Pah Pow

Along with her husband, Pah Pow was an immigrant from Thailand to the United States. The couple moved first to Lincoln, Nebraska where Pah lived near her in-laws, a move that caused some tension as Pah was often under scrutiny by her family for the ways in which she chose to raise her children. In Lincoln, Pah would have been surrounded by a robust community of other immigrants, many who spoke both Thai and Karen like she did. But, the couple decided to move to Aberdeen, South Dakota where they found employment at the Molded Fiber Glass plant making wind turbine blades.

While Molded Fiber Glass did employ other workers who spoke Thai and Karen both on the production floor and as translators, the reality of trying to work somewhere where she could communicate with less than half of her co-workers was difficult. While her co-workers described her as quiet and reserved, this was very different than how other Thai community members described her. They described her as talkative and friendly. But Pah’s history of seizures, something her husband said was exacerbated in times of stress, meant she was let go from her job.

In early 2016, she took on a job at DemKota Beef, a meat packing company, just as the organization was ramping up production. It’s there her husband says she met her new boyfriend. Not long before she disappeared, Pah and her husband argued about her blocking him on social media.

On the day she disappeared, Pah’s husband brought their youngest child to the park leaving Pah at home with their other three children. Her oldest, who was 10 at the time, says he saw her leave with a man he recognized but whose name he didn’t know. Still, Pah was not reported missing for nearly a week. Her husband thought she was staying with friends, something she was known to do, and her friends thought she was home with her family. It’s only after she didn’t report for work that anyone realized she was still missing.

Her phone has not been used since her disappearance in April 2016. Her boyfriend was cleared in this case.

People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:

Pah Pow (unsolved missing person case)

Guest reader

Rainbow Dickerson

Rainbow is the proud daughter of a brave Thai mother who came to the United States during the first small wave of Thai immigrants in the 1960’s. Rainbow is also of Rappahannock and Caucasian descent and is honored to lend her voice to this project. She became a TIFF Rising Star for her work in the feature, BEANS, for which she also received other awards and nominations. She can be seen next in Netflix’s live-action, Avatar: The Last Airbender, premiering February 22nd, 2024. Other selected screen credits include Gone, Chicago Fire, and Banshee. In addition, Rainbow has performed on Broadway and at many of the country’s top theatres, recently closing an Off-Broadway run of Manahatta at The Public Theatre in NYC. Other favorites include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, American Players Theatre, and Native Voices. Rainbow currently resides on unceded Tongva/Gabrieleno territory, also known as Los Angeles, CA. Represented by Liberman Zerman Management.

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Episode 20: Pah Pow

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Pah Pow

People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode: Pah Pow (unsolved missing person case)

Guest reader

Rainbow Dickerson

Contact

Sources

Episode 20: Pah Pow

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People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:

Pah Pow (unsolved missing person case)