In November 1958, duck hunters at Cowan Lake State Park stumbled upon a burned body so badly damaged it was nearly unrecognizable. It belonged to Louise Bergen, a 32-year-old Cincinnati mother whose disappearance had already set off whispers of secret relationships and divided loyalties. What followed became one of the most notorious murder cases in the city's history—featuring a shocking confession, a death sentence, and a prosecutor who refused to look at evidence that might have told a different story. (Note: This episode was recorded live at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio.)

Additional note: A regular listener and relative of the prosecutor mentioned in this story, C. Watson Hover, reached out to correct my pronunciation of his surname. I said "hover," as in "hoverboard." The correct pronunciation is the word "over" with an H. Thank you, Lisa, for letting me know!

Crimes of the Centuries is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes and more over at www.grabbagcollab.com

Order the Crimes of the Centuries book at your favorite bookstore or at www.centuriespod.com/book!

S6 Ep5: LIVE Episode: Cincinnati's "Seamstress Slayer"