Going West: True Crime

In late 1998, a 21-year-old mother vanished from Atlanta after a phone call home on Thanksgiving Day. Months later, her remains were found scattered between multiple garbage bags near her home, but it wasn’t until years later that the remains were linked to a local missing woman. When her cold case was reopened as a homicide investigation, police were shocked to discover that her father was a serial killer, and even more perplexed when it appeared that someone else had murdered her. This is the murder of Melissa Wolfenbarger.

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In October of 2009, a family of three set out for the Oklahoma mountains in search of a fresh start. Days later, their pickup truck was found abandoned on a remote dirt road, containing their wallets, IDs, cell phones, and even their dog...but the family was nowhere to be found. Theories swirled of cult ties, paranormal activity, and marital troubles, all bolstered by unsettling recordings from the family’s own home security cameras. And a shocking discovery four years later raised more questions than it answered. This is the story of the Jamison family.

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In November of 1981, a 25-year-old graduate student at Harvard vanished after arriving at Boston’s Logan Airport after being with family for Thanksgiving. For years, investigators chased down connections to an alleged serial killer, and yet no answers emerged. When her remains were discovered nearly a decade later in a secluded Massachusetts wood, the mystery only deepened, with two completely different disturbing ideas as to what happened to her. This is the murder of Joan Webster.

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In October of 1982, a rising young actress from a prominent Hollywood family was preparing for her next big role, fresh off a breakout performance in one of the year’s biggest horror films. But just months after the movie’s release, her promising future was cut short in a shocking act of violence outside her West Hollywood home. Strangely, it was the first event linked to a string of tragedies connected to the very blockbuster she appeared in that year… This is the murder of Dominique Dunne.

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In October of 2011, a 44-year-old mother of four vanished after returning home from a Halloween party in Tennessee. Her abandoned vehicle was discovered near her house with a flat tire, but Karen herself was nowhere to be found. But only weeks later, her body was recovered near a cemetery, hidden beneath invasive vines, confirming the darkest fears of her family and community… This is the murder of Karen Swift.

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In September of 1977, a 30-year-old woman vanished after a break-up with her eccentric, famous boyfriend. Over a year passed before her decomposing body was found stuffed inside a trunk. So; what drove this once-celebrated socialite to her violent end, and how did her killer manage to hide her in plain sight? This is the murder of Holly Maddux.

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In November of 1996, two parents were brutally murdered inside their home - but the killers weren’t total strangers, and more intriguingly, they were a group of teenagers from Kentucky who called themselves vampires, heading for New Orleans. This cult traveled across state lines, leaving behind a scene of ritualistic violence that shocked the nation. These are the murders of Naoma and Richard Wendorf, also known as The Teen Vampire Murders.

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The day before Halloween, 1966, an 18-year-old college student spent the afternoon at her campus library in Riverside, California, but she never made it home. The next morning, her body was discovered in a nearby alley, brutally stabbed and beaten, with her car found disabled just steps away. Who killed Cheri Jo Bates that night, and could her murder be the first known strike of the Zodiac Killer? Or, was it unrelated like Riverside police think - instead the doing of another student? This is the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.

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In September of 2019, a phone was stolen from an Anchorage, Alaska man, and found to contain videos and images of the brutal murder of an Indigenous woman in a hotel room. As police zeroed in on their suspect, one question remained: did he have more victims? This is the case of Homicide at Midtown Marriott, also known as The Memory Card Murders... The murders of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk.

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On a quiet September morning in 1922, two bodies; one, a respected minister, the other, a singer in his choir, were found beneath a crabapple tree in New Jersey. Both had been thoughtfully posed under that tree, surrounded by carefully placed items, igniting rumors of romance, betrayal, and scandal throughout the town, and begging questions that still remain today. These are the murders of Eleanor Mills and Edward Hall, otherwise known as the Hall-Mills murders.

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On Halloween, 2010, the quiet English village of Ascot was shaken when a bloody scene was found in the charming home of a local, 46-year-old bed and breakfast owner. At first, the brutal scene raised questions of a home invasion gone wrong. But upon finding her body in a garden box, and receiving a strange call into emergency services, a far darker scheme unraveled… This is the murder of Joanna Simpson.

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In October of 1986, a 15-year-old girl attended a friend’s house party in the coastal town of Kingston, Massachusetts after babysitting. After dark, she left the party on foot, heading to pick up cigarettes from the store. But the following day, she was nowhere to be found… For weeks, her disappearance gripped the tight-knit community, until her body was discovered in the woods nearby. With another missing girl, a depraved, suspicious local bible school teacher, and a recent confession, the case would unravel into one of Massachusetts most puzzling mysteries. This is the murder of Tracy Gilpin.

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In the summer of 1997, the quiet Adirondack town of Lake Placid was shattered when a 39-year-old woman went missing. Later that day, her SUV was discovered submerged at the bottom of a nearby lake, her body in the passenger seat. What seemed at first like a tragic accident became horrifyingly clear: this was a homicide. Investigators would come to uncover a dark tale of betrayal, planning, and multiple people with chilling motives… This is the murder of Jeannine Glanda.

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In September of 2025, the body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the car of an impounded vehicle at a Hollywood tow yard. When the car was linked to a touring music artist, D4vd, a disturbing narrative unfolded about his potentially inappropriate relationship with her. But what happened to her? And is he involved? This is the death of Celeste Rivas.

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During the summer of 1974, four girls between the ages of 10 and 19  vanished from the same small Wyoming community while the rodeo was in town. Two of the girls were found dead, and two remain missing, all these years later. Were these abductions committed by the same depraved killer who is thought to have a dozen or more victims? These are the Rawlins Rodeo Murders.

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In September of 2003, a 17-year-old girl vanished from her family’s home in Placer County, California. Her truck was missing from the driveway, but her purse and belongings were still inside the house - as if she had simply stepped out and disappeared into the night. As days turned to weeks, suspicion began to circle closer inwards, and when the truth emerged, it would shock and devastate everyone who knew her. Especially when they learned that she had been buried alive… This is the murder of Justine Vanderschoot.

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In August of 2017, a 35-year-old woman was found dead outside her Michigan home, discovered by her daughter near an open second story window. When police arrived to their affluent neighborhood, a crime originally didn’t appear to have taken place. It looked like she had simply and tragically fallen while cleaning an upstairs window. But when they reviewed footage from the homes surveillance cameras, police would make a bombshell revelation. This is the murder of Nada Huraniah.

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In the late 1970s, suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania lived in the fear as an apparent strangling serial killer hunted young women - walking to school, leaving work. With so many other murders occurring in the area at the time, police originally didn’t know if any of these cases were connected. But soon, DNA would pin at least two of them together, and a consistent MO would help pool a collection of these horrific murders under the same umbrella. This is the story of the Pittsburgh Phantom.

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In September of 1977, a promising 19-year-old college student in San Francisco disappeared after heading to study in her university’s library. Horrifically, she was found brutally murdered the next morning in a locked faculty reading room on the fourth floor, her belongings neatly piled nearby. With an attack on another local woman occurring in the same area that same summer, an intriguing and disturbing suspect came into play. This is the murder of Jenny Low Chang.

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In September of 2009, a 24-year-old woman was released from a Los Angeles sheriff’s station in the middle of the night after being arrested for failing to pay her bill at a Malibu restaurant. In the hours preceding her arrest, she had been acting strangely and speaking in riddles. She had no car, phone, or money, yet she seemed determined to set off into the dark hills of Malibu Canyon, and was never seen alive again. This is the strange death of Mitrice Richardson.

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On a stormy night in August of 1961, an eight-year-old girl vanished from her family home in Tacoma, Washington. There was no ransom note and surprisingly little evidence left behind. So after decades with no answers, an eerie link between the young girl and a man on death row birthed the theory that a notorious serial killer may have claimed her as his first victim. This the disappearance of Ann Marie Burr.

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In August of 1989, a 26-year-old man in Prince George, British Columbia was given an unexpected lifeline when a bearded stranger at a pub offered him and his partner short-term work at a logging ranch nearby. With two young children, desperation for employment outweighed caution. Later that night, a witness saw the family pack their belongings and step into the man’s truck outside their home. But they were never seen again. This is the disappearance of the Jack family.

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In August of 2011, a 21-year-old art student suddenly vanished from her Ohio townhouse. Her purse, her car —even her beloved dog—were all left behind. And with no signs of struggle and no clear explanation, the case baffled investigators and shook her community. For nearly two years, her disappearance was a haunting mystery… until a discovery miles away across state lines changed everything. This is the murder of Katelyn Markham.

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In August of 1973, a 22-year-old woman was beginning her graduate degree in psychology at the same Missouri university when she was brutally murdered in her apartment. Originally, police believed the crime was committed by a woman. Or, a professor she may have been seeing on campus. Now, 52 years later, even more curious potential suspects have come into play, as a whole new investigation is underway. This is the murder of Tess Hilt.

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In July of 2023, a beloved elementary school teacher took a walk through her Maryland neighborhood, just as she did every evening. But this time, she never came home. Within days, her disappearance sparked a massive search effort involving local authorities and concerned volunteers alike. As the weeks wore on, eerie details surfaced, including a photograph of the murder suspect as he was disposing of her remains. This is the murder of Mariame Toure Sylla.

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In the spring of 2009, a short-lived spree of attacks against women in Boston and Rhode Island had the Eastern Seaboard on edge. But when a suspect was finally identified, the revelation was almost too bizarre to believe: a clean-cut, promising medical student with a seemingly perfect home life. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a dual existence darker and more calculated than anyone who knew him could have possibly imagined. These are the crimes of the Craigslist Killer, otherwise known as Philip Markoff.

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In the summer of 1986, two young girls vanished mere months apart, both while out riding their bikes in Tacoma, Washington. Despite exhaustive efforts, both cases went cold, until decades later, when a surprising breakthrough revived the investigation. With new forensic tools and a fresh set of eyes, detectives began to piece together a puzzle that had haunted the community for years, finally finding answers over 30 years later. These are the murders of Michella Welch and Jenni Bastian, otherwise known as the Tacoma Girls.

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In July of 2025, a couple and their two young daughters were hiking at the Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas after recently relocating to the area. But while on the trail, a strange man approached the family, stabbing and murdering the parents. Within days, someone was arrested for the slayings, and his identity would shock the nation. These are the murders of Clint and Cristen Brink, also known as the Devil's Den Murders.

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In March of 2024, two women set off on a short drive through the rural backroads of Oklahoma, but they never made it to their destination. Hours later, their car was found abandoned by the side of the road, but suspiciously, along with signs of a struggle. As the search for them intensified, authorities uncovered a trail marked by custody battles, a religious cult, and secrets buried deep in a small-town community, which would ultimately lead to five arrests. These are the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.

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In the 1980s and ’90s, a deeply disturbed man from New Jersey drifted from town to town, hiding behind a soft-spoken voice and a childlike demeanor. Seemingly tormented by delusions, and obsessed with revenge, he harbored gruesome secrets. By the time investigators connected him to the 1986 disappearance of six-year-old Michele Dorr, and later, the baffling vanishing of Harvard graduate Laura Houghteling, it was clear: this man wasn’t just strange... He was deadly. And he may have left behind more victims than anyone ever realized. This is the story of Hadden Clark, also known, as the Cannibal Gardener.

In July of 1986, a 19-year-old man was found hanging from a tree near his Maryland home. Authorities swiftly ruled it a suicide, but those closest to him questioned everything about the scene; from the small tree, which could barely support his weight, to the lack of an autopsy, to the suspicious friends who seemed to vanish in the wake of his sudden death. Years later, his mother received a suspicious envelope on her doorstep, and new evidence would challenge the original ruling. This is the death of Keith Warren.

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In July of 1995, a 24-year-old woman in Alaska headed out on a date with a man she had only recently met. She was last seen at a crowded summer fair in the forest, surrounded by tourists - but by the time the sun rose the next morning, she was gone. What followed was a desperate search in the unforgiving Alaska wilderness, and eerie silence from her date, which only deepened the mystery. This is the disappearance of Erin Gilbert.

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In the summer of 1990, a serial killer originally dubbed “The Charmer” began his crusade of committing brutal acts of violence against Seattle-area women, then placing their bodies in crude positions before abandoning them. Locals were terrified of the perverse madman loose on the streets of their city - but, thanks to DNA and a few careless slip ups, a suspect was identified. And quickly, the evidence against him began to stack. These are the gruesome murders of Mary Anne Pohlreich, Carol Beethe, and Randi Levine - committed by the Bellevue Killer.

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In the late 1980s, a Hollywood camera operator was murdered in his home in the Los Angeles suburbs. At first glance, the scene appeared to be a tragic and random home invasion. But with little evidence to support this conclusion, a far more sinister story emerged, which would leave two people dead, two people in prison, and one person on death row. This is the murder of Bob Samuels, and the story of the Green Widow murders.

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In July of 2012, a beloved high school teacher was found murdered inside her Staten Island home. Although it was initially believed to be a home invasion gone wrong, the scene left behind raised immediate questions with investigators. And a daunting four-month investigation would reveal family secrets that someone was fighting desperately to suppress - leaving a shocking trail of evidence in the form of Google searches and burner phone calls. This is the murder of Simeonette Mapes-Crupi.

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Serial killers are not just the stuff of horror movies or thriller novels. They walk among us, hidden in plain sight, sometimes quiet, sometimes charming, almost always disarmingly ordinary. But what turns a human being into a hunter of humans? How do they emerge? And more importantly — why? Today, we’re diving into the dark psychology and chilling statistics
that define the anatomy of a serial killer. We’ll explore what the numbers tell us, what patterns have emerged, and what lurks in the background of some of the most infamous killers.
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In April of 2024, a 19-year-old student vanished after heading out for a promising first date in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But hours later, her torched car was found in another part of the city, and later that day, dismembered body parts began popping up along the coastline… Although security footage and phone pings helped the case against their surprising suspect, blood evidence and disturbing images on his phone garnered answers in the recent June 2025 trial.  This is the murder of Sade Robinson.

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Between 1980 and 1982, a string of unexplained child deaths unsettled small towns across Florida. Shockingly, the common thread was a quiet teenager hired as the babysitter. As grieving families sought answers and doctors cited rare medical conditions as the cause, suspicion began to build quietly among the grieving families. But it wasn’t until the summer of 1982 that the truth behind the tragedies began to emerge, raising chilling questions about evil hiding in plain sight. These are the murders by Christine Falling, also known as the babysitter from hell.

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In July of 2010, a 17-year-old girl vanished while walking home from summer school in a quiet Southern California suburb. Her belongings were scattered in a field along her route, but she was nowhere to be found. Days later, the discovery of her body would leave a community shaken and desperate for answers. But with help of DNA and a disturbing surveillance video, police would find a violent suspect. This is the murder of Norma Lopez.

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In July of 2013, three friends wound up in the woods of rural Oklahoma after a high-speed police chase - but only one of them emerged. Following a flurry of frantic phone calls asking for help, the pair who were left behind in the woods disappeared, and have never been seen again. As weeks turned to years, the secrets surrounding that strange night began to slip out in the town of just over a thousand people. Whispers of corruption, intimidation, and a cover-up still linger alongside the question of what really happened to Molly Miller and Colt Haynes that night...