A few years ago, the podcast Serial, by Sarah Koenig, went viral. Millions of people followed Koenig as she investigated the murder case of Adnan Sayed, who was convicted of killing his high school girlfriend.
Serial spurred other crime based podcasts that are now broadcasting new episodes every week. Fans of Law and Order and CSI will love hearing about real cases that remain unsolved.
Accused, by the Cincinnati Enquirer, investigates the 1978 death of Miami University (Ohio) student Elizabeth Andes. While police immediately blamed her boyfriend, Bob, two juries ruled him innocent. This podcast investigates whether the police handled the case properly and whether there was someone else who could have committed the crime. Accused currently has eight episodes and a 4.5/5 star rating on iTunes.
Up and Vanished documents Payne Lindsey’s investigation into the 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead, a twenty-something teacher and beauty queen in Georgia. In another case of potential police mishandling, friends of multiple officers were involved in the disappearance. The episodes are usually around half an hour and are released every week. Up and Vanished has a 5/5 star rating on iTunes and 7 episodes.