Detective Story: True Crime Insights with Mike Hammond and Chris Kafcas

Send us Fan Mail Former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson rarely sits for interviews. We got him for a candid, hour-plus conversation — and it's the most open he's been since leaving CPD. Mike Hammond worked under Eddie back when he was a Sergeant in Area 4 Homicide, and that history shows: this is two coppers talking straight, not a press-conference Q&A. Topics include: —...

Send us Fan Mail In 1956, Barbara and Patricia Grimes vanished after seeing an Elvis Presley film in Chicago. Their disappearance generated so much national attention that Elvis Presley himself recorded a personal radio message urging the girls to come home. Their bodies were found weeks later in unincorporated Cook County. Nearly 70 years later the case remains unsolved — but may not be unsolvabl...

Send us Fan Mail In this special audio edition, I reflect on the recent losses of two dedicated officers: Deputy Rick Coyle of the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department (retired CPD) and Officer John Bartholomew of the Chicago Police Department. I served with Rick on the Chicago Police Department years ago.  After he retired Rick moved to Kentucky and eventually joined the Crittenden County Sheri...

Send us Fan Mail This Episode is dedicated to Rick Coyle, John Bartholomew and Nelson Crespo.  Show us the way home, warriors.  In This Episode #25: Melissa Staples rose through the ranks to become only the second female Chief of Detectives for the second-largest police department in the country.  We sit down to discuss the immense responsibility of that position, the realities of leadership, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Chicago PD's power couple: Homicide Sergeant Michele Wood and her husband, Lead Hostage Negotiator Marco Garcia to discuss her new book and the art of crisis negotiation.  We discuss Michele’s upcoming book release "Model Detective"  and the high-stakes world of hostage negotiation and de-escalation techniques 📘 ORDER "MODEL D...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 begins with the case that started it all. In February 2001, my partner Sam Manto and I worked our first murder as lead detectives: 6-year-old Allen Kalfus, tortured to death by his foster mother, Flora Stewart. Sam and I sit down 25 years later to revisit this case. What we remember. What surprised us. And what still haunts us. This is the story of Allen Kalfus. Visit us...

Send us Fan Mail https://www.patreon.com/DetectiveStorywithmikehammond Support the show The Engine that Makes Detective Story Run: Featuring co-host Chris Kafcas. Patreon Link for Insider Conversations and Direct contact with us: https://patreon.com/DetectiveStorywithMikeHammond Big thank you to our Patrons who keep us rolling: Jenn and Drew Hammond Colonel Samuel E. Manto Core Natural Gas Service...

Send us Fan Mail On Episode 22 of Detective Story we have the distinct honor to host former Chicago Police Narcotics Detective Josh Weitzman. Josh, a long time friend and colleague of Mike Hammond, has a very interesting personal and professional story.   He started his police career with the Kansas City Police Department but eventually returned to his native Chicago and the Chicago Police Departm...

Send us Fan Mail Visit our Station page and join the Detective Story community. Vote in a poll about the Richard Cain saga at:  www.https://station.page/detectivestory  Gangster, police officer, hitman, international criminal, right hand to notorious Chicago Outfit Boss Sam Giancana, would be Fidel Castro assassin, JFK assassination conspirator, Anti-Castro rebel coordinator and trainer, linguist,...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back for the start of season two of Detective Story! Gangster, police officer, hitman, international criminal, right hand to notorious Chicago Outfit Boss Sam Giancana, would be Fidel Castro assassin, JFK assassination conspirator, Anti-Castro rebel coordinator and trainer, linguist, wiretapper, polygraph examiner, Barry Goldwater bodyguard, FBI Informant and CIA operative...

Send us Fan Mail Visit our website: www.detectivestory.net In Episode 19- Detective Hammond and DJMasBlanco Chris Kafcas have the great honor of interviewing Michele Wood, distinguished and decorated Chicago Police Homicide Sergeant.  Michele discusses her amazing career, her fight to become a homicide detective in CPD's male dominated homicide detective culture and her own true crime media w...

Send us Fan Mail Reach us at our website! www.detectivestroy.net In Episode 18- Detective Story begins taking on the mysterious I-70 serial killer who killed multiple people from 1992 through 2001 along the I-70 corridor stretching from Indianapolis into Missouri and then later possibly resumed in Texas.   Support the show The Engine that Makes Detective Story Run: Featuring co-host Chris Kafcas....

Send us Fan Mail www.detectivestory.net.       Friend to the show, Lisette Guillen, joins us to discuss the very troubling cases of Ja'Niyah MicMichael and Emma Baum. Both young women, Ja'Niyah is 13 years of age and Emma 25, have been reported missing and both are reported to be pregnant.   Emma was 9 months pregnant and beginning to dilate at the time she was last seen or heard from on...

Send us Fan Mail Visit our website at WWW.DETECTIVESTORY.NET In Episode #16, PART 2  of Detective Story, we invite you to join Mike Hammond, Chris Kafcas,  Bob Rodriguez and Elizabeth Veloz' family to discuss the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Veloz.  We visit some of the key locations in the investigation and are pleased to let you hear from Elizabeth's daught...

Send us Fan Mail VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!! @ www.detectivestory.net Link to purchase the book, Godfathers of Chicago's Chinatown: https://a.co/d/aQw9wYu  Join Detective Story for an interview with Charles "Greg" Daly  aka: Harrison Fillmore on a discussion of his book and the violent 100 years of Organized Crime in Chicago's Chinatown. Rivaling the violence and mayhem of Chicag...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode #14 of Detective Story, we invite you to join Mike Hammond, Chris Kafcas and special guest Retired Chicago Homicide Detective Bob Rodriguez to discuss the case of Elizabeth Veloz.  On the night of 26 July 1992, 27 year old East Side of Chicago native, Elizabeth Veloz, went out with friends. She left a bar with three male, hispanic men very late into the morning.  Report...

Send us Fan Mail Detective Story invites you to join Detective Hammond for the interview of Deviant podcast hosts Andrew Iden & Dan Szematowicz of Cold Open Media. Andrew and Dan discuss their latest project Deviant a podcast that focuses on societies scariest human predators.  Detective Hammond takes a deep look with Andrew and Dan at their first season target; Israel Keyes. Keyes was a seria...

Send us Fan Mail Robyn Breedlove, Becky Breedlove's sister, joins Detective Hammond to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the murder of Becky Breedlove. Robyn helps to paint a more complete picture of her beloved sister and the tremendous loss and burden her murder placed on her family.  In a follow up to episode #4 Detective Hammond and Robyn discuss Becky and the case and the ongoing fight...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 11,  Detective Hammond is again joined by his former homicide partner Mike Pietryla and close friend, brother and owner of the Welcome Back Lounge, Chicago, Chris Kafcas,  to finish walking you through the incredible story of the murder of 21 year old Magdalena "Maggie" Idzikowska and the nearly 15 investigation and judicial process that led to the identification...

Send us Fan Mail After all of the detective books have been read and the movies and television's shows cast what is solving a true mystery homicide really like? Can those entities every capture the humanity, the slow grind and the sheer focus it takes to solve a case that takes years to get answers? In episode 10, and concluding with Episode 11,  Detective Hammond is joined by his former homi...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of the brave soldiers, police officers and all first responders who have fought the battles to keep us free, safe and healthy,  Detective Story takes great honor in inviting  you to join Detective Hammond for the interview of Mike Marotta, Executive Director of Warrior's Heart.  Warrior's Heart, founded by Josh and Lisa Lannon and Tom and Laurie Spooner, is an o...

Send us Fan Mail Detective Story invites you to join Detective Hammond for the interview of LaDonna Humphrey.  Host of Multiple Podcasts and Writer and Director or the award winning documentary Uneven Ground: The Melissa Witt Story. Detective Hammond and Mrs. Humphrey dive into the Melissa Witt case and discuss the investigation and circumstances.   A case that demands answers. Answers that are ou...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of Memorial Day, Detective Story invites you to join Detective Hammond for the interview of Allicia Johnson Niles. On March 27th, 1976 Allicia's father, Lieutenant Junior Grade Burr N. Johnson, was shot and killed aboard his assigned ship, the USS Richard S. Edwards which was docked in Pearl Harbor.   Then a young child, Allicia was told of her father's murder. ...

Send us Fan Mail Susan Snow is the daughter of slain Los Angeles Police Department Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was ambushed and killed on October 31, 1985 when Susan was 17 years old.  She is a published author, speaker, and coach. Her book, The Other Side of the Gun-My Journey from Trauma to Resiliency, was born out of Susan’s journey through the trauma she experienced with the death of her...

Send us Fan Mail Detective Hammond returns with the very personal story the murder of Vigo County Sheriff Sergeant W. Kevin Artz.   Detective Hammond talks of his relationship with his first mentor in law enforcement Deputy Michael McKissick, the closing of the innocence of his youth with his college internship and the beginning of his journey into the real world of violence.  A story that he has...