True Crime with Elli Mac

In the early hours of the 7th November, 2014, Joseph Parker called 911 and told the operator the most horrifying thing.Joseph had just confessed to murdering his wife and to then putting her in the freezer, but miraculously after 48 hours he believed her to still be alive.He asked the dispatcher to send out paramedics to help his wife who he believed to still be alive as he still loved her.But contrary to what Joseph had said, when police arrived at the 246 Clydesdale Lane home, they found Samantha Parker dead stuffed inside the freezer, and Joseph was nowhere to be found.Was this true? Had Joseph really done this to his own wife? And finally, where was Joseph Parker?

When firefighters entered 21 Rue le Sueur in Paris’ 16th arrondissement on the 11th March 1944, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary – except for the foul-smelling smoke from the chimney.The foul smoke had been pouting out of the chimney for 5 days, and the neighbours had had enough so had notified the police who then in turn called firefighters.

The firefighters proceeded to enter the home through the 2nd story window and then made their way down to the basement. Nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to stumble upon.

Sticking out of a furnace, as if waving hello, was a charred human arm.

Neighbours said the property belonged to Dr Marcel Petiot, but he was nowhere to be found. Could this well-respected doctor really be capable of this? Who were the bodies in the basement, and how many were there? And finally, where was Dr. Petiot?

In the early hours of the 28th March 2005, 5-year-old Tia Herneln called 911, saying that she had just found both her parents lying on the floor covered in blood.Donna, the dispatcher spoke to little Tia and tried to keep her calm and focused, whilst she sent out for someone to go to the house.When the police finally arrived, to their utmost horror, they found 5-year-old Tia still on the phone with Donna, and her mother Julie dead in the bedroom, lying next to her husband Aeneas, Tia’s father, who was clinging to life.Who had committed this horrible act? And why had they done it? Was this a robbery gone wrong? Or was this a brutal act of revenge?

On February 23, 1991 Dan Willoughby and his wife Trish Willoughby arrived in Mexico with their three children for a family holiday.Later that afternoon, Dan and the children headed off to the nearby museum, whilst Trish stayed behind to have a nap as she said she was very tired.When the family arrived home, 2 hours later, the children excitedly ran into their mothers room to tell her what they had seen at the museum.But to there utmost horror, they found their mother clinging onto life.When police arrived at the crime scene, Dan them that over $400 in cash and two rings were missing from the scene, so they thought it might have been a robbery gone bad.10 days later, a woman was arrested on unrelated charges, and in her possession they found the missing jewellery Dan had described, including Trish's wedding ring.As the police got further into their investigation, they quickly realised that this woman, was not just a random woman.It turned out she was incredibly closely connected to the family. But by the time, they figured that she may have been involved in Trish’s murder, the woman had already been released and she was now missing.Who was this woman and where was she? How did she know the family and close was she to them? Was she involved in Trish’s murder? And if so, did she act alone?

When 3-year-old Ryan, 2-year-old Hannah, 1-year-old Lydsey, and 4-month-old Danny were supposedly kidnapped on the 7th of January 2008, their parents Lam Luong and Kieu Phan, reported them missing.The following day, however, in a horrible turn of events, their father Lam Luong told investigators that they wouldn't find the children as they were all dead.When they asked Lam Luong, to take them to where the children were, Lam directed them to drive to the highest point of the 80-foot Dauphon bridge.In complete disbelief, Captain Wilson turned around in his patrol car and looked at Lam Luong and asked him “Do you mean to tell me that you threw your four children off the top of the Dauphin Island Bridge?” To which Lam Luong simply replied, “Yes”Was this true? Had Lam Luong committed this unspeakable act? If he had, why had he done it? And were the children still alive?This is the absolutely heartbreaking case of how and why, this vile person, decided to play God and murder his helpless and innocent young children in the most cruel way.

When Dru Sjodin, mysteriously vanished from the Columbia Mall parking lot, after her shift at work on the 22nd November 2003, the community immediately jumped into action to try and find her.Hundreds of members of the community, police officers and the FBI spent months looking for her, but sadly, five months later, her body was found in a ravine.The police already knew who was behind her kidnapping and murder, and had already arrested someone, five months earlier.Their suspect had a horrendous criminal record and had just been released from jail, 17 years early.Why on earth was this monster on the streets and living amongst the community. Why had he been given another chance to commit such horrible crimes against innocent women?

When 23-year-old Linda Fleming disappeared in West Yorkshire on the 22nd of January 1993, the community immediately stepped up and began looking for her.6 days into the search, there was still no sign of Linda or any clues to her whereabouts, so her boyfriend, Stuart Williamson, her father Derek, and her brother, also named Stuart, appealed for information before press and television cameras.During the press conference, fighting back tears, Linda’s father, Derek Fleming, said, “Wherever you are and whatever the reason, please come home or just ring. We all love you and want you back.”The appeal, however, bought no new leads, and Linda was still missing, but three days later, everybody’s worst fears were confirmed when Linda’s body was found in a moorland ditch eight miles from her home.Linda was a loved member of the community and had no enemies, so it was hard to believe that someone could kill her and then dump her body in a ditch so heartlessly.With no obvious motive, police began to suspect that Linda had been killed by someone she knew, somebody close to her.

Who had killed Linda Fleming so violently, and why had they done it?

On the 9th of January 2008, Sophie Elliott was excited and ready for a new stage in her life. She had recently ended an on and off again relationship with her abusive ex-boyfriend Clayton Weatherston, and was looking forward to a free and happy future.

She was packing up her life in her bedroom as she had just gotten her dream job 500 miles away and was due to leave shortly.

But her ex-boyfriend Clayton wouldn't let this happen. He turned up unannounced at her house and stabbed her 216 times in her bedroom, killing her violently and mutilating her body.

When police arrived at the scene and asked him why he had killed her, Clayton calmly responded because of `The emotional pain she has caused me over the past year'.

Clayton did not resist arrest, but at the trial, he pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted to manslaughter, claiming Sophie had provoked him into stabbing her.

Was this true? Had Sophie attacked Clayton first? Or was this narcissistic monster lying through his teeth and painting his ex-girlfriend in a bad light?

When 36-year-old Army Veteran Maribel Ramos didn't show up to her softball game on the 3rd of May, 2013, her family immediately began to worry.Her roommate KC Joy, had also reported her missing at around 10:40am, saying that she had not come home that previous night.Her family made several attempts to contact her but when this failed, they immediately sprung into action and started searching for her.They scoured the city for any trace of her, but sadly, in a horrifying twist of events, about 2 weeks after her disappearance, Maribel’s lifeless body was discovered.Who had murdered Maribel Ramos?The search for Maribel’s murderer quickly lead them to someone who had once been close to her, someone she called a friend.This is the story of Maribel Ramos’ tragic murder and what happened when attraction turned to jealousy and obsession.