Mississippi native Paige Elmore is enjoying international recognition for her true-crime podcast Reverie True Crime. It is on the Apple Podcast charts all over the world, has been featured on podcast websites and apps as one of the best true crime podcasts and is listed under popular true crime podcasts.

“Reverie means to daydream but sometimes when you drift off into your daydreams, they can morph into curious thoughts about dark things occurring in the world or that have happened in history,” the Batesville native said. “These are the stories I write about.”

“People that have done the unthinkable, people you think you know but they harbor deep, horrible secrets. The ones that not only lurk in the dead of night, but ones who also have their eyes on others in the light of day,” she said. “If Scooby Doo taught us anything, it’s that monsters are indeed humans.”

Elmore, the daughter of Scott and Cindy Elmore, and a South Panola High School graduate, was diagnosed in 2007 with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and began experiencing a decline in health soon after.

When doctors wouldn’t allow her to continue driving she was unable to keep the job she loved at South Panola Veterinary Hospital. With the podcast, Elmore is able to work from her couch or bed when needed and can set her own schedule.

“In the beginning, I didn’t really know what I wanted to start off with. I began doing the most known cases but after a while, as the show grew, people started sending me case suggestions. I have a huge list of suggestions from all over the world and it blows my mind. I’m definitely not afraid that I’ll run out of topics,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there are still so many cold cases, missing people, injustices, horrible killings, criminals of all kinds and mysteries out there to bring awareness to. Plus, since crime and mysterious things have been occurring since the beginning of time, I know I’ll always have something to write about,” Elmore noted.

From telling stories of crimes and missing people, to sitting down with survivors and families of victims of injustice, Elmore is passionate about all aspects.

The episodes that are favorites is when she worked with families of The Amanda Pierce series; Katie Palmer: Injustice in Denison, Texas; Eric Landin talking about the murder of his baby brother Jacob Landin, and others. In the beginning she talked to Waco survivor, David Thibodeau and Ted Bundy survivor, Kathy Kleiner. In those episodes, listeners can tell she was nervous and the audio quality isn’t the best, but their stories are the most important to her.

“Their optimism and laughter after all they have endured is so inspiring. We still keep in touch and I love them dearly,” she said. “I’ve also done a lighter episode talking to the cast of the horror/suspense movie, 1BR. Naomi Grossman, from American Horror Story, plays in the movie. Meeting Naomi was awesome, I have to say. She was a doll.”

“Shedding light on the dark, terrifying things that have happened and are still happening all over the world is important for me to bring awareness to,” Elmore said.

Has there been any cases so disturbing she later regretted learning about?

“There’s one case I covered about baby Jamie Bulger from the UK. I think any cases I cover involving innocent children are the most disturbing and the hardest to bounce back from emotionally and mentally. However, I know the importance of telling their stories and making sure these victims names and what happened are never forgotten. I think there’s a lot to learn from even the worst of cases. I want the listeners to really understand the dangers in this world, no matter how disturbing, because it’s such a reality. Everyone thinks it will never be them or things like this don’t happen where they live but that’s just not true. Helping others to notice red flags and being better prepared in some ways, too, is something I’m passionate about. It’s also made me aware of how mental healthcare is something that needs to be addressed way more and easier to get access to,” she said.

Through her podcasts, Paige hopes to bring awareness to injustices, red flags to look for, ways you can better protect yourself and to always be aware of everyone around you.

Like many teens, Elmore said she couldn’t wait to “get out of Batesville” but a few years and life experiences have made her appreciate her hometown and friends she has all over Panola County.

“When I was younger, I thought I wanted to leave. I was only focusing on the negative and you’ll never see the greatness and beauty if that’s your mindset,” she said. “I live in a predominantly secluded area out in the country. I used to find it  boring for the most part. I grew up a daddy’s girl, a tomboy. I love fishing and doing anything outdoors to this day,” she said.

“I still like going to South Panola football games, school reunions and get togethers. When you grow up, you see things in a new perspective. You make decisions on who you have in your life and the situations you involve yourself in. That is any person in any town. People will often find anything to complain about just because they are unhappy. That’s not how I choose to view Batesville or live my life here. I have found where I live calming, gorgeous and as I have gotten older, I find myself appreciating it so much more.”

“There’s a lot about this town and most of the residents that are truly amazing. I guarantee you, if you need help, fall on hard times, or when we lose someone from the community, the majority of this town will come together and that’s beautiful,” she said.

Reverie True Crime can be found on any podcast app such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and anywhere you listen to podcasts.