logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
38m 50s

Spring break | Pig Iron Ep 2

The Observer
About this episode

At just 22 years old, Chris travels to Ukraine for his spring break, keen to see war up close. For the first time, he experiences the thrill and horror of the frontline. He's hooked. Five years later, Basia, along with Chris's cousin, Jeremy, visit Chris's parents in America to piece together who he really was. There they learn a troubling new detail about Chris's time in Ukraine.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Aug 5
Myths and monsters | The Lab Detective Ep4
Rachel Sylvester travels to Greece to investigate whether genetic science could change the story in the case of Roula Pispirigou – a mother who was convicted of killing her three young children just last year.Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and in ... Show More
34m 33s
Jul 29
Science versus the law | The Lab Detective Ep3
Scientist Carola Vinuesa and her team test their extraordinary genetic discovery in a court of law.Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights. Reporter: Rachel SylvesterProducer: Gary MarshallMusic supervisor: Karla PatellaSound design: Rowan Bi ... Show More
33m 32s
Jul 22
The eureka moment | The Lab Detective Ep2
Kathleen Folbigg is just trying to survive. She’s a grieving mother, sentenced to life in jail for killing her four infant children. That is, until a small group of people start to question whether she might be the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice.Our thanks to The Fra ... Show More
38m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
The truth | Ep 1
Three years ago a former private spy came to our newsroom at Tortoise. He told an incredible story about infiltrating a campaign group, deceiving people for years but all the while being a 'double agent', before his world fell apart. And it all played out in the opaque world of c ... Show More
38m 30s
Aug 27
Hunting Down Mr. Wright
The half-century long pursuit of George Wright, a convicted murderer who escaped prison and hijacked a plane, led authorities around the world seeking his capture. “48 Hours" Correspondent Susan Spencer reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 6/29/2013. Watch all-n ... Show More
44m 57s
Feb 2025
MURDERED: Marcus Rutledge
A young father moves to Nashville chasing his college dreams, but in June 1998, 23-year-old Marcus Rutledge vanishes after taking his daughter to daycare. His disappearance reveals a life filled with secrets...and even after the discovery of his skull, his family is left wonderin ... Show More
46m 23s
Feb 2025
WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMIW Part 1
In 2021, we set out to cover the case of Rhys Pocan, a 35-year-old indigenous woman who was murdered in Wisconsin in the ‘80s. But while we were in the field, we uncovered a disturbing pattern of murders with similarities to Rhys’ that were just too blatant to ignore. So, we spen ... Show More
50m 9s
Feb 2025
The Peggy Hettrick Case - Part 2
Part two of the investigation into the murder of 37-year-old Peggy Hettrick. Her body was discovered in a field near the home of Tim Masters, and over a decade later, Masters was sentenced to life in prison for Peggy's murder. But Masters always maintained his innocence. Because ... Show More
52m 37s
Jun 2025
Killer Conversation: Rick Valentini aka Bryan Stewart
Who was Rick Valentini, aka Bryan Stewart? He was a man who forged a new identity for himself before dating and murdering his then-girlfriend Jamie Laiaddee in 2010. 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty and producer Judy Rybak discuss what it was like to interview a conman with a ... Show More
46m 36s
Jan 2025
Jordan Peterson and the making of man
Jordan Peterson is a controversial figure, but he is also a man with a long-standing appeal to a particular demographic. What does his popularity tell us about a possible crisis in young men today? Reporter: Stephen ArmstrongProducer: Matt RussellArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound desig ... Show More
40m 51s
Jun 2025
Killer Conversation: Sebastian Burns & Atif Rafay - Part 1
Did two teenagers attempt to execute the perfect crime back in 1994? Sebastian Burns has been described as the mastermind who used a metal baseball bat to kill his friend Atif Rafay's mother, father, and sister, while Atif stood by. But what was their motive? 48 Hours corresponde ... Show More
45m 14s
Apr 2025
Lori Vallow Daybell's phone calls. Karen Read's retrial set to start. And Houston's "lost boys".
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
27m 44s
Feb 2021
Perfect Age for this Sh*t | Episode 1
When two delinquents, Ben and Grant, run into (literally - with their car) convicted murderer, Shelly O'Keith who has recently escaped from prison, they decide to become novice bounty hunters to try and catch her for a one million dollar prize. ~~ From QCODE, makers of fantastic ... Show More
28m 38s