Crime Junkie

In May 2021, Crime Junkie covered the 1981 murder of Father Patrick Ryan and the subsequent conviction of James Reyos. Now almost 40 years since James' arrest, officials discovered that there is untested evidence that has been sitting idle...which proved James was innocent and was only uncovered because two Crime Junkies listening to our episode decided to make a little noise.  Support The Innocen...

When 18-year-old Jade Winston is found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in her Carrier Mills, Illinois, apartment in August 2007, the entire community is stunned, and investigators are split on whether she was murdered or if she took her own life. As rumors fly, a Coroner's Jury rules Jade's death a homicide. But 16 years later, the case is on the shelf, and her family is still desperate to...

When 32-year-old Deanna Cook is found murdered in her home, her family automatically suspects her ex-husband. But despite a swift arrest, the investigation into her homicide reveals appalling gaps in the Dallas 911 system and the people who failed Deanna when she needed them most.  If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic abuse of any kind, you are not alone. You can call the National Domest...

When Pherbia Tinsley is found shot to death inside her car miles from her apartment in Central Virginia, authorities work fast to try and find her killer. Detectives uncover a handful of wild secrets in the lives of those around Pherbia which only deepen the mystery. Suspects are developed but the questions still plague cold case investigators. Who wanted Pherbia dead? And why?  If you know any in...

When Morgan Patten is killed in a mysterious auto crash while visiting her fiancé in North Carolina, police are quick to call it a tragic accident. But her loved ones believe she was the victim of foul play, and they won’t rest until they learn the truth. If you know anything about Morgan’s death or the circumstances surrounding it, please contact the Pattens at  morgansmilestogo@gmail.com . And t...

When a local news anchor vanishes in the pre-dawn hours, the entire community is struck by the irony. The person who typically broke stories in their small town was now the focus of the biggest missing persons case in the Midwest. Leads and suspects are plentiful, but somehow, almost three decades have passed without a shred of evidence pointing to anyone in particular. If you have any information...

In 1843, Daniel M’Naghten gunned down another man in broad daylight. But when he was taken to trial things got complicated. His defense argued that he shouldn’t be held fully responsible because he wasn’t in his right mind. However, the courts didn’t know what to do with that because there was no precedent for this kind of thing. So his defense team got to work putting in place a defense strategy...

When the body of a man is found in the burned remains of the Roberts home, the family assumes it’s 52-year-old Clarence. But the question surrounding his identity remains for years… until another fire 10 years later leaves everyone with more questions than answers.  Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: https...

If you’ve been following Alissa Turney’s case, you’ll know that her stepfather, Michael Turney, has been acquitted of her murder, which has left us all with too many questions. What does all this mean? What exactly happened in court? And what’s next? Well Alissa’s biggest advocate, Sarah Turney, is here to give us the answers. You can see the video of this conversation by signing up for our fan cl...

When a young woman goes missing under mysterious circumstances, questions swirl around a local businessman. But throughout the next 15 years, authorities figure out he may be involved in much more . You can contact the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788. You can learn more about how you can support Unchained At Last and their work to end forced and child marriage...

When a young woman vanishes, police think she left willingly. That changes when her body is discovered months later and it’s clear she was brutally murdered. Small town secrets keep this case a mystery for decades…. until a cold case team is finally able to get people talking. Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please v...

When a promising young woman fails to show up for a Father’s Day celebration in 2013, her dad knows immediately that something is very wrong. And as investigators work to unravel the chaotic timeline of the night she went missing, they find no lack of viable persons of interest. But when her case goes ice cold, they’re forced to ask if they’ve been overlooking a monster in their midst. If you have...

The update episode you all have been waiting for! On July 13th, 2023, Suffolk County ended the search for their Gilgo murder suspect and charged 59-year-old Rex Heuermann for the murders of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. You can go check out our original episode on the Long Island Serial Killer case: SERIAL KILLER: L.I.S.K. For a deeper dive into the LISK case, you can che...

On July 26, 2021, we covered the case of MISSING: Alicia Navarro . On July 26, 2023, exactly two years after the release of our episode, 18-year-old Alicia Navarro showed up at a small police station in Montana and stated she was the person who vanished almost three years ago from Glendale, Arizona.  To support Anti-Predator Project, which was mentioned in this episode, you can visit www. AntiPred...

When a beautiful young woman and her mother go missing, all eyes turn to the strange behavior of her father. And when he crumbles under the scrutiny, a lifetime of secrets make their way to the surface. If you or anyone you know is thinking about suicide, emotional support can be reached by calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or by calling the National Suicide Prevention L...

When a successful career woman goes missing in Washington, D.C., her family immediately knows something is wrong. And when the investigation’s winding path eventually leads detectives right back to the place they started, her family’s long fight for justice produces a stunning result. If you want to learn more about the Black & Missing Foundation or find ways you can help support them, you can vis...

When 36-year-old Maribel Ramos doesn’t show up to her weekly softball game, her friends and family immediately know something is wrong. And that sense of dread only increases when they go to her house, only to discover there’s no trace of her—despite her car still being in the garage. As investigators dig into the case, the signs quickly begin to point to one of the people closest to Maribel.  Sou...

When young women start disappearing from the streets of Honolulu only to soon be found brutally murdered, investigators at first dismiss any connection between the cases. But as the disappearances continue and the similarities pile up, they’re forced to confront a brutal truth... there’s a serial killer in paradise. If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to either of the cases that we mentioned...

When Shawn O’Brien is found unconscious in his Cranston, RI, apartment and dies days later in the hospital, the unusual circumstances spark suspicions of foul play. But the investigation quickly stalls out, leaving a grieving family searching for answers on their own. If you have any information about the death of Shawn O’Brien, call Cranston Police at 401-942-2211, or submit an anonymous tip  her...

On a Friday afternoon in 1986, 18-year-old Denise Pflum leaves her home in Connersville, Indiana, to go searching for a purse she had left at a party the night before. When she doesn’t return home, it’s just the beginning of a nightmare that will haunt her parents for over 30 years. If you have any information about the disappearance of Denise Pflum, please contact the Fayette County Sheriff’s Dep...

When police and federal agents descended on the home of the Todt family, they never expected to discover the gruesome scene waiting for them inside. While investigators had been able to piece together bits and pieces of what may have happened, questions still remained about who instigated everything... and why. Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. F...

When Amber Hagerman was abducted in 1996, there was a witness who saw a man and a distinctive car near where she was taken. But there was no way to get this information out to the mass public in time, and to this day, the mystery of what happened to Amber still remains. But her story changed the way the country handles child abductions and a precedent to issue an Amber Alert in situations like her...

When firefighters responded to 33-year-old Joey Lynn Offutt’s burning house in Sykesville, Pennsylvania, on July 12, 2007, they were shocked to discover the remains of her infant son, Alexis Brolin III. Joey was nowhere to be found and at the time, investigators didn’t know if she was a victim of the crime - or the perpetrator. But her family is convinced she was set up, and their only hope is tha...

When a friend is MIA after a night out, loved ones worry that she didn’t make it home safely. When police do a wellness check, they see that she did make it to her apartment… but surprisingly, she was far from safe.   Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-sasha-samsudean/  Did...

Brian Wehrle vanished without a trace during a trip to his hometown of Carrollton, Georgia. Everyone suspects foul play, but no one knows what could have happened to him. And nearly 14 years after his disappearance, his family is hoping someone out there has the information they need to bring Brian home. Brian is white, and at the time of his disappearance, he had blond hair, blue eyes, and weighe...