Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery · Megan and Kara

369. MYSTERY: Where is Tammy Lynn Leppert?

·25 min·1 clip

Tammy did not spiral in public; she withdrew, became paranoid, and refused food she had not prepared herself.

1. Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery episode 369 focuses on Tammy Lynn Leppert and the question of where she went after July 6, 1983. 2. Kara and Megan host the episode, and Kara leads the Tammy Leppert case while Megan reacts to the details and pushes questions about the timeline. 3. The episode asks whether Tammy's fear came from a mental health crisis or from danger she actually witnessed. 4. Tammy entered her first beauty pageant at four years old and, according to family members, competed in nearly 300 pageants. 5. The hosts say she modeled through childhood and teenage years and appeared briefly in Scarface at age 18. 6. They describe a sudden change in Tammy's behavior that was not public and not dramatic at first. 7. Tammy told her mother, Linda, that someone was trying to kill her and refused to eat food she had not prepared herself. 8. At a beach gathering, Tammy panicked, screamed that someone was going to kill her, and ran into traffic. 9. The family took her to the hospital for evaluation, but the episode says no long-term psychiatric commitment followed. 10. Kara walks through schizophrenia, trauma response, and brief psychotic disorder as possible explanations for Tammy's paranoia. 11. The hosts note that schizophrenia often includes hallucinations and disorganized thinking, while Tammy's fear appears more focused. 12. They also say a trauma response can produce hypervigilance, mistrust, and sudden fear after a triggering event. 13. The episode says the family believed Tammy had seen or experienced something she could not talk about. 14. Kara mentions speculation about drug use or accidental ingestion, but says the theory has never been supported by evidence. 15. The episode names Christopher Wilder and John Crutchley as men investigated in connection with Tammy's disappearance. 16. The hosts also mention jailhouse confessions that fell apart because the details and timelines did not match. 17. The last known sighting came on July 6, 1983, when an unnamed male friend dropped Tammy off near the Glass Bank building in Cocoa Beach. 18. The episode emphasizes that Tammy left with no car, no luggage, and no preparation, and that the friend was questioned extensively but never charged. 19. The tone is conversational and investigative, with Kara and Megan alternating between case facts, theory-building, and reactions to each new detail. 20. Listeners who like unsolved disappearances, pageant history, and Florida true crime will get the most from this episode.

As heard by us

A pageant past, a fearful final turn, and a disappearance that remains unresolved.

Tammy Lynn Leppert's disappearance starts with the public shape of a pageant childhood: a first competition at four, nearly 300 pageants in all, and, according to family members, wins in most of them.

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Why you'd press play

A pageant standout vanishes after a tense car ride in Cocoa Beach, leaving you with a mystery that refuses easy answers.

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