America's Crime Lab
America's Crime Lab
iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
Welcome to Othram aka "America's Crime Lab." Each week, we meet weary detectives and family members working an unsolved case that has wrecked a community and seemingly hit a dead end… until, in a last-ditch effort, the evidence is mailed to Othram.
New from Kaleidoscope: Mind Games - Episode 1. The Guru's Guru.
What if someone told you that you could skip years of therapy with a few mental tricks? It sounded impossible… until we found Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP is a form of hypnosis beloved by everyone from sex cults to the U.S. military to fortune 500 companies–yet almost no one knows it exists.  Long before she co-founded NXIVM, hypnotist Nancy Salzman encountered NLP as a radical method for reprogramming the mind. Her story leads us to its inventor, Richard Bandler, a volatile, self-made guru. As we dig into how it took hold in so many places, we face an unsettling possibility: NLP might actually work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 25
42 min
One River, Two Bodies
A trucker calls police to report seeing a body floating in a Mississippi River. When police arrive to investigate, they’re shocked to find a little girl dead in the river brush. They’re even more startled when they find the body of a young man down river a few days later.  America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 12, 2025
35 min
Project 525: Missing and Murdered Children
Othram began to realize that a lot of unidentified remains cases languishing on shelves in law enforcement offices belonged to children. Children that remained unidentified for decades. Meanwhile, loved ones never gave up hope. There is a solution to this issue, and it’s less of a lift than you would think. In this episode, families finally find answers, and get a chance to say goodbye. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 5, 2025
19 min
Fan Favorite: A Boat, A Fire and the Signature in the Ashes
Emergency crews responding to a boat fire discovered human remains, but the case quickly went cold. For decades, investigators had no answers. Using advanced forensic DNA, Othram scientists were able to identify the victim and reveal the truth behind the fire, finally giving a family long-delayed closure. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 29, 2025
29 min
Unidentified and Waiting
People swept away by Hurricane Katrina, lone travelers who disappeared, and kids who never came home. Where are all of these missing people, and are their unidentified remains sitting in universities and law enforcement offices around the country?  America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 22, 2025
20 min
Little Miss Nobody
A little girl is kidnapped from her grandmother’s yard. Her family searches for decades, hoping to find her. 62 years later, detectives call with information. But it’s not what anyone expected.  America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 15, 2025
38 min
The Skull in the Wall: DNA Reveals Esther Granger’s Story
In Illinois, a DIY home renovation uncovered a human skull hidden inside a wall. When the case went cold, the remains sat for decades on a museum office shelf, forgotten and unidentified. Years later, a staffer’s rediscovery gave investigators a second chance. Using forensic DNA technology, they finally uncovered the identity of Esther Granger, and the mystery of how her skull ended up in a family home. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 8, 2025
31 min
Crimes in Two Cities: The Sumpter Siblings Cold Case
In Atlanta, the brutal rape and double homicide of siblings left detectives with plenty of evidence but no suspect. For years, the case went cold. Then, a violent crime in Michigan revealed new DNA leads that could finally identify the killer, and deliver long-awaited justice for the Sumpter family while their mother is still alive to see it. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 1, 2025
29 min
New Forensic Details From the Idaho Student Murders - Part 3
Weeks after the violent murders of four University of Idaho students, investigators followed a trail of DNA evidence from Moscow to Pennsylvania. A midnight police stakeout tied a graduate student to the brutal stabbings. Now the question remains: will the victims’ families finally see justice in court? America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 24, 2025
48 min
New Forensic Details From the Idaho Student Murders - Part 2
When four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their Moscow home, investigators faced a nightmare. DNA evidence from the crime scene pointed nowhere, leaving the case cold. Detectives turned to a surviving roommate’s eyewitness account and cutting-edge forensic DNA technology to generate new leads in real time. Could this breakthrough uncover the truth about one of the most shocking college murders in recent history? America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 17, 2025
38 min
Load more