Hidden Threads: Real Private Investigators. Real Cases. Real Stories.

Send us Fan Mail Can someone legally bug your car? Is that hidden camera in the Airbnb against the law? And how do private investigators actually catch a cheating spouse without breaking any rules? In this compilation, I break down the real laws around eavesdropping, listening devices, and hidden cameras — and the surprisingly simple methods PIs use to catch cheaters every day. I'm Macky, own...

Send us Fan Mail  This is not an episode about a killer. This is an episode about a 14-year-old girl, a grieving family, a mother who will never come home, and a mental health system that failed everyone in that house on Ashton Way. Ashley Smylie was a dedicated teacher and a mother who loved her daughter. Carly Gregg was a child struggling with dissociation, auditory hallucinations, and medicatio...

Send us Fan Mail  Stand Your Ground laws exist to protect innocent people from violent threats — not to settle arguments over parking spots or personal slights. We dig into the Karmelo Anthony trial, the conviction, and the hard truth that self-defense law demands an imminent threat of bodily injury before deadly force is ever justified. If you carry, you need to understand where the legal line is...

Send us Fan Mail Can someone really hide money during a divorce? In this Best of Hidden Threads compilation, we discuss alimony investigations, hidden assets, undisclosed income, shell businesses, digital evidence, financial deception, and the investigative techniques used to uncover the truth. Drawing from real-world investigative experience, we explain how investigators identify financial incons...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of our conversation, Macky Outlaw continues his discussion with Nancy Becher, founder of Invisible Warriors , focusing on the real-life impact of helping women veterans overcome adversity. Nancy shares powerful stories of resilience, recovery, and transformation from women who have faced homelessness, trauma, isolation, and other challenges after military service. We als...

Send us Fan Mail Women veterans often face challenges that remain unseen long after their military service ends. In Part 1 of this conversation, Macky Outlaw sits down with Nancy Becher, founder of Invisible Warriors , to discuss the unique struggles female veterans encounter when transitioning back to civilian life. From military sexual trauma and mental health challenges to homelessness, employm...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hidden Threads Podcast , former law enforcement professionals Macky Outlaw and Jus take a deep dive into three Alabama criminal cases that have captured public attention. The discussion begins with the death of Whitney Harlow Roberson and the investigative questions surrounding the case. The conversation then turns to the shocking multi-victim homicide case...

Send us Fan Mail For more than four decades, Joseph DeAngelo evaded justice while investigators hunted the man known as the Golden State Killer. In this episode of Hidden Threads , we break down the crimes, the preserved forensic evidence, and the groundbreaking use of genetic genealogy that finally exposed him. From GEDmatch and family tree analysis to covert DNA collection and the privacy contro...

Send us Fan Mail Scammers don’t just steal money—they manipulate trust, emotion, urgency, and fear. In this episode of Hidden Threads , we break down real-world scams, the psychology behind why smart people still get caught, red flags investigators look for, and how fraudsters build believable lies that can cost victims everything. From romance scams and identity theft to online fraud and professi...

Send us Fan Mail They’re not spies. They’re not whistleblowers. They’re not handling classified intel. So why are some ordinary people absolutely convinced the government is tracking them with drones, listening through walls with directional microphones, or monitoring every move they make?  In this episode of Hidden Threads , Macky and Jus discuss real-world cases involving clients who believed sh...

Send us Fan Mail  Description: In this off-the-cuff Hidden Threads conversation, Macky and Jus dive into the blurry line between reasonable articulable suspicion and full-blown conspiracy theories. When does a gut feeling become something worth investigating? How do investigators separate facts, patterns, and legitimate indicators from assumptions, paranoia, and internet rabbit holes? Real-world s...

Send us Fan Mail   In this episode of Hidden Threads, Macky Outlaw and Jus discuss the tragic death of Tyre Nichols following his encounter with officers from the Memphis Police Department. We break down the body camera footage, the culture surrounding aggressive police units, and the reality that a small percentage of officers who lose control can permanently damage public trust in law enforcemen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Hidden Threads, Macky Outlaw and Jus break down the case of former Baltimore officer Kevin Duggan and the dangerous reality of what happens when law enforcement officers lose control, abuse authority, or cross ethical lines. We discuss how a very small percentage of corrupt or reckless officers can damage the reputation of the overwhelming majority of good cops...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Hidden Threads, Macky and Jus dive into one of the most critical and controversial aspects of modern policing: de-escalation. Drawing from real-world encounters, we break down what effective de-escalation looks like, where officers succeed, where situations spiral, and the split-second human factors that can turn routine encounters into national headlines. We al...

Send us Fan Mail Custody exchanges are supposed to be routine—but in the real world, they can turn volatile fast. In this episode of The Hidden Threads Podcast , Macky and Jus break down what happens when emotions, conflict, and court orders collide during child custody exchanges. Drawing from real-world investigative experience, they walk through how these situations escalate, what warning signs...

Send us Fan Mail When someone goes missing, every minute matters—but most people don’t understand what actually happens behind the scenes. In this episode of The Hidden Threads Podcast , Macky and Jus break down the case of Gabby Petito and use it as a real-world example of how missing person investigations unfold. This isn’t just the story you saw in the headlines. This is the process. We walk th...

Send us Fan Mail Some clients are convinced they’re being watched. Others say they hear voices, see people outside their home, or believe someone is inside their devices. In this episode of The Hidden Threads Podcast , Macky and Jus talk about one of the most difficult types of cases investigators face—when a client believes something is happening, but the evidence doesn’t line up. This isn’t abou...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hidden Threads Podcast , Macky and Jus break down the recent allegations surrounding Eric Swalwell—but this isn’t just about headlines. This is about how cases like this are actually investigated . We go beyond the noise and get into:  What multiple accusations really mean from an investigative standpoint   The difference between allegations, evidence, and p...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we break down some of the wildest service of process stories we’ve experienced in the field. From people hiding in plain sight to running, denying, and doing everything possible to avoid being served—we’ve seen it all. We talk about the tactics, the close calls, and what it actually takes to get papers served when someone really doesn’t want to be found. If you’ve...

Send us Fan Mail Macky Outlaw and Jus continue their discussion on the use of force continuum — the step-by-step levels of response that law enforcement and military personnel are trained to follow, from presence and verbal commands all the way to deadly force as a last resort. Drawing from their Marine Corps experience, they talk about how this structured approach keeps situations from escalating...

Send us Fan Mail Macky Outlaw and Jus are back with another raw episode, kicking it off with some wild Marine Corps stories from the old days — the good, the bad, and the straight-up dumb decisions that happen when young guys with too much testosterone and not enough supervision get their hands on serious firepower. They dive into real cases of Marines doing incredibly stupid shit: stealing weapon...

Send us Fan Mail Macky Outlaw and Jus are back for a straight-talking episode that might make you rethink your entire digital life. They start by swapping some classic Marine Corps stories — the kind of lessons in vigilance and situational awareness that hit different once you’re back in the civilian world. Then they go full forensic deep-dive into the apps everyone thinks are “safe”: Signal, Snap...

Send us Fan Mail In this raw and unfiltered episode of the podcast, Macky Outlaw and Jus sit down to shoot the shit about their wild days in the Marines — the brotherhood, the chaos, the lessons that still hit hard today. Then they pivot hard into the brutal reality of divorce and custody battles: why evidence is everything, how one photo, one text, or one bank statement can make or break your cas...

Send us Fan Mail Macky Outlaw and Jus start the show with a quick, no-nonsense chat about the War Powers Resolution — why they don’t think Trump is violating the law, and what the 1973 rules actually mean in practice. It’s fast, fun, and straight talk before they dive into the real meat of the episode. Then it’s all about the digital clues that are changing the game for catching killers in the 21s...

Send us Fan Mail In this hard-hitting episode, Macky Outlaw and Jus break down the shooting of Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 Capitol events. An unarmed Air Force veteran and mother was fatally shot while climbing through a broken window in a barricaded door—yet the officer who pulled the trigger has been widely labeled a hero and cleared of any wrongdoing. We examine how this case directly co...