About Lauren
Lauren Matthias has worked as a reporter and anchor for ABC, NBC, and FOX News in East Idaho, Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah. She spent a decade reporting on a diverse range of topics from high profile crimes to Presidential visits. Most recently, she reported for Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate News4Utah in Southern Utah. In 2015 she received the Idaho State Broadcaster’s Association Best Reporter award in addition to receiving the best report of the year in 2015 based upon a short documentary she did on LGBTQ rights.
She recently left the reporting world to stay home with her son and to produce and edit the Hidden True Crime Podcast and Hidden True Crime YouTube Channel. She is also the author of the book, Escaping Emotional Abuse. She currently works as the executive producer of the Hidden podcast and YouTube Channel and as a relationship coach assisting women in abusive relationships.
Podcast Origins
This report was posted the day Lauren met her husband, John.
After logging hours of conversation on the phone, John drove 10 hours to meet Lauren in person in Boise, Idaho.
Lauren went live with this tragic story of a young father murdered, and right after met up with John for a late-night dinner.
Over tacos they discussed the ongoing investigation and Lauren’s interviews for the report.
It was a tragic story, and murders do not happen every day in Boise. They talked about the impact on the families, and how the victim’s child would grow up not knowing his father. It was their first in-person conversation about crime.
Several years later after marriage and a child of their own, John and Lauren connected two USB microphones to a laptop computer over dinner during the pandemic in June 2020 and started the Hidden True Crime podcast- thereby bringing their conversations about crime to a broader audience.
John and Lauren continue to talk about crime over dinner and to produce their podcast while acknowledging the victims and sharing the belief that an understanding of crime provides a deeper understanding of ourselves.
On the first season of the podcast- “Beyond the Veil”- Lauren and John discuss the Chad and Lori Daybell case in depth. Lauren’s reporting career started in East Idaho where Chad Daybell lived and where multiple murders happened. Lauren was most recently employed by Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate where she reported in Southern Utah—the place where Lori and Chad allegedly my met.
On the first season of the podcast- “Beyond the Veil”- Lauren and John discuss the Chad and Lori Daybell case in depth. Lauren’s reporting career started in East Idaho where Chad Daybell lived and where multiple murders happened. Lauren was most recently employed by Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate where she reported in Southern Utah—the place where Lori and Chad allegedly my met.
Lauren’s Book
Many books have been written about toxic relationships and emotional abuse, but few provide such an honest, emotionally wrenching insider account of the destruction of a seemingly happy relationship. Join Lauren as she moves through what appeared to be a happy relationship to an emotional nightmare. Along the way, you will learn about all the signs and symptoms of a toxic relationship first hand and discover Lauren’s reactions and strategies for survival. You will also follow Lauren as she discovers hope and healing and finds what she is really looking for in a healthy relationship. Few books capture the brutally honest experiences and stories of emotional abuse as does Lauren’s book, which will help you to grow and heal along the way.
