UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast

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  67: Sam Little’s Chilling Methods, Ted Kaczynski’s Downfall & Buddy’s AI Identity 16.10.2026 24Min.

  Some of the biggest questions in true crime lead to some unexpected answers. In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to dig into your questions. How did the FBI finally close in on Ted Kaczynski? What was Sam Little’s chilling process—and could he have gotten away with his crimes in today’s digital world? Plus, Buddy responds to an unexpected accusation: that he’s actually an AI personality.
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  64: Samuel Little: America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer? 14.10.2026 46Min.

  How does a serial killer murder women across America for more than four decades, repeatedly encounter law enforcement, and keep getting away with it?Samuel Little confessed to 93 murders, making him the most prolific serial killer in American history according to the FBI. But how many women did he actually kill? And how did he remain virtually undetected for so long?In this episode of UNMARKED, investigative journalist and author Jillian Lauren, who spent years interviewing Little and helped uncover the staggering scope of his crimes, reveals what she learned from getting inside the mind of one of America's most notorious serial killers.I'm also joined by journalist and former prosecutor Beth Karas, who has investigated Little's crimes and interviewed survivors, witnesses, and people who knew him.Together, we trace Samuel Little's life, his childhood, his violent fantasies, and a killing spree that stretches across America from the 1970s until his arrest in 2012.This is more than the story of a serial killer. It's an investigation into the failures of law enforcement, the victims dismissed as the "less dead," and the circumstances that allowed one man to become potentially the most prolific serial killer in American history.Research in This Episode: MacCulloch MJ, Snowden PR, Wood PJ, Mills HE. Sadistic fantasy, sadistic behaviour and offending. Br J Psychiatry. 1983 Jul;143:20-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.143.1.20. PMID: 6882989.Kim, A., Beauregard, E., & Chopin, J. (2023). “Strangulation in sexual homicide: Is it opportunity, victim’s vulnerability or sadism?” Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 94, 102488. DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2023.102488.Marono, A. J., Reid, S., Yaksic, E., & Keatley, D. A. (2020). A behaviour sequence analysis of serial killers’ lives: From childhood abuse to methods of murder. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 27(1), 126–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2019.1695517Show Notes:  If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. #SamuelLittle #SerialKiller #TrueCrime #documentary #podcast
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  65: Philadelphia Serial Killer? Who Are the Victims? 12.10.2026 16Min.

  Who are the victims in the suspected Philadelphia serial killer case? And how many people could be connected to R.C. Horsch?In this week's investigation, I'm turning my attention to the potential victims of R.C. Horsch, the man at the centre of the Philadelphia investigation following the discovery of human remains at a house in Olney in June 2026.Last week, I explained why I suspect this story may have begun decades before the discoveries in Olney. Now I'm trying to answer an even more disturbing question: who were the victims, and could there be others whose deaths or disappearances have never been connected to this case?My reporting is taking me back through the history of Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia's sex-work trade, and the lives of vulnerable women who may have crossed paths with Horsch.Every Monday, I'm bringing you inside my ongoing investigation of the Philadelphia serial killer case—sharing what I've discovered, what has changed, and what I'm still trying to figure out.#PhiladelphiaSerialKiller #RCHorsch #Philadelphia #Kensington #TrueCrime 
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  64: The FBI Profiler Who Helped Catch Ted Kaczynski Fact Checks Netflix’s Unabomber | Case Notes 11.10.2026 29Min.

  What did Netflix get wrong about Ted Kaczynski and the Unabomber investigation?Retired FBI Special Agent James Fitzgerald returns to fact-check Netflix’s new Unabomber movie—and he has serious problems with the way the story is told.Fitzgerald worked the real UNABOM investigation and helped develop the linguistic analysis that connected Ted Kaczynski’s writing to the Unabomber manifesto. We break down the biggest inaccuracies, omissions and fictionalised moments in Netflix’s Unabomber, including how the film portrays the FBI investigation, Kaczynski’s psychology, the Harvard experiments, the MKUltra theory, and the evidence that actually helped identify him.What did Netflix change for drama? What important details were left out? And how different is the real Ted Kaczynski story from the version audiences are seeing now?#TedKaczynski #Unabomber #Netflix #FBI #TrueCrime #documentary
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  63: The Details behind the Christa Pike botched Execution this week, Ted Kacsynski’s Downfall & Your Questions 09.10.2026 25Min.

  An execution that was supposed to end in death has taken a shocking turn in Tennessee, where Christa Pike survived two rounds of lethal injections. Now awake in hospital, Pike is facing a long recovery as her lawyers demand answers about what went wrong—and a judge has ordered officials to preserve evidence that could shed light on the botched execution.In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Christa Pike execution this week and what happens next.Then we get into your questions:  What shaped Ted Kaczynski into the Unabomber?, The role gender plays in psychopathy and Buddy’s experience at the Charles Manson funeral. 
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  62: Ted Kaczynski: Inside the Hunt for the Unabomber 07.10.2026 55Min.

  How does a teenage math genius become the Unabomber?For nearly two decades, Ted Kaczynski carried out a bombing campaign across the United States, killing three people and injuring more than twenty others. Then he demanded that newspapers publish a 35,000-word manifesto explaining why.In this episode of UNMARKED, I speak with retired FBI Special Agent James Fitzgerald, the criminal profiler and forensic linguist who worked the UNABOM investigation and helped connect Kaczynski’s writing to the man behind the bombs.We go back through his childhood as an extraordinarily gifted and isolated kid, Harvard, the controversial psychological experiments conducted by Henry Murray, the persistent claims about MKUltra, his brief career as a mathematics professor at Berkeley, his retreat to a remote cabin in Montana, and the rejection and resentment that appear again and again throughout his life.Was Ted Kaczynski simply a brilliant man driven insane by modern society? Did the Harvard experiments really help create the Unabomber? Or has the mythology surrounding Kaczynski obscured a much more complicated story?Research in This Episode:Francis, R., Hawes, D. J., & Abbott, M. (2016). “Intellectual Giftedness and Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review.” Exceptional Children, 82(3), 279–302. DOI: 10.1177/0014402915598779.Downey, G., & Feldman, S. I. (1996). Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1327–1343. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.70.6.1327Show Notes:If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 
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  62: Philadelphia Serial Killer? When Did the Murders Begin? 05.10.2026 20Min.

  Is the suspected Philadelphia serial killer case much older than investigators realise?This week, I’m digging deeper into the life of R.C. Horsch—and I believe the timeline may be one of the most important parts of this story. While much of the attention has focused on the house in Olney where human remains were discovered in June 2026, my reporting is taking me back decades earlier.I’ve been speaking with people who knew Horsch and examining a roughly 35-year period in his life. Horsch presented disturbing artwork from the perspective of a serial killer as fiction. But with authorities now investigating his possible connection to multiple deaths, it raises an unsettling question: was it simply art, or could some of it have reflected something real?The trail leads to Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia, where Horsch became a fixture in a neighbourhood with a large population of vulnerable women, including sex workers. I’m now examining incidents, arrests and other evidence from this period to understand whether the story that emerged from the Olney house in 2026 may actually have begun decades earlier.Every Monday, I’ll bring you inside my investigation: what I’ve found, what has changed, what we can establish—and what I’m still trying to figure out.#PhiladelphiaSerialKiller #RCHorsch #Philadelphia #Kensington #TrueCrime #Unmarked
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  61: What Does a Forensic Psychologist Actually Do? | Case Notes 04.10.2026 14Min.

  What does a forensic psychologist actually do—and what can psychology really tell us about serial killers?This week on Case Notes, I sit down with Dr. Eric Hickey, one of America’s leading experts on serial murder, violent offenders, and forensic psychology. Dr. Hickey has spent decades studying some of the most notorious offenders in modern history. We’ve previously featured his work in our episodes on Jeffrey Dahmer and Clifford Olson, and we’re currently preparing another conversation examining Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer.Rather than beginning with a killer, I wanted to understand the discipline itself: What does a forensic psychologist actually do? How do they study violent offenders? What can they determine—and where are the limits of psychology when we try to explain extreme violence? Dr. Hickey also discusses the development of modern serial-killer research, what decades of studying offenders have taught him, and some of the misconceptions that still surround forensic psychology today.Check out Dr. Hickey’s podcast Dark Matters which explores the science behind violent crime and how to prevent it. #ForensicPsychology #SerialKillers #TrueCrime #whattowatch #CriminalPsychology
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  60: Highlights from the Lindsey Clancy Hearing This Week, Charles Ng and Leonard Lake & Your Questions 02.10.2026 24Min.

  The case that left a Massachusetts community stunned is taking another unexpected turn as Lindsay Clancy returns to court following a mistrial in the deaths of her three children. Her defence is now challenging the evidence against her as prosecutors weigh whether to try the case again. In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Lindsey Clancy hearing this week and what happens next could reshape the case all over again.Then we get into your questions:  How did Leonard Lake and Charles Ng form such a unique bond?, Did Russell William's wife know anything about his crimes? And a question about Buddy’s conversations with Charles Manson. 
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  59: Charles Ng & Leonard Lake: When Two Psychopaths Find Each Other 30.09.2026 51Min.

  What happens when two psychopaths find each other—and realize they share the same violent fantasies?This episode is part of Psychopath², a series of UNMARKED episodes examining what happens when serial killers work together. For this episode of UNMARKED, I went through Charles Ng’s prison letters, court records, investigative files, and contemporary reporting to understand the relationship between Ng and Leonard Lake.Lake had spent years documenting increasingly sadistic fantasies he called Operation Miranda. Ng brought his own history of violence, grievance, theft, weapons, and grandiose fantasy. When the two men came together, those private obsessions became something operational. This episode traces both men from childhood through the military, survivalist circles, the Wilseyville property, the murders, the M-Ladies tapes, and finally Ng’s capture in Calgary.Research in This Episode: de Ruiter, C., Burghart, M., De Silva, R., Griesbeck Garcia, S., Mian, U., Walshe, E., & Zouharova, V. (2022). A meta-analysis of childhood maltreatment in relation to psychopathic traits. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272704. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272704. Show Notes:If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 
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  59: Philadelphia Serial Killer? What We Know So Far 28.09.2026 12Min.

  Is Philadelphia dealing with a serial killer—or are the headlines getting ahead of the evidence?A sprawling investigation in Philadelphia has connected Raymond “R.C.” Horsch and his son, Eugene Horsch, to a growing mystery involving missing women, Kensington’s sex-work corridor, and a house in the city’s Olney neighbourhood.In the first episode of this ongoing investigation, I break down what we actually know, what the media may be getting wrong, and the evidence that has led police to examine the Horsch family.This is an active investigation. Police have linked multiple missing women to Raymond Horsch and the Olney property, but major questions remain unanswered. No one has been convicted of murdering these women, and allegations and suspicions should not be confused with established fact.Over the coming weeks, I’ll continue following the evidence, digging into the records, and separating what we know from what we think we know.#PhiladelphiaSerialKiller #RaymondHorsch #EugeneHorsch #Kensington #Philadelphia #TrueCrime
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  58: Lizzie Borden Expert Fact-Checks Netflix’s Monster | Case Notes 27.09.2026 25Min.

  Netflix has reignited the debate over Lizzie Borden—but how much of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is actually true?Cara Robertson Phd, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden, returns to UNMARKED to separate fact from fiction. We break down what Netflix got right, what it changed, and the historical evidence behind one of America’s most infamous murder cases.We also tackle some of the series’ biggest creative choices: its portrayal of Lizzie, its themes of female rage and feminism, and the controversial decision to bring serial killer Aileen Wuornos into Lizzie Borden’s story.Did Netflix illuminate Lizzie Borden—or turn a complicated historical case into something closer to true-crime fan fiction?Cara Robertson has spent years studying the Borden case, the original trial, and the historical record. This is our deep dive into what really happened in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892—and how it compares with the story Netflix is telling today.#LizzieBorden #MonsterNetflix #Netflix #TrueCrime #AileenWuornos 
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  57: A Eugene Horsch Case Update, Casey Anthony & Your Questions 25.09.2026 33Min.

  A disturbing investigation in Philadelphia is taking another turn, as five missing women are now linked to the home connected to Eugene Horsch. Investigators continue to sift through more than one million images and videos recovered from the property, while new evidence and newly surfaced photographs are adding to the questions surrounding what happened inside the house—and what investigators may still uncover.In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the new information in the Eugene Horsch story and how the story goes all the way back to the 1970sThen we get to your questions: Is Casey Anthony capable of telling the truth, what happened to the children of the Manson family and the story behind James freeing an innocent victim from prison. Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on Youtube or Apple Podcasts, DM @ Unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @ JamesBuddyDay.
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  56: Casey Anthony: The Problem With the Truth 23.09.2026 1Std. 2Min.

  What if Casey Anthony finally told the truth—would anyone believe her?Nearly twenty years after Caylee Anthony disappeared, the case remains one of the most controversial mysteries in American true crime. Casey lied about her job, invented a nanny, misled investigators and waited 31 days before her daughter was reported missing. But a jury still found her not guilty of murder.In this episode of UNMARKED, I sit down with lead prosecutor Jeff Ashton and challenge him on the evidence, the timeline and the questions I still have about what happened on June 16, 2008. I also speak with reporter Steve Helling, revisit the places at the center of the case, and dig into Casey’s extraordinary pattern of lying.Research in This Episode:Tejasvi Kainth et al. (2026), “Pseudologia fantastica: a systematic review of sociodemographic features and psychiatric comorbidities,” Annals of Medicine & Surgery, 88(7), 4487–4497. Miethe, S., Wigger, J., Wartemann, A., Fuchs, F. O., & Trautmann, S. (2023). “Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and its Association with Rumination, Thought Suppression and Experiential Avoidance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 45, 480–495.Show Notes:If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 
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  55: What Creates a Serial Killer? The Psychology of Attachment | Case Notes 20.09.2026 17Min.

  How much of who we become is shaped before we can even remember it?In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I sit down with clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho to talk about attachment—how our earliest relationships shape the way we see ourselves, connect with other people, and respond to the world around us.We break down attachment theory, the different attachment styles, what happens when those early bonds are disrupted, and how childhood experiences can continue influencing behavior decades later.#TrueCrime #Psychology #AttachmentTheory #SerialKillers #DrJudyHo #CaseNotes 
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  55: The Nick Reiner Pre-Trial Hearing, Lizzie Borden & Your Questions 18.09.2026 28Min.

  A shocking case is entering a new chapter as Nick Reiner appears in court for a pre-trial hearing in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty, while questions over sealed grand jury evidence and what comes next in the case continue to unfold.In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the pre-trial hearing of the Nick Reiner case and what happens next. Then we get into your questions:  Why did Lizzie Borden kill her parents?, Was Gary Heidnik really insane, and Buddy’s favourite kind of movie projects. Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.
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  54: Lizzie Borden: Creating a Monster with Dr. Cara Robertson 16.09.2026 39Min.

  What if everything we think we know about Lizzie Borden is wrong?With Netflix once again turning Lizzie Borden into a monster, we're going back to the woman behind the legend. In 1892, Lizzie stood trial for the brutal murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, inside their Fall River home. She was acquitted—but more than 130 years later, we're still trying to explain who she was and what could have driven her to kill, if she did.This week on UNMARKED, I’m joined by Dr. Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden and one of the foremost researchers on the case, to separate the historical Lizzie from the character we've created around her.We reconstruct the morning of the murders, examine the evidence against Lizzie, the alleged attempt to purchase poison, the disputed murder weapon, the Borden family's simmering resentments, and the psychology of parricide. And we trace how each generation has reinvented Lizzie—from Victorian spinster to abused daughter to cold-blooded heiress and, now, Netflix monster.Research in This Episode:Heide KM. Patricide and steppatricide victims and offenders: an empirical analysis of U.S. arrest data. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2014 Nov;58(11):1261-78.Show Notes:If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 
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  53: Why Did the Lindsay Clancy Trial End in a Mistrial? | Case Notes 13.09.2026 15Min.

  I’m joined by Brandi Churchwell, host of the 13th Juror Podcast, to break down the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. We talk about what happened in the courtroom, the reaction to the decision, what the jury actually decided—and some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the case.We also dig into the difficult questions at the heart of this trial: mental illness, criminal responsibility, and why this case has produced such dramatically different reactions from people following it.#LindsayClancy #TrueCrime #CaseNotes #podcast #UNMARKED
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  52: The Lindsey Clancy mistrial, Gary Heidnik & Your Questions 11.09.2026 21Min.

  Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.A controversial case has taken another dramatic turn in Massachusetts, where a mistrial was declared after jurors deadlocked in Lindsay Clancy’s trial for the deaths of her three children. Now, prosecutors must decide whether to try the case again—while the debate over mental illness, accountability and what happened in the days leading up to the tragedy continues.In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the mistrial in the Lindsey Clancy case and what happens next. Then we get into your questions:  Gary Heidnik and his connect to Silence of the Lambs, Clifford Olson’s adaptability, and a review of Charlie Hunnam’s performance of Ed Gein. 
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  50: Gary Heidnik: The Real Horror Behind The Silence of the Lambs 09.09.2026 47Min.

  Was Gary Heidnik legally insane—or did he know exactly what he was doing?The crimes committed inside Gary Heidnik’s North Philadelphia home became infamous for their brutality—and would later draw comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs. But beneath the mythology of the so-called “Monster Preacher” is a much more difficult question about mental illness, culpability, and the way the law defines sanity.Heidnik had a documented history of severe mental illness stretching back decades. He experienced delusions, believed God had given him a mission, and constructed an elaborate fantasy that ultimately helped drive his crimes. Yet prosecutors pointed to his ability to plan, manipulate, conceal evidence, and evade police as proof that he understood exactly what he was doing.In this episode of UNMARKED, I speak with legendary Philadelphia defense attorney Chuck Peruto, who represented Heidnik at trial, to reconstruct the case and examine the insanity defense that nearly saved him from a death sentence.Research in This Episode:Bryant, B. R., et al. (2022). “Behavioral and Emotional Dyscontrol Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging and Electrophysiological Correlates.” Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, 63(5), 434–449.Show Notes:If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.Join here:https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.