True crime fans have a lot to answer for. Somewhere along the way, an entire generation decided the best way to unwind after work was to listen to a stranger describe a gruesome crime while folding laundry. We can't judge, because we're here too, and we have already checked that the front door is locked twice.
The deadhost.exe Instagram page is the reason so many of us are awake past midnight. Their bio promises "a look into forgotten crimes, strange history & eerie moments caught on tape," and they deliver on every word. This collection pulls together the stories that made people stop in our scroll tracks, from narrow escapes to discoveries nobody was meant to make. Read them with the lights on.
#1
In October 2015, 27-year-old Sasha Samsudean returned to her apartment building in downtown Orlando after a night out. Two women had helped her get home because she was intoxicated, but she did not have her access key or phone with her. Surveillance cameras captured security guard Stephen Duxbury interacting with her as she tried to get inside.
Sasha eventually entered the building behind another resident. Prosecutors later showed surveillance footage of Duxbury walking through the hallways with her and accused him of entering her apartment, attacking her and k*****g her. Investigators also found his fingerprints inside the apartment and DNA evidence on Sasha.
In 2017, a jury convicted Duxbury of first-degree m****r, attempted s****l battery and burglary. He was sentenced to life in prison. The case is especially chilling because the person whose job was supposed to help keep residents safe became the man convicted of k*****g her.
Sasha eventually entered the building behind another resident. Prosecutors later showed surveillance footage of Duxbury walking through the hallways with her and accused him of entering her apartment, attacking her and k*****g her. Investigators also found his fingerprints inside the apartment and DNA evidence on Sasha.
In 2017, a jury convicted Duxbury of first-degree m****r, attempted s****l battery and burglary. He was sentenced to life in prison. The case is especially chilling because the person whose job was supposed to help keep residents safe became the man convicted of k*****g her.
Report
8points
#2
On December 2, 2001, three woodcutters collecting firewood in a remote forest near Lia, Georgia, discovered two metal objects giving off intense heat. There was little or no snow immediately around them, despite the winter conditions. The men had no reason to suspect the objects were dangerous and decided to use them as makeshift heaters while spending the night in the forest.
The cylinders were actually unshielded strontium-90 radioactive sources from abandoned Soviet-era radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Within several hours of being near them, the men developed nausea, headaches, dizziness and vomiting. Over the following weeks, severe radiation injuries began developing where their bodies had been closest to the sources.
All three were eventually hospitalized with radiation injuries. Two required lengthy specialized treatment abroad, and one remained seriously ill for more than two years before d***g on May 13, 2004, 893 days after the exposure. Recovery crews later had to approach the abandoned sources under tightly controlled conditions because of the radiation levels.
The cylinders were actually unshielded strontium-90 radioactive sources from abandoned Soviet-era radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Within several hours of being near them, the men developed nausea, headaches, dizziness and vomiting. Over the following weeks, severe radiation injuries began developing where their bodies had been closest to the sources.
All three were eventually hospitalized with radiation injuries. Two required lengthy specialized treatment abroad, and one remained seriously ill for more than two years before d***g on May 13, 2004, 893 days after the exposure. Recovery crews later had to approach the abandoned sources under tightly controlled conditions because of the radiation levels.
Report
7points
#3
On February 4, 1974, 19-year-old newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped from her Berkeley apartment by armed members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. The group initially demanded that her wealthy family distribute millions of dollars worth of food in exchange for her release.
Instead, Hearst later announced that she had joined the group and adopted the name “Tania.” On April 15, just over two months after her kidnapping, surveillance cameras recorded her carrying a rifle during the SLA’s robbery of a Hibernia Bank in San Francisco.
The FBI captured Hearst in September 1975, 19 months after her abduction. She was convicted of bank robbery, but questions over coercion and her treatment while captive remained central to the case. President Jimmy Carter later commuted her sentence, and President Bill Clinton granted her a full pardon in 2001.
Instead, Hearst later announced that she had joined the group and adopted the name “Tania.” On April 15, just over two months after her kidnapping, surveillance cameras recorded her carrying a rifle during the SLA’s robbery of a Hibernia Bank in San Francisco.
The FBI captured Hearst in September 1975, 19 months after her abduction. She was convicted of bank robbery, but questions over coercion and her treatment while captive remained central to the case. President Jimmy Carter later commuted her sentence, and President Bill Clinton granted her a full pardon in 2001.
Report
5points
In 1965, US police cleared about 91% of homicides. In recent years, the FBI figure has hovered around half, and "cleared" only means an arrest was made or the case was closed by other means, not that anyone was convicted. A nonprofit that tracks homicide data estimates that more than 250,000 homicides that occurred since 1980 remain unsolved. Those cases are the reason true crime has an audience in the first place.
When someone does get caught, it's usually because they slipped up on something small. Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) carried out attacks from 1978 to 1995 that ended three lives and injured 23. He was identified only after the Washington Post and New York Times published his manifesto and his own brother, David, recognized the writing.
#4
On September 6, 2018, 26-year-old Botham Jean was sitting inside his Dallas apartment eating ice cream when off-duty police officer Amber Guyger entered. Guyger lived one floor below and said she mistakenly believed she had entered her own apartment after parking on the wrong level of the building’s garage.
Guyger testified that she believed Jean was an intruder and fired her service weapon, k*****g him inside his own home. Prosecutors argued that she had ignored multiple signs that she was on the wrong floor and in the wrong apartment. A jury rejected her claim of self-defense and found her guilty of m****r in October 2019.
Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On October 1, 2026, the Texas parole board approved her release after she had served about seven years, although an exact release date had not yet been announced.
Guyger testified that she believed Jean was an intruder and fired her service weapon, k*****g him inside his own home. Prosecutors argued that she had ignored multiple signs that she was on the wrong floor and in the wrong apartment. A jury rejected her claim of self-defense and found her guilty of m****r in October 2019.
Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On October 1, 2026, the Texas parole board approved her release after she had served about seven years, although an exact release date had not yet been announced.
Report
5points
#5
Robert Hansen lived in Anchorage, Alaska, where he owned a bakery and outwardly appeared to be a quiet husband and father. Behind that ordinary life, investigators later determined he had been abducting women for years and taking some of them to isolated areas outside the city.
Hansen was an experienced pilot and hunter. Authorities said he transported victims into remote wilderness areas and, in multiple cases, released and hunted them. His crimes remained hidden for years until 17-year-old Cindy Paulson escaped in 1983 and gave police information that eventually led them back to Hansen.
A search connected to Hansen uncovered jewelry belonging to victims and a marked map tied to remote burial sites. Hansen ultimately confessed to k*****g 17 women and was sentenced to life plus hundreds of additional years in prison. He d**d in custody in 2014.
Hansen was an experienced pilot and hunter. Authorities said he transported victims into remote wilderness areas and, in multiple cases, released and hunted them. His crimes remained hidden for years until 17-year-old Cindy Paulson escaped in 1983 and gave police information that eventually led them back to Hansen.
A search connected to Hansen uncovered jewelry belonging to victims and a marked map tied to remote burial sites. Hansen ultimately confessed to k*****g 17 women and was sentenced to life plus hundreds of additional years in prison. He d**d in custody in 2014.
Report
5points
#6
On October 11, 2012, 62-year-old Jose Melena was working an early morning shift at the Bumble Bee Foods tuna processing plant in Santa Fe Springs, California. His job involved loading massive industrial pressure cookers used to sterilize canned tuna. That morning, Jose entered a 35-foot-long cylindrical oven, likely to retrieve a chain used to move the heavy carts of tuna through the machine.
When Jose’s supervisor noticed he was missing, he asked another employee to finish loading the oven while he searched for him. The coworker had no idea Jose was still inside. Workers pushed approximately 12,000 pounds of canned tuna into the enormous machine, sealed its heavy metal doors and activated the pressurized steam. The temperature climbed toward 270 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, employees searched the factory and parking lot, unaware that Jose was trapped inside the operating cooker.
After roughly two hours, workers finally shut down the machine and discovered Jose’s body inside. He had d**d from thermal burns. Investigators found that the factory lacked adequate safety procedures to prevent workers from being trapped inside the ovens. In 2017, Bumble Bee Foods pleaded guilty to a workplace safety violation following a $6 million settlement that included equipment upgrades and compensation for Jose’s family. California investigators also released actual photographs of the enormous oven and its interior, documenting the machinery where Jose lost his life.
When Jose’s supervisor noticed he was missing, he asked another employee to finish loading the oven while he searched for him. The coworker had no idea Jose was still inside. Workers pushed approximately 12,000 pounds of canned tuna into the enormous machine, sealed its heavy metal doors and activated the pressurized steam. The temperature climbed toward 270 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, employees searched the factory and parking lot, unaware that Jose was trapped inside the operating cooker.
After roughly two hours, workers finally shut down the machine and discovered Jose’s body inside. He had d**d from thermal burns. Investigators found that the factory lacked adequate safety procedures to prevent workers from being trapped inside the ovens. In 2017, Bumble Bee Foods pleaded guilty to a workplace safety violation following a $6 million settlement that included equipment upgrades and compensation for Jose’s family. California investigators also released actual photographs of the enormous oven and its interior, documenting the machinery where Jose lost his life.
Report
5points
In another case, BTK, who had gone silent for years, resurfaced in 2004 and asked police in a note whether a floppy disk could be traced. Investigators ran a newspaper ad telling him it couldn't. He sent one in 2005, and the file's metadata contained the name "Dennis" and a Lutheran church where Dennis Rader happened to be council president. He was arrested days later.
#7
In 2019, 30-year-old Kathleen Jo Henry was m******d in Anchorage, Alaska. The case broke open in an extraordinary way when a woman who had taken Brian Steven Smith’s phone from his truck discovered disturbing photos and videos showing the k*****g and brought the evidence to police.
Investigators identified Kathleen from the footage and recovered her body near railroad tracks. While Smith was being questioned, he also admitted k*****g another Alaska Native woman, Veronica Abouchuk, about a year earlier. Police said the evidence on the device, along with Smith’s confession, ultimately connected him to both m**ders.
In February 2024, Smith was convicted on 14 counts, including two counts of first-degree m****r, a*****t, evidence tampering and misconduct involving a corpse. In July 2024, a judge sentenced him to 226 years in prison.
Investigators identified Kathleen from the footage and recovered her body near railroad tracks. While Smith was being questioned, he also admitted k*****g another Alaska Native woman, Veronica Abouchuk, about a year earlier. Police said the evidence on the device, along with Smith’s confession, ultimately connected him to both m**ders.
In February 2024, Smith was convicted on 14 counts, including two counts of first-degree m****r, a*****t, evidence tampering and misconduct involving a corpse. In July 2024, a judge sentenced him to 226 years in prison.
Report
4points
#8
In 1988, the body of a little girl was found in Ware County, Georgia, after someone discovered a discarded television console containing a suitcase filled with concrete. Inside that suitcase were the remains of a 5-year-old child. For decades, investigators did not know her name, and she became known as Christmas Doe and later Ware County Jane Doe.
Years later, forensic genealogy finally identified her as Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom. Investigators said Kenyatta had been k****d in 1988, and prosecutors later accused her mother, Evelyn Odom, and her mother’s boyfriend at the time, Ulyster Sanders, of m**dering her and hiding her body in one of the most disturbing concealment cases imaginable.
The case hit hard because of how insane the image is. A child hidden in a suitcase, the suitcase encased in concrete, and the whole thing stuffed inside a TV cabinet for nearly four decades. In 2025, Evelyn Odom was convicted in connection with Kenyatta’s m****r.
Years later, forensic genealogy finally identified her as Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom. Investigators said Kenyatta had been k****d in 1988, and prosecutors later accused her mother, Evelyn Odom, and her mother’s boyfriend at the time, Ulyster Sanders, of m**dering her and hiding her body in one of the most disturbing concealment cases imaginable.
The case hit hard because of how insane the image is. A child hidden in a suitcase, the suitcase encased in concrete, and the whole thing stuffed inside a TV cabinet for nearly four decades. In 2025, Evelyn Odom was convicted in connection with Kenyatta’s m****r.
Report
4points
#9
In May 2012, 22-year-old Latonya Bowman went to a drive-in movie with her former boyfriend, Jamal Rogers, while pregnant with his child. After returning to Rogers’ home in Warren, Michigan, Antonio Mathis grabbed Latonya at g*npoint. She was restrained with duct tape and forced into her own vehicle. Prosecutors established that Rogers and Mathis had discussed a plan to k**l her after Rogers learned about the pregnancy.
Latonya was driven to a vacant area in Detroit, doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. As she rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, she was s**t in the shoulder. Latonya then remained still and pretended to be d**d until her attackers left. Once they were gone, she managed to get back into her vehicle and drive away to seek help.
Latonya survived and gave birth to a baby boy just days after the attack. A jury later convicted Rogers and Mathis of charges including a*****t with intent to m****r and conspiracy to commit first-degree m****r. Both received life sentences with the possibility of parole.
Latonya was driven to a vacant area in Detroit, doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. As she rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, she was s**t in the shoulder. Latonya then remained still and pretended to be d**d until her attackers left. Once they were gone, she managed to get back into her vehicle and drive away to seek help.
Latonya survived and gave birth to a baby boy just days after the attack. A jury later convicted Rogers and Mathis of charges including a*****t with intent to m****r and conspiracy to commit first-degree m****r. Both received life sentences with the possibility of parole.
Report
4points
DNA has since made the clever ones easier to catch. The Golden State Killer, whose crimes ran from 1974 to 1986, evaded police for more than 40 years. In 2018, investigators uploaded crime scene DNA to GEDmatch, a public genealogy site, and a genealogist spent months building family trees from his distant relatives.
They ended up at Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer. A swab from his car door handle confirmed it, and he pleaded guilty to 13 killings in 2020. Somewhere, a stranger took a home DNA test out of curiosity about their ancestry and cracked a cold case.
#10
In February 2002, Forrest “Butch” Bowyer and his 12-year-old son, Brett, were at their home in Phenix City, Alabama, when Michael David Carruth and Jimmy Lee Brooks Jr. arrived posing as narcotics officers. Using fake documents, the men gained access to the house, restrained the father and son and demanded money.
The attackers eventually drove Butch and Brett to a rural construction site. There, Butch’s throat was cut and Brett was sh*t. The father and son were placed together in a shallow grave and covered with dirt. Brett d**d, but Butch remained alive beneath the ground.
After his attackers left, Butch managed to dig himself out of the grave despite his injuries. He crawled to a nearby highway and found help, then gave investigators information that helped identify the men responsible. Both attackers were convicted for the crimes.
The attackers eventually drove Butch and Brett to a rural construction site. There, Butch’s throat was cut and Brett was sh*t. The father and son were placed together in a shallow grave and covered with dirt. Brett d**d, but Butch remained alive beneath the ground.
After his attackers left, Butch managed to dig himself out of the grave despite his injuries. He crawled to a nearby highway and found help, then gave investigators information that helped identify the men responsible. Both attackers were convicted for the crimes.
Report
4points
#11
On October 31, 2019, 26-year-old Kristen Trickle d**d from a g*n sh*t wound while lying in bed at her home in Hays, Kansas. Her husband, Colby Trickle, called 911 and said Kristen had done it herself while he was sleeping beside her.
Investigators remained suspicious and discovered that Colby had researched the amount of Kristen’s military spouse life insurance shortly before her d***h. He eventually collected more than $120,000 from two life insurance policies. Investigators said that only two days after receiving one of the payouts, he spent $1,942 on a life-size doll.
Colby was charged with Kristen’s m****r in 2021 and convicted in September 2023 of first-degree premeditated m****r and interfering with law enforcement. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years. In September 2026, the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed his convictions.
Investigators remained suspicious and discovered that Colby had researched the amount of Kristen’s military spouse life insurance shortly before her d***h. He eventually collected more than $120,000 from two life insurance policies. Investigators said that only two days after receiving one of the payouts, he spent $1,942 on a life-size doll.
Colby was charged with Kristen’s m****r in 2021 and convicted in September 2023 of first-degree premeditated m****r and interfering with law enforcement. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years. In September 2026, the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed his convictions.
Report
4points
#12
On February 23, 2023, 41-year-old Rebecca “Becky” Bliefnick was found sh*t to d***h inside her home in Quincy, Illinois, after she failed to pick up her children from school. She and her estranged husband, Timothy Bliefnick, were separated and going through a divorce at the time.
Timothy had previously appeared with relatives on Family Feud in 2020. When host Steve Harvey asked contestants to name the biggest mistake they had made at their wedding, Timothy answered, “I do,” before quickly adding that he loved his wife. The clip resurfaced after Becky’s m****r and drew widespread attention to the case.
In May 2023, a jury convicted Timothy of first-degree m****r, home invasion and using a firearm in the k*****g. He was sentenced that August to life in prison. Timothy has continued to maintain that he did not k**l Becky.
Timothy had previously appeared with relatives on Family Feud in 2020. When host Steve Harvey asked contestants to name the biggest mistake they had made at their wedding, Timothy answered, “I do,” before quickly adding that he loved his wife. The clip resurfaced after Becky’s m****r and drew widespread attention to the case.
In May 2023, a jury convicted Timothy of first-degree m****r, home invasion and using a firearm in the k*****g. He was sentenced that August to life in prison. Timothy has continued to maintain that he did not k**l Becky.
Report
4points
One way true crimers get their fix is by watching police bodycam footage. Body cameras went mainstream after the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. That December, the Obama administration proposed a $263 million package to help police departments buy them. An early study in Rialto, California, found use-of-force incidents fell 59%, and complaints against officers fell 87% in the year after cameras were introduced.
A later randomized trial in Washington, DC, covering roughly 2,000 officers, found no detectable change in either. The footage has still become some of the most closely watched evidence in modern courtrooms, even if the cameras haven't reformed anyone's behavior.
#13
On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 from her apartment in Chicago’s Grace Abbott Homes. She desperately tried to explain that people in a neighboring unit had removed their bathroom cabinet and were trying to enter through hers. The report was initially treated as a disturbance rather than the extraordinary home invasion Ruthie was attempting to describe.
The buildings contained plumbing access spaces behind bathroom medicine cabinets. By removing cabinets, intruders could exploit these spaces to enter neighboring apartments, and similar break-ins had already occurred. Neighbors soon reported screams and g*n sh*ts from Ruthie’s apartment. When authorities finally gained entry, Ruthie had been fatally sh*t and her apartment had been breached through the bathroom medicine cabinet.
Two men were eventually charged, but the case against them did not result in convictions and Ruthie’s m****r remains unresolved. Years later, the horrifying architectural detail became part of the mythology surrounding Candyman. The 1992 film was adapted from Clive Barker’s fiction, but reporting on Ruthie’s m****r helped inspire the movie’s famous concept of an attacker entering through the space behind a bathroom mirror.
The buildings contained plumbing access spaces behind bathroom medicine cabinets. By removing cabinets, intruders could exploit these spaces to enter neighboring apartments, and similar break-ins had already occurred. Neighbors soon reported screams and g*n sh*ts from Ruthie’s apartment. When authorities finally gained entry, Ruthie had been fatally sh*t and her apartment had been breached through the bathroom medicine cabinet.
Two men were eventually charged, but the case against them did not result in convictions and Ruthie’s m****r remains unresolved. Years later, the horrifying architectural detail became part of the mythology surrounding Candyman. The 1992 film was adapted from Clive Barker’s fiction, but reporting on Ruthie’s m****r helped inspire the movie’s famous concept of an attacker entering through the space behind a bathroom mirror.
Report
4points
#14
In 1987, 14-year-old Ahad Israfil suffered a devastating g*n sh*t wound to the head while working in Dayton, Ohio. The injury destroyed extensive brain tissue, including most of his right cerebral hemisphere, and severely damaged that side of his skull. After an approximately five-hour operation, doctors were stunned when Ahad regained consciousness and attempted to speak.
Ahad survived and gradually recovered many of his abilities despite the enormous loss of brain tissue. Reconstructive surgeon James Apesos later created a silicone implant to fill the missing portion of his skull, allowing his scalp to be reconstructed over it. Ahad continued using a wheelchair but retained his ability to communicate and reason.
His recovery went far beyond simply surviving. Ahad eventually attended college and earned a degree, while also appearing publicly to tell his extraordinary story. He lived until 2019, when he d**d at age 47. His mother later recalled a photograph she kept of Ahad smiling even though one side of his head was visibly missing.
Ahad survived and gradually recovered many of his abilities despite the enormous loss of brain tissue. Reconstructive surgeon James Apesos later created a silicone implant to fill the missing portion of his skull, allowing his scalp to be reconstructed over it. Ahad continued using a wheelchair but retained his ability to communicate and reason.
His recovery went far beyond simply surviving. Ahad eventually attended college and earned a degree, while also appearing publicly to tell his extraordinary story. He lived until 2019, when he d**d at age 47. His mother later recalled a photograph she kept of Ahad smiling even though one side of his head was visibly missing.
Report
4points
#15
Sony Millbrook, a 28-year-old mother of five, was reported missing in Memphis in January 2010 after she failed to pick up her children from school. Her family told police she had been staying at the Budget Inn, where employees said her belongings remained inside her locked room after she stopped paying for it.
For weeks, nobody discovered what had happened to her. The motel eventually rented the room approximately five more times and employees cleaned it repeatedly. In March, after complaints about a foul odor, investigators searched the room and discovered Sony’s body concealed inside the metal bed frame beneath the mattress.
Sony’s boyfriend, LaKeith Moody, was eventually convicted of m**dering her. Prosecutors said he k****d Sony during an argument and concealed her body beneath the bed. The discovery also raised serious questions about the initial missing-person investigation and how a motel room containing a body could repeatedly be cleaned and rented to unsuspecting guests.
For weeks, nobody discovered what had happened to her. The motel eventually rented the room approximately five more times and employees cleaned it repeatedly. In March, after complaints about a foul odor, investigators searched the room and discovered Sony’s body concealed inside the metal bed frame beneath the mattress.
Sony’s boyfriend, LaKeith Moody, was eventually convicted of m**dering her. Prosecutors said he k****d Sony during an argument and concealed her body beneath the bed. The discovery also raised serious questions about the initial missing-person investigation and how a motel room containing a body could repeatedly be cleaned and rented to unsuspecting guests.
Report
4points
Ring also has a cult following, and it began life as a product called Doorbot. Its founder pitched it on Shark Tank in 2013 and walked away without a deal. Amazon bought the company in 2018 for a reported $1 billion, and by 2021 more than 2,000 US police departments had partnered with the Ring app to request footage from residents. Amazon ended that request tool in 2024, but millions of doorbells are still filming every porch pirate and wrong-address visitor in America.
Dash cams are another favorite, especially in Russia, where drivers have adopted them to protect themselves from staged accidents and insurance scams. That habit is why the Chelyabinsk meteor in February 2013 was recorded from dozens of angles. The explosion injured about 1,500 people, mostly from shattered glass, and the footage was online within minutes.
#16
Robert DuBoise was just 18 years old when he was arrested in Tampa, Florida, in 1983 for the m****r of 19-year-old Barbara Grams. His case relied heavily on supposed bite-mark evidence and testimony from a jailhouse informant. He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to d***h, despite the jury recommending life imprisonment.
DuBoise spent three years on d***h row before his d***h sentence was overturned and replaced with life imprisonment. Decades later, experts concluded that the supposed bite-mark evidence used against him was scientifically unsupported and that the injury wasn’t even a human bite mark.
In 2020, biological evidence previously believed to have been destroyed was discovered and tested. The DNA excluded DuBoise and instead pointed investigators toward another individual. He walked out of prison at 55 after nearly 37 years behind bars and was officially exonerated weeks later.
DuBoise spent three years on d***h row before his d***h sentence was overturned and replaced with life imprisonment. Decades later, experts concluded that the supposed bite-mark evidence used against him was scientifically unsupported and that the injury wasn’t even a human bite mark.
In 2020, biological evidence previously believed to have been destroyed was discovered and tested. The DNA excluded DuBoise and instead pointed investigators toward another individual. He walked out of prison at 55 after nearly 37 years behind bars and was officially exonerated weeks later.
Report
4points
#17
In 1992, a 23-year-old patient accused Saskatchewan physician John Schneeberger of drugging and s******y a**aulting her during an appointment. Evidence was collected, but when Schneeberger voluntarily provided blood for DNA testing, his sample did not match. A second test also failed to match, creating the appearance that the patient had identified the wrong man.
The explanation was eventually revealed to be extraordinary. Schneeberger had surgically implanted a roughly 15-centimeter plastic Penrose drain beneath the skin of his arm and filled it with another man’s blood mixed with anticoagulants. When technicians inserted the needle, he maneuvered things so they drew blood from the hidden tube instead of from his own bloodstream.
The deception finally collapsed after investigators obtained additional DNA samples that could not be manipulated the same way. Schneeberger was convicted of s****l a*****t, administering a noxious substance and obstruction of justice, and received a six-year prison sentence. His case became notorious because he used his own medical knowledge to physically alter his arm and fool forensic DNA testing multiple times.
The explanation was eventually revealed to be extraordinary. Schneeberger had surgically implanted a roughly 15-centimeter plastic Penrose drain beneath the skin of his arm and filled it with another man’s blood mixed with anticoagulants. When technicians inserted the needle, he maneuvered things so they drew blood from the hidden tube instead of from his own bloodstream.
The deception finally collapsed after investigators obtained additional DNA samples that could not be manipulated the same way. Schneeberger was convicted of s****l a*****t, administering a noxious substance and obstruction of justice, and received a six-year prison sentence. His case became notorious because he used his own medical knowledge to physically alter his arm and fool forensic DNA testing multiple times.
Report
4points
#18
On May 29, 2005, 27-year-old Jennifer Holliday was traveling near Lufkin, Texas, with her 18-year-old cousin Ana Franklin when Eric Parnell began following them. Parnell fired into their vehicle, badly injuring Jennifer, then sh*t and k****d Ana before abducting Jennifer and taking her to an isolated area.
Despite severe injuries and blood loss, Jennifer realized she might be able to manipulate her captor. She began acting as though another man had attacked her and Parnell had actually rescued her. She thanked him for saving her, convinced him she trusted him, and eventually persuaded him to let her call 911 for medical help.
Jennifer maintained the story even while speaking with the dispatcher, telling 911 that the man beside her had rescued her. Eventually, she convinced Parnell himself to speak on the phone and provide directions to his isolated home. As Jennifer walked toward the arriving ambulance, a SWAT team moved through the surrounding woods and arrested Parnell. He later received two life sentences.
Despite severe injuries and blood loss, Jennifer realized she might be able to manipulate her captor. She began acting as though another man had attacked her and Parnell had actually rescued her. She thanked him for saving her, convinced him she trusted him, and eventually persuaded him to let her call 911 for medical help.
Jennifer maintained the story even while speaking with the dispatcher, telling 911 that the man beside her had rescued her. Eventually, she convinced Parnell himself to speak on the phone and provide directions to his isolated home. As Jennifer walked toward the arriving ambulance, a SWAT team moved through the surrounding woods and arrested Parnell. He later received two life sentences.
Report
4points
So why do we read all this at midnight? In a study, psychologists Amanda Vicary and R. Chris Fraley of Illinois Wesleyan University found that women were drawn to true crime stories that focused on the victim and included details of how someone might have survived or escaped. The researchers suggested the genre works as informal self-defense education. You think you're winding down, but you're picking up escape routes in the back of your mind.
#19
In 2007, 15-year-old Carly Ryan from South Australia believed she was in a relationship with an 18-year-old musician named “Brandon” she had met online. But “Brandon” was not real. The identity had been created by 50-year-old Garry Francis Newman, who used fake online personas to groom Carly.
The deception became even stranger because Newman also posed as “Brandon’s” father or stepfather, making Carly believe she was communicating with an entire real family. After Carly rejected Newman, prosecutors said he used the fake boyfriend persona to lure her to Port Elliot, where he m******d her.
Newman was convicted of Carly’s m****r in 2010 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a 29-year non-parole period. The case remains especially disturbing because the boyfriend Carly believed she loved had never existed at all.
The deception became even stranger because Newman also posed as “Brandon’s” father or stepfather, making Carly believe she was communicating with an entire real family. After Carly rejected Newman, prosecutors said he used the fake boyfriend persona to lure her to Port Elliot, where he m******d her.
Newman was convicted of Carly’s m****r in 2010 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a 29-year non-parole period. The case remains especially disturbing because the boyfriend Carly believed she loved had never existed at all.
Report
4points
#20
On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old nursing director Sherri Rasmussen was found beaten and shot three times inside the Van Nuys home she shared with her new husband, John Ruetten. Investigators initially believed she had interrupted burglars, and the case went cold. Sherri’s father repeatedly urged police to investigate Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD officer who had previously been involved with Ruetten, but Lazarus was not seriously pursued.
Among the evidence preserved from Sherri’s body was a saliva sample collected from a bite mark on her arm. Years later, DNA testing revealed something that contradicted the original burglary theory: the person who left the saliva was a woman. When investigators finally focused on Lazarus, undercover officers followed her and recovered a discarded drinking cup and straw. The DNA matched the evidence from Sherri’s bite mark.
Lazarus was arrested in 2009, by which point she had spent decades with the LAPD and become a detective. In 2012, a jury convicted her of Sherri’s m****r, more than 26 years after the k*****g. She was sentenced to 27 years to life.
Among the evidence preserved from Sherri’s body was a saliva sample collected from a bite mark on her arm. Years later, DNA testing revealed something that contradicted the original burglary theory: the person who left the saliva was a woman. When investigators finally focused on Lazarus, undercover officers followed her and recovered a discarded drinking cup and straw. The DNA matched the evidence from Sherri’s bite mark.
Lazarus was arrested in 2009, by which point she had spent decades with the LAPD and become a detective. In 2012, a jury convicted her of Sherri’s m****r, more than 26 years after the k*****g. She was sentenced to 27 years to life.
Report
4points