Learn what to expect on Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories. This show debuts Tuesday June 14th with new episodes released every Tuesday.
The Axeman of New Orleans is considered to be one of the top 10 serial killers of all time. He begins his killing spree, putting New Orleans citizens on edge. Hosts Carter and Wenndy examine clues from the first three attacks and the bizarre details of the murders while our voice actors bring the crimes to life.
The Axeman writes a chilling letter to the New Orleans citizens with a peculiar offer they can’t refuse, causing more fear and panic to the city’s citizens.
The people of New Orleans believe they’ve seen the last of the Axeman killer, but he lays in wait for his next victim. The police never caught the Axeman, but hosts Carter and Wenndy have investigated the crimes and have more information than what was available in 1919. They reveal who they believe is the Axeman.
For the first time, we present the entire chilling letter written by The Axeman to the city of New Orleans. It was published on March 13, 1919 in The Time-Picayune newspaper.
The first ever Hollywood murder leaves the film community and nation in shock. Director William Taylor is found murdered at his home. Carter and Wenndy examine the victim’s activity prior to his death. What they find may suggest his death was anything but untimely.
Chaos ensues at the crime scene when evidence is tampered with in an attempt to cover up the renowned director’s past. Proving that in Hollywood, there is always a difference between illusion and reality. Join Carter and Wenndy as they discover who really killed William Desmond Taylor.
The Phantom Killer case is considered the number one unsolved murder case in Texas history. Join Carter and Wenndy as they take a look at the Phantom Killer’s violent debut when a couple on lover’s lane are attacked by a masked man. In total, The Phantom attacked eight people, killing five.
Texarkana becomes the hunting grounds for the ruthless, blood-thirsty serial killer local newspapers call the “Phantom.” Carter and Wenndy follow the trials and tribulations of the ensuing homicide investigation.
Fear of becoming the Phantom’s next victim, the once lively community of Texarkana becomes a ghost town. No one goes out at night and every store is sold out of locks, guns and ammunition. Carter and Wenndy come to a consensus on who they believe the killer is.
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was a well-known American mobster. Friend to both Frank Sinatra and Al Capone, Bugsy was known as one of the most "infamous and feared gangsters of his day". He became one of America’s celebrity gangsters and is considered the father of the Las Vegas Strip. When he was murdered, everyone assumed it was the mob, but was it? Join Carter and Wenndy as they investigate his unsolved murder and take an in-depth look at Siegel’s organized crime career.
Notorious American gangster, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s murder was front page news. Everyone assumed it was a mob hit, but was it? Join Carter and Wenndy as they investigate possible suspects, including a new theory that has emerged.
She wanted to be a Hollywood actress but instead she became one of the most famous murder victims in Los Angeles history. Still an unsolved murder, it is a mystery that rivets us today. Elizabeth Short was found severed in half, her sexual organs removed and a Glasgow smile carved onto her face. Dubbed "The Black Dahlia” by the press, the yellow journalism covering Elizabeth Short’s murder investigation etches the aspiring actresses’ name into history.
After her brutal and disturbing murder, Elizabeth Short became immortalized as the “Black Dahlia”. Her severed body was found on January 15, 1947. Almost seventy years later, this cold case is still not solved. Find out who we believe killed Elizabeth short.
William Goebel was the 34th Governor of Kentucky and remains the only Governor ever to be assassinated while in office. Join Wenndy and Carter as they try to solve the case.
One of the most controversial politicians in United States history, William Goebel’s political moves as Senator adds more enemies to the list of possible murder suspects. While on his death bed, Goebel is sworn into office. Carter and Wenndy eliminate suspects and tell you who they believe was behind the assassination of William Goebel.
Who are Carter & Wenndy? Listen to learn more about our hosts, as they answer questions from listeners and tell their story.
Master of suspense, king of tragedy and writer of the mysterious and macabre, the circumstances leading up Edgar Allan Poe’s death are shrouded in uncertainty and the cause of death remains disputed. Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time or the victim of foul play? Carter and Wenndy take a look at his life leading up to that moment.
One hundred and sixty-seven years later, Edgar Allan Poe’s death remains a huge mystery. Poe was found delirious in the streets of Baltimore “in great distress and in need of immediate assistance”. Was he a victim of cooping or an accomplice in the murder of Mary Rogers, the real-life basis for his famous tale “The Mystery of Marie Roget”? Join Carter and Wenndy as they explore the theories surrounding Edgar Allan Poe’s death.
Georgette Bauerdorf was a young socialite with a grand future until 1944, when she was found strangled to death and lying face down in her bathtub. An aspiring Hollywood actress, Georgette was born to an oil tycoon in New York City where she lived a privileged life. Exactly what happened on the night of October 11, 1944 remains a mystery. Join Wenndy and Carter as they open their investigation into the unsolved murder of Georgette Bauerdorf.
Georgette Bauerdorf is found lying face-down in her bathtub by her housekeepers. There is water on the floor but no blood or obvious signs of a struggle. It wasn’t until a medical examiner found a piece of cloth shoved far down Georgette’s throat that it becomes clear her death was no accident. Was Georgette’s murder somehow tied to the Black Dahlia murder? Join Wenndy and Carter as they conclude their investigation.
In October of 1964, Mary Pinchot Meyer, a well-known member of Georgetown society, mistress of John Kennedy, friend of Jackie Kennedy and ex-wife of a top CIA man was murdered while walking down a path she frequented alongside the C&O Canal in Washington, D.C. Was Mary the victim of random street crime or a conspiracy involving the most prominent men in the capital? Join Carter and Wenndy to find out.
Secrets come to light about Mary’s affair with President John F. Kennedy. This combined with her suspicions about the CIA’s involvement in JFK’s assassination may have painted a target on her back. After Mary’s death, her sister, brother-in-law and CIA friend, frantically look for her diary. Is this the clue to solving her murder? Join Carter and Wenndy to find out.
We have all heard the rhyme: “Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks; When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one". But do you know the cold case behind the rhyme? On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden are brutally hacked to death with an axe in their own home. Join Carter and Wenndy as they start their investigation.
Lizzie Borden is arrested and tried for the murder of her father and stepmother. In one of America’s most infamous murder trials, we are left with more questions than answers. Over 100 years later, speculation of what really occurred in Fall River Massachusetts continues. Join Carter and Wenndy as they try to end the speculation for good.
Three days before Christmas in 1799, a young woman named Gulielma Sands disappears the night she reveals she is to marry Levi Weeks. Her lifeless body is found in a Manhattan well on January 2nd not far from her boardinghouse on Greenwich Street, New York City. When Levi was arrested for the murder, chaos ensued. The trial was New York City’s first sensational murder case, the first American trial to be transcribed and contained the first “dream team” council that included no other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the self-proclaimed Zodiac Killer was responsible for at least five murders in Northern California. He cultivated his notoriety by sending taunting letters and cryptic ciphers to all the major newspapers in the California Bay Area until 1974, when they abruptly stopped. Despite an intensive search for the killer, no one was ever arrested and the case remains open. The mystery surrounding the Zodiac Killings has led to countless books and several movies. Join Carter and Wenndy as they try to solve the case.
After being brutally attacked by the Zodiac Killer, Cecelia Shepard gives a description of her attacker that becomes the basis for the famous police sketch. SFPD Detectives Armstrong and Toschi frantically investigate suspects and ciphers in hopes of preventing another slaying. Join Carter and Wenndy as they jump back into the case and come to a terrifying conclusion.
Two corpses are found posed under a tree in New Brunswick, New Jersey. An heiress, a reverend, a cheating wife, a charming bachelor, the local oddball, and the love affair that turned deadly—with this cast of characters, it’s no wonder the case kicked off one of the biggest media frenzies of the early 20th century. Join Carter and Wenndy as they investigate the events in a sleepy New Jersey town that led up to the chilling murders.
After a gruesome double murder, miscommunication between police departments compromises the crime scene, leaving the police nothing to go on but the lone witness – a local pig woman. Her testimony points to the wealthy Stevens family, including Willie Stevens, whose quirks complicate the trial. The Stevens are acquitted, but four years later, a shocking confession puts them back on trial and in the national spotlight. The Stevens maintain their innocence, but if they didn’t do it, who did? Join Carter and Wenndy as they investigate.
By all accounts, Betsy Aardsma was a normal girl. She came from a loving family in small-town Holland, Michigan. She had a passion for public service and dreamed of joining the Peace Corps. After she graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969, Betsy followed her boyfriend to Penn State to get a masters degree. While researching a paper in the library, Betsy was murdered. Join Carter and Wenndy as they scour Betsy’s “perfect” life for clues on her death.
An autopsy reveals that Betsy Aardsma was stabbed with near-surgical precision, leading state troopers to conclude the killer was a highly intelligent stalker. But in this still-open case, the full list of suspects ranges beyond stalkers—from Betsy’s classmates to her professors to famous serial killers. Carter and Wenndy take a second look at this suspect list, and come across a jilted lover out for revenge.
On a cold Chicago night, two Elvis-obsessed sisters go missing. The police assume the girls are runaways, but their mother believes the disappearance to be far more sinister. The local community, the FBI, and even Elvis himself help in the search--until it leads to tragedy. Join Carter and Wenndy as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of Barbara and Patricia Grimes.
After the Grimes sisters’ corpses are discovered under a bridge, the police try to nail down the perpetrator amid a heavily mismanaged investigation. The gruesome crimes hearken back to an earlier Chicago crime—could the girls be the victim of a serial killer? Chilling phone calls made to the girl’s mother suggest so. Carter and Wenndy investigate the girls’ deaths, and whether it was premeditated or it was just bad luck.
In 1841, Mary Rogers’ corpse was found floating in the Hudson. At only 20, the “beautiful cigar girl” was a local celebrity even before her mysterious death. Mary had many admirers, including a fiancé, an ex-fiance, the boss who hired her for her looks, the men to whom she sold cigars and Edgar Allen Poe. And clearly, she had at least one enemy. Carter and Wenndy trawl for clues in the mystery of Mary Rogers.
Two months after Mary Roger's body was found in the Hudson River, her fiancée, Daniel Payne is found dead near the Hudson’s shore. Are these two murders related? The police hit a dead end until Edgar Allan Poe got involved. Join Carter and Wenndy as they consider potential suspects of Mary and Daniel’s deaths.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an unsolved murder? George Reeves gained fame in his starring role in the 1950’s television series Adventures of Superman, but died from a gunshot in 1959. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but the evidence suggests foul play. Carter and Wenndy investigate possible murder suspects in this Hollywood killing.
After his fiancé eerily predicted George Reeve’s death seconds before the gun went off, police wonder if there’s more to the story the very drunk witnesses are telling. When they rule it a suicide, George’s mother hires a PI who discerns there is indeed more to the story. Carter and Wenndy investigate George’s fiancé, ex-lover, and ex-lover’s husband to try to figure out who killed Superman.
Knight to E-4. Checkmate. After receiving a mysterious call at his chess club, William Wallace went on a wild goose chase to meet a client. When he returned home, his wife was dead. Did the chess enthusiast plan his wife’s murder with the same strategy and foresight needed in chess, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Carter and Wenndy investigate, because in this crime, none of the pieces are black and white.
It’s always the person closest to the victim. Or is it? This week, Carter and Wenndy follow the trial of William Wallace. Our hosts try to figure out why no other suspects were tried for Julia Wallace’s murder, when there were plenty of suspicious figures at play.
In 1957, the corpse of a child was found in a box in Pennsylvania. Who was this boy? Where were his parents? How did he end up in the box? Carter and Wenndy investigate the baffling case of “America’s Unknown Child.”
When crime reporter Mario Spezi began a story on a murdered couple found in the Italian countryside, he had no idea what a wormhole this chilling tableau would open. The Monster of Florence shot couples and mutilated women, but were the related murders the work of a serial killer, copycat killings, or a member of the mafia gone rogue? Carter and Wenndy investigate the murders’ connections to a Sardinian clan, and discuss the life and theories of journalist Mario Spezi, who spent over 20 years writing about the crimes.
The Monster of Florence shook the hills of Italy so strongly that two separate task forces were assigned to the case. Carter and Wenndy examine how the murderer affected local investigators as well as journalist Mario Spezi, who remained hot on the trail, even interviewing an anonymous source. Suspects ranged from a former convict with a suspicious painting, to practitioners of black magic to even Spezi himself.
Australia, December 1948. A man is found dead on Somerton Beach. The police don’t know his name. They don’t know his age. They can’t even figure out what country he’s from. All they have is the message “Tamam Shud”. Who was the Somerton Man, and what is Tamam Shud? Carter and Wenndy try to find out.
The search for answers about the Somerton Man and the intriguing paper found in his pocket leads hosts Carter and Wenndy to the center of Cold War espionage. As they continue the case, the investigation moves from Persian poetry to a mysterious woman who most certainly lied to the police.
The Robison family was found shot to death in their summer cabin in the idyllic town of Good Hart. If that wasn’t bad enough, by the time the bodies were found, they had been dead for almost a month. Carter and Wenndy explore the decomposed crime scene, and then examine suspects including an escaped mental patient, a drifter, the cabin’s “strange” caretaker, and even one of Richard Robison’s employees.
Detectives Stearns and Flis hunt for the murder weapons in the Robison Family’s case - two guns that are strikingly hard to find, considering that most people in the woods of Northern Michigan at the time owned a gun. After following the gun hunt, Carter and Wenndy look into Richard’s mysterious contact, “Roebert”; the detective’s prime suspect, Joe Scolaro and The Coed Killer.
When Lilly Lindestrom was found dead in Stockholm’s Atlas area, the police were baffled. Because she wasn’t just found dead, she was found drained of blood and positioned near a ladle. The search for the Atlas Vampire was on. Carter and Wenndy dig into the odd case, as well as the public’s fascination with vampires.
One night in the sleepy town of Villisca, Iowa, 8 people were hacked to death in their beds. Prior to this, Villisca had been a thriving, prosperous, and mostly crime-free town. Afterwards, Villisca would never be the same. Carter and Wenndy re-examine the day leading up the Villisca Ax Murders, the crime scene, and the immediate investigation into the deaths of the Moore family and the Stillinger girls.
This week, Carter and Wenndy look deeper into a local feud and an alleged affair leading up the murders in Villisca. Suspects in the Villisca Ax Murders include a hired assassin, a transient, a serial killer and a reverend who claimed God told him to “slay utterly”.
The official story is that gangster Johnny Stompanato was murdered by a 14-year-old girl. But with a Hollywood starlet, the LA Mob, and an abusive relationship in the picture, the official story may not be the truth. Though the answer may seem obvious, this case has been heavily debated for decades.
Cheryl Crane stepped up to take the blame for her mother’s boyfriend’s death, but was she simply covering for her famous mother, silver screen blonde bombshell, Lana Turner? Carter and Wenndy sift through Cheryl’s trial, Hollywood’s top lawyer, and mob threats to determine who really killed gangster Johnny Stompanato. Though the answer may seem obvious, this case has been heavily debated for decades.
Carmen Colon. Wanda Walkowicz. Michelle Maenza. Three young girls with matching first and last initials. Three young murder victims. Carter and Wenndy discuss each girl’s disappearance from Rochester, New York, the police’s dead-end investigation, and the public frenzy that surrounded the 1970’s murders.
Years after the murder of three young girls with matching first and last initials, advances in forensics bring new suspects to light. Carter and Wenndy dig into the mysterious suicide of not one—but two—suspects, consider the involvement of The Hillside Stranglers, and explore the idea that these murders may not actually be connected at all.
No one succeeds without ruffling a few feathers, and baronet Sir Harry Oakes was no exception. Oakes made a fortune off his gold mines, but in 1943 he was found burnt to a crisp in his own bed. Carter and Wenndy examine Oakes’ meteoric success and brutal end.
Voodoo. Gangsters. A family feud. All were possible factors in the 1943 murder of Sir Harry Oakes, the richest man in the Bahamas. And it only got more complicated when the Duke of Windsor became personally involved in the investigation, bringing in foreign investigators. After following a botched investigation and shoddy court case, Carter and Wenndy consider Oakes’ son-in-law, his friend, and even a Nazi as suspects.
Though she died at only 5 years old, Elsie Paroubek captured the hearts of Chicago, with over two thousand people attending her funeral. Elsie was an ordinary girl born to Bohemian immigrants in Chicago, until one day, she disappeared forever. This week, Carter and Wenndy ask the question: what happened to Elsie?
The search for Elsie Paroubek ended when her corpse was pulled from a Chicago canal. She had certainly been murdered, but who did it? Carter and Wenndy investigate the suspects in Elsie’s disappearance, including gypsies, a local peddler, and one of the most famous outsider artists, Henry Darger.
Famed radio DJ and star of Hogan’s Heroes, Bob Crane was equally famous for his scandals. The last of which is his unsolved murder. Crane was found in his Scottsdale apartment, beaten to death, likely with the very same tripod he used to make his scandalous videos. Carter and Wenndy dig into Bob Crane’s life to search for suspects.
People across America knew Bob Crane as a famous actor. Many others knew him for his sex scandals. And somebody knew him as a person they wanted dead. But when everyone knows who the victim is, it’s a lot harder to nail down a suspect. Carter and Wenndy investigate; was Bob bludgeoned to death by a jealous friend, an upset lover, an angry ex-wife? Or someone who just knew him as a star?
The Peasenhall Murder is one of the most notorious unsolved murders in England. Rose Harsent, a beautiful unwed housemaid, was found murdered in the middle of the night in the sleepy town of Peasenhall. The biggest clue to the murder suspect is Rose’s pregnancy. Was she killed by her unborn child’s father? By a jilted admirer? Or even her ashamed employers? Carter and Wenndy dig into the local gossip of a tiny turn of the century town to find clues on who may have killed Rose Harsent.
As a result of local gossip, William Gardiner is brought to trial for the murder of Rose Harsent. But Carter and Wenndy can’t shake the feeling that Gardiner may have been framed, and that the seemingly-least-likely suspect may be the most culpable.
Joan Robinson Hill, adopted daughter of a Texas oil baron, led a picture perfect life as a beautiful socialite and talented equestrian. Her sudden, inexplicable death at the age of 38 left her family and friends reeling. Join Wenndy and Carter as they try to determine whether Joan died from an incurable malady, if her doctor husband intentionally let her die, or if she was simply poisoned.
Joan Robinson Hill's mysterious death left her wealthy father Ash Robinson desperate for justice. Wenndy and Carter investigate Ash's theory that his philandering son-in-law, John Hill, killed Ash's beloved daughter. Was Ash Robinson hounding an innocent widower, or was he on the trail of a callous killer? And who was really behind Joan’s husband’s murder a mere couple weeks before his trial? Was Ash’s burning desire to avenge his daughter’s death enough to drive him to kill?
In the 1970’s, the suburbs of Detroit were supposed to be safe. But when children started disappearing, Detectives Krease and Robertson got worried. And when their bodies were found dead, the detectives began hunting a serial killer. Carter and Wenndy dig into the hidden dark background of Oakland County, Michigan and follow the detectives’ investigation until they land on a suspect.
Their disappearance changed Australian parenting forever. Jane, Grant and Arnna Beaumont were last seen five minutes from home, playing at the beach. Mass news coverage brought the investigation to the attention of a celebrity investigator and a celebrity psychic, but even they couldn’t find the poor children. Carter and Wenndy analyze mysterious letters supposedly written by the missing Beaumont children and investigate witness accounts from that fateful day at the beach.
When the Beaumont children disappeared, Australia was permanently scarred, but they weren’t the only children to disappear around that time. Carter and Wenndy search potentially related cases for connections as they look for a suspect. Our hosts follow the dedicated detective who remained on the case after everyone else gave up, and judge the plausibility of claims from people who came forward, years later, claiming to be the lost Beaumonts.
He's the world's most famous killer. But how could a series of crimes committed in a few weeks in 1888 still be so famous nearly 130 years after the fact? In the first episode of this special series, Unsolved Murders Hosts Carter and Wenndy join Serial Killers hosts Greg and Vanessa to explore the most infamous anonymous killer the world has ever known: Jack the Ripper.
One of the first serial killers to write letters to the authorities, Jack the Ripper’s mail was memorable, to say the least. Our resident Ripperologists examine Jack’s odd correspondence and determine which letters were fakes and which were truly penned by the Ripper. They also examine the “Double Event” murders and how sensational journalism and media coverage influences active killers.
He was never caught. So why did Jack the Ripper stop killing? In the finale, Greg, Vanessa, Carter, and Wenndy follow the years-long search for Jack the Ripper, ranging from bloodhound trials to DNA testing. Then our hosts discuss Jack’s last victims, his pop culture influence, and a few major suspects; finally pinpointing the person they believe was Jack the Ripper.
It reads like a classic murder mystery. At the height of the Silent Era, a group of Hollywood's elite gathered for a dinner party aboard a capricious millionaire's yacht. When a famous movie producer turns up dead, suddenly no one aboard the ship wants to talk about what really happened. Carter and Wenndy investigate the mysterious death of producer and studio head Thomas Ince, Father of the Western and arguably the most influential founder of the Hollywood studio system.
Carter and Wenndy investigate the rumors and reporting around the mysterious death of movie producer Thomas Ince. Between rape allegations, false headlines and whispers of murder, the true story remains a cypher for the ages.
The Servant Girl Annihilator struck late at night, axing mothers while their children slept in the very same bed. The bloody murder of Mollie Smith, and the string of related killings that followed, put 1880’s Austin Texas in a panic. Carter and Wenndy investigate the witness accounts describing a barefoot, hooded man wielding an axe, and how racial tensions muddled the investigation.
With Austin Texas in a panic, local authorities were desperate to quell citizens fears by prosecuting any suspect--perhaps even one they knew was innocent. Carter and Wenndy follow the search for a suspect with a missing toe, explore possible connections to other violent axe murders during that timeframe, and consider the cases most famous suspect- Jack the Ripper.
On a chilly February day in 1947, news of an unidentified 17-year-old woman’s body shook the people of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Carter and Wenndy explore the long line of suspects ranging from Rita’s boyfriend to her creepy, pedophile neighbor...but who was present in those final moments of her life, and the first moments of her death?
Months after the murder of Rita Bouchard, when the case seemed to be going cold, investigators hear a surprising confession from Rita’s neighbor, Raymond Patenaude. Carter and Wenndy focus on Raymond and his account of the night of Rita’s death… and his recollection of the next morning, when he woke up beside her dead body.
The Donnellys were a family of Irish immigrants who moved to Canada and became outlaws in the 1800s. Carter and Wenndy investigate the family and the volatile relationships they had with their neighbors in rural Ontario. These ongoing feuds may have led the town to turn a blind eye to the "The Black Donnelly Massacre."
After the gruesome massacre of the Donnelly family, the trial to bring their killers to justice becomes chaotic. We examine the trial and its main suspects—a priest and the chief of police—and how the Donnelly reputation caused their murders to go unsolved.
In May 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott brought a coworker to the University of California Irvine Medical Center...and that’s the last time anyone saw her. Except for one person—an anonymous man who called Dorothy for months leading up to her disappearance. We explore the psychology behind obsession and stalking, and how it led to Dorothy Jane Scott’s abduction.
After months of receiving terrifying phone calls from an anonymous caller, Dorothy Jane Scott was kidnapped in May 1980. But after her disappearance, her mother starts receiving calls every week for four years, with the sinister man on the other line saying Dorothy was alive...
On September 16, 1920, an explosion went off at 23 Wall Street, killing 38 people and injuring hundreds more. But no one knew who set off the bomb, or why. We explore the political and financial turmoil that may have inspired the attack, and we look into the man who warned New Yorkers of the bombing beforehand with uncanny detail.
On July 21, 1964, a fire was reported at the Patio Apartments in New Orleans. The first responders found a disturbing scene...blood splattered on the walls, a burning mattress, and the lifeless body of a world-renowned surgeon and cancer researcher. We dissect the facts to question what really happened to Dr. Mary S. Sherman.
World-renowned surgeon and cancer researcher Dr. Mary Sherman was found brutally murdered in her New Orleans apartment in 1964. Her body was burned and lacerated, and during her autopsy, a stab wound was found in her chest. Was this an act of senseless violence, a professional grudge...or something even more sinister?
On July 3, 1929, faith healer and cult leader Benny Evangelist was found sitting in his home office with his own severed head lying at his feet. Upstairs, his wife still held their youngest child, both brutally murdered, and their three other children laid in a bedroom with severed limbs and crushed skulls. We investigate Benny’s life as an eccentric and wealthy cult leader as we search for the killer and the motive.
In 1929, Benny Evangelist, his wife, and their four children were found brutally murdered in their own home. But Benny’s strange past and cult involvement caused police to overlook some key evidence. We examine that ignored evidence, and investigate how the police looked into everything from Benny’s crazed cult followers to the supernatural in an attempt to solve the case.
In October 1974, the body of 19-year-old Arlis Perry was found in Memorial Church in Palo Alto, California. Perry went to the church late one night to pray, but the next morning, she was found dead beneath the cross. We navigate the dark turns of this case, and investigate the events leading up to this horrific, violent crime.
After the brutal murder of Arlis Perry, police chased several leads, only to find dead ends. We follow the investigation. Did someone have a vendetta against Arlis? Did she have a secret lover? Or was this evidence of cult activity?
It sounds like a traditional campfire story: four teenagers camp along the shore of Lake Bodom in July 1960. But their weekend of fun turns dark when an unknown murderer commits a triple homicide… leaving only one survivor. This isn’t just a scary story… it’s real. We explore the dark twists and turns of the case as we search for the killer.
After four teenagers were attacked, and three of them killed, in July of 1960, the police investigate multiple suspects… including the sole survivor of the attack, a suspect that drowns himself and another suspect that seems to match the killer’s description, but is found innocent. The case remains the biggest unsolved case in Finland’s history.
After a night of drinking with classmates at a neighborhood bar, 19-year-old Cindy Joy Elias stepped outside to find a ride back home. Her body was found in the woods the next day. Was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time… or was she killed by someone she knew?
In 1976, Cindy Joy Elias moved from Los Angeles back to her hometown: a quiet, sleepy town in Minnesota. She felt safe there after spending her high school years in a big city. But when police found Cindy brutally murdered in the woods, it was clear. This town wasn’t as safe as anyone believed… and there was a killer on the loose.
At 21 years old, Margaret Martin had graduated college with honors and was ready to pursue her dream of being a stenographer. Just weeks after her graduation, she received a thrilling opportunity: an interview for a secretary position at a new insurance company. But the prospect of employment soon became her death sentence.
Twenty one-year-old Margaret Martin was eager to start her career as a secretary. But when she went for an interview on December 17, 1938, her potential employer turned out to be her murderer.
Retired British diplomat Edward Werner lived a solitary life in Beijing. His wife had died, and his spirited, nearly-grown daughter spent much of her time at boarding school. But one morning in 1937, Edward came across a growing crowd, and quickly realized he had stumbled upon his own daughter’s murder scene.
After Pamela Werner’s body was found at the base of the Fox Tower in Beijing, China, it took doctors several hours to figure out what caused her multiple gruesome injuries, and ultimately, her death. Who was to blame...her boyfriend… a stranger… a colleague… her father?
Many people wanted Ken McElroy dead, so it was not surprising when he was shot and killed. What was surprising is when police investigated, witnesses said they couldn't identify the shooter.
After years of bullying the residents of Skidmore, Missouri, the townspeople finally stood up to Ken McElroy. In front of dozens of people, Ken McElroy was shot dead while he sat with his wife in his pickup truck. Nobody saw the shooter. Nobody called the sheriff to report the shooting. Nobody was convicted for the crime. Which begs the question: how did an entire town get away with murder?
Australian teens Christine Sharrock, Marianne Schmidt, and Marianne's four younger siblings set out for the beach. When the younger siblings became tired, the older girls continued on, promising to be back soon. Their bodies were discovered the next day. Were the girls in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had they accidentally befriended their own killer?
The murders of teenagers Christine Sharrock and Marianne Schmidt shocked the community of Wanda Beach. Police announced more than 5000 persons of interest. But only three people became prime suspects. Who were they and which one of them is really responsible for the Wanda Beach Murders?
The brutal slayings of Dr. Robert Sims, his wife Helen, and their 12-year-old daughter Joy Lynn rocked the southern city of Tallahassee in 1966. There were no witnesses and no murder weapon was found. Was it a copycat crime? A robbery gone wrong? Or a violent act of revenge?
In October of 1966, Dr. Robert Sims, his wife Helen, and their 12-year-old daughter Joy Lynn were brutally butchered in their own home. They were a wholesome family with no known enemies. But, the Sims family did know people who had secrets. Were those secrets bad enough for murder?
Christa Helm was an aspiring Hollywood actress who was no stranger to the male gaze. She dated many famous men in Hollywood and kept a detailed diary of her escapades. One day, she was found murdered in the street. Was she a random victim, or a did a former lover do her in?
Before her violent murder in February 1977, Christa Helm made diary entries and secret audio recordings of her famous and powerful lovers. After she was killed, the diary and most of the tapes vanished. Were they stolen by the killer, or did she hide them herself? Could that evidence still be out there?
Prestigious doctor Sam Sheppard woke up in the middle of the night to find his wife Marilyn dead from a gruesome murder. His account of what happened early that morning was shaky, and it was no secret that Sam had been sleeping around. Did the murderer break into the house to steal prescription drugs, or did Sam kill his wife in order to end the marriage?
After a lengthy appeals process, Sam Sheppard was set free in 1964, ten years after his wife Marilyn’s murder. Two years later, he would be retried on second degree murder charges. New evidence would surface, but would it be enough to convict him?
Fourteen-year-old Jimmie Gilmore was missing for 23 years until he was found buried in the crawlspace underneath his own house. While only 14 years old, he made a lot of enemies. Was he killed by a neighbor for his bullying? By a biker gang for stealing drugs? Or by his own mother to protect his younger siblings?
In June of 1977, three girls were found dead at a Girl Scouts Camp on the edge of a northeastern Oklahoma forest. No murder weapon was recovered, but a tip lead to an escaped convict seen in the area who had been on the run for years. Now all the police had to do was find him.
After three Girl Scouts were found dead on the edge of an Oklahoma forest, authorities zeroed in on 33-year-old Gene LeRoy Hart – a fugitive who had been serving time for both rape and burglary. All the evidence pointed in his direction. Was he really a killer or the victim of police corruption?
In January 1979, Tan Kuen Chai and Tan Mei Ying returned from their job operating a school bus to find their four children dead in the bathroom of their Singapore apartment. There was no forced entry, nothing was stolen, and evidence that the murderer cleaned up after themselves all indicated that this was a carefully planned kill. Who could have done this and why?
When the body of a young woman was found stuffed into a canvas bag along the interchange of I-75 and U.S. 25 in Georgetown, Kentucky, her badly decayed remains rendered police unable to uncover her identity, or the identity of her killer. It wasn’t until decades later, when the story of Tent Girl was told to a young boy on Halloween night, that this Jane Doe would meet the person who would stop at nothing to identify her, and bring her home.
Todd Matthews first heard the story of Tent Girl on Halloween night in 1987. The story of an unidentified woman’s remains found at an interchange fascinated him to such extremes that it became a mission to identify her. Risking his own personal relationships, Matthews, with the help of a new technology called the Internet, would find a missing persons report from decades earlier that could be a match. Could he identify her? And could he help solve the mystery of her death?
Josslyn Hay was a British aristocrat who moved with his wife, Lady Idina Sackville, to Africa. There, they were part of the “Happy Valley Set,” a group of wealthy expats who lived to drink alcohol, do drugs and have sex. Extra-marital affairs at their parties were not only common but openly encouraged. So when Josslyn Hay was found miles from his home, slumped in the front seat of his car, dead of a gunshot wound, virtually everybody in their social circle was a suspect.
Josslyn Hay was a British nobleman famous for wild, alcohol and drug-fueled sex parties in the Aberdare mountain region of Kenya. He openly had affairs with married women, was an unabashed racist, and a known sympathizer of the Nazi party. Many people had a motive to kill Josslyn Hay, but who also had the means and opportunity?
The Blonde Dolly was a Dutchwoman who lived a double life as a society lecturer and an upscale sex worker. She was found strangled in her bed next to a detailed log of high profile clients. Was it also a detailed log of possible killers?
After two other Dutch sex workers were murdered in 1957 and 1958, Sebilla Niemans, aka the Blonde Dolly, hired a bodyguard to keep her safe. Did the man hired to protect her, strangle her in her sleep? Or was a high-profile client worried about being blackmailed? We apology for the inconvenience caused last week when we switched to a new hosting provider. At Parcast, our priority has always been the listeners. We hope you enjoy this special ad free episode and we apologize again for the inconvenience caused last week.
There was no shortage of suspects in the January 1974 murder of socialite Athalia Ponsell Lindsley. She had running feuds with neighbors, a husband who stole from her, and uncovered a scandal involving a gross misuse of municipal funds. But when she was hacked to death on the front steps of her home in broad daylight, nobody could identify her killer.
In January 1974, Athalia Ponsell Lindsley was murdered in broad daylight on the front porch of her St. Augustine, Florida home. Police arrested a suspect who went to trial for her murder. Find out why over forty years later, no one has been convicted of her murder.
On Christmas Eve 1945, a fire swept through the home of George and Jennie Sodder. They were able to escape the flames along with four of their children. Five other children remained trapped inside. Hours later, after the house was reduced to ashes, authorities searched the scene. The remains of the other five children were nowhere to be found. Did they escape the fire? Or were they even in the house to begin with?
After five of their children died in a tragic Christmas Eve fire in 1945, George and Jennie Sodder were certain that it was not due to faulty wiring. With the police department unwilling to reopen the case, the Sodders hired private detectives to investigate. What they found would reinforce what the Sodders knew all along: The fire was no accident.
A 14-year-old girl told her parents she was going out to meet a friend and was later found dead, face down on the train tracks. Then a man was found dangling from the top of a train car near the murder scene. Who was he? And was he involved in Carolyn Wasilewski’s death?
A man found dead, hanging from a railcar. His body was across the street from the site of the brutal Carolyn Wasilewski murder. He was soon identified as her neighbor. His two-toned car had disappeared the night of Carolyn’s death. Were these two tragic incidents related? Or was there something much more sinister at play?
Actor David Bacon was driving erratically down the road looking for help, a knife was plunged into his back and pierced his lung. He didn’t have long. He crashes into the curb and climbs out of the car as onlookers approach. Before he is able to tell them what happened… he dies.
How did one of New York’s most notorious gamblers lose his final hand? This Kingpin's rise to power in the mob scene is just as intense as his fall. To help us solve the case, we enlisted the hosts of Parcast's other Podcast Kingpins for some expert advice!
Who is responsible for killing one of the most powerful kingpins in New York City? The Unsolved Murders and Kingpins crossover special from Parcast examines Rothstein’s mafia ties and gambling scams. One of these scams would go on to be the 1919’s World Series.
The Clairvoyant who rose to fame and fortune in 1920’s Berlin, and was even close with Hitler, is found in the middle of the woods riddled with bullets and scavenged by wild animals. Erik Jan Hanussen was last seen being driven off by members of the Sturmabteilung, the Nazi party’s paramilitary organization.
The famous clairvoyant, who was even Hitler’s personal psychic, made vast predictions in the 1920s before he was mysteriously murdered. The dismissive attitude shown towards Hanussen’s murder might have been because of the discovery that he was of Jewish descent. Hanussen never received a formal investigation, but the list of possible suspects is long.
Two men wearing matching suits and raincoats were found dead in a bed of leaves hand-trimmed by scissors. The only thing found with them were two small sheets of lead shaped like sunglasses and an empty water bottle. An obsession with the occult or extraterrestrial life might have caused this 1966 murder.
Two fishermen saw a luminous, fireball-like object descend towards the ground and then rise up again into the sky before it exploded. They were convinced it was a UFO. The Brazilian electronic technicians, Manoel Pereira de Cruz and Miguel José Viana were later found dead at the scene. Was Miguel and Manoel’s death caused by contact from another planet?
A promising West Point cadet left the academy grounds for a dinner party on January 14th, 1950…and never returned. No concrete leads have materialized about the whereabouts of Richard Colvin Cox’s body. Is foul play responsible or did he desert his post?
After a West Point cadet mysteriously vanishes in 1950, the nation poured an enormous amount of resources into finding him. Thawing snow, private eyes, and CIA agents would all uncover clues pointing to the missing man. Was he the victim of foul play by a fellow classmate, or was it due to suspected Cold War counter-espionage gone wrong?
A legendary emperor welcomed a contingent of Spanish soldiers led by an ambitious man named Hernán Cortés into his city. Only months later that emperor would be dead, thus beginning the downfall of one of the world's largest empires. But what exactly happened on the day Montezuma II died? Did the Spanish murder him for gain? Or did the Aztec people kill one of their own? It is a question that has stumped historians for nearly 500 years.
A legendary emperor welcomed a contingent of Spanish soldiers led by an ambitious man named Hernán Cortés into his city. Only months later that emperor would be dead, thus beginning the downfall of one of the world's largest empires. But what exactly happened on the day Montezuma II died? Did the Spanish murder him for gain? Or did the Aztec people kill one of their own? It is a question that has stumped historians for nearly 500 years.
The death of the Great emperor Montezuma led to the demise of the Aztec Empire and the near extinction of its people. But who was responsible for this great calamity? The leading theories suggest that Montezuma was either assassinated by the invading force, or murdered by an uprising of his own people.
The death of the Great emperor Montezuma led to the demise of the Aztec Empire and the near extinction of its people. But who was responsible for this great calamity? The leading theories suggest that Montezuma was either assassinated by the invading force, or murdered by an uprising of his own people.
In 1982, Chicago saw 7 people drop dead under mysterious circumstances. The deaths sent the area into a panic, and after a lengthy investigation, police discovered a surprising murder weapon: Extra-Strength Tylenol. It would take several years for this pharmaceutical giant to regain the public’s trust.
In 1982, Chicago saw 7 people drop dead under mysterious circumstances. The deaths sent the area into a panic, and after a lengthy investigation, police discovered a surprising murder weapon: Extra-Strength Tylenol. It would take several years for this pharmaceutical giant to regain the public’s trust.
In 1983, nationwide panic broke out when seven people unknowingly ingested cyanide and tragically died. Suspects would range from a vengeful soldier to a mentally unstable school shooter, but who was actually responsible for one of the most vile acts of terrorism Chicago has ever seen? Parcasters - After this episode of Unsolved Murders, go check out the abduction of Barney and Betty Hill on our new show Extraterrestrial. Listen at parcast.com/extraterrestrial
In 1983, nationwide panic broke out when seven people unknowingly ingested cyanide and tragically died. Suspects would range from a vengeful soldier to a mentally unstable school shooter, but who was actually responsible for one of the most vile acts of terrorism Chicago has ever seen? Parcasters - After this episode of Unsolved Murders, go check out the abduction of Barney and Betty Hill on our new show Extraterrestrial. Listen at parcast.com/extraterrestrial
In 1972, she was abducted one block away from her home in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Dolores Della Penna’s body was found piece by piece, her limbs scattered just off the country roads near the city. After years of persistent investigation, this cold case may now be heating up.
In 1972, she was abducted one block away from her home in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Dolores Della Penna’s body was found piece by piece, her limbs scattered just off the country roads near the city. After years of persistent investigation, this cold case may now be heating up.
He learned everything from his father. How to become obscenely wealthy, but also how to become obscenely corrupt. By 1955, Serge Rubinstein had become a prominent investment banker on Wall Street, but his list of enemies had grown as long as his financial portfolio. Rubinstein's murder would lead authorities to one of the most extensive investigations in New York history.
He learned everything from his father. How to become obscenely wealthy, but also how to become obscenely corrupt. By 1955, Serge Rubinstein had become a prominent investment banker on Wall Street, but his list of enemies had grown as long as his financial portfolio. Rubinstein's murder would lead authorities to one of the most extensive investigations in New York history.
Murdered in 1955, Wall Street investment banker and all-around sociopath, Serge Rubinstein had made so many enemies, the police were overwhelmed with the list of potential suspects. The investigation would result in the interviewing of hundreds of witnesses and suspects, but they could never deduce who exactly killed Rubinstein.
Murdered in 1955, Wall Street investment banker and all-around sociopath, Serge Rubinstein had made so many enemies, the police were overwhelmed with the list of potential suspects. The investigation would result in the interviewing of hundreds of witnesses and suspects, but they could never deduce who exactly killed Rubinstein.
In the early 1800's, Fanny, the Duchess of Choiseul-Praslin, and her husband Charles, the Duke, were highly regarded among the French nobility. From the outside it appeared they had it all, but internally their marriage was filled with distrust and turmoil. Eventually it would all come to an end, when the Duchess was found murdered on her bedroom floor.
In the early 1800's, Fanny, the Duchess of Choiseul-Praslin, and her husband Charles, the Duke, were highly regarded among the French nobility. From the outside it appeared they had it all, but internally their marriage was filled with distrust and turmoil. Eventually it would all come to an end, when the Duchess was found murdered on her bedroom floor.
In the early 1800's the Duke de Choiseul-Praslin, was suspected of murdering his wife. However, a vial of arsenic and a corrupt government would prevent justice from being served. The injustice evident in this case drove the French lower-class into a frenzy that would eventually lead to the revolution.
In the early 1800's the Duke de Choiseul-Praslin, was suspected of murdering his wife. However, a vial of arsenic and a corrupt government would prevent justice from being served. The injustice evident in this case drove the French lower-class into a frenzy that would eventually lead to the revolution.
In the idyllic sleepy town of Schull, Ireland, Sophie Toscan du Plantier, was brutally murdered just before Christmas in 1996. The celebrated documentary producer was beaten to death outside of her holiday home. The town’s first murder in 71 years would divide the normally tight-knit community and leave her family questioning the motives for this tragic murder.
In the idyllic sleepy town of Schull, Ireland, Sophie Toscan du Plantier, was brutally murdered just before Christmas in 1996. The celebrated documentary producer was beaten to death outside of her holiday home. The town’s first murder in 71 years would divide the normally tight-knit community and leave her family questioning the motives for this tragic murder.
On December 23rd, 1996, this French filmmaker was murdered outside her vacation home in West Cork, Ireland. Leads were scarce in the initial hours, and evidence was lost as investigators waited two days for the coroner to arrive. However, the case blew open when a teenage boy came forward with a startling confession.
On December 23rd, 1996, this French filmmaker was murdered outside her vacation home in West Cork, Ireland. Leads were scarce in the initial hours, and evidence was lost as investigators waited two days for the coroner to arrive. However, the case blew open when a teenage boy came forward with a startling confession.
In 1966 the quiet Cincinnati suburb of Bridgetown was shaken to its core, when the Bricca Family was brutally slaughtered in their own home. The savagery of the killings and the discrete nature of the murders have kept investigators scrambling for answers decades later.
In 1966 the quiet Cincinnati suburb of Bridgetown was shaken to its core, when the Bricca Family was brutally slaughtered in their own home. The savagery of the killings and the discrete nature of the murders have kept investigators scrambling for answers decades later.
On November 19th, 1988, a nine year-old girl named Michaela Garecht was abducted from her local corner store in Hayward, California. The next few decades would see several plausible suspects investigated, including two serial killers, two kidnappers, and a strange man with a craving for attention.
On November 19th, 1988, a nine year-old girl named Michaela Garecht was abducted from her local corner store in Hayward, California. The next few decades would see several plausible suspects investigated, including two serial killers, two kidnappers, and a strange man with a craving for attention.
In 1924 a Chinese immigrant in Vancouver named Wong Foon Sing found his colleague, Janet Smith, lying dead upon the ground with a bullet wound in her head. The public rushed to see Wong imprisoned for the crime, but some still wonder if Janet was murdered at all.
In 1924 a Chinese immigrant in Vancouver named Wong Foon Sing found his colleague, Janet Smith, lying dead upon the ground with a bullet wound in her head. The public rushed to see Wong imprisoned for the crime, but some still wonder if Janet was murdered at all.
On July 26th, 1924, Janet Smith, a housemaid in Vancouver was killed in the basement of her employer's home. The investigation would soon devolve into two separate kidnappings, reactionary political movements, and vigilante justice performed by the Ku Klux Klan.
On July 26th, 1924, Janet Smith, a housemaid in Vancouver was killed in the basement of her employer's home. The investigation would soon devolve into two separate kidnappings, reactionary political movements, and vigilante justice performed by the Ku Klux Klan.
On November 29th, 1981, world famous actress, Natalie Wood, was found floating in the ocean, drowned and lost forever. Her death was initially declared an accident, but as new evidence became available over 20 years later, odd aspects of her last night made the police question whether her death was accidental at all.
On November 29th, 1981, world famous actress, Natalie Wood, was found floating in the ocean, drowned and lost forever. Her death was initially declared an accident, but as new evidence became available over 20 years later, odd aspects of her last night made the police question whether her death was accidental at all.
On January 10, 1977, best friends and housemates, Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were viciously murdered in their home on Easey Street in Melbourne Australia. Several people had seen them shortly before this tragic event, but the story would only get more confusing as the investigation continued.
On January 10, 1977, best friends and housemates, Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were viciously murdered in their home on Easey Street in Melbourne Australia. Several people had seen them shortly before this tragic event, but the story would only get more confusing as the investigation continued.
When best friends and housemates, Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett, were stabbed to death in their home in 1977, the city of Melbourne raced to find the killer. While the police would find some clues, they soon hit a brick wall in their investigation, leaving these heinous murders unsolved to this day.
When best friends and housemates, Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett, were stabbed to death in their home in 1977, the city of Melbourne raced to find the killer. While the police would find some clues, they soon hit a brick wall in their investigation, leaving these heinous murders unsolved to this day.
On September 23, 1935, a decapitated torso was found in Kingsbury Run, a railroad slum just outside Cleveland, Ohio. People were terrified of this horrific discovery, but they hardly suspected that it was only the first murder of a serial killer who would terrorize the city for years to come.
On September 23, 1935, a decapitated torso was found in Kingsbury Run, a railroad slum just outside Cleveland, Ohio. People were terrified of this horrific discovery, but they hardly suspected that it was only the first murder of a serial killer who would terrorize the city for years to come.
By February of 1937, Kingsbury Run, a railroad slum outside of Cleveland had seen six mutilated corpses scattered across their streets. The community turned to legendary lawman, Eliot Ness to solve the crimes and put a stop to the horrors. But sometimes, even legends fail to make a difference.
By February of 1937, Kingsbury Run, a railroad slum outside of Cleveland had seen six mutilated corpses scattered across their streets. The community turned to legendary lawman, Eliot Ness to solve the crimes and put a stop to the horrors. But sometimes, even legends fail to make a difference.
On July 27th, 1981, a six-year-old boy named Adam Walsh was abducted from a Sears department store in Hollywood, Florida. The resulting investigation into Adam’s disappearance would feature one of the largest search parties ever organized, but it would only end in tragedy.
On July 27th, 1981, a six-year-old boy named Adam Walsh was abducted from a Sears department store in Hollywood, Florida. The resulting investigation into Adam’s disappearance would feature one of the largest search parties ever organized, but it would only end in tragedy.
On August 10th, 1981, a six-year-old boy’s severed head was discovered in a drainage canal in Hollywood, Florida. The investigation would turn up one very likely suspect, but complications would halt any progress made in the investigation for years after Adam Walsh’s death.
On August 10th, 1981, a six-year-old boy’s severed head was discovered in a drainage canal in Hollywood, Florida. The investigation would turn up one very likely suspect, but complications would halt any progress made in the investigation for years after Adam Walsh’s death.
In 1888, the state of Arkansas was rampant with corruption and ballot tampering. So when state representative, John M. Clayton, lost his bid for Congress, he challenged the results and put his life in danger.
In 1888, the state of Arkansas was rampant with corruption and ballot tampering. So when state representative, John M. Clayton, lost his bid for Congress, he challenged the results and put his life in danger.
When Republican politician John M. Clayton was assassinated in 1889, many suspected that he was killed by the same people who had conspired to keep him from winning the election. However, knowing the identity of an assassin and proving that assassin's guilt would prove to be two drastically different things.
When Republican politician John M. Clayton was assassinated in 1889, many suspected that he was killed by the same people who had conspired to keep him from winning the election. However, knowing the identity of an assassin and proving that assassin's guilt would prove to be two drastically different things.
On April 26th, 1913, Mary Phagan, 13, was strangled to death in the basement of the National Pencil Company factory in Atlanta. The police quickly came to suspect Leo M. Frank, the Jewish Superintendent, but their case against him became more complicated when the factory sweeper Jim Conley admitted to writing a pair of bizarre notes found by the body.
On April 26th, 1913, Mary Phagan, 13, was strangled to death in the basement of the National Pencil Company factory in Atlanta. The police quickly came to suspect Leo M. Frank, the Jewish Superintendent, but their case against him became more complicated when the factory sweeper Jim Conley admitted to writing a pair of bizarre notes found by the body.
In the summer of 1913, Jewish Superintendent Leo M. Frank was tried for the murder of Mary Phagan. The explosive trial and its controversial verdict sparked a fierce battle between the superintendent’s supporters and detractors, with one side raising accusations of anti-Semitism and the other rallying against Northern intervention.
On December 9th, 1935, Walter Liggett pulled up to his house in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter in the car. As soon as he stepped out, he was cut down in a hail of bullets from a passing car. A number of infamous gangsters and politicians were named as potential suspects, but no one has ever been charged for the death of this radical journalist.
In 1936, Walter Liggett was shot to death outside his home. His wife Edith is certain she knows who the gunman is, and why he killed him. Despite this, she is skeptical about her own chances of winning the trial.
In late 1969, the body of a girl who had been stabbed to death was found in a tree just off Mulholland Drive, in Los Angeles, California. The body was unidentifiable, and was thus dubbed "Jane Doe #59." The investigation had no leads to investigate until decades later, when a sheer coincidence would bring the infamous Manson Family into the fold.
In April of 1953, the body of a young woman washed up on a remote, private beach outside of Rome. Her shoes, skirt, stockings, and garter belt were missing. She was identified as Wilma Montesi, the 21-year-old daughter of a carpenter who lived with her family in a flat in the city.
In October of 1953, a young Roman actress claimed that Wilma Montesi had died after attending a drug-fueled orgy at an exclusive Capocotta estate. A short time later, another woman came forward to substantiate the claims. Their accusations launched a massive political scandal and investigation that unveiled crime and corruption by members of the Roman elite.
On the day after Christmas, 1898, three siblings were murdered in the town of Gatton, Australia. But no one could imagine anyone wanting to hurt any members of the upstanding Murphy family. So could the crime have been committed by an outsider, or was there a darker side to the family hidden under their veneer of respectability?
In the early months of 1899, Richard Burgess was arrested for the murder of three members of the Murphy family in Gatton, Australia. But the investigation had been plagued by oversights from the beginning. Was an innocent man taking the fall for the true culprit?
16-year-old Jeannette DePalma disappeared one August afternoon in 1972 in the quiet suburb of Springfield, New Jersey. Six weeks later, her body was found decaying on a wooded bluff. It was surrounded by what some investigators thought were satanic symbols. But as the story of ritual sacrifice took off in newspapers around the tristate area, investigators failed to make headway on the strange case.
The Springfield, New Jersey police were never able to attach any likely suspects to Jeannette DePalma's 1972 murder. But thirty years later, her case resurfaced. And everyone in Springfield had something to say about it. They pointed to plenty of suspects the police never considered and sinister connections between Jeannette's death and several other brutal New Jersey murders.
On February 14th, 1929, Chicago was shocked by the most violent crime the city had ever seen, when 7 gang affiliated men were gunned down simultaneously. The attack was the culmination of a gang war that had lasted for 9 years, and had a marked effect on organized crime in the city for years afterwards.
On February 14th, 1929, seven men were gunned down in a garage on the North Side of Chicago. The city had never seen a crime that violent, and police raced to catch the perpetrators. The case would officially go unsolved, but some investigations seem to have found the killers decades after the massacre.
On April 14th, 1943, four boys discovered the skeleton of a woman in a hollow tree while exploring the woods near Hagley, England. Investigators threw themselves into the task of identifying the body, but after months of searching, were no closer to giving her a name. With England caught in the midst of World War II, it seemed like she was destined to be forgotten... until mysterious messages began cropping up around the Black Country, taunting the investigators with a cryptic question: who put Bella in the wych elm?
Two years after the unidentified skeleton known as Bella was found in a hollow tree in Hagley Wood, a second bizarre murder struck the West Midlands. On February 14th, 1945, a 74-year-old Farmhand named Charles Walton was brutally slain in the nearby village of Lower Quinton. Scotland Yard deployed master detective Robert Fabian to lead the investigation. But what he hoped would be an open-and-shut case soon revealed itself to be an impenetrable web, made only murkier by centuries of superstition. From the outset, the case seemed to be cursed, whether by the phantom hounds that traipsed the countryside, or by the whispers of witchcraft and black magic that followed whenever anyone spoke of Charles Walton.
During World War II, two bizarre murders in the West Midlands region of England became linked by speculations of witchcraft and black magic.
A twelve-year-old girl whose murder in 1959 forever changed a small town in Ontario, Canada. Uncover the devastating timeline of Lynne’s horrifying murder, the discovery of her body, and the emotional trial that followed.
The 1959 murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper in Ontario, Canada would make headlines. The murder suspect in question—her 14-year-old classmate, Steven Truscott.
A life of loss, burden, and excessive drinking. Discover the events leading up to the 1949 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old New Mexican waitress, Ovida Coogler.
The 1949 murder or 18-year-old waitress Ovida Coogler would go on to produce incorrect arrests, alleged cover-ups, and a political scandal that would rock New Mexico to its core.
On May 9, 1879, a body is found in the coal cellar of a boarding house at 4 Euston Square in London. The investigation into the body's identity takes detectives on a long, twisted journey into the dark underbelly of the victim’s former life.
The body found in the coal cellar of London’s 4 Euston Square is identified as Matilda Hacker; an eccentric woman with an unusual past. The 1879 investigation into her death, however, reveals information that proves Hacker wasn’t the only one who had dark secrets.
On September 14th, 1934, headmaster Elliott Speer was shot through the window of his study at the Mount Hermon School for Boys campus. Police had few clues to go on until a detective novel in Speer’s office was found that described an almost identical murder.
In 1934, Elliott Speer was shot on the Mount Hermon School for Boys campus—a murder eerily similar to the plot of a novel found in his study. The case only became stranger when the school's dean tried to claim the headmaster position with a pair of suspicious letters from the deceased man.
Former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston had a drive and motivation that was infectious. So when Geraldine Liston hadn’t heard from her husband for a few days, she didn’t think much of it. Then she returned home from a trip and found him at the foot of their bed...dead.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding Sonny Liston's death in 1971 from an alleged heroin overdose still drew suspicion. As police and journalists looked into his death years later, they discovered more than a few viable suspects.
Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: In the early 1800s, Fanny, the Duchess of Choiseul-Praslin, and her husband Charles, the Duke, were highly regarded among the French nobility. From the outside, it appeared they had it all, but internally their marriage was filled with distrust and turmoil.
Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: In the early 1800s, the Duke de Choiseul-Praslin was suspected of murdering his wife. However, a vial of arsenic and a corrupt government would prevent justice from being served.