The host’s repetitive intonation pattern is just too distracting and grating for me.

This show takes on difficult cases and does great research. I only wish that their recordings of interviewees were clearer, louder, and sharper. They sound far away. The narrator sounds fine but everyone else are difficult to understand.

Only on season one but I'm hooked!

I do not like how lately it seems as though the narrator purposefully tries to imply foul play or a coverup without evidence to support such. Unfortunately, sometimes things are exactly as they seem. Things get overlooked, mistakes are intentionally made and sadly some people wander away- it’s not always some kind of malicious coverup or oversight. That’s all.

This podcast is a shining light of true victim centered advocacy for the missing, as told my the ones that actually know them. So many podcasts could learn something from this one - allow friends and families to speak for themselves, amplify their voices and allow others to hear them. These are not rewritten or sensationalized by a podcasting team, they are straight from the families and friends of the missing. The host has created a safe space so others may tell stories of their loved ones in their own words, she empowers them to speak their truth in the name of the missing. I am in awe of the work she does and I send so much love to those that are waiting for others to come home.

When did this podcast go the AI narrative route? Used to love it but I can’t get down with the AI voice. Great story writing, but the delivery matters and is severely damaged by the shortcut use of AI.

I started listening to older episodes from the very beginning of the podcast. Marissa’s voice is way different - her tone and cadence are much more natural in the early episodes - and nice to hear. Very curious as to what led to the change.

I love this podcast and have been listening for YEARS! It is very in depth and sheds a lot of light on people who are missing. I don’t know why, but lately, I have noticed that the guests seem to talk way too long. Instead of capturing important information, I find myself drifting off and not listening anymore because it goes on too long. It is kind of making listening become dreadful. Otherwise, the work and everything you do is great!

I find the topic interesting, but the guests on the show go on and on, making the same points more than once. I noticed when people have issues with saying things several times, for example, “what have you,” or “you know,” it is not edited out. It is so annoying! I tried to like this podcast, but it’s just not for me.

This podcast is a must for everyone. Stop to think about it, if you have a missing loved one you would want everyone to hear about them and the circumstances of them being missing. Maybe someone knows something that could help find them. It is often difficult and heartbreaking to listen to family and friends talk about how much they miss them and want them found. This sounds odd, but I often feel an obligation to listen to this podcast. This is such an important podcast and Marissa does an excellent job. Thank you, Marissa, for caring and for making a positive difference in the world.

It’s not necessary to hear every word that is spoken by a loved one. Please please please use an editor.

Bunch of people who ruin their lives, and those around them.. then their families demand the rest of us do more to save them or solve the cases for people who put themselves in harm's way. Utter garbage.

This is my favorite podcast! It was the first true crime podcast I ever listened and subscribed to. I was hooked once I heard #1… partly bc I live in South Jersey and knew the case, but I was hooked! Marissa gets great interviews, has so much information and the podcast is produced so great! Plus, I love her soothing voice:)

Absolutely love Marissa. You can hear the caring in her voice. I especially like the interviews with the family members missing their loved ones. This is all an effort to keep someone’s story alive, the missing deserve that! Their loved ones deserve that!

I love love, love, love this podcast. Each story is told in such a way that it grabs your attention and you can’t let go till you’ve heard the whole story. Marissa is amazing!

This is an empathetic, well-researched podcast that tells the victims’ stories from various points of view.

This was a great series. Thank you for covering Kay's case. 💔

I love this podcast! You break cases down so well and cover as much as you possibly can all in a way anyone can understand! I listen every week! 🫶🏼

Some of the phone conversations are very difficult to understand due audio issues. Gets a little frustrating. But I usually just forward past those calls because the stories are very compelling.

Not a bad podcast but the music is way too loud over all the phone call audio that’s barely loud enough to make out already. I’m not sure why podcasts think that’s necessary.

My go to podcast for driving to work on Monday morning. Look forward to new episodes every week. I have listened to every single one. Thank you for keeping their memories and stories alive.

Podcast is ok, some episodes are amazing. And some are ok. Clearly this is my opinion, too many opinions given -vs- facts. Letting family bash the authorities. I understand the frustration but that is not helpful!

You are essentially listening to a phone call with a loved one or family member of the missing person, talking at length about a variety of topics or incidents that are only tangentially relevant or completely irrelevant to the disappearance. The narrator doesn’t seem to make much effort to keep the interviews on-topic and concise. I realize this is intended to give the missing person a background and create empathy, but it is often too meandering and long-winded.

Decided to check this podcast out, but just can't get past the repetitiveness and the way the host reads. The host doesn't add much to these stories since details are explained by the host and then repeated by the person being interviewed. Additionally, the host has a very monotone voice and emphasizes the last word of every sentence which is very annoying to listen to. She also pauses in the middle of sentences for no reason which is frustrating.

The premise of this show is GREAT...people just VANISH without a trace and the background of the person is investigated to understand who they were. But the interviews are overly long and the facts of the case repeated over and over. Most episodes could be distilled to 30 to 45mins. Sometime I listen to an episode just as background noise, because it is so repetitive. But still the show is spooky & fun to listen especially due to the CREEPY MUSIC!

Great podcast ❤️

I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but on March 13th, a jury found Cody Ketchum guilty of murdering Holly Cantrell with a recommended sentence of Life Without Parole. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case after he was indicted by a multicounty grand jury in October of 2022.

Good content but just can’t listen anymore. Narration tone and repetitive cadence of speech are so distracting. Wish Marissa would work on narrations skills - she seems dedicated and competent otherwise.

Marissa is excellent and she gives a voice to people who wouldn’t otherwise have a platform. However, I am getting tired of basically hearing the same background on almost every single victim. It’s tragic, but I am saying something that most people are probably thinking. Don’t live a high risk life and expect that nothing nefarious will ever happen to you.

Your doing God’s work, Marissa! The robotic speech is keeping me from wanting to listen anymore. Will you please try to work on changing this and show more emotion!?! Thank you!

The Kevin Winters episodes were absolutely intriguing. I can’t imagine how his family feels with the lack of cooperation from his employer the authorities. Do better, Hawaii.

This podcast is so well put together. Timeline, history of person, what happened, relative and friend interviews. I wish this podcast had patreon, was on more than once a week. I’ve looked for similar and nothing compares.

I love podcasts but this one i cannot listen to because of the way she speaks it’s distracting and very annoying

One of my favorite podcasts, but some episodes definitely do not need to be Part 2/3! Better editing can get the stories down into one impactful episode instead of dragging them out into multiple segments that are long, repetitive, and unnecessary (and basically vehicles for more ads).

This is my #1 absolute favorite podcast! She does an incredible job giving a voice to the victims and their loved ones, bringing attention to ALL missing persons no matter what their situation is. And any time there’s been new developments in a case, she makes sure to release an update right away! I look forward to a new episode every week, thank you for the amazing work you do!

I do love it but sometimes it’s just so long. I do like that people are interviewed and family tells their story.

Just want to say thank you for the incredible episode on Brenda’s disappearance. So heartbroken for this wonderful family. I’ll be praying for some sort of resolution for them, and wish them much peace.

I appreciate the content of this podcast but the narrator lacks any expression while reading so it sounds very robotic.

… the commercials are loud enough to blow out your eardrums.

The narrator has very odd dialect, or speech pattern. She elongates and emphasizes the last word of every sentence. It is annoying. Sounds like a bot reading a book.

The vanished has a very large audience and in that regard it is a good tool getting under reported stories of missing people out to the public. Many comments often note that the story hit close to home for the listener and they were not aware of this missing person, their name or their story. That being said, the podcast is eight years old. it has followed the same format for eight years and it is tired and in need of a refresh in terms of everything from the logo and the intro music to changing the style and format.

Thank you for bringing a voice to these victims that are vanished. Thank you for all that you do! For all you that are talking about her voice, or how slow it is, just speed it up! I actually listened to all my podcast on 1.25 because so many do talk really slow and I don’t have a lot of time or patience usually.

I have been listening to this podcast for several years. I love and appreciate the straightforward manner by which Marissa tells the story. I also admire Marissa for being committed to telling the stories of the missing people who are overlooked by society and the media. And, I love Marissa’s voice! I love the matter of fact way in which she discusses each case. She doesn’t use her voice to sensationalize the case or lend it an air of mystery and suspense the way some big name podcasts do. Thank you Marissa for presenting the cases of missing people who deserve to be found and remembered.

When I listen to this podcast, it reminds me of those moments in elementary school when the teacher would ask me to read out loud. I always wanted to be the fastest reader, so I would sometimes skip punctuation when reading aloud. So, if possible, could you please take a moment in between sentences?

I’ve been listening for years. Marissa is objective and compassionate when interviewing family members and friends of the missing. I stopped listening to other true crime podcasts because the hosts treated it more like entertainment than a tragedy. This is definitely the most respectful podcast towards the missing and there is never any politics injected either. For the people complaining about Marissa’s voice: the problem is definitely on your end.

I only listen to this podcast to fall asleep when I have run out of my top tier podcasts. Too much time is dedicated to uneducated family members sharing their half baked conspiracies. Maybe not enough content to just stick to the facts? It has potential…

I tried listening again since my last review. 😓 Like many others, I want to like this podcast! I can agree with some of the comments about repetition, although because the stories are so interesting, I can get past that. I can also appreciate the importance of publicizing these missing people’s stories in case someone has information that can help law enforcement and their loved ones. What I can’t get past is the constant rise of the narrator’s intonation at the end of each sentence. It’s sing-songy and annoying, so I’m forced to go to another podcast. She needs to land her points, land the end of sentences. Not every sentence can end in an upswing. Otherwise, great concept and good contribution to society. Update: I’ve tried again. And now it seems she no longer upswings, but she is still monotone and still sounds robotic. Marissa!!! I want to love you and this podcast for it’s importance. Please maybe get voice lessons? You could easily be the top podcast.

Thank you for telling the victims’ stories without the unfounded claims of racism, sexism, police bigotry, etc. that so many other true crime podcasts have. I also appreciate the long form interviews with family members that really allow the whole story to be told in their own words.

Tells stories that aren’t overly reported on and apparently people in the reviews think only white blonde girls missing are what matter

Dear God, edit a little!!!!!! You repeat the same information over and over…..