A small Pennsylvania town was forever changed on Halloween night in 1992 when 11-year-old Shauna Howe vanished while walking home from a Girl Scout event. Days later, her body was found beneath a railroad bridge, sending shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Oil City. The investigation spanned more than a decade, filled with dead ends, false leads, and unanswered questions—until the truth finally came to light.In this early release episode, available exclusively to our Apple and Patreon subscribers, we unravel the haunting details of Shauna Howe's murder, the community’s decades-long search for justice, and the dark secrets that were hiding in plain sight.🎧 Listen now—before the episode drops for the public.Content Warning: This episode discusses child abduction, violence, and murder. Listener discretion is advised.

On the morning of May 1, 1990, at around 10:10 PM, Pamela Smart was pulling onto her street to the condo she shared with her husband, Gregg. When she noticed the porch light wasn't on, she sensed something was amiss. After parking her car in the garage, Pamela walked inside and turned on the foyer light. What she saw next shocked her to the core. She saw her twenty-four-year-old husband's body, lying in a pool of his own blood.

SOURCES: 
1) Inside The Brutal Murder Of Greggory Smart At The Hands Of His Wife’s Underage Lover
2) Sex, Lies & Murder: The Pamela Smart Case
3) How Pamela Smart Conspired With Her Teen Lover To Kill Her Husband
4) Billy Flynn Today: Where Is Pamela Smart’s Teen Lover Now?
5) New Hampshire Journal; A Small-Town Drama Of Life, Love and Death

Before he was unmasked as a serial killer, Todd Kohlhepp was a seemingly successful real estate agent with a terrifying secret. We dive into the chilling case of the South Carolina murderer who kept his victims hidden on a secluded property while living a double life in plain sight. From his disturbing past to the shocking moment of his capture, this episode uncovers the twisted mind of a killer who eluded justice for years.Join us as we break down the details, the psychology, and the eerie final confessions of Todd Kohlhepp. But be warned—this story is as unsettling as it gets.

Nubia Barahona was a ten-year-old little girl with blonde hair and hazel eyes who was brutally murdered before she reached her eleventh birthday. Her time on this planet was filled with horrors and abuse so terrible that many people could not even imagine it. Everyone that was put in place to help her ended up letting her down at every turn. Some people did the right thing, but it was just never enough.

SOURCES:
1) The Misery Machine Podcast--The Case of Nubia Barahona
2) Associated Press: Police: Inmates attack man accused in girl’s torture death
3) The Murder of Nubia Barahona Wikipedia Page
4) NBC Miami: Jorge Barahona, charged in 2011 twin murder-abuse case, incompetent to stand trial
5) Find a Grave: Nubia Docter Barahona

On the morning of April 29, 1992, Sidney Reso did what he did almost every morning: he took the long drive down to the end of his driveway to pick up the daily newspaper. However, this morning was different: the husband and father of five never made it to work that morning. Sidney was shot in the arm, bound and gagged, and thrown into the back of a waiting van at his home in Morris Township, New Jersey. Sidney’s kidnappers quickly contacted not only Exxon but Sidney’s wife, Pat. They asked for a notorious amount of money in exchange for the safe return of Sidney: $18.5 million in $100 bills. With a series of complex ransom notes, detectives worked against the clock in an attempt to rescue Sidney.

SOURCES:
1) YouTube--"Kidnapped: The Story of Sidney Reso"
2) The Seattle Times: Mystery: Powerful, Private Man Vanishes -- No Clues In Disappearance Of Key Exxon Executive
3) Obituary for Gregory Steve Reso
4) Find a Grave: Sidney Reso
5) The New York Times: Portrait of 2 Accused of Kidnapping: Ardent, Hapless Pursuit of Affluence
6) United States of America v. Arthur Seale
7) The New York Times: Kidnapped Executive Dies After 4 Days in a Locked Wooden Box
8) TIME Magazine: Four Days in Hell
9) NJ.com: Killer involved in 1992 kidnapping and murder of Exxon executive denied compassionate release

Beneath the surface of a seemingly tight-knit friend group lurked jealousy, deception, and a chilling plot that ended in tragedy. In this episode, we unravel the haunting story of Rachel Burkheimer, a spirited young woman whose life was cut short by those she trusted most. From the petty grudges that festered into violence to the web of lies that unraveled under investigation, this case reveals how quickly friendship can turn deadly.Join us as we dive into the events leading to Rachel’s murder, the twisted motivations behind it, and the aftermath that left a community in shock. Betrayal runs deep, and in this story, it’s fatal.Listener discretion is advised.

On July 18, 2014, around 11 am, Dan Markel was driving home, after dropping his two children off at preschool, and visiting the gym for a morning workout. Dan, a law professor at Florida State University, was in the middle of a bitter divorce and custody battle with his wife, Wendy Adelson (who ALSO was a law professor at FSU). Distracted because he was on a phone call while driving home, Dan didn't notice the silver-green Prius following him home. After pulling into his driveway, his neighbor heard a gunshot. Listen to this week's episode to hear what happened to Dan Markel and who was behind it (and it may not be who you think!)

SOURCES:
1) The 911 Call
2) Wendi Adelson’s First Reaction to Dan Markel Murder: Police Interview
3) The interrogations of Sherlock-Holmes-Like Professor Jeffrey Lacasse
4) Memorial Held for Slain FSU Law Professor Dan Markel
5) How Police Tracked Down and Caught 2 Suspected Hit Men in FSU Professor Murder Case
6) Documents detail potential links to Markel's in-laws
7) FSU professor Dan Markel's killing: Everything to know about the murder-for-hire case
8) More Disturbing Details About The Dan Markel Murder Case
9) New Suspect Arrested in 2014 Murder of Florida Professor Dan Markel
10) Who was Dan Markel? The Murder Victim at the Center of "Over My Dead Body"
11) FSU "About" page for Professor Jeffrey Lacasse
12) Mother accused of murder plot with son puts on shrieking show in court: ‘Oh my god’
13) See a timeline of key dates in the Dan Markel murder case
14) Hidden: A True Crime Podcast--"The Adelson Family & Murder of Dan Markel: FULL STORY & CASE UPDATE"

Step into the dark and tangled web of Betty Lou Beets, The Black Widow. In this exclusive Early Release episode, we unravel the chilling story of a woman whose life was marked by love, betrayal, and murder. With five husbands and two mysterious deaths, Betty Lou’s tale blurs the line between victim and villain. Was she a misunderstood woman fighting for survival—or a calculating predator with a deadly agenda? Join us as we uncover the shocking details, explore the motives, and question the legacy of this infamous femme fatale.

On June 10th, 1983, the decomposing body of a well-dressed man was found in a desolate canyon near Los Angeles. John Doe #94 would soon be identified as missing variety show producer Roy Radin. He'd last been seen after meeting with a mysterious woman in a gold dress. Her name was Lanie Jacobs.  

Jacobs and Radin were obsessed with becoming Hollywood movie producers. And when their paths collided, it led them to a tantalizing film deal promising fame and fortune. But then, a twisted script unfolded, plunging them into a million-dollar cocaine and cash heist, a tangled web of lies, and ultimately – murder.  

The trail led investigators right to Hollywood's doorstep, linking former golden boy producer Robert Evans to the case and dredging up Radin's own troubled past.  

But the case turned ice cold. It would take more than five years of dogged pursuit by the L.A. Sheriff’s Department detectives, a secret undercover witness, and another murder almost 3,000 miles from Hollywood – to unlock the truth.  

This is the story of a doomed Hollywood partnership, a grisly murder and the search that stretched across the country for a killer – or killers.  

From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime: The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet, and the Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley comes a six part series that dives into the dark side of Hollywood through a shocking murder – fueled by ruthless ambition and desperate dreams. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas.  

Listen to Hollywood & Crime: The Cotton Club Murder: Wondery

On Tuesday, June 18, 1985, Jerry Estes was woken by pounding on the door of his office. After a busy Monday, he’d stayed late socializing and drinking beer after hours with some employees and fallen asleep at the Sale Barn, his cattle auction house and café in Nixa, Missouri. He opened the office door half-dressed. His cook, Alice, was standing before him talking excitedly, followed close behind by a distraught server, Dayna. After Alice took a deep breath and slowed down, Jerry found out that Alice and Dayna had spotted a black Camaro with the license plate “JACKI-1” abandoned on the side of Highway 160 with the driver’s side door open. He knew whose car this had to be. One of his servers at the Sale Barn Café, Jackie Johns, had purchased her “dream car” last year. The black, hard top, Camaro with red leather interior was her private world. Listen to this week's episode to hear more about what happened to Jackie Johns.

SOURCES:
1) Book: "Murder on a Lonely Road: A Beauty Queen, a Privileged Killer, and a Twenty-Five Year Search for Justice" by George Pawlaczyk and Beth Hundsdorfer
2) CONVICTION UPHELD: Judge Refuses Retrial in murder of Jackie Johns