Episode list

Two young girls play in their snowy Chicago suburb in December 1957. Only one of them comes home. Even with the FBI on the case, the leads run cold - until a deathbed confession nearly forty years later changes everything.

Over fifty years after Maria Ridulph was kidnapped and murdered, a suspect was put on trial. Jack McCullough faced charges in September 2012, in the oldest cold case trial in American history. His conviction seemingly laid the question of Maria's killer to rest. But one attorney wasn't so sure.

On a December morning in 1811, Londoners awoke to news of a massacre at a local linen shop. Twelve days later, another gruesome murder occurred just down the road. With no viable suspects and public pressure increasing, police were desperate to arrest anybody they could build a case around.

Investigators needed to close the case, so they charged a 27-year-old sailor named John Williams who had loose connections to both murder sites. But when it was time for his trial, Williams didn't show up.

He spent the 1920s becoming one of Hollywood's most sought-after filmmakers. His professional success and love for his wife, actress Jean Harlow, were everything he ever wanted. So when Paul Bern was found dead in his home with a suicide note nearby, friends wondered if there was more to his story.

MGM executives manipulated the crime scene before police arrived, so it was no surprise that investigators ruled Paul Bern's death a suicide. But the more that reporters dug in, the more evident it became that Bern was not alone the night he died.

In May of 1926, 21-year-old Clara Olson realized she was pregnant with her boyfriend Erdman Olson's child. He felt he was too young to get married and didn't want to tarnish his reputation. So he hatched a plan to make sure nobody in his Wisconsin community would ever find out about his unborn child.

Three months after 22-year-old Clara Olson vanished, her body was discovered in a shallow grave. With her were two letters from Erdman Olson. Authorities had a suspect in her murder, but suddenly, Erdman was nowhere to be found.

In 1980, 26-year-old Vicki Durian and 19-year-old Nancy Santomero hitchhiked across the country to attend the Rainbow Gathering in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Their bodies were found just miles from the festival. Years later, a concerned resident came forward with information about the murders but instead became the number one suspect.

After Jacob Beard became a suspect in the Rainbow Murders, investigators received word that Joseph Paul Franklin, already in jail in Wisconsin, confessed to the murders. But with little evidence and now multiple suspects, investigators didn't know who to believe.

The Gruber family had their share of problems, and the townspeople near their rural German settlement knew it. But nobody could fathom who would want to slaughter five members of the family and the family maid in cold blood.

Authorities determined there was only one suspect who had any motive to murder the Grubers. One person with a grudge against the family and who had a history of violent confrontations with them as well. So why weren't authorities able to get a conviction?

Alice Parsons was the heiress to her uncle's fortune and the owner of a large property in Stony Brook, New York. When she vanished, authorities assumed it was a simple missing persons case. But with a love triangle, illegitimate children, and Russian ex-lovers, there was nothing simple about it.

Even after a ransom note was discovered, FBI agents were skeptical when William Parsons and 36-year-old housekeeper Anna Kupryanova insisted Alice Parsons was kidnapped. Then a discovery in the home's septic tank pointed to a possible motive.

In 19th-century London, Mary Emsley outlived most of her family, two husbands, even her child, before being brutally bludgeoned to death in her East End home. With multiple suspects, the case becomes a whodunit that eludes investigators even after they make an arrest.

In October 1860, James Mullins was executed for the murder of Mary Emsley. But the case against him was built upon circumstantial evidence. Two crime novelists from different eras tried to solve what may have been the perfect crime.

Thanks to high-level connections and generous kickbacks, Shirley Finn ran one of the most successful brothels in Perth. But moving around loads of cash for the criminal underworld would come at a higher price than she could imagine.

When Shirley Finn was found dead inside her car at the Royal Perth Golf Club, plenty of witnesses came forward with information about who she was with that night. But considering all the dirt she had on Perth police officers and local politicians, investigators weren't interested in bringing her murderer to justice.

Pat Garrett is mostly known for killing outlaw Billy the Kid. But as a cowboy and a sheriff, he made his share of enemies. It would only be a matter of time before somebody came to exact revenge.

Career detours into writing and politics brought out Garrett's worst critics. The lawman laid low for a decade before an offer from New Mexico's governor in 1896 brought him onto another high-level case. This time, Garrett would be investigating the death of a prominent lawyer and his son. Meaning he'd be right back in the thick of outlaws and rogues.

Santa Rosa was a safe, peaceful town going into the 1970s. But in a few short years, police realized that five hitchhiking young women had disappeared. Four of them were found dead. And a serial killer was on the loose in their small town.

It's believed that the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer murdered eight women during the 1970s. Investigators speculated it could have been the work of the Zodiac Killer or even Ted Bundy. But a recent discovery has led to another possible suspect.

Detectives believe the brutal double homicide took place on Father's Day in 1965. 72-year-old Edwina Rogers and her 81-year-old husband Frederick Rogers were found dismembered in their icebox. Their adult son who lived with them was immediately a suspect. Only the police couldn't find him, and neighbors said they had never even seen him.

After a run-in with an intruder, George Harry Storrs installed a church bell atop his Gorse Hall mansion as an alarm for police. On November 1st, 1909, the bell chimed, but by the time authorities arrived, it was already too late.

The first suspect to go on trial for the murder of George Harry Storrs was found not guilty. Authorities then discovered a new, more likely suspect, but by that time, the credibility of witnesses had been tarnished.

In 1982, three teenagers were found murdered along Lake Waco. There was very little evidence, but Sergeant Truman Simons had a hunch. And he knew it would pay off. He just needed more time.This is a crossover series with Solved Murders, looking at two complicated cases where the conclusions are far from forgone.

The people of Waco wanted justice to be served. Four suspects emerged, but would that be enough to close the case? This is a crossover series with Unsolved Murders, looking at two complicated cases where the conclusions are far from forgone.

In May of 1981, shots rang out at a mansion known as the Mercer House. When officers arrived, a young man was dead. The estate's lone resident, a 50-year-old antique dealer, claimed self-defense. But to investigators, the crime scene told a different story. This is a crossover series with Solved Murders, looking at two complicated cases where the conclusions are far from forgone.

Jim Williams had the money to hire the best attorneys around. After a fourth trial for the same crime, he was finally found not guilty. Was the law truly upheld that day or did a rich man buy his freedom? This is a crossover series with Solved Murders, looking at two complicated cases where the conclusions are far from forgone.

In 1907, Bert Shaw promised to provide for Emily Dimmock if she quit her job as a sex worker and moved in with him as his girlfriend. But old habits die hard. She went back on her word and saw clients behind his back for months. Then one morning, Bert found her dead.

With the help of a postcard found at the scene of Emily Dimmock's murder, police apprehended a suspect named Robert Wood. Witnesses saw him with Emily the night she was murdered. But was he the last to see her alive?

On July 8, 1918, artist and avid outdoorsman Tom Thomson took his boat onto Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario, to go fishing. His body was found floating in the lake three days later. Other community members saw his boat overturned but waited days to report it. Was his death a tragic accident, or did something more sinister happen?

In 1940s Hollywood, a 22-year-old aspiring actress is found mutilated and drained of blood. Her body is posed, and her mouth has been carved into a permanent smile. The investigation takes police into the hidden sides of the city - illicit romances and gang-related crimes. But when another mutilated body is found weeks later, the hunt is on for a possible serial killer. This is a crossover series with Serial Killers, looking at the murder of Elizabeth Short and other unsolved cases surrounding it.

Elizabeth Short's gruesome murder is the LAPD's most infamous unsolved case. But there's one person who thinks he's cracked it - the alleged killer's his son. Today, it is time to reopen the case against George Hodel, a certified genius and once-celebrated doctor who rubbed elbows with noted surrealists - and had a vile history of abuse and terror, even against his family.

While he is known for being one of the first settlers of Minnesota, Sir Edward Phalen may also be the settlement's first murderer. His relationship with Sergeant John Hays was already tense. But when Hays was found dead and brutally beaten, locals realized that Phalen was likely the last to see him alive.

In 1887 an elusive killer began dropping the remains of his victims in the Thames River around London's East End. Crimes this brutal made it difficult not only to identify the culprit, but also the victims. And as police struggled to find any viable leads, body parts only continued to wash ashore.

After authorities attributed four deaths to the Thames Torso killer, things went silent for 13 years - until the killer's final murder. While some people think it was the work of an educated doctor with surgical experience, others believe it was a lower-class butcher or hunter. But there's a solid case to be made that it was actually - a barber.

There is no debate about who killed Alexander Hamilton. His infamous duel with Aaron Burr was held according to the standards at the time. But many, including the states of New York and New Jersey, concluded that Burr was a cold-blooded killer who got away with murder.

Aaron Burr is most infamous for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. But Burr was also a father - one whose daughter, Theodosia, vanished one night at sea. No one can say for sure what happened to her ship, The Patriot, or its passengers - though a centuries-old portrait may hold a clue.

Before becoming the world's most famous mummy, King Tut was a teenage pharoah coming out of his father's shadow. When he suddenly died at age 19, it sent shockwaves through his empire. But it wasn't until the 1920s that a new theory came into play: King Tut was murdered.

Since the 1920s, many archaeologists have examined the mummified remains of King Tut. But one Egyptologist believes that King Tut's murder won't be solved by examining his body - but by exploring what happened in Egypt after he died.

In the early morning of September 18th, 1966, 21-year-old Valerie Percy was brutally killed in her bedroom. After years of questioning suspects and following leads, the case went cold. But in 1973, a startling confession revived the investigation.

After nearly 14,000 interviews and over 1,300 leads, the investigation into the murder of Valerie Percy went cold by the early 1970s. But an investigation by a journalist and a tip from a concerned citizen led to an array of theories.

It's Christmas 1843, and the bodies of Emeline Housman and her infant daughter are discovered underneath a bed in their home. Suspicion immediately falls on the veiled woman seen recently outside the house.

A 19th-century adventurer obsessed with reaching the North Pole set out in the summer of 1871. But the Arctic expedition would be the death of him.

On February 11th, 1987, the discovery of Peggy Hettrick's mutilated body rocked Fort Collins, Colorado. Authorities homed in on the first person to spot the deceased woman: 15-year-old Tim Masters.

An online love triangle between 18-year-old Tommy, 17-year-old Jessi, and 22-year-old Brian turned tragic when their romantic fantasy world collided with their harsh realities.

When Jenelle Potter's crush, Billy Payne, started dating another woman, she used Facebook to spread rumors about the couple. But when a CIA agent contacted her parents, informing them that Payne was a threat to Jenelle's life, they took matters into their hands.

In the fall of 2011, a 17-year-old model struck up an online relationship with NBA player Chris "Birdman" Andersen. But someone else was pulling the strings of their ill-fated romance.