Coworkers & Crime

A comic book store. A staged robbery. A timeline that never made sense. The case went cold almost immediately - until a single witness and a determined community forced investigators to take a second look. This episode unravels the timeline, the marriage, the staged robbery, and the moment everything change

In this episode, we explore the tragic case of Colleen Slemmer, the young woman whose life was taken in a brutal 2005 murder in Tennessee. We discuss the case and the lasting impact on Colleen’s loved ones as questions of justice and accountability continue to draw attention. We’re also sharing resources from other true crime voices covering the case and its ongoing developments. 🎧 Want to learn...

Krystal and Rachel are catching up on the cases making headlines and the ones we think you should be watching. This episode: The latest developments in the Sandra Birchmore / Matthew Farwell case What’s happening with the Faith Hedgepeth case — plus a reminder that we have a full episode dedicated to Faith Christa Pike and her failed execution The latest in the Caleb Flynn case What’s next for Ale...

In this episode, we explore the origins of the Innocence Project, the psychology behind false confessions, and the systemic failures that allow innocent people to be convicted. We break down interrogation tactics, forensic flaws, under‑reported cases, and the staggering statistics that reveal how widespread wrongful convictions truly are. Primary Sources & Reputable References (All sources are...

Yosemite is breathtaking—but beyond the trails and waterfalls lies a vast wilderness where four people disappeared without a trace. In this episode, we examine the cases of George Penca, Michael Ficery, Dikran Knadjian, and Peter Jackson —four disappearances spanning more than a decade, each with its own unanswered questions. What happened after their last known sightings? And how can someone vani...

In September 1978, two children walked home to a small cabin in Sterling, Alaska. By morning, they were gone. No struggle. No footprints. No witnesses. Just a pot of boiling macaroni left on the stove and a timeline that collapses into silence. This episode takes you inside one of Alaska’s most haunting unsolved disappearances — the night at Good Time Charlie’s, the walk to the Luptons’, the stove...

A quiet Massachusetts neighborhood. A normal autumn afternoon. And a kitchen covered in blood. When 31‑year‑old Joan Risch vanished on October 24th, 1961, she left behind one of the most contradictory crime scenes investigators had ever seen — a trail of blood that suggested she walked away, fingerprints that didn’t match anyone in her life, and a stack of library books about disappearances. In th...

Media didn’t just shape true crime — it shaped justice. From Victorian tabloids to TikTok sleuths, every era of media has changed how we see victims, suspects, and the system meant to protect them. Rachel and Krystal trace the evolution of true crime storytelling across 150 years, revealing how headlines, reenactments, documentaries, podcasts, and social platforms have influenced investigations, p...

Three very different trials. Three cases that have dominated headlines. Texas Killing Fields James Elmore was found guilty of manslaughter in the 1984 death of 16-year-old Laura Miller. It marks the first conviction connected to the Texas Killing Fields, a stretch of land where multiple women and girls were murdered or disappeared over several decades. Tupac Shakur Duane “Keffe D” Davis was convic...

Angela Hammond was 20 years old, four months pregnant, and standing under bright lights at a payphone in the center of town when she was abducted. She described the man circling her. She described his truck. Her fiancé heard her scream through the phone — and even chased the abductor’s vehicle. But Angela was never seen again. This is one of the most documented abductions in American history… and...

In 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott began receiving terrifying calls from a man who claimed to be in love with her—and seemed to know her every move. Then Dorothy disappeared. Her car was found burning, her remains were discovered four years later, and the mysterious caller continued haunting her family. We’ll explore Dorothy’s disappearance, the unanswered questions surrounding her murder, and the case o...

A 724-kilometre stretch of northern British Columbia. Three women who disappeared. One highway—and decades of unanswered questions. In Part 3, we continue our look at these haunting unsolved cases and the systemic failures that have left families searching for answers. Their stories deserve to be remembered. Their cases deserve attention.

This episode explores the full history of criminal profiling — from Cesare Lombroso’s pseudoscience and Dr. Thomas Bond’s 1888 Jack the Ripper profile to the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and modern behavioral analysis. Using credible academic sources, forensic psychology research, and real case studies, Rachel and Krystal examine how profiling evolved, where it failed, and why Hollywood’s portray...

This week, Rachel and Krystal examine three cases that reveal the cracks in America’s investigative systems, cases where women weren’t just murdered, but erased . For decades, these victims were known only by nicknames: • The Lady of the Dunes — a woman found in Provincetown with her hands removed and her body carefully staged. • Belle in the Well — a woman whose injuries, clothing, and decomposit...

Recent case updates: Nolan Wells, Nancy Guthrie, Lindsey Clancy, Sandra Birchmore, Taylor Charlton and the recent uptick in solved cold cases Join us for this weeks episode at the watercooler.

Two cities. Two robberies. Zero answers. In this episode, Rachel and Krystal dig into two bank heists that should’ve been headline news — but instead disappeared into silence. St. Louis, 1930: Police guards are mysteriously pulled from a bank… hours before it’s robbed. Chicago, mid‑century: A professional crew hits a major bank so cleanly the case barely makes the papers. Both robberies show the s...

A man arrives in Sligo, Ireland with two bags and no identification. Over three days, he walks the town with purpose — disposing of items, avoiding cameras, and preparing for a death no one would witness. When his body is found on Rosses Point beach, investigators discover he was terminally ill… but nothing else. No name. No past. No country. No family. And no trace of who he really was. This epis...

A warm Oklahoma night. A short walk home. And a man who vanished without a trace. In 1996, Joseph “Joe” Daniels — Cherokee Nation, mid‑20s — stepped off a relative’s porch and into the dark. He was never seen again. No search. No headlines. No investigation that ever truly began. Nearly thirty years later, his story still lives mostly in memory — not in the systems meant to protect the missing. To...

A nurse disappears in broad daylight in Philadelphia. Five months later, her remains are found 600 miles away on a remote North Carolina mountainside — dressed in clothes she never owned, carrying items she never bought. No timeline makes sense. No theory fits cleanly. And nearly 30 years later, investigators still can’t answer the most basic question: How did Judy Smith get from a crowded city to...

The CSI Effect: Myth, Media, and Misconceptions Episode Summary: In this episode, we break down the CSI Effect — the belief that crime‑show viewers enter jury duty expecting high‑tech forensic evidence in every case. But what does the research actually say? We explore the myth, the data, the courtroom impact, and how TV crime dramas could help reduce misconceptions about forensic science. What We...

Colorado DNA Lab Scandal A veteran Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA scientist admitted to manipulating DNA testing and falsifying records, placing more than 1,000 criminal cases under review. We discuss how one person's misconduct can shake confidence in forensic science and what it could mean for future appeals. Massachusetts Drug Lab Scandals We revisit the infamous Annie Dookhan and Sonja F...

In this episode, Rachel and Krystal explore two groundbreaking cases where cat DNA helped solve homicides — one in England, one in Canada. From a torso found on a British beach to a leather jacket buried near a shallow grave, these cases reshaped forensic science and expanded the definition of trace evidence. Featuring the first use of cat DNA in a UK homicide trial and the first animal‑DNA convic...

On December 18, 2011, 23‑year‑old Phoenix Lucille Coldon left her family’s home in Spanish Lake, Missouri, got into her mother’s black Chevy Blazer, and drove away without explanation. Two hours later, the SUV was found abandoned in East St. Louis — engine running, driver’s door open, personal belongings inside. Her parents wouldn’t learn about the vehicle for two weeks . In this episode, we explo...

Seventeen‑year‑old Brianna Maitland vanished on March 19, 2004, after leaving her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Hours later, her car was found backed into an abandoned farmhouse known as the Dutchburn House — driver’s door unlocked, turn signal still blinking, personal items scattered on the ground. But Brianna was gone. In this episode, we break down the timeline, the con...

On January 2nd, 1999, 11‑year‑old Mikelle Biggs walked outside with her little sister to wait for the ice cream truck. Minutes later, she was gone. Her purple bike lay on its side. The front wheel was still spinning. Two quarters were on the pavement. And no one saw what happened. This episode examines one of Arizona’s most haunting cold cases — a disappearance that unfolded in under two minutes,...