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Overlooked

Former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski is accused of putting an innocent man in jail, exploiting vulnerable Black women, and terrorizing the community for decades. How did he get away with it for so long, and what does justice look like for his victims? From KCUR Studios and the NPR Midwest Newsroom, Overlooked is an investigative podcast about the systemic problems long left unaddressed throughout the Midwest.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, FBI agents arrested Roger Golubski — a retired Kansas City, Kansas, Police detective — on charges that he raped, sexually assaulted and kidnapped two women in the 1990s. Golubski's indictment and arrest was a big deal in the community.

But it’s far from over. These federal charges are just a tiny piece of a decades-long story.

In 1994, Golubski put an innocent man, Lamonte McIntyre, in prison for 23 years. And it wasn’t until 2017, when McIntyre was exonerated and a list of murdered women appeared, that people in power started to realize how deep the problem went.

Golubski had been using his badge to exploit women for decades — and it was an open secret. How could this have happened for so long, and what does justice look like for his alleged victims?

From KCUR Studios and the NPR Midwest Newsroom, Overlooked is an award-winning investigative podcast about the systemic problems long left unaddressed throughout the Midwest.

Hosted by veteran reporter Peggy Lowe, Overlooked features never-before-heard details about the ongoing federal investigation into Golubski and the KCKPD, and interviews with the people who have been wronged by their actions.

We hear what it’s been like for Golubski's accusers to live with decades of pain — and how they’re still seeking answers and asking for accountability.

Listen to the full season now.

A photo illustration of Niko Quinn and her house on Hutchings Street in Kansas City, Kansas, where Quinn witnessed someone murder two people in 1994. Quinn says she was forced by then-KCKPD detective Roger Golubski into giving false testimony against Lamonte McIntyre for the crime.
After watching her cousin get murdered in 1994, Niko Quinn was one of two eyewitnesses who sent a 17-year-old Black kid to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Quinn says KCKPD detective Roger Golubski pressured her into making false testimony, and she's been trying to "make it right" ever since.
Left: The mug shot taken when Lamonte McIntyre, then 17, was arrested for a double homicide on April 15, 1994. Right: Lamonte McIntyre in September 2022, five years after being cleared of the crime and released from prison.
In 1994, the KCKPD charged Lamonte McIntyre in a double homicide — putting him behind bars for 23 years before he was finally exonerated. Except McIntyre was innocent, and a mile away when those murders occurred. The only evidence police had against McIntyre was his first name, and the coerced testimony of two eyewitnesses.
Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski started taking advantage of Stacey Quinn when she was only a teen. Local activists allege this was a pattern for “Golubski’s girls”: The detective would pick up vulnerable women, sexually abuse them, and manipulate them into silence. And like Stacey Quinn, many of them were murdered.
Roger Golubski, a retired Kansas City, Kansas Police Department detective, was arrested in September by the FBI on charges that he kidnapped and raped two women. Federal prosecutors have accused him of a pattern of abuse. Photo by Carlos Moreno.
Once interested in becoming a Catholic priest, Roger Golubski spent 35 years in the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, which had a reputation for racism and corruption. The secret to Golubski’s career was his use of “confidential informants,” whom he cited to secure countless convictions — including at least one person who was innocent. Now, Golubski is facing a federal indictment for kidnapping, raping and assaulting women.
Rhonda Tribue, a 33-year-old mother of six, was found dead on Oct. 8, 1998. Another woman on The List, Rose Calvin, was found dead on July 21, 1996.
Former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski is connected to a disturbing string of murdered women in Kansas City, Kansas: Elza Michie, Monique Allen, Rhonda Tribue, Rose Calvin and many more. Several were sex workers who Golubski was accused of abusing and using as informants. But their cases were never solved by his fellow officers, and their families have spent decades without closure.
 Khadijah Hardaway of Justice For Wyandotte speaks at a rally to keep attention on women from Kansas City, Kansas, who were murdered.
Residents of Kansas City, Kansas, had been sounding alarms about detective Roger Golubski and corruption in the police department for decades. But city leaders did nothing, and Golubski retired in peace while the families of his victims mourned. It wasn’t until a year after KCUR started working on this podcast that the FBI finally arrested Golubski — on just a fraction of his alleged crimes. What does justice even look like after all this time?


Praise for Overlooked

Public Media Journalists Association Awards 2023: Best Narrative/Produced Podcast (First Place) and Best Investigative Reporting (Second Place)

Investigative Reporters & Editors Awards 2023: Best Audio Project (Small Market)

Crime Writers On: "A great example of what great local public radio reporting can do to elevate stories to a national audience."

Kansas Reflector:“'Overlooked' is its own thing: a blend of thorough reporting, vibrant writing and narrative storytelling."

NPR: "15 binge-worthy podcasts to check out"

Current: "Overlooked walks the line between true crime and public media. While some parts are certainly jaw-dropping, it is never sensational."


Overlooked is a production of KCUR Studios and the NPR Midwest Newsroom, and a member of the NPR Podcast Network.

It’s hosted by Peggy Lowe, with reporting by Peggy Lowe, Steve Vockrodt and Dan Margolies. Mackenzie Martin and Suzanne Hogan produced, mixed, and did the sound design for the podcast, with editing by CJ Janovy and mixing help from Paris Norvell and Trevor Grandin. Digital editing by Gabe Rosenberg. Social media promotion by Allison Harris.

Photos by Carlos Moreno and Julie Denesha. Artwork by Crysta Henthorne and Chandler Johnson of Kalimizzou. Music from Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Genevieve Des Marteau, Lisa Rodriguez and Holly Edgell.