Bitter Academia

Around a month ago, I wrote about the case of a missing scientist in New Mexico. This week that case, and other similar cases have been making headlines. At least scientists who two lawmakers say are connected to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology have either died or disappeared. There are reasons why people believe these cases might be linked, and we’ll get into those. However, we’ll also...

A trial for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand and a mystery centered on a couple who went on what many speculate was a deadly boat ride in the Bahamas for Lynette Hooker are some of the developing cases we’ll cover in this episode. We’ll also take listeners into a recent meeting where investigators explained how they finally solved a nearly 30-year-old cold case murder of Deborah Kennedy, tra...

In this episode, you’ll hear Eli Frankel, author of “The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress and Their Hunter” discuss the lesser-known Prairie Heiress case, the murder of a woman named Leela Welsh. It mirrors the Black Dahlia case in many ways, and Frankel argues that the same killer was behind both gruesome crimes. We’ll also dive in to the case of a Hawaii doctor who has been accused of trying to...

This week, we’re focusing on trials. Once the hunt for a killer or other criminal is over, it can take years for them to go to trial. The high -profile Luigi Mangione case is a good example, both his state and federal trials have been postponed. Meanwhile, the trial for a man accused of killing his neighbor after allegedly harassing the entire neighborhood has been scheduled, and a homicide cause...

This week, looking into what happens when violent criminals get parole – specifically how it impacts the communities the move into after their release. We’ll also get a detailed rundown of a harrowing Uber drive that ended in gunfire and some reflections on the late director Rob Reiner three months after his murder. We also have short updates on several other cases – including the Nancy Guthrie di...

In this episode, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman, who worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “All The Empty Rooms” about mass shootings discusses the film. We’ll also hear about the latest development in the two by four killer case out of Kansas and more. Featuring audio from WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, the Dana & Parks Show out...

This episode covers the latest updates in the Nancy Guthrie dissappearance case, the attack on Temple Israel in Michigan, an update on the Tops shooting case and a prank that turned deadly. Featuring audio from Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, A New Morning out of WBEN in Buffalo, the Henry Lake Show out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities and the Dave Glove...

In this roundup, we’ll be looking into crimes from the past have changed our world in sometimes surprising ways and that are continuing to change it. Those include the Oxford School Shooting in Michigan, the Apalachee School Shooting in Georgia and a 1988 arson case Missouri. Featuring audio from KRLD 1080 in Dallas, WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, WBEN News Talk in Buffalo, 1010 WINS in New Yo...

This week, we’re going to discuss a new study that suggests grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain didn’t die by suicide, but that he was murdered. Before we get to the Cobain case we’ll also listen in on an interview with an official with Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson. He spoke to Audacy about a heartbreaking case where a mother was found guilty of manslaughter of her 25-day-old baby. And, to s...

This is a true crime roundup from the On Deadline podcast. This week, we dive into a new interview with family of the victims of Michigan’s Oakland Child Killer. We’ll also cover three cases out of Pennsylvania and the latest on the Nancy Guthrie mystery. Featuring audio from WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, KDKA Newsradio in Pittsburgh, WBEN News Talk in Buffalo, the Dana...

This week, we’re going to focus on updates to two stories that have captured the public’s attention in recent weeks: the Jeffrey Epstein files and the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. In both cases, sifting fact from fiction can be difficult as online sleuths share theories all over social media. We'll also cover two crimes that you might have missed. Featuring audio from KRLD 1080 in Dallas-Fort W...

This week, we’re diving into conversations from our stations about a mystery stumping everyone this week: the disappearance of well-known journalist Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy. But first, we’ll cover a double-take headline from this week. Former First Lady Jill Biden’s first husband – William Stevenson – has been accused of killing his current wife. Featuring audio from KYW Newsradio in Phil...

In this episode, we’ll get an update on the case of a nurse facing allegations of sexual abuse in the Detroit area. We’ll also hear breakdown of a shooting at a popular bar near a university and about a man in prison for killing his family with an axe who may soon be released. But first, we’re going to the heart of heart of Central Florida, where a murder-suicide shocked a small town this week. Sp...

This week, we have brief updates on two disturbing cases in the Philadelphia area. We also have information about a reward offered for a shooting at a historic restaurant in New Orleans, a discussion of a neighbor-on-neighbor shooting in Missouri, the latest on a man accused of killing a Detroit neurosurgeon and an interview with the lawyer representing Renee Good’s family in the wake of her fatal...

In this episode, we have an update on the tragic mauling of a young teen in Kansas and an ongoing investigation in to the brutal death. We’ll also check into a grave robber case that we touched on last week, a cold case in the Bay Area and a 2001 mass shooting that you might not remember. We also have updates on several high-profile cases the Gilgo Beach murders, the Ellen Greenberg case, the Luig...

After the flames are gone, a new crisis begins. This episode pulls back the curtain on the invisible aftermath of disaster; the paperwork, permits, insurance battles, and endless waiting that stall recovery. Through conversations with her brother, Nataly explores why rebuilding takes so long and how resilience is tested long after the headlines fade.

In this episode, Nataly confronts what happens when professional distance disappears and grief becomes public. As media attention intensifies, she reflects on the emotional toll of telling her story again and again, and how reporting became both a survival mechanism and a container for pain she didn’t yet know how to carry.

This episode will focus on several recent stories coming out our newsrooms from coast to coast. They include the arrest of a man accused of hoarding human remains in his home and in storage units, an octogenarian arrested for the alleged murder of his wife nearly 40 years ago, and an update on the legal saga stemming from the Uvalde Elementary school massacre, and murder investigations in Kansas a...

Episode two picks up in the quiet aftermath of the fire, when the adrenaline fades and reality sets in. Nataly Tavidian reflects on the moment she learned her family home was gone—a phone call from a close colleague/TV reporter who was reporting live from the property. The episode centers on the shock of seeing what remains for the first time and the emotional weight of hearing devastating news fr...

In the first episode of Rising from the Ashes, KNX News reporter Nataly Tavidian recounts the day Southern California’s wildfires stopped being a story she was covering - and became the one she was living. While reporting on the Palisades Fire, Nataly was sent to cover a new blaze threatening Pasadena and Altadena: the neighborhood where she grew up and the home her parents built after immigrating...

This week, we’re covering several crimes reported over the holidays and diving into the Bondi Beach attack and a concerning rise in antisemitism. We'll also provide an update on the Brown University shooting.

These are the biggest cold cases we covered this year.

The murder of Charlie Kirk in September and the murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele in December shocked America this year.

These were the biggest political crimes we covered in 2025.

This roundup covers the biggest crimes of the year featured by On Deadline.