PODCAST · true crime
True Crime Recaps
by Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Episodes
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April Holt: The Mother Who Challenged Her Daughter's Death Investigation
In July 2023, 29-year-old April Holt was found unresponsive inside her Tennessee home. Investigators initially ruled her death a suicide, but her mother, Jamie Dickerson, questioned the findings and refused to accept that the investigation was over. Determined to find answers, Jamie began…
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Steven Cozzi: The Missing Attorney and the Plastic Surgeon on Trial
In March 2023, Florida attorney Steven Cozzi disappeared from his workplace after entering the office bathroom. His phone, wallet, keys and an unfinished email were left behind, leaving investigators searching for answers. Surveillance footage soon brought attention to Dr. Tomasz Kosowski, a...
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These Cold Cases Went Unsolved for Decades. The Evidence Never Disappeared
Bonus episode! We’re revisiting four unforgettable cold cases previously covered on True Crime Recaps, now compiled into one longer episode with new narration and case updates. Two young women are murdered years apart, with both cases eventually cracked through advances in DNA technology. A…
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The Vanderbilt Football Case: Why It's Being Revisited After Cornell
In 2013, a Vanderbilt student woke up after a night she could not remember and was told by the man she was dating that he had spent the night taking care of her. What she didn’t know was that while she was unconscious, several Vanderbilt football players had brought her into a dorm room, where...
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Christa Pike’s Execution Failed. Could Tennessee Try Again?
In 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike and her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp were involved in the brutal killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Both were later convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy, but their sentences sent them down very different paths. Christa was sentenced to…
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Police Had His DNA for 36 Years. They Just Didn’t Know His Name
In August 1990, 22-year-old Cheryl Henry and 21-year-old Andy Atkinson drove out to a secluded Houston area known as "Lovers Lane." They were never seen alive again. When a security guard found their abandoned white Honda with the keys still in the ignition, search dogs were brought in to scour…
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Nolan Wells: No Charges, But His Death Remains Undetermined
18-year-old Nolan Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boat outing on Horn Island, Mississippi. Two days later, his body was found in the water. After reviewing testimony from 43 witnesses, phone records, GPS data, videos and forensic evidence, a grand jury declined to indict anyone, finding...
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Amanda de Oliveira: The Woman Who Pretended to Be a Child
For 14 months, a family in Brazil believed they were caring for a 12-year-old girl named Gabriele. They gave her a bedroom, bought her clothes, celebrated her birthday and even considered adopting her. But Gabriele was actually Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, a woman approaching her 38th…
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Caleb Flynn: From American Idol to a Murder Conviction
In 2013, Caleb Flynn appeared on American Idol, encouraged by his wife, Ashley. Thirteen years later, he was on trial for her death. Investigators uncovered a secret relationship, more than 100,000 messages, a staged break-in and digital evidence that challenged Caleb’s account of what happened...
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Raymond Horsch and the Investigation Into Seven Missing Women
Police investigating Philadelphia artist and filmmaker Raymond Horsch are examining an enormous collection of digital material as they try to determine whether his disturbing fictional work may have connections to real missing women. The investigation began after Horsch’s son, Eugene, was…
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Laura Owens: The Pregnancy Claims That Ended in Felony Charges
In 2023, former Bachelor star Clayton Echard became involved in a highly publicized paternity dispute after Laura Owens claimed she was pregnant with twins following an intimate encounter between them. Echard disputed the pregnancy and requested DNA testing. As the case moved through family…
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Jeanne Clery: The Case That Changed Campus Safety in America
In 1986, 19-year-old Jeanne Clery was a student at Lehigh University when another student gained access to her dormitory through security doors that had been propped open. Joseph Henry was later convicted in connection with Jeanne's death, but for her parents, Howard and Connie Clery, the case...
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Her Family Tracked Her Jeep With an AirTag and Uncovered a Crime
In August 2026, 18 year old Karoline Heintz had dinner with her family before heading back to college. The freshman soccer player was studying at PennWest California with hopes of becoming a doctor. But when she suddenly stopped responding to calls and messages, her family began searching for…
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Martha McKay: The Snowden Estate Case That Spanned 24 Years
In 1996, a fire at the historic Snowden Mansion in Arkansas led investigators to discover that Sally Snowden McKay and her nephew, musician Joseph “Lee” Baker, had died before the fire began. The investigation soon focused on 16-year-old Travis Lewis, who lived on the same estate with his family....
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Three Missing Child Cases That Changed America
Three disappearances. Three families searching for answers. And three cases that became part of the history of missing child investigations in America. In this extended episode of True Crime Recaps, we revisit the cases of Johnny Gosch, Etan Patz and the Lyon sisters, bringing together our…
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Janet Dennis: The Investigation That Led Back to the Family Ranch
Janet Dennis was a devoted school nurse and mother who disappeared shortly before Christmas. Her vehicle was later found at an airport with Christmas presents for her children still inside, leaving investigators trying to understand where she had gone and what had happened. Early attention…
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Corie Walsh: What We Know About the Developing Illinois Case
Corie Walsh is facing charges following the death of her two-year-old son, Barrett, at their Illinois home in September 2026. According to prosecutors, Walsh had been following and discussing the Lindsay Clancy trial earlier that day. Hours later, her older children returned home and sought help...
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Three Disappearances That Took Unexpected Turns
Three people and families seemingly disappear in three very different places: a hospital in South Africa, a home in San Francisco and an isolated farmhouse in the Netherlands. In this episode of True Crime Recaps, Chris examines three unusual disappearance cases involving Sandile Sibiya, Brian…
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Andrea Shaw: The Investigation Into the Deaths of the Shaw Twins
In April 2025, 18-month-old twins Dallas and Tyson Shaw were found unresponsive at their home in Payette, Idaho, days after receiving scheduled childhood immunizations. Their mother, Andrea Shaw, publicly attributed their deaths to complications following those vaccinations. Investigators…
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Mica Miller: The Story Beyond the Netflix Documentary
Nearly two years after Mica Miller’s death, her story has returned to the spotlight following Netflix’s Death of the Pastor’s Wife and a separate federal case involving her estranged husband, John-Paul Miller. Before her death, Mica had reported concerns about being followed, tracking devices…
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Elizabeth Barraza: The Surveillance Footage That Still Has No Answer
Elizabeth Barraza was preparing for a garage sale outside her Tomball, Texas home when a person approached her driveway shortly after her husband left for work. Their brief interaction, along with what happened next, was captured by surveillance cameras. Despite the footage, the identity of the...
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Brian Cohee Jr.: The Case of Warren Barnes
Warren Barnes was a familiar face in downtown Grand Junction, Colorado, where locals knew him affectionately as "The Reading Man." When he suddenly disappeared in February 2021, people in the community quickly noticed he was missing. The investigation eventually led authorities to Brian Cohee…
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Lindsay Clancy: Inside the Evidence and the Ongoing Trial
The Lindsay Clancy case has become one of the most closely followed trials involving questions of mental health and criminal responsibility. In this episode of True Crime Recaps, we examine the evidence being presented in Lindsay's case, including her documented mental-health history, treatment…
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Andrea Yates: Why Her Case Is Being Revisited 25 Years Later
More than 25 years after the Andrea Yates case drew national attention, it is being discussed again as the Lindsay Clancy trial raises renewed questions about postpartum mental health, psychosis and criminal responsibility. Andrea Yates had a documented history of severe mental illness…
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Sylvie Cachay: What Happened in Room 20 at Soho House
Fashion designer Sylvie Cachay checked into Manhattan's Soho House with her boyfriend, Nicholas Brooks, in December 2010. Hours later, water leaking from Room 20 prompted hotel staff to enter the room, beginning an investigation that would focus closely on what happened during the early hours of...
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Christopher Wilder: The Fake Modeling Offers That Raised the Alarm
Christopher Wilder presented himself as a successful businessman, amateur race car driver and photographer. But behind that image was a pattern of approaching young women with supposed modeling opportunities at shopping malls, beauty contests and other public places. In 1984, investigators began...
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A Welfare Check Uncovered Three Dead Roommates | Alyssa Venable
Deputies thought they were responding to a routine welfare check at a shared house in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Instead, they discovered three roommates dead and one of the people who lived there, 23-year-old Alyssa Venable, was nowhere to be found. Investigators say Venable had moved into the…
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The Deanna Laney Case: A Mother, Psychosis, and a Shocking Insanity Verdict
In May 2003, Deanna Laney’s quiet Texas family was shattered after she attacked her three young sons during the night. Two of her children died, while her 14 month old son survived with permanent brain injuries. Deanna then called 911 herself and told the dispatcher what had happened.…
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The Cindy Wanner Case: A 35 Year Cold Case Finally Breaks Open
In November 1991, Cindy Wanner disappeared from her sister’s home in Granite Bay, California, leaving behind her 11 month old daughter, her shoes, her coat, and her car. Her missing purse and a later ATM transaction were among the few clues investigators had to work with. Nineteen days later…
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Jean Stevens: She Kept Her Husband and Twin Sister at Home for Years
For more than ten years, Jean Stevens kept the remains of her husband at her Pennsylvania home. After her twin sister died in 2009, Jean brought her remains inside too. What makes the story even stranger is that several people around her reportedly knew what was happening. James Stevens had died…
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Lewis Lent: The Cases That Still Have Unanswered Questions
For years, Lewis Lent lived and worked in communities across New York and Massachusetts while investigators remained unaware of the full extent of his actions. His name would eventually become connected to several investigations involving young people, including Sara Anne Wood, Becky Savarese and...
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Kelsey Smith: The Surveillance Footage That Changed the Investigation
Eighteen-year-old Kelsey Smith stopped at a Target store in Overland Park, Kansas, before meeting her boyfriend for a date. When she didn't return, investigators began trying to piece together what had happened. Surveillance footage from inside the store and its parking lot became a crucial part…
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Nancy Guthrie: The Ransom Emails and the Investigation
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home in a case investigators believe involved a planned kidnapping. In the days that followed, her family received ransom emails demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin. Investigators have since released the messages publicly, hoping someone may…
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The Black Dahlia Case: The Chilling Mystery That Still Haunts Hollywood
In January 1947, Elizabeth Short was found murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. The brutality of the crime shocked America, and the young woman would forever become known as The Black Dahlia. More than 75 years later, her murder remains one of the most infamous unsolved cases in criminal...
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The Lisa Ziegert Case: How DNA Solved a 25-Year Cold Case
In 1992, Lisa Ziegert disappeared while working alone at a card shop in Agawam, Massachusetts. When coworkers arrived the next morning, they found the store abandoned, her purse still behind the counter, and clear signs of a violent struggle. Four days later, Lisa's body was discovered, but…
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Ted Bundy's First Victims? The Cold Cases That Still Raise Questions
Years before Ted Bundy's confirmed murders shocked the United States, several unsolved cases were already leaving investigators with unsettling questions. Could some of these cold cases have been connected to one of history's most notorious serial killers, or are the similarities purely...
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The Natalie McNally Case: The Fake Livestream That Hid a Killer
Just days before Christmas in 2022, Natalie McNally was found murdered in her home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Fifteen weeks pregnant with her first child, her death devastated her family and stunned investigators. At first, Natalie's boyfriend, Stephen McCullagh, appeared to have an unbreakable...
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The Tony Parsons Case: Buried Alive? The Crime That Shocked Scotland
In September 2017, Tony Parsons, a 63-year-old retired Royal Navy officer, set off on a 104-mile charity bike ride through the Scottish Highlands. He never made it home. After being struck by a truck, Tony was believed to have survived the initial collision. Instead of calling emergency services,...
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The Rachel Nickell Case: The Robert Napper Investigation
The murder of Rachel Nickell shocked Britain and became one of the country's most infamous unsolved crimes. But while many people know the headlines, the full story behind the investigation—and how police focused on the wrong suspect for years—is even more disturbing. In this episode of True…
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They Seemed Like the Perfect Neighbours
Gerald and Alice Uden looked like a typical older couple living a quiet life in rural Missouri. Friendly neighbors. Churchgoing. The kind of people who blend into small-town life without a second thought. But behind that ordinary exterior was a decades-long trail of cold cases, missing persons…
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The Cowden Family Mystery
A relaxing Labor Day camping trip in Oregon turned into one of the state's most haunting unsolved mysteries. In September 1974, Richard and Belinda Cowden and their two young children disappeared from their campsite near Carberry Creek without leaving behind any signs of a struggle. Their truck,...
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Taylor Parker: After the Murder
After murdering her pregnant friend Reagan Hancock and abducting her unborn daughter, Taylor Parker faced overwhelming evidence against her. But instead of accepting responsibility, prosecutors say she spent her time in jail inventing increasingly elaborate stories, manipulating fellow inmates…
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The Thomas Plamberger Case
In January 2025, experienced climber Thomas Plamberger and his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner, set out to climb Austria's tallest mountain via the technical Stüdlgrat route. As a winter storm moved in, temperatures dropped below zero and visibility disappeared, but the couple continued...
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The Ohio House of Horrors
Police in Hamden, Ohio thought they were serving a misdemeanor warrant for indecent exposure when they entered the Siders family home on June 30, 2026. Instead, investigators say they discovered 16 children, ranging from 18 months to 18 years old, living in horrific conditions inside a home…
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Nolan Wells: Final Hours
Eighteen-year-old Nolan Wells had just graduated from high school, signed to play college football, and spent Fourth of July weekend on Horn Island with friends. According to investigators, everyone returned to the mainland except Nolan. Two days later, his body was found on the island, launching...
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The Katie Janness Case
In July 2021, 40-year-old Katie Janness left her Atlanta apartment for what should have been a routine late-night walk with her dog, Bowie. Security footage captured the pair near the entrance of Piedmont Park just after midnight. Less than an hour later, Katie's partner used Find My iPhone to...
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20 Years After Her Fall They Arrested Her Husband Mid Yoga Class
For nearly twenty years, David Vander Meer insisted his wife Bernadette's death was nothing more than a tragic accident. During what was supposed to be a romantic tenth anniversary trip to Zion National Park, Bernadette plunged from the cliffs of Angels Landing while the two were hiking before...
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The Chilling Six-Minute Phone Call That Convicted Former NFL Scout Blaise Taylor
Former NFL scout Blaise Taylor was living what looked like a dream career until prosecutors accused him of turning a glass of pink lemonade into a murder weapon. They alleged he secretly mixed a lethal dose of cocaine into a drink and served it to his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, who was…
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The Grace Ryan Investigation and the Charges Against Her Mother
In March 2026, 16 year old Grace Ryan was found unresponsive inside her Colorado home after months of declining health. Investigators later alleged that her struggle with alcohol had continued for months and that those closest to her were aware of just how serious her condition had become. As...
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The Mercedes Vega Case
Twenty-two-year-old Mercedes Marianna Vega left her Tempe, Arizona apartment for work on the evening of April 16, 2023. Surveillance cameras captured her walking through her apartment parking garage just moments before she disappeared. Hours later, firefighters responding to a burning car along...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.
HOSTED BY
Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does True Crime Recaps have?
True Crime Recaps currently has 316 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is True Crime Recaps about?
All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.
How often does True Crime Recaps release new episodes?
True Crime Recaps publishes regularly with 316 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to True Crime Recaps?
You can listen to True Crime Recaps on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts True Crime Recaps?
True Crime Recaps is created and hosted by Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan.
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