American criminal cases

Netflix is launching the documentary series 'Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart' in 2026, revisiting one of the United States' most notorious kidnapping cases from 2002, when 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City home.

Joachim Kroll terrorized Germany's Ruhr Valley from 1955 to 1976, murdering at least 14 people. His arrest came only after a neighbor discovered human remains clogging the building's shared toilet.

Andreen McDonald, 29 år, forsvandt fra parrets hjem i San Antonio i marts 2019. Hendes mand, major Andre McDonald, blev dømt for manddrab og bevistilsværtelse.

Barry Morphew, 49, was indicted in June 2025 and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Suzanne, who disappeared on May 10, 2020, during a bike ride in Chaffee County, Colorado. After initial charges were dropped in 2022, prosecutors brought the case back following the discovery of Suzanne's remains in 2023.

A popular true crime podcast has featured the case of Nancy Metayer Bowen, a 38-year-old Florida vice mayor found dead in her home in April 2026. The episode, which aired internationally, examines her death as a domestic violence homicide and the subsequent arrest of her husband.

ABC Audio and 20/20 have partnered to launch 'The Hand in the Window,' a six-part podcast series exploring the 2016 capture of serial killer Shawn Grate in rural Ashland, Ohio. Hosted by veteran journalist John Quiñones, the limited series premiered November 4, 2025, and traces how a desperate 911 call led investigators to uncover multiple homicides across the state.

Black Girl Gone launched approximately five years ago with a focused mission: to investigate and humanize cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls who have been overlooked by mainstream media. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms, the podcast has published nearly 300 episodes of in-depth true crime storytelling.

Aileen Carol Wuornos, convicted of murdering six men and suspected in a seventh case, was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002, in the United States. The former sex worker claimed self-defense in all her murders, stating she killed in response to rape and attempted rape.

On February 17, 1970, Captain Jeffrey MacDonald's wife and two young daughters were found murdered in their Fort Bragg home. MacDonald claimed four intruders were responsible. Nine years later, forensic evidence told a different story.

On February 8, 1983, a routine plumbing job in North London uncovered human remains that would lead to one of Britain's most disturbing serial murder cases. The discovery of Dennis Nilsen — and his confessed 15 victims — revealed critical gaps in how European police tracked predatory killers operating within urban anonymity.

On October 30, 1975, 15-year-old Martha Moxley was bludgeoned to death in her family's backyard in Greenwich, Connecticut. Twenty-seven years later, her neighbor Michael Skakel—a Kennedy cousin—was convicted of the crime. But the conviction didn't hold.

A Danish true crime podcast has brought renewed attention to two cases: the unsolved murders of young women traveling on Interrail passes across Europe, and the dramatic escape of a woman from a serial killer spotted by a passing truck driver—an encounter that ultimately led to his capture.

A prominent hacker at the center of the IcedID botnet fraud operation attempted to escape law enforcement by creating a forged death certificate, but was arrested during Operation Endgame, a coordinated international investigation involving Danish authorities.

A Danish true crime publication has retracted a fabricated murder case, admitting it conflated real incidents from Scotland, Denmark, and Sweden into a false narrative. The incident highlights the challenges facing Nordic true crime outlets operating with limited English-language verification systems.

On the night of April 13, 2013, Daniel William Marsh—just 15 years old—broke into a Davis, California home and murdered married couple Claudia Maupin and Oliver Northup in their bed. The crime revealed a teenager with a documented obsession with torture and serial killing.

Host Janne Aagaard explores a series of brutal axe attacks targeting young women in the Estonian city of Bytom in the 1970s. The Baltic true crime podcast 'Murder by the Baltic Sea' covers the case in the episode 'Death on Line 6', published on March 15, 2024.

Bent Isager-Nielsen spent more than 40 years in Danish law enforcement, serving as murder chief and leader of Rejseholdet, the specialized mobile task force that handled Denmark's most violent and complex cases. Now retired, he's sharing those experiences through a touring lecture series.

In August and September 1976, English serial killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw abducted, raped, and murdered two young Irish women in what became known as Ireland's first serial killing case. Despite confessing to both murders, neither man was ever convicted of the crimes.

Danish journalist Janne Aagaard has created a true crime podcast series examining some of the most disturbing criminal cases in the Baltic Sea region. Produced by Saga and available across multiple streaming platforms, Mord ved Østersøen (Murder by the Baltic Sea) brings listeners into the details of cases spanning Poland, Russia, and Estonia.

Several podcasts are now examining the psychology behind stalking behavior, featuring forensic psychologists, survivors, and criminal experts. These shows offer insights into stalker typologies, victim experiences, and the mental health aspects of obsessive behavior.