The Last Known

On December 23, 1974, three girls—Mary Rachel Trlica, Lisa Renee Wilson, and Julie Ann Moseley—set out for an afternoon of Christmas shopping in Fort Worth, Texas. They never came home. Their car was later found in the parking lot of a shopping center, but there was no clear sign of what had happened to them. Then a mysterious letter arrived, supposedly written by Rachel, claiming the girls had go...

On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico, a 19-year-old from Belen, New Mexico, left home for her regular morning bike ride. She never came back. Pieces of Tara's belongings were later discovered along her route, but there was no sign of Tara herself. Then, months later and more than a thousand miles away, a disturbing Polaroid photograph was found in a Florida parking lot. The image showed a young woma...

In the summer of 2021, Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, set out on a cross-country road trip, documenting their travels through national parks and scenic destinations on social media. But behind the carefully curated images, something was going terribly wrong. After an encounter with police in Utah and weeks of increasingly concerning events, Gabby's family stopped hearing from her. Th...

On May 25, 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old freshman at California Polytechnic State University, disappeared after leaving an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo. She was never seen again. A fellow student, Paul Flores, was among the last people known to have been with Kristin that night. For years, suspicion surrounded him, yet the case remained unresolved as Kristin's family continued pushing...

On the morning of June 27, 1995, Jodi Huisentruit, a 27-year-old television news anchor in Mason City, Iowa, failed to arrive for work. A producer called and woke her, and Jodi said she was running late and would be at the station soon. She never arrived. Outside her apartment, investigators discovered signs of a struggle. Some of Jodi's belongings were scattered near her car, and evidence suggest...

In March 1998, Amy Lynn Bradley, a 23-year-old American woman, vanished while traveling with her family aboard a Caribbean cruise. In the early morning hours, Amy was reportedly seen on the balcony of her family's cabin. A short time later, she was gone. The ship was approaching Curaçao, but searches of the vessel and surrounding areas failed to find her. Then came the sightings. Over the years, m...

On September 10, 2001, Sneha Anne Philip, a 31-year-old physician living in Lower Manhattan, was captured on surveillance footage shopping near the World Trade Center. After that, her movements became a mystery. She never returned home. The following morning, the September 11 attacks transformed New York City—and made the investigation into Sneha’s disappearance extraordinarily difficult. Did she...

In September 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden left his home in Doncaster, England, bought a one-way train ticket to London, and disappeared. He was captured on CCTV leaving King’s Cross station, alone and seemingly calm. After that, the trail went cold. Why did Andrew travel to London? Was he planning to meet someone? Did he intend to return home? And what happened after he walked out of the statio...

On May 30, 2005, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared during a graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with three young men—and what happened afterward would become the subject of shifting accounts, international scrutiny, and a mystery that endured for nearly two decades. We retrace Natalee’s final known night, from the friends who saw her leave to the conflicting stor...

On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse vanished from her Orlando condominium without a trace. Her car was later discovered near another apartment complex—and surveillance footage captured someone walking away from it. The recording should have provided the investigation’s strongest lead. Instead, a fence obscured the person’s face in every crucial frame, concealing their identity with alm...

On Christmas Eve 2002, eight-months-pregnant Laci Peterson vanished from her Modesto, California, home. As the search drew national attention, suspicion increasingly turned toward her husband, Scott—and the secret life investigators said he had been hiding. Months later, the discovery of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, transformed a missing-person investigation into one of America’s most closely...

Susan Powell: The Disappearance That Became a Case StudyOn a cold December night in 2009, Susan Powell vanished from her Utah home without a trace. What began as a missing persons investigation would evolve into one of the most heartbreaking and extensively analyzed family disappearance cases in modern history. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the disappearance of Susan Powell...

The Zodiac KillerHe taunted police with cryptic letters, encrypted ciphers, and chilling threats. More than five decades later, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in criminal history. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the terrifying series of attacks attributed to the Zodiac Killer in Northern California during the late 1960s and ea...

The Manson Family MurdersIn the summer of 1969, a series of brutal murders shattered Hollywood and stunned the nation. The killings would become one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history—and forever link the name Charles Manson with violence, manipulation, and cult control. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the rise of Charles Manson and the group that came to...

Jeffrey Epstein and the Failures Around HimFor years, Jeffrey Epstein moved among the wealthy and influential while allegations against him mounted. Despite repeated warning signs, investigations, and opportunities to intervene, the system failed to stop him. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the rise and fall of Jeffrey Epstein, focusing not only on his crimes but also on the...

Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and Protected CrimeFor years, James "Whitey" Bulger ruled Boston's criminal underworld while somehow staying one step ahead of law enforcement. The reason, investigators later discovered, may have been one of the most controversial relationships between organized crime and the FBI in American history. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the rise of Whitey...

Pamela Smart and the Murder of Gregg SmartIt began as a seemingly ordinary suburban homicide—but the investigation soon uncovered a shocking conspiracy involving manipulation, betrayal, and a group of teenagers whose lives would be changed forever. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the murder of Gregg Smart and the case that thrust Pamela Smart into the national spotlight. Pros...

Bernie Madoff's Ponzi SchemeFor decades, Bernie Madoff was one of the most respected names on Wall Street. Investors believed they had found a financial genius—until the entire empire collapsed, revealing the largest Ponzi scheme in history. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we uncover how Bernie Madoff orchestrated a multibillion-dollar fraud that deceived thousands of investors, chariti...

NXIVM and the Secret Branding RingBehind the polished image of self-improvement and executive success lurked one of the most disturbing cult operations in modern history. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we uncover the rise and fall of NXIVM, the organization founded by Keith Raniere that attracted business leaders, celebrities, and professionals with promises of personal growth. Beneath...

Oscar Pistorius and the Death of Reeva SteenkampOn Valentine's Day 2013, one of the world's most celebrated athletes became the focus of an international murder investigation. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the death of Reeva Steenkamp and the events that forever changed the life of Olympic and Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius. Pistorius claimed he believed an intruder wa...

The Lufthansa Heist at JFKIt was one of the largest cash robberies in American history—a meticulously planned heist that netted millions of dollars from a cargo terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. But pulling off the robbery was only the beginning. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we unravel the story of the infamous Lufthansa Heist, exploring how a crew tied to...

Jonestown: The Road to Mass DeathHow did a movement built on promises of equality, hope, and community end in one of the deadliest mass deaths in modern history? In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we examine the rise and fall of Jim Jones and the People's Temple, tracing the path from a charismatic preacher's growing influence to the isolated settlement of Jonestown in the jungles of Guyan...

In August 2018, Chris Watts appeared on television pleading for the safe return of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters after they were reported missing from their home in Frederick, Colorado. Within days, investigators uncovered a devastating truth that shocked the nation and transformed the case into one of the most infamous family murder investigations in recent histo...

In November 1971, respected accountant and churchgoer John List murdered his entire family inside their Westfield, New Jersey home before disappearing without a trace. For nearly 18 years, he successfully evaded capture, building a new life under a different identity while one of America's most shocking family annihilation cases remained unsolved. In this episode of The Last Known Podcast, we exam...

Anthony Ray Hinton spent nearly 30 years on Alabama's death row for a crime he maintained he did not commit. His conviction rested on disputed forensic evidence, and despite serious questions about the case, he remained behind bars until the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new hearing. His eventual exoneration became one of the most significant wrongful conviction cases in modern American history. In...