Skip to content
Chasing The Zombie Hunter episode artwork

Oct 20, 2025 48 min

Chasing The Zombie Hunter

from Heroes Behind Headlines Hosted by Heroes Behind Headlines

Phoenix Police Department cold case homicide detective and and former CPA Troy Hillman tells the extraordinary, detailed inside story of how an elite team of detectives—hounded by the press, a frustrated and frightened public, and their own doubts and exhaustion—solved a double murder that had haunted the Phoenix area for more than twenty years. The initial details were already chilling—the brutal murder of two women, found headless, who were assaulted while riding their bikes along a well-known canal bike path—but Hillman reveals how the initial headlines only scratched the surface and how his team’s use of groundbreaking methods and familial DNA set a precedent for cold cases like The Golden State Killer. These methods included consulting with The Vidocq Society – an all-volunteer team of forensic experts and investigators – and an expert in the new field of forensic genealogist – which utilizes genetic information from direct-to-consumer companies to identify suspects or victims in criminal cases. All of this is captured in his fascinating new book Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter. Heroes Behind Headlines Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Phoenix Police Department cold case homicide detective and and former CPA Troy Hillman tells the extraordinary, detailed inside story of how an elite team of detectives—hounded by the press, a frustrated and frightened public, and their own doubts and exhaustion—solved a double murder that had haunted the Phoenix area for more than twenty years. The initial details were already chilling—the brutal murder of two women, found headless, who were assaulted while riding their bikes along a w...

Ready to play

Chasing The Zombie Hunter

0:00 48:00

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Heroes Behind Headlines?

This episode is 48 minutes long.

When was this Heroes Behind Headlines episode published?

This episode was published on October 20, 2025.

Can I download this Heroes Behind Headlines episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.