1. Serial - This was the very first podcast I ever listened to. I remember saying "what the heck is a podcast"? But I went ahead and started listening about the murder of Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. There are ten episodes each about 30-60 minutes long. Let me tell you...it just sucked me in. I have found it so interesting that I have listened to this podcast over and over again. I think I just want to figure out what really happened. I always try to see the best in people and I really want to believe Adnan is innocent, but even after listening to it a bazillion times...I still don't know what to think.
2. Missing Maura Murray - I've been following this missing person case for years now. Maura was from Massachusetts so it was close to home. She disappeared the evening of February 9, 2004, after crashing her car on a rural road in Haverhill, NH. She was 21 years old and a nursing student at UMass Amherst at the time of her disappearance. I first heard about her case from the TV show "Disappeared". It was a great episode that really left me wanting to know more. This podcast started out a little rough and a little disorganized in my opinion. I also felt the two male hosts, Tim and Lance, were a bit rough on Maura's father which I don't think he deserved at all. He has lost his daughter and is heartbroken. He will look for her until the day he dies. As a mom, that I know for sure. However, they have lightened up on him quite a bit and have really covered this case in great detail. There are 33 episodes to date. They have all kinds of theories as to what may have happened to her and sometimes it just seems so convoluted and confusing. Want my theory on what happened to Maura? I think she simply wondered off into the thick New Hampshire woods as a very distraught, confused and perhaps a little tipsy young woman, trying to "hide" from the police. She got disoriented and succumbed to the elements. Some would say then why no footprints going into the woods in that area? Because Maura was a track star and was really in great shape. I think she took off thinking the police were on the way. She could have run for quite sometime and then veered off anywhere into the woods to rest or hide. I truly hope this mystery will be solved someday.
UPDATE: This podcast is still going strong with now just over 100 episodes. Tim and Lance have definitely redeemed themselves and now are in direct contact with her family. This is the one case I pray will be resolved.
3. Someone Knows Something - I found out about this podcast after the first season was already completed. That meant I didn't have to wait a full week between episodes and was able to listen to all 11 shows over the course of a few days. The podcast is hosted by David Ridgen who is an award-winning independent Canadian filmmaker from Ontario Canada. Ridgen is a masterful storyteller. The first season is about the 1972 disappearance of Adrien McNaughton. Adrien was a five-year-old boy who vanished during a family fishing trip in Eastern Ontario. Ridgen is from the same hometown as the The McNaughton family. He moved there with his family shortly after Adrien’s disappearance so I think that gives him a unique perspective on the case. He wasn't able to solve the case for certain, but he does enough to come up with the most plausible scenario as to what may have happened to Adrien. Ridgen just started his second season this past week about the disappearance of Sheryl Sheppard. Sheryl was a thirty-year-old woman who went missing in January of 1998 also from Ontario Canada. I've listened to the first episode and I'm already intrigued.
UPDATE: Take a listen to Season 5 "Kerrie Brown". It was so well done and very interesting!
4. True Crime Garage - Each week the hosts of the show, Nic and The Captain, get into their garage and talk about true crime and drink beer. Simple as that. They have covered many popular true crime cases like OJ Simpson, The West Memphis Three, Johnny Gosch and Emma Fillipoff and then others that I've never heard of. I love how they often have such differences in opinion. They tell all aspects of every case and sometimes they agree to disagree about their thoughts and theories. They also add a touch of humor each week which is always fun. The cases can be heavy but they know how to keep it on the lighter side which is good for me. They do many episodes in two parts but they're usually posted back to back pretty quickly so you don't have to wait. They've been on the air for a long time so there are lots of episodes to choose from.
5. The Vanished Podcast - This is also a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. It's hosted by Marissa Jones who I have to say has really won me over with her sincere compassion for the victims and their families. I can tell how passionate she is about getting these stories out there. Most often she covers cases that are not highly publicized. One of the more intriguing cases for me was about two boys, Enrique Rios and Elijah Moore, who just vanished only a few weeks apart. They were friends and both attended the same construction training program through their California high school. Their story had barely been covered because the police considered them to be runaways which their families insisted they were not. After listening to their mothers interviews, I too believed they were not runaways. With Marissa's help, their stories reached the right people and that case is now being resolved.
6. The Generation Why - This podcast is hosted by Aaron and Justin. They take a more calm and laid back approach to their format. They share their opinions and theories about unsolved (and sometimes solved) mysteries and true crime. They've been on the air since 2012 so they are very experienced and host a great hour of listening.
5. The Vanished Podcast - This is also a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. It's hosted by Marissa Jones who I have to say has really won me over with her sincere compassion for the victims and their families. I can tell how passionate she is about getting these stories out there. Most often she covers cases that are not highly publicized. One of the more intriguing cases for me was about two boys, Enrique Rios and Elijah Moore, who just vanished only a few weeks apart. They were friends and both attended the same construction training program through their California high school. Their story had barely been covered because the police considered them to be runaways which their families insisted they were not. After listening to their mothers interviews, I too believed they were not runaways. With Marissa's help, their stories reached the right people and that case is now being resolved.
6. The Generation Why - This podcast is hosted by Aaron and Justin. They take a more calm and laid back approach to their format. They share their opinions and theories about unsolved (and sometimes solved) mysteries and true crime. They've been on the air since 2012 so they are very experienced and host a great hour of listening.
