Casefile True Crime

For Marea Yann, two things mattered most in life - family and community. When the 69-year-old was found violently bludgeoned to death in her Healesville home, the small Victorian town was left shaken. It seemed impossible that anyone would want to hurt this doting grandmother and dedicated volunteer worker. But as investigators learned more about Marea’s life, it quickly became clear that Marea ha...

*** Content warning: Child victim, child abuse, suicide, grooming *** When 14-year-old Andrew Gosden mysteriously disappeared from his home in the UK suburb of Doncaster, evidence emerged to indicate that he’d left of his own free will. But Andrew was a gifted, intellectual teenager who came from a loving and supportive family – not your typical teenage runaway. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Rese...

When Brian and Beverly Barry returned from a weekend away to discover their 19-year-old daughter Kim was gone, they initially assumed she was out with friends. Then news broke that a body had been found in some bushland south of their home in Wollongong, New South Wales, and it wasn’t long before the truth came out... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative dire...

*** Content warning: Domestic violence, sexual assault *** In Pakistani culture, arranged marriages are common.  So when the parents of Samia Shahid chose a husband for her, Samia agreed to the marriage. Despite being raised in England, Samia took her Pakistani heritage very seriously and would do anything to make her family proud.  But Samia’s arranged marriage to her first cousin, Choudhry Shake...

*** Content warning: Sexual assault *** [Part 2 of 2] When nine-year-old Debra May Helmick was abducted from the front of her family’s trailer in Richland County, South Carolina, there were immediate concerns that her kidnapping could be linked to the recent murder of Lexington teenager, Shari Smith. Those fears were confirmed when Shari’s sister Dawn received a chilling phone call directing autho...

*** Content warning: Sexual assault *** [Part 1 of 2] When 17-year-old Shari Smith disappeared from the end of her family's driveway in Lexington, South Carolina, there were immediate concerns for her wellbeing. Shari had a rare medical condition that could turn fatal without her medication.  But any concerns that Shari’s illness could have caused her disappearance were quickly quashed after the S...

*** Content warning: Elder abuse *** The Director of Nursing at the Alpine Manor Nursing Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was thrilled when Catherine Wood and Gwen Graham joined their team of nursing aides in the mid-1980s. They were hard-working, enthusiastic and well-liked. But soon after they started, some residents of Alpine Manor began telling the staff that their lives were in peril. When tho...

*** Content warning: Child victim, child sexual abuse *** When eight-year-old Jamie Lavis failed to return home on Monday, May 5 1997, his family quickly raised the alarm. Soon, it seemed as though all of Greater Manchester was searching for the missing boy – including a bus driver named Darren Vickers... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly...

On November 16 2009, a 911 call was placed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Department by 34-year-old Pamela Mortensen. According to Pamela, her father-in-law Kay Mortensen was brutally murdered in his own home... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium:...

After a routine check on suspicious activity turns to tragedy for Illinois Police Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz, Fox Lake locals struggle to come to grips with the loss of their hero cop. A statewide manhunt ensues, but when the perpetrators aren’t immediately apprehended, the question is raised - could this have been a targeted attack? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McG...

*** Content warning: Crimes against children, child abuse, domestic abuse, alcoholism *** On April 27 1964, young mother Dora Fronczak was in her hospital bed feeding her one-day-old son, Paul, when a nurse entered the room and said she had to take Paul back to the nursery. Dora handed her baby over, and the nurse hurried out of the room. Still carrying baby Paul, the nurse fled the hospital throu...

When 52-year-old German farmer Rudolf Rupp failed to return home from a night out drinking in the town of Neuburg an der Donau, several questions were raised. Had Rudolf accidentally driven into the nearby Donau River? Had he taken his own life? Or was he the victim of something more sinister?  --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Pro...

*** Content warning: child victim *** On the afternoon of January 14, 2012, 15-year-old Winsie Hau was attacked with a knife by a 14-year-old boy. Winsie's father was also attacked, and while he survived his injuries, Winsie did not.  --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Hoyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign...

*** Content warning: child victim, sexual assault *** When Rajesh and Nupur Talwar went to wake their 13-year-old daughter Aarushi on the morning of Friday, May 16 2008, the couple were shocked to find her brutally murdered in her bed. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign...

*** Content warning: serial rapist and killer, sexual assault, stalking *** When Melbourne women Margaret Maher, Mersina Halvagis and Nicole Patterson were found brutally murdered in the late 1990s, police didn’t immediately link the crimes. The killer left behind no incriminating evidence, indicating he was an experienced offender who knew how to beat the system. Little did investigators know, th...

*** Content warning: Child victim, animal cruelty *** When single mother Nadja Medley met an older man named Mike Bullinger, she finally found happiness after a difficult few years. As well as being a fun, kind-hearted partner, Mike was a wonderful father figure to Nadja’s 14-year-old daughter Payton. In May 2017, the three of them moved from Ogden, Utah, to a farmhouse Mike had just bought in Cal...

*** Content warning: Mental illness, stalking, gun violence *** Amy Boyer was a popular teen in her hometown of Nashua, New Hampshire. Her life was busy between school, work and social commitments. Full of joy and love, Amy naturally drew in those around her – including a troubled young man named Liam Youens. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – M...

*** Content warning: Sexual assault *** When trainee nurses Lorraine Wilson and Wendy Evans failed to return to work in Sydney after a holiday around Australia in 1974, fears arose that they could have fallen victim to the so-called Gold Coast Hitchhiker Murderer. But when a discovery is made in the rural town of Murphy’s Creek years later, an even more disturbing possibility emerges... --- Narrat...

*** Content warning: Gun violence *** When 41-year-old Abraham Shakespeare won the 30 million dollar Florida Lottery prize, his underprivileged life changed overnight. Yet, he quickly realised his newfound wealth was a curse. Despite showing limitless charity, he became demoralised by the pressure and expectations thrust upon him by those seeking his money... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Researc...

In the summer of 1980, Theodosius Glukharev received a series of harrowing deliveries to his home in Kishinev, Soviet Moldova. The contents ultimately unravelled the murders of three women – Nina Puganova, Irina Trasyn & Anastasia Mikhailova... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B...

[Part 2 of 2] *** Content Warning: child victim *** After grieving father Jean-Marie Villemin takes revenge for his son’s death into his own hands, the investigation into Grégory Villemin’s death takes a series of unexpected turns. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn Subscribe for a...

[Part 1 of 2] *** Content Warning: child victim *** The extended Villemin family lived in the Vosges region of north-eastern France. From 1981, several members of the family started to receive anonymous, threatening phone calls from a mysterious caller they eventually labelled The Crow. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production...

When married mother of two, Sherri Papini, goes missing near her home in Redding, California, the community is gripped by fear. Suspicion immediately falls on Sherri’s husband, Keith Papini, but an even darker theory emerges – what if Sherri was the victim of a human trafficking ring? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production an...

*** Warning: This case involves a child victim *** On April 5 2008, 10-year-old Engla Höglund went missing while cycling home from soccer practice near the small Swedish town of Stjärnsund. As news spread, a witness came forward who had captured Engla in a photograph just moments before she disappeared. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly R...

*** Warning: This case involves a child victim *** On April 14 1973, the Kennedy family awoke in their Ipswich, Queensland unit to discover the unthinkable. 16-month-old Deidre Kennedy was missing from her cot, having been abducted by an intruder overnight. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill  Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music...