courtneyjfretwell

Brown’s Chicken Massacre

In January 1993, seven people were shot and killed inside a Brown’s Chicken fast-food restaurant in Chicago, becoming one of the deadliest mass shootings in the area at the time.   For years, the case was cold, with very few leads. It wasn’t until evidence collected from a trash can at the crime scene was tested…

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Lane Bryant Shooting

On February 2nd, 2008, a man posing as a delivery driver walked into a Lane Bryant clothing store in a Chicago suburb with a gun.  He ordered the six women inside the store to the back room, where he duct-taped their hands behind their backs and eventually shot all of them. Despite a massive manhunt…

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Sharron Prior

In the spring of 1975, 16-year-old Sharron Prior left her mom’s house to meet up with her boyfriend and friends at a nearby pizzeria but never returned home.  She was missing for three days until her body was found in a nearby field.  Over the next four decades, the police did everything they could to…

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Kristin Smart

A 19-year-old college student from San Luis Obispo goes missing on Memorial Day weekend in 1996. She was last seen leaving an off-campus party one early Saturday morning.  Years later, soil samples detected the presence of human blood on one of the primary suspect’s properties. But without ever recovering human remains, is that enough to…

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Rita Curran

In the summer of 1971, 24-year-old schoolteacher Rita Curran was found brutally murdered inside her Burlington, Vermont, apartment. But despite an intense investigation, her killer remained at large for over 50 years. It wasn’t until investigators got the critical piece of forensic evidence they needed that her killer was finally identified. Episode Sources: Dark Down…

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Debanhi Escobar

An 18-year-old law student goes missing after a night out with friends in Monterrey, Mexico. Two weeks later, her body is found floating in the water tank of a motel. But even after three autopsies, there is still a lot of confusion surrounding her death. Episode Sources: The Independent  NPR CBS News Medium article Medium…

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Keddie Cabin Murders Part 1

Part 1: One night in April 1981, a grisly quadruple murder took place in the small northern California town of Keddie. To this very day, the case remains unsolved. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any forensic evidence or suspects. Episode Sources: ABC 10 News article Discover article All Things Interesting article 10 Minute Murder blog…

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Sarah Boone

A Florida woman was accused of murdering her boyfriend by zipping him inside a suitcase in an alleged game of hide-and-seek.  Was this just a tragic accident? Or did Sarah Boone intentionally murder Jorge Torres Jr? Photo Source: Orlando Sentinel Episode Sources: Newsweeks article Wesh article CourtTV Newsweek article 2 Click Orlando article Newsweek article…

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Buckskin Girl

In April of 1981, the body of a young woman was found alongside a road in Troy, Ohio. She had been strangled and beaten to death. But her identity remained a mystery for almost four decades. It wasn’t until the authorities used advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy that the girl once known only as “Buckskin…

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