Jason and Darrell dig into the dark side of highway rest areas — from unsolved 1970s cases to violent attacks in 2025 — and argue about whether you should ever stop, and whether you should be armed when you do.
Rest stops: safe havens or danger zones? On this episode of Waywut, Jason and Darrell start with road-trip banter and quickly pivot to a deep, fact-forward look at crimes tied to highway rest areas — unsolved homicides from the 1970s, the Blind River killings, a torso dumped at a Missouri rest area, and a string of violent attacks in 2025 (Arkansas, Oregon, Arizona, Nebraska). We walk through the facts, quote case details, and end with practical safety takeaways for anyone who spends time on the road.
What you’ll hear:
• Past cases: Jane Snow (late 1970s), the McAllister attack (1991), the Wright City torso (2004).
• Recent incidents (2025): Herman Portillo Batres (AR), an Oregon standoff at Santiam rest area, the Jack Chen assault (AZ) and the RV stabbing near Grand Island (NE).
• A frank debate about RVs, the castle doctrine, and whether travelers should carry a firearm.
No sensationalism — just the timeline and facts we read from available reports plus our own road-trip perspective.
Follow Waywut for new rabbit holes every Tuesday (and sometimes Friday).
• Trigger warning: discussion of homicide, assault, and graphic case details.
• Cases covered: Jane Snow (late 1970s), Blind River / McAllister (1991), Wright City torso / Deanna Denise Howland (2004), Herman Portillo Batres (Jan 4, 2025), Santiam rest area standoff (May 2, 2025), Jack Chen assault (Feb 15, 2025), Gary & Mary Nelson RV attack (June 19, 2025).
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00:00 — Intro & road-trip banter (Welcome to Waywut)04:56 — Why rest stops have a bad rep (criminal activity vs hookups)
05:58 — Past case #1 — Jane Snow (late 1970s unsolved homicide)07:45 — Past case #2 — “Blind River Killer” / McAllister attack (1991)
11:35 — Past case #3 — Wright City torso discovery (2004)19:32 — Transition — recent rest-stop crimes (overview)
21:48 — Recent case — Herman Portillo Batres (Jan 4, 2025)
25:57 — Recent case — Jack Chen assault / suspect updates (Feb 15, 2025)
27:49 — RV stabbing — Gary & Mary Nelson (June 19, 2025)
30:27 — Safety takeaways & gun / RV debate
31:54 — Final tips, wrap-up & outro (calls to action)
