True crime is one of those subjects that intrigues me and terrifies me at the same time. I have always found crime tv shows fascinating and for a while, I even wanted to become a forensic psychologist. During my first semester of college, I was a Criminal Justice major, but after consideration, I realized my mental state was not the best to be working in that field. So I changed my major and decided that true crime was just something I could research in my free time and not something to pursue a career in. I feel embarrassed at times when I admit that I love to research true crime, but then I realized that there is a huge population of people who love to research the subjects too.
A lot of these cases, unfortunately, can teach lessons that are important to possibly save another person’s life. I know for me, after watching so many of these cases there are times when I do get a bit paranoid so a lot of times before I go somewhere I will tell a friend or family member where I am planning on going or who I will be with. A few of my friends also have my phone locations at all times in case something were to happen. It is important to be aware of your surroundings and to be cautious when it comes to something. True crime reiterates these ideas and reminds you of this. Most cases I watched are ones that are less known to the majority of the public. For educational purposes, these cases are important to follow especially if they are unsolved. There are times when it only takes one person to see a video and it can trigger something from their memory which could potentially solve a case. Sometimes it just takes one person to see it.
From books to podcasts to tv shows to YouTube are all sources in which true crime junkies find their information. If true crime is something that interests you as well, this list below is one you want to check out. I have my favorite Podcasts and Youtubers and have read a few true crime books and below are a few of my favorites!
- Kendall Rae on Youtube:
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https://www.youtube.com/user/KendallsPlace
Kendall discusses a lot of true crime on her channel, but she also discusses astrology and conspiracy theories at times. One of her videos was sent to me and after watching that one video she became my favorite true crime Youtuber. She does a lot of cases in which she includes the family. Most videos she does with family members the family had reached out to her to cover the case of their loved one in hopes to find answers or get more public attention to the case to have more legal actions take place. One of these cases she did was a two-part Vlogumentary, both videos over an hour-long, called “Apartment 801” surrounding the case of Christian Andreacchio. This case is heartbreaking, but it gave an inside look into the case from the family’s perspective and the goals they had set out to reach surrounding the investigation of their loved one’s death. Kendall also does “Where is” campaigns in which she creates merchandise for herself or for small businesses in which they donate the proceeds to the Thorn Campaign whose goal is to put an end to the exploitation of children and ending sex trafficking among children. Her videos serve a purpose other than just to entertain viewers. She hopes to make a difference in the lives of the family’s loved ones and make a difference in the community. Kendall is also currently doing a segment called Crimetober on her channel for the Halloween season.
- Danielle Hallan on Youtube:
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https://www.youtube.com/user/danelledoesitall
Danielle is another true crime Youtuber and she uploads a new video every week. Danielle’s videos are extremely informative and you can tell that she gets emotionally invested in each case that she talks about. She talks about a lot of missing person cases in hopes to reignite the spark in searching for them and for information that someone may have forgotten about. As I mentioned before a lot of times it just takes one person to remember something and it can change the entire case. This concept is huge in the cases that Danielle chooses to cover on her channel. Danielle is unsure if she is doing her typical Halloween segment this month, but she will continue to post!
- Eleanor Neale on Youtube:
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFMbX7frWZfuWdjAML0babA
Eleanor is the last true crime Youtuber that I watch. It took me a while to get into her videos because she has a very strong British accent and it took a bit for me to get used to it. She covers solved and unsolved cases, but she also talks about makeup and does vlogs sometimes, but a majority of her videos are true crime Youtube. She covers a lot of cases based in England and surrounding countries, but she covers cases in the US as well as other countries.
- Crime Junkie Podcast:
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Crime Junkie is a Podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and co-hosted by Brit Prawt. There are about 150 episodes uploaded at the moment, but they are constantly putting out new content. They upload a new Podcast weekly and cover the cases in typically about 40 minutes. Ashley works with Crime Stoppers and other professionals in her home town and uses them for information to compile into her research as well. I love to listen to their podcast when I am cleaning, baking, sometimes when I am driving, etc. Ashley is also currently working on the podcast Full Body Chills for the October season where she talks about chilling campfire ghost stories for the Halloween season.
- A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard:
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This memoir is the heartbreaking story of Jaycee Dugard and how she was living in captivity for eighteen years. Jaycee tells the story of how she was kidnapped at the age of eleven and how she lived eighteen years of her life. is an overwhelmingly emotional read as you turn from page to page reading the events of Jaycee’s life, however, it also shows how strong of an individual she is. Her book is incredibly powerful and inspirational to read, but it is a tough book to get through because there are accounts of sexual abuse and kidnapping in the story. It is important to remember though that Jaycee wrote this book to tell her story to the world and to help others who may be going through a similar situation.