After eight weeks, we have reached the penultimate episode of Runaway Joe.
The chart-topping podcast series has followed the movements of fugitive Joseph Maloney across two continents, using two separate aliases and spoke with everyone from his long-lost daughter to his clergyman.
The series has always been clear on its objective to bring justice to this story's victim, June Maloney and her family. June was allegedly poisoned by her former husband Joe, at their son's fifth birthday party in 1967.
The podcast has unearthed new information that law enforcement agencies working the case for the past sixty years, like the FBI, Interpol, and An Garda Síochána, never uncovered.
In this week’s episode, the producers will reveal just how much, and how monumental their new findings have been.
It will require listeners to leave the suburbs of Dublin, take a quick German history lesson and follow our producers to sunnier shores (with no extradition treaties) all in pursuit of the truth and an escaped criminal, but in this case, they go hand in hand.
If that sounds appealing to you and you’ve streamed every incredible episode so far then read on for the full breakdown of episode eight - Land of Reinvention.
Another great alternative is skipping this piece and going straight to your nearest streaming service, but if you’re really looking for a good time, maybe give both a whirl.
As this is a live investigation, if you have any knowledge of Joseph Maloney aka Michael O’Shea –– please contact us immediately and in confidence via documentaries@rte.ie
Land of No Return
When Joe Maloney fled Ireland, he left a trail of rumours behind him, many of which his former friends, neighbours and acquaintances have been relaying to the Documentary On One team.
The alleged murder had vanished with the help of his close friend Rod Fenning, but where Joe went was a mystery that even Rod’s family did not know the answer to.
But it was widely agreed that wherever Joe went, there had to be no extradition treaty in place. Now, this all took place in 1986, so the world was in the throes of the Cold War. It was the US and much of Europe (the capitalist Western Bloc) versus the Soviet Union (the communist Eastern Bloc).
In the German city of Berlin, this divide was a physical division in the form of the Berlin Wall that divided the east and west of the city.
Remember Erika Lotze, the German housekeeper at Capard House whose name I told you to bookmark?
If the answer is no, stop reading this article immediately and stream episode four.
According to locals who lived near Capard, she had been involved in nearly every major event in German history. She was in Dresden during the bombing and served as a nurse in World War II.
Erika had worked at Capard long before Joe and his third wife Sheila purchased the property, but she became close friends with their couple during their ownership of the estate.
She even taught them German, a skill that would prove invaluable…
Fiona Deverell, whose father was friends with Joe Maloney, told the podcast that her father heard Joe speaking on the phone in German fluently, and he had a theory that the fugitive had contacts over there.
Well, I suppose you can guess where this story, and the criminal at its centre, are headed…
I was like why do you think you went to east Germany Dad. He said because I heard him on the phone speaking German fluently - and I think he has contacts over there - Fiona Deverell
The writer and the housekeeper
The definitive proof that Joe was in Germany came from an English writer and musician, Michael Nagy, who over 20 years ago spotted a wanted poster for Joe Maloney while travelling through America.
He became obsessed with the case and started his own investigation. Sadly Michael has since died, but he detailed his discoveries in a series of emails to friends of June Fisk, the woman at the centre of our tale who Joe allegedly murdered.
June was a hard-working nurse, as well as Joe’s wife and the mother of his two children. Her friends gave the podcast team access to Michael’s findings.
Prepare yourself because Michael went deep into this case. He went as far as stationing himself outside Sheila Chandler O’Shea’s (Joe’s Irish wife) family home during the Christmas of 2003 hoping she would emerge from hiding and lead him to our fugitive.
Remember, Sheila was not wanted by the authorities, so she could move freely. Unfortunately, on this occasion, she stayed put, and Michael was left observing the house "shivering and feeling rather silly."
But he wasn’t satisfied with this outcome and decided to hit the road and head down to Capard House in Co.Laois, the Maloney’s (O’Shea’s) former home. The house had changed hands several times, but one thing remained the same, Erika Lotze was still the housekeeper.
She told Michael not only where Joe Maloney was but how he got there… for the full scoop, you’ll have to hit play.
I speculated if he was still alive and still with Sheila O'Shea who was ten years younger. Given that she wasn't wanted for anything I figured that she would almost certainly keep in contact with her family and maybe even visit them. And maybe Joe did too, on a false passport - Michael Nagy
Welcome to Berlin
East Berlin in 1986 was a haven for criminals like Maloney because it was in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) behind the Berlin Wall. That means Joe and Sheila were out of sight and mind as there was no extradition treaty in place. But they weren’t alone; many criminals wanted to take refuge in East Berlin at this time.
However, all citizens had to be monitored and interrogated by the Stasi or secret police, as the GDR was paranoid about spies entering their socialist society from the Western state.
Journalist Pavel Barter went to visit the Stasi Records Archives in Berlin to try and uncover Joe’s unknown alias and what happened to the couple after they fled Ireland.
Pavel teamed up with Oskar Böhm, a clerk at the archive who explained the lengths people had to go to for the Stasi to accept them into East Berlin at this time.
"Central admission centre was, in Röntgental, close to Berlin, says Oskar. "And you had to stay there for like 30 days, even more. And people were prepared there for a socialist society. And they were under surveillance."
Once in the GDR, the secret police kept watch over you. They would usually strike up an agreement with newcomers. In exchange for entrance into East Berlin, they would have to offer their services to the Stasi in return.
According to Information specialist Ulrike Neuendorf a man who had killed his wife with knowledge of weapons would have been of particular interest…
Luckily for the series, the Stasi kept files…
The podcast wanted to find out if any records matched the description of Joe and Sheila. Oskar found one file file that might be a hit. What did it say? I think you know by now you will have to hit play to find out.
The Stasi was really, really good at faking identities for anywhere in the world, so that could potentially have been a possibility that they would have gotten a new identity - Ulrike Neuendorf
International Fugitive
In this week’s episode we’re introduced to a new information source: Tom Bush, Retired Special Agent with the FBI.
Tom has searched for fugitives across the world. In the 1980s, he was the bureau's Northeast supervisor for the fugitive unit in Washington DC. Joe Maloney was on his wanted list.
In places where the FBI did not have a presence, Interpol would step in and send them information. However, despite their international connections, they had no clue Joe was hunkered down in East Germany in the 80s.
But it wasn’t just the FBI who had Joe on their mind. The family of June Fisk were distraught that Joe was free and his location unknown. June’s niece Amy Emerick told the podcast the family were concerned he could reenter the US.
They were concerned at times about where Joe Maloney was because they kept track. They knew he was in Ireland. They knew he might be extradited. And then that didn’t happen. And then he disappeared. And I do know they were concerned about his whereabouts and if he would ever come back to the United States for any reason – so I think that did bother them for a time - Amy Emerick
America’s Most Wanted
In 1989, a seminal event would upend Joe and Sheila’s new life in East Germany.
The fall of the Berlin Wall meant that people could freely move to and from East Germany. Translation: as a fugitive Joe was now completely exposed.
The question was, where would he run next?
By 1990 the couple had been living off the grid for almost four years, and the FBI, the Rochester DA's office, and An Garda Síochána were getting restless.
So, they switched up their approach and collaborated on two major TV appeals in the US. According to former Special Agent Gene Harding, this was a fresh attempt to generate new information and case leads.
In 1991, a segment about Joe was broadcast on Unsolved Mysteries, a big US show.
The second attempt came in 1993 when the case was featured on the international hit crime show America’s Most Wanted.
America’s Most Wanted was so popular it reached the shores of Ireland.
Maureen Power watched the episode on RTÉ, her father had dealings with Joe during his time in Ireland. The wanted felon had even dined with her family.
"Lo and behold, on comes America’s Most Wanted, and your man comes on, and I hadn’t a clue who he was, I was kind of barely paying attention," says Maureen. "My father jumped up, "Oh my god, that’s him, that’s your man, that’s Michael, that’s Michael"".
The appeal worked, according to retired prosecutor Wendy Lehmann, it brought in a lot of new information about sightings of Joe from around the world. But ultimately, they all led nowhere.
One was in Puerto Rico. One was in I think Jamaica and one in Canada. There were several of them. But none of them ever panned out. Either he was gone, or it wasn’t him, but nothing ever happened - Wendy Lehmann
Sheila’s Return
Sheila did not return home in 1988 when her sister Joan died, nor did she come home to bury her father, Vincent in 1993.
But at some point in the late 1990s, she emerged once more. According to Vanessa Fenning, the sister of Joe’s close friend Rod who helped the couple escape, Sheila would return periodically to Ireland.
Apparently, she was always well-tanned…
Why would she put her fugitive husband at risk all of a sudden? In 1995, Sheila was diagnosed with breast cancer, which might explain the need to reunite with her family and close friends.
She would always go above and beyond to cover her tracks travelling through multiple countries so nobody could trace her.
She'd be in Ireland for maybe you know a long weekend kind of thing and then she'd disappear and I mean I'm sure if we really wanted to we could have figured out where they'd got to but we didn't - Vanessa Fenning
Cyprus
After the unification of Germany in 1990, Joe and Sheila were forced to move elsewhere. Throughout the last 18 months of making the series, the podcast team have pieced together various bits of information to pinpoint a destination.
But their biggest clue came in the form of a postcard sent to the Maloney’s (O’Shea’s) former housekeeper, Erika Lotze.
Peter Collins, the builder who worked at Capard House, said Erika received a postcard from an "unidentified man" in Northern Cyprus. A man who held an unusual interest in Michael O’Shea….
"He was very interested in Michael O'Shea and he was based in Northern Cyprus." says Peter, "but I mean it was just saying 'Look, I'm okay'."
Bishop Michael Cox confirmed the Cyprus hunch to journalist Pavel Barter.
Considering Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any state other than Turkey and, therefore has no extradition treaties in place with other countries, it would be the perfect place for Joe to put down roots.
All this information is new to the authorities. It is the first time Northern Cyprus or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has been named the last known location of Joe Maloney.
Armed with this new information there was only one thing our producers could do… go to Northern Cyprus and retrace the steps of fugitive Joe Maloney.
With the help of Michael Nagy’s testimony, together with new information and research available to us, we’re hopeful that our trip to Cyprus will confirm the final details of Joe Maloney’s life - Journalist Pavel Barter
As this is a live investigation, if you have any knowledge of Joseph Maloney aka Michael O’Shea –– please contact us immediately and in confidence via documentaries@rte.ie
New episodes of Runaway Joe are available every Friday, from wherever you get your podcasts - catch up here.
