The North Shore presents a postcard-perfect façade of historic towns and scenic coastline, beneath this charming exterior lies a darker history of unsolved mysteries that have haunted local communities for decades. During a sold-out live show at Off Cabot in Beverly, Massachusetts, we pulled back the curtain on cold cases that continue to echo through North Shore communites, revealing how justice finally arrived for Claire Gravel, a Salem State sophomore murdered in 1986, when DNA evidence identified her killer 36 years later. This stands in stark contrast to cases like six-year-old Jesus de la Cruz, who disappeared from Lynn in 1996 after being approached by a man with a distinctively marked dog, or Lois Centifanti, whose 1974 strangulation murder remains unsolved despite her body being discovered in Lynn Harbor.

What makes these cases particularly haunting is the suggestion that some killers may have escaped justice not just through clever evasion, but through protection. The murder of 15-year-old Henry Bedard, Jr. in Swampscott has become what locals describe as "an open secret" – a case where community members whisper about the perpetrator but fear or family connections have prevented justice for nearly half a century. As audience members shared their own insights and connections to these cases, it became clear that many cold cases remain unsolved not for lack of information, but because relationships, fear, and sometimes nepotism have created walls of silence. We explore cold cases that continue to haunt local communities decades later while highlighting how scientific advances and changing relationships can bring resolution to seemingly hopeless situations.

• Claire Gravel's 1986 murder case was solved in 2022 after 36 years through DNA evidence
• Six-year-old Jesus de la Cruz disappeared from Lynn in 1996 after a stranger with a distinctive dog approached him
• Lois Centifanti was murdered in Lynn Harbor in 1974, with friends receiving threatening notes to "keep quiet"
• Leanne Redden vanished in 2013 on Marathon Monday, with her boyfriend returning all her belongings days later
• Joel de los Reyes was found in Rumney Marsh after taking a Lyft from Chelsea
• Karen Sharpe's 2000 murder by her husband received national attention due to salacious headlines rather than domestic violence issues
• Henry Bedard Jr's 1974 murder remains what locals call "an open secret" in Swampscott

Do you have information about these or other North Shore crimes? Email your tips & case suggestions - more at crimeofthetruestkind.com.

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This podcast has minimal profanity but from time to time you get one or some curse words. This isn't for kids.

Music included in episodes from Joe "onlyone" Kowalski, Dug McCormack's Math Ghosts and Shredding by Andrew King

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