People Magazine Investigates

In 2020, Baron Li is shot nine times in front of his house. Detectives scramble to figure out who could want this loving husband and father dead. When they hone in on two teenage suspects, police struggle to identify their motives and connection to Li.

In 1972, police find a young woman fatally stabbed in her room. Police hunt for her killer, but he seemingly vanishes, and the case goes cold. Decades later, a new investigative technique emerges, and the killer's name turns up in the most unlikely place.

For years, a serial killer stalks the most vulnerable and least suspecting victims: retirees. However, when a 91-year-old woman survives, she helps break the case wide open, leading to the capture of one of the most prolific serial killers of modern times.

In 1996, a college co-ed vanishes after attending a party over a holiday weekend and is presumed dead. There is immediately a prime suspect but a lack of evidence to prove it. Decades later, a discovery found six feet under turns the case upside down.

In 2001, a mother of five is found shot in the head in her own minivan. Investigators have little physical evidence and struggle to make an arrest. As the children grow up, the family becomes divided over who killed the beloved soccer mom.

In 1990, a clown delivering flowers and balloons guns down a woman at home; with scant evidence and no clear motive, detectives set out to track down the killer clown, but the culprit eludes justice for thirty years before being fully unmasked.

Virginia firefighters respond to a house fire in Upperville, Virginia where they discover the body of a local journalist. The fire destroys any hope for evidence, but the victim's social media history leads police down a rabbit hole.

The Lunsford family's lives turn upside down when someone snatches nine-year-old Jessie from her bed in the middle of the night.

After a single mother fails to show up for work, police find her brutally stabbed and her 14-year-old daughter missing from their home in an affluent gated community. Everyone fears she's in danger, but what they uncover is darker than they could have imagined.

In 2007, a 19-year-old woman is brutally murdered in the small town of Winnsboro, TX; the ensuing investigation reveals the small town has a few wolves masquerading in sheep's clothing. Some secrets come to light, but others may be buried forever.

After moving to a new city following her parents' divorce, a 14-year-old girl finds herself lost and unloved within her new surroundings; she starts running away from home until one time, she never returns. It takes ten years before dark secrets are revealed.

Four teenage girls are brutally murdered in a yogurt shop in North Austin, Texas, in 1991, in what becomes the biggest mass murder in Austin history. The investigation that follows drags on for years, and even when police make an arrest, justice is not guaranteed.

In 1982, in an upscale suburb of Rochester, New York, a Kodak executive returns home and finds his wife dead with an ax in her head. People believed a madman was on the loose, so 40 years later when police make an arrest, everyone is stunned at who stands trial for the murder.

In 2018, a 16-year-old girl vanishes into thin air the morning after attending a high school party in an isolated California mountain town. The bizarre mystery leads to speculation by internet sleuths that her parents are somehow involved due to inconsistencies in their story.

A 16-year-old cowgirl goes missing in Nevada. Three days later her body was found draped under a blue tarp that had been dumped among the tumbleweeds. As police search for her killer, the investigation takes a sudden turn towards the boy she called "brother."

In 1991, a young boy leaves home to check out a local brush fire that was capturing his neighborhood's attention and never returns home. Decades have passed and police continue to look for his abductor(s), while his mother is still waiting for him to find his way home.

An unknown shooter unleashes carnage from Indianapolis to Wichita, Kansas, killing six in the spring of 1992 at various retail stores near 1-70, a major east-west highway that runs through the very heart of the Midwest. A sketch of the suspect is developed from various eyewitness accounts, but police are at a loss ... until one victim survives.

The 1977 brutal assault and murder of three Oklahoma Girl Scouts away at summer camp: Lori Lee Farmer, Doris Denise Milner, and Michele Heather Guse is discussed.

When a young woman goes missing, a rookie police officer's intuition leads to an intense investigation, as they race against the clock to find her.

In January 2020, a Mennonite woman goes missing from her small religious community. They find her body, but forensic evidence leads them to a dead end, stymieing law enforcement. Detectives get creative in an effort to find their suspect.

One family's American dream goes up in flames; what looks like an accidental fire turns out to be a cover-up for a murder. As they try to rebuild what's left, they vow never to extinguish their search for justice.

The murder of James Byrd, Jr. throws his family into turmoil as law enforcement investigates one of the most gruesome hate crimes in U.S. history.

In 1984, a slew of brutal hammer attacks leaves a Colorado community in fear. It takes nearly 40 years before a serial killer is brought to justice.

Five young people disappeared over a span of four years in the rural area of Lewis-Clark Valley, along the Idaho-Washington border. Investigators search for links to the mysterious cases.

During an armed robbery, a father of three is fatally shot, but for 23 years, another family questions if the wrong man is behind bars.

In 1987, a mother's bond to her daughter is put to the ultimate test when one of them shoots a man dead.

A savage predator goes on a homicidal rampage with a savage triple murder along with an abduction of two young siblings from their home in the middle of the night. The children quickly decide they will do whatever is necessary to survive.

In the spring of 2001, former child actor and Baretta star Robert Blake just married Bonny Lee Bakely, the mother of his new baby girl. The couple are out to dinner in Los Angeles when Bakely is murdered in the passenger seat of the couple's car, execution style. Blake seems devastated, but as police investigate, they uncover a tale of a troubled marriage of convenience and a fight for custody that may have led to one of Hollywood's most infamous murders.

In the summer of 2003, the Iron Range of northern Minnesota is a peaceful community where parents let their kids play outside on their own without a second thought. But when five-year-old LeeAnna Warner vanishes without a trace, investigators do a deep dive into the quaint community and realize that some of the familiar faces in the neighborhood may be hiding some disturbing secrets that may never fully be uncovered.

When Ashley Ellerin is found murdered in her Hollywood bungalow, police zero in on the Hollywood heartthrob she was supposed to have a date with the night she was killed. The case takes a shocking turn as detectives realize Ashley is not the only victim, and discover they are on the hunt for a serial killer. The assailant's victim count grows until one woman manages to fight back so fiercely that he leaves behind critical blood evidence. But will they be able to finally catch him?

On a snowy night in January 1980, college student Helene Pruszynski disappears after reaching her final bus stop. When her body turns up in a snowy field, police launch a long and frustrating investigation that pushes family and detectives to the brink of hopelessness. Their hope is revived when they discover that cutting-edge forensic genealogy may hold the key to finding Helene's murderer.

A quiet rural town is rocked when two middle-school girls go on a hike and are later found murdered. But when police discover one of the girls may have recorded her killer with her cellphone, the race is on to find the mysterious man.

Kelsey Berreth, a young mother, and pilot was last heard from on the morning of Thanksgiving 2018. Her fiancé is worried she may have harmed herself after a stressful year. But when police discover blood in an unusual place, they begin to unravel a bizarre story of love, jealousy, and a murder that goes far beyond what anyone in law enforcement could have imagined.

In the summer of 2004, Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen are working as councilors at an outdoor Christian adventure camp in Northern California They decide to head down the coast for a weekend getaway, but when they fail to return to camp Sunday evening, the camp staff become very concerned. A search ensues and the police discover the couples' bodies at Fish Head Beach, in Jenner, California. As police begin investigating the double homicide, they discover the killer has left no clues and little evidence. Over the succeeding days, weeks, and years, Sonoma County Detectives investigate a group of suspects as they relentlessly search for the killer.

College student Tammy Zywicki vanishes in 1992 after her car breaks down on the highway. Family and friends scramble to find her, but when her body is found 500 miles from where she vanished there are very few clues pointing to her killer. Police struggle with dead-end leads and suspects who don't pan out. New DNA technology promises to finally crack the case decades later. As her family clings to the last of their hope, the fear is that it may be too little too late for justice.

In 1988, a young woman is found murdered in her Modesto, CA, home, leading police to investigate the strife and infidelity in her marriage. A surprising witness eventually comes forward.

A double murder involving the family of a federal judge will lead the FBI, US Marshals, and Chicago PD on an investigation of epic proportions. But when law enforcement finds the end of the trail, they learn the death count may climb higher.

In July of 2010, NBA star and family man Lorenzen Wright goes missing outside of Memphis, TN. When his dead body is discovered in the woods, investigators find that this case is far from a slam dunk.

Art imitates life when Cambodian genocide survivor Dr. Haing Ngor wins an Oscar for his role in the film The Killing Fields. But when he's gunned down, the LAPD investigate a web of political intrigue, revenge, and street gangs to uncover the truth.

In 1971 and '72, Washington DC is terrorized by a cunning killer who abducts and murders six young African American girls. Police and the community are outraged by the serial killings that target young children in their own neighborhoods.

In 1984, 10-year-old Kevin Collins disappears on his way home and the city of San Francisco is galvanized in an effort to find him. With few leads to go on, his case sheds light on hundreds of other kids who have vanished without a trace in the U.S.

So-Cal surfer and tech entrepreneur, Chris Smith, dreams of making a tidy sum of money and then surfing off into the sunset. It seems his dreams have come true, but all is not as it appears.

On June 6, 1992, Suzie Streeter and Stacy McCall are out celebrating high school graduation. By morning, the teens are missing, along with Suzie's mother. The case leads police on a nationwide search as they work to solve this baffling mystery.

In the summer of 2000, bags full of body parts start appearing all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Investigators follow the trail of grisly clues to a secret cult carrying out a sinister scheme.

In Philadelphia, police make a horrific discovery 18 months after a woman goes missing. The police pursue the woman's killer, but he always manages to stay one step ahead of the law.

In York, Pennsylvania, 1969, race riots claim the lives of an African-American mother and a young, white police officer. Their deaths are largely forgotten until 30 years later when their cold cases are reopened, revealing the city's dark past.

A celebratory night turns deadly for a Texas family when they are gunned down at home. When investigators uncover a conspiracy, it will test one man's ability to forgive as he fights to save the criminal mastermind from the death penalty.

When three women from three different decades meet their death or go missing under mysterious circumstances, authorities are forced to examine the one thing they had in common: they all fell in love with the same man.

In the summer of 1980, a popular teen goes for a run around her hometown in Maine and vanishes. Days later, her savagely beaten body is found. But what happened remains a mystery for years, until her mother intervenes and forces police to reexamine the case

The morning of his anniversary, Mike Williams goes duck hunting. When he fails to return home that afternoon, an all-out search commences. But it's only the beginning of a sordid mystery that will take close to 20 years to solve.

A 12-year-old girl goes missing on her way to school in Oregon City, Oregon. The police investigation offers little in the way of leads. Then, a second girl disappears.

When an 11-year-old Arizona girl vanishes while waiting for an ice cream truck, it's clear she's been abducted. The search for her leads to a trail of suspects, making it the largest missing child investigation in Arizona history.

In 1998, a gifted Philadelphia graduate student is found murdered in her bed, triggering a hunt for her killer.

After a fire chief's wife's burned body is discovered, an autopsy reveals she died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the arson investigation turns into a hunt for her killer.

After a young couple goes missing, detectives find a clue leading them to a strange storage container in the middle of 95 acres, and what's inside unlocks the secrets of a monster hiding in plain sight.

In Florida, friends and family are stunned after an esteemed criminal law professor is executed in his garage. Investigators follow a series of leads taking them on a statewide hunt in search of the murderous masterminds.

A premiere fishing boat explodes into flames just off shore, stunning the small fishing town of Craig, Alaska. After fighting the flames, state troopers discover the remains of a young family and few clues as to could have set the ship blaze.

Sherri Rasmussen and John Ruetten are enjoying newlywed life until one morning when Sherri calls into work sick. That night, John returns home to find his wife murdered. Years later, detectives discover Sherri's killer was too close for comfort.

One summer night in 2007, the Petit family is woken up by two strangers in their quiet Connecticut home. Suddenly, these four family members find themselves being held hostage and in a fight for their lives.

When a young family vanishes from their Southern California dream home, friends and family are left with dozens of unanswered questions. Authorities suspect they fled the country, until an unlikely source uncovers the truth.

A young couple's toddler vanishes while the family is enjoying an impromptu camping trip in Leadore, Idaho. Investigators and private detectives work around the clock to find the missing boy, only to come back to his parents.

In the 1970s, a serial rapist is on the loose in northern California. As his reign of terror over the community wanes, police discover he isn't just a serial rapist, he's a serial murderer who has been killing people all over California.

[Mystery in Texas] In 1995, 16-year-old Adrianne Jones is found shot to death in Grand Prairie, Texas. A model student and athlete, there seems to be no reason for her death. Police investigate boyfriends, neighbors and local troublemakers, but don't have any strong suspects. The case grows cold, until nine months later when a game of Truth-or-Dare leads to a startling confession and an over-achieving relationship that went murderously awry.

[A Ghastly Discovery] In 2012, hikers in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills discover the severed head of Hervey Medellin, a retired flight clerk. The cast of suspects includes former lovers, drug cartels and a murderous porn star, in a tale of lust, greed and butchery.

[The Keddie Murders] A mother and three teens are murdered in the remote town of Keddie, California. Despite a trail of suspects and illicit activity, no one was ever brought to justice. But recently discovered evidence may be the key to finally cracking case.

[Murder by the Book] On June 12, 1991, outgoing Jackie Galloway is found strangled and bound with ritualistic knots. Police investigate suspects in her inner circle but are shocked when a chance encounter with a prowler leads them to discover the murderer is a budding serial killer.

[Gone Without a Trace] In 2011, a 10-month-old baby girl goes missing from her home in Kansas City. The family fears she's been kidnapped by a drifter, only to be accused by the police of being responsible for her disappearance.

The discovery of four women's bodies on Gilgo Beach was just the beginning. But who is the Long Island Serial Killer? Investigators uncover multiple suspects and shocking theories, as they race to capture this prolific killer before he strikes again.

When a vivacious young escort, Shannan Gilbert, vanishes on Long Island's south shore in 2010, her disappearance leads police to discover the bodies of ten other victims dumped by a serial killer.