logo
episode-header-image
Oct 23
42m 38s

The Murder of Craig "Cooley" Jackman (Ve...

AUDIOCHUCK
About this episode

On a winter night in 1981, a teenager stepped out of his Essex Junction home and never returned. His disappearance unsettled the quiet Vermont town, leaving his family searching for answers that never came.

Years later, a hunter in the woods made a discovery that would finally explain what happened to the missing teen, but not why. Whispers of a stolen check, shifting stories, and a courtroom battle followed, yet the truth is still tangled even to this day. This is the story of a teenager whose life ended far too soon, a family’s years-long fight for justice, and a case that still raises questions about trust, betrayal, and the limits of the system meant to deliver answers.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/craigcooleyjackman

Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Up next
Today
The Murder of Eugenio DeLeon Vega (Connecticut)
The murder of Eugenio DeLeon Vega marked the beginning of a three-decade legal odyssey that exposed flaws in Connecticut’s criminal justice system and raised enduring questions about who really killed the popular grocer. Police initially suspected robbery as the motive and two su ... Show More
43m 4s
Oct 16
The Murder of Deanna Cremin (Massachusetts)
It should have been a routine school night in Somerville, Massachusetts for 17-year-old Deanna Cremin. Homework, TV, and a walk home with her boyfriend before curfew. But by morning, Deanna was gone. Her body was discovered just a few hundred feet from where she was last seen. Th ... Show More
35m 54s
Oct 9
The Disappearance of Wilfred "Butch" King III (Vermont)
After spending an early Friday evening hunting in the woods behind his home in Vermont, Wilfred “Butch” King III left his home on two crutches, driving off into the fall night never to be seen alive again. Despite years of investigation, what happened on the night of October 24, ... Show More
33m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 6
INFAMOUS: The Murdaugh Family Murders
When Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are killed on their family’s estate in 2021, the investigation unravels a history of privilege, corruption, and suspicious deaths tied to one of South Carolina’s most influential families. But beneath the headlines and courtroom drama are stories of ... Show More
56m 1s
Jul 2023
EP. 118 TEXAS - She Killed Her Best Friend & Stole Her Baby
At the end of 2019, a puzzling crime rocked the community of Austin, Texas. A mother, Heidi Broussard, had gone missing, along with her daughter... and nobody had a clue where she had went. But when the facts of the case began to emerge, an extremely dark picture was painted... a ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 17
EP 220 - MINNESOTA: The Most Infamous Murder Case In Minnesota History: The Abduction And Murder of Jacob Wetterling
In October of 1989, a young boy went missing from a small town in Minnesota. As time ticked on, and no leads were found, the town, and the nation, grew desperate. However, when the answers to their questions were finally revealed, people were shocked at how their suspect had been ... Show More
2h 4m
Oct 1
MURDERED: Idaho Murders
In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered inside their off-campus home. The killer left behind a trail of evidence: from DNA on a knife sheath to cell phone records and chilling witness accounts. Morgan and Kaelyn unravel the case that shocked a c ... Show More
1h 33m
Aug 25
Culpable Returns
In this new season of Culpable, host Dennis Cooper investigates a bizarre case in a small Ohio town. In the fall of '98, 17-year-old Danny Violette ran away from home and never returned. 11 days later, his body was found in a cornfield with a ligature mark around his neck and a t ... Show More
2m 46s
Oct 20
MISSING: Trevaline Evans
A shopkeeper in North Wales seemingly vanishes into thin air after hanging a sign on her antique store saying she’ll be back in two minutes. Investigators search high and low for Trevaline Evans for decades, trying to track down a so-called “mystery man” in a suit who she’d been ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2025
Who Killed Emily Pike? No More Stolen Sisters
On February 14th, 2025, 14-year-old Emily Pike’s dismembered body was found in garbage bags in a remote part of an Arizonan forest. This discovery came about three weeks after she had gone missing. Not only was this a horrible crime committed against a child, but Emily was also a ... Show More
1 h
Sep 11
Vanished From School? The Disappearance of Nathaniel Holmes
On December 19, 2017, 17-year-old Nathaniel Holmes was dropped off at high school for the last day of school before Winter Break, and was never seen by friends or family again. When his mother went to pick him up at the end of the day, she was informed by administration that Nath ... Show More
36m 31s
Mar 2024
Episode 7: We Looked Into That
Nearly two decades later, the search for Maura Murray continues. Julie breaks down the search efforts to date. Fred Murray receives a tip that will turn the investigation upside down. Local private investigator John Smith shares his early involvement in the case and a strange vis ... Show More
1h 13m
Sep 15
Blake Nex Part 2: Unraveling the Threads
Last week, we introduced you to the story of Blake Nex, who vanished from his home in Claremont, California, in March of 1993. At his house in Palmer Canyon, his family found groceries still sitting on the counter, his cats left inside, and no sign of Blake. Weeks later, his truc ... Show More
1h 14m