Crime Stories

In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns discusses coffin birth, the rare postmortem phenomenon formally known as postmortem fetal extrusion. He explains how human decomposition creates gases, bloating skin, skin slippage, purge fluid, maggot activity, and other artifacts that can change the body after death and sometimes mimic trauma, sexual assault, or other evidence. He also discusses the Shanann Watts and Laci Peterson cases to explain how coffin birth is evaluated and why it must be distinguished from live birth or other possibilities. Highlights (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns (0:15) Coffi…

This time last year Stephan Sterns was given 21 life sentences for the death of 13-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Soto. Maddie was reported missing February 26, 2024, after she didn't made it to Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orlando. Mom's boyfriend, Sterns, initially claimed he had dropped Maddie off that morning, but surveillance footage showed the lie. Two days later, March 1, 2024, Maddie's body was found in a wooded area near St. Cloud. Her death rules a homicide by strangulation. Investigators believe she was already dead the morning she was reported missing and that Sterns moved her body that day when he said he was taking her to school. Video evidence showed…

Terrence Woods Jr., a talented and educated young television producer vanishes while filming near an abandoned mine. According to the crew on set, Terrence suddenly bolted down a steep hill at full speed and vanished without a trace—a narrative many doubt. As the investigation unfolds, a mountain of unsettling red flags emerges: a local sheriff's department treating the case as a simple runaway, international crew members quickly fleeing back to London, conflicting eyewitness accounts, and highly suspicious physical evidence. From missing pants and muddy shoes packaged in plastic bags to tampered camera photos and pages ripped directly out of Terrence's diary. Was it a su…

Pregnant Reagan Simmons-Hancock brutally murdered by her friend Taylor Parker, October 2020. Her unborn second child cut from her womb and abducted, ultimately dies. Parker had been faking a pregnancy for months. She brutally stabbed and bludgeoned Reagan, then performed a crude C-section to remove the unborn daughter, Braxlynn Sage Hancock. Police say Reagan’s three-year-old daughter was present in the home but was unharmed . After the attack, Parker fled with the baby toward Oklahoma. but was stopped by a Texas state trooper for erratic driving. She claimed she had given birth in the car. At the hospital, medical staff confirmed Parker had not given birth and had …

Amanda Roarke's boyfriend tells 911 operator, "I murdered my girlfriend." Ex-boyfriend gets 60 years for attacking woman with a hatchet. 16 children removed from squalid rural Ohio home. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

New reports say the FBI determined ransom notes related to Nancy Guthrie were fake. TMZ's Harvey Levin pushed back on the claim, having received several of the notes. Less than 24 hours later, FBI bosses say they've not made a ruling either way. Investigators continue to treat her disappearance as an active case, with DNA and video evidence still under forensic review. Now, who to believe? Joining Nancy Grace today : Caryn Stark- NY- Forensic Psychologist, renowned TV and Radio trauma expert and consultant, www.carynstark.com, Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Michael Harrigan - Fmr. FBI Agent for 22 years - Chief, Firearms Training Prog…

Philadelphia police are hunting two 16-year-old boys accused of shooting a college student for his phone. Wisconsin man sentenced after years-long sexual abuse of an unconscious victim unearthed in online brag group. Texas woman tries to conceal murdered boyfriend's remains in concrete. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

Mackenzie Shirilla is serving 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, convicted on 12 counts, including murder and aggravated vehicular homicide. Police say Shirilla deliberately crashing her car into a brick building at 100 mph. Two passengers were killed, Shirilla's boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan. Data from the car's black box showed Shirilla floored the gas pedal and never used the brakes, making calculated steering and gear adjustments before impact. She was 17 at the time. The Ohio Supreme Court has declined to review Mackenzie Shirilla’s post-conviction appeals, ruling the petition was filed late and the trial court lacke…

Alex Murdaugh's second murder trial in the deaths of his wife and son is now scheduled for April of 2027. His 2023 convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court which ruled former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly influenced the jury. Murdaugh remains incarcerated for 22 state financial crimes and 14 federal charges serving both sentences concurrently, unaffected by the murder retrial. A status hearing is set for August for Judge Debra McCaslin to decide pending motions on a change of venue and allowing independent DNA testing of samples from under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails, among others. Joining Nancy today:…

Postal worker kidnapped and killed by man who previously threatened her months after husband's fatal car crash, leaving her children orphaned. California dog rescue accused of fraud after more than 100 dogs found in mass grave, many of them shot. New York mother downs a bottle of Vodka while her 18-month-old son chokes to death on popcorn kernels. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

Caroline “Caro” Peña, 32, dies after being stabbed multiple times. According to police, the mom of five, was attacked in broad daylight by a female trio made up by two sisters and a friend. Kitty Mia Diaz (21) and Amaya "Cookie" Diaz (19), along with their friend Kyandra Renee Faz (21) have been charged with first degree murder. Surveillance footage, physical evidence, and witness interviews led to police identification of the attackers. Officers say as Pena and he suspects knew each other, the attack was not random. A video shows Cookie leave the passenger seat of the black Chrysler 300 to confront Peña. It appears she had an object in her hand, belief to be the kn…

Tentative Murdaugh trial date contingent on time to complete advanced DNA testing. Parents indicted in death of their 255 pound non-verbal 7-year-old. 'Scorned' husband gets 40 years for setting his wife's married "affair partner" on fire. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

New in the Nancy Guthrie case, another email to TMZ by a person claiming to have video of Nancy and her kidnapper. The anonymous emails demand one Bitcoin in exchange for information on the abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. The email claims the anonymous sender has hidden cellphone in a secure location that contains a short video of one of the kidnappers with Guthrie. Reportedly that video was taken on the day Nancy allegedly died. The email also reportedly contains names, ages, and addresses of the alleged suspects. TMZ forwarded the emails directly to the FBI. Pima County Sheriff, has expressed heavy skepticism about the legitimacy. Joining Nancy Grace today:…

Marly Kinney, 19, disappeared June 24, 2026 while on a rented pontoon boat with a group of friends at Grayson Lake. Investigators say she was last seen around 4 p.m, getting off the pontoon for a bathroom break. The group boarded again to move to another location. After realizing Marly was not on board, they returned. Authorities were later notified, prompting a large search. Drones, sonar, boats, helicopters, K-9 teams, and underwater search equipment were used as more than 50 community volunteers searched the shoreline. Five days after she went missing, Marly Kinney's body was recovered from Grayson Lake. The cause and manner of death are being determined by the st…

Utah prosecutor is held in contempt of court for comments to the media, but Judge refuses to remove death penalty. TMZ receives new ransom request for "evidence" in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping. Jury cannot determine alleged Palisades arsonist's guilt or innocence. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

A new investigator has been brought in to investigate the disappearance of Amy Hillyard. The co-owner of Farley's Coffee has not been seen since Wednesday, March 25th, the Oakland community praying for her safe return. Oakland, California police initially release information that Amy last seen near her home in the Cleveland Heights neighborhood around 2 pm, but surveillance footage places her near Dimond Park, about two miles away, at 4:30 pm that afternoon. Searches of the park have not revealed new leads. Amy is considered "at-risk" due to an undisclosed medical condition. She is described as 5'4", 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, last seen wearing a wh…

In 2012, 19-year-old Stevie Bates vanished after calling her mother from a Greyhound bus during a layover in Pittsburgh; she made it back to New York but never made it home. Eight years later, her skeletal remains were discovered wrapped in a blanket at an abandoned house in Queens, the same property where her boyfriend had reportedly been squatting. In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes Stevie’s cousin, Isis Jannierre, to discuss who Stevie was, what her family believed from the beginning, and why the case still raises questions about the timeline, suspect behavior, lost investigative time, lost evidence, and the people who may still know what happened. …

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here's Sydney Silvagni with some of our top stories this week. Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, who's murder conviction has been overturned, is suing former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill. He alleging she violated his civil rights by tampering with the jury during his 2023 double-murder trial. Hill previously pleaded guilty to state charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and misconduct in office. Comments Hill made to jurors was considered as improperly influencing the verdict. The complaint claims Hill wanted a guilty verdict to help sell her upcoming book about the trial. Murdaugh's team is seeking more than $600,000 in compensatory damages—mostly tied to the costs of the original trial—along with punitive dama…

After more than 13 hours of deliberation, the jury foreman in Jonathan Rinderknech's arson trial tells the judge the jury was split, 10 in favor of not guilty, two in favor of guilty. In 2025, after dropping off an Uber passenger in Pacific Palisades, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknech parked his car, tries but failes to contact a former friend. He gets out of the car, walks up a nearby trail, takes iPhone videos, and listens to a rap song. Its music video includes objects being lit on fire. Then, twelve minutes into the new year, a fire is started. With weak cell service, Rinderknecht walks back down the trail, continually calling 911 until he finally connects, only to…

Luigi Mangione is facing both state and federal charge, pleading not guilty. In the New York state murder case, his attorneys announced plans for a psychiatric defense, but abruptly withdrew plans to pursue the "extreme emotional disturbance" defense just a day after it was announced. The change in strategy has led to speculation that a plea deal may be in the works. Joining Nancy Grace today: Randolph Rice - Criminal Defense & Civil Attorney at Rice Law. Former Prosecutor in the State's Attorney Office for Baltimore County website: ricelawmd.com, IG, FB, X: @ricelaw Dr. Chloe Carmichael - Clinical Psychologist, Author: "Can I Say That?" "Nervous Energy:…

Oscar Sanchez-Munoz's family finds his body among debris from a house fire after several unsuccessful searches by investigators and K9s. Pennsylvania mother's footage while armed fugitive uses her two-year-old daughter as a human shield helps convict him at trial. Boyfriend behind bars after Massachusetts woman's "fall down the stairs" ruled a homicide. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

June 16, 2008: the last day 2-year-old Caylee Anthony is seen alive. One month later, her grandmother Cindy Anthony franticly calls 911 to report her granddaughter is missing. Casey Anthony claims that a babysitter kidnapped her daughter. By October, when nothing Casey tells police turns out to be true, she is arrested and charged with Caylee's death, even though Caylee is still missing. On December 11, Caylee's remains are found in a garbage bag, dumped in a wooded area near the Anthony home. Eight days later, Caylee's death is ruled a homicide. Prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty against her. Anthony was acquitted of murder, but convicted of lesser …

Woman tied to cult-like group behind a border patrol agent's shooting is now charged in her parents' execution-style murders. Parents sentenced for death of toddler due to untreated lice infestation. A simple hit-and-run investigation in Virginia uncovers a murder plot. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. View the full article

Do any of the ransom notes or emails indicate Nancy Guthrie is dead? The first ransom note went to Tucson TV stations and TMZ shortly after Nancy disappeared. It demanded $4 million of dollars in Bitcoin to be paid by two deadlines. The entire contents of this note has not been made public, but we do know it included details about a broken floodlight at Nancy's home, information about her Apple Watch, and what she had been wearing. The second ransom note arrived February 6, sent to KOLD. In it were claims that Nancy had died shortly after the abduction and that her death was unintended and she is now buried "in nature." Joining Nancy Grace today : David Richards - …