You probably know that the Internet has developed a true crime fascination, for everything from serial killer documentaries and movies to a new classic in the podcasting world: the true crime podcast. Serial arguably popularized the genre in 2014, but I’m here to tell you all about Crime Junkie, one of the best podcasts for all the scariest true stories you didn’t even know existed — and many of them still haven’t been solved yet.
Started in 2017 by hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, Crime Junkie releases a new episode every Monday. These run the gamut from murders to disappearances to inexplicable connections between cases, so to make knowing where to start easier, I’ve compiled a list of the best episodes of Crime Junkie.
This list includes some fan favorite episodes with cases like Bryce Laspisa’s disappearance, Scott Peterson’s potential involvement in his wife Laci’s murder, the death of Kendrick Johnson, and even the terrifying “Mannequin Episode” that’s become notorious among listeners. Be warned that they’re not for the faint of heart, but they are riveting and downright stupefying. If you’re new to true crime and want to find a place to start, look no further.
1. “MURDERED: THE POWELL FAMILY”
This is the kind of episode that sticks with you. It’ll lead you down a rabbit hole, and the more you listen, the more the facts will start to paint a picture of pure dysfunction within this family.
In “MURDERED: The Powell Family,” Susan Powell goes missing in early December of 200 and her husband, Josh,almost immediately becomes the prime suspect due to his convoluted stories and perceived apathy towards his wife’s disappearance. However, the more police dig up on the Powell family, the closer they seem to finally pinning down Josh with their evidence until tragedy strikes. If this case intrigues you, you’re in luck, because Crime Junkie isn’t the only podcast to go in-depth about this murder. Season 1 of the Cold Podcast takes an even more thorough look into the lives of members of the Powell family, so you can queue it up after finishing this episode.
2. “SERIAL KILLER: L.I.S.K.”
L.I.S.K stands for “Long Island Serial Killer,” and the case remains unsolved to this day. In 2010, the disappearance of escort Shannan Gilbert led to a police search that turned up multiple bodies on Long Island’s south shore. The police soon realized that they were dealing with much more than one murder.
This episode highlights multiple theories about potential killers and the possibility of two separate serial killers using the same dumping ground. Netflix also released the film Lost Girls in 2020, which is about the same serial killer, in case you’re looking for even more nightmare fuel. Good luck sleeping tonight, Long Islanders.
3. “INFAMOUS: DARLIE ROUTIER”
As mentioned in this two-part episode, before there was Casey Anthony, there was Darlie Routier. Routier was accused of taking part in the death of her two young sons in 1996. However, those investigating the case at the time appeared to be disinterested in looking into any suspect besides Routier, despite evidence that suggested something else might be afoot. Then again, Routier didn’t help her case much either when she hosted a birthday party at her sons’ graves just eight days after the murder. Take a listen and you be the judge!
4. “MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: LYNN MESSER”
Lynn Messer lived with her family on a sprawling 260-acre farm when she vanished one day in 2014. It took two years until her remains were found on the edge of the family’s cow pasture, a plot of land frequently tended to by members of Lynn’s family. Was this a case of foul play? Why did it take so long to uncover Lynn’s body, when she had never left the property and was found in an area that would have been searched many times over? What can we make of Lynn’s family’s strange behavior if anything? You’ll have to decide for yourself with the available evidence presented in the episode — you can even see an image of the note Lynn supposedly left for her family the night she went missing on the Crime Junkie website.
5. “MISSING: RELISHA RUDD // UNIQUE HARRIS”
This episode about two disappearances of an 8-year-old Black girl and a 24-year-old Black woman demonstrates how Crime Junkie seeks to bring attention to cases involving victims often underrepresented in the media. True crime often hyper-focuses on the cases of young white middle-class women. The widely covered disappearance of Gabby Petito in 2021 is a recent prominent example of this phenomenon. The coverage of the case led to more frank discussions about “missing white woman syndrome,” and how people of color, people in the LGBT+ community, sex workers, and other marginalized groups often do not receive the same amount of concern (most recently, the death of Lauren Smith-Fields made headlines because of the police’s delayed response).
This Crime Junkie episode was released earlier, in February 2020, but it touches on this issue and was made in support of Black and Missing Inc., a nonprofit that brings awareness to missing people of color.
6. “MISSING: Bryce Laspisa”
The mysterious disappearance of Bryce Laspisa, who left on a roadtrip to visit his parents in 2013 only to go missing without a trace, is the subject of this episode from 2018. His body was never found and Bryce’s family is still searching for him to this day, hopeful that he is alive. They have an active Facebook page where people can send them messages or follow their search for Bryce. The episode details some of the puzzling aspects of the case, including how Bryce had been acting strangely before his disappearance, and how his car was later found overturned without any sign of him.
7. “MURDERED: Laci Peterson”
Also a two-part episode, “MURDERED: Laci Peterson” covers the famous murder of pregnant Laci Peterson, for which her husband Scott was convicted and sentenced to death in 2004. The Crime Junkie hosts delve into the information revealed at this trial, including witness testimony and what the police found in Scott’s car after Laci’s body was discovered. Scott was resentenced to life in prison without parole in December 2021, reigniting interest in the case, according to CBS.
8. “MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Kendrick Johnson”
Kendrick Johnson was only 17 years old when his body was discovered rolled up in a gym mat at his high school in 2013, according to the podcast. His death was ruled an accident, which his family disagreed with, believing someone had murdered him instead. The Crime Junkie website includes images of the evidence found at the scene (be mindful that they can be disturbing to some viewers). A second local investigation into his death closed with no charges in January 2022, though there’s still speculation from many that foul play was involved.
9. “SERIAL KILLER: Herb Baumeister”
Perhaps one of the scariest cases covered on Crime Junkie, this tale of Herb Baumeister is also referred to as the “mannequin episode” because of the serial killer’s unique decor choice: He decorated his pool house with mannequins that were dressed up and positioned to look like guests at a party. The episode covers how Baumeister murdered gay men and buried them on his estate, Fox Hollow Farms, in the late ’90s. But that’s not all — Herb had made a name for himself in the ’80s as well, dubbed the “I-70 Strangler” for a series of murders he allegedly committed along Interstate 70 between Indianapolis and Columbus. Herb died by suicide in 1996, before he could be arrested.