RedHanded

On the 8th March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was making a routine red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, when it seemingly vanished in the clouds. The 175-tonne Boeing 777 – and all 239 people on board – have never been seen again. And 10 years on, there are still no solid answers as to what happened. In this episode, we’ll take you through the facts and theories behind what remains the greatest mystery in the history of aviation. Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comYouTubeRedHanded

In 2004, amid a horrific snowstorm in a remote mountain town, a talented yet troubled young woman crashed her car and vanished off the face of the Earth. The more you learn about the life of Maura Murray, and the things she got up to in the days before her mysterious disappearance, lead to more questions than answers. Was she trying to kill herself? Was she trying to disappear? Was she abducted, and were the police involved?This is one of the most infamous missing persons cases of modern times and has perplexed the world for over 20 years. Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

On 19 February 2008, 9-year-old Shannon Matthews left school, waved goodbye to her best friend, and then vanished on the half-mile walk home.West Yorkshire police, and a determined group of locals from Shannon’s estate, spent weeks doing all they could to find the missing little girl.But when the truth behind Shannon’s disappearance was eventually uncovered, it was more shocking than anybody could have imagined.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comYouTubeRedHanded

Following the conviction of Charlie Adelson in November 2023, his mother Donna allegedly attempted to flee the US for Vietnam. Arrested on the runway, awaiting take off, the 73 year old now denies any involvement in the murder of her son-in-law, Dan Markel. In this concluding episode we take a look at the entire Adelson clan, with a focus on what the “grieving ex-wife” Wendi Adelson likely knew, and when…Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

When Wendi Adelson was left feeling trapped in Tallahassee, following her divorce from FSU professor Dan Markel, she told her big brother Charlie. What happened next is beyond anything anyone could have imagined.In a bizarre murder for hire plot involving hundreds of hours of FBI wiretapping, an owl loving hitman, coded calls about pot belly pigs and a tv repairman, this case has been bubbling away in Florida for the past decade.But finally in November 2023, some shocking truths were revealed as the Adelson family come undone…Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Prospect medical student turned slacker spree-killer is hardly a normal turn of events. Yet Jean-Claude Romand managed to throw his entire life away by simply doing nothing. No school, no job, and no income, all propped up by a tower of ever increasing lies. A secret life spanning over thirty years, and ending in the deaths of his wife, their two children, both his parents, and their family dog, all to avoid telling the truth. This is what happens when you tell that one little lie, and never stop doubling down.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

The Friedmans were your average upper-middle-class family in ‘70s America, but everything changed when one day accusations of mass child sexual abuse landed on the father and one son.What followed was a chaotic investigation of slippery memories, attempted hypnosis, coercive police questioning, disturbing confessions, folk devils and real-life villains – nothing about this case is black-white.In this episode, we tell you the story of the Friedman family as we know it, not that we can say we know the truth.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Deep in the middle of the UK’s shambolic COVID lockdown, 33 year old Sarah Everard went for a walk. That night she crossed paths with a man who would abduct, rape and kill her.Within days detectives had a man named Wayne Couzens on their radar, but with this breakthrough came a huge reckoning for investigators - because Couzens was a serving London Metropolitan police officer.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Thanks to COVID, we all now know, better than ever the impact that social isolation can have on our mental health. Depression, confused thinking, and emotional instability were symptoms many of us became all too familiar with; but imagine you had been in lockdown somewhere thousands of miles away from the nearest city, in perpetual darkness for 6-months of the year, and subjected to temperatures as low as -80 degrees celsius... Oh, and you're locked down with your co-workers...That shit might just make you want to kill somebody... right?

When countless lone travellers began to vanish without a trace along the Great Osage Trail in the early 1870s, the people of Labette County, Kansas, were gripped with fear.Soon enough, the county’s residents realised that all the victims had one thing in common: they’d all visited the Bender Inn, a small cabin run by a mysterious German family.But by then it was too late.The Benders were gone with the wind – and as for who they were and where they went, well, that remained a mystery for over 140 years… until now.

The trial of Michael Peterson remains one of the most baffling we’ve ever come across. Red neurons, missing blood spatter and of course that pesky blow poke.What led the jury to land on the decision they made? Was evidence overlooked, or was this a cover-up? And finally, if Michael Peterson isn’t guilty, how and why did Kathleen really die?Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

From the outside the Petersons had it all; the perfect family, a beautiful mansion and more money than they could spend. But on 9th December 2001 all that changed, when Michael Peterson claimed to have found his wife, Kathleen, dead at the bottom of their stairs.What followed would become a bizarre tale of strange family secrets, shocking revelations and a true crime case obsessed over like nothing before, or since.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

At 3 am on the 1st of December 2006, Anneli Auer phoned Finnish emergency services – to tell them an intruder was stabbing her husband to death as she spoke.Police arrived on the scene in less than 10 minutes, but it was too late, and the mysterious killer had seemingly vanished into thin air. Judicial madness, police fuck-ups, greed, undercover lovers, Satanic child abuse rituals, DNA mix-ups, a family torn apart, and a murder mystery that divided a nation: this is the murder of Jukka Lahti, one of the most notorious cases in Finnish criminal history.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Vanishing in seconds when her older brother turned away, 8-year-old Sarah Payne’s high-profile disappearance gripped the nation. But as mother and father begged for answers and hoped to see their little girl again, sadly it would leave a very different legacy.This truly heartbreaking case would change the British legal system forever – not before Rebekah Brooks and ‘News of The World’ brought the British media into absolute chaos.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

The evidence against Chris Dawson was overwhelming from the start - so why did it take several investigations, 2 coronial enquiries and 40 years of agony for Lyon’s family for New South Wales police to even make an arrest?In our final episode on the murder of Lynette Dawson we discuss the day of her disappearance and the unfathomable lack of effort put into finding her. Not to mention why the police were so unwilling to investigate a man several officers referred to lovingly as ‘Dawso’.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

When Lynette Dawson vanished without a trace in January 1982, her husband played the heartbroken victim. He was an abandoned father of two, with no choice but to move a 16-year-old student into the family home to help him out…This is part 1 of the strange Australian tale. Expect shocking police corruption; rampant sex abuse running wild in the high schools of Sydney’s Northern Beaches; a man who thought he could get away with anything; and his strangely close relationship with his identical twin brother.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

You asked for it – to say a huge final THANK YOU to all of you who brought us Gold in the Listeners' Choice category in this year’s BPAs, we promised you a bonus episode of your choice. And you voted in your thousands, for an episode on horrifying serial-killer scumbag, Israel Keyes.Keyes didn’t earn his place among America’s most terrifying serial killers only for his brutality, or coldness. The most horrifying thing about his tale is how comprehensively he got away with it.Travelling thousands of miles across the US, sometimes spending years researching a single kill, and with no discernible victim profile – Keyes operated completely under the radar for decades. He considered himself a master of the serial-killing craft. And in the end, even his downfall all seemed part of the plan…

The 1984 murder of one of Motown’s biggest stars – at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic, cross-dressing Pentecostal-preacher father – stunned the industry. But despite the media frenzy, almost no justice was served…In this episode we look at Gaye’s life story, drawing a line from his early traumas to the whirlwind of violence, drugs and sex that seemed to follow him everywhere.And to tell the whole story, we’re joined this week by Jake Brennan – host of the most-downloaded music podcast EVER: Disgraceland – who dropped in to give us all the essential context behind one of the most notorious crimes in musical history.REDHAUNTED SPECIAL: Ghost Hunting at The Ancient Ram InnFollow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

In 2010, the body of a man was discovered in a locked hotel room in Beaumont, Texas. Apart from some minor bruising on his groin, the man didn’t have a mark on him – yet he had the internal damage of a severe car crash victim. There was no sign of forced entry or a struggle. He had no enemies, and nobody in the hotel had seen or heard a thing. The police were at their wit’s end, and after months of investigating, the case of the body in room 348 went cold. That is, until legendary private investigator, Ken Brennan, took on the case. REDHAUNTED SPECIAL: Ghost Hunting at The Ancient Ram InnFollow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Happy Halloween Spooky B*tches! To celebrate our favourite time of year - and for getting GOLD at the British Podcast Awards - we took on one of the most demonic locations in the UK… The Ancient Ram Inn.In this audio preview of our full-length special (which is on YouTube NOW), the owner of The Ram, Caroline Humphries, tells all on the building’s dark past; we get some creepy contact through our ghost-hunting equipment; and we wind down with some creepy RedHaunted stories - sent in by our lovely listeners!Happy Halloween! Watch the full video now, if you dare…https://youtu.be/NcbsO9Vn9WU?si=urK17FtP4XRjr1to

’Tis the season, the SpOoKy season… And that means part two of our annual Halloween story swap, this time LIVE from Dallas, Texas!!! Listen up as Suruthi tells you all about the aptly named Corpsewood Manor and Hannah discusses the murderous Victorian antics of Burke & Hare. WATCH THIS EPISODE LIVE WITH THE SLIDES AT: https://youtu.be/3dnlbuxf8f8Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Spooky season is upon us once again, and that can only mean one thing: another instalment of RedHanded’s Halloween story swap! For the first of two story-swaps this year, Hannah takes us back to pasto-times Barcelona where an Epstein-esque vampiress stalks the city’s children, and Suruthi regales us with the blood-chilling mystery of the Dardeen family killings…Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

In August 1982, a Kodak technician was processing some photos when he saw the image of a naked young woman appear. He took a closer look, and any excitement he may have felt quickly disappeared when he realised she had been severely mutilated…The ensuing investigation led to the conviction of Hong Kong’s first ever serial killer: Lam Kor-wan, known as the ‘Rainy Night Butcher’, or ‘Jars Killer’. Lam had been conducting sick dissections in a tiny bedroom he shared with his unwitting brother – and keeping specimens, suspended in rice wine, in a grim collection of Tupperware containers under his bed.

With fractured knees and savage bruises – weighing just thirty kilos – 23-year-old Anneliese Michel died in 1976 under some of the strangest circumstances imaginable. But despite looking like she’d been held and tortured against her will, she consented to all sixty-seven of the exorcisms she was subjected to.Why?Because Anneliese, her parents, and two-priests all believed she’d been possessed by a demon, and had become the mouthpiece of Adolf Hitler, Judas Iscariot, and even Lucifer himselfFollow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

In summer 1977, in Alexander City, Alabama, a man stood up in front of 300 mourners at the funeral of a 16-year-old girl – and shot a reverend three times in the head.When the shooter’s murder trial began, it caught the attention of the renowned author, Harper Lee, who went on to spend years researching the story for her next book.But it wasn’t the shooting that had piqued her interest.It was the series of suspicious deaths surrounding the reverend – Willie Maxwell – known in Coosa County, Alabama, as a serial killing voodoo preacher.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

This week, Richard Allen’s defence team dropped a 136-page document challenging the warrant that police used to search his house.But it’s not as boring as it sounds – because the bulk of this filing consists of claims that Abby and Libby were in fact killed by an Odinite, white-suprematist cult. And in doing so the defence team has revealed a lot of new information regarding the crime scene.In this update, Suruthi digs into what the hell is going on.

If Seth Rich had had any other job – or if it had been any other year – his tragic death would likely have joined the 65 other unsolved murders in his part of Washington DC that year. But Seth worked for the Democratic Party – and this was the summer of 2016.And while his family tried to grieve, Seth’s story was co-opted by every side. Through social media echo-chambering and shameless self-promotion, it grew to include accusations of bloodthirsty politicians; allegations of foreign powers destabilising US elections; and a secretive, high-powered paedophile ring that went all the way to the top.

In 1994, in the back garden of a house on Lorain Road, San Marino, California – workers accidentally unearthed a shallow grave containing dismembered human remains. Investigators were convinced that the discovery had something to do with a charming British man who’d lived at the property a decade before. Not only had he been a member of the British royal family, a celebrated actor, a director, an art collector, a physicist and a naval captain… but he was also a member of the Rockefeller family – with the same social security number as serial killer David Berkowitz…Today’s case covers the sociopathic life of the conman, kidnapper and murderer, Christian Gerhartstreiter – who some have called the real-life Talented Mr. Ripley.To vote for us at the British Podcast Awards, click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingTo nominate a challenge, as well as a case for the bonus episode if we win gold, click here: https://forms.gle/BG7suAW7a4sUPZxr8Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

On 13 July 2023 - after decades of corruption and inaction - police arrested 59-year-old New York architect Rex Heuermann, on suspicion of being the LISK.In this episode, we’ll look at Heuermann’s family life, his background - and delve into the 33-page bail document that offers us an in-depth look at how investigators finally caught this notorious, modern American serial killer.To vote for us at the British Podcast Awards, click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingTo nominate a challenge, as well as a case for the bonus episode if we win gold, click here: https://forms.gle/BG7suAW7a4sUPZxr8Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

In 2010, Shannan Gilbert made a series of frantic 911 calls as she ran through the streets of Oak Beach, Long Island, screaming: “They’re trying to kill me”.Then she vanished. A few months later a body was found near where Shannan, vanished - but it wasn’t her. And neither were the next 9 sets of human remains they found along Ocean Parkway. Now, over a decade later, with the arrest of Rex Heuermann - the police believe they’ve found the elusive Long Island Serial Killer.But the questions still stand; Why did it take so long to catch him - and was this the work of a lone serial killer, or multiple men using the same dumping ground?To vote for us at the British Podcast Awards, click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingTo nominate a challenge, as well as a case for the bonus episode if we win gold, click here: https://forms.gle/BG7suAW7a4sUPZxr8

On 21 August 2023, 33-year-old nurse Lucy Letby was handed a whole-of-life order for the murder of seven babies, and the attempted murder of six more. She is only the fourth woman in British history to receive the sentence. And now this seemingly young, meek, slightly goofy, “vanilla” girl – whose bedroom was filled with stuffed animals – is now Britain’s most prolific child serial killer. So what really happened? How was she allowed to kill so many? Why did she do it? And how was she eventually caught?To vote for us at the British Podcast Awards, click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingTo nominate a challenge, as well as a case for the bonus episode if we win gold, click here: https://forms.gle/BG7suAW7a4sUPZxr8

In July 1981, the 40 residents of Antelope, Oregon watched on in bemusement as their rural village was descended upon by an Indian guru and thousands of his followers. Little did they know at the time, that these maroon-robed chanting hippies and their money-loving spiritual leader would go on to overthrow the local government, attempt wide-scale voter fraud, plot to fill a plane with explosives and eventually, carry out the most significant act of bioterrorism in US history.This is the real story of Bhagwan Rajneesh, and how he managed to amass a global following of devotees who were ready to do anything for him…

School shootings are now tragically commonplace in the US. But in 1979, when Brenda Spencer opened fire on Cleveland Elementary School, it took everyone by surprise. Killing two adults and injuring nine children – allegedly just because she didn’t like Mondays – Brenda has lived on in infamy as one of America’s first school shooters, immortalised by Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

At 2am, on the 3rd of May last year – inmates at Mangaung prison in Bloemfontein, South Africa, were woken up by an explosion. Word spread that Thabo Bester, the infamous “Facebook Rapist”, had set himself and his cell on fire. And all that remained after the dramatic blaze were a lighter, and a body, burnt beyond recognition. But that’s far from the end of the story. With daily revelations from the trial still hitting headlines, expect a farcical morgue-robbing scheme, a massive-scale web of fraud conducted from inside a prison cell, and a glamorous celebrity doctor who’s not quite what she seems.

Graphic Sonic fanfiction, a botched DIY sex change, incest and relentless psychosexual trolling are just some of the hallmarks of Christine Weston Chandler's story. As one of the most documented people in history – with 2,500 Wiki articles covering everything from school reports to her parents’ friends – her almost biblical tale leaves little to the imagination. Yet most people have never heard of her. Despite decades of online abuse, manipulation, and even extortion, the majority of those who do know about the infamous ‘Chis Chan’ see her as little more than an internet joke. Yet her real life is one of the most saddening and downright bizarre we are ever likely to cover.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Last week, we looked at the formation of the ultra-obedient, bigamist Mormon cult, the FLDS – in which plural marriage to pregnant preteen girls is just the tip of the fundamentalist iceberg. In this second part, we look at how its new prophet, Warren Jeffs, took his so-called religion to ever stricter and more terrifying depths. With followers so beaten down that they were banned from even laughing; the prophet on the lam, living it up at Disneyland; and a team of ex-faithfuls and dogged investigators closing in – something had to give. But not before the full extent of his evil was laid bare in front of a stunned courtroom.

According to Warren Jeffs’ thousands of followers, he was the leader of a secretive but devoted religion – their prophet, and the representative of God on Earth. But according to US law, he was a dangerous, totalitarian, child-molesting horror with over 80 wives – some married off as young as 12. Still, according to the church, Earthly laws are no match for the voice of God.In this episode, we explore the story behind the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: how the visions of a charismatic, seventeen-year-old farmhand grew to become a major world religion; how plural marriage caused a major rift in the church; and how its teachings were warped into a systematic cult of child abuse, underage sex, and absolute power.

In 2009, the horror film ‘Orphan’ told the tale of a couple who unwittingly adopted a 9-year-old girl, who (spoilers) turned out to be a murderous, adult woman.Sometimes though, reality is stranger than fiction. A year after the film’s release, the Barnetts, a wealthy picture-perfect American family, adopted 6-year-old Natalia Grace from Ukraine. But within just 3 years, they’d abandoned her and fled to Canada. Why? According to the Barnetts, Natalia – who had a rare form of dwarfism – wasn’t a little girl at all. She was actually a 22-year-old woman who was trying to murder their whole family. In this bizarre case, everything most definitely isn’t as it seems…

Violently stabbed to death in their own home, the bodies of Debra and Marc Richardson showed the signs of an almighty struggle.The body of their eight-year-old son Tyler Jacob was upstairs, and their twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine was missing. It all suggested a brutal home invasion, with Jasmine’s abduction as the motive. Yet the narrative the police unwound was more confusing, disturbing – and downright cringe-worthy – than anything they could have imagined. This was the ‘love story’ of a ‘rawr’cous, side-fringed, goth girl and her three-hundred-year-old werewolf boyfriend. Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

How did an orphan from Bogotá, Colombia, become one of the most audacious white-collar criminals in the US during early 2000s? Starting his con career in Michigan at the age of just 12, Anthony Gignac transformed himself into a Saudi prince and spent three decades conning society’s elite out of millions – until one day his royal façade cracked, when he ordered the wrong entrée at a restaurant…

On 14th June 2017, a fire engulfed Grenfell Tower, a high-rise residential building in West London. 74 people died, and the tragedy became one of the darkest days in recent British history.But worst of all, the incident was completely avoidable. This is the story of how decades of government corruption and unbelievable corporate greed killed so many innocent people.As part of our coverage of the Grenfell case, and to support those still affected today - we’re going to be donating a portion of our ad revenue from this episode to the Grenfell Foundation. If you’d like to find out more about the Grenfell Foundation please follow this link: https://www.grenfellfoundation.org.uk/fundraisingFollow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

In our second instalment, Hannah & Suruthi turn to Christopher George Latore Wallace – better known as the Notorious B.I.G. – and his side of the Biggie/Tupac saga. Lyrically gifted, privately educated and no stranger to a little crack dealing, Biggie became the face the East Coast rap scene in one of the genre's most volatile and dangerous eras. So what happened to Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls? As H&S find out, sometimes the simplest explanation is the most likely...

With the news that Kathleen Folbigg has finally been pardoned, we wanted to help you revisit this case, and Kathleen's incredibly tragic story by re-uploading our episode from August 2022.“One sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder”; this theory has pervaded criminal investigations for decades. So when Kathleen Folbigg’s daughter, Laura, became her fourth child to die mysteriously - Kathleen found herself labeled “Australia’s Worst Female Serial Killer”.Today we delve into two unbelievable cases which highlight the immense challenges of the intersection between science and justice in the courtroom.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

Stories of death, drugs, and gang violence were inextricably linked, in the 90s media, to the nation’s biggest rap stars. Tupac Shakur was one of the decade’s biggest and most admired music icons – until his life was cut tragically short in 1996. By the time he died, he’d been involved in three high-profile shootings, done time for sexual assault, and been associated with serious career criminals. So what happened?Get the 4-1-1 on two of hip-hop’s biggest stars as we celebrate our 300th episode in the only way appropriate - a Tupac and Biggie Two-ParterFollow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

When five members of the cheery, churchgoing Dupont de Ligonnès family were found dead at their home in Nantes – buried in the garden with small Catholic relics – a million questions erupted from neighbours, family and friends.But for the police, only one question mattered: where was the sixth? Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was nowhere to be found. And as they dug into his past, they uncovered a story that’s obsessed the nation of France for years: one of an ancient aristocratic dynasty, of international espionage, and a crime scene that, decades later, still refuses to add up…

To make sure that none of you miss out we've updated our episode on Lori Vallow to include an update on her trial! Listen to this episode and this week's episode of ShortHand for the full scoop.47-year-old mum of 3, Lori Vallow was convinced of two things; she was a god and the world was ending. Her job was to prepare her people for the second coming of Christ, in July 2020...But even as her behaviour became increasingly erratic, and even as those around her started to die in mysterious ways, and even when 2 of her kids - J.J. and Tylee - vanished, it took a shockingly long time for the alarm to be raised.By which point, it would be far too late for the missing children...Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

What kind of leader would say of his own people that they are “meant to suffer”? Well, maybe a savage despot who claimed to be the master of the dead – a powerful sorcerer who could use vodou to raise murderous zombies at will, read minds, and even assassinate a US president…Francois Duvalier, known as ‘Papa Doc’, is one of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th Century, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 60,000 people, and a reign of terror that tragically reverberates through Haiti to this day.This week Hannah and Suruthi find out how the first nation to be founded by slaves gave way to brutal Black nationalism, black magic, and decades of public savagery.Note for Wondery+ or Amazon Music subscribers downloading our early-release episode: our ShortHand on Haitian Vodou is out on 16 May!

On Halloween morning, 1975, in one of the most exclusive gated communities in the USA, the bludgeoned body of 15-year-old Martha Moxley was discovered on her own front lawn. The shattered pieces of the murder weapon, a six-iron golf club, were found nearby.The police had the body, they had the weapon, and they had a strong indication of who took her life. But this was going to be anything but an open and shut-case. Why? Because this story implicated some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in American history. Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

When delivery driver Brian Wells wound up with a bomb strapped to his neck after trying to fulfill a seemingly normal order of 2 pepperoni pizzas, local police thought their strange day had come to a dramatic end. In reality, it was the start…By the end of their investigation they’d have to solve a scavenger hunt, track down a woman known as “crazy Marge”, and defrost the body of a mystery man tossed inside a freezer.This week Suruthi and Hannah deliver one of the most bizarre cases in American history, and try to unbox the truth behind the ‘Pizza Bomber’.Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.com

On the 15th of March, 2019, a 28-year-old man walked into a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, holding a shotgun and semi-automatic rifle – and opened fire. And what set this story apart was not just its brutality, but also the way it was staged – from the internet, for the internet. The gunman had strapped a GoPro to his helmet, and was streaming every second of the Christchurch shooting over Facebook Live. And just before he entered Al-Noor mosque, he said to his online audience: “Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie.”We look at online radicalisation, the deep internet meta-humour that was littered through the manifesto – and the role of platforms like 8chan and YouTube in the rise of far-right terrorism.--If you would like to take up the offer of the 6 month free trial to Wondery+ just click HERE or visit redhandedpodcast.com/wonderytrialAnd don’t forget - you’ll be automatically charged $4.99 a month after the end of the 6 months, so if you don’t want to keep W+ be sure to cancel!If you have Amazon Prime - but still can’t access ShortHand via amazon music - unfortunately you are in a region that doesn’t have access. So please also make use of the Wondery+ trial! Terms and conditions are available at wondery.com/terms-of-service--Listen to this week's ShortHand – 'The Human Zoo & Mbye Ota Benga' – on Amazon Music or Wondery+.