Call me crazy, but I am and always have been obsessed with True Crime stories and unsolved murder mysteries. Growing up in the 90’s, I use to watch Unsolved Mysteries with my dad who was also very much obsessed with true crime. Even though that show terrified me to my very core, I was still enthralled in the mysteries of people vanishing into thin air, people murdered and years later there would still be no suspect, ghost stories and all things eerie. You could say my dads fascination with the genre has rubbed off on me. I was never one to listen to podcasts. I never really had the desire to listen to three or four people talking into a microphone for an hour about celebrity/pop culture nonsense that does not effect my life or even interest me in the slightest.
I was reminiscing about the 90’s with my cousin one day and talking about TV Shows we use to watch; one of them was Unsolved Mysteries. I told him how I love True Crime shows like that, so he suggested I listen to some podcasts of that genre. I figured, “why the hell not?” From that moment on, it was game on for me.
I use to live in Tujunga and drive to Torrance to work every single day. For those who are not familiar, Tujunga is located north of North Hollywood and Torrance is located in the South Bay area. The distance between the two cities is roughly 39 miles. 39 miles in Los Angeles language means 1 hour and 30 minutes because of the horrendous traffic we are so well known for. Now, I live in Santa Clarita Valley, which makes my drive to work MUCH longer. Needless to say, I had plenty of time on my hands getting to and from work. I decided to start listening to these stories, and my obsession with True Crime podcasts commenced. I’ll tell you one thing, these stories make traffic less dreadful.
HERE ARE MY TOP 5 FAVORITE TRUE CRIME PODCASTS YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO:
1.) ROOT OF EVIL
The Root of Evil is a true story about the one and only suspect related to the unsolved murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short in 1947 Los Angeles, also known as THE BLACK DAHLIA. Elizabeth Short was a young aspiring actress who many like her, moved to Tinsel Town in the hopes of making it in Hollywood. Elizabeths dream was to see herself on the silver screen. Sadly, she never did. Her body was found by a near by resident walking their dog in Leimert Park in what is now a residential area near East L.A. The person who found the body, thought it was a discarded store mannequin, until they got close enough to see the horror. Elizabeth was found completely naked and bisected, her torso was not attached to the lower half of her body. Her legs were in an open position and her arms were placed over her head. She also had a smile carved out on her face, similar to the Joker in The Dark Knight film. This homicide had the LAPD and the entire Los Angeles community turned completely upside down due to the very horrific and gruesome way she was killed. A gruesome murder was not something you would come across in L.A. at that time.
There was only one person of interest in this case: a very sadistic and evil man named Dr. George Hodel. A very well-respected and renowned doctor in the L.A. community known by pretty much everyone. Dr. Hodel was also very well-known in Hollywood, he is who all the actresses went to for back-door abortions. Since abortions were illegal and frowned upon, a lot of actresses would go to him to have them done so they would be able to actually have a career. The podcast is hosted by his great-granddaughters and dives deep into his evil history, his incestuous relationship with his daughter and how it all ties in with The Black Dahlia case.
This true story, told by HIS family members will leave your jaws dropped, baffled, and down right creeped out. Dr. Hodels son who is a retired LAPD Homicide Detective who undoubtedly believes his dad was responsible for Elizabeths murder.
2.) TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA: season 1 is a podcast that is happening in real-time; which means the story the host is investigating, is unraveling as the episodes progress. Season 1 follows the story of an aspiring actress (shocking, I know) Adeah Shabani who was last seen the morning of her disappearance at the coffee shop located across the street from her Hollywood Blvd apartment and was never seen again. It’s a very gripping story that progresses with each episode but the story goes completely sideways and throws you for a huge loop in the middle of it. This story is one that really stuck with me for a while.
TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA: SEASON 2 ELAINE PARK
SEASON 2: Takes you on a journey of a young girl named Elaine Park from Glendale CA. Elaine Park was a 20 year old Korean-American Glendale resident who went missing in 2017. She was last seen leaving her boyfriends gated community home in Calabasas and was never found or seen again. Her vehicle was found along with her phone, mac book, backpack and wallet parked on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu with the ignition still on. Elaine Park has never been found.
This very interesting story is one that will probably stick with me forever due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding her disappearance: without giving away too much, there are many many things you will question listening to this season that will still make you think well after you’ve finished it:
1.) Why did she wake up at her boyfriends house the morning of her disappearance in a state of panic and began doing cartwheels in his bedroom and then left abruptly never to be seen again?
2.) Why is her mother the most suspicious person in the world?
3.) Why does her father not give two shits about her disappearance?
4.) What the HELLLLL happened to this girl?
This specific story also hits home for me and for all the people I grew up with due to the fact that Elaine was from the same town as I am and went to Cresenta Valley High School which a lot of my acquaintances went attended. She only lived 15 minutes away from the house I grew up in.
3.) IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTIN SMART
Kristin Smart was a Cal Poly student who went missing from campus in 1996. She was believed to be kidnapped, raped and murdered after attending a friends party on the night of her disappearance. This was also a very publicized case due to the fact that the primary suspect who was without a doubt responsible, was never apprehended. This podcast is also one happening in real-time and the story develops as the episodes progress. Due to the popularity of this podcast as the episodes air, her case is solved nearly 30 years later. The major media attention this podcast drew, would ultimately be the reason why the suspect was apprehended and how it happens will ultimately blow your mind.
UP AND VANISHED: SEASONS 1-3
Hosted by Payne Lindsey, a documentary filmmaker turned podcaster takes you on a journey in real-time of mysterious disappearances that have gone unsolved for years. His filmmaking approach to his investigations will paint an amazing picture for you as if you’re actually a part of the investigation yourself. His story telling method will give you chills and have you on the edge of your seat for all 3 seasons. None of the seasons have anything to do with one another. They’re all different cases.
RADIO RENTAL
From the same creators who brought you UP AND VANISHED, comes a new podcast hosted by RAINN WILSON (Dwight Schrute from The Office.) Radio Rental is a podcast of creepy occurrences and stories told by the people who’ve experienced them. This 80’s theme podcast tells you experiences of the paranormal world, glitches in the matrix and many more true stories that would leave you horrified and shocked. The comedy breaks from Rainn will give you a very nice and short relief until the next stories are told. All the stories told are TRUE stories. This is not a fiction story podcast. This was so much fun to listen to and I cannot wait for the next season coming April!
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