Blood Trails

S2E4: Catching the Killer of Neil LaFave

May 7, 2026·59 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

On his birthday in 1971, Wisconsin game warden Neil LaFave went out to post “No Hunting” signs. He never came home. The next morning, searchers found his body buried in a shallow grave. The brutality stunned investigators: multiple gunshots, and a horrifying attempt to conceal the crime. Suspicion quickly centered on a young poacher with a history of conflict with LaFave. But proving it would take something new: one of the first wiretaps ever used in a Wisconsin murder case. What followed was a breakthrough that changed the investigation, and revealed just how far someone was willing to go to avoid getting caught. Want more Blood Trails? Check out the Case File. Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon. Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Blood Trails on Instagram Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube ClipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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