Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

On September 11, 2001, with U.S. airspace closed after the terrorist attacks, dozens of transatlantic flights were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. Thousands of passengers and crew from around the world landed in the small town, nearly doubling its population within minutes. Their story later inspired the Broadway musical Come From Away.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes her sister, Sharlene Bowen, who was working as a flight attendant aboard Delta Flight 15 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta when the plane was ordered to land in Gander. Sharlene recalls spending 30 hours grounded on the tarmac with little information, the moment she finally saw the attacks on television, and the note that led her to Constable Oswald “Oz” Fudge and a hug Sheryl sent from Atlanta. Over the next five days, she watched the people of Gander open their schools, homes, and churches to the “plane people," as the locals called them.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl introduces the story of Gander, Newfoundland, and her sister Sharlene Bowen’s experience on September 11, 2001
(3:00) Sharlene remembers when an ordinary flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta suddenly changed and the crew learned something had happened in New York
(7:00) “All US airspace has been closed.” The announcement that silenced an entire cabin
(11:45) How passengers and crew worked together during 30 hours aboard the grounded plane●
(16:00) Why every passenger had to be cleared before leaving the aircraft and how Gander prepared for thousands of unexpected guests
(20:45) Sharlene finally sees the attacks on a TV at Walmart more than a day after they happened
(23:00) A note and a police hat lead Sharlene to Oz Fudge and a message from her sister
(28:00) Teenagers give free rides, Walmart hands over its keys, and the hockey rink becomes the town’s refrigerator
(36:45) Local teenagers create a special experience for stranded Make-A-Wish kids who missed their trip to Disney World
(41:45) Returning to Gander, hearing the original air traffic control recording, and seeing Come From Away with the people who lived the story
(46:30) How the hug from Oz Fudge delivered on Sheryl’s behalf became part of the production of Come From Away
(51:45) A scholarship fund started on the flight home has now sent more than 300 Gander students to college
(56:45) Delta employees wave American flags along the Atlanta taxiway, and Sharlene share a message about remembering the way people cared for one another after 9/11

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Sharlene Bowen spent 34 years as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant and was a crew member aboard Delta Flight 15 when it was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. She later became a level one trauma nurse and charge nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she recently celebrated 20 years of service.
Related Episode
From Crisis to Compassion: A 9/11 Retrospective with Constable Oswald Fudge

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jabez Spann was 14 years old when he disappeared from Sarasota, Florida, over Labor Day weekend in 2017. It would be two years before his remains were recovered and his death was ruled a homicide.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back Jabez’s mother, Tawana Spann, and her husband, Joe Spann, to mark nine years since Jabez went missing and renew their call for anyone with information about his murder to come forward. Tawana and Joe discuss the advocacy work they have built out of their grief, including the Jabez Spann Foundation, the Missing Our Voices podcast, and a new initiative called If We Could Speak.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl opens the episode with a call to action for anyone who knows what happened to Jabez Spann
(2:00) Tawana explains the one question she still needs answered about her son’s murder
(5:00) How living without answers can become its own kind of prison for families of missing and murdered children
(9:00) Why Jabez’s disappearance led Tawana to create resources for other families searching for loved ones
(11:45) How Missing Our Voices gives families a place to talk about the people they lost
(14:00) Joe Spann introduces the rapid response readiness kit, and the common misconceptions families can face when someone goes missing●
(17:00) Why organization during the first 72 hours can help families become more proactive in a missing-person investigation
(19:00) How If We Could Speak uses digital avatars to make people stop, listen, and remember the victim
(22:30) Jabez’s digital avatar focuses on the life he should have had and the future that was taken from him
(24:45) Joe appeals to anyone who has information about Jabez’s murder to do the right thing
(27:00) Joe reflects on Tawana’s strength and how she has channeled her grief into helping other families
(33:15) Tawana credits her mother, Lucille Tillery, with helping her turn her anger into advocacy for other families

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Tawana Spann is the mother of Jabez Spann and an advocate for families of missing and murdered loved ones. Through the Jabez Spann Foundation, Missing Our Voices podcast, and other initiatives created in her son’s memory, she works to provide families with practical resources, keep their loved one’s stories visible, and give them a place to be heard. Her husband, Joe Spann, works alongside her as a co-advocate through the foundation.

Related Episode
Who Killed Jabez Spann? | Seeking to Expose a Killer's Secret

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:●
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By 1901, Laura Bullion had traded the ranches of her childhood for life with the Wild Bunch, the outlaw gang associated with Butch Cassisy and the Sundance Kid, and took part in the Great Northern train robbery that would eventually send her to prison. After years spent waiting for Ben Kilpatrick, she reinvented herself as a seamstress in Memphis, leaving the people around her with no idea about the life she had once lived.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss to talk about Laura Bullion and her newest book, The Last Ride. Chris shares the circumstances that connected Laura to the Wild Bunch, what her prison letters tell us about her relationship with Ben Kilpatrick, and why women like Laura have been largely overlooked in the history of the American West.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl welcomes Chris Enss and introduces Laura Bullion, the little-known female outlaw of the Wild Bunch
(1:15) Laura’s childhood in Texas and the circumstances that put her among cowboys who would later turn to crime
(4:45) The complicated relationship between Laura and Will Carver, and how he connected her to the Wild Bunch
(7:15) Laura’s role in the 1901 Great Northern train robbery and the gang’s refuge at Hole-in-the-Wall
(8:45) How the famous Fort Worth Five photograph helped the Pinkerton detectives identify members of the Wild Bunch
(11:45) What Laura’s prison letters tell us about her dysfunctional relationship with Ben Kilpatrick
(14:30) Laura Bullion’s mugshot, her aliases, and the years surrounding the train robbery
(17:15) Remembering Laura as a criminal in her own right
(20:00) How brothels like Fannie Porter’s became a home base for members of the Wild Bunch
(22:45) Why the women of the American West, including female criminals, remain largely absent from popular history
(27:45) Laura leaves the outlaw life behind, becomes “Freda Lincoln,” and spends her later years as a seamstress in Memphis

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps
others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Chris Enss is a New York Times bestselling author who has spent more than three decades researching and writing about women of the American West. She has written more than two dozen books highlighting women whose contributions, adventures, and crimes have often been overlooked in traditional accounts of Western History.
Chris Enss’s The Last Ride tells the story of Laura Bullion and her life with the Wild Bunch.

Related Episode
The Outlaw Queen: Kathryn Throne and the Making of Machine Gun Kelly

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com●
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Prohibition era and the rise of organized crime in the early 20th century, Meyer Lansky emerged as one of the figures who helped shape the modern American mob. Through his partnerships with Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, he became closely tied to the development of legalized gambling in Las Vegas and casino operations in Cuba, earning the nickname the “Mob’s Accountant.” He was also remembered by his family for his insistence on education, philanthropy, and what his grandson describes as being a “mobster with morals” who believed in helping the communities where he did business.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes Meyer Lansky II to discuss his new book, The Lansky Legend: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky. Meyer shares his memories of his grandfather, how he gradually came to understand the life his grandfather lived, and his grandfather’s role in Prohibition, gambling, Cuba, and the early development of Las Vegas.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl introduces Meyer Lansky II and the legacy of his grandfather, Meyer Lansky
(2:00) What motivated Meyer to tell his grandfather’s story through The Lansky Legend
(5:00) The grandfather Meyer knew and the importance he placed on education, discipline, and doing things well
(7:00) What Meyer says about the reported $300 million fortune and what happened to his grandfather’s money
(10:00) The childhood gambling loss that taught Meyer Lansky never to bet again●
(11:15) How Meyer Lansky met Bugsy Siegel and why their opposite personalities worked so well together
(12:30) A confrontation with Lucky Luciano that became the beginning of another lifelong alliance
(14:45) Meyer Lansky II begins to realize his grandfather is not the ordinary businessman his family described
(16:30) The attempted kidnapping that led to FBI protection and his family secretly leaving town
(21:15) Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel’s early vision for Las Vegas and the Flamingo
(23:45) The FBI surveillance that followed Meyer Lansky into retirement and continued through the end of his life

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Meyer Lansky II is the grandson and namesake of one of the most recognizable figures in American organized crime history. He grew up knowing his grandfather personally and now shares those memories and family stories to help preserve a more complete picture of Meyer Lansky and the era he helped shape.
Meyer Lansky II’s The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky is available now. Learn more about the book and order your copy here.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum●
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during an altercation at a high school track meet and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Anthony’s defense team sought a new trial, and hearings this week revealed that prosecutors and the defense had agreed to keep certain evidence from the original jury.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by civil litigator Reagan Charleston Thomas to discuss what that newly disclosed information could mean for the case. They look at the agreement between prosecutors and the defense that kept information about both teenagers out of the original trial and the strategy behind that decision. Sheryl and Reagan also discuss the Nolan Wells case and the dispute over access to his phone before reacting to Judge Michael Chitty’s ruling denying Karmelo Anthony’s motion for a new trial.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl recaps the Karmelo Anthony case and introduces civil litigator Reagan Charleston Thomas
(3:00) Reagan discusses her work in digital harm litigation and why teenagers’ phones can become critical sources of evidence
(4:15) How lawyers build a case by telling a story within the framework of the law
(5:30) The agreement that kept damaging information about both Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf out of the original trial
(6:45) When a school could potentially face civil liability for known threats, bullying, or violent behavior
(8:00) Karmelo’s alleged text about shooting up the school and questions about why prosecutors chose not to introduce it
(12:00) A reported statement about stabbing someone and the evidence involving Austin’s prior graffiti arrest
(16:00) The role racial tension and concerns for both families' safety played in shaping trial strategy
(18:45) Reagan explains why the alleged knife-related text messages changed the way she viewed the evidence and self-defense claim
(21:45) Whether jurors should hear the good, the bad, and the ugly when attorneys decide what evidence reaches the courtroom
(25:45) What information cellphones may contain, the Nolan Wells case, and the dispute over access to his phone
(33:30) Judge Chitty denies Anthony’s motion for a new trial, and Reagan explains why the case is far from over

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Reagan Charleston Thomas is a civil litigator whose work includes social media addiction and digital harm litigation. A magna cum laude graduate of Loyola University law school, she also provides legal commentary for Fox News, Fox News Radio, and OutKick.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.