True Crime Brewery

On the remote island of Palmyra, about 970 nautical miles south of Hawaii, a series of crimes occurred against experienced sailing couple Mac and Muff Graham. A handful of other sailors spent time with the Grahams on the island, but the Grahams were eventually left alone with a desperate young couple: Stephanie Stearns and her […] The post Seaworthy: Murder on Palmyra appeared first on Tiegrabber.

In 2006, Jeffrey Deskovic’s indictment charging him with the rape and murder of a high school classmate was dismissed on the grounds of actual innocence. Post conviction DNA testing proved his innocence. It also identified the real killer. When a classmate of 16-year old Jeffrey was found raped and murdered in a local park, he […] The post Journey to Justice: An Interview with Jeffrey Deskovic appeared first on Tiegrabber.

For today’s episode, we’re diving back into the murky waters of the Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell case. Last week, we went over the marriages, families, strange religious beliefs, disappearances, and untimely deaths. This week, we’re delving deeper into everything and talking about what has happened since Lori and Chad’s shocking November 2019 wedding. […] The post Doomsday Parents Part Two: Chad & Lori Daybell appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Normally, when we talk about parents who have a missing child, we’re talking about distressed, loving parents who will do anything to find their child. But in the case of missing children Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, we’re delving into new and unimaginable territory. The lives of J.J. and Tylee’s mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, and […] The post Doomsday Parents Part One: Chad & Lori Daybell appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Carol Neulander was a mother, a business owner, and the wife of respected Rabbi Fred Neulander. On most Tuesdays, she drove home with the receipts from her popular bakeries, carrying thousands of dollars in her purse. Then came the Tuesday evening when two men showed up at her front door. Join us at the quiet […] The post The Good Wife: Carol Neulander appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Sherri Rasmussen had everything going for her. She was smart, athletic, and beautiful. She graduated high school at age 16, breezed through college, and landed a prestigious job as a hospital director of nursing in her late 20s. In 1985, Sherri married the man of her dreams. Three months later, she was found murdered in […] The post His Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen appeared first on Tiegrabber.

In November of 2012, Cari Lea Farver just up and left everything behind: her new boyfriend, her job, and even her son. This was not like Cari, who was a responsible worker, a reliable friend, and a devoted mom. Then an alarming string of texts from Cari’s phone set everyone on edge. Cari’s new boyfriend, […] The post Cyberstalked: Cari Lea Farver appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Law enforcement interrogation is a real skill, but much of it has been questioned in recent years with instances of botched police investigations and false confessions. When police have little forensic evidence, as is the case with many cold cases, witness interviews and suspect interrogations can be crucial in solving a case. But how far […] The post Secrets & Lies: Solving the Murders of Katherine and Sheila Lyon appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Heather Elvis was just 20-years old when she disappeared on a Tuesday night just one week before Christmas. Heather was kind and clever. She knew what it was like to work hard and she liked to have fun. She never would have disappeared from her family without explanation. When Heather’s father, Terry, was notified that […] The post The Disappearance of Heather Elvis appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Good friends 13-year old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German had a day off from school on Monday, February 13, 2017. At around noon, they decided to visit a local hiking trail. But when Libby’s father showed up at 3pm to pick up the girls, they weren’t there. By 5:30pm, the police were called and […] The post The Delphi Murders: Abby Williams & Libby German appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Susan Reinert was an English teacher at Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, when she began dating fellow English teacher William Bradfield. Bradfield was charismatic. In fact, Susan left her husband to carry on a secret relationship with him. On June 25, 1989, Susan’s naked body was found in her car […] The post Something Wicked: The Murders of Susan, Karen, & Michael Reinert appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Oxnard, California is a town like many towns across the United States. Oxnard has its share of institutional racism and gender hate, but no one would have expected one junior high student to murder another in cold blood. Growing up transgender, biracial, and in an abusive home, Leticia King had many challenges in life. At […] The post A Murder in Junior High appeared first on Tiegrabber.

The story of Tina Fontaine’s life belongs to her and her family, but it parallels many others in Indigenous communities. Her struggle for stability, the promises not kept, and the sexual exploitation she endured meant that Tina experienced more trauma and pain than most people could imagine. Because of situations beyond her control, Tina needed […] The post Just a Girl: The Life and Death of Tina Fontaine appeared first on Tiegrabber.

The life portrayed on social media by Jennifer Hart seemed perfect. She and her wife, Sarah, were a progressive and loving couple with six adopted black children. Pictures on Facebook showed two moms giving their disadvantaged children a better life. Never mind that the pictures looked posed and the children were rail thin. Real life […] The post The Hart Family Tragedy appeared first on Tiegrabber.

On December 2, 2010, 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found dead on the floor of her apartment building’s garbage compactor room. Her death was slow and painful as she bled to death, alone and in pain, on the dirty floor. Now, nearly 10 years have passed, and her family is still searching for answers. This was […] The post Phoebe’s Fall: The Unexplained Death of Phoebe Handsjuk appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Wendi Mae Davidson excelled in school and succeeded in her career, but her personal life was always a mess. Wendi had a habit of either choosing the wrong men or sabotaging her relationships. Unfortunately, her parents enabled her unstable and selfish behavior. After two unplanned pregnancies, Wendi married 24-year old Air Force officer Michael Severance. […] The post The Case Against Wendi Mae Davidson appeared first on Tiegrabber.

In a small, quiet seaside town in 1991, the bodies of young nurse Lesley Howell and police officer, Trevor Buchanan, were found in a car filled with carbon monoxide. Lesley wore headphones playing her favorite Christian music. She was surrounded by family photos. These deaths stunned the community and broke the hearts of family members. […] The post Indecency: The Murders of Lesley Howell & Trevor Buchanan appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Maria Cruz was a perfect example of the American dream fulfilled. Growing up in the Philippines, she moved to New York in 1992, received her M.B.A. from Fordham University, and took a job as a senior credit analyst. On Palm Sunday, April 13, 2003, Maria attended mass at St. Malachy’s Church. She stopped by her […] The post The Pretender: Dean Faiello appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Dale Ewell worked hard to give his children all of the advantages he didn’t have as a child. His wife, Glee, provided a loving home, staying home with their daughter Tiffany and son Dana, showering them with attention as well as possessions. Growing up with every advantage, Dana Ewell didn’t appreciate what he was given. […] The post Eight Million Reasons to Kill: The Ewell Family Murders appeared first on Tiegrabber.

When things didn’t go the way Raynella Leath wanted, she could be calculating and vicious. But she could also be quite charming. After attempting to kill a man who considered her a friend, and after two husbands died suspicious deaths, the people where she lived in Solway, Tennessee wondered about Raynella. Many feared her and […] The post Until Death: The Crimes of Raynella Leath appeared first on Tiegrabber.

With little medical training and no scientific basis for her treatments, Dr. Linda Hazzard was able to attract many wealthy clients to her Institute of Natural Therapeutics in Olalla, Washington. Dorothea and Claire Williamson, wealthy sisters from England, read Dr. Hazzard’s book “Fasting for the Cure of Disease” and believed it was their path to […] The post Hunger: The Starvation Heights Murders appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Kim Barry loved to dance and she had plans to train as a nurse. Living with her parents in a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, she cared for disabled children in preparation for her future career. On Friday night, February 6, 1981, Kim’s parents left town overnight, leaving her in charge of […] The post The Girl Who Loved to Dance appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Amy St. Laurent went out on a Saturday night and seemed to vanish into thin air. As parents, this is our worst nightmare. Amy was a sensible, smart young woman who knew how to take care of herself, but one bad choice put her into the path of a violent predator. In the search for […] The post Finding Amy St. Laurent appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Brandon Teena was a female to male transgender person born into a homophobic culture. As we discuss Brandon’s life growing up in rural Nebraska in the 1970s and 80s, it’s difficult to conceive of the difficulties he faced. As we discuss Brandon’s story, we can see how his life spiraled out of control as he […] The post Boys Do Cry: The Brandon Teena Story appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Kurt Sonnenfeld has been in the news for nearly 18 years, both for the death of his wife Nancy and for being an outspoken 9/11 “truther.” As a videographer for FEMA, Kurt put together footage of the 9/11 disaster for media outlets around the world. On CNN, he spoke of the heroics of the recovery […] The post Justice Denied: The Death of Nancy Sonnenfeld appeared first on Tiegrabber.

It’s been nearly 40 years since young wife and mother Lynette Dawson disappeared from her New South Wales home. Lynette’s last known conversation was with her mother. On the morning of January 8, 1982, her mother called to plan an outing to a local beach. Lynette agreed, but she was nowhere to be found when […] The post A Lovely Drink: The Disappearance of Lynette Dawson appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Stacey Castor was a recent widow, suspected of two murders, when her eldest daughter Ashley was hospitalized following an apparent suicide attempt. While some people looked at Stacey with sympathy, others thought she was evil, a woman who was alone responsible for the tragedies in her life. The story of Stacey Castor’s life, her relationships, […] The post Her Dark Plans: Stacey Castor appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Summer Shipp reinvented herself after her divorce, but she always had a big heart and a lively, idealistic personality. When she disappeared in 2004, she was happy with her life. She had a close relationship with her adult daughter, Brandy, and she had a large group of friends. Money was tight, but she was as […] The post Searching for Summer Shipp appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Most of our TCB episodes deal with the intricacies of family, friend, or co-worker relationships, where different personalities and vulnerabilities come together in one tragic act of murder. But what about the less common but often more perplexing cases of random killings? American serial killer Israel Keyes was arrested in 2012 in connection with the […] The post A Killer on the Road: The Abduction of Samantha Koenig appeared first on Tiegrabber.

In February, 2010, Joseph McStay, his wife, Summer, and their young sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., disappeared from their Fallbrook, California home. Days later, their SUV was found abandoned in a parking lot near the Mexican border. A dark and fuzzy surveillance video was released which seemed to show a family matching their descriptions walking […] The post Betrayed & Buried: The McStay Family appeared first on Tiegrabber.

When handsome, wealthy investment banker Ted Ammon missed a Monday morning business meeting and failed to pick up his children from school, friends were concerned. Ted was nothing if not reliable. He had spent the weekend at his East Hampton home, so his business partner took a helicopter ride to his estate to see what […] The post In His Own Home: The Ted Ammon Story appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Brandon Michael Reid was in and out of hospitals from infancy. His mother, Tanya, a devoted mother and part-time nurse, seemed to take her son’s illnesses in stride. But when a pattern emerged suggesting Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Brandon Michael was put into foster care. Then, an investigation into Tanya’s past revealed a very disturbing […] The post A Mother’s Love: The Death of Morgan Reid appeared first on Tiegrabber.

On the day after Thanksgiving in 2010, Tanya Zuvers reported her three young sons missing from her home in Morenci, Michigan. Her husband was supposed to bring the boys back to her on Friday morning, but he never did. The couple had been living apart and planned to divorce. Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, […] The post Stolen Lives: The Skelton Brothers appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Mom and skilled pilot Kelsey Berreth was last seen on Thanksgiving Day, 2018. After not hearing from her daughter for over a week, her mother Cheryl Berreth reported Kelsey missing. Authorities contacted Kelsey’s fiancé, Patrick Frazee, but he said he hadn’t seen Kelsey either and that the two had recently broken up. As the search […] The post Vanished: Kelsey Berreth appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Susan McFarland, a hard-working mother of three, disappeared just before Thanksgiving in 2002. Three days later, her car was found in an abandoned parking lot with the keys still in the ignition. Her friends and family hoped that Sue had just gone off to have some time alone. But investigators became suspicious of foul play […] The post Gone From Home: The Disappearance of Susan McFarland appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Today’s crime has been compared to the 1987 film “Fatal Attraction” starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas. Calling the murder of Betty Jeanne Solomon “The Fatal Attraction Murder” was good for headlines, but if you were to ask Carolyn Warmus, she would probably tell you there were no similarities at all. Carolyn was a young, […] The post Fatal Attraction: The Murder of Betty Jeanne Solomon appeared first on Tiegrabber.

There is no one more innocent than a 14 month old child, the age Jaidyn Leskie was when he disappeared. Jaidyn was born in and lived his life in poverty and ignorance. Some would say that his mother loved him and tried her best. Others would say she was a careless and neglectful drunk. Either […] The post Broken Boy: The Jaidyn Leskie Story appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Kelly Ann Tinyes was just two days shy of her 14th birthday when she disappeared in her own neighborhood in 1989. In the days that followed, children stopped playing outside. Terrified neighbors began a harassment campaign of the Golubs, a family whose two sons were suspects. The Golub home appeared like any other well-maintained suburban […] The post What Happened on Horton Road? The Kelly Ann Tinyes Story appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Barbara Daly was once one of New York City’s ten most beautiful girls. She was a model who attended high society parties and married a wealthy man, Brooks Baekeland. The couple had a luxury apartment in the Upper East Side of New York, but they traveled extensively, staying in houses and villas in Paris, London, […] The post The Good Son: The Murder of Barbara Daly Baekeland appeared first on Tiegrabber.

In a rundown two-story house in Findley, Ohio, 24-year old Vera Jo Reigle was a prisoner and a slave. The story behind how Vera ended up in such a terrible circumstance is complicated and disturbing. At the heart of the story is the Brooks family, a family engaged in generational abuse and criminal activity. Join […] The post The Girl on the Train Tracks appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Long before there was a Susan Smith or a Casey Anthony, there was Alice Crimmins. When the New York housewife called the police to report her two young children missing in the summer of 1965, the focus was on her custody battle with her estranged husband and the children’s father, Edmund Crimmins. When it came […] The post Unthinkable: The Trials of Alice Crimmons appeared first on Tiegrabber.

The shocking story of arson investigator John Leonard Orr began in 1984. A fire in a Pasadena, California, hardware store killed four people, including a 2-year-old child. Arson investigators examined the ruins and determined that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. All except John Orr. He was convinced that the cause was arson. […] The post Fire Starter: John Leonard Orr appeared first on Tiegrabber.

22-year old Taylor Samson left his fraternity on the night of August 15, 2015. He had only his cell phone and a large black duffel bag as he walked out the door, telling his girlfriend he would be back soon. She knew that he had been dealing drugs, but Taylor tried to keep his life […] The post Blood Money: The Murder of Taylor Samson appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Michele Wallace was a freelance photographer who disappeared hiking in Colorado in 1974. She was a free spirit, a pretty and adventurous 25-year old woman with long dark hair she wore in two thick braids. It was late August when Michele told her parents she was going on a backpacking trip with her dog in […] The post Those They Left Behind: The Victims of Roy Melanson appeared first on Tiegrabber.

When two teenaged sisters were arrested for murdering their 43-year old mother in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, the community was shocked. Shock was followed by outrage when it came out that many of their friends had been aware of the murder plot. Some had even offered advice on the best way to kill their […] The post Bathtub Girls: A Story of Matricide appeared first on Tiegrabber.

When Amanda Hamm’s three young children drowned in Clinton lake in 2003, the incident was compared to the Susan Smith case. Amanda and her live-in boyfriend, Maurice LaGrone Jr., were in the front seat of Amanda’s 1997 Cutlass when it went into the lake from the boat ramp. Amanda and Maurice escaped the shallow water, […] The post Into Clinton Lake: The Amanda Hamm Story appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Christian Michael Longo was married at age nineteen and was a father of three by the time he was twenty-six. Originally from Michigan and raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, Longo did not adapt well to his life as a husband and father. His wife, MaryJane, stayed home with their children while Longo was expected to […] The post Disassociated: Christian Longo appeared first on Tiegrabber.

Bill and Melanie McGuire were an attractive couple in their thirties. They had two young sons, two successful careers, and they had just closed on a $500,000 home when Bill disappeared. Melanie told their friends that they had fought on the night they had closed on their new home. Bill had physically attacked her and […] The post The Suitcase Murder appeared first on Tiegrabber.

The disappearance of 53-year old Cher Hughes from her paradise-like home set off an investigation that led to the search for a serial killer in Panama in 2010. Cher had moved with her husband Keith to Bocas del Toro, Panama, to live out her dream on their own private island. But, after she and Keith […] The post A Serial Killer in Paradise appeared first on Tiegrabber.

After middle-aged couple Wayne and Sharmon Stock were brutally killed in their Nebraska farmhouse, police decided that a family member was behind their murder. A nephew confessed and implicated his cousin as his accomplice. But they still needed some physical evidence. Enter forensics investigator David Kofoed. Kofoed found a spot of blood underneath the dashboard […] The post Nebraska Joyride: The Murders of Sharmon & Wayne Stock appeared first on Tiegrabber.