With the new Netflix documentary, Taken: Natalee Holloway, coming out this week, we've decided to re-release our series on Natalee's case. A few things to keep in mind: This was originally released in 2023 when we were still little baby podcasters and certainly had some things to figure out, so please don't judge our former selves too harshly if we sound a little cringey.  This was originally a 4 part series, but we're re-releasing it as one long episode. We've done our best to clean it up, but some transitions between the parts may sound abrupt. You may also hear references to the other parts but just ignore those—you're getting all of it in one episode, we promise!  Natalee's case is personal for us and is the one we are asked about most often. We're from the same hometown as Natalee and as two people who knew her, we wanted to bring a more personal perspective to this story. Natalee Holloway went on her senior trip in 2005 and never came back. While we all know who is responsible, it’s been over 21 years and her body has never been found Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Halloween!! In honor of the holiday, we have two Halloween-themed AITW stories, and the theme? A prank gone too far and was the boyfriend's girl BFF sending a message with her costume? Lets find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February 2000, 27-year-old Suzette Trouten packed up her belongings and moved from Michigan to Kansas City for a job opportunity. But just weeks after arriving, Suzette stopped calling. Her family continued receiving letters from her (even in her handwriting) but something wasn't adding up. As investigators did their thing, they uncovered a double life that lasted decades. And just when they thought had it all figured out, police and FBI made a discovery that would turn an entire family's world upside down. Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan  Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Sources for this episode: Depraved: A True Story of a Sadistic Killer in the Heartland by John Glatt Vanity Fair — Link Crime Library  FBI: Criminal Pursuit Very Scary People: The Slave Master, Parts 1 & 2 20/20: Sole Survivor Cold Case Files: Sex, Lies & Murder ABC News — Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3 Lawrence Journal-World — Link The Dark Side of Humanity — Link LegalClarity — Link Kansas Supreme Court — Link MoreLaw — Link Find a Grave Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 26, 2010, a woman walked into her friend Denise Merhi's house to get her car keys. The house was eerily quiet and when the woman called out, nobody answered. She found her keys, then found a horrific scene in the kitchen. After a very stressful few minutes, she then sees a shadow reflected on the wall. The killer was still in the house. What she didn't know was that the scene is much more horrific than she realized. It's what urban legends are made of: a mass murder and a message written on the wall in blood. Police knew Denise Merhi had been torn between two men: Michael Eric Ballard & Brian Miller. Did one of them do this? Research Assistance: Jim Rowley Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September 1993, Donna Palomba woke up to a masked intruder standing in her bedroom. What follows is a terrifying attack that leaves her fearing for her life and the safety of her two children. But when she turns to the police for help, the investigation takes an unimaginable turn and Donna's the one being questioned.   Years later, a shocking new crime brings investigators the break they've been waiting for, and nothing could prepare them for what they uncovered. janedoenomore.org Research Assistance: Jim Rowley Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2004, the decomposing body of a young woman was found at an abandoned house in Winnie, Texas. The woman didn't have any belongings with her: no phone, no ID, no wallet. The only clue as to who she is was a class ring on her finger. It indicated she graduated high school in 2003, making her roughly 19 years old. When they look inside the ring, they see a name inscribed: Courtney Coco. The only problem is: Courtney lived about 3 hours away in Alexandria, Louisiana and had no ties to Texas. How did she end up there? This would be the first of MANY bizarre discoveries and even though there are a ton of suspects, Courtney Coco's murder would go cold for 15 years until a badass named Woody Overton launches a podcast about it & solves it 7 weeks later... Research Assistance: Jim Rowley Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1969, Liz Kendall was a newly divorced single mom who moved to Seattle with her bestfriend for a fresh start.  On her first night out she meets Rob Nelson at the Sandpiper Tavern and end up spending nearly a decade together. He's the kind of guy who gets up early to make scrambled eggs, runs around with the neighborhood kids, and literally brings a kitten back to life. According to her daughter, Molly, he was the last puzzle piece to their family.  Then women in their neighborhood start getting attacked and the cops are looking at everyone, including Rob, but eventually he's cleared. Liz was (obviously) relieved but did the police get it right? Or was the person sleeping next to her pure evil?  Stay until the end. Research Assistance: Molly McGuigan Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's palate cleanser is a nice reminder that some people are not the worst (but most are) Original Post Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2018, Pam Hutchinson & Lois Riess met while sitting at a bar in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. Pam had recently gotten a divorce and Lois's husband, Dave Riess, had recently died, so they were both starting a new chapter in their late 50s. The two hit it off and even though they had just met, it was as if they were lifelong friends. What they didn't know was that this chance encounter would lead to a horrific tragedy and a nationwide manhunt of an unexpected killer. Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Anna Pleskovic looked out the window of her parents’ Strongsville, Ohio, home and saw a stranger pressing his face against the glass, she had no idea it was the beginning of a nightmare. Over the next several months, the Pleskovic family experienced a bizarre series of break-ins, strange noises, missing keys, cut security-camera cords, and people lurking around their property. They were convinced someone was targeting their home, but they had no idea why. On October 23, 2017, they got their answer.  Research Assistant: Jim Rowley Join our ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Shop ⁠⁠merch⁠⁠ Follow us on socials: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ; ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Sponsors: -Goodles: Goodles.com Available at Target, Walmart, and other retailers -OSEA: Oseamalibu.com Use code THEWORST for 10% off your first order  -Quince: Quince.com/PATW for free shipping + 365-day returns -Ruggable: Ruggable.com Use code PATW for 10% off your first order -Shopify: Shopify.com/WORST for a $1/month trial -TaskRabbit: Taskrabbit.com Use code THEWORST for $15 off your first task -Zenni: Zenni.com/podcast use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order Click here for a full list of sponsors and discount codes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices