About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Dating a Killer: What Happened to Kelsie Scheilling?" from REAL covers the disappearance of Kelsie Scheilling, a 21-year-old pregnant woman, and the extraordinary lengths one stranger went to in order to get answers for her family.
The episode centers on how When Lauren Suhr heard about the case, she could not stop thinking about Kelsie and her family's pain. Determined to help, she took a radical step: she reached out to Donthe Lucas, the 20-year-old identified as the prime suspect in Kelsie's disappearance, and offered her friendship on social media. What began as an attempt to gather information evolved into a romantic relationship — and eventually a marriage proposal.
Lauren found herself in an almost unthinkable position, weighing whether to accept a proposal from a man she suspected of murder, all while hoping the relationship might finally reveal what happened to Kelsie. The episode traces this uneasy balance between personal risk and the pursuit of truth for a grieving family still searching for answers.
Hosts and release
Naomi Channell hosts the show, an independent true crime podcast built around audio documentaries that dig into real-world criminal cases. The episode runs 32 minutes and was released on October 28, 2026. REAL is available on Spotify.
