True Crime Vanished

The Forgotten Card That Exposed a Female Killer

17 min · 22 de jun de 2026
Portada del episodio The Forgotten Card That Exposed a Female Killer

Descripción

Neighbors Pull Bones from River as Police Realize Their Own Informant Is the Killer: The Serial Murders of Friedrich Haarmann May nineteen twenty-four: fishermen dredging the Leine River in Hannover recovered more than five hundred human bones. Within weeks, forensic experts confirmed they belonged to at least twenty-two young people, all dismembered with butcher's precision. The impossible contradiction: the man police arrested had been working as their own informant for six years while killing. In this investigation, we examine the brutal mechanics of Haarmann's crimes, the ignored red flags stretching back to nineteen eighteen, and the evidence that vanished during a raid when police found him with a naked thirteen-year-old boy yet made no connection to the murders that would follow. We reconstruct the institutional failures, the ambiguous role of his accomplice Hans Grans, and the questions the parliamentary inquiry deliberately left unanswered. Victim: Friedrich Karl Haarmann Date: May 1924 Location: Hannover, Germany Status: Convicted; Executed April 1925 - In October nineteen eighteen, police raided Haarmann's apartment, found him with a thirteen-year-old minor, and searched the space-yet Haarmann later confessed Friedel Rothe's severed head sat hidden behind the stove during that exact raid. - Between nineteen nineteen and nineteen twenty-four, Haarmann worked as a paid police informant while hunting victims at the central station, offering food and shelter before murdering them by tearing their throats with his teeth. - The remains bore cut marks from butcher tools, and two women independently reported suspicious meat to police before his arrest; those reports were filed away as pork and never independently analyzed. - Hans Grans, Haarmann's lover and alleged accomplice since nineteen nineteen, was convicted only as an accomplice despite Haarmann's direct accusations; a letter recanting those accusations arrived after Grans' appeal succeeded. Friedrich Haarmann, Hannover Germany nineteen twenty-four serial killer, butcher, police informant, murder investigation, institutional cover-up, homicide investigation, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com]. If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

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232 episodios

episode Teresa Cross: decades of child torture facilitated by system failures artwork

Teresa Cross: decades of child torture facilitated by system failures

The mother who sold her son for revenge: The murder of Elmer in Iquitos A mother organized the kidnapping of her own 11-year-old son, provided his school route to the captors, and when she was informed that he had been murdered, her only concern was to destroy the chips from the cell phones. On May 9, 2019, Elmer disappeared in Iquitos in what seemed to be an impossible crime: the family itself was the architect of the plan. In this episode, we explore how Arlen designed every detail of the kidnapping, from placing contact numbers in her son's backpack the night before to withholding the ransom money while her accomplices crumbled under greed. We reconstruct the internal breakdown between Lester, Cásculo, and Belson that ended in asphyxiation, the discovery of the black sack next to the cemetery, and the coldness of a mother who never cried during the search. Victim: Elmer (11 years) Date: May 9, 2019 Location: Iquitos, Peru Status: Sentenced (life imprisonment, June 2022) - Arlen placed a phone number in Elmer's backpack the night before the kidnapping, proving premeditation of 24 hours. - Security cameras located Lester at payphones exactly when the captors called the family. - Arlen withheld 4,500 of 5,000 soles from the ransom, causing the financial breakdown that triggered the asphyxiation murder. - The mother did not cry during three days of searching; the only tears came when they found the body. Elmer, Iquitos, family murder, kidnapping, 2019, criminal minds, investigation, homicide, true crime, forensic, revenge, justice, true crime Spanish If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

22 de jun de 202617 min
episode The Forgotten Card That Exposed a Female Killer artwork

The Forgotten Card That Exposed a Female Killer

Neighbors Pull Bones from River as Police Realize Their Own Informant Is the Killer: The Serial Murders of Friedrich Haarmann May nineteen twenty-four: fishermen dredging the Leine River in Hannover recovered more than five hundred human bones. Within weeks, forensic experts confirmed they belonged to at least twenty-two young people, all dismembered with butcher's precision. The impossible contradiction: the man police arrested had been working as their own informant for six years while killing. In this investigation, we examine the brutal mechanics of Haarmann's crimes, the ignored red flags stretching back to nineteen eighteen, and the evidence that vanished during a raid when police found him with a naked thirteen-year-old boy yet made no connection to the murders that would follow. We reconstruct the institutional failures, the ambiguous role of his accomplice Hans Grans, and the questions the parliamentary inquiry deliberately left unanswered. Victim: Friedrich Karl Haarmann Date: May 1924 Location: Hannover, Germany Status: Convicted; Executed April 1925 - In October nineteen eighteen, police raided Haarmann's apartment, found him with a thirteen-year-old minor, and searched the space-yet Haarmann later confessed Friedel Rothe's severed head sat hidden behind the stove during that exact raid. - Between nineteen nineteen and nineteen twenty-four, Haarmann worked as a paid police informant while hunting victims at the central station, offering food and shelter before murdering them by tearing their throats with his teeth. - The remains bore cut marks from butcher tools, and two women independently reported suspicious meat to police before his arrest; those reports were filed away as pork and never independently analyzed. - Hans Grans, Haarmann's lover and alleged accomplice since nineteen nineteen, was convicted only as an accomplice despite Haarmann's direct accusations; a letter recanting those accusations arrived after Grans' appeal succeeded. Friedrich Haarmann, Hannover Germany nineteen twenty-four serial killer, butcher, police informant, murder investigation, institutional cover-up, homicide investigation, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com]. If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

22 de jun de 202617 min
episode The Hotel of Death: The Hidden Empire of H. H. Holmes artwork

The Hotel of Death: The Hidden Empire of H. H. Holmes

Woman Returns at Dawn to Find Police Guarding Her Bank Card at Crime Scene: The Murder of Edward Baldock A nearly decapitated body on a Brisbane riverbank. A wallet with thirty-five dollars still inside. And inside the victim's left shoe: a bank card that did not belong to him. On the morning of October twenty-first, nineteen eighty-nine, the woman whose name was printed on that card returned to the river looking for it-only to find the entire scene cordoned off by police. This episode explores the night of October twentieth when four women from Brisbane's underground lesbian subculture encountered Edward Baldock walking alone after a darts tournament. The contradictions begin immediately: the victim had twenty-seven wounds concentrated in his neck, his clothes were carefully folded beside him, and the card inside his shoe would become the single detail that unraveled the entire investigation. How did a card exchange become the forensic evidence that identified a killer? Victim: Edward Baldock, 47 Date: October 20-21, 1989 Location: Brisbane River, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Status: Convicted, served 22 years - Bank card belonging to Tracy Wigginton discovered inside victim's left shoe after he was found nearly decapitated with twenty-seven neck wounds - Highway patrol stopped a green sedan carrying the four suspects hours before the body was discovered, documenting their identities without knowing their connection to the crime - Lisa Kaczynski, one of the four women, voluntarily confessed to police and testified that Wigginton drank blood from the victim's wounds - Tracy Wigginton changed her story three times when confronted by investigators, first denying knowing the victim, then claiming she lost her card days before the crime Edward Baldock, Brisbane River murder 1989, homicide investigation, true crime, forensic evidence, criminal minds, vampire case, serial crime, unsolved mysteries, Australian murder, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com]. If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

Ayer24 min
episode Elmer (Iquitos): the kidnapping planned by his own family artwork

Elmer (Iquitos): the kidnapping planned by his own family

Five executions for 315 dollars in Narvarte: The multiple homicide of Rubén Espinoza Cervantes Three armed men burst into a middle-class apartment at noon in Mexico City. Five people executed with a shot to the head. But investigators closed the case as simple robbery, and the loot barely reached 315 dollars while valuable items remained intact at the scene. In this episode, we explore the contradictions that dismantle the official narrative: eleven calls made during the crime to a contact never investigated, an anonymous video showing five attackers instead of three, and evidence destroyed under the authority's custody. The differentiated torture of two victims, their bodies placed face to face, and an identifiable vehicle but off the registry suggest an ordered execution, not a robbery. Who ordered this massacre and why do authorities insist on covering it up? Victim: Rubén Espinoza Cervantes Date: July 30, 2015 Location: Calle Luz Saviñón 1909, Colonia Narvarte, Mexico City Status: Open; masterminds unconvicted - Three men were charged; subsequent anonymous video shows five attackers arriving in separate vehicles. - Omar made eleven calls to a contact never officially investigated during the crime, one every five minutes. - Victims' clothing was burned the next day in the presence of authorities, destroying primary evidence. - Contact "Captain Storm" identified as a former Secretary of Public Security of Veracruz with a company ten minutes from the apartment. Rubén Espinoza Cervantes, Narvarte multiple murder 2015, systematic execution, institutional cover-up, organized crime, destroyed investigation, obstructed justice, Veracruz, criminal minds, forensic, Spanish true crime If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

Ayer21 min
episode Caso Narvarte: five executions with signs of torture that do not fit a robbery artwork

Caso Narvarte: five executions with signs of torture that do not fit a robbery

The clan that killed in broad daylight: The true story of Arquímedes Puccio A family that went to church on Sundays, swept sidewalks, and organized dinners in San Isidro operated a kidnapping and murder business from their basement. For three years, no one in the neighborhood suspected anything. How is it possible that a man with a diplomatic career, connected to state intelligence, kept three corpses and a woman chained while his son watched movies upstairs? In this episode, we explore the investigation that led to the capture of the most sinister clan in democratic Argentina: the contradictions between what the family claimed to know, the confessions of the accomplices, and what the police found in August 1985. We unravel how Alejandro identified Ricardo Mannochan, why Laborda executed Emilio Nahún without collecting a ransom, and what role an undercover police officer played in protecting Puccio for years. How much institutional protection surrounded this operation? Victim: Ricardo Mannochan, Eduardo Aulet, Emilio Nahún Date: July 22, 1982 to August 23, 1985 Location: San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina Status: Resolved; life sentences executed; unresolved institutional details - Three victims murdered in three years; a woman chained in a secret basement behind a wardrobe; police found a bucket, cot, and straw. - Puccio denied everything until conviction in 1995; Laborda confessed that he recruited, manipulated, and defrauded money; unresolved contradictions about economic distribution. - An undercover police officer warned Puccio of a monitored delivery operation; allowed the clan to prepare a defense; the informant's identity was never revealed. - Daniel Puccio arrived from New Zealand with a letter from his father describing the business as "an industry without chimneys"; arrested in Brazil in 2019 with a false document; successful escape without public explanation. Arquímedes Puccio, San Isidro kidnapping murder, 1982-1985, criminal minds, state intelligence, true crime, forensic, homicide, imperfect justice, Spanish true crime If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and gain access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com]. If you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: business@obomedia.com

20 de jun de 202622 min