- Crime Writers On...Esoteric

CWO Episode Description:

When the body of 18-year-old Sarah Zuber was found outside her home in 2019, the evidence suggested a variety of competing theories. Was it a murder, a hit and run, or Sarah’s own intoxicated misadventure? Her parents believed authorities bungled the case and are hiding information. Community members organized on Facebook pages and in action groups, spouting their own theories and suspects. The Zuber case also spawned a political movement targeting a mayor and the sheriff. But as answers to what actually happened still elude us, questions remain whether the attention has benefitted the case - or benefitted the people demanding results. Season two of the podcast from Oregon Public Broadcasting “Hush: Love Thy Neighbor” focuses on the Sarah Zuber case and why the available evidence supports the contrary conclusions of those throughout Columbia County. Host Leah Sottile and producer Ryan Haas examine how true crime culture and changes in media have altered how a case like this is consumed. They also leave listeners to wonder if the motives of Sarah’s greatest champions are completely altruistic.