The Wetterling abduction story kept getting bigger as the case served as a conduit for public fear and grief. Capitalizing on a growing sense that pedophiles lurked in every shadow, the likes of Maury Povich and Geraldo Rivera joined the cause with sensational retellings of the crime and its consequences.

S1 E4: The Circus

In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the mysterious abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the lack of accountability that sheriffs face when they fail to solve cases. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. In 2020, In the Dark released a special report on the coronavirus pandemic in the Mississippi Delta. In 2023, In the Dark joined The New Yorker and Condé Nast. “The Runaway Princesses,” In the Dark’s first collaboration with a New Yorker staff writer, is a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal family keep trying to run away. Season 3 of In the Dark is currently in production. In the Dark is a two-time Peabody Award winner and, in 2019, became the first podcast to win a George Polk Award, one of the top honors in investigative journalism. The program has also received an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Documentary

True crime

Secret recordings reveal what happened to Latifa after armed men stormed the yacht she was hoping would bring her to freedom."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker.  To read Heidi Blake’s reporting on the princesses of Dubai, visit newyorker.com/princesses.

The Runaway Princesses, Episode 4: Hostage

Latifa has made it to international waters, but she’s not out of danger. Her father has powerful forces at his command."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

The Runaway Princesses, Episode 3: A Nice Lunch

Princess Latifa is desperate to help her sister Shamsa, who’s been captured, drugged, and imprisoned on her father’s orders. She makes a plan to flee Dubai."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

The Runaway Princesses, Episode 2: Escape

As sex workers flee Sheikh Mohammed’s U.K. estate bruised and weeping, no one is held to account. British authorities look the other way after one of the sheikh’s own daughters tries to escape."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

The Runaway Princesses, Episode 1: Sisters

New episodes of “The Runaway Princesses” will drop each week in the In the Dark feed. But if you want to listen right away, you can get the whole series now. Just visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe for $1/week.If you’re already a New Yorker subscriber, download the app for iOS or Android to listen.

S1 E4: The Circus

Download our free app to listen on your phone