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Murder Most Foul

107 episodes - English - Latest episode: 29 days ago - ★★★★ - 9 ratings

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True Crime
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Episodes

The Poisoner

January 19, 2022 21:16 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MB

The ancient and oft quoted Hippocratic oath exhorts all doctors “to do no harm.” Technically the exact words are: “I will abstain from all intentional wrongdoing and harm.” It also states that “Neither will I administer poison to anybody.” One Victorian gentleman in England, who did not get the memo, was Dr. William Palmer, who, in the mid-19th century, although tried for only one murder, is purported to have poisoned several individuals. Among his alleged victims: his wife, his mother-in-la...

Justice Delayed

January 06, 2022 18:57 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

In October of 1997, in a quiet town in Texas, Julie Rae awoke in the middle of the night to an intruder in her house. She struggled with the man and chased him outside. She raced back into the house to check on her 10-year-old son, Joel. At quick glance, she did not see him in his bed. Fearing the intruder might have had an accomplice and Joel had been kidnapped, she enlisted help from the neighbors. Sadly, Joel was found between his bed and the wall in his bedroom, butchered with a knife. U...

Death on the River

December 12, 2021 18:32 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

It seemed like the perfect romantic afternoon: a kayaking trip for two on the Hudson River. But it ended in tragedy when the beautiful, blonde Angelika Griswald called 911 to report her fiancé had fallen into the choppy, frigid waters. The authorities assumed it was an accident. But when the bereft bride-to-be posted videos of herself doing cartwheels on social media, shortly before Vincent’s body was found, suspicions of Angelika’s role rose to the surface.

Watch Me Die

November 06, 2021 17:56 - 41 minutes - 38.8 MB

WATCH ME DIE, by Dr. Bill Kimberlin.  Provocative title? Provocative subject. In researching his book, Dr. Kimberlin not only spent time interviewing death row inmates, but also ate meals with them and, in some cases, was the last person to speak with them before they were executed. From the moment they are placed on suicide watch until the moment they are pronounced dead right in front of him, Kimberlin walks you through the twisted and complex execution process in the state of Ohio. Their...

The Killing Game

November 02, 2021 20:13 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MB

“Bachelor #1 is a professional photographer. In his spare time, he likes skydiving, riding his motorcycle and killing women and young girls. Please welcome to the Dating Game….Rodney, Alcala.” Serial killer Rodney James Alcala murdered at least nine women and girls across the United States in the 1970s, though his true death toll could number more than 100. He spent time in prison for sexual assault and other crimes in the 1970s but continued to rape and kill when he was released. Autopsies...

MYSTERY AT THE BLUE SEA COTTAGE

October 18, 2021 20:34 - 58 minutes - 54 MB

It was the roaring 20’s, the Golden Age of Jazz, Prohibition, bathtub gin, Eliot Ness, speakeasies, flappers and newly found sexual freedom.  Fritzie Mann was a young, beautiful club dancer with everything to live for. In 1923, her scantily clad body was found on a San Diego beach, up the road from the Blue Sea Cottage. Was it suicide or murder staged to look like Fritzie took her own life? Author James Stewart joins us here today on Murder Most Foul to help unravel the MYSTERY AT THE BLUE ...

GOLDEN BOY

September 24, 2021 17:13 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MB

GOLDEN BOY is the tragic tale of privilege, mental disease and murder. My guest today on Murder Most Foul is Journalist John Glatt whose book “Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite” takes an in-depth look at the devastating crime that rocked Manhattan’s upper class. With exclusive access to sources close to Thomas Gilbert, Jr., including his own mother, Glatt constructs the agonizing spiral of mental illness that led him to the ultimate unspeakable act of patricide!

Joel Rifkin: From the Mouth of the Monster

September 06, 2021 20:37 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MB

For many of us, that vintage bit from SEINELD is all we know of Joel David Rifkin, who between 1989 and 1993 terrorized NYC and its environs. Rifkin was sentenced to 203 years in prison for the murders of nine women during that time, though he is believed to have killed up to 17 victims in all. Former heavyweight boxer and decorated NYPD cop, Robert Mladinich, joins me today to discuss serial killer Joel Rifkin who he first met when they were college students together at Brockport State Col...

Bitter Remains

August 29, 2021 20:46 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MB

Some men think the phrase “til death do us part,” is a prescription on how to end a marriage or failing relationship. One such loser is Grant Hayes. When his relationship to Laura Ackerson, the mother of his two boys, was deteriorating, due to his drug abuse and philandering AND she was seeking custody of the boys, he decided butchering her was the obvious solution. In this episode, we delve into this heart-wrenching case of domestic violence taken to its all-too-often final conclusion.

Solving The Black Dahlia Murder

August 08, 2021 18:17 - 1 hour - 57.5 MB

On January 15th, 1947, the body of a beautiful young woman, that of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, was found by the side of the road in a quiet neighborhood of L.A. The body had been bisected, washed clean and the upper torso posed in an unusual way. This was the beginning of a case that captured the imagination of the world. Ms. Short was soon given the moniker “Black Dahlia” by the press. Her killer has never brought to justice. The Black Dahlia case remains L.A.’s oldest open, but unsolved ...

Final Cut!

August 01, 2021 20:33 - 57 minutes - 53.3 MB

The Twilight Zone, an icon of the early days of television, that, thanks to streaming services and YouTube, lives on. It was such a popular small screen show that in 1983 it made it to the big screen. Twilight Zone: The Movie traded on the successful format of the TV show. Hey, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. The movie was divided into 4 free-standing vignettes about the same time length as a TV episode (without the commercials) 3 of the segments were based on stories from earlier incarnat...

Love and Murder

July 25, 2021 20:57 - 49 minutes - 46.3 MB

Kelsey was a young beautiful pilot, accomplished to the point that she trained pilots for the Air Force. Patrick Frazee, a charismatic cattle rancher. They met on Tinder and two years Later they had a beautiful daughter and were planning a wedding. The beginning of a storybook life together. That is until Thanksgiving 2018 when something went horribly wrong. Rod Kackley chronicles the heartbreaking story in his book… The Murder of Kelsey Berreth and joins me today on Murder Most Foul.

Pretty Little Killers

July 03, 2021 18:49 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MB

One..Two…Three! Go! It started out as a joke. But on July 6th 2012 high school friends Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf lured another friend, Skylar Neese, to an isolated area near Morgantown, West Virginia and savagely stabbed her to death. Skylar’s last words? “Why? Why? Why?”

Defending Caril Ann Fugate

June 27, 2021 20:32 - 59 minutes - 55.2 MB

In 1958 19-year-old Charles Starkweather went on a two- week murder spree that paralyzed a nation. Ten innocent lives were lost including that of a two-year-old girl, who was the half-sister of his companion 14-year-old Caril Ann Fugate. A question remains. Was Caril Ann a willing accomplice or a hostage?

Killing Women

June 16, 2021 19:40 - 1 hour - 56.8 MB

In the late 1970’s, four young women went missing around the Michigan State University campus, in East Lansing. All four women subsequently were found dead. Were the brutal murders connected? Was there a serial killer on the loose in Lansing Michigan? 40 years later, retired Police Sergeant Rod Sadler answers that question for us, as he discusses the case, which is the subject of his latest book, “Killing Women.” And he offers a chilling warning.

The Fall River Cult Murders

June 06, 2021 17:46 - 39 minutes - 36.7 MB

Satanic worship, animal sacrifice, ritual ceremonies all part of the rise of Satanic Cults in the late 60’s and early 70’s. This phenomenon created a “Satanic Panic.” The murders of 3 young women involved in the sex trade in Fall River, Massachusetts came to be part of this “Satanic Panic” and became the most sensational criminal case to come out of the Spindle City since Lizzie Borden.

Death on Ocean Boulevard

May 29, 2021 18:38 - 55 minutes - 51.6 MB

On June 13th 2011, a young woman was found hanging from the balcony of an historic mansion. She was naked, her feet were bound, her hands tied behind her back and a gag in her mouth. Suicide, perhaps. Murder staged to look like a suicide, maybe. To help us sort out the mystery is award winning journalist and author of DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, Caitlin Rother who joined me for this episode of Murder Most Foul. -Graphic from "Death at the Mansion"

How O.J. Beat The Rap

May 27, 2021 19:28 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

The first line of Charles Dickens beloved Christmas Carol reads: “Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” Make no mistake, O.J. Simson murdered his ex-wife and a virtual stranger in 1994 and was acquitted of the crime by a jury of his peers. If you disagree, you probably won’t want to stick around, although I hope you will.

The Warwick Slasher

May 10, 2021 20:22 - 22 minutes - 21 MB

On Monday September 4th, 1989, the police in Warwick, RI were called to a home in the working-class community of Buttonwoods. Inside lay three bodies. That of Joan Heaton and her 2 daughters, Jennifer 10 and Melissa 8. The victims were stabbed a total of 63 times. The bodies were discovered by Joan’s mother and her sister. When the detectives went in what they saw literally sickened them. There was so much blood it was difficult to tell one body from another. The killer? 15-year-old neighbo...

DEVIANT

April 12, 2021 19:41 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MB

We are all familiar with the term “Life imitating Art” but often Art imitates Life. Edward Theodore Gein, also known as the “Butcher of Plainfield” or the “Ghoul of Plainfield”, was an American convicted murderer and body snatcher who has been cited as the inspiration behind Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal masterpiece, PSYCHO. Mr. Gein is the subject of this episode of Murder Most Foul.

The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm

April 05, 2021 20:19 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

Today we have something a little different on Murder Most Foul. It is a murder/ghost hunting/crossover episode. In 2006, Robert Graves and his wife, Vicki, bought FOX HOLLOW FARM in rural Indiana. It had been the home and killing grounds of Herb Baumeister, who in the early 1990s killed and buried in the woods nearby at least 11 gay men. Paranormal Investigator, Richard Estep and his team, investigated ghostly phenomenon at the farm at the invitation of the Graves Family. Their story will h...

The Bundy Murders

March 22, 2021 02:10 - 48 minutes - 45.1 MB

Serial killer, Theodore Robert Bundy, was executed in the Florida electric chair on January 24th, 1989. Over 30 years later, his infamy has not faded. Author Kevin M. Sullivan, arguably a Bundy expert, has written not just one, but six books covering every detail of this monster’s short life and the numerous families and survivors he still affects to this day. Mr. Sullivan joined me for this episode of Murder Most Foul.

In Broad Daylight

March 14, 2021 18:51 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MB

On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death on the main street of Skidmore, Missouri. Forty-five townspeople watched. His wife, sitting next to him in the truck, identified the gunman. Despite three Grand Jury investigations and an FBI probe, no indictments were ever issued, no trial held – and the town of Skidmore has protected the killer with silence ever since. “In Broad Daylight: A murder in Skidmore, Missouri” is an Edgar Alan Poe True Crime award winner written by Harry N. Mac...

MURDER CASTLE

March 07, 2021 20:35 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H. H. Holmes, the architect of The Murder Castle, was an American serial killer who hunted in Chicago in the 1890’s around the time of the World’s Fair. Holmes was a killer, con artist, and trigamist and the subject of over 50 lawsuits in Chicago alone. Holmes was executed on May 7th, 1896, nine days before his 35th birthday. DEPRAVED is a fascinating True Crime book on the life of H. H. Holmes. The book’s author, Dr. Harold Schechter, joined me for t...

The Devil at Genesee Junction

March 06, 2021 20:55 - 48 minutes - 45.1 MB

In the summer of 1966, I was 15 years old and living in my hometown of Rochester New York. Every generation says “oh, it was a different time back then.”  But for me it really was. Unfortunately, our idyllic summer of swimming at the local swimming hole was shattered when the bodies of local teens George-Ann Formicola and Kathy Bernhard were found murdered and mutilated. Author of THE DEVIL AT GENESEE JUNCTION, Michael Benson, with the help of a mother of one of the victims and private det...

Who was Jack the Ripper?

February 23, 2021 20:36 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MB

Between 1887 and 1891, a succession of horrific murders shook Victorian London. Over the period, 16 women were attacked – of whom only 3 survived. Despite the best attempts of contemporary detectives, no individual was ever charged with those crimes. Countless researchers, like my guest today, Dr. Drew Gray, have attempted to solve the 130-year-old mystery: Who was ‘Jack the Ripper’?

Terror in Wichita

February 16, 2021 22:13 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MB

“Terror in Wichita,” by Paul F. Caranci is the story of two siblings who committed egregious acts of horror on innocent people in Wichita, Kansas. The story, an hour-by-hour accounting of the events, will bring you into the minds of the killers. It will bond you to the victims causing you to live and relive the horrific events in those nine days in December. It will introduce you to a woman of extraordinary courage, one who refused to become another casualty at the hands of two soulless mons...

The Mind of a Murderer

February 11, 2021 20:47 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB

Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a murderer? I have. Theories of what makes for a murderer are as numerous as the parties who write about them. I decided to pick just one to share with you, my audience.  My choice? Author and clinical psychologist Katherine Ramsland, PhD. Dr. Ramsland began her literary career in 1992 penning, “Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice.” Over her successful career, she has published 59 books and over 1000 articles, reviews and short stories on ghos...

Last Man Hanging!

January 22, 2021 21:55 - 1 hour - 60.1 MB

On New Year’s Eve 1843 in Cranston Rhode Island, wealthy Yankee Mill Owner Amasa Sprague was put upon as he walked home and brutally murdered. Irish immigrant, John Gordon was arrested, tried and convicted in arguably a rather biased trial. On Valentine’s Day 1845, Gordon was executed by hanging. He became the last Rhode Islander to be put to death. His last words: “I hope all good Christians pray for me.” Paul F. Caranci, author of the book, “The Hanging and Redemption of John Gordon” join...

Murder on Blood Mountain

January 18, 2021 19:45 - 51 minutes - 48.1 MB

On New Year’s Day, 2008, 24-year-old Meredith Hope Emerson went hiking with her dog Ella on Blood Mountain in Georgia. She never returned. She was abducted and subsequently bludgeoned to death and decapitated by serial killer Gary Michael Hilton. By the end of the week, Hilton was identified as the killer, arrested and Meredith’s remains were recovered. Lead Investigator, Special Agent John Cagle of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation led the team that accomplished this rare quick resolution...

The Alphabet Murders

January 11, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MB

“The Alphabet Murders” (also known as the “Double Initial Murders”) are a series of unsolved child murders which occurred between 1971 and 1973 in Rochester, New York. All three victims were girls aged ten or twelve whose surname began with the same letter as her first name. Each victim was sexually assaulted, strangled and unceremoniously dumped by the side of the highway. Join me and Crime Book author, Michael Benson as we discuss his book: “Nightmare in Rochester: The Double Initial Murd...

Who murdered JFK?

December 21, 2020 22:32 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MB

So, who do YOU think murdered JFK? Lee Harvey Oswald? If so, did he have help from the F.B.I., the CIA, J. Edgar Hoover, the Warren Commission, the men's room attendant at the White House? My guest today has some strong opinions on the subject. Gerald Posner is the author of "CASE CLOSED: Lee Harvey Oswald and The Assassination of JFK." This exhaustively researched book was a New York Times bestseller and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for 1994. In 2015 The Chicago Tribune called Posner “a m...

END GAME: The Golden State Killer

December 15, 2020 18:31 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MB

Joseph James DeAngelo was born on November 8, 1945. But this former cop and serial rapist and killer was known by many other names during the time he terrorized communities across southern California between 1973 and 1986. Countless books have been written about the Golden State Killer, which was his most popular moniker. Arguably, no one spent more time and effort on covering him than author Anne Penn, whose life was directly impacted by DeAngelo. Ms. Penn has written 4 books on the Golden...

Tangled Web

December 09, 2020 20:55 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MB

For those listeners out there, who are looking for love on the Internet, you may change your mind after hearing the story of Cari Farver, a young woman who was the victim of a Cyberstalker, who eventually murdered her.  And as if that weren’t enough, terrorized everyone around her for years. The tale is best told by my guest today, Leslie Rule, daughter of the late True Crime author Ann Rule, who wrote THE STRANGER BESIDE ME about her experience working side by side with Ted Bundy. As you w...

Laci's missing!

November 20, 2020 23:34 - 59 minutes - 55.3 MB

Some murder cases never die…pun intended. One such case is the murder of Laci Peterson. Laci disappeared on Christmas Eve, 2002. Her torso and the body of unborn child, Connor, would wash up onshore 4 months later. Her husband, and father of her child, would be ultimately tried, convicted and sentenced to die for the brutal crime. Fast forward to this past fall when Scott’s appeal of the verdict and sentence comes down. The verdict standing but the penalty reversed. New York Times Bestsellin...

Trial by Fire: The Station Nightclub Fire

November 15, 2020 20:36 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MB

On February 20th 2003, the Station Nightclub, in West Warwick, RI caught fire during a concert by the band Great White. Stage fireworks set off by the band quickly ignited flammable foam on the walls. Within 90 seconds the club was a blazing inferno. Anyone who did not escape by then perished in the most horrific way. In October 2020, Emmy Award winning TV  reporter and author, Scott James published his book TRIAL BY FIRE: A devastating tragedy, 100 lives lost and a 15 year search for the t...

The Monster in my Bedroom

November 13, 2020 00:44 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MB

It is purported that over 100 women, one as young as 12, were brutally raped and murdered by serial killer Ted Bundy. But there were also survivors. One such survivor is Kathy Kleiner. Ms. Kleiner sat down with me to tell her story, lest we ever forget the savagery of Theodore “Ted” Bundy.

I Survived Ted Bundy

October 31, 2020 21:06 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MB

Theodore Robert Bundy was one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. He confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering over 24 women, one as young as 12, although the actual count remains a mystery. He carried out his reign of terror throughout seven states during the 1970s. Some of his victims escaped the final act and lived to share the story of their ordeals. One such victim was Rhonda Stapley, author of the book I Survived Ted Bundy: The Attack, Escape and PTSD that changed...

The Boy in the Box

October 19, 2020 20:16 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MB

On Monday February 25th, 1957, a young boy, estimated to be between the ages of three and six, was found nude along Susquehanna Road, an illegal dumping ground for unwanted trash located some eight miles north of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The case, dubbed "The Boy in the Box" remains unsolved but still open.

Who killed Bob Crane? (Part One)

October 14, 2020 20:17 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MB

On June 29, 1978, Bob Crane, popular star of the television comedy HOGAN’S HEROES was found savagely bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale Arizona. Mr. Crane was appearing at the Windmill Dinner Theater in a play called “Beginner’s Luck.” The news soon reached his son, Robert Crane, who was a successful contributor to PLAYBOY magazine at the time. The murder remains unsolved to this day. In 2015, Robert Crane wrote a combination autobiography, memoir and True Crime book with Christopher Fryer ti...

Who killed Bob Crane? (Part Two)

October 14, 2020 20:11 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB

On June 29, 1978, Bob Crane, popular star of the television comedy HOGAN’S HEROES was found savagely bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale Arizona. Mr. Crane was appearing at the Windmill Dinner Theater in a play called “Beginner’s Luck.” The news soon reached his son, Robert Crane, who was a successful contributor to PLAYBOY magazine at the time. The murder remains unsolved to this day. In 2015, Robert Crane wrote a combination autobiography, memoir and True Crime book with Christopher Fryer ti...

V for Vampire

August 27, 2020 21:32 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MB

Vampires have a treasured place in our culture. From Bela to Buffy we have been fascinated, often titillated by the thought of the undead and their thirst for blood. Fiction authors have written volumes using vampires as part of their plot lines. Ann Rice has made a fortune focusing on the erotica angle. Unfortunately, although the exploits of the undead are fiction, murders by deranged individuals that kill and drink the blood or eat the flesh of the innocent are all too real. Richard Tre...

REVENGE in Plain Sight

August 20, 2020 21:17 - 31 minutes - 29.4 MB

They say Revenge is sweet. I’ll let you decide. On a cold January morning outside the Kaufman County Courthouse, Eric Williams executed Assistant D.A. Mark Hasse. Eric’s wife Kim, drove the getaway car. Two months later on the day before Easter this pair slaughtered D.A. Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia in the foyer of their suburban home. Eric and Kim celebrated the murders with grilled steaks. It seemed that Eric’ plan was to exact revenge on everyone who had wronged him. His intention?...

Murder in Mayberry

August 09, 2020 21:56 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MB

Murder in Mayberry tells the horrifying tale of the murder of Ann Branson. With no clues, no DNA and nearly an entire town full of suspects, it appeared this brutal crime would turn into a cold case. But Ann’s nephew, retired federal agent Jack Branson, never gave up hope. He vowed the killer would be caught.

MURDER IN THE 'BURBS

August 03, 2020 23:23 - 1 hour - 62.3 MB

On Friday June 13, 1980, Texas suburban housewife, Betty Gore was slaughtered in broad daylight in her own home. The lethal weapon? Her own axe. And who wielded that instrument of death? Her close friend, Candy Montgomery. Follow me as I delve into this “whydunit” murder mystery with journalist and author of “Evidence of Love”, Jim Atkinson. Was Candy guilty? You decide!

MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL - The Caylee Anthony murder case.

July 04, 2020 18:01 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MB

Mommy's Little Girl, by EDGAR AWARD FINALIST, Diane Fanning, is an account of one of the most shocking confusing and horrific crimes in modern American history. Written before the trial, it is based upon thousands of pages of police transcripts, reports, and other official documents as well as interviews and on-site research. Join me as we delve into this vivid example of justice denied.

HUNTING the Unabomber

June 23, 2020 22:18 - 42 minutes - 39.7 MB

On April 3rd 1996, a team of FBI agents closed in on an isolated cabin in remote Montana marking the longest and most expensive investigation in FBI history. The cabin’s lone inhabitant was a former mathematics prodigy and wunderkind professor who had abandoned society decades earlier. Few people know his name, Theodore Kaczynski, but everyone knew the mayhem and death associated with his nickname: The UNABOMBER. With access to new primary sources and exclusive interviews with key law enfor...

Parallel Lives: The True Story Of Lizzie Borden PART II

June 03, 2020 20:53 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MB

So you think you know all about Lizzie Borden? I beg to differ. Unless you have read the book Parallel Lives: a social history of Lizzie A. Borden and her Fall River, written by Michael Martins and Dennis Binette. Or unless you have had the pleasure, as I did, of sitting down with them and hearing the unvarnished true story of Lizzie Andrew Borden told by the curators of The Fall River Historical Society. In PART II we continue to separate Fact from Fiction including answer to the burning q...

Parallel Lives: The True Story Of Lizzie Borden

May 27, 2020 19:13 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB

So you think you know all about Lizzie Borden? I beg to differ. Unless you have read the book Parallel Lives: a social history of Lizzie A. Borden and her Fall River, written by Michael Martins and Dennis Binette. Or unless you have had the pleasure, as I did, of sitting down with them and hearing the unvarnished true story of Lizzie Andrew Borden told by the curators of The Fall River Historical Society. In Part One, you will become acquainted with the backdrop against which Lizzie Borden ...

THE CROSSBOW INCIDENT

May 07, 2020 22:00 - 23 minutes - 22 MB

It was a crime like none other. It was a high profile media drenched disappearance of an entire family. The people of the small town of Barrington were stunned when 53 year old Ernest Brendel , his 46 year old wife Alice and their eight year old daughter Emily vanished without a trace with many indications leading to the conclusion that violence had played an integral part in the mystery.