Casefile True Crime
Episodes
Case 164: Cindy James
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During the 1980s, Canadian nurse Cindy James was tormented by an unknown assailant at her home in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was subject to thre...
Case 53: The Golden State Killer (Part 6)
05 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 6]This is the final instalment in a Casefile series that was first released in 2017.It covers recent developments in the case and mentions incid...
Case 163: Joanne Ratcliffe & Kirste Gordon
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On August 25 1973, 12,000 South Australian National Football League spectators packed into Adelaide Oval to watch the North Adelaide Roosters take on ...
Case 162: Lawrence Haggart
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1995, 15-year-old Scottish schoolboy Lawrence Haggart’s dreams came true when he was signed to join Celtic, an elite Scottish football club. The ...
Case 161: The Yosemite Sightseer Murders (Part 2)
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 2]After the decapitated body of 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong is found in Yosemite’s Foresta region, investigators are quick to d...
Case 161: The Yosemite Sightseer Murders (Part 1)
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 2]Carole Sund and her teenage daughter Juli were excited to take their family friend and Argentinian exchange student, Silvina Pelosso, on ...
Case 160: Beverly McGowan
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In late July 1990, siblings Steve and Jane McGowan both received a letter in the mail from their sister, 34-year-old Beverly McGowan, advising that sh...
Case 159: James Craig Anderson
10 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When 47-year-old Mississippi resident James Craig Anderson realised he’d locked his keys in his car in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 26 20...
Case 158: Russell Martin
03 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
31-year-old Russell ‘Stabba’ Martin was well known around the small town of Stawell in Victoria’s west. A staple of the local pubs and footy clu...
Case 157: The Strip Search Scam
26 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
** Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence ***The evening of April 9, 2004, started as a regular, uneventful shift for employee...
Case 156: Shergar
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In Ireland in 1968, a period known as The Troubles began. Years of extreme protesting and violence culminated in low morale and widespread despair thr...
Case 155: Danniella Vian
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It wasn’t unusual for 25-year-old Danniella Vian to lose her phone. So when her mother-in-law Julie received a phone call from a stranger saying he ...
Case 154: Steven Stayner
29 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When seven-year-old Steven Stayner fails to return home from school on December 4 1972, life changes irrevocably for the Stayner family. As the years ...
Case 153: Anni Hindocha
15 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Newlyweds Anni Hindocha and Shrien Dewani were looking forward to celebrating their honeymoon in South Africa. After a traditional wedding in India, t...
Case 152: Cindy & Mona Lisa Smith
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. The families ...
Case 151: Dan O’Connell & James Ellison
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Residents of Hudson, Wisconsin are left rattled when funeral director Dan O’Connell and his trainee James Ellison are found shot to death in The O’...
Case 150: The Murchison Murders
18 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After the Western Australian gold rush of the late 1800s, there was little work available in the isolated Murchison region. Those lucky enough to find...
Case 149: Anan Liu
11 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of September 15 2007, an elderly couple were walking through Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station when they noticed a young Asian girl ...
Case 148: The Miyazawa Family
04 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Miyazawa’s were a seemingly normal family who lived in a semi-detached, three-storey house in Setagaya’s Kamisoshigaya district. But when thei...
Case 147: Julie Dart & Stephanie Slater
20 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On July 10 1991, 18-year-old Julie Dart disappeared after a night out in Leeds. Two days later, her boyfriend Dominic Murray received a letter from Ju...
Case 146: Brittany Phillips
13 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When 18-year-old Brittany Phillips enrolled to study at Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma, she was excited to move into her own apartment. With the ...
Case 145: Michael Dippolito
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of August 5 2009, 26-year-old Dalia Dippolito was working out when she received a voicemail from a detective at the Boynton Beach Polic...
Case 144: The Muswell Hill Murderer (Part 3)
23 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 3 of 3]As Dennis Nilsen prepares to face trial and the true extent of his murder spree begins to emerge, so many questions remain unanswered. Wh...
Case 144: The Muswell Hill Murderer (Part 2)
16 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 3]By the time Dennis Nilsen moved out of his flat at 195 Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood, he had already taken the lives of twelve victims. E...
Case 144: The Muswell Hill Murderer (Part 1)
09 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 3]When specialty plumbers arrived to inspect the drains at a property in the north London suburb of Muswell Hill in early February 1983, it...
Case 143: Leigh Leigh
25 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Teenagers in the New South Wales town of Stockton Beach were excited as they gathered at the North Stockton Surf Club to celebrate the sixteenth birth...
Case 142: The Churchill Fire
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is no stranger to bushfires. But when Victorian Premier John Brumby warned residents that the weather conditions for February 7, 2009, could...
Case 141: Natalee Holloway
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
18-year-old Natalee Holloway had been looking forward to her senior class trip to Aruba all year. The tropical vacation was a rite of passage for stud...
Case 140: Richmond Hill
28 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Just after midnight on November 10 2012, a loud and frightening sound erupted in the Indianapolis subdivision of Richmond Hill. The force was so power...
Case 139: Beryl & Geraldine Evans (Part 2)
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 2]On March 24 1953, a tenant at 10 Rillington Place was renovating their kitchen when they made a shocking discovery. After police arrive a...
Case 139: Beryl & Geraldine Evans (Part 1)
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 2]When newlyweds Beryl and Timothy Evans found out they were expecting their first child, they set about finding a place of their own to li...
Case 138: The Batavia
29 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In October of 1628, the newly constructed Batavia embarked on its maiden voyage from the shores of The Netherlands, setting sail for the Dutch East In...
Case 137: Arlis Perry
22 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
19-year-old Arlis Perry took her Christian faith seriously. After fighting with her husband Bruce on the night of October 12 1974, she decided to clea...
Case 136: Azaria Chamberlain
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On August 17 1980, the Chamberlain family were camping at Uluru when Lindy Chamberlain went to put her nine-week-old daughter Azaria to sleep in the t...
Case 135: The Santa Claus Bank Robbery
21 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On December 23 1927, the streets of Cisco, Texas were full of festive cheer as residents prepared for Christmas. When a man dressed as Santa Clause en...
Case 134: Martha Puebla
14 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
16-year-old Martha Puebla was no stranger to gang violence. She lived in California’s San Fernando Valley, where Latin American organisations like t...
Case 133: Tom & Eileen Lonergan
07 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When American couple Tom and Eileen Lonergan set out to visit Australia, they were particularly looking forward to putting their diving skills to good...
Case 132: Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonça
30 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On March 4 1998, the parents of Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonça grew concerned when their son failed to show up for a lesson with his tutor. The 11-year-...
Case 131: Mr Stinky
16 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
During the 1970s and 80s, a series of terrifying sexual assaults occurred inside homes throughout the Victorian suburb of Donvale. The unidentified pe...
Case 130: Joe Cinque
09 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday, October 26 1997, an emergency services dispatcher in Canberra received a hysterical call from a young woman who refused to provide clear an...
Case 129: The Dupont de Ligonnès Family
02 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In early April 2011, several friends and relatives of Nante’s Dupont De Ligonnès family received an unexpected letter that read: “Hi everyone! Hu...
Case 128: Joan Vollmer
18 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When 49-year-old Joan Vollmer begins acting strangely, her husband Ralph blames spiritual problems and turns to religion for answers. Rather than seek...
Case 127: Killer Petey
12 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Brazilian born Pedro Rodrigues Filho first felt the desire to kill at the age of 13. It wasn’t long before he gave into his desires and claimed his ...
Case 126: Johnny Altinger
05 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After 38-year-old Johnny Altinger goes on a date with a woman he met online, his friends start receiving strange emails. Things appear to have gone so...
Case 125: The Angels of Wynarka & Belanglo
21 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In mid-July 2015, a motorist was travelling down the Karoonda Highway in South Australia when he pulled over near the small town of Wynarka to urinate...
Case 124: Hinterkaifeck
14 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The small rural property of Hinterkaifeck lay approximately 70 kilometres north of the German city of Munich. Members of the Gruber-Gabriel family cou...
Case 123: Mark Kilroy
07 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When 21-year-old Mark Kilroy and a group of his friends headed to South Padre Island in Texas for Spring Break, all they had in mind was sun, sand and...
Case 122: Leeann Lapham
24 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Australia, one woman is killed by her current or former domestic partner every week. So when 29-year-old Leeann Lapham went missing from her short ...
Case 121: The Freeway Phantom
17 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
During the early 1970s in Washington, D.C, six black girls aged between 10 and 18 were abducted and murdered in separate brutal attacks. The bodies of...
Case 120: Bill McGuire
10 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On May 5 2004, the first of three suitcases containing dismembered human remains washed up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Detectives...
Case 119: Abigail Williams & Liberty German
27 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Monday, February 13, 2017, was a bonus day off school for students in the small American town of Delphi, Indiana. Best friends Abigail Williams and Li...
Case 118: The Chicago Tylenol Murders
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After seven residents of Chicago passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1982, authorities discovered they shared a common link. In the hours before ...
Case 117: Hannah Foster
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At 11:00 PM on March 14 2003, an emergency services operator in the United Kingdom answered a phone call on the nation’s 999 helpline. The person on...
Case 116: Chloe Ayling
29 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
British glamour model Chloe Ayling was ecstatic to be hired for a photoshoot in Milan. But after failing to return to the United Kingdom on her schedu...
Case 115: Operation Cathedral
22 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the mid-1990s, police caught wind of an online paedophile ring known as The Orchid Club, in which members were using chat rooms to create and trade...
Case 114: Elisa Claps & Heather Barnett
15 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When teenager Elisa Claps mysteriously disappears after going to meet a friend in the Southern Italian town of Potenza, all possibilities are explored...
Case 113: Brendan Bernard
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In February 2015, Victorian police were called to the eastern banks of the Maribyrnong River in Moonee Ponds after two passersby made a grim discovery...
Case 112: Rachel Barber
25 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
15-year-old Rachel Barber was thrilled to make the move from a conventional high school to a special performing arts school in Melbourne’s inner-cit...
Case 111: Shauna Howe
18 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1992, the children of Oil City, Pennsylvania were excited as Halloween approached. But when 11-year-old Shauna Howe fails to return home after a ch...
Case 110: Muriel McKay
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On December 29 1969, News of the World deputy chairman Alick McKay returned to his manor in London’s upscale Wimbledon district to find the place ra...
Case 109: Belanglo (Part 5)
20 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 5 of 5]Accused serial killer, 51-year-old Ivan Milat sat motionless before the court dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and grey checkered tie....
Case 109: Belanglo (Part 4)
13 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 4 of 5]At 6:36 am on May 22 1994, a team of heavily armed police surrounded the Cinnabar Street home of Ivan Milat and instructed him to exit th...
Case 109: Belanglo (Part 3)
06 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 3 of 5]After a witness comes forward to report a suspicious incident that occurred near Belanglo years earlier, the investigation quickly gains ...
Case 109: Belanglo (Part 2)
30 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 5]After the remains of two bodies are found in Belanglo State Forest, New South Wales police establish a task force to oversee the investig...
Case 109: Belanglo (Part 1)
23 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 5]In the late 1980s and early 1990s, backpackers from across the globe flocked to Australia in search of sun, surf and adventure. Although ...
Case 108: The Kicevo Monster
02 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When three women – Mitra Simjanoska, Ljubica Licoska and Zivana Temelkoska – are murdered in the Macedonian city of Kicevo, local journalist Vlado...
Case 107: Lucie Blackman & Carita Ridgway
23 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In early 2001, 21-year old Lucie Blackman left her job as a flight attendant for British Airways in search of new adventures. She embarked on a workin...
Case 106: Peter Nielsen (Part 2)
09 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 2]After 46-year-old Vitaly Kaloyev loses his entire family in the Überlingen mid-air collision, he becomes consumed by grief. Unable to mo...
Case 106: Peter Nielsen (Part 1)
02 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 2]As midnight approached on July 1 2002, the German village of Owingen was disturbed by a deep rumbling from above. Residents assumed an un...
Case 28: Lindsay Buziak | Update
27 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an update on the Lindsay Buziak case in Case 28.For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-28-lindsay-buziak Hosted on ...
Case 105: Louise Bell
26 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
During recess and lunchtime at Hackham West Primary School in 1982, teachers patrolled the schoolyard to oversee the young children as they ran around...
Case 104: Mark & John
22 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 2000s, the internet became increasingly affordable and readily available, which led to online chat rooms soaring in popularity. Logging i...
Case 103: The Gonzales Family
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On 10 July 2001, New South Wales police received a frantic phone call from 21-year-old Sef Gonzales. He’d just returned home to discover that his mo...
Case 102: Britt Lapthorne
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
21-year-old Britt Lapthone developed a passion for travel at a young age, so it came as no surprise to her friends and family when she announced her p...
Case 101: Sian Kingi
24 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
12-year-old Sunshine Coast schoolgirl Sian Kingi was looking forward to her friend’s upcoming birthday party. She joined her mother at the shops in ...
Case 100: The Beaumont Children
17 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On January 26 1966, siblings Jane, Arna and Grant Beaumont joined the hundreds of Adelaide residents who flocked to Glenelg beach to find respite from...
Case 99: Becky Watts
10 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When Bristol teenager Becky Watts failed to show up for a planned lunch date with her boyfriend and then stopped responding to text messages from her ...
Case 98: The Pillow Pyro
27 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On the night of October 10 1984, a fire broke out at Ole’s Home Centre in South Pasadena that claimed the lives of four victims – Ada Deal, Matthe...
Case 97: Rebecca Schaeffer
20 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When aspiring actress Rebecca Schaffer secured the second lead in a new Hollywood sitcom, My Sister Sam, it felt like all her dreams were finally comi...
Case 96: The Toy Box (Part 3)
05 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 3 of 3]While viewing a video of one of David Parker Ray’s assaults, investigators successfully identify yet another victim. The cases go to tr...
Case 96: The Toy Box (Part 2)
29 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 3]As the investigation into David Parker Ray’s alleged crimes continued, an officer recalled a past encounter with a hitchhiker that he b...
Case 96: The Toy Box (Part 1)
22 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 3]On March 22 1999, Sierra County police were dispatched to conduct a welfare check at a property in Hot Springs Landing, a small suburban ...
Case 95: The Vampire of Krakow
08 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 1964, an unknown offender took to the streets of Krakow to stab elderly women in what appeared to be a string of senseless, unprovoked attacks. The...
Case 94: Millie & Trevor Horn, Janice Saunders
01 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of March 3 1993, Vivian Rice pulled up outside the Silver Spring home of her sister, Millie Horn, and immediately noticed that somethin...
Case 93: Susan Snow & Bruce Nickell
25 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When 40-year-old bank manager Susan Snow collapsed in her shower after complaining of a headache, the cause of her sudden death wasn’t clear. In a b...
Case 92: Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs
11 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout June and July of 2007, residents of the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk were gripped by fear after a spate of murders occurred seemingly a...
Case 91: Carly Ryan
04 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, Myspace was the biggest social media platform in the world, surpassing Google as the most visited website. Like many teenagers, 14-year-old C...
Case 90: Hoddle Street
28 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
19-year-old Julian Knight was obsessed with war and combat from a young age. He enrolled in the Royal Military Academy of Duntroon with dreams of one ...
Case 89: Ella Tundra
14 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In September 2012, former Countdown champion Richard Britton walked into a pub and was served by a 21-year-old bartender, whom he nicknamed “Ella Tu...
Case 88: Stephen Hilder
07 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Most people who try skydiving do it just once – it’s something to tick off the bucket list. But for a small minority, skydiving becomes an obsessi...
Case 87: Elaine O’Hara
16 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When Irish childcare worker Elaine O’Hara went missing in 2012, her family and friends feared she may have taken her own life. Although she’d rece...
Case 86: Amy Allwine
09 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When FBI agents received word that online hackers had cracked their way into the dark web and uncovered an Albanian murder-for-hire organisation known...
Case 85: Tom Brown
02 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When 18-year-old Canadian High School student Tom Brown failed to return home by his midnight curfew on Thanksgiving of 2016, his mother Penny immedia...
Case 84: Lesley Molseed (Part 2)
19 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 2 of 2]With Stefan Kiszko behind bars for the murder of Lesley Molseed, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester police were commended for their ex...
Case 84: Lesley Molseed (Part 1)
12 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
[Part 1 of 2]On October 5 1975, April Molseed sent her 11-year-old daughter Lesley Molseed to the nearby corner store in Rochdale to buy a loaf of bre...
Case 83: Chantelle & Leela McDougall, Tony Popic
05 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 2007, 28-year-old Chantelle McDougall told her family she was moving to Brazil for spiritual purposes, along with her daughter Leela, partner Simon...
Case 53: EAR-ONS/Golden State Killer | Update
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is an important update on the EAR-ONS/Golden State Killer case in Case 53 (25.04.18).For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.co...
Case 03: Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman | Update
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is an update on the Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman case in Case 03 (23.04.18).For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-...
Case 82: Maria Korp
21 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
50-year-old Maria Korp was a devoted mother of two, so when she went missing from her Mickleham home in Melbourne’s north in February of 2009, it wa...
Case 81: Brian Wells
14 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Around midday on August 28 2003, 46-year-old delivery driver Brian Wells clocked in for his usual lunchtime shift at Mama Mia’s Pizzeria in Erie, Pe...