Case 62: The Honolulu Strangler

In November 1999, Bruce Miller, a scrapyard owner in Michigan, was found murdered in what looked like a robbery gone wrong. After three months with no solid leads, investigators feared the case would go cold. But hundreds of miles away in Missouri, the suicide of former detective ... Show More

In 2010, a user known as Girl Meat Hunter joined The Fetish Network, a website where people with extreme sexual fetishes could connect and interact. On their profile, Girl Meat Hunter described their interests as the “easy A.B.C” – Abduction, Bondage, and Cannibalism.What was onl ... Show More

*** Content warnings: Animal cruelty ***After respected dermatologist Dr David Birkett was found bludgeoned to death in his Middlesbrough home, police struggled to uncover a motive or identify a suspect for what appeared to be a targeted attack.As the months passed by with no arr ... Show More

Honolulu, on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, is a quintessential paradise. In 1986, it was also the hunting grounds of a serial killer who was never caught: The Honolulu Strangler. Investigators believe he claimed as many as five victims before seemingly disappearing into thin air. ... Show More

On Christmas Eve in 1991, Dana Ireland is found tucked away in a secluded, hard to get to area of the Hawaiian subdivision, Vacationland barely clinging to life. When she finally arrives at a Hilo hospital, the damage is too severe and they declare Dana dead at 12:25am on Christm ... Show More

21-year-old Denise Amber Lee was a happily married stay-at-home mom when her life was abruptly snatched away from her. On January 17, 2008, she was abducted from her home. Her two young sons were left sleeping in a crib together. An hour later, Denise’s husband Nate returned home ... Show More

When Linda Rayner left for a walk in Hammonasset Beach State Park in the summer of 1992, she was seeking the beauty and peace that only the ocean can bring. Instead, she was brutally attacked by an unknown assailant and her case has remained unsolved ever since.In the thirty-plus ... Show More

During a nearly 18-month span beginning the winter of 2003, Audrey Lynn Harris, Christine Dumont, and Stacie Goulet disappeared without a trace from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, leaving their families and investigators searching for answers. It wasn’t until detectives received an an ... Show More

In the last episode of Dark Downeast, you heard the story of Denise Hart and her still unsolved homicide in Vermont. I mentioned in that episode the case of another woman who grew up in the same city and around the same people as Denise. So, that’s the story I’m going to tell you ... Show More

In early 2020, the story of Lori Daybell and her new husband, Chad Daybell, hit national news. They’d seemingly fled to Hawaii while two of Lori’s children were missing, leaving a wake of mysterious deaths and attacks behind. The public and authorities pressed for answers, hoping ... Show More

In 2008, 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee was abducted from her home in North Port, Florida, and murdered. This case was widely reported on and became well known because of the circumstances surrounding her death. Despite multiple 911 calls, some operators failed to report their find ... Show More

Listen to this week's episode of the Dateline: True Crime Weekly podcast with guest host, Blayne Alexander. In Arizona, the prosecution plays phone calls Lori made to her insurance agent in the days after her husband's shooting. In Massachusetts, a jury is finally seated in the K ... Show More

In February of 1981, Roberta Michels-Hopkins, a 29-year-old mother of two, disappeared from Camden, New Jersey, without a trace. The story goes that she left her home, heading out to buy a pack of cigarettes, and never returned. Roberta's sister said she received a phone call fro ... Show More