72 | Murder on a Tropical Island: The True Crime Case of Deborah Gardner
July 09, 2025 · 20 min
Deborah Gardner joined the Peace Corps in 1976, hoping to make a positive impact in Tonga.She embraced the local culture and formed close bonds with the community.But one volunteer, Dennis Priven, developed a disturbing fixation.What followed would lead to tragedy and lasting controversy.Subscribe to my YouTube channel for video versions of the podcast:📺 youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap💡 Support me on Patreon to get ad-free audio episodeshttps://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap💰 Make a one-off contributionEvery little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap🎧 Listen to my new podcast Curious BritainExplore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast 🙏 Thank You!Your support means the world to me and helps keep Prash’s Murder Map alive. I truly appreciate it!Music:"Long Note Three", “Constance" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Melancholia" - Credit: Music: https://www.purple-planet.comES_Maximum state - murderSources:Weiss, Philip, ‘American Taboo: A Murder in the Peace Corps’, 2004, HarperCollinsCrimelibrary.org‘November Member Spotlight: Emile Robert Hons’, FriendsofTonga.org, https://www.friendsoftonga.org/cpages/emilehons‘Remembering the murder of PCV Deborah Gardner (Tonga)’, March 2023, Peace Corps Worldwide, https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/remembering-the-murder-of-pcv-deborah-gardner-tonga-2/