Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home more than 135 days ago, and investigators have released almost nothing about what happened to the 84-year-old grandmother. But now, a new cybersecurity report on so-called “wrench attacks” and “proxy target attacks” has raised a disturbing possibility in the case: was Nancy taken not because of what she had, but because of who she was connected to? In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the new report, the brutal rise of crypto-related kidnappings and torture-for-password crimes, and why Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says the task force is aware of the report and has flagged it to investigators. Ashleigh also speaks with security expert Spencer Coursen, a former U.S. Army Ranger and former special deputy U.S. Marshal, about how these attacks work, why criminals are moving from hacking to physical violence, and what families can do to protect themselves from ransom, extortion, and proxy targeting.

Anna Kepner was found dead under a bed on a Carnival cruise ship, and now the 16-year-old stepbrother who shared that cabin with her has been sent to jail. Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old accused in the death of Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon, has been ordered into U.S. Marshals custody after prosecutors pushed to have him detained. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh walks through the newly unsealed court documents, the cruise ship surveillance timeline, the phone evidence, and the DNA details prosecutors say are central to the case. Former Florida State Attorney Dave Aronberg joins Ashleigh to break down the federal charges, the adult prosecution, and what happens next for a teenager facing life in prison.

A chilling new tip has pushed the Nancy Guthrie case across the border and into one of the darkest possible search areas yet. After 131 days with no sign of the missing Arizona grandmother, a volunteer search group in Nogales, Mexico says it received a specific anonymous tip claiming Nancy Guthrie may be buried near Mariposa, an area where searchers have previously found 25 unmarked graves. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the new Mexico search, the anonymous tip, the 25 unmarked graves, the Pima County response, and then sits down with Dr. Tracy “Trace” Sargent, a forensic criminologist, victimology expert, law enforcement officer, canine handler, and missing persons specialist, to talk about what this tip could mean.

Breaking: Brian Hooker is refusing to cooperate in the suspected murder investigation into his missing wife, Lynette Hooker. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh breaks down the latest turn in the Bahamas case and sits down with famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos to talk about what it means when a husband at the center of a suspected murder probe refuses to cooperate with investigators. Brian says Lynette “bounced” off the back of their dinghy in the Sea of Abaco, but the Coast Guard has now searched key areas tied to his timeline, taken possession of the dinghy, and continued following evidence in the case. Lynette Hooker is still missing. Brian Hooker has not been charged with a crime.
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Brian Hooker has been spotted in Michigan, far from the Bahamas where he said he would never leave without Lynette. After weeks of questions about where Brian went after Lynette Hooker vanished in the Sea of Abaco, Brian was seen at a Sierra store in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his daughter Rosie. Ashleigh also breaks down reports of Brian’s movements through California and Oregon, including the family connections that may explain why he has been bouncing from place to place while Lynette’s family is still waiting for answers. Then, Lynette’s father Dan Shepherd and stepmother Kathy sit down with Ashleigh to talk about the Coast Guard search, the dinghy now in federal custody, the evidence investigators say gives them confidence, and Brian’s behavior since the night Lynette disappeared. Dan also has a message for Brian Hooker: if this was not intentional, “step forward and face up. Man up.” But if he planned this, he says, “may you rot in hell.”