This is a double episode to conclude the month-long miniseries where I detail the case of serial killer David Carpenter, known as “The Trailside Killer”. Carpenter stalked and killed men and women on the hiking trails of Marin County, San Francisco...

In Part 2 of this 3-part mini-series, I’ll continue the story about a random series of attacks that took place on hiking trails in northern California beginning in 1979, soon after David Carpenter was released from prison for an earlier violent crime...

This month I’ll be sharing a 3-part miniseries. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Northern California was terrorized by a series of random murders that took place on hiking trails in state parks, national forests and coastal lands. The public began...

In 2002, two paintings were stolen from The Van Gogh Museum worth $30 million dollars. The investigation into this crime would involve law enforcement in several countries. Special investigators in both art crimes and organized crime units would also...

This bonus episode is brought to you by Once Upon a Crime in partnership with CrimeCon UK. I have a CrimeConVersation with Sinead from Mens Rea Podcast about true crime, being a true crime podcaster, women and true crime and more. You can listen...

Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright begins an affair with Martha “Mamah” Borthwick. When the scandal threatens his career and reputation, he builds a home near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Called “Taliesin”, it was supposed to be a place of peace and...

To celebrate reaching 200 episodes we created a bonus episode to answer listener questions. Thanks everyone for submitting them! Links: www.Patreon.com/onceuponacrime To listen to our "haunted" episode go to Episode #108 - Haunted Homicides:...

A young widow opens her own restaurant in Macon, Georgia in the 1950s. Suspicions arise when the people closest to her begin falling ill and dying. Was Anjette Lyles a serial killer?  Resources:  Lyles v. The State, Supreme Court of Georgia,...

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay enters London's Brixton Prison in 2012 in an attempt to teach a group of inmates to run a successful bakery. Would he succeed or would the men return to a life of crime once the cameras stopped rolling? ...

In this series we'll take a look at the restaurant industry to ask "What happens when good cooks go bad?".  In this episode, a restaurateur in Southern California is suspected of murder when his wife disappears. What detectives discover would...

A serial killer preys on vulnerable women in Tokyo, Japan.  He will meet his victims on Twitter.  (Caution: This episode contains the subject of suicide.)  Resources:  by Walter Sim for The Straits Times, Nov 5, 2017. ...

Two women meet a man on Match.com. After they end the relationship, Wade Ridley vows deadly revenge.  Resources: 20/20: In an Instant - "Match Made in Hell", ABC Television, aired July 1, 2017 Dating App Horrors: The Untold Story, A&E...

A Canadian man, inspired by the television show Dexter, lures his murder victims through online dating sites.  Resources:  Dateline: Deadly House of Cards, NBC Television, September 16, 2011. "Alleged First Victim Recalls His Escape" by...

In Part 3 of this miniseries, Curtis Dean Anderson confesses to a high-profile missing child case.  He would be investigated for a series of abductions and murders of children in Northern California.  Was he a serial killer as he claimed or...

In part two of this miniseries the bravery of an 8-year-old girl unmasks a serial predator named Curtis Dean Anderson. He would be linked to the disappearance of Xiana Fairchild.  Resources: "Portrait of 'an absolute monster'", by Kevin Fagan...

A 7-year-old goes missing from Vallejo, California in 1999.  It would be some time before Xiana Fairchild would be linked to a serial predator who would ultimately be connected to several missing and murdered women and children in Northern...

This week my special guest is Leroy Luna from Excuse Me, That's Illegal Podcast. We discuss some bizarre crimes, the dumbest criminals and crime stories that could only have happened in 2020. Links to resources:    Sponsors: Acorn TV: ...

In this episode I'll share three true crime cases you may not have heard of, but should have.  My special guest host is Laurah from The Fall Line and One Strange Thing Podcasts.  Resources:  "Murder in a Silent Place" by David Van Biema...

Two women thought they'd met the man of their dreams. But one of them would be found dead of mysterious circumstances and one would go missing never to be seen again. Would justice prevail to convict Drew Peterson for these crimes?  Resources:...

A teenager goes missing in Morgan Hill, California never to be seen again. It would take meticulous detective work to prove she'd been the victim of a murder and bring her killer to justice. "Disappearance tests 'no-body' murder cases" by Jenna Lyons...

This month's series features crimes that were solved...without a body. Tom Capano thought he'd pulled off the perfect murder when his ex-girlfriend disappeared. Meticulous detective work and dogged determination would be needed to solve the...

A story about a teenage stalker who hides in his victim's homes to prey upon them becomes an urban legend.  But, the true life and crimes of Daniel J. LaPlante would be a real-life horror story.  Resources:  "Witness describes...

The mysterious murder of Fred William Oesterreich in Los Angeles in 1922 would be revealed years later as one of the strangest and most bizarre true crime cases in California history  Resources:  A Crime to Remember: Guess Who?, Season 4,...

News, updates and announcements for our listeners! Links: Nominate Once Upon a Crime for the Discover Pods Awards at .   To sign up for a Patreon membership go to   To register for Alta Asks Live Digital Event go to .  You can read my...

In 1998, a 14-year-old disappeared from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.  It would be feared she had become a victim of serial killer, Leonard Fraser, but this story would end with a shocking revelation.  Sources:  60 Minutes...

A multimillionaire in a feud with his family over money and property perpetrates a bizarre hoax in order to get revenge on his children and hold on to his assets.   Resources:  Sponsors: Nutrafol -  - use promo code ONCE and get...

A well-respected educator in Bakersfield, California is accused of a brutal crime - the murders of five of his family members.   Resources:  "The Mystery of the Lost Weekend", by Keith Morrison for Dateline NBC, July 24, 2009.  "Vincent...

In this month's series "Bad Teacher" I'll share cases of educators who committed newsworthy crimes.  First up, a 34-year-old teacher scandalizes the nation when she is convicted of child rape with one of her 6th grade students.  Sources:...

We conclude this two-part episode with a young woman who comes forward claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. The investigation into her claim would take decades to solve the mystery.  Time Stamps:  05:03 - "Miss Unknown" 22:47 -...

On this first part of a 2-part episode, I share the fascinating story of the disappearance of the last imperial family of Russia, the Romanovs.  After their disappearance, most believed they had been executed by the Bolsheviks, but sightings of...

On this second part of a two-part episode we continue the story of 9-year-old Walter Collins who went missing from Los Angeles in 1928.  In part two, we discover that a serial killer, Gordon Stewart Northcott, has been preying on boys and young...

In this month's series I'll tell you stories about people who missing and then, months or years later, miraculously reappeared.  But, these stories all have a twist - were they who they claimed to be or were they imposters?  In this first...

The life and tragic death of a young socialite in the 1930s inspires an Academy Award winning movie. But, Starr Faithfull's life was far from the glamorous treatment it would receive on the big screen.  Sources: Ripped from the Headlines: The...

As a bonus for this month's theme "Stranger Than Fiction" I interview author Harold Schechter about his new book, Ripped from the Headlines: The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movies' Most Memorable Crimes, an anthology of forty true...

Two women accused of murder in the Roaring 20s would become the inspiration for one of the best known and longest running shows in American musical theater history. This is the story of the real life Roxie and Velma from "Chicago". ...

In 1986, a beautiful young mother discovers her husband is cheating on her and files for divorce.  Soon afterward, she goes missing.  Discovering what happened to Helle Crafts would take an small army of detectives, forensic scientists,...

In the last chapter of "Till Death Do Us Part" a woman meets and quickly marries a man. He promises her a new life, but soon after the wedding she goes missing.  It will take years of investigative and legal work to bring her killer to...

A bride sees many red flags in her relationship before walking down the aisle, but her fear of angering her fiancee would compel her to go through with the ceremony.  Within hours, that decision would become fatal.   #domestic violence...

A new bride decides she's made a mistake in tying the knot.  The decision she makes in order to end the marriage will be a shocking act of cruelty.  Resources:  "A Murder in Glacier Park" by Justin Franz for The Flathead Beacon, Dec 17,...

In this series, I'll share cases of newlyweds whose lives were cut short by the person who vowed to love them forever.   In this first case, a young bride is unaware that her new spouse married her to collect on a $1 million dollar life insurance...