Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

Who Really Killed the Clockmaker?
The Man Everyone Trusted For forty years, Walter Hensley had been Brookhaven’s clockmaker. If your grandfather’s pocket watch needed fixing, Walter could do it. If your mantel clock stopped ticking, Walter could coax it back to life. His small shop smelled of wood polish and brass oil, and his hands were always stained with a faint gold sheen from the gears he worked on.
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
Who Killed Sarah Whitman? The Mystery That Haunted a Small Town for Decades
The Story No One Wanted to Remember Elmsford was the kind of town where everyone knew everyone — and everyone’s business. But there was one topic you couldn’t bring up without being met with awkward silence: the murder of Sarah Whitman.
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Copycat Killer
The Suicide Murderer The first crime scene made no sense. Detective Ava Cole stepped over the yellow tape into the penthouse suite, her breath fogging in the unnatural chill. Two bodies:
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Strange Disappearance of Lars Mittank
A Holiday in Paradise Turns Dark In June 2014, 28-year-old Lars Mittank, a German man, traveled with friends to the Bulgarian resort town of Golden Sands. The Black Sea coastline was sunny, lively, and perfect for summer fun. Lars was an easygoing, athletic guy who loved travel.
By Hassan Jan6 months ago in Criminal
She Was Found in a Ditch Wearing a Buckskin Poncho. For 37 Years, No One Knew Her Name
Introduction: Silent for Decades, Finally Heard On a frigid spring morning in April 1981, the body of a young woman was discovered in a ditch off Greenlee Road, Troy, Ohio. Her identity? Unknown. Her fate? Sealed in anonymity. For 37 years, she was simply “Buckskin Girl” until science spoke her name.
By Lynn Myers6 months ago in Criminal
The Collector of Truths
Detective Claire Mendez was no stranger to murder. After ten years in homicide, she had seen evil in many forms—calculated, spontaneous, fueled by greed or love or hatred. But the man who called himself The Collector of Truths was something else entirely.
By Solene Hart6 months ago in Criminal
The Memory Thief
The Vanishing Patient The call came at 3:17 AM—my editor’s voice tight with something worse than urgency. Fear. "Get to St. Vincent’s. Room 413. Ask for Daniel Gray."
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Perfect Alibi
Chapter 1: The First Suspect Detective Mark Riker knew something was wrong when the fingerprints matched three different people.
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Ghost Radio
Chapter 1: The Static Between Stations The first time it happened, I thought it was just bad reception. 3:17 AM at KZYX Radio, playing the overnight jazz shift for seven insomniacs and God. The needle slipped between stations for a heartbeat—just long enough to hear a voice whisper:
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Night Baker
Chapter 1: The Dough That Weeps The first time it happened, I thought I'd imagined it. Kneading my 2 AM sourdough—the only time the bakery was cool enough for proper fermentation—I felt something wet splash my wrist. Not water. Not sweat.
By Farzad6 months ago in Criminal
The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson
A Late-Night Drive Gone Wrong It was the early hours of May 14, 2008, when 19-year-old Brandon Swanson, a college student from Marshall, Minnesota, found himself stranded after his car ran into a ditch on a gravel road.
By Hassan Jan6 months ago in Criminal
True Crime Weekly: Cold Case Breakthroughs, Streaming Shocks, and the Stories That Won’t Stay Buried.
Alright, pull up a chair and pour yourself a strong cup of coffee. This week in true crime has been an active one—one that’ll have you checking your locks and peeking through the blinds before bed. We’re talking cold case homicides, finally seeing justice, major crime news that’s got the whole country buzzing, and a streaming documentary that’s got everyone from armchair detectives to seasoned investigators talking. Let’s get into the cases that made headlines, rattled communities, and proved that justice might nap, but it never really sleeps.
By MJonCrime6 months ago in Criminal