Criminally Curious: A Seattle camera crew in Odessa

Odessa had two special visitors this week — Madison Wade, reporter for King 5’s Unsolved Northwest, and Joseph Huerta, an Emmy Award-winning photojournalist who somehow managed to make our small-town office look cinematic.

Now, I went to school to be behind the camera, not in front of one. But apparently, the universe decided it was time for me to face my greatest fear — being on television. I always figured if I were on TV, it would be for something like winning a Jet Ski world championship or rescuing a family of ducklings from the highway — not nervously sweating under studio lights trying not to blink too much.

Tuesday morning started at 5 a.m., which for me is a time that should only exist for catching flights or chasing breaking news. 

I curled my hair with a 400-degree iron, applied concealer to hide my raccoon eyes, and sealed the deal with my professional trademark — red lipstick. By 7 a.m., I was just hoping my hair didn’t stage a mutiny and that I wouldn’t sneeze mid-take.

Many of my readers may not know this, but long before I became the editor of your local paper, I was knee-deep in cold case investigations — the real-life, less-glamorous kind where coffee is cold, interviews get canceled, and the answers never come easy. Even before I ever wore a camouflage uniform and laced up combat boots, I was an intern at the Whitman County Gazette chasing the story of Joyce Margaret LePage, a 21-year-old WSU student who vanished in the summer of 1971.

Joyce’s story was my very first deep-dive investigation. I didn’t know it then, but it would completely change the course of my career. I launched a website, wrote columns, interviewed her brother Bruce, who’s now like family, and even managed to corner Dave Reichert — yes, the former congressman and Green River Killer detective — while he was running for governor. I introduced myself and said, “Hey, I know you want to talk politics, but let’s talk murder instead.” That’s when I realized I might not be built for small talk.

That story went on to appear on the front page of the Gazette, gaining over 10,000 reads in just days. It later led to me being invited to guest lecture for criminology classes at Gonzaga University — me, the film student standing in front of a room full of criminal justice majors, feeling like the Doogie Howser of cold-case homicide research.

Still, my heart has always been in storytelling — whether through photos, film, or the written word. And this week, as the King 5 crew rolled their cameras, I couldn’t help but think about Joyce. Though she died 31 years before I was even born, I’ve come to know her through her words, her music, and the stories her family shared. She loved Steppenwolf and Downtown by Petula Clark. She wrote with perfect penmanship and described a Christmas gift as “delicious.” I think about her often.

So while I sat in the Odessa office Tuesday morning, nervously trying to look “natural” (whatever that means) and pretending I knew what to do with my hands, I felt oddly calm. Because I know Joyce knows we’re still here — still telling her story, still refusing to let her case fade away.

This upcoming King 5 mini-documentary, which will also air on KREM in Spokane and again in Seattle, means so much to me — not for the airtime, but for the awareness. Joyce was not just a victim. She was a daughter, a sister, a student, a friend — and now, my friend too.

To my readers — you might not be into true crime, and that’s okay. But if you ever stop me at the grocery store or in line for coffee and ask about Joyce, I’ll happily tell you everything. How she dreamed big, wrote beautifully, and lived boldly. Because she was more than her death — she was a life worth remembering.

So, if you happen to catch me on TV later this month (possibly flinching at my own reflection), know that it’s all for her. And maybe next time, I’ll finally get to be behind the camera where I belong.

Until then, I’ll be here — criminally curious as ever, and now with a new appreciation for professional lighting and acne coverup.