Criminal

Black and white digital illustration of an elderly man with a beard standing in a darkroom. There are counters and shelves holding a variety of bottles and chemical solutions. The man is wearing glasses, a jacket and pants, standing by a counter on the right side of the image, and holding an open passport. He looks sideways over his right shoulder towards the viewer.

Indelible Ink

Episode #262

2024-03-22 05:00:22

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For almost thirty years, Adolfo Kaminsky lived quietly, forging documents for people all over the world.
Black and white digital illustration of two theater masks. One mask is smiling but its eyebrows are at an angle that makes it look a bit sinister. The other mask has a downturned mouth and it looks sad or scared.

The Hiss

Episode #261

2024-03-15 05:00:27

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As the famous English actor William Macready was preparing to go on stage in New York, over 300 police officers were placed in and around the theater. “But the head of the police said, ‘I don't know that that's going to be enough people.’”
A black and white illustration of a watch dial face. In the center of the watch, and around the outside, are women seen from overhead with their arms outstretched, holding paintbrushes and painting.

The Dial Painters

Episode #260

2024-03-08 05:00:14

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In the early 1920s, painters at a watch dial factory in New Jersey started to get sick. No one could tell them why.
Black and white illustration of a woman with cat-eye shaped glasses and a short bob playing guitar in a collared dress.

If I’m Long Unheard From

Episode #259

2024-03-01 05:00:00

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In 1974, musician Connie Converse drove away from home and was never heard from again.
Black and white illustration of the outline of a dog against what looks like abstract grass. The outline of the dog is white, so it's as if the dog disappeared and now there's just a space where the dog was. There's a leash around the invisible dog's neck, and a ball at its feet.

Off Leash

Episode #258

2024-02-23 05:00:38

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“I never did anything wrong. I never had a speeding ticket. I think I just saved all my stuff up for just one thing.”
Black and white illustration of a news camera on a tripod.

Call Russ Ewing

Episode #257

2024-02-16 05:00:01

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For decades, TV news reporter Russ Ewing stood beside more than 100 people — at their request — as they surrendered to the police.
Black and white illustration of a cowboy hat at an angle.

Cowboy Bob

Episode #256

2024-02-09 05:00:46

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In May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a note that read, “This is a bank robbery. Give me your money. No marked bills or dye packs.”
An illustration of a white telephone headset on a black background.

911

Episode #255

2024-02-02 05:00:14

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A conversation with a 911 operator about what happens on the other end of the line – and the day she heard her daughter's voice on the phone.
A black and white abstract illustration of a twisted, melted fire escape ladder and platform.

The Ninth Floor

Episode #254

2024-01-26 05:00:15

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Martin Abramowitz knew that his father had worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, but he always thought he hadn’t been there the day the building caught fire. Then he found out that a man with his father’s name had testified at the factory owners' trial.
A black and white illustration of the number "48" written as it would be on a digital clock, in white on a black background.

48 Hours, Part 2

Episode #253

2024-01-19 05:00:14

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When Aaron Quinn called the Vallejo police to report that his girlfriend Denise Huskins had been kidnapped, and went into the station for questioning, a detective told Aaron that he didn't believe him. When Denise was released after being held captive for about 48 hours, police didn't believe her either. It soon became clear that the police viewed Denise and Aaron as suspects, not victims.
An illustration of the word "hours" as it would appear on a digital clock, in white on a black background.

48 Hours, Part 1

Episode #252

2024-01-19 04:59:12

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“I think it was around 3:00 a.m., and that’s when I heard a strange man’s voice waking me from sleep.”
A black and white illustration of a grassland with a tree and a small cabin in the distance. There is a leopard standing in the grass, looking toward the cabin.

The Hunt

Episode #251

2024-01-12 05:00:29

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In 2016, the FBI attaché in Pretoria, South Africa, got a phone call from a woman asking the FBI to investigate the death of her friend, Bianca Rudolph. Bianca had died on a hunting trip in Zambia’s Kafue National Park, but her friend didn't think it was an accident.
Black and white illustration of a Ford Torino at an angle with the hood facing to the right.

Tokyo Joe

Episode #250

2024-01-05 05:00:36

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Ken Eto worked for the Chicago mafia for over 30 years - the FBI estimated that he made millions of dollars a year for them. But in 1983, the mob turned on him.
Black and white illustration with six different animals: a mouse holding dentures, a dog on a sofa, a cow jumping over a fence, a cat sitting on a rice cooker, a bird sitting on a cruise ship, and a goat screaming. Text reads: Episode 249: The Gargoyle Cat, the Taylor Swift Goat, and the Runaway Cow.

The Gargoyle Cat, the Taylor Swift Goat, and the Runaway Cow

Episode #249

2023-12-22 05:00:00

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Stories of animals really going for it.
In the center, on a white background, is black handwritten text in cursive that reads: The questions I'm asking. Bordering the image are black dots and question marks.

The Questions I’m Asking

Episode #248

2023-12-15 05:00:23

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Today we meet “Genius Grant” winner Andrea Armstrong. In 2019, she started the Incarceration Transparency Project to identify and make public how many people were dying behind bars in Louisiana. The project also documents conditions inside the state’s prisons and jails – what Andrea Armstrong calls “secretive spaces of confinement.” She’s said: “Too often, the how and why a person in prison dies is kept secret from everyone, including the person’s family."
Black and white digital illustration of the tip of an island. On the island, there’s several large buildings and trees. Across the water from the island is a city with many buildings. There are a couple of boats in the water.

Send Her to the Island

Episode #247

2023-12-08 05:00:46

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When a young woman showed up at a boarding house in Manhattan, she said her name was Nellie Brown – but that was all she seemed to remember about herself. Then someone went to the police: "I want you to take her quietly."