Crime Bistro

Most horror movies begin with a black screen reading "Based on a True Story," and while many of them are, it isn't often that the story behind the plot is even more horrifying than the film itself. This, however, is one of those cases. The movie, "The Strangers," is a nightmare-inducing project that follows a young couple as they fight for their lives in a remote home that is being stalked by masked murderers. It's inspiration, the famous Keddie Cabin murders, is a story that is somehow even more spine-chilling. On Saturday, April 11th, 1981, a mother and three children were attacked in their home in the Keddie Resort in California. Three of them were found murdered, while one of the children would remain a missing person until years after that horrific night. The identity of their killer is still unknown to this day, though the investigation is ongoing, and police have expressed that they are more confident than ever that this case will finally have an answer. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com. If you have an opinion or a theory of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind-the-scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

High school relationships can be a complete whirlwind - they are new, exciting, and often uncomplicated by the stresses of adult life. In a devastating number of cases, however, these relationships can turn out to be toxic, dangerous, violent, and even deadly. Such was the case for Emma Walker, a beautiful 16 year old from Knoxville, Tennessee with big dreams and a bright future. Emma was found shot to death in her own bed by her mother Jill on November 21st of 2016, and the investigation quickly turned up a name - Riley Gaul. Riley was Emma's recent ex-boyfriend, a possessive and controlling presence in her life, and the evidence against him was so overwhelming that an arrest was made in mere days. Emma's story is horrible, but unfortunately, is one of many, so it is important that not only her name continue to be heard, but that we continue to make ourselves aware of potentially dangerous situations, because it really could happen to anyone. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com, as well as a list of resources pertaining to teen dating violence. If you have an opinon of your own to share, visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind-the-scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

This episode covers the gripping details of the case of Kendrick Johnson, which has been a fight to discover the truth since 2013. On January 10th of that year, high school student Kendrick Johnson didn't return from school, immediately scaring his family into a search that would end the next morning when his body was discovered, horrifyingly, rolled up in a wrestling mat in the gym at Lowndes High School. Police immediately announced the death to be a tragic accident, however, the details of this case go much deeper, and upon some investigation, the theory of an accident starts to fall apart at the seams. But, if not an accident, then what really happened to Kendrick Johnson? That is the question that his family has been trying to answer for years, and recent coverage of this case is bringing their desperate search for the truth the attention that it deserves. If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com. If you have an opinion or a theory of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind-the-scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

So far on this podcast, we have covered a variety of missing persons cases, however, for any true crime enthusiast, it can be nearly impossible to even scratch the surface. The Namus.gov website estimates that about 600,000 people disappear each year, and while obviously not all of these cases involve a crime or any sort of foul play, the number is entirely overwhelming. In this vastly long list of missing persons, however, there are some cases that will always stick out as especially disturbing, and the case of Cynthia Anderson is absolutely one such example. Cynthia vanished from her job in Toledo Ohio on the morning of August 4, 1981, leaving behind barely a trace or a clue. In the year leading up to her disappearance, Cynthia had been receiving terrifying messages from an anonymous individual who had never been identified, and who many believe holds the key to solving this 40 year old investigation. No leads have been identified so far, but there are theories to explore, each one nearly as plausible as the next. If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating case, all of the sources are listed below. If you have an opinion or a theory of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind the scenes looks at the exciting cases to come!

Referred to as Australia's greatest mystery, the unknown, nameless Somerton man washed up on the shore of Adelaide in December of 1948, and has to this day never been identified. This death baffles law enforcement to this day, and the case is so opaque that not only do we not know the identity of the Somerton man, we don't know what killed him, and it can't even be said for sure if foul play was involved. The only real clue is a small slip of paper that was found in a secret pocket in the man's clothing, a piece of an ancient Persian poetry book called the Rubaiyat, printed with the words that roughly translate to "The End." Over the years, many theories have arisen about this bizarre death, including spy activity, a loving relationship gone wrong, or suidcide, but no one assumption answers every question. All that can be said for this case, even after so many decades, is that it is one of the world's most perplexing cold cases to date, and one of the most mysterious in history. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com. If you have an opinion or a theory of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast, to leave a comment and see some behind the scenes looks at the exciting cases to come!

On the morning of January 15th, 1947, just before 11 am, Betty Bersinger was taking her child for a walk in a Las Angeles neighborhood when her eyes fell on something that she first assumed to be a mannequin. Another look revealed that the sight was much more sinister, and she was instead looking at the posed body of 22 year old Elizabeth Short, later dubbed the "Black Dahlia." Panicked, she grabbed her daughter and ran for the nearest phone to call the police. First responders arrived at the horrible scene quickly, and were able to identify Elizabeth using her fingerprints on record, allowing the media to start quickly reporting on the grisly murder. Elizabeth's striking beauty and her iconic Black Dahlia nickname have kept this case in the public eye for decades, and though her killer has yet to be identified, this case is arguably one of the most famous and enduring unsolved murder cases across the world. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com, and if you have a theory or an opinion of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind-the-scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

Twenty-four year old Jennifer Kesse was a happy, successful, well-loved young woman at the time that she went missing on Tuesday, January 24th of 2006. She had recently received a well-deserved promotion, had just returned from a wonderful long weekend with friends and her long-distance boyfriend, and she sounded thrilled on the phone with her mother only the day before she disappeared without so much as a trace. The police investigation turned up almost no viable leads in their search for Jennifer, which has led to some extremely unique circumstances in this case, as the family themselves, along with a private investigator, have taken over for the authorities. There is currently no law enforcement agency responsible for Jennifer's disappearance, and her family is working hard to find answers for their beloved daughter, and to keep her story alive until they can find justice and closure. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com, as well as a link to the Find Jennifer website that is run by her family. If you have a theory or an idea of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind the scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

On August 12th of 2019 begins the story of Jessica Easterly as she is known to the media, the day that she called her best friend Maria in desperate need of a ride to get away from her husband, Justin Durning. Maria arranged to go and pick up her friend the next morning, August 13th, but after having a brief correspondence with Jessica that day, neither Maria nor anyone else heard from the beautiful 43 year old again. Jessica's body was discovered a short time later, heartbreakingly, by her own sister Audrey, however, her case is to this day far from closed. Police mishandlings and blatant disregard of Jessica's death and her family's desperate fight for justice has led to no suspect yet being named, though many believe they know that her husband harmed Jessica on that day. Her family has been incredibly strong, and they have not given up on their fight for justice for Jessica, which is why it is so essential that her story continue to be told. If you are interested in learning more about this case, all of the source materials are listed at crimebistro.com, as well as a link for the Justice for Jessica website which is run by her sister Audrey. If you have an opinion of your own to share, feel free to visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to leave a comment and see some behind the scenes updates on the exciting cases to come!

The legend of Bigfoot has captivated people for numerous decades following the release of the extremely famous and controversial Patterson-Gimlin film in 1967. Bigfoot was initially popularized in the mainstream media in 1958, however, after a man named Ray Wallace became famous nearly overnight for making casts of unusually large footprints that he found near a worksite in northern California. Despite the recency of these two more sensationalized occurrences, however, legends of creatures such as Bigfoot have been in existence for nearly as long as humans themselves, and the sasquatch in particular can be traced concretely back to Native Americans, specifically those located in the Northwest region of North America. The debate as to whether or not this creature actually exists is very much ongoing, with many people believing that Bigfoot is only a legend arising from the human tradition of storytelling. Others still, however, believe that Bigfoot is very much real, and that while there is minimal to no physical evidence, the number of reported sightings, especially the Patterson-Gimlin film, is not to be overlooked. This episode explores the origins of the Bigfoot legend and how it has created the image of the creature we know today, as well as the evidence that may point to the existence of this elusive creature. All of the source materials for this episode are listed at crimebistro.com, and if you have an opinion of your own to share, visit the podcast on YouTube or on Instagram @crimebistropodcast to see some behind the scenes updates on the eipsodes to come!

Reports of skeletal remains being found throughout the Grand Canyon are relatively commonplace, especially over the last 100 years. This is understandable, however, considering the high number of cold cases that the Coconino County Sheriff's office has in their database. The sheer amount of disappearances, unattended deaths, and homicides, as well as the need to identify remains, has led the county to found a unit that is known as the 'Cold Case Squad.' The Cold Case Squad works on identifying victims of accidents, suicides, and murders, sometimes creating names for these people in an attempt to create identities, including Little Miss X and Valentine Sally. To this day, the cold-case squad is working to piece together the mysteries of the Grand Canyon, hoping to bring closure to even century old cases if they can. This episode will cover just a few of these cases, however, the list itself is overwhelming. This episode tells the stories of the unidentified Little Miss X, the recently identified Valentine Sally, and the still missing Justin Richardson, all investigations which are still ongoing, and all of which are currently under the jurisdiction of the cold case squad. If you are interested in learning more about these cases, all of the sources are listed at crimebistro.com, as well as a link to the Coconino Sheriff Cold Cases Facebook page, where all of the cases under their jurisdiction are listed. If you have a theory or comment of your own to share, visit the podcast on Youtube or on Instagram @crimebistro podcast, and catch some behind the scenes looks at the episodes to come!