Cold Case Murder Mysteries

On November 18, 1993, 9-year-old Angie Housman vanished after getting off a school bus less than a block from her home. In the following days, terror gripped the residents of St. Ann, MO as police searched desperately for a missing little girl and her abductor. Their worst fears were confirmed when Angie's frozen body was discovered tied to a tree in a remote wilderness nearby. 25 years later, her killer's identity remains unknown. Join host Ryan Kraus as he paints a psychological portrait of evil from the scarce palette of clues left on this canvas.

On May 31, 2014, a 12-year-old middle school student from Waukesha, WI was discovered lying on a bike path covered in blood, the victim of a vicious stabbing. Police soon learned the attackers were the girl's best friend Morgan Geyser and classmate Anissa Weier, who were apprehended while attempting to flee to a fictional mansion in the forest. When prompted for motive, they claimed a paranormal being named Slender Man was going to kill their families if they didn't comply with his demands to eliminate their friend. But more than 5 years later, we still don't have an answer that's even remotely grounded in reality. Join host Ryan Kraus on a psychological journey for the truth.

On the morning of November 24, 1997, parents Steve and Marlene Aisenberg called 911 to report their 5-month-old daughter, Sabrina, had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night. But the police didn't find any evidence of an intruder. So, what began as a kidnapping quickly became whispers of foul play, with the cops pointing the finger at the parents. 20 years later, we're still wondering what happened to Sabrina Aisenberg. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the truth beneath the lies.

On March 31, 2006, a 27-year-old Ohio State medical student named Brian Shaffer went out for a night of drinking with a friend, one that culminated at the Big Tuna Saloona, where Brian is seen on security footage talking to two young women outside the entrance at 1:55am. He then walks off camera back into the bar, and subsequently disappears from the face of the Earth, never to be heard from again. Join host Ryan Kraus as he examines the most likely explanations for this baffling mystery.

August 20, 1989 - Two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, enter their parents Beverly Hills mansion shortly before midnight and execute the couple with shotgun blasts, garnering the suspicion of police in the aftermath as they spend a fortune on lavish gifts and vacations. But soon the evil deeds will catch up with them, and the brothers are arrested for the murders. What follows in the trial is a battle for the truth that pits allegations of sexual assault against monetary greed. But, in the end, we're still left with one pertinent question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus as he attempts to answer this question through the societal implications of that time period in America.

On October 1, 1974 director Tobe Hooper unleashed a horror film that silenced US audiences from coast to coast with its unflinching look at a group of young people who run out of gas on a road trip and end up getting slaughtered by a crazed family living in a decrepit house nearby. But beneath the surface of this iconic film, and behind the mask of its star, Leatherface, is the mystery of its origin. Join host Ryan Kraus as he peels back the curtain on the evolutionary implications of a horror masterpiece.

On the afternoon of October 24, 1961 a little girl shows up at the doorstep of her neighbor's home in Lincoln, MA to proclaim, "Mommy's gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint." What follows is one of the most baffling disappearances in American history, one that remains unsolved to this day. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological study of movement in an attempt to uncover the truth.

Join host Ryan Kraus for the final chapter of this series covering the infamous Robin Hood Hills child murders. In this episode, we examine Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of 8-year-old victim Stevie Branch, who garnered strong suspicion in the case when DNA testing revealed a hair possibly matching his own was found in a ligature of another victim, Michael Moore.

On June 3, 1993, a 17-year-old boy with a low IQ named Jessie Misskelley confessed to the Robin Hood Hills murders at the West Memphis police department. The minor was not represented by an attorney, nor were his parents present. By the end of the interrogation, however, he'll have implicated Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and himself as the perpetrators of this horrific crime. But was he telling the truth?

Nearly 25 years after the bodies of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore were pulled from the murky waters of a shaded gully in the forest of Robin Hood Hills, we still don't have a clear picture of what transpired that afternoon that led to murder. Join me as I attempt to extract the truth by way of the symbolism apparent in the killer's actions.

May 5, 1993 - When three young boys out for an afternoon bike ride through West Memphis, Arkansas never return home, a search the next morning reveals they were brutally murdered, their bodies concealed in a drainage ditch. A police report filed that day shows that an incident at a nearby restaurant the night before involved a mysterious man covered in blood and mud who just disappeared into the night without a trace. But to this day, nobody knows his identity, or if he had anything to do with the murders. Join me as I examine the infamous Mr. Bojangles.

The Lutz family has finally settled into their new home at 112 Ocean Ave in Amityville after a demanding move. But at 3:15am, in the dark silence of the of the night, George awakens to loud noises coming from downstairs. As he goes to check on the problem, however, one fact immediately becomes apparent: something uninvited has made its way into this house.

December, 1975 - Thirteen months after the murders of the DeFeo family, George and Kathy Lutz purchase the Dutch Colonial located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville with the same "High Hopes" as their predecessors. But 28 days later, they flee in terror. Join me as I examine the psychological impetus for the haunting.

Join me for the most clinical entry in the series as I examine the impetus for convicted killer Butch DeFeo's claims of demonic possession leading to murder, and how it became the transitional psychology that rendered the terrifying haunting the following year.

Join me for the second chapter of this series as I go inside 112 Ocean Avenue to diagram the psychology behind the DeFeo murders, specifically dissecting the killer's methods by way of the only survivor of the massacre: Shaggy the Sheepdog. Only days before the crime, Ronald DeFeo Jr. swore to his father he was going to kill the animal. But in the end, the canine was the only one spared. Why?

Amity, NY. In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, Suffolk County police make a gruesome discovery inside the DeFeo residence located at 112 Ocean Avenue. The bodies of two adults, in addition to four children, are found in different bedrooms throughout the home, victims of a shooting. But while it was relatively simple for police to deduce the surviving 23-year-old son, Ronald DeFeo Jr., was the culprit, no one ever could have expected the terror that would ensue when he was unable to answer this question: why?

On November 22, 1963, a nation was silenced in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of its leader, John F. Kennedy. But as quickly as we were introduced to the prime suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, he suffered the same fate at the hands of a Dallas nightclub owner named Jack Ruby. Yet, well past the 50th anniversary of the crime, Ruby's true motive has never been exposed. Join me as I examine why.

When a nationally televised program about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey aired in late 2016, I found myself in agreement with host Jim Clemente's opinion that Burke Ramsey committed the crime. But there's still one question we really need to answer. Join me in my inquiry.

The son of martial arts pioneer Bruce Lee, rising actor Brandon Lee managed to carve out a niche of his own in the entertainment world starring in low-budget action flicks. But with a major release in his near future, complete with the starring role that would make him famous, Brandon Lee was mysteriously shot to death on set by another actor.

Philadelphia, 1987. Police officers executing a search warrant at the home of Gary Heidnik uncover of a shocking house of horrors, including chained women imprisoned in a basement dungeon. But in the aftermath of the crimes, he not only gained notoriety for his evil acts, but also for owning a Rolls Royce. Years later, I saw it listed for sale, and picked up the phone to make an offer.