209: The Tylenol Murders

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Leigh Occhi or details about her disappearance is asked to call the Tupelo Police Department at (662) 841-6491 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at 1-800-773-TIPS (8477).On a stormy morning in 1992, 13‑year‑old Leigh Occhi vanished from her Mississippi home, leaving behind blood, questions, and a mother who insists she has no idea what happened. The front door was locked, the house was quiet, and Leigh was simply gone, as if she’d stepped out of her life mid‑routine. Decades later, her disappearance still lingers like a ghost over Tupelo, a mystery etched in storm clouds, unanswered phone calls, and a single, haunting question: how does a child disappear without a trace from her own home?

Giulia Tofana was the whispered secret of desperate wives: a woman who bottled death and sold it as salvation. Her creation, the infamous Aqua Tofana, slipped into wine and soup without taste or trace, leaving doctors baffled and husbands quietly buried. In the candlelit streets of 17th‑century Italy, her name became a rumour, a warning, and a legend, proof that sometimes the most dangerous killer looks like a helpful friend.

In 1984, the body of an unidentified man was found in Volusia County, Florida, leaving behind almost no clues to who he was, how he lived, or why he died. Decades later, investigators and online sleuths are still trying to put a name to this John Doe and piece together the final hours that led to his lonely death. This episode takes a broad, introductory look at the case, the few details we do know, and the haunting question at the heart of every unidentified victim: how does someone simply vanish from the record?

One killer, six young girls, one city gripped by fear. In the early 1970s, an unknown predator stalked the highways around Washington, D.C., snatching children off the streets and leaving their bodies by the roadside. In this episode, we step into the shadow of the Freeway Phantom: a faceless figure who taunted police, devastated families, and then vanished, leaving behind a trail of questions that still haunt investigators today.

Magdalene laundries were so‑called “refuges” or institutions where women and girls were sent for moral “correction”, often made to work long hours in harsh conditions with little or no pay. In this episode, we introduce the history of these laundries, why they existed, and how they affected the lives of those who passed through them.

FROM THE VAULT | In 1982, a series of sudden, unexplained deaths in the Chicago area sparked nationwide panic and forever changed how consumer products are packaged and protected. Victims had taken capsules of Tylenol that had been secretly laced with cyanide. The case, which became known as the Chicago Tylenol murders, remains one of the most chilling unsolved crimes in American history.

Adrienne Shelly was a gifted actress and filmmaker, best known for her work both in front of and behind the camera. In 2006, her life was tragically cut short in New York City under circumstances that initially raised more questions than answers. What first appeared to be a suicide was later revealed to be a devastating act of violence, forcing investigators, loved ones, and the public to confront the truth behind her death.

FROM THE VAULT | Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s brightest stars - a child actress turned icon whose career spanned decades and generations. But in 1981, her life was cut short under circumstances that remain deeply controversial. When Natalie drowned off the coast of Catalina Island during a weekend aboard a yacht with her husband Robert Wagner and co-star Christopher Walken, questions quickly overshadowed the official explanation.

n 1910, Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen was convicted of murdering his wife and became the first criminal ever captured with the help of wireless technology. For over a century, the case has been considered closed.But what if it isn’t?New DNA analysis has raised unsettling questions about the evidence used to condemn Crippen, challenging long-held assumptions about the remains found beneath his London home. Was the body really his wife’s? And if not, how did a case built on circumstantial evidence, forensic uncertainty, and media frenzy lead to one of the most infamous executions in British history?

FROM THE VAULT | In the late 20th century, a chilling pattern emerged in Ireland. Young women vanished without warning from a small geographic area stretching across the east of the country. leaving behind few clues, no bodies, and families desperate for answers. The region would come to be known as the Irish Vanishing Triangle.