in court testimony. The hosts do not present those details as excuses, but as part of the larger picture around the crime. The episode explains that mental health professionals described Alyssa as suffering from major depressive disorder. They also testified to severe emotional disturbance. Clinical testimony referenced borderline personality disorder features and early signs of bipolar disorder. Megan and Mindy pause on how young she was while still making room for the fact that the killing was premeditated. That tension sits at the center of the discussion. The hosts also discuss Prozac, which Alyssa had been prescribed after suicide attempts. They note that her dosage was increased two weeks before Elizabeth’s murder. The show does not treat medication as a neat answer. Instead, it presents it as one piece of a much wider and more complicated history. The tone stays direct, uneasy, and unsparing. Their approach is conversational and reactive. One host lays out the timeline while the other interrupts with questions, disbelief, and moral clarity. They keep Elizabeth at the center of the conversation and return to the fact that a child was lost far too soon. The result feels less like a performance and more like two people trying to work through something awful in public. The episode also folds in explicit-content warnings and reminders about the need for care with youth mental health. Near the end, they point listeners toward crisis and support resources and stress the importance of recognizing warning signs early. That practical turn gives the episode a purpose beyond narration. It asks the listener to hold grief, anger, and responsibility at the same time. The pacing is measured and conversational rather than polished or clinical. The hosts do not rush the story, and they are willing to sit inside the discomfort. They repeat key points when needed and circle back to earlier details to show how the pieces connect. That approach makes the episode feel grounded in a specific place and time. Missouri matters throughout. The case is not presented as a detached headline. It is tied to ordinary life, local memory, and the shock of realizing a child has been killed by a teenager next door. That local texture is part of the show’s identity, and it gives the episode its emotional weight. The conversation is also openly conflicted. The hosts acknowledge the mental health history, but they never let the discussion drift away from accountability. They make room for compassion without losing sight of the violence. That balance is one of the episode’s strongest qualities. The episode ends on remembrance and a call for awareness. It encourages listeners to share the episode to spread the word about youth services and mental health awareness. It closes with the show’s familiar sign-off and a plea to stay kind, curious, and safe. The overall effect is somber, human, and plainly concerned with what might be learned from tragedy rather than what can be sensationalized from it.

As heard by us

A devastating Missouri case told with care, context, and a clear moral center.

Megan and Mindy handle the murder of nine-year-old Elizabeth Olten with a plainspoken seriousness that never feels padded out for effect. They spend time on the timeline, Alyssa Bustamante's background, and the uneasy questions around youth violence, adolescent psychology,…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Need a hard true-crime listen with Missouri texture and two thoughtful hosts?

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!