Criminally Obsessed

The Terrifying Disappearance of Madison Fields — Her Parents' Plea for Help

It's been more than 3 weeks since 16-year-old Madison Fields was last seen by her parents, or by anyone. What started as a search for a missing teen in Colerain Township, Ohio has shifted to an FBI investigation into the dark corners of the internet - encrypted apps, private messaging platforms - and the people who hide there, preying on kids and teens. We now know that a 43-year-old man named Kyle Lawrence has been arrested in Buffalo, New York in connection with the investigation. He’s charged...

Accident or Murder — What Really Happened to Casey Pitzer?

Watch the Criminally Obsessed original documentary "Dead Silence: The Casey Pitzer Investigation" out now on our YouTube channel . “She's got her hand on my shoulder guiding me slowly. But she's there. She's there with me all the time." Nearly thirteen years ago, a day meant to celebrate luck and joy took a dark turn for 32-year-old mother Casey Pitzer. She was last seen leaving a bar in Wilmington, Ohio the night before St. Patrick’s Day 2013... and was later discovered a week later in a retent...

"My Life WAS Normal" — Daughter Reveals Debra Newton's Lies

Michelle Newton was found 42 years after police say her mom kidnapped her and she’s now revealing more of her mother’s lies. When Anne Emerson first spoke with her back in December after the viral video of her mother’s arrest in Marion County, Florida, Michelle had so many emotions about finding out who she really was and catching up with family she’d never met. The federal investigation into why her mom left was still fresh and left her with many unanswered questions. Michelle has spent the las...

Reunited After 42 Years — Joe Newton Tells All

For many of us, the case of Michelle Newton started with a viral video of a woman being arrested in Florida. But for Joe Newton, this case started decades ago, when his wife and 3-year-old daughter up and vanished from their life in rural Kentucky. We now know the woman in the video was Debra Newton, arrested for kidnapping her own daughter, Michelle. We’ve seen Debra's arrest and interrogation, and even spoke with Michelle back in December, when the life-altering identity shift was still sinkin...

5 Traits of Partners Who Poison — A Psychologist Explains

All eyes are on the trial of Kouri Richins, the Utah mom accused of murdering her husband by poisoning his cocktail with a lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022. Following her husband’s death, Kouri wrote a children’s book about grief and healing for her kids – which prosecutors are trying to prove was just part of her painting a narrative of being a good mother, not a murderer. We learned from forensic expert and host of the Body Bags podcast, Joseph Scott Morgan, about the “how” of poisoning deaths....

The Dark Reality of Missing Kids — An Urgent Message for Parents

When Savannah Guthrie announced her family’s $1 million for information for the recovery of her missing mother, Nancy, she also acknowledged the many cases that don’t get a spotlight. In a generous act to help other families, Savannah donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Gavin Portnoy, NCMEC’s VP of Communications and Brand, to learn the cost – both financially and emotionally – of searching for missi...

Do Rewards Work? — The Million Dollar Nancy Guthrie Question

What can a reward really do for an investigation? For all of us following the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie from her Tucson, Arizona home, it’s the million dollar question we’re all wondering about after Savannah Guthrie made the announcement. The Guthrie siblings are now offering up to $1 million for information leading to the recovery of their mother, that’s in addition to the FBI’s $100,000 reward. Will it spur someone to come forward? To find out, we had to speak with someone who worked cas...

Husband KILLED With a Cocktail? — Inside the Kouri Richins Trial with Joseph Scott Morgan

Kouri Richins murder trial began this week in Utah. Her husband’s sudden death led her to write a children’s book about grief and healing for her three young sons at least. Now, Kouri is on trial, accused of poisoning her husband in 2022. Eric Richins had five times the lethal limit of fentanyl in his system. Prosecutors say she laced his drink because she wanted money and a new life with her lover. In this episode, Anne Emerson is joined by friend of the Criminally Obsessed family, Joseph Scott...

Tracing DNA At Nancy Guthrie Scene — What Aren't Investigators Saying?

We're now into the fourth week of the search for Nancy Guthrie. The question on everyone’s mind is: what happens next? ‘Today’ show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother was last seen on the night of January 31st, before being taken against her will from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Where does the investigation turn now, and what will finally spark the breakthrough that brings her home? To go beyond the headlines and understand what’s happening behind the scenes, investigative reporter An...

"PLEASE HELP ME!!" — Clerk Protects Kidnapping Victim

When a barefoot and bloody woman rushed into a Butler, PA convenience store - the clerk, Tori, didn’t hesitate to help. Viral surveillance footage shows Tori springing into action to protect the woman, and it’s nothing short of incredible. Police say the victim was assaulted and kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend after she said she didn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day with him. When police caught her alleged attacker, Kenneth Clarke, they asked where he was going that day - they say he replied “on a ...

"A Club No One Wants In" — Brittanee Drexel's Mom Prays for Guthrie Family

Three weeks in and everyone is tired of waiting for the next big break in the Guthrie case. But just imagine what the family is feeling, with no sleep and nonstop stress and worry. Dawn Conley says finding a missing person is like finding a needle in a haystack and she would know. Her 17-year-old daughter, Brittanee Drexel disappeared during Spring Break 2009 and wasn't found until 2022. Meaning, she was missing for 13 years. Right now, Nancy Guthrie has been missing for nearly three weeks. Dawn...

"Where's The Rest of The Blood?" Forensic Expert Talks DNA at Nancy Guthrie Crime Scene

Now that we know the black glove did not come back with a DNA hit, what's next in the Guthrie Investigation? Investigators are working on leads from the Nest doorbell cam, finding out who purchased the intruder's clothes and backpack from Walmart, and any information from Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker. When Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson spoke to a forensic expert about the possibility a blue light was brought back into the crime scene, Dr. Laura Pettler wanted to know, "Where was the rest of t...

Amanda Knox on Why She Returned to Italy

In 2007, British student Meredith Kercher was brutally murdered in Perugia, Italy—a crime that sparked an international media circus, a sensationalized trial, and the wrongful conviction of her American roommate, Amanda Knox. So why did Amanda choose to return to Italy to confront the place, and specifically the person, who convinced the world she was a monster? What happened when she sat down face to face with her prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini? Investigative reporter Anne Emerson sits down with ...

"I Was Married To Debra Newton" — 2nd Husband Tells All

Wayne’s world has been turned upside down. He just learned that his 10 year marriage to Sharon Brookover was a scam. She wasn’t who she said she was — a single mom just trying to raise her daughter and lead a private life. She was wanted for taking her daughter from their Kentucky home in 1983 and vanishing. Her name was actually Debra Newton. Wayne Brookover says he always suspected she was hiding something, but never thought it was this serious. Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson gets more in...

"YOUR NAME IS MICHELLE NEWTON" — Truth Revealed After 42 Years

What if you found out that you aren’t who you think you are... and you’ve been missing for 42 years?! That’s what happened to Michelle Newton. She’d always felt like there was something not quite right about her life and in fact, at one point, a relative joked that “you’re probably on a milk carton somewhere.” Michelle and her mom moved away from home when she was three, leaving everyone behind and then her mom changed their identities. 66-year-old Debra Newton was arrested in Florida on Novembe...

Elizabeth Smart on Recovery — "My Heart Didn't Match My Brain"

“It’s okay to grieve the life you feel like was lost to you.” Elizabeth Smart speaks from experience, and she believes telling stories helps people understand. You probably remember her name and face. She’s been an advocate for people who’ve been victims of sexual violence for 20 years. Elizabeth was kidnapped from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City home in 2002 when she was 14 years old and held captive by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee for nine months. During that time, she was manipulat...

“I’M SCARED! I’M SCARED!” — Neighbor Speaks About Finding Woman Locked In Kennel

“YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOUR NEIGHBOR IS.” Wise words from 24-year-old Justin Anderson of Anson, Texas. He came home the Saturday night before Thanksgiving and heard screaming and banging from his neighbor’s yard. When he went to investigate, he could not believe what he found. The fence was so high, he had to hold his phone up to see what was going on, but when he looked, he found a woman locked inside a kennel surrounded by tarps and screaming that she was scared. He called 911, but to add to the ...

Murdaugh Family Housekeeper Tells All – Who Was Maggie Murdaugh? (Part 3 of 3)

What kind of person was Maggie Murdaugh? We’ve seen the pictures, maybe watched the Hulu series and made assumptions. But we don’t KNOW Maggie. Not like Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson did. She spent a lot of time inside the Murdaugh home, helping Maggie run the household. But more than that - they sure did have a lot of fun. They were more like sisters or girlfriends—cooking together, trying the latest diet craze, and talking about makeup and fashion. In part three of our interview with Blanca, she t...

Murdaugh Family Housekeeper Tells All – How Bubba The Dog Helped Convict Alex (Part 2 of 3)

"God Bless Bubba" That 3 word quote from Murdaugh Prosecutor John Meadors may have been one of the most repeated lines from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial. That's because of a video Paul Murdaugh recorded minutes before he and his mother, Maggie, were murdered. He was trying to get video of a friend's dog because it had something wrong with his tail, but on the video which became a key piece of evidence during the trial, you can hear Alex Murdaugh saying Bubba's name. He had a chicken or a guine...

Murdaugh Family Housekeeper Tells All – 10 Things She Saw That No One Else Did (Part 1 of 3)

WHO WERE THE CLEANERS? In this three-part interview with the woman who knew everything about the Murdaughs, Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson details all the clues she picked up on after the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. We counted more than 10! To an outsider, they may have seemed insignificant or mundane, but not to this Murdaugh insider. Blanca, the family helper and Maggie's confidante, gives theories on who she believes Alex planned to frame... and then details why she doesn’t believe Alex M...

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