Crime Family: A True Crime Podcast

*WARNING: This episode contains topics such as sexual assault and violence that may be triggering for some listeners. Please use discretion when listening to this episode* No one joins a cult; everyone joins a good thing, but once you’re in too deep, it can be impossible to tell the difference. Our 4-part cult miniseries concludes with a discussion about one of the most notorious cults in history....

* WARNING: This episode contains disturbing audio clips and discussions which may be triggering and difficult to listen to. Discretion is strongly advised. *  No one joins a cult; everyone joins a good thing, but once you’re in too deep, it can be impossible to tell the difference. A cult conversation wouldn’t be complete without Jonestown, the Peoples Temple, and its monstrous leader Jim Jones. T...

No one joins a cult; everyone joins a good thing, but once you’re in too deep, it can be impossible to tell the difference. In 1958, Charles E. Dietrich Sr set out to do a good thing: create a drug rehabilitation center that was more inclusive, unlike AA which he found to be limiting. What started out as a new-wave addiction treatment movement turned into a violent and dangerous cult that was exis...

No one joins a cult; everyone joins a good thing, but once you’re in too deep, it can be impossible to tell the difference. Join us for week one of our Cults Miniseries where we dive into the Children of God which masqueraded as a peace-loving, happy community to the outside but had a sinister reality for those on the inside. Riddled with abuse and sex trafficking this international cult ruined ma...

On a high school graduation trip to Aruba with her classmates, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared. She was last seen leaving a popular bar in a car with three men- but then never showed up at the airport to return home the next day. Upon hearing news of her disappearance, Natalee's parents immediately travelled to Aruba to assist in the search for their daughter but nearly 17 years late...

On July 7, 2013, Oklahoma police receive a series of distressing 911 calls from two people stating they were lost in the woods.  This sets into motion one of the most bizarre and mysterious missing persons cases we've ever heard of. Molly Miller and Colt Haynes found themselves abandoned and lost in an unfamiliar wooded area after being chased by local police in a car driven by a mutual frien...

On January 12, 2022, 37-year-old Elnaz Hajtamiri was abducted from her home after three men dressed as police officers showed up at her doorstep declaring they had a warrant for her arrest. Dragging her from the home and into a getaway car, she was never seen again. Immediately, the police launched an investigation to find Elnaz and bring her home, but so far the case remains unsolved.  Since Janu...

*Trigger Warning- This case involves discussions surrounding child sex abuse and child sex-trafficking that may be triggering for some listeners. Please use discretion when listening to this episode* In this two-part episode, we discuss the disappearance of Johnny Gosch- a 12-year-old paperboy from West Des Moines, Iowa who was abducted during his routine paper route in the early morning hours of...

*Trigger Warning- This case involves discussions surrounding child sex abuse and child sex-trafficking that may be triggering for some listeners. Please use discretion when listening to this episode* In this two-part episode, we discuss the disappearance of Johnny Gosch- a 12-year-old paperboy from West Des Moines, Iowa who was abducted during his routine paper route in the early morning hours of...

Alex Rodda was only fifteen when he started an online sexual relationship with Matt Mason, an eighteen-year-old with a girlfriend and a dark secret.  Not only was Alex a minor, but Matt was still hiding his true self and did not want anybody in his life to know the details about this secret part of his identity. As their illicit relationship continues, Alex becomes hellbent on telling Matt's...

The use of modern technology has both positive and negatives. This week, we discuss two cases that expose the dark side of social media- platforms that allowed monsters to enact their murderous desires. First, Katie tells the story of Jenae Gagnier, better known to her millions of followers as Mercedes Morr- who rose to social media fame due to her provocative posts. In late August 2021, everythin...

In our season 3 premiere, we invite Jia Wertz back to the show to discuss a case covered in her new podcast series, "Speaking Of Crime".  Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were a married couple who were murdered near Moab, Utah in August 2021. The women were last seen shortly after midnight on August 14 after a night out with friends. A few days later, a family friend went looking for the...

In part I of our season 2 finale, we discuss the high profile Madeleine McCann case- a case which is still highly debated and unsolved to this day. The McCann family was vacationing in Praia Da Luz, Portugal in May 2007 when their three-year-old daughter Madeleine was abducted from her bed while her parents were at a restaurant with friends only feet away from Apartment 5A. Shortly after her abduc...

In part 2 of our season finale, our discussion about the high-profile Madeleine McCann case continues! In this episode, we discuss the various strange occurrences that took place in the days immediately preceding and following Madeleine's abduction. This includes a suspicious non-profit orphanage scam that almost had devastating consequences for one mother and her daughter, a strange woman my...

In this special bonus episode, we bring you the latest updates on cases we've covered in the past! This time, those updates include: the status of the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case (S01E01), a follow up on the Turpin children (S01E04), a big Barry & Honey Sherman update (S01E10) and follow-up on former cop Amber Guyger's appeal process (S02E13). FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram...

The Muskoka region of Ontario is usually a beautiful summer destination for cottage owners in Canada, but this week we tell you the story of its dark underside: a side of the community that centers around one family whom many suspect to be responsible for a string of murders from the 1990's. After 77-year-old Joan Lawrence went missing in the fall of 1998, the Laan family was at the center of...

When Stefano Savioli was murdered on Cortes Island, BC, the RCMP offer up very little detail about what happened that night in 2010. Over a decade later, not even an official cause of death has been released leaving a sense of uneasiness looming over the island.   Chantel Gillade was only 28 years old when her life was tragically stolen from her. Her death sparked rumours of connections with a Can...

Christina Whittaker went missing without a trace on November 13, 2009, from the town of Hannibal, Missouri and for years her disappearance has led to more questions than answers. When filmmaker Christina Fontana vows to crack the case for her documentary 'Relentless', it leads her down a path of twisted secrets, mysterious leads and many many red herrings. To this day, the events surroun...

In 2014, a touching photo of 12-year-old Devonte Hart went viral- a young black boy hugging a white police officer among protests for racial justice. It was dubbed "the hug felt around the world" and painted a picture of a socially conscious and loving family.  However, what has happening behind closed doors was far from loving and it all begins when Jennifer and Sarah Hart adopt six chi...

On November 28, 2012, 26-year-old Emma Fillipoff disappeared from Victoria, British Columbia. Her last known whereabouts were outside the Empress Hotel in the downtown area, talking to the police after an acquaintance called 911 saying she was in distress and needed help. After the police talk with her and let her walk away, she is never seen again. For almost a decade, her disappearance has garne...

In September 2018, Botham Jean, an unarmed black man, was killed inside his own apartment by Amber Guyger- an off-duty police officer who mistakenly entered his apartment thinking it was her own. After a frantic 911 call, an investigation into the incident ensues and this high profile case added fuel to the national conversation about police brutality against black people in America. How does an o...

On September 11, 2001, the entire world changed.  The trauma and destruction that occurred in New York City sent shockwaves throughout the world and left thousands of mourning families in its wake. For one of those families, there were more questions than answers and in this episode, we tell you their story. Sneha Anne Phillip was last seen the day before 9/11 and the circumstances surrounding her...

**TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS TOPICS SUCH AS  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME LISTENERS. PLEASE USE DISCRETION WHEN LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE.** In the fall of 2010, Talia Ray and her friends lived on campus at Sarah Lawrence College, a private liberal arts school in Yonkers, New York. When her father Larry gets released from prison and comes to live...

There are hundreds of missing  and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada, and these are just some of their stories. In the final part of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls miniseries, we discuss the Highway of Tears- a 725-km stretch of highway in British Columbia where dozens of women have gone missing since the 1970's. A vital part of the national conversation a...

There are hundreds of missing  and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada, and these are just some of their stories. In part three of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls mini-series, we tell the stories of two different cases- Leona Brule and Leah Anderson. Leona Brule, an 18-year-old woman from the Northwest Territories went missing in 1989 and in an unsolved case with...