Historical True Crime

On New Year’s Day, 1886, Edwin Bartlett was found dead in his Pimlico home — his stomach filled with chloroform, but with no sign of how it got there. Was it murder, suicide, or something science couldn’t yet explain? Step into thePimlico Poisoning Mystery, a case that baffled Victorian doctors, scandalized London, and left one woman forever in the shadows. Source Materials: nbtfacsimile.pdf t1886...

Ambrose Bierce was a Civil War veteran, journalist, and master of the macabre whose razor-sharp pen made him both feared and admired. In 1913, at seventy-one yearsold, he left the United States for war-torn Mexico—and vanished. This episode traces Bierce’s journey from log cabin childhood to battlefield survivor, from satirical journalist to literary legend, before diving into one of the greatestm...

In 1928, a Wineville chicken farm became the center of aharrowing investigation into missing boys. Gordon Stewart Northcott and his mother, Sarah Louise, were tied to the disappearances of Walter Collins, the Winslow brothers, and others. This episode follows the crimes, the investigation, and the trials that exposed what really happened on the ranch. Source Materials: Wineville Chicken Coop Murde...

In 1935, the seaside calm of Bournemouth was shattered by scandal, betrayal, and murder. Alma Rattenbury — a once-celebrated musician — and her teenage lover GeorgeStoner stood accused in a case that gripped Britain with its mix of passion, tragedy, and sensational headlines. In this episode, we trace Alma’s extraordinary life, her ill-fated marriage to architect Francis Rattenbury, and the events...

In 1660, the quiet Cotswold town of Chipping Campden was shaken by the disappearance of its elderly steward, William Harrison. Within months, three members of the Perry family were convicted and hanged for his murder — without a body ever being found. Two years later, Harrison returned alive, with a tale of pirates, slavery, and improbable escape. Was it truth, invention, or something stranger sti...

In 1892 Memphis, a secret romance between two young women unraveled in tragedy. This episode traces the story of Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward — from their plannedelopement to a public murder and a sensational trial — and examines how their case shaped early conversations about same-sex love, gender norms, and mental health in America. Source Materials: The Trials of Alice Mitchell: Sensationalism...

When a young English aristocrat vanished at sea in 1854, his family mourned—except for his mother, who refused to believe he was dead. More than a decade later, a butcher from Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir. What followed was one of the most sensational legal battles of the Victorian era. This week on Historical True Crime, we unravel the strange and sprawling saga of the Tichborne Cla...

A charming jazz musician with a philosophical streak. A series of brutal, seemingly unrelated murders. In this episode, we uncover the disturbing double life of Melvin Rees—known to the press as "The Sex Beast"—and the investigation that nearly let him slip away. Source Materials The encyclopedia of serial killers : Lane, Brian : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Me...

In 1928, deep in Pennsylvania’s Hex Hollow, three men believed they were cursed by a local powwow doctor – a folk healer named Nelson Rehmeyer. What followed blurred the line between old-world magic and modern crime, ending in murder, a sensational trial, and a legacy that still haunts the region today. This is the story of superstition, fear, and the killing that made Hex Hollow infamous. Source...

A Victorian cult of love, prophecy, and scandal. When Henry James Prince declared himself divine, he founded a religious sect that promised salvation—but delivered something far stranger. Decades later, a new messiah would rise. Thisis the story of the Agapemonites, from spiritual awakening to final collapse. SourceMaterials Henry Prince and John Smyth-Pigott, Agapemonite Messiahs - HeadStuff Henr...

 When William Morgan vanished in 1826, he left behind a manuscript—and a firestorm. This episode explores the man who took on the Freemasons, the mystery of his disappearance, and how his fate sparked America’s first third party. Source Materials: The Masonic Murder That Inspired the First Third Party in American Politics One Man Exposed the Secrets of the Freemasons. His Disappearance Led to Thei...

In 1887, journalist Nellie Bly faked insanity to go undercover inside a New York asylum. What she witnessed—neglect, cruelty, and systemic abuse—became one of the most powerful exposés of the 19th century. This week, we dive into her daring investigation and the real conditions behind the walls of Blackwell’s Island. Source Materials: How Nellie Bly became a Victorian sensation and changed journal...

George Chapman was a serial poisoner who murdered three of his wives — but some believe his crimes began years earlier as the infamous Jack the Ripper. In this episode, we explore Chapman's life, his shocking crimes, and the lingeringtheory that links him to the Ripper murders. Source Materials: Casebook: Jack the Ripper - George Chapman Who Was Jack The Ripper? Meet Seven Possible Suspects Co...

When 20-year-old Georgette Bauerdorf was found murdered in her Los Angeles apartment in 1944, the city was left stunned—and full of questions. Was the killer a soldier she met at the Hollywood Canteen? A stranger lying in wait? Or someone she knew and trusted? Decades later, her case remains unsolved. In this episode, we unravel the clues and lingering theories behind one of Hollywood’s most haunt...

In 1929, occultist Netta Fornario was found dead on the sacred island of Iona under eerie and unexplained circumstances. Was her death the result of exposure, a psychic attack, or something even stranger? Join us as we unravel the haunting mystery of a woman who may have crossed a line between worlds—and never returned. Source Materials: http://www.welcometoiona.com/iona-heritage/early-christian-s...

In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and 17-year-old Baroness Maria Vetsera were found dead in a remote hunting lodge—an apparent lovers’ suicide that shocked the world. But was it really a tragic romance… or something far more sinister? In this episode, we unravel one of Europe’s most haunting royal mysteries, where politics, scandal, and empirecollide.

A teenager tortured to death. A mother who claimed insanity. Children who became accomplices. This episode tells the whole chilling story of Sylvia Likens—and what happened after the headlines faded. Source Materials Dean, John (2008).  House of Evil: The IndianaTorture Slaying . United States of America: St. Martin's Paperbacks.  ISBN   978-0-312-94699-9 . https://allthatsinteresting.com/gert...

In 1976, a young German woman died after nearly a year of exorcisms. What followed was one of the most controversialtrials in modern religious history. This episode explores the haunting case of Anneliese Michel—a tragic intersection of faith, mental illness, and the cost of belief. Source Materials https://allthatsinteresting.com/anneliese-michel-exorcism https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/s...

In 1867, the quiet village of Alton, England was shattered by the horrific murder of eight-year-old Fanny Adams—an act so brutal it shocked Victorian society and left a disturbing legacy. In this episode, we explore the events of that summerday, the investigation and trial that followed, and how Fanny’s name became forever entangled in history, slang, and sorrow. Source Materials: Cansfield, Peter...

In this episode, we dive into the mysterious case of Bella, whose body was discovered in a wych elm tree in Hagley Wood in 1941. With theories ranging from espionage to witchcraft, we explore the chilling details, the ongoingintrigue surrounding her identity, and the modern-day efforts to solve the case. Join us as we unravel the mystery of "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" and take a clo...

In 1931, a Liverpool insurance agent returned home to find his wife savagely murdered—and himself at the center of one of Britain’s most baffling murder mysteries. With an airtight alibi, a fake appointment, and no clear motive, the case of Herbert and Julia Wallace remains unsolved to this day. SourceMaterials: https://www.williamherbertwallace.com/general/the-murder-of-julia-wallace/ https://www...

In 1930s Texas, Joe Ball was just another bootlegger-turned-barkeep—until the women around him started disappearing. With a backyard alligator pit, a string of missing waitresses, and a pistol always close at hand, Joe’s story blurs the line between fact and folklore. Step into the shadowy legend of the Alligator Man. Source Materials Joe Ball: The Butcher of Elmendorf — Introduction — Crime Libra...

In April 1836, 23-year-old courtesan Helen Jewett was found murdered in a New York City brothel. The prime suspect, Richard P. Robinson, was acquitted despite strong evidence. The case became a media sensation, highlighting the power of press coverage and exposing harsh 19th-century societal realities. Source Materials https://allthatsinteresting.com/helen-jewett https://www.thoughtco.com/murder-o...

On February 4, 1880, the quiet town of Biddulph, Ontario, erupted into chaos as a mob set fire to a farmhouse,slaughtering the notorious Donnelly family in a brutal act of frontier justice. In this episode, we uncover the truth behind one of Canada’s most infamous true crime cases—a tale of feuds, vengeance, and a massacre that still haunts history. Source Materials: https://www.thoroldtoday.ca/lo...

In 1927, 12-year-old Marion Parker was kidnapped in Los Angeles by William Edward Hickman, who demanded ransom from her father. But even after he was paid, Hickman had no intention of letting her go. This shocking case gripped the nation and changed the way kidnappings were investigated. Source Materials: Fiend Captured at Echo, Or; Jailed; Confesses, Report" .  Albany Democrat-Herald . Decem...