The Last Trip

• 76: Valerie De La Valdene: Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands

  She was known as “Shark Girl” - a fearless underwater photographer who swam with predators most of us only dare to watch on TV.  At 48, Valerie de la Valdene had it all: a career that earned her a spot in the Women Divers Hall of Fame, features on Shark Week, a culinary education under a world-renowned chef, and the kind of wealth that came with a prestigious family name. But in June 2014, Valerie was found dead in the Galapagos Islands - a single gunshot wound to the left temple. Authorities called it a suicide. But the scene? It told a different story.  And when you follow the trail of strange details and unanswered questions, it begins to look a lot less like self-destruction… and a lot more like murder. Listen as we dive into the Galápagos Islands, the case of Valerie de la Valdene, and how to stay alive on vacation. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to [email protected] We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Weird True Crime https://weirdtruecrime.com/   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4679860/American-woman-s-family-goes-Galapagos-probe-death.html https://www.bradenton.com/news/state/article160395929.html https://www.wdhof.org/members/valerie-valdene https://www.sharks.org/blog/blogs/ocean-log/valerie-elaine-de-la-valdene-1966-2014 https://wetpixel.com/articles/rip-valerie-de-la-valdene https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article4827450.html https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tallahassee/name/valerie-valdene-obituary?id=17009121 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/in-galapagos-a-case-of-su_b_6529550 https://www.change.org/p/rafael-correa-government-of-ecuador-who-killed-of-countess-valerie-elaine-de-la-valdene-an-american-with-usa-passport-no-442549467-and-msc-doctor-in-criminology-cameraman-submarine-aficionada-volunteer-and-philanthropist-domiciled-for-25-years-in-the https://shootingsportsman.com/guy-de-la-valdene-1944-2023/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuyKbZh5USQ

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• 75: Ray Gricar: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

  On April 15, 2005, District Attorney Ray Gricar took the day off, got in his car, and set out on a quiet road trip—just a short drive to clear his head. But he never came home. His car was later found abandoned, his wallet and phone missing, and his laptop destroyed and dumped in a river. And then... nothing. In this episode, we explore the mysterious disappearance of Ray Gricar—a seasoned prosecutor who had spent decades putting criminals behind bars. Did he walk away from his life? Was he targeted? Or did he uncover something so dangerous it made him disappear? Listen as we dive into Pennsylvania, the case of Ray Gricar, and how to stay alive on vacation. We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Tragedy With A View https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tragedy-with-a-view/id1689392628   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=in4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=5789,304024&dq=ray+gricar https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jH4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=3826,3070043&dq=ray+gricar+car https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/missing-da-is-it-foul-play-or-did-he-commit-suicide/ https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/missing-da-is-it-foul-play-or-did-he-commit-suicide/ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iZYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5334,210533&dq=ray+gricar+laptop https://web.archive.org/web/20110709151400/http://www.centredaily.com/2011/07/06/2818532/family-seeks-closure.html https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/04/ten_years_later_ray_gricars_di.html https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/04/ten_years_later_ray_gricars_di.html

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• 74: Lucy Schuhmann: St John, USVI

  In September 2019, a yellow Jeep Wrangler was found abandoned at a remote trailhead on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Everything inside looked normal—except the woman who rented it, Lucy Schuhmann, was missing. The 48-year-old traveler from Louisville, Kentucky, had come to the island alone, seeking peace and nature. She checked into a rental near Coral Bay, unpacked, and then vanished. Her belongings were left behind. Her ID was found in her daypack at the end of a trail. Despite extensive searches, Lucy has never been seen again. Was it a tragic accident, a planned disappearance—or is something darker hiding beneath the island’s serene surface? Listen as we dive into St John, the case of Lucy Schuhmann, and how to stay alive on vacation. We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Twisted and Uncorked https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402880693755219/ https://www.wlky.com/article/authorities-searching-for-louisville-woman-missing-in-virgin-islands/29180145 https://nypost.com/2019/09/23/kentucky-woman-lucy-schuhmann-missing-for-four-days-in-us-virgin-islands/ https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/25/us/virgin-islands-missing-woman/index.html https://charleyproject.org/case/lucy-evalyne-schuhmann https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/isb-viis-missing.htm https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2019/09/22/louisville-woman-missing-since-thursday-virgin-islands/2413233001/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rescuers-focus-virgin-islands-cliffs-where-missing-american-s-backpack-n1059316 https://stjohnsource.com/2019/10/02/nps-downscales-search-for-missing-kentucky-woman/ https://stjohnsource.com/2019/09/20/240057/ https://nypost.com/2019/09/23/kentucky-woman-lucy-schuhmann-missing-for-four-days-in-us-virgin-islands/ https://people.com/human-interest/kentucky-woman-missing-5-days-vanished-airbnb-virgin-islands/ https://websleuths.com/threads/usvi-lucy-schuhmann-48-tourist-from-ky-st-john-us-virgin-islands-19-sep-2019.475106/

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• 73: Robert Cantrell: Cancun, Mexico

  A 62-year-old man boards a plane—but his travel path makes no sense. Charlotte. Austin. Dallas. And finally… Cancun. When Robert Cantrell lands in Mexico, he clears customs—but never makes it to baggage claim. Days later, he reappears—shoeless, confused, and unable to remember his own name. A journalist finds him. Then he disappears again. Was he lost, drugged, or targeted? A voicemail, a detention center, and a suitcase returned without him—all raise more questions than answers. This week, we unravel the chilling mystery of Robert Cantrell, a man who vanished not once, but twice. Listen as we dive into Cancun, the case of Robert Cantrell, and how to stay alive on vacation. We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Pod of Terror https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pod-of-terror/id1719369658   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://theguadalajarareporter.net/index.php/news/news/lake-chapala/61412-ajijic-homeowner-s-puzzling-mystery-disappearance https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/friends-say-missing-jacksonville-man-last-seen-cancun/77-970d7c68-e202-4b2f-9311-9e70c3f05f2a https://ojo.chapala.com/articles-2023/september-2023/ajijic-man-still-missing/ https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/08/04/as-familys-fears-grow-sen-rubio-now-aiding-in-search-for-jacksonville-man-missing-in-mexico/ https://texasequusearch.org/cases/robert-cantrell-62-cancun-mexico-6-20-2023/ https://www.instagram.com/robcan/ https://theguadalajarareporter.net/index.php/news/news/lake-chapala/60278-reward-offered-for-location-of-missing-ajijic-resident https://www.tiktok.com/@hurricanechristy/video/7279992530979032363 https://www.gofundme.com/f/find-rob-cantrell-and-bring-him-to-safety https://websleuths.com/threads/mexico-robert-cantrell-62-american-retired-psychologist-wanted-to-see-a-property-in-cancun-20-jun-2023.683495/page-2 https://www.facebook.com/RobCan2 https://mexicodailypost.com/2023/09/02/new-clues-emerge-regarding-an-american-based-in-ajijic-that-disappeared-in-cancun/

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• 72: Larry Hillblom: Saipan

  Money, power, and mystery—three ingredients for a disappearance that still haunts the Pacific. Larry Hillblom, co-founder of DHL, built a shipping empire and amassed a fortune. Yet, he chose to live in secrecy on a remote Pacific island, surrounded by scandal and whispers of something darker. In 1995, his small plane crashed near Saipan. Wreckage was found. Bodies recovered. But Hillblom? Gone. No body. No trace. Just questions. Did he perish in the ocean—or stage the ultimate escape? With mounting paternity lawsuits, a cryptic will, and a fortune at stake, his disappearance ignited one of history’s most bizarre legal battles. Accident? Cover-up? Murder? Vanishing act? Today, we unravel the strange, tangled mystery of Larry Hillblom—an empire-builder whose fate remains unknown. We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Book of the Dead Pod https://www.botdpod.com/   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://tiaca.org/larry-hillblom/ https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/documents/areas/fac/dotm/bio/pdf_KM09.pdf https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/business/king-larry-the-bizarre-road-of-a-billionaire-review.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/08/23/millionaires-dna-may-solve-inheritance-flap/b6db40f3-741d-4ec0-ba7e-a03e377af96c/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-24-mn-5506-story.html https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/23/us/larry-l-hillblom-52-founder-of-dhl-worldwide-express.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-11-mn-7237-story.html https://www.joc.com/article/dhl-co-founder-larry-hillblom-dies-in-plane-crash-5403850 https://nypost.com/2012/01/15/one-man-is-an-island/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/2c3du0/larry_hillblom_billionaire_and_founder_of_dhl/ https://fortune.com/2012/02/03/king-larry-the-story-of-a-business-monster/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB832124296163216000 https://www.dannydutch.com/post/the-evil-story-of-larry-hillblom-the-h-from-dhl

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