Case X Case

On a quiet June morning in 2001, a tragedy unfolded inside a suburban Houston home that forever changed the American conversation around mental illness and the legal system. In this episode, we look past the sensational headlines to examine the life of Andrea Yates—a devoted mother who systematically drowned her five young children while in the grip of severe, untreated postpartum psychosis. 

On January 27, 2015, inside a wealthy, high-security gated community in Stellenbosch, South Africa, 20-year-old Henri van Breda placed a chillingly calm emergency call. He reported that a masked intruder had brutally attacked his family with an axe. When authorities arrived, they found parents Martin and Teresa and adult son Rudi dead, while teenage daughter Marli barely survived. Henri stood on the lawn, uninjured aside from minor cuts, and covered in blood. 

To the outside world, Phillip Austin was a quiet, unassuming forklift driver living a perfectly ordinary life in Northampton, England. But in July 2000, a minor argument over booking a family holiday triggered a wave of horrific violence that shattered that illusion forever. Within hours, Austin committed a brutal family annihilation—murdering his wife Claire, their two young children Keiren and Jade, and even the family's two pet dogs. 

In this episode, we take a closer look at the disturbing case of Ronald Gene Simmons, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant whose crimes in Arkansas in 1987 became one of the most notorious family murder cases in American history. We’ll explore Simmons’ background, the events leading up to the killings, the investigation that followed, and the courtroom proceedings that brought the case into national attention.

We’ll also examine the family dynamics and warning signs surrounding the case, while keeping the focus on the victims and the broader questions the tragedy raises about abuse, control, and violence behind closed doors.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the disturbing case of Anthony Todt, a former family man whose life took a tragic and shocking turn. We’ll walk through the events leading up to the deaths of his wife, three children, and the family dog, the investigation that followed, and the evidence that ultimately brought the case to court.

We’ll also discuss Todt’s background, the timeline of events, and the questions surrounding what happened inside the family’s Florida home. It’s a difficult case, but one that raises important questions about family, deception, and how warning signs can sometimes go unnoticed.

A picture-perfect family. A shocking disappearance. A truth no one saw coming.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the Chris Watts case, following the investigation from the moment Shanann Watts and her children were reported missing to the evidence that exposed what really happened. We'll break down the timeline, examine the key moments in the case, and discuss why it remains one of the most widely discussed true crime stories in recent history. 

 He was a quiet accountant, a devoted churchgoer, and by all appearances, an ordinary family man. But behind that carefully maintained image, John Emil List was hiding financial ruin, desperation, and a deadly plan. In 1971, he murdered his entire family, vanished without a trace, and lived under a new identity for nearly two decades before his capture. This is the chilling story of one of America's most infamous family annihilators—and the long hunt that finally brought him to justice. 

Alicia K was 13 when she was abducted after meeting a man online. 

Steven Stayner was abducted when he was 7, after facing hell for years his kidnapper wanted to make him an accomplice. Instead, Steven became a hero. He rescued himself and 5-year-old Timothy. 

Colleen was a young woman, 20 years old, who wanted to party with her friends. Little did she know her hitchhiking adventure would lead to 7.5 years of imprisonment.