Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories

In 1979, a Seattle psychic who studied psychedelics went missing. Her brother suspected she’d been kidnapped by a cult, but other theories leaned toward the more mystical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By 1973, the Boston Strangler was behind bars — but the killing wasn't over. The notorious murderer became the victim of a jailhouse homicide that has yet to be solved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between 1962 and 1964, Massachusetts was terrorized by a serial killer known as the Boston Strangler. Officers raced to discover his true identity and put an end to his murder spree. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As babysitters became horror movie tropes, the real-life terror didn't slow down. In 1981, 15-year-old babysitter Kelly Cook was murdered by a man who called himself "Bill Christensen." To this day, his true identity remains a mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1953, 15-year-old Evelyn Hartley left to babysit a neighbor's child – but she never came home. Following a trail of bloodstains and clothing scraps, police led a fruitless search for her killer. Today, some believe Evelyn might've been the victim of one of the most terrifying serial killers in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A 1950 crime in Missouri may have inspired the urban legend about the babysitter and the man upstairs. When the Romacks returned from a night out, they found their 13-year-old babysitter, Janett Christman, dead in their living room — and police had reason to believe it was an “inside job.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a beachcomber discovered Starr’s body, it took two autopsies to determine foul play. Was Starr’s childhood abuser — and former mayor of Boston — behind her death? Did Starr decide to take her own life that night on the water, as some of her private letters suggested? Or did she get wrapped up with a notorious gangster in a blackmail scheme gone wrong? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1931, the body of a young woman washed up on the shores of Long Island. Starr Faithfull had spent the Roaring Twenties chasing glamor, partying in speakeasies and sneaking aboard cruise ships. Her mysterious death became a tabloid sensation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After more than a decade of setbacks and hurdles, researcher Silvia Pettem was finally able to confirm Jane Doe's identity, and it happened in the most mysterious of ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1954, two college freshmen found the body of a young woman in a creek near Boulder, Colorado. Unable to identify her, police simply referred to her as Jane Doe. Over 50 years later, authorities were still unable to track down her name… or her killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the coroner’s inquiry underway, damning evidence reveals the nature of Diana Yeates and Dr. Eric Hedberg’s relationship — but it’s not enough to secure a conviction. The police’s prime suspect walks away, leaving more than one mysterious death in his wake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On an early September morning in 1960, surgeon Jim Yeates was found dead in the garage with a pool of blood around his head. The well-respected doctor had no known enemies, so police were left with few suspects. But when the coroner's report came in, a different cause of death was determined — and it would shift the entire investigation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Diamond didn’t make many friends as a bootlegger and racketeer. Anybody could have been responsible for his death… including the police themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During the 1920s and ‘30s, his rap sheet had everything from robbery, to bootlegging, to drugs. Jack “Legs” Diamond was wanted by law enforcement and wanted dead by other gangsters. After surviving four assassination attempts, he wouldn’t survive the fifth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1908, a young domestic servant was found murdered in upstate New York. Almost a century later, Hazel Drew’s mysterious death — and secret double life — inspired David Lynch and Mark Frost’s “Twin Peaks” television series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Peter Reilly became the main suspect in his mother’s murder, his Connecticut hometown rallied around him. Police pursued him relentlessly, but further investigation would reveal how little they actually knew about Barbara Gibbons’ death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On September 28th, 1973, 51-year-old Barbara Gibbons was discovered dead in her home by her teenage son. He reported her death to the police, but the police soon became convinced that he had killed his own mother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As police find — and lose — leads in the Casanova card player’s murder investigation, a housekeeper hides evidence, a countess provides an alibi, and a business partner changes his story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most famous bridge player in the world rubbed elbows with New York’s elite and tutored the likes of King Edward VII and Harold Vanderbilt before he was fatally shot in his Manhattan brownstone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a fading porn star became desperate enough to help the Wonderland Gang steal from a Hollywood mogul, revenge and murder followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The trial of Edmund Pook ignited a groundswell of working class support for the murdered Jane Clousen. But police struggled to make a convincing case against Pook, spurring a mob to descend on Greenwich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a young British maid is found savagely beaten in 1871, police trace clues back to the wealthy family that employed her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Decades of investigations yielded multiple confessions and a tangled picture of a deadly conspiracy, but the bomber responsible for the deaths of the Moores was never caught. Their daughter Evangeline worked to ensure their legacy would not be forgotten. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For nearly two decades, a Black couple in Florida took on some of the state’s most insidious civil rights violations. Leveraging the political power of the NAACP, Harry T. Moore advocated for fair elections, equal pay, and on behalf of the Groveland Boys in the notorious rape case. On Christmas Day 1951, the Moores were murdered after a bomb exploded under their house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1971, a mangled body was found in a Ventura County creek. It belonged to Ronald Hughes, the unlikely criminal defense lawyer who represented members of the Manson family until his disappearance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After her college best friend is murdered in 1968, Linda Tomaszewski devotes her life to cracking the case. What follows is a decades-long hunt for a killer who dangles cryptic clues and near-confessions — but is never truly caught. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A young journalist took up the investigation into the world-famous golfer’s mysterious death, uncovering a story that began to look a lot like a tale of adultery, jealousy, and murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pro golfer who revolutionized the game with a new technique dubbed “The Movement” was found dead on the side of the road in 1921. The case was reported as a hit and run, but his injuries told a different story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a Washington D.C. intern disappeared in May 2001, her parents learned she was having a secret affair with a powerful politician. The case erupted into a nationwide scandal, but investigators were focused on all the wrong leads. If you enjoy this episode, search Unexplained Mysteries for more questions that haunt history. Listen free on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gossip spread throughout Scotland that Mary herself had a hand in Lord Darnley’s murder. While accusations flew, the Earl of Bothwell forced Mary into marrying him against her will, and Mary discovered a conspiracy against her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1567, a massive explosion shook the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Mary, Queen of Scots, was safe in her palace — but the same couldn’t be said for her scheming husband, Lord Darnley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thelma Todd's ex-husband and business partner, Roland Hughes, was quick to name the starlet's 1935 death an accident. But as the years went on, his story began to crumble, leaving those close to Thelma wondering: Did Roland’s rumored ties to the mob get her killed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1935, a young movie star from Massachusetts was found dead in her Los Angeles garage. Thelma Todd had started making waves in Hollywood eight years earlier — but as her star rose, so too did the scandals surrounding her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the murder of Colonel Albert Fountain and his eight-year-old son, the governor of New Mexico vowed to bring their killers to justice. But the problem was more than just some cattle rustlers. The corruption and violence went all the way to the top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1896, New Mexico was still the Wild West, and Colonel Albert Fountain was one of the only people keeping the territory from being overrun by bandits. But when Fountain went up against the Tularosa Gang, he finally met his match — and his young son got caught in the crossfire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Karen Silkwood's death in 1974 seemed like more than a simple accident. Investigators soon uncovered clues that pointed to a massive conspiracy involving the nuclear plant, the U.S. government, and even the CIA. But they needed more than rumors for a case this big. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November 1974, Karen Silkwood left work at a nuclear power plant in Oklahoma and headed to a secret meeting with The New York Times. She was planning to blow the whistle on illegal and dangerous practices at the plant — but she died before she ever got there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Found dead in her home with twenty-seven knife wounds, Daisy Zick became the subject of intense rumors in her small town of Battle Creek, Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On January 14th, 1963, Raymond Mercer waited for his girlfriend, Daisy Zick, to show up at the factory where they both worked. She never arrived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1874 Saxtown ax murders turned neighbor against neighbor in the small Illinois town. Missing money, a sizable inheritance, and rumors of a family feud inflamed paranoid accusations. And just as it seemed justice might be served, the case ran cold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On March 19th, 1874, Fritz Stelzriede picked up a mysterious package and made rounds at a farm auction before heading home to Saxtown, Illinois. By the next morning, his home had been ransacked, and the entire family was dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On July 5th 1919, 21-year-old Bella Wright was found dead in the English countryside, her bicycle strewn across the road beside her. Investigators thought her death was accidental, until new evidence revealed she had been murdered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1931 gunshot death of Geli Raubal was ruled a suicide by Munich police, but for many people, questions remained. With Hitler’s political career on the line, Nazi officials resorted to cruel measures to control the official narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She’s said to be Hitler’s greatest love — a vivacious companion who became a romantic obsession. Was Geli Raubal also the future Führer’s first victim? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By March 1989, Florence Broadhurst’s case had been cold for over a decade. But a string of murders in suburban Sydney, Australia brought renewed attention to the legendary designer’s mysterious death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sultry stage performer, shrewd businesswoman, charming dressmaker… Florence Broadhurst knew the power of bold reinvention. In 1961, on the brink of financial ruin, she took a gamble that created an empire. But the enemies were close behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the immediate aftermath of Lewis's death, all signs pointed toward suicide. But in the years that followed, the evidence and witness testimonies around what happened that night began to crumble. Soon, whispers started to spread that the American explorer hadn't killed himself at all… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The American explorer Meriwether Lewis was made famous by a pioneering cross-country expedition. But in 1809, three years after its triumphant conclusion, he was shot to death. The mystery of who killed him — and why — has outlived him for centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Toureaux was murdered, the 29-year-old was simultaneously working as a spy for both the Italian fascists and the communists — and picking up money as an informant for the Paris police. Nothing about her life made sense. But nothing about her death did, either. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1937, Laetitia Toureaux entered the first class car of the Paris metro alone. Less than a minute later, she was bleeding to death with a knife in her neck. Her murder would unravel a web of political secrets stretching out across France. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices