Post Mortem | The Firefighter's Secret

Summary

48 Hours Podcast Summary: Post Mortem | The Firefighter's Secret

Introduction

In the December 3, 2024 episode of CBS News' acclaimed podcast series "48 Hours," host Ann Marie Green delves into the harrowing case of Melissa Lamish. This installment, titled "Post Mortem | The Firefighter's Secret," examines the tragic events leading up to Melissa's death, the investigation that followed, and the profound impact on her family and community. Through critical discussions with CBS correspondent Nikki Batiste and producer Ruth Chenitz, the episode unpacks the complexities of the case, highlighting the interplay between personal relationships, professional duties, and the quest for justice.

Case Background

On the day before Thanksgiving in 2020, Illinois firefighters responded to a report of smoke at Melissa Lamish's home. Upon entering, they discovered Melissa, nine months pregnant, dead on her kitchen floor. Scheduled for induction two days later, Melissa was found in a state that raised immediate suspicions of foul play. The prime suspect, Matthew Plody, was not just any individual but a firefighter himself, adding a layer of irony and complexity to the investigation.

Relationship Between Melissa and Matthew Plody

Melissa Lamish and Matthew Plody's relationship was characterized by its intermittent and uncommitted nature. As Ruth Chenitz explains, "Melissa and Matty Plody had known each other for some time. They met during college. They went to different colleges, but they met at a trivia night at a bar." Their connection was never deepened into a formal relationship, remaining more of a casual friendship. This lack of a solid foundation became a focal point when examining motives and intentions.

Melissa's family, particularly her older sister Cassie, played a crucial role in uncovering Matthew's identity as the father of Melissa's unborn child. Cassie recounted, "Cassie went on Facebook, sort of scouring, trying to figure it out and did and sort of said, is it him really? And she's like, you know, I believe confirmed it" ([05:30]). This determination stemmed from Melissa's reluctance to involve Matthew in her life's next chapter, as highlighted by Nikki Batiste: "The reason she wasn't telling people the name is because according to the family, Melissa was like, he doesn't really want to be part of this" ([05:30]).

Investigation

The investigation quickly centered around Matthew Plody due to his presence at the scene and his history as a firefighter. As Ann Marie Green points out, "Matthew Plody is suspected of killing Melissa and the baby that they were expecting and then setting the fire in her home to conceal the death" ([02:37]). However, Ruth Chenitz notes a critical uncertainty: Matthew, despite being a firefighter, "isn't an arson investigator. He doesn't necessarily know how to start the perfect fire" ([03:17]). This raised questions about his capability to execute such a precise crime without leaving evidence.

Interviews and Matthew's Demeanor

Investigators conducted two significant interviews with Matthew Plody—one on the evening of the murder and another nine months later. Despite the gravity of the accusations, Plody maintained a calm and detached demeanor throughout both interviews. Nikki Batiste describes, "He willingly agreed to those interviews and there was no lawyer present. He didn't even hire a lawyer until later" ([14:13]). Plody's minimal responses and lack of emotional adjustment in the face of grave accusations left a complex impression on both investigators and listeners.

Producer Ruth Chenitz adds, "Neither of his interviews did he ever say, I didn't kill Melissa and our baby. And I would think if you are in fact innocent, you would probably say that" ([15:29]). This behavioral analysis became a point of contention, with defense attorneys arguing that Plody's behavior was consistent with his known personality, while prosecutors viewed it as indicative of guilt.

Role of Fire Chief Rob Schultz

A pivotal figure in the investigation was Fire Chief Rob Schultz, Matthew Plody's immediate superior. Schultz's involvement added layers of professional and personal turmoil to the case. Initially hesitant, Schultz eventually agreed to wear a wire and confront Plody regarding the night of Melissa's death. Green reflects on Schultz's internal conflict: "He couldn't believe it. He was like, no, no way. Not that. Not the Matthew that I know" ([17:11]).

Schultz's struggle to reconcile his image of a firefighter as a life-saver with the possibility of one being a murderer underscored the emotional and ethical dilemmas faced by those in leadership positions within high-trust professions.

The Trial

The courtroom proceedings were marked by intense debates over the adequacy of the investigation and the evidence presented.

Defense Arguments

Matthew Plody's defense team questioned the thoroughness of the investigation, suggesting that law enforcement had overlooked other potential suspects. They highlighted the absence of interrogations with Melissa's father, Gus Lamish, arguing, "They never questioned him. He was at the grocery store buying groceries for Thanksgiving when he got the call about the fire" ([19:27]). The defense's strategy aimed to sow doubt about the prosecution's focus on Plody by introducing alternative narratives, despite lacking concrete evidence against Gus.

Prosecution Arguments

The prosecution maintained that the evidence pointed conclusively to Plody's intentional actions to murder Melissa and conceal the crime via arson. They argued that Plody's professional background did not equate to expertise in committing arson, thereby suggesting premeditation and deliberate intent.

Emotional Impact on Families

The emotional toll of Melissa's death reverberated deeply within both her family and Matthew Plody's family. Melissa's father, Gus Lamish, expressed profound grief and a sense of betrayal during his victim impact statement: "Not only do I have Melissa and Barrett taken from me, they want to accuse me of killing them. How heartless do you have to be to be able to do this to a grieving parent?" ([20:28]).

Additionally, Melissa's mother, Deanna, poignantly shared her sorrow, meeting her grandchild for the first time at the funeral and holding his hand, encapsulating the tragic loss of a life that was never meant to be lived. Producer Ruth Chenitz reflected on this moment, stating, "It's horrific in every way" ([11:47]).

Conclusion

The "Post Mortem | The Firefighter's Secret" episode of "48 Hours" offers a comprehensive and emotionally charged exploration of Melissa Lamish's tragic death. Through meticulous investigation and heartfelt interviews, the podcast navigates the intricate dynamics between personal relationships, professional duties, and the pursuit of justice. The case of Matthew Plody serves as a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of unresolved conflicts and the fragility of trust within close-knit communities.

Listeners are left contemplating the complexities of human behavior, the challenges of criminal investigations within trusted professions, and the enduring pain experienced by families grappling with unspeakable loss.

Notable Quotes

• Ruth Chenitz ([03:17]): "He would have wanted to destroy all the evidence, but he would have no way of knowing exactly how to commit the perfect crime in that way."

• Nikki Batiste ([05:30]): "Cause according to the family, Melissa was like, he doesn't really want to be part of this."

• Ruth Chenitz ([10:40]): "An accidental fire and an intentional fire could both be started in the same way."

• Nikki Batiste ([14:13]): "He willingly agreed to those interviews and there was no lawyer present."

• Ruth Chenitz ([15:29]): "Neither of his interviews did he ever say, I didn't kill Melissa and our baby."

• Gus Lamish ([20:28]): "Not only do I have Melissa and Barrett taken from me, they want to accuse me of killing them."

Final Thoughts

This episode of "48 Hours" not only chronicles a gripping true-crime story but also invites listeners to reflect on the broader implications of trust, duty, and the pursuit of truth within the realms of personal and professional relationships. Through its detailed narrative and emotional depth, "Post Mortem | The Firefighter's Secret" exemplifies the series' commitment to uncovering the nuanced stories behind society's most impactful cases.

Transcript

[Ann Marie Green]

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[Ann Marie Green]

Taxes and fees, extra Speed slower above 40 gigabytes. Details. Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your host Ann Marie Green. And today we're discussing the case of Melissa Lamish. Now, the day before Thanksgiving in 2020, firefighters responded to smoke at an Illinois home. But once they were inside, they found Melissa. She was nine months pregnant, dead on her kitchen floor. She was scheduled to give birth actually, two days later. She was gonna be induced. So of course there's a lot to discuss when it comes to we are joined today by CBS correspondent Nikki Batiste and 48 Hours producer Ruth Chenitz. Thanks for being here.

[Ruth Chenitz]

It's good to see you.

[Nikki Batiste]

Hello. Thanks.

[Ann Marie Green]

Okay, so just a reminder to everyone, I say this every week. If you haven't listened to the 48 Hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. So go take a Listen and then come back for this conversation. Okay, let's get into it. So Matthew Plody, he's suspected of killing Melissa and the baby that they were expecting and then setting the fire in her home to conceal the death. But what's surprising about this is that he's an actual firefighter. And so one would think if anyone would be able to set a fire that would be difficult to investigate, it would be him.

[Ruth Chenitz]

That was actually one of my very first thoughts when we were researching the story, is, wait a second. He seems like the one person who might be able to set a fire that would destroy evidence. But he's a firefighter. He's not an arson investigator. He doesn't necessarily know how to start the perfect fire. And remember, if he did in fact do this, you know, he would have wanted to destroy all the evidence, but he would have no way of knowing exactly how to commit the perfect crime in that way.

[Nikki Batiste]

And even as you know from other stories, we do, people have plans and they make mistakes. Who knows what happened if he panicked, if he didn't complete his plan? But yeah, somebody who usually puts out fires, starting a fire, yeah, putting out.

[Ruth Chenitz]

A fire is definitely much different. The oven wasn't on, the burners were turned off. But when you see pictures of the crime scene and anyone who watched the show sees, I mean, the kitchen is destroyed when she was found, but a lot of the rest of the house, including the room that had stuff for the baby, which is gut wrenching to see, was intact.

[Ann Marie Green]

So we know from the hour that the relationship between Melissa and Plody, it wasn't great, but it had never been a real sort of solid relationship anyways. Do we know anything about Melissa's family and Plody, whether they had a relationship?

[Nikki Batiste]

Her older sister had heard about him but didn't meet him. So it was one of these friends. On again, off again. They never really dated. They were never boyfriend, girlfriend. The people that we spoke to had not met him, him before. And the older sister recalled hearing about him from when they were friends. Like how you talk about your group of friends to your siblings.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Melissa and Matty Plot had known each other for some time. They met during college. They went to different colleges, but they met at a trivia night at a bar. And as Ruth had had this casual relationship. But I remember Cassie, one of her sisters, who we talked to in the hour, telling a story about Melissa, saying that the father of her baby was a bald firefighter. And Cassie went on Facebook, sort of scouring, trying to figure it out and did and sort of said, is it him really? And she's like, you know, I believe confirmed it.

[Nikki Batiste]

The reason she wasn't telling people the name is. Cause according to the family, Melissa was like, he doesn't really want to be part of this. And so why do I need to tell you who he is if he's not going to be part of the life of the baby?

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, how did her family feel about that?

[Ruth Chenitz]

Well, I know Gus, Melissa's dad, he didn't want to know the name because.

[Ann Marie Green]

He didn't want to know.

[Ruth Chenitz]

He didn't want to know who the father was because the father didn't want to be in the baby's life. And I think as Melissa's father, he's probably mad. Like, I don't even want to know who this guy is. I think my dad would feel that way.

[Ann Marie Green]

Right.

[Ruth Chenitz]

But I think probably her sister clearly wanted to know.

[Ann Marie Green]

Right. I'd probably do the same thing. I'd be all over Facebook.

[Nikki Batiste]

And the family said, don't worry about it. If he doesn't want to help you, that's fine. We will. We'll help you financially. We'll help you with support. She had a lot of brothers and sisters. She was already an aunt. So they were like, don't worry. We'll help you.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah. If there's anything that you get from this hour about her is that if there's somebody who could handle being a single mother, she could. Like, she'd take on the challenge. And you certainly see that she has a village supporting her. What about Plody's parents? I mean, this would have been their grandchild.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Matthew did not want his parents to know he was expecting a baby. And Melissa decided ultimately to take it upon herself to tell Matt's parents. And as we understand it, you know, they probably later spoke to him about it. So we don't know for sure. Investigators say they don't know for sure if that could have set him off. But certainly in our interview with some of Melissa's family, they wondered if it did. I remember Deanna, her mom, saying, you know, if only she hadn't told his parents, would she maybe be here? Would my grandson maybe be here?

[Nikki Batiste]

According to Melissa's sister, Melissa told her that his parents were like, isn't that exciting? We're here. We'll help you. And the reason she did it, she mentioned to her family, oh, I might tell his parents. And they're like, why bother? Leave well enough alone. But she felt very strongly they had a right to know this is, according to her family, that his parents had a right to know that they were going to be grandparents. And she was, you know, wanted other people in the baby's life, and she always thought they seemed like nice people. So she didn't see why she shouldn't.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Tell them, which is admirable and says a lot about Melissa. We did try to speak with his parents, but they didn't want to sit down with us with 48 hours. But they were, as we understand it, there at the trial. The defense said they certainly were supporting him. We saw them the day of the sentencing.

[Ann Marie Green]

Really, could you say, I know it's hard to tell, but what was their demeanor like? I mean, this has got to be incredibly tough for them.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Stoic, like, I remember they were very serious.

[Nikki Batiste]

But we never had the chance to speak to them, to know what they think now, you know, after the trial.

[Ann Marie Green]

So Melissa's family, they kind of know of plody, and they know that he's the father of the child, but they don't know much else. They know he's a firefighter. When Melissa's body is found in that house that has been set on fire, did they immediately think he might be responsible for this?

[Nikki Batiste]

They did. The family did. Not necessarily investigators. And the reason was that Melissa had been on the phone with her older sister Cassie, earlier that day of the fire. And they're talking about the baby. They're talking about Thanksgiving. And Melissa says, I gotta go. Matt's at the door, something like that. And she said, I'll call you back. And that was the last anybody heard from Alyssa. So right away, they know he's at the house. And I think to the family, because he had been at the house that day, she didn't want anything to do with him. And he had come by the house two days before, too. And she's like, why does he keep coming to them right away? They're thinking he may be involved. Investigators look at it a little differently. Obviously, he's a person of interest because he was there. And they called him in for questioning that evening, the evening of the fire, he willingly came and spoke with him. But also, you have to remember in the beginning, too, you don't know for certain that she was even murdered. Right? There's a fire. She's in the kitchen. She's dead. Maybe she was cooking something and it went up.

[Ann Marie Green]

And they don't really know what caused the fire, right?

[Nikki Batiste]

No, they never found, you know, a device. Investigators had dogs come in and sniff for accelerant. They didn't find any accelerant. They didn't find any electrical issues. So what they determined was that it was started at the cabinets above the stove, they believed to make it look like something happened in the kitchen.

[Ruth Chenitz]

I think for this story, it mattered less what started the fire. What mattered was, was it accidental or was it intentional? An accidental fire and an intentional fire could both be started in the same way, really. So I think that was really what it was all about.

[Ann Marie Green]

So this is something that you guys may not know, but do you know if they had an adversarial relationship?

[Nikki Batiste]

She was not afraid of him. Like, it wasn't like, oh, my God, I'm not going to open the door. And Matthew Plot had zero criminal record. You know, he was known to be sort of quiet at work. It wasn't someone where you have, like, oh, you know, that employee who flies off the handle all the time. That was not Matt. And she tried to, you know, keep the door open in case he wanted to be involved, but she really had no reason to be afraid of him.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Right.

[Ann Marie Green]

So, you know, perhaps one of the saddest sort of aspects to this story is that Melissa's mother, Deanna, who is waiting for her grandchild to be born, expecting the new child into her life in just a few days. She meets her grandson for the first time at the funeral. She holds his hand because her daughter can't. You can't help but to sort of fight back tears and imagine the pain that she is feeling.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Yeah. Which I am.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah.

[Ruth Chenitz]

I have a baby. So every time I think about this, I still get emotional. Yeah. Deanna wanted to see her daughter and her grandson Barrett, who, remember, was a baby about to come out into the world. And Deanna carries around a picture with her. In the picture is Barrett, and she's holding Barrett's hand, Deanna. And she keeps that in her wallet and carries it around. And to see the picture just sort of makes your heart stop for a minute. You realize what this family has lost. She's lost her own daughter, her grandson. Her daughter's lost a child she never got to meet. I mean, it's horrific in every way. And for me, seeing that photo is just something I'll never forget.

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[Ann Marie Green]

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[Nikki Batiste]

Well, he willingly agreed to those interviews and there was no lawyer present. He didn't even hire a lawyer until later. Seven hours sounds like a long time. If there was talking going on, they would ask a question and often he either didn't answer or there'd be two minutes before he would answer. So most of the seven hours were the investigators asking questions, trying to get him to talk and him saying very little.

[Ruth Chenitz]

And I think too, what's striking or what might strike a jury is not once is he emotional. And I think, you know, juries, humans, like to watch behavior. And behavior, as his lawyers will pronounce, doesn't mean guilt or innocence, no matter what it is. But it's hard to tell a jury that.

[Ann Marie Green]

Absolutely.

[Nikki Batiste]

The defense says, for as long as we've known him, that's how he is when we talk to him. But the investigators say, you know, we were accusing him of some pretty horrendous things. And most people would say, enough, leave me alone. How dare you. And he was very calm and not saying much.

[Ruth Chenitz]

I think for me, what strikes me the most is neither of his interviews did he ever say, I didn't kill Melissa and our baby. And I would think if you are in fact innocent, you would probably say that.

[Ann Marie Green]

Absolutely. But even sort of one of the clips that is in the episode where they say to him, melissa is dead. And I don't know exactly the phrasing that they use, but he's like, oh, and I thought isn't like the first impulse to be like, what happened?

[Nikki Batiste]

And again, the defense looks at it and says, well, look, he didn't get rattled. So.

[Ann Marie Green]

Interesting. So another kind of interesting component of this hour has to do with the fire chief, right? His boss, Fire Chief Rob Schultz, he agreed to wear a wire and confront plot about the night of the murder. And initially, Fire Chief Rob Schultz says that he said no. And I kind of understood why, because I thought, you know, you're the leader of these group of men and women, they have to trust you to go to you. And this is kind of a betrayal of that trust for a really good reason. A murder investigation. But still, I could understand why he would waffle on it a little bit.

[Nikki Batiste]

And you could see the pain in his face when Nikki spoke to him about this, you know, where he's like, I don't readily talk about it. I'm not proud that I did this. But there is a grieving family out there looking for answers. And in the end, he didn't have to wear, like, they put something on his phone on the desk. But he's a wonderfully thoughtful man who cares about his firehouse, and you can sense how troubled he is by all of this.

[Ruth Chenitz]

And when he first got the call that Matthew Ploty was being investigated for the murder of, he didn't even know about. Melissa had never heard the name Melissa Lamb. She didn't know there was a baby. But when he was told all of this and that Matthew was being investigated, he couldn't believe it. He was like, no, no way. Not that. Not the Matthew that I know. He knows him. He's known him for years. But he said, I think the moment for him where he thought, wait, maybe something, you know, maybe Matthew is involved is that Matthew had taken off that day from work. And I think for him, that was the moment where things started to fall into place.

[Nikki Batiste]

And it wasn't just that it couldn't be Matthew. To Chief Schultz, the concept of a firefighter, someone who saves lives, who helps people doing it. He was like, it couldn't be any of my guys because that's not what we do. Again, Matthew willingly came in, and I think some of it was, gee, am I ever going to get my job back? That maybe that might have been part of the lore. And Chief Schultz was like, look, I will help you deal with this. Like, if you tell me I can go with you to the police. You can call me at 2 in the morning. Rob Schultz thought if he could appeal to him on that way. But he really. He just.

[Ann Marie Green]

He wouldn't give anything.

[Nikki Batiste]

Yeah. Didn't say anything.

[Ann Marie Green]

What I really got from the fire Chief. Was that he not only felt a little uncomfortable doing this, but also he was questioning himself a little bit. I know this guy. What did I miss? Which I think we see often in many of these 48 hours cases.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Chief Schultz was. Is pure good.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah.

[Ruth Chenitz]

And I think he wants to think that of everyone in his life and his firefighters and his. His world has been. I mean, his world will never be the same.

[Ann Marie Green]

Okay, let's talk a bit about the trial now. What was Plody's main defense at the trial?

[Nikki Batiste]

Well, there. There were two things that the defense found inadequate. An inadequate investigation that maybe to question other old boyfriends or other people, and then that the fire itself was not investigated well enough.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Right. And the person that the defense mentioned in their closing argument was Gus, Melissa's dad, saying, you never looked at Gus. You never questioned him. He was at the grocery store buying groceries for Thanksgiving when he got the call about the fire. Like, why didn't you verify that he wasn't at the house earlier? And they were making that point.

[Ann Marie Green]

In fact, I want to play a portion of our interview with defense attorney John Cupp that was not in the show, where he explained just why he made this argument.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Our job is to point out things.

[Ann Marie Green]

That give a jury doubt.

[Ruth Chenitz]

The detectives involved in this case should.

[Ann Marie Green]

Have taken steps to determine where someone like Gus Lamish or other people in the neighborhood.

[Ruth Chenitz]

They should have determined where those people.

[Nikki Batiste]

Were or could have been at the.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Time of this, you know, alleged crime, but they didn't do any of that.

[Ann Marie Green]

And here's another unaired clip from Gus Lamish reacting to the argument during his victim impact statement.

[Nikki Batiste]

Not only do I have Melissa and Barrett taken from me, they want to accuse me of killing them. How heartless do you have to be to be able to do this to a grieving parent?

[Ruth Chenitz]

This was insult to injury.

[Nikki Batiste]

I don't believe that the defense truly thinks Gus had anything to do with it. They were using Gus as a concrete example of, here's a timeline. And you didn't even check that. But to Gus, obviously, as he said, it's like insult upon injury.

[Ruth Chenitz]

It's a bold move, I think, on the defense part. And I asked the lawyers, is there a shred of evidence that Gus had anything to do with Melissa's murder, with the fire, anything? And they said no. So it was, you know, but as defense lawyers, as they do, we're just trying to create some sort of doubt. And that was one of the ways they did it.

[Ann Marie Green]

Right.

[Nikki Batiste]

And I think they chose Gus because he gets the Call at the supermarket. And that could have been something very easy. Call the supermarket, see if he was really there. It's his house. They didn't do it. But the prosecutor said if there were other people worth looking at, investigators would have. So that's why, to them, it wasn't tunnel vision. They looked at who they needed to look at.

[Ruth Chenitz]

You know, hearing Gus refer to that in his victim statement was. I remember. I think we even looked at each other, like, ugh. And then also, we sat down with Gus after that day, and he had such raw emotion. You know, I feel like dads sometimes try to be really tough, and he just. It was so sad and so heartbreaking.

[Nikki Batiste]

Melissa had moved in. Her parents were divorced. She had moved in with Gus into their childhood home because she had to stop working as the baby was coming. And Gus, in the interview, said to Nikki, you know, he was looking forward to, like, almost raising this child. Sure, Move into my house. I'll give you some help.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Clearly, they were so close. She's living with him. He's supporting her. There's a room in his house ready for a baby with diapers and teddy bears, and he's lost it all. And his house.

[Ann Marie Green]

Right. You reveal, and we talked about this earlier in the hour, that Melissa's baby was going to be named Barrett. What's the story behind that name?

[Ruth Chenitz]

It's a sweet story. It's a great name. I love the name. According to her family, Melissa never told anyone the name, but they really wanted to try to figure it out. They knew that she liked double letters. They knew it was a boy, and she was calling the baby little bear. So after she passed, they were able to see her Internet searches, and one of them was, what does the name Barrett mean? So they decided to go with that name. And coincidentally, one of the meanings of the name Barrett is bear strength.

[Ann Marie Green]

Oh.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Which is sweet. So that's the name that he was given. That's the name that's on his tombstone with his mom.

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, if there's anything that I get from this is that this really did not have to happen. If the theory is true that he just didn't want to be a dad, he didn't have to be. She was fine without him. And it sounds like she was a powerhouse. She would have been an amazing mother. But you did very well bringing her to life. So another excellent hour. Thank you so much, guys.

[Nikki Batiste]

Thank you.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Yeah. She sounds like she was an incredible woman.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah.

[Ruth Chenitz]

And would have been a great mom.

[Ann Marie Green]

Indeed. Indeed. If you like the series, please rate and review 48 hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 hours wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen ad free on Amazon Music, One Dream plus and the One Tree app or with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. If you like this podcast, you can.

[Nikki Batiste]

Listen ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery App.

[Ann Marie Green]

Before you go, tell us about yourself.

[Ruth Chenitz]

By filling out a quick [e-mail] survey.

[Nikki Batiste]

From the award winning Masters of Audio.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Horror I see a face right up against the window.

[Ann Marie Green]

Bleach white, no hair, black eyes.

[Nikki Batiste]

A round hole for a mouth. It's flat, Taylor.

[Ruth Chenitz]

It's completely flat.

[Nikki Batiste]

I don't know what that is. I don't know what kind of a head is flat. Comes the return of Dark Sanctum. Look. What is that coming under the door? It's blood. Seven original Chilling Tales Inspired by the Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Get back in your car, Lizzy.

[Nikki Batiste]

It's okay. I'm here now.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Josh.

[Ann Marie Green]

Get in your car.

[Nikki Batiste]

Starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Clive standen and Michael O'Neill welcome to the Dark Sanctum. Listen to Dark Sanctum Season 2 exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App Apple Podcast app for Spotify they say Hollywood is where dreams are made, a seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored and capture America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off, fame.

[Ann Marie Green]

Fortune and lives can disappear in an instant.

[Nikki Batiste]

When TV producer Roy Raiden was found dead in a Canyon near LA in 1983, there were many questions surrounding his death. The last person seen with him was.

[Ann Marie Green]

Laney Jacobs, a seductive cocaine dealer who.

[Nikki Batiste]

Desperately wanted to be part of the Hollywood elite. Together, they were trying to break into the movie industry. But things took a dark turn when.

[Ann Marie Green]

A million dollars worth of cocaine and cash went missing.

[Nikki Batiste]

From Wondery comes a new season of the hit show Hollywood in Crime the Cotton Club Murder. Follow Hollywood and Crime the Cotton Club Murder on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of the Cotton Club Murder early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus.

[Ann Marie Green]

In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harbored a deep dark scandal.

[Nikki Batiste]

There wouldn't be a girl on pit count once they reach the age of 10. That would still aver. It just happens to all of the I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Two years I'VE been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on.

[Ann Marie Green]

Generations of women and girls from Pitcairn.

[Nikki Batiste]

When there's nobody watching, nobody going to.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story story of abuse and the.

[Ann Marie Green]

Fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on.

[Ann Marie Green]

Wandering Plus Join Wandery plus in the.

[Ruth Chenitz]

Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.