Crime Squad

🎧 This is the case that proved genetic genealogy doesn't just uncover the truth... it can change the rules of justice itself. For nearly four decades, the murder of eight-year-old Ljubica Topic remained one of Ontario's most heartbreaking unsolved cases. Her family waited years for answers, while investigators held onto a single hope: that one day, science would catch up. In 2022, it finally did....

Welcome to Episode One of this special series "Science Solves: Cracking Canada's Cold Cases". For decades, many of Canada’s most haunting unsolved cases remained frozen in time, not because investigators didn’t care, but because science simply wasn’t ready. In this premiere, we break down DNA in a clear, accessible way and explain why early testing couldn’t identify suspects who were...

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Cold cases don’t fade. They linger — in evidence boxes, in family memories, and in the unanswered questions that echo for decades. Across Canada, thousands of unsolved murders and unidentified remains sat untouched, waiting for something that didn’t exist yet: science powerful enough to reveal the truth. Today, that science is here. Investigative genetic genealogy — IGG — is rewriting the past. Th...

In February 2008, 24‑year‑old Marilyn Bergeron walked out of her parents’ home in Quebec City and vanished. Hours earlier, she’d been captured on surveillance looking over her shoulder, nervous, unsettled — and far from anywhere she should have been. But the real mystery doesn’t start in Quebec City. It starts in Montreal. What happened in Montreal? And how did it lead to her disappearance? Join t...

Sixteen‑year‑old Mekayla Bali vanished in broad daylight from Yorkton, Saskatchewan on April 12th, 2016 — leaving behind one of Canada’s most haunting and perplexing missing‑person cases. Surveillance footage, phone records, and witness accounts capture her final known movements: a morning filled with strange detours, cryptic messages, and interactions that raised more questions than answers. Near...

In the spring of 1911, a murder in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, would ignite one of the most important legal debates in Canadian history. It involved a young immigrant woman, a lifetime of violence, and a legal system that had no language - and no precedent - for what she had encountered.  This is the story of Angelina Napolitano.

This bonus episode is associated with the limited series "Command & Controversy: The Rise and Fall of the Canadian Airborne Regiment". Listen in as Clayton Matchee's former wife, Marj Matchee, details the slow descent into madness she witnessed in her husband when he began taking mefloquine.

Before the torture. Before the cover-ups. Before the trials and televised hearings - there was a pill. A small, bitter tablet that every soldier in the Canadian Airborne regiment swallowed before stepping foot in Somalia. It was a new antimalarial drug.  Now, decades later, a disturbing pattern has emerged from those who took this drug — suicides, violence, and legal action. This is Command &...

In the wake of the Somalia Affair, the Canadian government moved quickly — not to ensure justice, but to control the damage. The Airborne Regiment was disbanded in disgrace. A public inquiry was launched, then abruptly shut down before it could expose the full truth. Politicians resigned. Evidence disappeared. And the military scrambled to protect its image. In Episode 3, we examine the calculated...

In 1993, the Canadian Airborne Regiment was deployed to Somalia on a peacekeeping mission — but what unfolded was a brutal incident that shattered the illusion of military honour and exposed deep-rooted issues within the Canadian Forces. The torture and killing of Somali teenager Shidane Arone, and the disturbing images that followed, ignited national outrage, led to a public inquiry, and ultimate...

This is the story of how Canada built a military unit to project power — and how that same power turned inward, exposing fault lines in command, culture, and accountability. ******* Command and Controversy is a limited-series investigative podcast that tells the true story of the Canadian Airborne Regiment: its creation, its celebrated status, and the shocking events that led to its disgrace and d...

Once hailed as Canada’s premier rapid deployment force, the Canadian Airborne Regiment was born out of Cold War urgency and political ambition. But behind the disciplined drills and maroon berets lay a darker story — one marked by internal dysfunction, a culture of impunity, and an international scandal that shocked the nation. In this episode, we trace the origins of the Regiment, the political f...

During the 1960s and 70s, the cities of London and Guelph, Ontario, were gripped by a wave of violence that left communities shaken and families devastated. A series of sexual assaults and brutal murders targeting women unfolded across quiet neighbourhoods - often with chilling similarities. In this episode, we dive deep into the pattern of these crimes exploring the timelines, victim profiles and...

May 5 is the National Day of awareness and remembrance for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.  This episode examines the cases of Joanne Ghostkeeper, Karina Wolfe and Patricia “Trish” Carpenter.  Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line Crisis support is available to individuals impacted by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous wom...

In 1964, Barb Dorrington had a crush on a boy named Scott Leishman. And in 1968, Scott would be the victim of a horrific crime. Barb has spent countless hours trying to find answers in Scott's case, and is releasing a book inspired by Scott called "TRAUMA MONSTER". In this episode of Crime Squad Podcast, I interview Barb and her collaborator Seana about their experiences while writing the book. TR...

In March of 1995, six teenage boys attended a party - but never came home. Six families in Pickering, Ontario, still wonder what happened to them.

#SearchTheLandfill, an international movement, was born of Winnipeg, Manitoba's government and police force refusing to search local waste management facilities for the remains of four Indigenous women who were tragically murdered in 2022. Warning : This content will contain information that may be distressing to some individuals. Listener discretion is advised. ****** If you need immediate em...

Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. To most, this is unimaginable. But to others - justified. In this episode we explore two cases; Scarlett Chen and Katie Baker. This episode may not be for everyone; listener discretion is advised.

In October of 1983, a teenage girl went missing after a night of babysitting in London, Ontario. Tragically, she was murdered, and her killer remains unknown over 40 years later. This is the case of Donna Jean Awcock, gone but never forgotten.

In 1995, in small town Goderich Ontario, teenager Mistie Murray was excited for an upcoming trip out East to meet her biological family.  But that weekend trip never happened because Mistie would go missing.  What occurred afterward has been proven to have been a botched investigation.  Where is Mistie? Somebody somewhere knows something. 

CRIME SQUAD PODCAST PRESENTS... COLD CASE SOLVED: NEW SCIENCE FOR COLD CRIMES In this bonus episode of Crime Squad Podcast, we reveal how a case that sat cold for over 30 years was finally solved with advancements in forensic science. This is the case of Michella Welch. music by: oneworldview productions

In 1971, in Windsor, ON, an innocent 6-year old girl is brutally murdered. The case would quickly grow cold. Listen now to find out how advances in forensic technology would help to solve the case nearly 50 years later.

We all know at least one person in our lives that has been the victim of abuse.  Maybe it was you.  The truth is, abuse can happen to, or be delivered by anyone from any class, any race, and any gender. 

This is a story about a victim that could not speak. She couldn’t read, or write. But she could smile. She could make cooing, happy sounds, akin to laughter. She was a person, and her life, although cut short, has made a huge impact.  This is a story about Tracy Latimer.