What He Discovered by the River... #truecrimestories #truecrimeshorts #crimejunkies #podcast | Forensic Files

A 10-year-old boy went down to the riverbank and discovered something horrifying. In July 1969, a family was
fishing along Root River in Wisconsin, and it was a quiet bridge where they were at because that bridge was like
actually shut down to traffic. Skies were overcast. It was a fairly good day for fishing. The kind of day where
nothing feels out of place. Well, this 10-year-old son from this family wandered down to the riverbank just, you
know, like explore as 10-year-olds do. But then he saw something like on by the water. Like it was this strange pile. He
couldn't tell what it is, but he could tell that it wasn't natural to the river. So like obviously curious, he got
closer. And then he realized that what he was seeing was a foot. So he runs back to his parents, and when police
arrive, what they found next was much worse. Scattered along this riverbank, wrapped in newspaper and brown paper
bags, were the dismembered remains of a teenage girl that was later identified as 17-year-old Stephanie Kasperek. Now,
not all of her remains were there, but what was there had been cut with precision. It was almost surgical. Like
this wasn't rushed. This had to be someone who knew exactly what they were doing. So the question becomes, what
kind of person could do this? Who could have known Stephanie or crossed paths with her that
had this knowledge, this kind of time, and this kind of privacy to do what they did?

In July 1969, a 10-year-old boy exploring the Root River in Wisconsin made a discovery. What began as a quiet fishing trip turned into the discovery of dismembered human remains scattered along the riverbank, wrapped in newspaper and paper bags.

The victim was later identified as 17-year-old Stephanie Casberg. The condition of the remains pointed to a methodical killer with precision and control.

More than 50 years later, her case remains unsolved.

Watch The Full Case Tagged Below. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

Text Ashley to chat this episode and more: https://my.community.com/ashleyflowers?t=Hi%20Ashley%21

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

Follow Ashley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie

Purchase Ashley’s highly anticipated second novel, The Missing Half now! | https://ashleyflowers.com/books

Brief Summary

A boy discovers dismembered remains of Stephanie Kasperek in Wisconsin, raising questions about the skilled perpetrator behind the crime.

Key points

The Discovery of Horror. A 10-year-old boy discovers dismembered remains at a riverbank, leading to a chilling investigation.
The Identity of the Victim. The remains were identified as 17-year-old Stephanie Kasperek, raising questions about her fate.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This had to be someone who knew exactly what they were doing.

Describing the precision of the dismemberment.

1:00WatchApr 22, 2026

More from Crime Junkie

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.