Up And Vanished

In this special crossover episode, Payne Lindsey joins Carter Roy on Murder: True Crime Stories to examine one of the most controversial cases of the 1990s. For the full episode, follow Murder: True Crime Stories wherever you listen to podcasts. In January 1997, Scott Falater appeared to be a devoted husband and father living a quiet suburban life in Arizona, until his wife, Yarmila Falater, was found brutally stabbed and drowned in their backyard pool. Falater was discovered nearby with blood on his clothes, yet he claimed he had no memory of the attack, insisting he was asleep when it happened. Payne introduces the case and discusses why it is so fascinating. Carter unpacks the shocking details of the crime, the rare and deeply divisive “homicidal sleepwalking” defense, and the chilling question at the center of the trial: can someone commit murder without ever waking up? Blurring the line between science, psychology, and criminal responsibility, the case of Scott Falater remains one of the most unsettlin