Truer Crime

Welcome to Season Seven of Nobody Should Believe Me. Andrea revisits the case of Maya Kowalski—the story at the center of the Netflix film Take Care of Maya–and the family’s high-profile lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. What became widely framed as a story about “medical kidnapping” began when hospital staff reported suspected medical child abuse after Maya arrived with a history of extreme ketamine treatments.  How did a case of horrific abuse become a story about evil doctors kidnapping children? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Truer Crime, we return to the disappearance of eight-year-old Relisha Rudd. In 2014, Relisha vanished from a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter. She was not officially reported missing for eighteen days. More than a decade later, she has never been found. I’m joined by Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson, co-founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, to discuss their two-part YouTube docuseries, The Vanishing of Relisha Rudd: A Cold Case Re-examined, and the broader patterns that shape cases like hers. We talk about media disparities, reporting delays, public alert systems that aren’t always activated, and what it means to advocate for missing people of color inside systems that don’t respond equally. To learn more about the Black and Missing Foundation or watch the docuseries: bamfi.org hwb5k.org Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Keep up with us through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Truer Crime Substack Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

True crime is usually something we consume at a distance, through headlines, documentaries, podcasts. But what happens when those stories are tied to real places you can stand in front of? In this bonus episode, I’m joined by Adam Paul Levine, the founder of Graveline Tours, a Los Angeles–based company that takes people through the city’s most infamous crime scenes in restored vintage funeral limousines. On its surface, true crime tourism can feel unsettling. But Adam and I quickly find ourselves asking the same questions: why are we drawn to these stories in the first place? What responsibility do storytellers have to victims and their families? And where is the line between education, empathy, and exploitation? Much of our conversation centers on the Menendez brothers case, from the media’s fixation on sexuality and spectacle, to the cultural moment that shaped the trials, to the ripple effects of the O.J. Simpson case on their fate. We talk about how narratives are built, distorted, and remembered and how those narratives still carry real consequences today. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Keep up with us through our ⁠⁠⁠Truer Crime Substack Newsletter⁠⁠⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us were taught a simple version of what happened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: a lone gunman, a closed case, a tragic end. This episode of Truer Crime looks beyond that familiar story. Drawing on historical records, testimony, and a little-known 1999 civil trial brought by the King family, it examines the years of surveillance, intimidation, and unanswered questions surrounding King’s assassination. Originally released one year ago, this episode feels newly relevant today, not because it offers easy answers, but because it asks what happens when narratives about state violence harden before the truth is fully known. Whether you’re listening for the first time or returning with new perspective, this is an invitation to slow down and look again. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Keep up with us through our ⁠⁠Truer Crime Substack Newsletter⁠⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years after Jennifer Kirk was found dead on former mayor Clement Richards Sr.’s property, another woman was discovered at that same address: 30-year-old Susanna “Sue Sue” Norton, who was in a relationship with one of Richard's sons. To this day, no one has been charged in connection to her murder. Today’s episode examines how this could happen again on the same property, the questions still surrounding Sue Sue’s death, and the deeply broken systems that continue to fail Indigenous women and girls across Alaska. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠⁠⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠. Keep up with us through our ⁠Truer Crime Substack Newsletter⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly Substack newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the small town of Kotzebue, Alaska, police responded to a call at the mayor’s property and found 25-year-old Jennifer Kirk dead, a rifle beside her and a bullet wound under her chin. Within days, her death was ruled a suicide. But many in the community saw something different: a history of domestic violence involving all three of the mayor’s sons, unanswered questions at the scene, and an investigation closed almost as soon as it began. Today’s episode examines a powerful family, a rushed case, and a community still searching for the truth. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠⁠⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠. Keep up with us through our ⁠Truer Crime Substack Newsletter⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Within days of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, her mother suspected Joran van der Sloot was involved. What she couldn’t have known was just how much, and for how long, Joran would manipulate the truth. For nearly two decades, he cycled through lies, near-confessions, and sensational claims that kept Natalee’s story in the headlines while dragging her family through hell. In Part 2, we follow the Holloways through the maze of shifting stories, the scams and false leads, a shocking murder in Peru, and finally, after eighteen years, the shocking revelation that broke the case wide open. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠. Keep up with us through our Truer Crime Substack Newsletter. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly Substack newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished during a senior trip to Aruba, a disappearance that captured international attention and reshaped the island overnight. Her family fought for answers with a level of visibility most grieving families could only dream of. But more attention doesn’t always mean more truth. In Part 1 of our two-part deep dive, we revisit the night Natalee went missing, the investigation that unraveled almost immediately, and the media storm that turned her case into a global spectacle. This episode examines what the spotlight illuminated, and what it obscured, in a family’s desperate search for their daughter. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠. Keep up with us through our Truer Crime Substack Newsletter. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly Substack newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, I sit down with investigative reporter Jennifer Mayerle, the journalist behind the WCCO documentary Footprint to Murder. Jennifer spent years following Jeanie Childs’ case, building trust with Jeanie’s family and navigating the emotional and ethical challenges of reporting a story this complex. We talk about what it was like to cover this case from the inside: the relationships behind the reporting, the tensions around forensic genetic genealogy, and how the footprint evidence shaped the investigation. We also get into the questions that still linger, and what it means to center a victim’s humanity in a story often flattened by headlines. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly Substack newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than 25 years, Jeanie’s case stayed unsolved. Investigators had fragments—a DNA profile appearing across key items, a set of bloody footprints—but not a name. Then, a new technology entered the picture with the potential to blow the whole case wide open. In Part 2, we follow the quiet breakthrough that put a suspect in focus, the messy, very human work of proving it, and the questions that still remain about privacy, power, and what “justice” really means for a grieving family. Want early access to every episode, all at once? Tenderfoot+ subscribers get the full case at the start of each month—plus ad-free listening and exclusive content from over 30 shows. Sign up at ⁠tenderfootplus.com⁠. Find all action items, sources, and resources in the show notes at ⁠truercrimepodcast.com⁠. Follow @truercrimepod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠. Follow me @celisiastanton on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for my weekly Substack newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Sincerely, Celisia⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices