The Outlaw Ocean Introduces: The Jaclyn Ferland-Smith Case

·38 min·3 clips

Sebastian claims Jackie had paranoia and lost it before vanishing, but her family doubts his story.

The place comes first. Costa Rica arrives as bright, alive, and easy to sell as paradise, which makes the vanishing feel even stranger. Then the case tightens around Playa del Coco. The host traces the disappearance of 41-year-old Canadian Jacqueline in 2021, with no trace found since. What is left is messy: people who say they saw something, heard something, or were shown something. Fear gets into the record. Rumor is already waiting before the reporting reaches the first door. Krista remembers the search and says Sebastian told her Jackie had been missing for more than 24 hours when help was requested. That still sits badly with her. Her question is simple and awful: how does a woman disappear after that much searching and stay gone? Sebastian becomes the uncomfortable center. Krista says he kept bringing up Jackie's mental health, which left her uneasy instead of reassured. The messages are the part that needs daylight. Krista remembers seeing messages Sebastian said were from Jackie on the day she disappeared, but she kept no copies. The host wants to see them himself, because a secondhand claim is still only a claim. Then comes the driveway. Late in the evening, near the house, the host decides a microphone at the door would hurt more than help. He shows the method: before an interview, the approach matters. The knock can wait until tomorrow. That pause gives the episode its spine. Patience, access, and evidence have to come before anyone gets to land on an answer.

As heard by us

A careful, restrained look at a disappearance marked by rumor, fear, and unanswered questions.

This season opener follows the 2021 disappearance of 41-year-old Canadian Jacqueline Furland-Smith in Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, and keeps its attention on what can be checked rather than what can only be guessed at.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a missing-person investigation that feels lived-in, not packaged.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Outlaw Ocean