True Crime: Untold Cases

Anthony Sowell – The Cleveland Strangler (Cleveland, Ohio, 2007–2009)

Between 2007 and 2009, Anthony Sowell was linked to the deaths of 11 women whose bodies were discovered in and around his Cleveland home. Known as “The Cleveland Strangler,” Sowell’s crimes shocked the community with their brutality and the apparent disregard for his surroundings.

The Beltway Sniper Attacks (Washington, D.C. Metro, 2002)

John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo killed 10 people and injured 3 others in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area during a three-week period in October 2002. This episode details the chronology of shootings, the investigation process, the modified Chevrolet Caprice used as a mobile sniper's nest, the tarot card message ("Dear Policeman, I am God"), and other communications with police.

The Heather Elvis Case (South Carolina, 2013)

Heather Elvis, a 20-year-old woman from Myrtle Beach, vanished in 2013. Her disappearance led to a media frenzy and widespread speculation when evidence later suggested a tangled web of infidelity, possible organized crime involvement, and questionable law enforcement leads.

The Smiley Face Murders (Midwestern U.S., 1990s–2000s)

A controversial theory posits that a serial killer—or possibly a network of killers—was responsible for the mysterious drowning deaths of several college-aged men in the Midwest. Proponents point to unusual similarities in the circumstances of these deaths and the appearance of smiley face graffiti near some crime scenes.

The Gilgo Beach Murders (Long Island, New York, 1997–Present)

Dozens of bodies—primarily of young women—have been discovered along the Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. 

The Kidnapping of Polly Klaas (California, 1993)

Twelve-year-old Polly Klaas was abducted at knifepoint from her Petaluma, California, bedroom during a sleepover on October 1, 1993. Richard Allen Davis took Polly into the night, sparking a massive manhunt. Her remains were found two months later, and Davis was eventually convicted. The case received intense national media coverage.

The Pizza Bomber Case (Pennsylvania, 2003)

On August 28, 2003, pizza delivery driver Brian Wells robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, with a bomb locked to his neck. He claimed he was forced to commit the heist under duress. The bomb detonated during a police standoff, killing him. Investigators uncovered a web of conspirators allegedly led by Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. The group orchestrated an elaborate scavenger-hunt-like plot, sending Wells on a route to collect clues that would supposedly unlock the device.

The Disappearance of Susan Powell (Utah, 2009)

Susan Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home on December 6, 2009. Her husband, Josh Powell, claimed he took their young sons on a midnight camping trip in freezing weather—an alibi that raised suspicion. When Josh later lost custody of the children, he killed himself and both boys in a murder-suicide house explosion. Susan’s body has never been found.

The Disappearance of Dorothy Jane Scott (California, 1980)

On May 28, 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott vanished from a hospital parking lot in Anaheim, California, after accompanying a coworker to the emergency room. Dorothy had been receiving bizarre, threatening phone calls from an unknown male stalker for months. Her remains were discovered four years later; the killer was never identified.

The Black Dahlia (California, 1947)

On January 15, 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short, later nicknamed the “Black Dahlia,” was found in a vacant Los Angeles lot. She had been brutally mutilated and bisected at the waist. Despite widespread media coverage and a flood of tips, her killer was never definitively identified. Various suspects have been proposed over the decades, including medical professionals and people in Short’s social circle.