People are the Worst

In 2008, the town of Dewsbury was shaken after 9-year-old Shannon Matthews didn't return home from school. It was the coldest night of the year and she had never run away before. Shannon's mom, Karen Matthews, was struggling financially as a single mom, and when Shannon's kidnapping doesn't get the same attention as another missing young girl, Madeleine McCann, there is a huge conversation about social class. Finally after 24 days and the area's largest investigation since the Yorkshire Ripper, we get answers and they are even more shocking than you can imagine.

Sources from this episode:

Shannon: Betrayed from Birth by Rose Martin (book)

The Guardian (multiple articles)

The Independent (multiple articles)

The Sun (multiple articles)

BBC (multiple articles)

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With the new Netflix documentary, Taken: Natalee Holloway, coming out this week, we've decided to re-release our series on Natalee's case.

A few things to keep in mind:

This was originally released in 2023 when we were still little baby podcasters and certainly had some things to figure out, so please don't judge our former selves too harshly if we sound a little cringey.

This was originally a 4 part series, but we're re-releasing it as one long episode. We've done our best to clean it up, but some transitions between the parts may sound abrupt. You may also hear references to the other parts but just ignore those—you're getting all of it in one episode, we promise!

Natalee's case is personal for us and is the one we are asked about most often. We're from the same hometown as Natalee and as two people who knew her, we wanted to bring a more personal perspective to this story. Natalee Holloway went on her senior trip in 2005 and never came back. While we all know who is responsible, it’s been over 21 years and her body has never been found
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Happy Halloween!! In honor of the holiday, we have two Halloween-themed AITW stories, and the theme? A prank gone too far and was the boyfriend's girl BFF sending a message with her costume? Lets find out!
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In February 2000, 27-year-old Suzette Trouten packed up her belongings and moved from Michigan to Kansas City for a job opportunity. But just weeks after arriving, Suzette stopped calling. Her family continued receiving letters from her (even in her handwriting) but something wasn't adding up. As investigators did their thing, they uncovered a double life that lasted decades. And just when they thought had it all figured out, police and FBI made a discovery that would turn an entire family's world upside down.

Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan

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Sources for this episode:

Depraved: A True Story of a Sadistic Killer in the Heartland by John Glatt

Vanity Fair — Link

Crime Library

FBI: Criminal Pursuit

Very Scary People: The Slave Master, Parts 1 & 2

20/20: Sole Survivor

Cold Case Files: Sex, Lies & Murder

ABC News — Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3

Lawrence Journal-World — Link

The Dark Side of Humanity — Link

LegalClarity — Link

Kansas Supreme Court — Link

MoreLaw — Link

Find a Grave
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On June 26, 2010, a woman walked into her friend Denise Merhi's house to get her car keys. The house was eerily quiet and when the woman called out, nobody answered. She found her keys, then found a horrific scene in the kitchen. After a very stressful few minutes, she then sees a shadow reflected on the wall. The killer was still in the house. What she didn't know was that the scene is much more horrific than she realized. It's what urban legends are made of: a mass murder and a message written on the wall in blood. Police knew Denise Merhi had been torn between two men: Michael Eric Ballard & Brian Miller. Did one of them do this?

Research Assistance: Jim Rowley

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-Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order

-Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial

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