Serialously with Annie Elise
341: The Real Story Behind Netflix’s Nathan Carman and The Family Murders
01 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What happened during Nathan Carman's fishing trip with his mother?
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Average savings $550. Select homes only. Minimum 7-day stay required. The ocean carries a lot of secrets. Rescued at sea after his mother disappeared in what seemed to be a freak boating accident. He says he expected sympathy, but what he got was a police investigation. It looked like an inspiring tale of survival. A young man missing for seven days.
Nathan Carman was found floating on a life raft in the ocean. Boats don't just drop out from under you the way he described it. The lack of things that were done raised questions. The Coast Guard had been combing hundreds of miles of ocean in vain, looking for Nathan Carman and his mother, Linda.
I love my mother. Present tense, I love my mother.
So why are people so suspicious about what exactly happened to Nathan's mother, Linda?
Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly. With me, your true crime bestie, Annie Elise, and I'm here to break down a freaking wild and kind of controversial case, actually.
Now, this one has been on my radar for several months, and we started researching it weeks and weeks, actually months ago when it first came on our radar. And recently, I saw that a documentary dropped on Netflix, and I love Netflix. No bad blood. I love you guys. I love you, all of you at Netflix.
But I will say that sometimes, as I understand, whether it's Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, they are more careful as to what they include in their documentaries or docuseries, whether it's for, you know, for legality issues, time constraints, whatever it may be.
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Chapter 2: Why did the Coast Guard initially suspect foul play in the case?
And we had started researching this, like I said, a couple of months ago, or, you know, at least a couple of months ago at this point. And there were just so many details that I was kind of like, hmm, you know, like... Why not? Why'd you leave that out? But like, why didn't you explain this more in depth?
And I was planning on releasing this episode originally later in December, but I decided to like rapid speed move it up because when I saw that this documentary came out, I was like, no, no, I want people to hear about this now. I want people to hear this full version and the way I tell it now, because like I said, it is pretty controversial and I'm curious what you guys think about it.
Because today's case, it's one that has tons of twists and turns that it's honestly going to have you guessing if you didn't watch that documentary. It's going to have you guessing until the very end. It's one that to this very day has mystery in it despite a thorough investigation surrounding it and countless of theories from both law enforcement.
and from the public and the true crime community. And it's rooted in a story about a mother and son who went out fishing together only to be met with tragedy. A tragedy that absolutely would rock the New England area because one of them was rescued while the other was never found. Now this case also involves a very mysterious fatal shooting and a massive, I am talking massive, inheritance.
So it's a case that will have you asking the question, was this just a series of tragedies and unfortunate freak accidents? Or was this something far more nefarious? Now let's talk about who is at the center of this case, Nathan Carman. Nathan Carman was born in 1994 to his parents, Linda and Clark. And his early life really was spent being raised as an only child.
He grew up in Middletown, Connecticut. It's a city that was once known for being a very busy sailing port turned college town, and it's around 16 miles south of the more well-known city of Connecticut, Hartford. Now, at an early age, Nathan began facing some pretty tricky life challenges. When he was only five years old, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.
Now, of course, he was so young that he didn't really understand or comprehend what that really meant for his life. He would only learn that later on through... I have to be honest, very unfortunate bouts of bullying and teasing that he pretty much dealt with for his entire life. And we all know kids are extremely cruel, even to kids where there's something going on that's out of their control.
And that unfortunately was the case for Nathan.
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Chapter 3: What were the circumstances surrounding Nathan's miraculous rescue?
Now, his mom, Linda, wasn't a stranger to children who had developmental delays or medical issues or specifically children with autism. She actually worked as a nanny for young kids who did have autism. And from what I can tell, both Linda and her husband, Clark, really partnered together to make sure that Nathan never felt any different from any other kid.
They tried to get him involved in sports like basketball. baseball and basketball. Unfortunately, neither one of those never really stuck. It just wasn't his thing. Most of the time, he just preferred to do things in solitude on his own. And this very quickly made him a target for other kids, who immediately labeled him as the weird kid or the loner.
Then, a few years later, when he was 10 years old, his parents divorced. And even though divorce itself is a pretty common thing, it certainly doesn't diminish how challenging it can be for kids to go through, especially in those formative years.
You're trying to find your identity, figure things out, look to learn about conflict resolution, what healthy relationships look like, all of the things that roll into it. And Nathan's family life as an only child was really all that he had come to know. So when his dad moved out and he began living full-time with his mom, there was a pretty big adjustment for him.
At some point, his dad also moved across the country to California, so because of this, Nathan never really saw him. And I can only imagine being a child with Asperger's, then you layer in the divorce on top of that, then the separation from his dad. It was probably a lot for Nathan to cope with. And pretty early on, it just became him and his mom, Linda.
Now, I mentioned earlier that his mom, Linda, worked as a nanny, but she also had a couple of other side jobs. But here's the thing. She was also a trust fund kid. So things finance-wise, post-divorce, weren't very difficult for her and Nathan. She had a lot of money. It turns out that Linda's dad, John, had been a very prominent real estate developer back in his day.
And he was more than well off and loaded from that. He was worth tens of millions of dollars. So John really played a big role in keeping the family afloat. More than that, though, he really stepped in as far as father figures go for Nathan. And it all sounds pretty great. doesn't it?
I mean, well, I guess that depends on who you ask, if I'm being honest, because family support can, yes, be a very amazing thing, but it can also turn very quickly into a very complex situation and sticky situation. And that's what you'll actually see here as Nathan progressed throughout his teenage years. Because to put it bluntly, Nathan and Linda's relationship started to get very, very rocky.
As he got into his teenage years, Nathan began throwing what sources claim were tantrums. And I'm not sure if these were directly related to his Asperger's diagnosis or if they were something unrelated, but there was definitely a rift that was becoming a very big point of contention between Nathan and his mom. Now, at first, things started off small.
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Chapter 4: How did Nathan's family history influence the investigation?
So when Nathan talked to John, pleading his case and begging for help, John agreed against Linda's wishes. And specifically what he did was he bought Nathan an RV. Then this RV was just parked right outside of Linda's house. And he did this so that Nathan could feel like he had some sort of freedom, like he lived alone, even though he was technically still on his mom's property.
And eventually, his mom, Linda, came around to the idea. But Nathan's behavior only continued to get worse. Now, keep in mind, he was still in high school at this point, which what exactly was going on at school is sort of up in the air. One source stated that, quote, while Nathan's issues were initially deemed to be owing to his autism, his behavior in school didn't matter. any of his symptoms.
So I don't know, I'm assuming that he definitely was acting out, but that it couldn't totally be attributed to his diagnosis. But whatever was going on got so bad that he was actually taken out of school. And he ended up being put into Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital specifically to focus on his mental health.
And instead of Nathan really leaning on his mom during these rough times and trying to get through it, their relationship only got worse. Basically, he blamed her for what had happened to him. He felt like she had purposefully put him in the hospital all so that he wouldn't be able to live in this RV just free and on his own and independently. He didn't want her to call.
He didn't want her to come visit him. But whenever his grandpa John came, he was more than happy to have these visits. So eventually, this caused a pretty big rift between John and Linda. Understandably so, too. And sure enough, once Nathan was discharged from the hospital and sent back to his mom's house, his grandpa John only began intruding more. This time, he rented Nathan an apartment.
He also gave him access to a bank account that had originally had Linda's name on it. And this account had $400,000 in it. He also bought him a truck. He set him up a college fund with $150,000 in it. And basically, it was like whatever Nathan wanted, he got. And Linda felt like her dad John had been consistently just enabling this bad behavior.
And because of that, their family dynamic, it just got worse and worse. That is until five days before Christmas Day in 2013. Because that is when John was found dead. He had been shot three times in his own home. And it was clear that someone had targeted John specifically. There was a homicide investigation that took place, but the trail ran pretty cold over time.
And the circumstances surrounding his death were really odd. And everyone, I'm talking the investigators, the family, the people in town, they all felt like there was something way deeper that went into this, something more nefarious, just a more sinister backstory, if you will. And all that to say, this was a huge turning point in Nathan and Linda's personal lives.
And I know it's all kind of, you know, a big bomb to drop, but don't worry, I am going to unpack all of that a little bit later on, and I'll get into more of the details of that, trust me. But what you need to know now is that John's death, it was sad, unfortunate, and shocking. Although, I guess for someone worth millions of dollars, it really wasn't too shocking.
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Chapter 5: What evidence linked Nathan to his grandfather's murder?
He even bought a small $50,000 fishing boat that he named Chicken Pox. Now, given the area that they were in, being out on the water was pretty second nature for people in Middleton.
Linda had always been somebody who enjoyed boating and fishing, and after Nathan got his own boat, they bonded even more, going on fishing trips and really just spending quality time together on the boat, reconnecting. And it almost sounds like a happy ending, right? As far as Linda and Nathan were concerned. They were all set for life financially. They were finally reconnecting.
But we know that money cannot buy happiness. But it surely can solve a lot of problems. And as odd as it may seem, it seemed like it really magically solved years worth of issues between Linda and Nathan. But, you know, if you're listening to this episode, that we wouldn't be here today if there weren't more to this case.
And sure enough, in September of 2016, something happened that changed the course of Linda and Nathan's lives forever. It was September 17th, 2016 to be exact. Linda and Nathan had been planning a very fun overnight fishing trip for quite some time, and the plan was to take out Nathan's boat, to meet at the marina, and then be out on the water by midnight.
Now, at first, I know the timing of that might sound a bit odd. I know it did when I first heard that. But apparently, avid fishermen know that it's smarter to get out on the water and get a good spot before the sun even comes up. That is, if you want to catch anything and make the trip worthwhile, apparently. But look. I don't know a lot about fishing.
I don't find myself on fishing boats very often. So if you are a fisherman, feel free to correct me. But Linda had texted one of her friends that they were going to fish just off a place called Block Island. And this was around 12 miles from the shore. But she also told her friend that they would be back on land by 9 a.m. and to call her by noon if she hadn't heard from her.
And it was kind of a joke, but also kind of serious because boating accidents aren't super uncommon. So it's good to always keep somebody in the loop of where you're going, the details of your trip, saying, here's my plan to be back. But if something happens or if you don't hear from me, call the Coast Guard or call somebody. Like, it's not super uncommon.
And I also want to mention that when it comes to fishing, I really don't know a whole lot about the size of Nathan's boat compared to how far out they were going. Like if it's pretty standard or not. If it's a small boat, it needs to be closer to shore. If it's a bigger boat and it's okay to like go way out in the water.
But I would assume that Linda at least felt comfortable with it since she wasn't an amateur at fishing or that sort of thing. But as it turns out, whether the concern that Linda had identified to her friend was warranted or not at the time she texted, the truth was that Linda had not reached out by noon. And her friend was really worried. I mean, 10 minutes late is one thing, but hours?
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Chapter 6: What role did financial motives play in the family dynamics?
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But despite that, they weren't really having much luck. So the authorities decided that they needed to contact Linda's next of kin. They needed to alert them of the news, not only to see if they had maybe heard from her or seen her, but to let them know that both of them, Linda and her son, were truly missing and that it was not looking good.
Now, Linda's next of kin was her sister Valerie, and the investigators probably thought that the call with Valerie would be a very difficult one. You would expect that if you're delivering that kind of news to a loved one, it's going to be challenging, right? They'd have to explain that Linda and Nathan were missing, that they were doing everything they could do to find them, all of that.
And all of that did happen during the call. But what they didn't expect was that Valerie truly did not act shocked at all. Instead, she dropped a huge bomb on them. When the investigator spoke with Valerie, she was, of course, distraught. She was upset. But more than that, she was angry. She immediately told the detectives that she just knew that her nephew Nathan had done something to Linda.
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Chapter 7: How did the investigation unfold after Nathan's arrest?
The same week of Linda and Nathan's fishing trip. The same week that Linda went missing. Which you might be asking, okay, well, why is that important? What does that mean? It could have just been a coincidence. Well, Valerie felt like Nathan had likely killed his grandpa John for the inheritance money.
And with his mother Linda set to inherit quite a bit of money, tens of millions of dollars from her father as well, why not kill her to get that payout as well? which obviously this was a lot to digest.
I mean, the poor Coast Guard just wanted to inform the families that their loved ones were missing, but instead they basically were hit with this whole complex drama of the family and money and murder and all of these things. They hadn't expected all of this other stuff. And we'll get more into Nathan's potential involvement later on because trust me, there is a lot more to it.
But I want to stick with the missing boat. So for the time being, we're going to stick with the boating incident. The search and rescue teams kept looking for both Linda and Nathan while also keeping the information that they had learned from Valerie just in the back of their minds. And for days, Nathan, Linda, and their boat were nowhere to be found.
And one source even said that they had searched an area of water that was roughly two times the size of the state of Connecticut. So they had searched almost everywhere. And it was very likely that at this point, the boat had malfunctioned, that maybe it had been taken out to sea, that maybe it capsized something.
And if that had happened, they assumed that more than likely Linda and Nathan had passed away and that whatever family drama had been happening in their lives was basically just kind of boiling to the surface in the midst of all of this chaos. So after five days of searching, the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to end the search.
They had done all that they could do, but the belief was that both of the people that they were looking for were no longer alive. Linda and Nathan's family had been through an incredible amount of grief and loss in so little time, from the head of their family being brutally murdered in his own home to now their sister and nephew going missing at sea, all in less than three years.
That is a lot of turmoil for a family to take on. And not for nothing, but it's enough to make you believe in all of the stuff about somebody putting a hex or a curse on your family or something. Like one bad thing happening after another. And what's that expression? Like it comes in waves of three? Something like that?
So after the family was told the devastating news that the search was off and that they weren't going to find Linda or Nathan... The family had no other choice but to begin mourning them, grieving them, and trying to move forward. However, they never got the opportunity to say goodbye, so it was very likely that they would never receive any type of closure.
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Chapter 8: What were the final outcomes of Nathan's case?
But what happened next is pretty vague. Nathan said that he went from grabbing the gear to being in the water, all while Linda was nowhere to be seen, presumably also already in the water. The only difference being that Nathan had just grabbed all of the emergency equipment and Linda had absolutely nothing.
I heard a noise. The engine sounded different. I looked in the hatch where the engine was. I observed there was water, quite a bit of water. and the belt on the engine was picking up water and kind of spinning it. What did you think? I knew that there was a serious problem, but I didn't think we were sinking.
I thought that I was going to diagnose the problem and that we were going to go back to shore. I was walking on the deck, it was there, and then it wasn't. Any sign of your mother at this point? No, not at that point.
So once Nathan saw how much water the boat was taking in, he claimed that he quickly threw an emergency life raft that self-inflated overboard into the ocean, then grabbed whatever supplies were closest to him in the boat and climbed on top of this life raft.
He claimed that while he was doing all of those things, he was yelling for his mom Linda, telling her, hey, quickly, get in, get in, get in. The only thing was that by the time he had a chance to look up, once he was inside the life raft, he realized that Linda was nowhere to be seen. He didn't see her running across the boat headed toward the life raft.
He didn't see her head bobbing far out in the distance like she had already maybe fallen into the water. He didn't even hear her calling for help. And then his raft started floating away from the sinking boat. And the next thing he knew, he was all alone. Which honestly, it sounds like a very traumatic experience.
Yet at the same time, there were these seeds of doubt in the minds of the investigators. And those seeds were things that were more than valid questions, in my opinion. For example, inside the pilot house, there are plenty of things that Nathan could have used in an emergency situation.
There's a two-way radio, which could be used to call in a distress call to the Coast Guard or to 911, things like that. There's also something called a radio beacon that is used for emergencies. It basically creates a little ping of your last known location for search and rescue teams so that they have a better idea of where to look rather than wasting time in all the wrong places.
But for whatever reason, Nathan didn't do any of those things. And nobody knows how they will react in high-stress situations, I will say that. So it's possible that maybe he was so panicked and in fight or flight that he didn't even think to do those things.
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