Cold Case Murder Mysteries

On August 5, 1962, the world learned of the death of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, who succumbed to an overdose of barbiturates at age 36. Decades later, however, many still speculate the actress was the victim of murder. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological profile of the life and death of a legend.

On November 18, 1993, 9-year-old Angie Housman vanished after getting off a school bus less than a block from her home. In the following days, terror gripped the residents of St. Ann, MO as police searched desperately for a missing little girl and her abductor. Their worst fears were confirmed when Angie's frozen body was discovered tied to a tree in a remote wilderness nearby. 25 years later, her killer's identity remains unknown. Join host Ryan Kraus as he paints a psychological portrait of evil from the scarce palette of clues left on this canvas.

On May 31, 2014, a 12-year-old middle school student from Waukesha, WI was discovered lying on a bike path covered in blood, the victim of a vicious stabbing. Police soon learned the attackers were the girl's best friend Morgan Geyser and classmate Anissa Weier, who were apprehended while attempting to flee to a fictional mansion in the forest. When prompted for motive, they claimed a paranormal being named Slender Man was going to kill their families if they didn't comply with his demands to eliminate their friend. But more than 5 years later, we still don't have an answer that's even remotely grounded in reality. Join host Ryan Kraus on a psychological journey for the truth.

On the morning of November 24, 1997, parents Steve and Marlene Aisenberg called 911 to report their 5-month-old daughter, Sabrina, had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night. But the police didn't find any evidence of an intruder. So, what began as a kidnapping quickly became whispers of foul play, with the cops pointing the finger at the parents. 20 years later, we're still wondering what happened to Sabrina Aisenberg. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the truth beneath the lies.

On March 31, 2006, a 27-year-old Ohio State medical student named Brian Shaffer went out for a night of drinking with a friend, one that culminated at the Big Tuna Saloona, where Brian is seen on security footage talking to two young women outside the entrance at 1:55am. He then walks off camera back into the bar, and subsequently disappears from the face of the Earth, never to be heard from again. Join host Ryan Kraus as he examines the most likely explanations for this baffling mystery.

August 20, 1989 - Two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, enter their parents Beverly Hills mansion shortly before midnight and execute the couple with shotgun blasts, garnering the suspicion of police in the aftermath as they spend a fortune on lavish gifts and vacations. But soon the evil deeds will catch up with them, and the brothers are arrested for the murders. What follows in the trial is a battle for the truth that pits allegations of sexual assault against monetary greed. But, in the end, we're still left with one pertinent question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus as he attempts to answer this question through the societal implications of that time period in America.

On October 1, 1974 director Tobe Hooper unleashed a horror film that silenced US audiences from coast to coast with its unflinching look at a group of young people who run out of gas on a road trip and end up getting slaughtered by a crazed family living in a decrepit house nearby. But beneath the surface of this iconic film, and behind the mask of its star, Leatherface, is the mystery of its origin. Join host Ryan Kraus as he peels back the curtain on the evolutionary implications of a horror masterpiece.

On the afternoon of October 24, 1961 a little girl shows up at the doorstep of her neighbor's home in Lincoln, MA to proclaim, "Mommy's gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint." What follows is one of the most baffling disappearances in American history, one that remains unsolved to this day. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological study of movement in an attempt to uncover the truth.

Join host Ryan Kraus for the final chapter of this series covering the infamous Robin Hood Hills child murders. In this episode, we examine Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of 8-year-old victim Stevie Branch, who garnered strong suspicion in the case when DNA testing revealed a hair possibly matching his own was found in a ligature of another victim, Michael Moore.

On June 3, 1993, a 17-year-old boy with a low IQ named Jessie Misskelley confessed to the Robin Hood Hills murders at the West Memphis police department. The minor was not represented by an attorney, nor were his parents present. By the end of the interrogation, however, he'll have implicated Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and himself as the perpetrators of this horrific crime. But was he telling the truth?