Home Sleuth

The YouTube gumshoe

When a young primary school teacher is found dead in her kitchen with multiple stab wounds, the police launch an investigation into what happened. The Medical Examiner’s Office declare her death a homicide, but a week later the police rule it a suicide. For true crime YouTuber Gavin, this becomes a case he can’t put down. After Gavin's story, producer Poppy Damon and true crime expert Rachel Monroe discuss the ethics of home sleuths, and whether their work should be considered entertainment, journalism or policing. Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, true crime expert Rachel Monroe dissects the case and looks deep inside the search for truth. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph Sound Design by John Scott Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds

The DNA detective

Valerie doesn’t know who her grandfather is or how to find him. She’s told that African American genealogy is ‘too hard’. There aren’t enough DNA records of black people. It’s an impossible case. But Valerie is driven by the desire to solve a family mystery, so she investigates herself. What she finds changes everything. After Valerie’s story, producer Alice Fiennes and true crime expert Rachel Monroe discuss how Valerie's field of genetic genealogy was used to help identify the Golden State Killer, and why the certainty of forensic science is so appealing to true crime fans. Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, true crime expert Rachel Monroe dissects the case and looks deep inside the search for truth. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph Sound Design by John Scott Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds

The cat killer’s nemesis

Animal-lover Tony is on the trail of a cat killer. He believes that someone is killing and mutilating pets across south-east England. But not everyone agrees this is murder, or even a crime. As Tony pursues a nightmarish villain, he must also contend with those who believe he’s chasing a shadow. After Tony’s story, producer Poppy Damon speaks to true crime expert Rachel Monroe on the role that ordinary citizens like Tony play when investigating cases alongside the police, and the sacrifices that home sleuths make in devoting their time to a cause. Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, the series producers sit down with true crime expert Rachel Monroe to examine what the case can tell us about the wider world of true crime. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph Sound Design by John Scott Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds

The teenage private eye

Cara leads a double life. As an unassuming teenager from a quaint market town, nobody suspects her of being a private investigator. With an uncanny ability to blend in and spy gadgets to help her, she uncovers wrongdoings. Cara seeks truth and justice, but wrestles with the consequences of finding it. After Cara’s story, producer Alice Fiennes talks with true crime expert Rachel Monroe, about what TV shows, books and media teach us about crime and the prominence of women like Cara in fictional detective stories. Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, the series producers sit down with true crime expert Rachel Monroe to examine what the case can tell us about the wider world of true crime. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon. Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph. Sound Design by John Scott. Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz. Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio. Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds.

The original web sleuth

The body of a young woman is found wrapped in a tent in Kentucky, US, in the 1960s. Nobody knows her name. The police can’t identify her, so the crime goes unsolved. She becomes known as ‘Tent Girl’. But 30 years later, a local man called Todd Matthews becomes obsessed with finding her true identity and has as a new tool at his disposal: the internet. Who was the Tent Girl? After Todd’s story, hear producer Alice Fiennes in conversation with true crime expert Rachel Monroe. They discuss how people like Todd used the internet in the 1990s to investigate crimes, and the perils of online communities identifying the wrong suspect like the chaos in the post-Boston Marathon bombing. Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, the series producers sit down with true crime expert Rachel Monroe to examine what the case can tell us about the wider world of true crime. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon. Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph. Sound Design by John Scott. Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz. Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio. Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds.