276: What if you left your kids held hos...

When a family sailing journey ends in capture by child soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war, a man must protect his children while confronting the unsettling truth that his captors are both perpetrators of violence and children shaped by it. Today’s episode featured Dave Muller ... Show More

After overcoming addiction and rebuilding her life around motherhood, a woman's world is shattered when her son kills her daughter, forcing her to grieve one child while fighting to protect the other and learning how to survive an unbearable moral and emotional divide. Today’s ep ... Show More

After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him to confront bipolar disorder and rebuild his life from the ground up. Today’s st ... Show More

After Laura Ackerson lost full custody of her sons, she was heartbroken, but she sprang into action. Within 2 weeks, she got another hearing but she still only got weekends. She had to completely overhaul her life. Within a year, Laura found a great apartment and opened her own a ... Show More

<p>It was Christmastime 2009 and eleven year old Sarah Haley Foxwell was getting ready to celebrate with her family. She and her little sister skipped off to bed together, but that would be the last time Sarah’s family got to see her. Sarah was kidnapped, assaulted and brutally m ... Show More

This week we will hear Ashley Hall’s story -- told by her Mother Lucia, and her sister Jessa. Please note, due to the public nature of this story, real names will be used for this episode. *Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of psychological and physical violence ... Show More

<p>The story of the Purrington murders is so horrific it sounds like something out of a movie. James Purrington seemed to have plans of killing himself after suffering from what was likely undiagnosed mental illness. When one of his children brought this to the attention of their ... Show More

On July 9th, 1993, at 1:40 a 911 call was placed by Russell Bennett Peterson. He told the operator that he and his girlfriend had a fight and that she had been shot, but he claimed to not know who shot her. Stephanie Wasilishin was the mother of two young children who tragically ... Show More

<p>Today's episode is a tough one, but it is one that we think is important to share. Kelly Anne Bates was a 14 year old child when she met a much older Dave Smith. While her parents helplessly looked on, she slipped further and further into his grasp until finally, he snuffed he ... Show More

<p>Nancy Rentz was a woman who was loved and cared about by so many people; her parents, her twin sister, her younger sister, her brother and her children. She undeniably touched the lives of everyone around her and truly just seemed like one of the most beautiful people inside a ... Show More

<p>Laura, Jim and Lisa are joined by special guest Jenny Popplewell, the Director of the #1&nbsp;Netflix show American Murder: The Family Next Door.</p><p><br></p><p>Jenny takes us behind the scenes and explains why this case spoke to her as well as the gender bias in the media o ... Show More

<p>Stacey Castor is most often referred to as a Black Widow, but that name barely does justice when it comes to all of the pain Stacey inflicted on those around her. Both of her husbands turned up dead, one of a heart attack and the other of suicide and then years later her daugh ... Show More