When the Lies Began

He was the man no one suspected — confident, intelligent, and ambitious. But behind the smile was a void. In this special 90-minute investigation, When the Lies Began unravels the chilling psychology of Ted Bundy , one of the most manipulative and deceptive serial killers in history. From his ordinary childhood and rise as a law student and political volunteer to the cross-country murders that sho...

He lived in plain sight. A quiet neighbor, polite and unassuming. But behind closed doors lay a twisted secret life of murder, dismemberment, and horror. From his first kill in 1978 to the discovery of his apartment in 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer wove a tapestry of deception — hiding in plain sight while evil consumed him. In this episode, Daniel and Claire trace Dahmer’s life chronologically: childhood...

They seemed perfect: two young lovers, traveling the country in a converted van, documenting it all online. But behind the curated photos and glowing captions, something darker was growing. In the summer of 2021, 22-year-old Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, embarked on a cross-country “van life” journey. Their trip earned them admiration across social media—until Gabby disa...

In early 2025, 34-year-old transgender man Sam Nordquist disappeared from upstate New York. For weeks, family and friends searched desperately. Suspects close to Sam denied involvement and told investigators they had no idea where he was. But prosecutors now say that while those lies spread, Sam was being held captive, tortured, and brutalized until his death. By March, a grand jury indicted seven...

In 2019, Lori Vallow told everyone her children, JJ and Tylee, were “safe.” Her new husband, doomsday author Chad Daybell, preached apocalyptic prophecies of light and dark spirits. But behind their confident smiles and spiritual claims lay a terrifying truth. JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were missing for months, while Lori and Chad evaded questions, married in Hawaii, and reassured worried friends an...

On the night of November 8, 2010, Jennifer Pan made a frantic 911 call claiming masked intruders had broken into her family home, tied her up, and shot her parents. Her mother, Bich Ha, was killed. Her father, Huei Hann, was critically injured but survived. Jennifer appeared to be the sole victim who escaped unharmed. But as investigators dug deeper, her story began to unravel. Cell phone records...

In November 1957, police entered a small farmhouse in Plainfield, Wisconsin, searching for missing hardware store owner Bernice Worden. In the shed, they found her body — mutilated, headless, strung up like a deer. But what they uncovered inside the home was even more disturbing: furniture made of skin, masks crafted from human faces, and organs preserved in jars. This episode unravels the double...

In October 1994, Susan Smith claimed that a Black man had carjacked her vehicle with her two young sons inside. For nine agonizing days, she stood in front of TV cameras, crying and begging for their safe return. America believed her. Volunteers searched, police investigated, and the nation held its breath. But Susan Smith already knew the truth. There was no carjacker. No kidnapping. She had roll...

On Christmas Eve, 2002, 27-year-old Laci Peterson vanished from her home in Modesto, California. She was eight months pregnant with her first child. Her husband, Scott Peterson, told police he spent the day fishing at the Berkeley Marina. But as the days passed, cracks in Scott’s story appeared — and his carefully constructed image began to collapse. When Amber Frey came forward, revealing her rel...

On May 5, 2009, police in Columbia, Illinois, entered the home of Chris and Sheri Coleman. What they found was unthinkable: Sheri and her two sons, Garett and Gavin, strangled to death in their beds. Just days earlier, Chris had reported receiving threatening emails — warnings that if he didn’t quit his job as head of security for televangelist Joyce Meyer, his family would be harmed. But as inves...

On November 2, 2016, a quiet suburban town in Northern California was shaken when 34-year-old mother of two, Sherri Papini, vanished during a morning jog. Her phone and earbuds were found abandoned by the road, sparking a frantic search that drew in local law enforcement, the FBI, and national media. For three weeks, her family pleaded for her safe return. Then, on Thanksgiving morning, she reappe...