Premeditated

In 1982, a young single mother, Jerilyn Towers, went missing after an evening spent at a local bar. When police started to question a man named James (Jimmy) Hicks who was thought to be involved, another missing woman's case came to light... and the crimes wouldn't stop then or there.

In October 1990, Pittsfield, Massachusetts was a small, quiet town where everyone knew everyone, neighbors didn't lock their doors, and kids were free to bike and walk everywhere no matter the time of day. Within hours, that all changed with the disappearance of 12 year old Jimmy Bernardo. The weeks following the disappearance were heartbreaking, and when the perpetrator was finally captured 4 years later, the horrific details of his crimes and eventual plan came to light. 

In the 1930s, a man named Joe Ball ruled Elmendorf, Texas. "Joe's Place" was a hoppin' spot- not just becuase beautiful women served beer and liquor, but because there was a giant alligator pit in the back where visitors were entertained by cruel alligator shows. 

Over the course of a decade, patrons noticed many attractive female employees coming and going from the tavern, with little to no explanation when they left. Was Joe a man who liked to keep the workforce fresh and new, or could something more sinister be afoot?

The early 1900s in Missouri ("Missour-a", as Kate says) was a weird time. But nothing was quite as weird as Bertha Gifford. Between 1906 and 1928, Bertha portrayed herself as a helpful nurse, when in fact, she was poisoning her patients- including at least 17 men, women and children. Nobody was safe from her "tonics", but despite her best efforts, her cruel charades would end in 1928. 

On May 13, 2008, Brandon Swanson was celebrating the end of his spring semester with friends at parties in various small towns in rural Minnesota. Shortly after leaving a house party around midnight on May 14th, Brandon's car became stuck in a ditch, and he called his parents for help. What happened over the next several hours is confusing and has led to various theories over the years, but at the end of those theories, we are still left with a missing young man 15 years later. 

On January 29, 2010, Tanya Nikitina was just leaving her job as a preschool teacher, when shots were fired, and her life was cut short. Her ex mother-in-law was arrested for the murder, and the strange explanations for the killing have evolved over the years.

June 12, 1977 was a dark day at Camp Scott in Mayes County, Oklahoma. That night, while nestled safely in their tent on the first night of sleepaway Girl Scout camp, Lori Farmer, Michelle Guse, and Doris Milner were brutally assaulted and murdered. While the case has been closed- just in the last year- many questions still remain.