Crime Salad

In some cases, the answer isn't obvious. Sometimes a vital clue is still missing, the police are withholding evidence from the public, or there are some stories that just don't add up. In this week's case, it seemed that even after all the evidence was released and the story seemed fairly straightforward, the public wasn't, and still isn't, satisfied. In this episode we will cover the missing case...

Jelani Day was such a dedicated student that when he didn't show up for class on August 24th, 2021, his professor immediately knew something was wrong. Jelani Day was such a caring son that when his mother texted him, and he didn't call her back right away to chat, Carmen Bolden Day knew that something had happened to her baby. When his body was found in the Illinois River in a town he had no conn...

Some of the killers we've talked about had terrible childhoods filled with abuse and unimaginable grief. Some have convinced themselves that their potential gains, maybe money or protecting a secret, justify their crime. And while none of this justifies murder, it can helps us try to better make sense of a horrible tragedy. But there is no such motive or sympathetic backstory for the man who bruta...

To an outsider, it might seem like there isn't a lot going on in Lebanon, Missouri. There is a Route 66 museum, a Walmart, a bowling alley, and a few shops. It's less than 15 square miles and has about 14,000 residents. But if current trends hold, there's a 1 in 19 chance that you will be a victim of a violent crime, making it one of the most violent areas in the United States. Because of its viol...

In well publicized missing persons cases, the police usually make it a point to let the public know that they are tirelessly working on bringing the victim home and bringing the perpetrator to justice. And that's their job, no matter the circumstances, which is why it is so upsetting when it feels like they're doing the exact opposite. After Kandi Green Gonzalez disappeared, it seems as if the ver...

Many young women often feel like there is nowhere safe in the world, and today's case is a good example of why they might feel that way. What should have been a quick, relaxing run suddenly became deadly for Sydney Sutherland. A life can be altered in an instant and too often it's the actions of men toward women which are the deadly triggers. Support us! Want ad free listening? Patreon - https://p...

If you've turned on the news at all this month, then we're sure almost all of you have heard about this case. It's been everywhere for the last few weeks. Beyond people's interest in the mystery behind the case itself, the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito has brought up important conversations about unseen domestic abuse, which cases get prioritized in the media, and how regular people can...

Hey guys! We would love to introduce you to our friend Woody Overton's podcast, Real Life Real Crime. Woody Overton is a former sheriff's office detective and on the podcast he will dig deep into cases he has personally worked on and will give you all some exclusive details on how the cases went down. If you love twisted and gruesome stories and are intrigued by crime/murder/911 calls/and more, th...

After reading, or listening, to enough true crime, you might find the cases become somewhat formulaic. A person goes missing, a search party is sent out, a body is found, an arrest is ma de. Our case this week, though, is anything but that. Instead of inching closer to a solution, each new update only seems to generate more controversy and mystery around the Murdaugh Family. Sponsors: Flex Go to F...

Everyone has a crazy party story. But I bet that anyone who attended Tyler Hadley's house party in Port St. Lucie, Florida on the night of July 16, 2011 can give you a run for your money. When Tyler posted on Facebook that he was having a party, over a 100 people came to his parents' house to drink, do drugs, and party. What they didn't know was that only hours before, Tyler had brutally murdered...

In 1989, there were about 20,000 murders, but only 12,000 were solved. That's only a 60% success rate, and that number hasn't changed much in the last thirty years. You would think that with technology like DNA analysis and surveillance in more places, we'd be doing better. And of those unsolved crimes, few are solved years later. One of those 8000 unsolved cases in 1989 was the disappearance of J...

On the day after her 52nd birthday, Emily Noble's husband, Matheau Moore, called the police to report that his wife had gone missing. For months, Emily's friends and family searched high and low for her in her hometown of Westerville, Ohio. But when her body was suddenly found, months after her disappearance, hanging in a tree just behind her home, all eyes quickly turned to her husband. As a warn...

The gruesome murder of Colleen Ritzer in 2013 shocked everyone. Colleen was a young, well-loved math teacher in a small Massachusetts town, and her killer was a quiet, but seemingly kind, freshman soccer player. With no record, no prior offences, what made this young boy suddenly snap? The death of any person at the hands of a killer is always terrifying, but today's case, which grapples with unde...

When Hannah Graham enrolled in the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, she was ready to change the world. She was an avid skier, a straight A student, and could find a way to make anyone laugh. But when she was brutally murdered in 2014, at the beginning of her sophomore year of school, her family was understandably beyond shocked and devastated. But as the investigation unfolded, Hannah's...

When Denise Amber Lee was kidnapped from her Florida home in the middle of the day in 2008, five calls to 911 came in with information related to finding her--including one from Denise herself and three from eyewitnesses. Sponsors: Thrive Causemetics Go to ThriveCausemetics.com/crimesalad for 15% off your first order!  Generation Why Listen to Wondery's The Generation Why Podcast on Apple Podcasts...

When it comes to true crime, one of the biggest names that people think of is BTK--a serial killer whose reign of terror over Wichita, Kansas lasted more than 15 years. But while BTK might be the most famous killer, for the people of Wichita, Reginald and Jonathan Carr's week long crime and killing spree caused citizens to fear for their lives both while out and inside their own homes. In the 20 y...

Jill Meagher's story is every woman's worst nightmare. In Brunswick, Jill was wrapping up a great night out with friends and was on her less than half a mile walk home, when she was attacked, raped, and murdered by a man she had never met before. Her coldblooded attack became national news and sparked controversy for years to follow. Sponsors: Dame Products Go to dameproducts.com/CRIMESALAD today...

A few months back, we covered the 2004 case of Lisa Marie Montgomery--a woman who murdered Bobbie Jo Stinnet as she brutally cut open Bobbie Jo's abdomen to take her unborn baby. This case made national headlines, and in 2021, Lisa Marie became the first woman to be executed by the federal government in decades. Our case this week follows a similar trajectory. A 22 year old pregnant woman was lure...

Katelin Akens, a 19 year old who went missing over five years ago while visiting her family. On the day Katelin was supposed to return back to her home in Arizona with her fiance, her step-father allegedly dropped her off at the airport, but Katelin never arrived. Sponsors: Thrive Causemetics Visit ThriveCausemetics.com/crimesalad for 15% off your first order! Support us! Want ad free listening? P...

It's not everyday that cases that have gone cold get reopened. The odds are even slimmer when there's no body or DNA evidence that can tie a suspect to the disappearance. And after 25 years? It seems almost impossible. But this past May, for the five children of Linda Lunsford, they might have finally found some answers to what happened when their mother didn't come home from work in December of 1...

When police responded to a domestic dispute call in Louisville in 2009, they had no idea that they were about to learn about a murder that had happened six months earlier--a murder of a man they didn't even know was missing. Sponsors: Dipsea Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CRIMESALAD Daily Harvest Go to DAILYHARVEST.com and enter code "crimesalad"...

The death of 5 year old AJ Freund in 2019, is as heartbreaking as it is enraging. Despite numerous complaints filed against his parents to the Department of Child and Family Services and multiple investigations to rule out neglect, AJ somehow slipped through the cracks. And there were deadly consequences. Sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD Go to charlottesweb.com to get started with the OG CBD brand wh...

Everything is on the internet...The good, the bad, and the downright horrible. And among these content creators are a growing number of social media celebrities-people who have become famous for their YouTube videos, TikToks, or livestreams. While much of this content is harmless and relatively wholesome like dance crazes or baking tips, a darker side of streaming has started to rise up. Sponsors:...

We would love to introduce you to Criminal Broads: a true crime and history podcast. Tori Telfer dives in each week to cover stories about wild women who've ended up on the wrong side of the law. Could be for leading a cult, serially murdering their husbands, faking their own deaths or even swindling billionaires.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/criminal-broads/id1375121031 Learn more abou...

This week, we are bringing you the story of a serial killer who went undetected for years in British Columbia and by the time he was captured, he was one victim away from having killed 50 women. Fifty! Today we're covering the life and capture of Robert Pickton, a pig farmer whose horrific crimes make him one of Canada's most prolific serial killers.  Sponsors: Dipsea For listeners of the show, Di...