At the start of 2003, three men were to stand trial for the murder of Arlene Fraser — her estranged husband, Nat Fraser, along with Nat’s friends, Hector Dick and Glenn Lucas. Arlene’s body had not been found, nor had any forensic evidence to show she had been harmed on the day of her disappearance. The trial opened at Edinburgh High Court on January 7th… (Part 3 of 3)

Arlene Fraser had mysteriously disappeared from her home in New Elgin without a trace, three and half months prior to her daughter's 6th birthday. The occasion — on August 5th 1998 — marked the 100th day since Arlene had been missing. While a scaled-down investigation was still ongoing, the Grampian Police were struggling to find any answers… (Part 2 of 3).

Arlene Fraser was at home in the Scottish suburb of New Elgin, one night in early April 1998. From her living room, she noticed something flickering in the darkness outside. Curiosity got the better of her, and Arlene glanced out of the window to see that her car was engulfed in flames. The fire service was alerted, and the blaze was extinguished. The cause was attributed to a mechanical fault. However, Arlene was doubtful. The relationship with her husband had turned violent. He had attacked Arlene the previous month. She suspected he may have been responsible for the fire, and things took an even darker turn two weeks later when Arlene Fraser seemingly vanished into thin air… (Part 1 of 3).

In modern-day investigations, fingerprints are some of the most valuable clues in identifying a suspect. Automated fingerprint identification systems have reduced the time it takes to compare prints from hundreds of hours to a matter of minutes. Before the revolutionary introduction of automated analysis, investigators had to manually compare prints from a crime scene in order to exclude or implicate suspects in the commission of a crime. In May 1948, an unthinkable murder led to one of the most extensive mass fingerprinting operations in UK history. It solidified fingerprint comparison as one of the most accurate means of identification in criminal investigations…

A young woman had been brutally murdered, and her body was found a short distance from her home. It appeared to be an open and shut case when a man admitted the crime. However, it soon became clear there was a problem with his conviction. Had the wrong person been punished for the murder of Patricia Curran?… (Part 2 of 2).

Patricia had taken the bus from Belfast to Whiteabbey, where her family’s sprawling mansion, Glen House, stood at the top of a winding, tree-lined lane. It was a journey Patricia made numerous times before, but she always called ahead for an escort to guide her up the dark driveway. This particular evening, something was different. Patricia never made that call, and she never made it home. Her disappearance set off a frenzied investigation that would ultimately expose the dark underbelly of the elite, a world where power and privilege are used to protect the guilty and condemn the innocent… (Part 1 of 2).

On this episode of They Walk Among America… On this episode of They Walk Among America… William Fischer was a man of mystery in the affluent community of the Hamptons. He was wealthy, well-liked, and was known as a bachelor. But little did his new friends know that he had a dark secret. William had abandoned his family in Monticello, leaving behind a son who was battling cystic fibrosis. He had chosen a life of middle-class luxury over his own flesh and blood. On a stormy night in 1986, William’s son, Billy, paid him a visit. Some time later, Billy called up his friend, Nancy, and asked her to come and collect him. Nancy braved the treacherous weather, and set off on a journey that would drastically change the lives of all three individuals forever…

Wath upon Dearne near Rotherham was a once popular mining area. Throughout the 19th and early-20th centuries, the demand for coal rose exponentially. As a result, many miners settled in the small South Yorkshire town. They spent most of their lives carrying out the physically intense and life-threatening occupation that powered homes and businesses across Britain. When retirement came, the workers had built a life and had families in the area, so they chose to stay. Their sense of security was shattered in 1988, however, when four people were found murdered — the victims' bodies had been severely mutilated. Officers from the South Yorkshire constabulary would quickly learn that Wath upon Dearne had become the hunting ground for a serial killer, who fantasised about matching the notoriety of The Yorkshire Ripper and Jack the Ripper… 

It was a cold and frosty morning in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on Friday, February 15th, 2019. Children across the country woke up excited because it was the last day of school before half term. For 19-year-old Leah Croucher, it was a day like any other. She got out of bed, got dressed and set off for work. Leah usually made the short journey on foot, but as 9 AM came and went, she never arrived. Her disappearance would spark a nationwide manhunt as her missing person posters were distributed far and wide. The exhaustive investigation would see officers from the Thames Valley police force trawling through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and knocking on the doors of more than 4,000 homes…

Helmsley is a small market town within the North York Moors National Park. The VisitHelmsley website describes it as “the perfect base for enjoying the wider area”. Helmsley has numerous attractions, including a nature reserve, an art gallery, abbey ruins, and a market square boasting a range of shops and excellent restaurants. Named Britain's Best Market Town in 2015 by the Great British High Street Awards, the quaint area on the banks of the River Rye is a peaceful and quiet place to live. It is one of Yorkshire's hidden gems, rarely mentioned in the media; that was until a grisly discovery thrust Helmsley under the national spotlight…

In some religions and communities, great weight is placed on the family and its so-called collective honour. Name and reputation can overshadow everything else, and a specific code of honour must be followed. Sometimes, when perceived shame has been brought upon a family, the alleged wrongdoer is forced to pay the ultimate price…

Torrential rainfall had caused flash floods along the coastal Cliff Road in Salcombe, South Devon. Once there was a break in the clouds on that remarkably wet summer day, holiday goers seized the opportunity to make the most of their vacation. It was around 5 PM on Sunday, June 27th, 2021, when Charlotte Rollings and her family left the beach, and returned to the cottage where they were staying. The clothes designer was walking along the footpath by Bennett Road with her partner and parents, when Charlotte’s mother noticed something unusual…

The dark web is part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. It’s rife with criminal activity, from drug sales all the way to targeted attacks. In August 2022, a man was browsing the dark web when he came across a website claiming to provide hitmen for a fee. Curiosity got the better of him, and as he scanned through the forum, one post piqued his interest; a request seemingly from a female asking for a man to be killed in Norfolk…

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODE 43’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE. Investigators from numerous police forces across the Midlands had been searching for a connection between the unsolved murders of sex workers in the 1990s. After exhausting all resources, a cold case review was held in 1998 in an effort to identify the killer of Samo Paull and Tracy Turner. DNA obtained during Tracy Turner’s post-mortem had been collected after her death. As part of the re-investigation, the sample was cross-checked against the national DNA database in March 1998. After four years with no leads, the police finally had a match — a man awaiting trial for a violent sexual assault… (Part 2 of 2).

In February 2023, a man was convicted of sexually abusing a child during the 1980s. Aside from the harrowing details presented to the jury at Stafford Crown Court, some information was kept from them. Jurors were unaware the defendant was already serving a life sentence or that he was suspected of being one of the worst serial killers in British history... (Part 1 of 2).