Bad Things: True Crime

On February 1, 2026, Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of NBC Today anchor Savannah Guthrie — vanished from her Tucson home in the middle of the night. What investigators found has left them baffled: an armed masked suspect on doorbell footage, blood on the porch, ransom notes sent to the media instead of the family, and DNA from an unknown male recovered miles from the scene. 17 days later, Nancy has not been found.Was this a targeted kidnapping? A burglary that spiraled catastrophically? An inside job? Or something else entirely? The FBI has received over 40,000 tips, offered a $100,000 reward, and cleared the entire Guthrie family — but no suspect has been named. The ransom demands made no sense. The deadlines came and went. And the person on that doorbell camera understood forensics... but moved like an amateur.In this episode, we walk through every piece of evidence, every theory investigators are pursuing, and the one question that haunts this case: Where is Nancy Guthrie? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we dive into one of the most haunting questions in American history: What did Bobby Kennedy really believe about who killed his brother, President John F. Kennedy?Officially, the Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Case closed.But privately? That’s where the story becomes far more complicated.After the assassination in 1963, Robert F. Kennedy never publicly challenged the lone gunman narrative. As Attorney General—and later a U.S. Senator—he had enormous political reasons to avoid igniting a national crisis. Yet those closest to him would later suggest he never believed Oswald acted alone.The episode explores:Why Bobby reportedly suspected organized crime—particularly the Mafia.His deep and personal hatred of mob bosses like Carlos Marcello, whom he had aggressively prosecuted and even deported.The strange claim Marcello allegedly made years later: that killing JFK was retaliation for Bobby’s war on organized crime.The CIA and Cuba angle—especially tensions surrounding anti-Castro operations after the Bay of Pigs.Why Bobby quietly sent intermediaries to investigate possible mob involvement instead of publicly reopening the case.And why, despite his private suspicions, he chose silence.We also examine Bobby’s own assassination in 1968—and how his death permanently sealed whatever conclusions he may have reached.Was it the Mafia seeking revenge? Rogue intelligence actors? A broader conspiracy hidden beneath Cold War tensions? Or something even more complex?This episode doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it reconstructs Bobby Kennedy’s mindset—his grief, his political constraints, and the dangerous enemies he knew his brother had made.More than anything, it leaves us with a chilling possibility:If Bobby believed Oswald wasn’t the real story… how close did he get to the truth before he was killed himself?The mystery remains open. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Thanksgiving Day 1934, three-year-old Rita Lent vanished from her family’s rural Ohio farm without a sound or a witness. Months later, her body was found—but the sheriff made a shocking claim: she hadn’t been dead since the day she disappeared.In this episode of Bad Things, we retrace the timeline, examine the investigation, and ask the question that still haunts the case: what most likely happened to Rita Lent? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mekayla Bali disappeared in 2016 after being seen multiple times in and around her hometown, acting as if she were waiting for someone who never arrived. Surveillance footage shows her visiting shops, changing locations, and making requests that suggest a plan—but one she never explained to anyone. Her phone went silent shortly after, cutting off the only clear thread investigators had to follow. Despite extensive searches and countless tips, no trace of her has ever been found. Whatever happened to Mekayla Bali seems to hinge on a final decision no one witnessed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blair Adams left Canada in 1996 convinced someone was trying to kill him, and within days, he was dead in a Knoxville construction site. He was found with his money scattered around him, his body partially undressed, and injuries that didn’t clearly explain how he died. Investigators ruled it an accident, but the scene raised more questions than answers. No suspects were ever named, and no clear motive was established. Decades later, the death of Blair Adams still feels like the final chapter of a story missing its middle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julie Ward vanished in Kenya’s Masai Mara in 1988, and what was later found were not answers but fragments that only deepened the mystery. Official explanations shifted repeatedly, from animal attack to accident, even as forensic evidence pointed toward deliberate human involvement. Key details were ignored, altered, or buried, raising questions about whether the truth was intentionally obscured. Despite years of investigation and relentless pressure from her family, no one has ever been held accountable. What remains is the unsettling possibility that the full story of Julie Ward was never meant to come out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we examine the unresolved disappearance of Asha Degree, a nine-year-old girl who vanished from her home in Shelby, North Carolina, in the early hours of February 14, 2000.Asha was last seen leaving her house alone in the middle of the night during a cold rainstorm. Multiple motorists later reported seeing a small child walking along Highway 18, several miles from her home. When one driver tried to approach her, the child ran into the nearby woods.More than a year later, Asha’s backpack was discovered buried along the same highway, wrapped in plastic. Its contents raised new questions and suggested that someone may have been involved in her disappearance.Despite extensive searches, national media coverage, and decades of investigation, no confirmed suspects have ever been named. Authorities continue to believe that Asha did not survive, but the circumstances surrounding why she left her home — and who she may have encountered — remain unknown.More than twenty years later, the case of Asha Degree remains one of the most disturbing and puzzling child disappearance cases in American history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June 1995, 27-year-old morning news anchor Jodi Huisentruit vanished outside her apartment in Mason City, Iowa while heading to work before dawn. Her belongings — including her car key, high heel, and blow dryer — were found scattered in the parking lot, suggesting a sudden struggle. Despite national attention, multiple suspects, and years of investigation, no trace of Jodi has ever been found. In this episode, we cut through conflicting leads, suspicious behavior, and decades of unanswered questions to uncover what most likely happened to Jodi Huisentruit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2025, 18-year-old Anna Kepner from Titusville, Florida boarded the Carnival Horizon for what should have been a celebratory trip. But on November 7, while the vessel was at sea, her life abruptly ended — and the cause remains undisclosed. With the ship returning to Miami the next day and the FBI opening an investigation amid minimal public updates, questions swirl around what really happened aboard that cruise. In this episode, we cut through cruise-line secrecy, jurisdictional complexity, and scant evidence to uncover what most likely happened to Anna Kepner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 1995, hotel staff at Oslo’s luxurious Plaza Hotel discovered the body of an unidentified woman in Room 2805. She had been shot through the head, and all labels had been removed from her clothing. There were no fingerprints, no passport, and no record of anyone seeing her check in. Norwegian police ruled it a suicide — but the evidence didn’t add up. For nearly three decades, investigators and amateur sleuths have tried to uncover who she was and what really happened in that room. In this episode, we cut through conflicting clues, strange details, and official silence to uncover what most likely happened to the Oslo Plaza Woman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.