EPISODE · Jun 24, 2026 · 54 MIN
The Chameleon: An Imposter in the Family
from Macabrium · host Pretty Wicked | Southern Gothic Media
A 13-year-old boy walks home from a basketball court in San Antonio and vanishes. Three years later, his family flies across the world to bring him home from Spain. There's just one problem. The young man they pick up isn't their son. He isn't even American. He's a 23-year-old Frenchman with brown eyes, dark hair, and an accent you could spot from across a room. And somehow, for nearly five months, nobody in that family said a word. This is the story of Frédéric Bourdin, the impostor the world came to call the Chameleon, and the missing boy whose name he wore like a coat. SHOW NOTES 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES The New Yorker - The Chameleon The Scotsman - Interview: The private detective who uncovered The Imposter The Mirror US - Our missing son returned home after three years, but it was actually a French conman KSAT - Case of missing San Antonio boy from 1994 remains a mystery The Charley Project - Nicholas Patrick Barclay Swallowing The Camel - Fake Teens V: Serial Teen Frederic Bourdin Grunge - Frederic Bourdin: The Crazy True Story Of A Serial Impostor 📚 BOOKS David Grann - The Devil and Sherlock Holmes (contains the expanded "Chameleon" essay) Christophe D'Antonio - Le Caméléon (the authorized Bourdin biography) 🎬 DOCS The Imposter (2012), directed by Bart Layton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
A 13-year-old boy walks home from a basketball court in San Antonio and vanishes. Three years later, his family flies across the world to bring him home from Spain. There's just one problem. The young man they pick up isn't their son. He isn't even American. He's a 23-year-old Frenchman with brown eyes, dark hair, and an accent you could spot from across a room. And somehow, for nearly five months, nobody in that family said a word. This is the story of Frédéric Bourdin, the impostor the world came to call the Chameleon, and the missing boy whose name he wore like a coat. SHOW NOTES 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES The New Yorker - The Chameleon The Scotsman - Interview: The private detective who uncovered The Imposter The Mirror US - Our missing son returned home after three years, but it was actually a French conman KSAT - Case of missing San Antonio boy from 1994 remains a mystery The Charley Project - Nicholas Patrick Barclay Swallowing The Camel - Fake Teens V: Serial Teen Frederic Bourdin Grunge - Frederic Bourdin: The Crazy True Story Of A Serial Impostor 📚 BOOKS David Grann - The Devil and Sherlock Holmes (contains the expanded "Chameleon" essay) Christophe D'Antonio - Le Caméléon (the authorized Bourdin biography) 🎬 DOCS The Imposter (2012), directed by Bart Layton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Chameleon: An Imposter in the Family
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