Episodes

18 years before Sherri Papini shocked the world with her kidnapping hoax, another girl vanished from Redding, California, but she never came home. When 16-year-old Tera Lynn Smith disappeared on a quiet night in August 1998, her family was desperate to find her, but they received far more questions than answers. As I revisit her story, I uncover a lesser-known connection to the Sherri Papini case that complicates an already heartbreaking mystery, and walk you through why one man had every reason...

What happens when the danger isn’t on the job, but waiting at home? Robbie Doerr was a veteran firefighter who never imagined the greatest threat would come from someone he trusted. When Evansville, Indiana, is rocked by the murder of a beloved member of their community, the police have very few clues to go on to find the killer. With no murder weapon, witnesses who saw nothing, and no known enemies to look into, the case should have hit a wall. However, the clue they needed to propel the case ...

A quiet afternoon. A parking garage. A crime that would haunt a community for decades. The murder of Joyce Paneck-Saglimbene in 1976 shocked Englewood, New Jersey, but with little evidence and no suspects, her case faded into obscurity for three...

In January 2018, Reno native, 19-year-old Caitlin Denison arrived in Midland, Texas, with a man she barely knew, then vanished without a trace. Before she disappeared, she made chilling calls to her family, hinting that she feared for her life. From Caitlin’s final known movements, theories of why she went to Texas in the first place, and the desperate search to bring her home, this is the baffling story of a young woman who was never seen again. If you have information that can help bring Cait...

When 19-year-old Brianna Denison vanished from her friend's home in the early hours of January 20, 2008, the city of Reno, Nevada was on high alert, rallying to help find her and bring her home. As police worked with minimal evidence to find Brianna's abductor, they followed the DNA trail to the University of Nevada, Reno Campus, uncovering a predator who had been targeting students for months. Connect with us on Social Media! You can find us at: Instagram: @bookofthedeadpod X: @bkofthedeadpod ...

Leighandre “Baby Lee” Jegels was a rising star in South African boxing; an undefeated fighter, a national karate champion, and a young woman whose strength inspired thousands. But behind the scenes, she was fighting a far more dangerous opponent. In a case that ignited widespread anger and renewed attention to South Africa’s epidemic of gender-based violence, Leighandre's promising career was cut short by the man who was supposed to love and protect her, and she was failed by the very system des...

When renovation crews began digging beneath a small ice cream shop in Vienna, they didn’t expect to uncover a gruesome secret. What they found unraveled the double life of Estibaliz Carranza, a woman who hid two murders for years. Dubbed The Ice Lady of Austria, Establiz's crimes spun the media into a frenzy, especially when she was represented by the very same man who defended another of Austria's most notorious criminals. Connect with us on Social Media! You can find us at: Instagram: @bookof...

In 2019, 33-year-old tech startup founder Erin Valenti, was on a work trip in Silicon Valley. At the end of her trip, she called her parents, telling them she couldn't find her rental car, but they were concerned by the strange statements she was making. "It's all a game, it's a thought experiment, we're in the Matrix." A week later, her body was found in her rented car on the side of the road in San Jose, but there were no clear signs of physical harm, and her family was adamant she didn't st...

Two women. Two cities. Two tragedies that never made national headlines. Rosetta Jean-Baptiste was found dead in Ramsey in 1993; Michelle Lynn Howard’s body was discovered in Atlantic City almost a decade later. Today, I shed light on their stories, the mysterious circumstances of their deaths, and why their unsolved murders still matter. If anyone has any information about Rosetta Jean-Baptiste's murder, you are urged to call the Bergen County Cold Case Unit at 201-646-2300 or at 201-642-5962....

Welcome to The Crypt, where our Crypt Keeper awaits to bring you tales fit for a dark and scary Halloween night. From legends of witches and ghost ships, to the stories of recent memory's most horrific real-life killers, there's plenty to set the mood for a frightful holiday. Featuring some of Darkcast Network's best, we've come together to ring in the season. Grab your candy, take a seat, and settle in for tales from The Darkcast Crypt Keeper. Podcasts Featured: Rainbow Crimes The Final Trac...

When it comes to John Carpenter's iconic franchise, Halloween, most people may be familiar, in the abstract, with the name Moustapha Akkad as his name is the first to appear in the opening credits for every movie. What fans of the series may not be familiar with is how integral Moustapha was to bringing the story of Michael Myers to life, producing all 8 original movies, even after John Carpenter, himself, left the series. To celebrate Halloween, Brian Santana joins me to talk about the life of...

“It can’t rain all the time.” Those words became immortal the day Brandon Lee brought The Crow to life and lost his own in the process. Born to a martial arts legend, Brandon Lee was poised for stardom, carving out a name for himself outside of his...

On a cold night in March of 1976, a young couple was brutally murdered in an apartment in Chicago. The murders were as violent as they were baffling. Who would want to hurt them, and why? At the same time that police were investigating the scene, Gregg Owen was taking the bar exam and would go on to become a prosecutor. 4 years later, Gregg would take the case, determined to put the man guilty of killing the couple behind bars when no one else would. The case was, seemingly, unwinnable: no evide...

In this special bonus episode, I joined Ted and JJ on their show, Conspiring to Argue to discuss two of the most deplorable people on the planet: Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. This is part 2 of their coverage of the Adam Walsh case, so head on over to their show to hear all the details of part one. Connect with us on Social Media! You can find us at: Instagram: @bookofthedeadpod X: @bkofthedeadpod Facebook: The Book of the Dead Podcast TikTok: Bookofthedeadpod Or visit our website at www.bot...

In Part 2 of my coverage on the McStay Family Murders, I cover the trial of Chase Merritt, the man arrested for the murders of Summer and Joseph McStay, and their two little boys, Gianni and Joey Jr. The case against Chase Merritt was built entirely on circumstantial evidence, and three years after my original coverage, I'm still not entirely sure police got the right guy. From the discourse between the prosecution and defense, cell phone and computer records suggesting Chase Merritt's movement...

Three years ago, I explored one of California’s most tragic true crime cases: the disappearance and murder of the McStay family, Summer and Joseph McStay, and their two young sons, Gianni and Joey Jr., on February 4, 2010. While there have been no major updates since my last coverage, I’ve gathered additional details about the case and trial that shed new light on the events. In Part 1, I follow the timeline from the days leading up to the McStays’ disappearance to the shocking discovery of thei...

On August 7, 1972, 16-year-old Jeannette DePalma left her home in Springfield, New Jersey, to go to work, but she never made it back home. Six weeks later, Jeannette's body was found atop Devil's Teeth, a cliff in Houdaille Quarry. With very little evidence, no clear suspects, and rumors of her being the victim of a Satanic Cult, her case has gone cold with no answers to be had for any of the countless questions left in the wake of her death. 53 years later, the mystery of what really happened t...

As I work on a case that is far more involved than I originally thought, dive into the chilling legend of Hannah Cranna, often called the Wicked Witch of Monroe in this episode hosted by Raven of Rogue Darkness. Feared throughout 19th-century Connecticut, Hannah’s reputation was built on tales of witchcraft, curses, and paranormal misfortune said to befall anyone who crossed her. Even her death and burial became the stuff of haunted New England folklore, cementing her place in history as one of ...

In the 1970s, New York's LGBTQ Community was gripped by fear; from a string of grisly unsolved killings known as the “Bag Murders,” to the shocking murder of film critic Addison Verrill, and whispers of a Hollywood curse surrounding The Exorcist. At the center of these intersecting stories stands Paul Bateson, a man described as handsome and charismatic, yet linked to both cinema lore and real-life violence. In one of New York City's darkest chapters, fact and fiction collided, spawning an evil ...

In March 2017, the quiet Alaskan town of Ketchikan was rocked by the sudden death of beloved surgeon Dr. Eric Garcia. Found in his home under suspicious circumstances, his death would devolve into a mystery that was truly stranger than fiction. Journalist Chris Connelly, host of Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska, joined me to discuss his investigation and shared what it was like to walk the streets of Ketchikan, speak with Dr. Garcia’s grieving loved ones, and sit face-to-face with the detectives ...

In August 2005, 20-year-old U.S. Army soldier Joshua Bennett returned home to Illinois, grieving the unexpected loss of his father. Ne reconnects with his mother, who invited him to stay the night at her home, but within hours, Joshua would be murdered in his mother’s home by a group of people who believed they were under the influence of a witch’s curse. The murder of Joshua Bennett is a senseless killing fueled by occult paranoia, the power of influence, and a revenge plot gone horribly wrong....

Today I sat down with Clara S. Lewis, author of American Infanticide: Sexism, Science, and the Politics of Sympathy, to examine the deeply unsettling and complex case of Emilie Weaver, a college student convicted of killing her newborn in 2015. Clara walked me through how the legal system, media, and public perception often fail to grasp the complex realities behind neonaticide and infanticide in America. From the influence of a long history of stigmatizing young mothers that shape how we respon...

In the late 1990s, Italy was worried that Satanism was on the rise. There were whispers of cults and worshippers performing dark rituals to appease the devil and citizens were flocking to their churches worried about their immortal souls and the safety of their loved ones. This fear was not completely unfounded. In the outskirts of Milan, in Busto Arsizio, was a heavy metal band that had taken the idea of Satanic worship and twisted it until their desire to appease Satan turned them into killers...

In 1995, 15-year-old Kiplyn Davis disappeared in broad daylight from her high school in Spanish Fork, Utah. Her belongings were abandoned in her locker, and she never made it to her afternoon classes. No one has seen her since. Thirty years later, the mystery of what happened to Kiplyn has endured in a community that refuses to forget her. However, as the years have passed, the ties that have bound family and friends together have begun to come undone, and secrets have started to emerge, which b...