Bailey Sarian

Was Leonarda Cianciulli a loving mother driven to sacrifice for her son, or a cold-blooded serial killer who revelled in her crimes? Known as the "Soap-Maker of Correggio," she murdered three women in wartime Italy, turning their bodies into soap and their blood into teacakes [citation:1]. She was convinced that only human sacrifice would save her son from the war [citation:1]. Yet she also wrote chillingly that her final victim's flesh made the best soap [citation:11]. This episode explores the terrifying question: was it a dark delusion born of grief, or was she simply a psychopath hiding in plain sight?

What happened to Natalee Holloway? The 18-year-old vanished during a 2005 high school trip to Aruba, sparking an international mystery that gripped the world. The prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot, was arrested and released multiple times [citation:5][citation:3]. He was never charged in her disappearance, but in October 2023, he finally confessed to beating her to death on the beach after she refused his advances and dumping her body in the sea [citation:11]. Her remains have never been found, but her family now has the closure of knowing the truth [citation:5].

What happened to Natalee Holloway? The 18-year-old vanished during a 2005 high school trip to Aruba, sparking an international mystery that gripped the world. The prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot, was arrested and released multiple times [citation:5][citation:3]. He was never charged in her disappearance, but in October 2023, he finally confessed to beating her to death on the beach after she refused his advances and dumping her body in the sea [citation:11]. Her remains have never been found, but her family now has the closure of knowing the truth [citation:5].

Close your eyes and consider the bizarre death of Phoebe Handsjuk, a 24‑year‑old Melbourne woman found at the bottom of a 12‑storey garbage chute in 2010. The coroner ruled it a “freak accident” caused by a drug‑induced sleepwalking state, but her family never accepted that verdict. With her boyfriend from a powerful legal family, unanswered questions about blood in her apartment, and police failings, her story remains a chilling mystery of what truly happened that night.

He was a doting father, a grandfather, and a talented backyard mechanic beloved by his South LA neighbors. But in his garage and home, Lonnie Franklin Jr. hid a trove of nearly 1,000 photographs and videos documenting women he had targeted over decades. Police released 180 images of women, some appearing unconscious or dead, in a desperate search for more victims [citation:2][citation:5]. He became known as the "Grim Sleeper" due to a 14-year gap between his known murders [citation:5]. He was convicted of 10 murders and sent to death row, but police still work to identify women in his chilling collection [citation:13].

Close your eyes and enter a quiet Oregon home where a trusted babysitter, Diane Downs, turned a night of care into a scene of unimaginable horror. In May 1983, she shot her three young children in a planned attack, killing her 7‑year‑old daughter and leaving her other two children with severe injuries . She then staged the scene to look like a carjacking, even driving her wounded children to the hospital while performing her own "shocking" performance of grief . But the evidence didn't lie: a single .22 caliber bullet found in the car, her own contradictory testimony, and a chilling letter to her...

A Thanksgiving turkey isn't the only thing getting carved in this stomach-churning case from Bailey Sarian. Omaima Nelson, a former model from Egypt, was the epitome of the "sugar baby" lifestyle before her marriage to the elderly William "Bill" Nelson was shattered by a gruesome murder. In 1991, Omaima dismembered, cooked, and partially consumed her husband, creating a Thanksgiving horror that experts would later describe as a chilling blend of Ed Gein and a deadly domestic dispute. But was this a cold-blooded act of cannibalism, or a brutal act of self-defense? Watch as we dive deep into the evidence, shocking details...

Close your eyes and step into the fog-choked streets of London's East End in 1888, where a shadowy figure terrorized the world's greatest city. A story of blood, mystery, and a killer who vanished into history. Over ten weeks, at least five women were brutally murdered and mutilated, their bodies found in alleys and doorways, their killer's identity never discovered [citation:2][citation:9]. The case became a media sensation, spawning thousands of hoax letters, including the infamous "Dear Boss" letter that gave the killer his iconic name [citation:9]. Despite one of the largest manhunts in history and over a century of obsession...

There's a different kind of true crime story that lingers in the shadows—cases where the official ruling never quite fits the evidence. This collection explores deaths that deserve a second look, from families poisoned in their beds to cold cases that have haunted communities for decades. A Wisconsin mother and her two children were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, but detectives have always believed someone deliberately caused their deaths [citation:5]. A Philadelphia teacher with twenty stab wounds, many to the back of her head, had her death ruled a suicide [citation:7]. And a family in Mumbai died after ea...

Close your eyes and consider the most depraved crime in Australian history. A case so horrifying it inspired a film described as both "unwatchably violent" and "an uncommonly powerful viewing experience" [citation:4]. Between 1992 and 1999, John Bunting, a former slaughterhouse worker, recruited vulnerable young men to torture and kill at least 12 people [citation:5]. They kept their victims' bodies decomposing in six plastic barrels of acid in a disused bank vault [citation:1]. Some were tortured for weeks. Bunting was convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to life without parole [citation:1]. The details were so depraved that suppression orders were in place throughout the...

Where are Drew Peterson's wives? The sinister story begins with Kathleen Savio, his third wife, found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004, her death initially ruled an accidental drowning [citation:3][citation:6]. Suspicions only arose when his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished in 2007, leading investigators to exhume Savio's body and reclassify her death as a homicide [citation:1][citation:3]. The former Bolingbrook police sergeant, who once bragged he could make a murder look like an accident, was convicted of Savio's murder in 2012 and sentenced to 38 years in prison, though Stacy's body has never been found, and the mystery of her disappearance remains...

Close your eyes and consider the bizarre death of Phoebe Handsjuk, a 24‑year‑old Melbourne woman found at the bottom of a 12‑storey garbage chute in 2010. The coroner ruled it a “freak accident” caused by a drug‑induced sleepwalking state, but her family never accepted that verdict. With her boyfriend from a powerful legal family, unanswered questions about blood in her apartment, and police failings, her story remains a chilling mystery of what truly happened that night.

From life on the road to the realities of true crime, Bailey Sarian answers her community's most personal questions. This candid Q&A reveals the dark humor and vulnerability behind the "Murder, Mystery & Makeup" brand, touching on favorite cases, the future of the channel, and the challenges of balancing dark subject matter with mental health. With honesty and dark wit, Bailey dives into the human side of true crime, sharing what it really feels like to document the world's most disturbing stories while trying to stay sane.

From life on the road to the realities of true crime, Bailey Sarian answers her community's most personal questions. This candid Q&A reveals the dark humor and vulnerability behind the "Murder, Mystery & Makeup" brand, touching on favorite cases, the future of the channel, and the challenges of balancing dark subject matter with mental health. With honesty and dark wit, Bailey dives into the human side of true crime, sharing what it really feels like to document the world's most disturbing stories while trying to stay sane.

Who was Jack the Ripper? Over a century later, the world's most famous serial killer remains a haunting mystery. In 1888, the Whitechapel district of London was terrorized by a shadowy figure who brutally murdered at least five women—Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly [citation:5][citation:8]. The killer's savage mutilations suggested anatomical knowledge, leading police to suspect a butcher, surgeon, or slaughterhouse worker [citation:1][citation:8]. The infamous "Dear Boss" letter, likely a journalist's hoax, gave the killer his enduring nickname [citation:1]. Over 70 suspects have been named over the years, from Aaron Kosminski and Mo...

Were they just friends or murderers? Six years later, the unknown answers still haunt Tamla Horsford's family. The mother of five attended a "football moms" slumber party in Georgia in November 2018. By morning, she was found face down in the backyard, dead from a reported fall from a deck. The case was quickly ruled an accident, citing blunt force injuries and acute ethanol intoxication. But her family, and a public petition of over 590,000, demanded more. No evidence or injury patterns indicative of assault or foul play were found, but a lack of forensic protocols and a history of racial tension...

The old saying goes "Happy Wife, Happy Life," but for one suburban family, the pursuit of happiness turned into a nightmare of deadly secrets. Behind the manicured lawns and friendly neighborhood barbecues, a wife's carefully constructed facade began to crumble, revealing a web of lies, manipulation, and murder. Bailey Sarian explores the dark underbelly of suburbia, where the pressure to maintain the perfect image can lead to the most shocking crimes. From suspicious neighbors to damning evidence, this case proves that even the happiest homes can hide the darkest secrets.

A former hotel worker in her late 60s appeared to be a harmless grandmother, but behind the unassuming facade lurked a predator who would become known as one of Russia's most brutal killers. Dubbed the "Granny Ripper" and "Baba Yaga" after the witch of Slavic folklore, Tamara Samsonova was suspected of killing up to 14 people, documenting her horrific crimes in a chilling diary [citation:3][citation:4]. In 2015, she laced her elderly neighbor's salad with sleeping pills, decapitated her, and boiled the head in a pot before dismembering the body and scattering the remains around St. Petersburg [citation:11][citation:14]. When police discovered...

Could fan theories hold the key to solving true crime's most enduring mysteries? In this special Q&A, Bailey examines the most popular fan theories surrounding infamous cases. From the Scott Peterson inheritance plot to zodiac group theories, she weighs each theory against the known evidence. While some theories offer compelling insights, like the possibility of a copycat Zodiac, others remain too speculative. Ultimately, Bailey concludes that while fans often make crucial connections, solving these cases requires hard forensic evidence—not just creative internet speculation. A fascinating look at how true crime fan communities reshape the conversation around unsolved cases.

Dennis Rader was a family man, a church president, and a Boy Scout leader. For over thirty years, he was also the BTK killer, a monster who bound, tortured, and killed ten people in Wichita, Kansas. Rader was a sexual sadist who found pleasure in control and suffering, targeting women but also killing men and children during his first attack. His desperate need for recognition and media attention drove him to taunt police with letters and packages for decades. This fatal need for attention eventually led to his downfall when police traced a floppy disk he sent them directly to...

When love turns into an obsession, the consequences can be deadly. A girlfriend whose possessiveness morphed into a terrifying fixation, culminating in a brutal murder that shocked everyone who knew her. This is the story of a woman who refused to let go, even if it meant ending the life of the person she claimed to love. Her spiral into violence reveals the dark side of attachment, the warning signs that were missed, and the devastating aftermath of a crime born from a toxic, unyielding obsession. An unnerving look at the fine line between love and murder.

The collision of passion, competition, and betrayal creates the most devastating crimes. This collection explores cases where the pursuit of sports glory, the comfort of food, and the bonds of family became the backdrop for unimaginable violence. A high school football star's promising future ended in a double murder. A beloved restaurant owner's secret sauce hid a deadly obsession. And a family's Sunday dinner became a crime scene of shocking betrayal. Over three chilling hours, we examine the psychology of killers who hid behind everyday passions, and the investigations that finally exposed their dark secrets.

A man known in his New Jersey community as Dr. Butcher Brown claimed he was doing the Lord's work by cutting the mentally ill and addicts out of the shadows. He performed surgical procedures in his very own office, even receiving a legitimate 1969 license to practice. But beneath the veil of benevolence, a disturbing pattern of violence began to surface. Former patients reported that these procedures often escalated into acts of extreme cruelty. When several patients were found dead, investigators unearthed a horrific dungeon of blood and butchery. As his former "patients" come forward with chilling testimonies, the terrifying question...

In 1978, a family-owned chicken restaurant in California was serving up more than just fried poultry. When a former employee accused the owner of passing off a secret, addictive blend of drugs in his "special sauce," a sinister theory began to form. But the sauce wasn't hiding narcotics—it was hiding a horrifying secret recipe for murder. As a string of missing persons connected to the restaurant's kitchens emerged, investigators uncovered a disturbing pattern, leading them to the family's darkest secrets. What was really in that chicken to die for? Join Bailey Sarian as she investigates a murder case where the sp...

From the Granny Ripper to the Vampire Killer, the most terrifying predators are often the ones who wear a mask of normalcy. This compilation delves into the minds of women who shocked the world—those driven by rage, obsession, and a chilling lack of remorse. Tamara Samsonova's sadistic diary entries documented her brutal killings in St. Petersburg, while Aimee Betro's plot to assassinate her target in the UK was doomed from the start . Tracey Wigginton was convinced she was a vampire, and Colleen Campbell's deadly revenge orchestrated the brutal torture of her ex-husband over two hours . This episode examines the ps...

The new evidence in the Menendez brothers' case has opened the door to a potential second chance, but it has not guaranteed their freedom. In 2023, their lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition citing two key pieces of evidence: a 1988 letter Erik wrote to his cousin describing the alleged sexual abuse, and a declaration from former Menudo member Roy Rossello claiming he was raped by Jose Menendez [citation:4][citation:5]. In September 2025, a judge rejected this petition, ruling the evidence would not have changed the outcome of their original trial [citation:5][citation:9]. However, a separate resentencing in 2025 reduced their sentences from life...

A school hall monitor who was always around but never truly noticed. Kendall Francois, known as the "Poughkeepsie Killer," was a quiet, unassuming man in a small New York town, carrying the very odor of death in his own home. In the late 1990s, prostitutes began vanishing, and despite police suspicion, they could never break his calm demeanor. His home became a macabre house of horrors, where the smell of decomposing bodies was masked, but not concealed, by his neighbors. The truth was finally unearthed when a woman escaped his grasp, leading police to a home filled with eight bodies...

On Christmas Eve in 2008, Bruce Pardo dressed as Santa Claus and arrived at a family party in Covina, California, carrying a gift-wrapped flamethrower [citation:1][citation:8]. He shot an eight-year-old girl in the face at the door, then opened fire on 25 guests, killing his ex-wife and eight of her relatives [citation:1][citation:5]. After the shooting, Pardo ignited his homemade device, engulfing the house in flames that reached 50 feet high and required 80 firefighters to extinguish [citation:6][citation:11]. The bodies were so badly burned they had to be identified using dental records [citation:1][citation:9]. Pardo fled to his brother's house where he died...

Tracey Wigginton was a 24-year-old woman living in Brisbane, Australia, who convinced her friends she was a vampire with a "need to feed" on human blood. On October 20, 1989, she and three friends picked up 47-year-old Edward Baldock, a father of four, after a night of drinking. After luring him to a park with the promise of sex, Wigginton stabbed him 27 times, nearly severing his head. She later told police she "felt nothing" during the attack and watched him die while smoking a cigarette. Her arrest came quickly when her bank card was found in the victim's shoe. She was sentenced...

Alexander Pichushkin was a chess prodigy with a sinister life mission: to kill 64 people, one for each square on a chessboard [citation:1]. The Russian serial killer, born in 1974 near Moscow, targeted the vulnerable—the homeless, alcoholics, and elderly—luring them into Bitsa Park with offers of vodka [citation:9]. He bludgeoned his victims to death with a hammer, sometimes shoving vodka bottles into their shattered skulls as a signature [citation:6]. Pichushkin was finally captured in 2006 after a coworker left a note revealing she was with him [citation:10]. Convicted of 48 murders in 2007, he received a life sentence, with a chilling chessboard found in h...

A 25‑year‑old Florida man with a history of violence goes on a murder spree in Cape Coral, killing two women in one night and then confessing with a laugh to his biological father. Wade Wilson, known as the “Deadpool Killer,” strangled Kristine Melton as she slept before stealing her car [citation:2][citation:8]. Hours later, he lured Diane Ruiz into the vehicle and, after beating and strangling her, ran her over until her body was unrecognizable [citation:2][citation:8]. Wilson called his father to brag: “I'm a killer, and I kill with my bare hands” [citation:2]. He was sentenced to death in 2024 and...

On June 7, 1992, two recent high school graduates and one mother vanished from a Springfield, Missouri home without a trace. Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie Streeter, and Stacy McCall attended graduation parties before returning to Sherrill's house on East Delmar Street. The next morning, friends found the door unlocked, purses, money, and cars left behind, and the TV still on. The only sign of disturbance was a broken porch light. Over 34 years later, with more than 5,000 tips investigated, no arrests have ever been made. Theories range from serial killers to a targeted abduction, but the truth remains buried. This is the...

A Harvard-trained neuroscientist with an IQ of 180 and a history of violence unraveled when she was denied tenure. In February 2010, Amy Bishop entered a faculty meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and opened fire, killing three colleagues and wounding three others. Her attorney argued she was likely insane and couldn't remember the shootings, but a jury convicted her in just 20 minutes. The case exposed a pattern of rage stretching back decades—the 1986 shotgun death of her brother ruled accidental, and a 1993 pipe bomb sent to a Harvard professor who had given her a negative evaluation. What made this ac...

Katie's jealousy turned deadly when her best friend found love. She had a pattern of psychotic behavior going back to middle school, when she shoved a friend down the stairs out of jealousy. Institutionalized by her parents, she later befriended Jess, bonding over their bad marriages. When Jess met a mystery writer named Nick, Katie's old jealousy resurfaced. She tossed a brick through Jess' window, killed Marco, and eventually strangled Anna in a fit of rage. The betrayal was all part of a twisted plan to keep Jess for herself. This is the story of a friendship destroyed by a...

Anjette Lyles was the charming owner of a popular Macon, Georgia diner in the 1950s—a place where everyone felt welcome and she hugged every customer at the door. But beneath the warm smile and red lipstick lurked a cold-blooded killer [citation:6][citation:10]. Between 1952 and 1958, she poisoned four family members with arsenic: her first husband, her second husband, her mother-in-law, and finally, her own nine-year-old daughter, Marcia [citation:1][citation:6]. Her motive was pure greed—she used life insurance payouts to buy a new white Cadillac and a house [citation:6]. She even tried to pin the poisoning on her surviving daughter . Conv...

Paul Dennis Reid Jr. was a Texas drifter who came to Nashville chasing a country music dream but ended up becoming one of Tennessee's most notorious serial killers. Over three months in 1997, he murdered seven fast-food workers in execution-style robberies after being fired from his dishwasher job for throwing a plate. His victims included a 16-year-old aspiring journalist, a 17-year-old who had just bought her first car, and two women whose throats were slashed. Reid survived on death row for 14 years before dying of natural causes in 2013—robbing the victims' families of the justice they had waited for.

The internet became a hunting ground where predators could hide behind screens and victims were lured through chatrooms. This compilation explores the most disturbing cases of digital-age murder, from the first known internet serial killer to those who used the web to exploit and destroy. John Edward Robinson lurked in adult chatrooms, offering vulnerable women a dream life—slave contracts, forged letters, and at least eight women dead . Across the world, Shiraishi Takahiro used social media to approach those who wanted to die, and a 13-year-old was coerced into suicide online . This is a journey into the dark web of tr...

In 1980s Philadelphia, a mentally disturbed man who carried a Cookie Monster puppet was known as a gentle neighbor and local drug user. Harrison Frank Graham was never considered a threat. But when neighbors complained of a foul odor from his apartment, police made a grisly discovery. Inside his squalid, trash-strewn home, they found the decomposing bodies of seven women hidden under mattresses and in closets [citation:7]. Some remains were skeletonized and stuffed in duffel bags on the roof, while others were found in the basement [citation:2]. Graham had been using drugs to lure women to his apartment, then strangling...

From Super Bowl star to convicted murderer, Aaron Hernandez's spectacular fall shocked the sports world. The young Patriots tight end with a $40 million contract was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 for the shooting death of Odin Lloyd, a landscaper dating his fiancée's sister [citation:1][citation:4]. Prosecutors presented extensive evidence, including surveillance video, cellphone records, and DNA on a marijuana joint found near the body [citation:2]. During closing arguments, his defense acknowledged Hernandez was present at the killing but blamed two friends [citation:1]. He was sentenced to life without parole, and days after being acquitted of a separate double murder, h...

In 1987, a 52-year-old Chicago woman named Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her apartment through her bathroom medicine cabinet. Police dismissed her plea as paranoia due to her mental health history. Neighbors reported gunshots, yet officers knocked and left without entering, citing building regulations. Two days later, police found her body—she had been shot four times. The killer had entered through the medicine cabinet, as her bathroom mirror was backed by an unlocked crawl space connecting units. This tragic case, covered by journalist Steve Bogira, later inspired the 1992 horror film Candyman. It is a...