Episodes
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February 26, 1984. East Windsor, New Jersey. Nineteen-year-old Donna Macho disappears from her family home without a trace. Her car is found abandoned near a sewer plant, and her skeletal remains are discovered 11 years later in a wooded area near a farm.
At the time of her disappearance, the police had a promising suspect, but given the limitations of forensic testing in 1984, the case went unresolved for decades.
This is the story of a young woman's life cut short, a family's decades-long quest for answers, and the relentless pursuit of justice that finally brought closure to a nearly 40-year-old mystery.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
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#281 - In December 2017, first responders arrived at a sprawling mansion in one of Toronto’s wealthiest neighborhoods. What they found inside would shock the nation. Barry Sherman, a billionaire pharmaceutical tycoon, and his wife, Honey, were found dead at the edge of their indoor pool.
No signs of forced entry. No note. Just two lifeless bodies and a scene that felt… staged.
At first, the authorities suspected a murder-suicide. But the Shermans’ family pushed back on these rumors, claiming the couple had powerful enemies, and the truth was far darker than anyone wanted to believe. Who wanted Barry and Honey Sherman dead? Was it a personal vendetta? A bad business deal or rival? Or something else far more sinister?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Missing episodes?
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#280 - This week, we're revisiting a case that captured national attention and shattered a small Tennessee community—the abduction and murder of 20-year-old nursing student Holly Bobo.
It’s been over a decade since Holly disappeared from her home, sparking the largest search effort in state history. And while her remains were eventually found and a conviction secured, questions have lingered, and new developments continue to emerge.
Joining me for this week’s episode is ABC News Senior National Correspondent and co-anchor of Good Morning America, Eva Pilgrim.
Eva’s covered the Holly Bobo case extensively, and she brings critical insight into the latest updates and what they could mean for the case—and for Holly’s family
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
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#279 - She was young, bright, and full of promise. Angela Samota was a 20-year-old college student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She had a tight-knit circle of friends, a good boyfriend, and a future that seemed limitless. But on one October night in 1984, everything changed.
After a night out with friends, Angela returned to her apartment, and by morning, she was gone. Brutally raped and murdered, stabbed multiple times in what appeared to be a crime of unthinkable violence. But the case quickly went cold.
For decades, there were no arrests, no answers, just silence and a haunting sense that justice might never come. But Angela had one friend who refused to let her be forgotten. And years later, armed with nothing but determination and a relentless need for the truth, that friend would help crack a case that sat frozen in time.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#278 - December 12, 1985. St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. A quiet morning was shattered by gunfire. Forty-five-year-old mother of four, Yvonne Menke, was found shot to death outside her apartment—one bullet to the neck, two to the back of the head. The killer vanished, leaving behind only footprints in the snow and a trail of unanswered questions.
For decades, the case went cold. No arrests. No justice. But in 2021, a renewed investigation unearthed chilling forensic evidence: boot prints matching a rare pair of snow boots, and a note with a suspect's car information found in Yvonne's purse.
This is the story of obsession, betrayal, and a murder that remained frozen in time for nearly 40 years until forensic clues finally brought a killer to justice.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#277 - In August 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington left her parent’s house in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, heading to summer vacation Bible school class. The church was less than a mile up the road, and she had walked it many times in the past, but something about this morning was different. Gretchen never made it.
Two months later, her remains were found by a jogger in Ridley Creek State Park. Next to the remains were her neatly folded clothes, and her underwear was found hung in a nearby tree branch. The case went unsolved for decades and remained a haunting mystery in the community for nearly 50 years. Then, in 2023, there was a significant breakthrough leading to an arrest. But the man arrested wasn’t exactly the person you’d expect to commit a crime like this.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
True Crime Awards 2025:
To vote for Forensic Tales for the TCA 2025 Listeners' Choice Awards, please visit: https://truecrimeawards.co.uk/truecrimeawards2025/en/page/listenerschoice
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#276 - In October 1981, a 30-year-old single mother living in Carmel, California, was brutally murdered in her own home. She was found strangled to death, and the case shocked the quiet, upscale community of Carmel. For many years, there were few leads, and the case went cold. But in 2020, thanks to advancements in DNA technology, investigators were able to link DNA from the scene to a promising suspect.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
True Crime Awards 2025:
To vote for Forensic Tales for the TCA 2025 Listeners' Choice Awards, please visit: https://truecrimeawards.co.uk/truecrimeawards2025/en/page/listenerschoice
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#275 - Throughout the early 1990s, Phoenix, Arizona, was terrorized by a series of violent crimes, including the murders of two young women. The crimes went unsolved for decades, and the man responsible remained unidentified. By the time the police caught up to him, he had a new persona and was hiding in plain sight. But besides the two victims he would eventually be charged with murdering, are there any more innocent victims out there?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
True Crime Awards 2025:
To vote for Forensic Tales for the TCA 2025 Listeners' Choice Awards, please visit: https://truecrimeawards.co.uk/truecrimeawards2025/en/page/listenerschoice
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#274 - In October 1986, a 29-year-old nurse and mother was found dead inside her Polk County, Florida home. The attack was so vicious that it left her nearly decapitated.
Despite the tremendous amount of DNA evidence left behind at the crime scene, investigators were unable to identify her killer for over three decades. But just when everyone thought they had hit a roadblock in the investigation, the authorities got the clue they had been waiting for.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#273 - The death of UK spy Gareth Williams in 2010 has become one of the most high-profile unsolved mysteries in years after his naked body was discovered padlocked inside a duffel bag. Described as a genius mathematician who the intelligence service had recruited, Gareth’s exact cause of death remains unknown, and people can’t agree whether he could have locked himself in there on his own or whether someone else was responsible.
There have been a number of theories over the years, including sex games gone wrong and Russian spies. But even today, there are still so many unanswered questions about his death.
What happened to Gareth Williams, and how can forensic science help us find those answers?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#272 - In February 1979, 17-year-old high school student Esther Gonzalez was attacked while walking from her parent’s house to her sister’s home in Riverside County, California. The following day, her body was found dumped in a snowpack near a highway. Without any solid leads or suspects, the case went cold for more than 45 years until the police were able to use new DNA testing to find her killer.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#271 - In the summer of 1987, a young bartender from Green Bay, Wisconsin, goes missing, only to turn up dead hours later. The police interviewed dozens of people, including the customers who were at the bar with the victim the night before. Almost all of them said they noticed a strange man hanging around the bar wearing a flannel shirt despite temperatures above 90 degrees that day. It wasn’t until years later that the police arrested two brothers in connection to the bartender’s murder. But without any forensic evidence linking them to the brutal crime, did the authorities have the right suspects?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#270 - In September 2002, two women were found dead inside the Dolly Madison bakery in Great Bend, Kansas. They were 24-year-old Mandi Alexander and 79-year-old Mary Drake.
Even after years of investigating and the discovery of foreign DNA on one of the victims, the case of the Dolly Madison murders is still unsolved today. How might new advancements in forensic science solve these awful murders?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#269 - Over 40 years ago, Susan Schwarz was found bound and shot to death inside her own Washington home. At first, the police suspected this was somehow a robbery gone wrong. But over the years, that theory fizzled out, and they began looking at someone very close to the victim.
However, without any forensic evidence linking him to the crime, would there be enough evidence to send an accused killer to prison?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#268 - A 78-year-old grandmother was found dead inside her Salt Lake City, Utah, home in February 1991. But for years, her brutal murder baffled investigators. Who would want to kill an elderly lady inside her very own home?
The case remained a mystery for two decades until investigators got the clue needed from a very unlikely source: A children’s Lego piece.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#267 - In April 2005, 25-year-old Janet Abaroa was discovered stabbed to death inside her North Carolina home - she had been found by her husband, Raven. Nothing else in the home was disturbed, and the couple’s 6-month-old son, Kaiden, was found unharmed in another bedroom. The question of who killed Janet became a mystery that quickly captivated the Durham, North Carolina, community. Despite its popularity, the case has remained unsolved for years. It wasn’t until authorities got a clue from a very unlikely source, contact lenses, that progress was finally made in the case.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#266 - It’s a case that haunted the authorities for decades. A woman is stabbed to death a total of 65 times inside her Minneapolis apartment. Although the scene overflowed with physical and forensic evidence, the case eventually turned cold. It wasn’t until the police collected DNA from a hot dog napkin that they finally got the break they had hoped for.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#265 - A beautiful young nursing student is abducted from her parent's house in Tennessee, sparking a nationwide manhunt. But even after six people are arrested, is there enough forensic evidence to explain exactly what happened to Holly Bobo?
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
#264 - In January 1993, seven people were shot and killed inside a Brown’s Chicken fast-food restaurant in Chicago, becoming one of the deadliest mass shootings in the area at the time. For years, the case was cold, with very few leads. It wasn’t until evidence collected from a trash can at the crime scene was tested that investigators finally got a break.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
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#263 - On February 2nd, 2008, a man posing as a delivery driver walked into a Lane Bryant clothing store in a Chicago suburb with a gun. He ordered the six women inside the store to the back room, where he duct-taped their hands behind their backs and eventually shot all of them. Despite a massive manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies, the shooter remains at large.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - Show more
