People are the Worst

With the new Netflix documentary, Taken: Natalee Holloway, coming out this week, we've decided to re-release our series on Natalee's case.

A few things to keep in mind:

• This was originally released in 2023 when we were still little baby podcasters and certainly had some things to figure out, so please don't judge our former selves too harshly if we sound a little cringey.
• This was originally a 4 part series, but we're re-releasing it as one long episode. We've done our best to clean it up, but some transitions between the parts may sound abrupt. You may also hear references to the other parts but just ignore those—you're getting all of it in one episode, we promise!

Natalee's case is personal for us and is the one we are asked about most often. We're from the same hometown as Natalee and as two people who knew her, we wanted to bring a more personal perspective to this story. Natalee Holloway went on her senior trip in 2005 and never came back. While we all know who is responsible, it’s been over 21 years and her body has never been found

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Happy Halloween!! In honor of the holiday, we have two Halloween-themed AITW stories, and the theme? A prank gone too far and was the boyfriend's girl BFF sending a message with her costume? Lets find out!

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In February 2000, 27-year-old Suzette Trouten packed up her belongings and moved from Michigan to Kansas City for a job opportunity. But just weeks after arriving, Suzette stopped calling. Her family continued receiving letters from her (even in her handwriting) but something wasn't adding up. As investigators did their thing, they uncovered a double life that lasted decades. And just when they thought had it all figured out, police and FBI made a discovery that would turn an entire family's world upside down.

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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Sources for this episode:

•

Depraved: A True Story of a Sadistic Killer in the Heartland by John Glatt

•

Vanity Fair —Link

•

Crime Library

•

FBI: Criminal Pursuit

•

Very Scary People: The Slave Master, Parts 1 & 2

•

20/20: Sole Survivor

•

Cold Case Files: Sex, Lies & Murder

•

ABC News —Link 1 |Link 2 |Link 3

•

Lawrence Journal-World —Link

•

The Dark Side of Humanity —Link

•

LegalClarity —Link

•

Kansas Supreme Court —Link

•

MoreLaw —Link

• Find a Grave

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On June 26, 2010, a woman walked into her friend Denise Merhi's house to get her car keys. The house was eerily quiet and when the woman called out, nobody answered. She found her keys, then found a horrific scene in the kitchen. After a very stressful few minutes, she then sees a shadow reflected on the wall. The killer was still in the house. What she didn't know was that the scene is much more horrific than she realized. It's what urban legends are made of: a mass murder and a message written on the wall in blood. Police knew Denise Merhi had been torn between two men: Michael Eric Ballard & Brian Miller. Did one of them do this?

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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In September 1993, Donna Palomba woke up to a masked intruder standing in her bedroom. What follows is a terrifying attack that leaves her fearing for her life and the safety of her two children. But when she turns to the police for help, the investigation takes an unimaginable turn and Donna's the one being questioned.

Years later, a shocking new crime brings investigators the break they've been waiting for, and nothing could prepare them for what they uncovered.

janedoenomore.org

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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In 2004, the decomposing body of a young woman was found at an abandoned house in Winnie, Texas. The woman didn't have any belongings with her: no phone, no ID, no wallet. The only clue as to who she is was a class ring on her finger. It indicated she graduated high school in 2003, making her roughly 19 years old. When they look inside the ring, they see a name inscribed: Courtney Coco. The only problem is: Courtney lived about 3 hours away in Alexandria, Louisiana and had no ties to Texas. How did she end up there? This would be the first of MANY bizarre discoveries and even though there are a ton of suspects, Courtney Coco's murder would go cold for 15 years until a badass named Woody Overton launches a podcast about it & solves it 7 weeks later...

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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In 1969, Liz Kendall was a newly divorced single mom who moved to Seattle with her bestfriend for a fresh start. On her first night out she meets Rob Nelson at the Sandpiper Tavern and end up spending nearly a decade together. He's the kind of guy who gets up early to make scrambled eggs, runs around with the neighborhood kids, and literally brings a kitten back to life. According to her daughter, Molly, he was the last puzzle piece to their family.

Then women in their neighborhood start getting attacked and the cops are looking at everyone, including Rob, but eventually he's cleared. Liz was (obviously) relieved but did the police get it right? Or was the person sleeping next to her pure evil? Stay until the end.

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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Today's palate cleanser is a nice reminder that some people are not the worst (but most are)

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In 2018, Pam Hutchinson & Lois Riess met while sitting at a bar in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. Pam had recently gotten a divorce and Lois's husband, Dave Riess, had recently died, so they were both starting a new chapter in their late 50s. The two hit it off and even though they had just met, it was as if they were lifelong friends. What they didn't know was that this chance encounter would lead to a horrific tragedy and a nationwide manhunt of an unexpected killer.

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When Anna Pleskovic looked out the window of her parents’ Strongsville, Ohio, home and saw a stranger pressing his face against the glass, she had no idea it was the beginning of a nightmare. Over the next several months, the Pleskovic family experienced a bizarre series of break-ins, strange noises, missing keys, cut security-camera cords, and people lurking around their property. They were convinced someone was targeting their home, but they had no idea why. On October 23, 2017, they got their answer.

Research Assistant: Jim Rowley

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In 2001, Leslie & Sandy Preer were empty nesters with a picture perfect life in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Their daughter Lauren lived nearby and even though she was an adult, the 3 of them were closer than ever. But on May 2, 2001, tragedy struck. Leslie's boss called Sandy to tell him Leslie didn't show up for work and within hours, the Preer family's lives changed forever. Even with a few immediate suspects, the case would go cold for over 20 years before an arrest is made with the help of customs agents at Washington Dulles International Airport. And they learn the person behind it was someone nobody suspected.

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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Cynthia Hoffman was 19-years-old living in Anchorage, Alaska with her family who she was extremely close with. On June 2, 2019 Cynthia told her father she was going on a "highke" with her friend, Angela. Then she vanished. As her friends & family frantically searched for her, police uncovered a motive that's so bizarre, they initially didn't believe it. But the further they dug, the more disturbing the truth became.

*Trigger warning: small portions of this episode involve minors (not the main story)

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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For todays palate cleanser, we're going to tell you about a (hilarious-turned-not-so-much) scuffle between husband and wife over the name of their unborn baby

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Reddit is an endless archive of humanity’s most disturbing, bizarre, and deeply human stories. If you love going down internet rabbit holes, you are going to love CRIMES OF REDDIT with Alexis Linkletter and Sabrina Deana-Roga.

Every Tuesday, one host brings a set of true-crime stories while the other reacts in real time with no prep, no spoilers asking the questions on everyone’s mind. They pull at every thread until the whole twisted picture comes into view. It’s dark, it’s messy, and the scariest part is simple: THESE ARE STORIES POSTED BY REAL PEOPLE.

Follow CRIMES OF REDDIT for a new episode every Tuesday. https://pod.link/1838511303

CRIMES OF REDDIT is a Crime House original powered by PAVE Studios.

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In 2016, a young couple named Charlie Carver and Kala Brown went missing from Anderson, South Carolina. After over two months of searching, investigators were led to a 95-acre property owned by successful real estate agent, Todd Kohlhepp. What they find on the property is chilling and it will help them solve crimes they didn't even know were connected. They'll also discover some creepy product reviews left by the killer buying his weapons off of Amazon.

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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From the outside, Isaiah Carvalho and Valerie Cincinelli's life looked picture-perfect. But behind closed doors there was a crumbling marriage, a secret relationship, accusations of abuse, and bunch of restraining orders! In 2019, karma finally does its thing and the chain of events that follows is so unbelievable that even seasoned investigators struggled to process it.

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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Kat Torres had a terrible childhood growing up in Brazil. She was determined to break away from her family & make a name for herself. After a modeling agency discovered her, that dream became a reality and she started jet setting all over the world. In 2013, she landed in LA where she rubbed elbows with the Hollywood elite -- she was even rumored to date Leonardo Dicaprio. As her social media followers grew, so did her naysayers, specifically another famous Brazilian model, Yasmin Brunet. Millions of people watched their public feud over Instagram and in 2022, it would unveil an incredibly dark story that would lead to the rescue of two missing young women.

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On August 2, 1979 at 3:30 a.m. Donna Ferres was working the overnight shift at a 7-Eleven when a man walked through the door. He kept his hat low and his head down, immediately making her uncomfortable, but when he asked about her sister—by name—Donna’s guard came down.

They made small talk, but when Donna asked his name, he wouldn’t tell her. Then he walked outside, lifted the hood of his perfectly functioning car, and returned to the store with a request: to help him start his car.

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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Imagine donating to a cause and accidentally donating 100x more than you meant to...

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In 1994, 19-year-old Emory University student, Shannon Melendi, was working as a scorekeeper at a softball game when she left in between games and never came back. She seemingly vanished without a trace until 10 days later when an anonymous phone call came in from a man claiming to have her. And he did...he even left proof. This kicks the investigation into high gear and would become Georgia's first "no body" murder conviction.

Click here to sign the change.org petition to keep Shannon's killer behind bars!

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