Podcast led to 21 new tips in Misha Pavelick case: RCMP

After countless hours spent sorting through tips and information, Saskatchewan RCMP officers were finally able to put the investigative puzzle together and charge a 34-year-old man with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Misha Pavelick.

Pavelick, 19, was stabbed to death in 2006 during a fight at a party near Regina Beach during the May long weekend. The accused, who was arrested in Regina on Saturday, cannot be named because he was a youth at the time of the incident.

While police listened and followed up on numerous tips over the 17 years since Pavelick’s death, a novel method may have helped the Mounties get new information.

In May of 2021, the Saskatchewan RCMP decided to create a three-episode podcast titled ‘Who Killed Misha Pavelick?’ detailing the mystery that surrounded his death. The podcast featured the voices of Saskatchewan RCMP officers directly involved in the investigation, along with Misha’s loved ones and other RCMP experts.

In the weeks after the podcast was uploaded, the RCMP said officers received 21 new tips from the public in relation to the case, and more than 3,000 people heard the podcast.

Mandy Mayer works with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s communication team and was in charge of putting the podcast together.

She told Gormley on Wednesday that a wave of emotion struck her team after the arrest was made, and she saw that same emotion in Pavelick’s family members who were on hand when the arrest was announced.

“They spent so much time sharing their experience, and if you were in the room (Tuesday), the emotions were across the board to have charges laid in this investigation,” Mayer explained.

Mayer suggested the podcast could have helped people reconnect and remember more about what happened that night in 2006.

“Clearly it was a way that resonated with people, and they didn’t have to listen to it in one go,” Mayer said.

“They could do it in their own time, consume the content while doing things in their yard, and I do think it does make a connection to all those years ago, because people still have memories of that time.”

Mayer said police podcasts could become more common in the future when it comes to investigators searching for answers in complex, unsolved cases.

“As we talk about the changing face of new media and the way the public consumes content, I think it is one thing that can be explored,” she said.

Mayer emphasized that any police podcast must be done with integrity and respect.

“I would caution other law enforcement agencies that you have to have that fine line of balance and integrity and that’s a really important aspect of this,” she said.

“It’s a story that you’re telling, and if you bring integrity to that and have a good intent in mind – that’s a key piece there – (you’re) helping investigators and using it as one tool to supplement all the others that you have as well.”

According to Mayer, this was the first time the RCMP ever released a podcast. It was produced in both of Canada’s official languages, and was created with a budget of under $100.

She said it was also all created during the COVID-19 pandemic, so all of the interviews had to be conducted virtually.