Global True Crime

In 1980, a young couple disappeared together with their baby daughter. They left everything behind, their families, their lives, every trace of themselves. For more than four decades, their relatives held on to one explanation: that the couple had been drawn into a religious group and had chosen to disappear voluntarily. Years passed. But there were no signs of life. No proof. No answers. Only sil...

In early July 2012, two horrifying discoveries were made on the beach in Southsea, in southern England. More specifically, human remains that were later identified as belonging to a 30-year-old man who lived in the area. The discovery marked the beginning of a major murder investigation, a highly controversial trial, and a case where one of the key pieces of evidence would turn out to be something...

Clowns are supposed to make us laugh. Colourful wigs, exaggerated expressions and oversized red shoes are things we associate with birthday parties, circuses, and children’s entertainment. But what happens when a clown knocks on your door carrying flowers, balloons, and a gun? Marlene Warren seemed to be living a safe and comfortable life with her family in an upscale neighbourhood in Florida. But...

In the early hours of 12 March 1992, Jack and Caren Koslow were woken by two unknown men entering their bedroom. Within minutes, their home in the affluent Rivercrest neighbourhood of Fort Worth, Texas, had become a brutal crime scene. At first, it looked like a violent break-in that had spiralled out of control. But as the investigation continued, it became clear that the truth was far more shock...

On the night of December 13 into December 14, 2020, 21-year-old Jason Landry got into his car to begin the three-hour drive from college back to his parents’ home for Christmas break. Investigators were later able to trace his route through GPS data until contact was lost about 30 minutes before he disappeared. Just over an hour later, his crashed car was found on a remote rural road. His clothes...

During the night between 30 April and 1 May 1999, 16-year-old Marianne Vaatstra cycled home after a night out in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. It was a route she already knew well, through an area generally considered quiet and safe. But that night, she never made it home. What began as the brutal murder of a teenage girl would soon become one of the most politically charged cases...

"If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim, as that is who would do something to me. I'm putting this in writing that I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me, or will try to do something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me". This is part of a text message that 41-year-old Rebecca Bliefnick sent to her sister in...

In October 1941, a man named Philip Peters was found brutally murdered in his own home in Denver, Colorado. He had been beaten to death by an unknown attacker in his kitchen. At first, police believed the murder may have taken place during a robbery. But there was no evidence to suggest that anyone had tried to break into the house. Strange theories soon began to circulate throughout the city. And...

In the summer of 1981, thirteen-year-old Mary Louise Day disappeared from her home in Seaside, California. And no one reported her missing. The family moved on, as if nothing had happened. And for years, no one asked about Mary. But much later, suspicions began to surface. Unusual statements, an interview that raised concern, and discoveries in a backyard where something, or someone, may once have...

In 1984, Baton Rouge in Louisiana was shaken by a kidnapping that quickly gained national attention across the United States. An eleven-year-old boy was taken by someone the family believed they could trust. When he was eventually found, the case took an unexpected turn. What followed was a widely discussed act of revenge, one that was captured on camera as it happened. Follow us on Instagram: ins...

It was the night between December 7th and 8th, 2000.Twenty-two-year-old Trevor Deely stepped out into the rain after attending a Christmas dinner and after-party with colleagues in Dublin, Ireland. On his way home, he stopped by the bank where he worked to pick up an umbrella, and then continued walking toward his apartment. At 4:14 a.m., a security camera captured Trevor walking down the street,...

In the early hours of 25 March 1990, a party was in full swing at the Happy Land Social Club, an unlicensed nightclub located in the Bronx in New York City. The atmosphere was lively and music poured from the speakers. But before long, Happy Land would be transformed into a burning inferno, and only a handful of people would manage to escape in time. All of this because of an impulsive act of reve...

It was June 2006. Germany seemed to stand still during the World Cup. Streets filled with flags, cheering crowds, and a sense of collective celebration. In Paderborn, a small university town caught up in the festivities, 21-year-old Frauke Liebs left a pub on a warm summer evening and began walking home. She was seen leaving just after 11 p.m. A few hours later, a text message was sent from her ph...

Violence against young women is, tragically, not uncommon. Crimes like these have taken place throughout history. But the murders of Mary Ashford and Barbara Forrest have drawn particular attention because the circumstances surrounding their deaths were eerily similar, even though the second murder occurred 157 years later. Both Mary and Barbara were 20 years old. Both were found dead in the same...

In May 1968, the body of a young woman was discovered in a ditch outside Georgetown, Kentucky. She was naked and wrapped in a green canvas tent bag. No one knew who she was. Despite extensive police efforts, the years passed without answers. The woman became known only as “Tent Girl”, and her identity remained a mystery for three decades. Then a teenager named Todd Matthews began digging into the...

Monday, 21 June 2004 began like any other day. 43-year-old Jim Donnelly drove to work at the Glenbrook Steel Mill, just outside Auckland, New Zealand. He said goodbye to his wife, Tracey, and the couple’s two children. Once he arrived, he clocked in, changed into his work uniform, and then vanished without a trace. More than twenty years have now passed, and Jim has never clocked out. To this day,...

Denise Amber Lee was just 21 years old. She was married, the mother of two young boys, and lived with her family in a quiet neighbourhood in Florida. Her life revolved around her children, her home, and everyday routines, until everything changed in a matter of minutes. One afternoon in January 2008, Denise vanished from her home. It soon became clear that she had been kidnapped in broad daylight,...

A brand new season of Global True Crime launches on 2 February. We're looking forward to sharing a new selection of cases from around the world. In this trailer, we share a preview of what’s to come. Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/globaltruecrimepod Get in touch: globaltruecrimepod@gmail.com Read more: globaltruecrimepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hawaii is often associated with golden beaches, vacations, and tranquillity. A place long regarded as unusually safe, far removed from the violence that so often dominates headlines in other parts of the United States. By the late 1990s, Honolulu was often described as one of America’s safest major cities. But on the morning of Tuesday, 2 November 1999, that sense of security was suddenly shattere...

24 January 1984 began like any other Tuesday. Nineteen-year-old Tim Molnar left his family home in Daytona Beach, Florida, and dropped his younger brother off at school. He was then supposed to continue on to university, but Tim would never arrive that day. Instead, he vanished, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. Some years later, Tim’s remains were discovered in a remote wooded area...

On December 16th, 2000, 31-year-old Mike Williams left home at dawn to go duck hunting. It was one of his greatest passions in life, something he did often and something he truly loved. But this day would not be like all the others. Mike never returned home after that trip. He disappeared without a trace, and what followed would become a mystery that lasted seventeen years. It wasn’t until 2017 th...

On the morning of December 16th, 2000, 31-year-old Mike Williams left his home in Tallahassee before sunrise. He was heading out to do something he’d done hundreds of times before, go duck hunting on Lake Seminole. But sometime after Mike launched his boat, something went wrong. Very wrong. When he didn’t come home, a massive search was launched. His boat was found. His gear was found. But Mike hi...

They say that true friendship can overcome anything. But what happens when love, obsession, and imagination become so intertwined that reality begins to fade away? On the 22nd of June, 1954, the world received its answer in Christchurch, New Zealand, when two teenage girls made a decision that would change their lives forever. A decision that turned friendship into tragedy, and that, even now, mor...

In the fall of 1958, a teenager named William Leslie Arnold made the shocking decision to shoot and kill both of his parents after an argument. He later managed to escape from prison in the state of Nebraska in the United States, and from that moment on, he seemed to have vanished without a trace. William remained on the run for decades, and eventually, investigators began to lose hope of ever fin...

"What have I done to deserve being locked away? I do not deserve this horrible torture. God cannot exist if He allows His creatures to suffer like this. And there is no one coming to my rescue.” These were some of the words Blanche Monnier scratched onto the walls of the dark room where she was imprisoned, punished for loving the wrong man. A man her mother simply could not accept. Blanche was in...