Real-life crimes that shock, disturb, and fascinate.
Dive into tales of murders, kidnappings, frauds, and cold cases. These are the true stories of criminals, victims, and the investigations that tried to uncover the truth.
From the outside, it was just an ordinary house in Perris, California, home to David and Louise Turpin and their thirteen children. But behind closed doors, a horrifying secret festered: the children, ranging from 2 to 29, were held captive, subjected to unimaginable abuse, starvation, and regularly chained to their beds. For years, their parents maintained a chilling façade, homeschooling the children and isolating them from the world. The nightmare finally ended on January 14, 2018, when a courageous 17-year-old daughter, Jordan Turpin, managed to escape and call 911, revealing a house of horrors that shocked the world and brought a profound reckoning for her tormentors.
On Thanksgiving Day 2018, Kelsey Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor and mother, vanished from her small Colorado town, leaving no trace. Her fiancé, Patrick Frazee, was the last person to see her, but his evasive behavior and inconsistent story quickly raised suspicion. The case baffled investigators until they turned to modern forensics: meticulous analysis of cell phone data meticulously tracked Frazee's movements, revealing his phone (and Kelsey's) at a remote ranch. Further investigation at the ranch uncovered a burn pit with grim evidence, and eventually, the chilling confession of Frazee's mistress, Krystal Lee, tied all the pieces together. This is the story of how digital footprints and burned evidence meticulously unraveled a complex murder, bringing justice to a case that seemed to vanish into thin air.
In November 2016, Sherri Papini, a California mother, vanished during a jog, sparking a frantic national search and an outpouring of public sympathy. Twenty-two days later, she reappeared, battered and branded, claiming she had been abducted and tortured by two Hispanic women. Her harrowing story captivated the nation, fueling a massive, multi-state investigation. However, years later, DNA evidence and a shocking confession from an ex-boyfriend revealed the unbelievable truth: Sherri Papini had faked her own kidnapping. This is the story of a woman whose elaborate deception unraveled, leading to her arrest, conviction, and a stark reminder of the devastating impact of a lie.
On June 10, 1991, eleven-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard vanished from a quiet street in South Lake Tahoe, California, abducted in broad daylight by Phillip and Nancy Garrido. For eighteen agonizing years, she was held captive in a hidden backyard compound in Antioch, subjected to unimaginable abuse and isolation, eventually giving birth to two daughters fathered by her captor. The world believed she was lost forever, a heartbreaking cold case. But in August 2009, a diligent parole officer's suspicion led to the astonishing discovery: Jaycee, now 29, was found alive with her two children, bringing to light a harrowing story of survival, resilience, and the indomitable strength of the human spirit against the darkest of circumstances.
In the seemingly ordinary South African town of Krugersdorp, a chilling series of murders began to unfold in the early 2010s. The victims were diverse, the motives unclear, but each crime bore a strange, almost ritualistic signature. At the heart of this terror was Cecilia Steyn, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of a cult called 'Electus per Deus.' She convinced her followers, including the entire Le Roux family, that they were engaged in a holy war against demons. Under her manipulative spell, these ordinary individuals committed a string of brutal murders, disguised as spiritual warfare, exposing a terrifying web of deception and depravity that shocked a nation.
In the quiet, upscale town of Bethesda, Maryland, a Lululemon store, a place of wellness and calm, became the scene of a horrifying crime. On a seemingly ordinary night in March 2011, assistant manager Jayna Murray was brutally murdered, and her coworker, Brittany Norwood, claimed they were victims of a violent robbery by masked men. But as detectives sifted through the ransacked store, the truth began to emerge: a bizarre staging, self-inflicted wounds, and a chilling betrayal that turned a confrontation over stolen yoga pants into a night of unspeakable violence, exposing a dark secret hidden in plain sight.
Imagine a vibrant New York night in Central Park, brimming with life. Now, picture a brutal crime that instantly gripped a city, leading to the swift, chilling conviction of five young men. But what if they were innocent? This is the harrowing true story of The Central Park Five, and a devastating look at how quickly justice can go horrifically, irrevocably wrong.
Imagine a quiet street, perfectly manicured lawns, the comforting hum of suburban life. Now, picture the man who lived there: a church president, a Cub Scout leader, a friendly face you'd wave to across the street. For decades, he moved among them, completely undetected, while harboring a terrifying secret known only by three chilling letters: BTK. Bind. Torture. Kill. This is the unbelievable true story of the monster who walked among us, and the decades-long hunt to unmask him.
In 1947, Hollywood's glittering facade was shattered by a crime of unimaginable brutality: the murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, forever known as the Black Dahlia. Her body, meticulously severed and posed, was discovered in a vacant lot, a scene so horrific it stunned a nation. The ensuing media frenzy, coupled with the killer's chilling taunts, plunged Los Angeles into fear. Despite a massive investigation and countless theories, the Black Dahlia's killer was never found, leaving behind a gruesome, unsolved mystery that continues to haunt the dark corners of Old Hollywood.
For decades, a shadow known as the Golden State Killer terrorized California, committing a chilling string of rapes and murders that left communities paralyzed with fear. He was a phantom, meticulously planning his attacks and vanishing without a trace, baffling investigators for over 40 years. But then, a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, genetic genealogy, finally gave a face to the monster. The shocking truth? He was a former police officer, living a double life. This is the incredible story of how cutting-edge DNA science finally unmasked one of America's most elusive serial killers.
