Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories

What happens when a teenager goes missing in the world’s smallest, and supposedly safest, country? Emanuela Orlandi’s sudden disappearance remains the only missing person’s case in Vatican City, yet more than 40 years later we still have no idea what really happened behind the papal state’s walls. After the story, stick around for an exclusive interview with the director of The First Omen, Arkasha Stevenson! This episode is brought to you by Twentieth Century Studios' the First Omen. Experience the most terrifying movie of the year, and what critics are calling “deliciously disturbing” only in theaters April 5th. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1940s Hollywood, a 22-year-old aspiring actress is found mutilated and drained of blood. Her body is posed, and her mouth has been carved into a permanent smile. The investigation takes police into the hidden sides of the city — illicit romances and gang-related crimes. But when another mutilated body is found weeks later, the hunt is on for a possible serial killer. This is a crossover series with Unsolved Murders, looking at the murder of Elizabeth Short and other unsolved cases surrounding it. This episode originally aired August 2022 - to hear more of Vanessa and Carter check out Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She became one of the most influential people in California when she co-founded Stanford University in 1891. Jane Stanford was widely beloved for her forward-thinking, liberal ideals—but she also earned a few enemies. And when she was murdered in 1905, one question sent shockwaves through California: Who disagreed with Jane enough to kill her? This episode originally aired in September 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two years after the unidentified skeleton known as Bella was found in a hollow tree in Hagley Wood, a second bizarre murder struck the West Midlands. On February 14th, 1945, a 74-year-old Farmhand named Charles Walton was brutally slain in the nearby village of Lower Quinton. Scotland Yard deployed master detective Robert Fabian to lead the investigation. But what he hoped would be an open-and-shut case soon revealed itself to be an impenetrable web, made only murkier by centuries of superstition. From the outset, the case seemed to be cursed, whether by the phantom hounds that traipsed the countryside, or by the whispers of witchcraft and black magic that followed whenever anyone spoke of Charles Walton. This episode originally aired in October 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a beachcomber discovered Starr’s body, it took two autopsies to determine foul play. Was Starr’s childhood abuser — and former mayor of Boston — behind her death? Did Starr decide to take her own life that night on the water, as some of her private letters suggested? Or did she get wrapped up with a notorious gangster in a blackmail scheme gone wrong? This episode originally aired in October 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The murders of teenagers Christine Sharrock and Marianne Schmidt shocked the community of Wanda Beach. Police announced more than 5000 persons of interest, but only three people became prime suspects. Who were they and which one of them is really responsible for the Wanda Beach Murders? This episode originally aired in May 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a lengthy appeals process, Sam Sheppard was set free in 1964, ten years after his wife Marilyn’s murder. Two years later, he would be retried on second degree murder charges. New evidence would surface, but would it be enough to convict him? This episode originally aired in July 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By the 1980s, Ted Kaczynski had set off several bombs, causing only minor injuries — but for him, it wasn’t enough. What had started as a plot for revenge grew into an unrelenting need to change the world. To do that, he needed to kill. The reign of the Unabomber had begun. This episode originally aired on Serial Killers in April 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Saying goodbye to Unsolved Murders after 7 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1991 a man was found dead in the trunk of his car. He’d been brutally slain, and despite obvious foul play, leads were hard to come by — until his name began popping up in another investigation. One that was unraveling the threads of an art heist unlike anything the world had ever seen before. This episode originally aired on Cold Cases in October 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September 1999, 36-year-old Girly Chew Hossencofft was supposed to report to work at a local Bank of America branch in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Due to recent threats made by her husband, Girly’s co-workers were worried. When a colleague went to her house to check on her, she was gone. And she was never seen again. If you’d like to learn more about the cases covered in this episode, or learn more about Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month, head to www.spotify.com/disappearances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During the funeral of his wife, Allene, David Lamson sat in a jail cell, the prime suspect in her murder. A forensics pioneer came to his defense in an attempt to prove that her death was an accident. But prosecutors felt that between his temper and his alleged affair, he had a motive for murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We want to share a special episode from Not Past It that we think you’ll enjoy. Rose Veres — aka The Witch of Delray — took over newspaper headlines in 1931 when she went on trial for murder. And on October 5 of that year — 90 years ago this week — the verdict in that murder trial was reached. Today on the show, we investigate Rose’s story, the allegations launched against her, and how she came to be known as The Witch of Delray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices