Podcast
Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Hosted by Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield · EN
I know a thing or two about true crime... I’ve been reporting on it for 36 years. This is the podcast where I take you on a journey through mystery and injustice... and dive deep into critical clues with an irreverent style that I don’t share on TV!
Join me for my personal take on many of these stories and my personal connection to several as well!
I’m Ashleigh Banfield, and I’m Drop Dead Serious!
New Episodes Every Thursday!
Join me for my personal take on many of these stories and my personal connection to several as well!
I’m Ashleigh Banfield, and I’m Drop Dead Serious!
New Episodes Every Thursday!
351episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Unbelievable: Guthrie Ransom Hoax Scammer Won’t Spend a Day Behind Bars | Derrick Callella
Jul 300:47:45Summary readyJust days after Nancy Guthrie vanished, a fake Bitcoin ransom scammer tried to exploit her family’s worst nightmare. Five months later, on July 2, Derrick Callella, a 42-year-old man from Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty after prosecutors said he sent Bitcoin-related ransom messages to Nancy Guthrie’s family after she vanished and after an earlier ransom demand had already been made. Derrick Callella is expected to receive 5 years probation, not prison, when he is sentenced on Sept. 10. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by former homicide prosecutor Matt Murphy, author of The Book of Murder and host of the podcast In The Well on MK True Crime, to discuss whether this punishment fits the crime and what the case could mean for scammers who target grieving families during active criminal investigations.
Summary'Fake' Ransom Note Bombshell: FBI Says Some Demands May Be Real? | Nancy Guthrie Missing
Jul 200:56:37Summary readyThe Nancy Guthrie case just got even more confusing, as the FBI is now pushing back on reports that every alleged ransom note tied to Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother was fake. Reuters reported that FBI sources believe all of the ransom-related messages are bogus, but TMZ’s Harvey Levin says his FBI contacts are telling him something very different: that some of the original ransom demands may still be considered potentially legitimate. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the chaos over the Nancy Guthrie ransom notes, the FBI’s new statement saying the case is still being investigated as a kidnapping for ransom, the role of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and why the alleged messages sent to media outlets have become such a critical and controversial part of the investigation. Ashleigh is joined by James Hamilton, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and founder of Hamilton Security Group, to discuss how investigators evaluate ransom demands, why different FBI sources may be giving different assessments, and what this latest twist means for the search for Nancy Guthrie.Check out Particle’s Face Cream here: https://particleformen.co/banfield and use my code BANFIELD20 for a 20% discount sitewide.
SummaryMurdaugh Retrial Twist: Could Mystery DNA Under Maggie’s Fingernail Could Blow Up the Case? | Alex Murdaugh
Jul 100:52:07Summary readyAlex Murdaugh is heading back to court for a new murder trial in 2027, and one overlooked piece of evidence could become a major problem for prosecutors: unknown male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest pretrial hearing in the Murdaugh murders case with Peter Tragos, host of The Lawyer You Know, including the defense’s argument that Alex Murdaugh’s orange jumpsuit and shackles could poison the jury pool before the retrial even begins, why mystery male DNA under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail may get new attention with modern testing, how much of Murdaugh’s financial crimes history jurors may hear, the Becky Hill jury tampering fallout, and whether Alex Murdaugh has a real shot at beating the murder charges this time around.Follow Peter Tragos:Lawyer You Know: https://www.youtube.com/@LawyerYouKnowReady to give Toups a try? Get 25% off your first order by going to http://toupsandco.com/banfield, and use code BANFIELD for 25% off your first order.
SummaryEerie Apple Watch Location Raises New Questions in Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Mystery
Jun 3000:55:24Summary readyA critical new detail in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping mystery may help explain why investigators have been taking the first ransom note so seriously. According to new reporting from CBS, the first ransom note received on February 2, 2026, included a highly specific detail about Nancy Guthrie’s Apple Watch: that it had a white band and was on the floor of Nancy's bedroom. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Crime Junkie Breaking News Reporter, Brianna Whitney, who has seen the wording of the ransom notes and shares what stood out to her, including the strange language, the apology, and what it was like reporting on the Nancy Guthrie case in real time as the first clues were coming in.
SummaryChilling New Ransom Demand Claims Video Shows Nancy Guthrie With Main Kidnapper Before She Died?
Jun 2700:40:32Summary readyThe person who has repeatedly contacted TMZ claiming to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers is now making an even bigger claim: that he has video of Nancy with the “main guy” on what may have been the last day of her life. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest alleged ransom communication, the new Bitcoin demand, the claim of a hidden phone containing video, photos, names, addresses, and information about two people allegedly involved in Nancy’s kidnapping. Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart joins Ashleigh to explain what investigators can learn from email headers, crypto wallets, AI-generated messages, machine ID cookies, cell phones, and the digital trail criminals often leave behind. Is this new “video” claim the break investigators need, or the cruelest scam yet in the search for Nancy Guthrie?
SummaryMackenzie Shirilla’s Mom Defends Daughter After “Remorseless” Netflix Interview
Jun 2600:51:23Summary readyMackenzie Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, is speaking out after Netflix’s The Crash reignited outrage over the deadly 2022 Ohio crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. Mackenzie was 17 years old when prosecutors said she deliberately drove into a brick wall at 100 miles per hour, killing her boyfriend and friend. She was convicted in a bench trial and sentenced to 15 years to life, but Natalie insists the public still does not know the full story.In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Chris Cuomo, who sat down for an exclusive interview with Natalie Shirilla and pressed her on the questions still surrounding her daughter’s case, from the crash evidence and trial strategy to Mackenzie’s prison interview, misconduct reports, and allegations about prison girlfriends.Cuomo Crime Time:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6KWjsqGTmSn_Bcobk4sfIQEXCLUSIVE: Mackenzie Shirilla's Mom Speaks Out for the First Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07TLSVuNg8
SummaryRansom Note Horror: "Hello Savannah. We Have Your Mother, Nancy." | Nancy Guthrie Missing
Jun 2501:04:43Summary readyThe Nancy Guthrie case just took another disturbing turn after new reporting revealed the chilling words allegedly sent after the 84-year-old Tucson grandmother vanished: “Hello Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy.” In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest Nancy Guthrie ransom note details, including the alleged apology, the claim that Nancy “perished shortly after she was taken,” and the bizarre phrase that she was “buried with nature.” Ashleigh is joined by retired homicide detective and Cold Case Foundation director Chris McDonough, who weighs in on why the ransom notes may not fit a typical kidnapping-for-ransom case, what the “porch guy” video may reveal about the abductor, and whether a new theory about how Nancy was targeted could open an entirely different path in the investigation.Subscribe to The Interview Room:https://www.youtube.com/@UCaYSPdXtA5wIBkHk-OKsOMg
SummaryMystery Deepens: Officials Turn To Her Organs to Solve Mysterious Death | Elena Moore
Jun 2400:53:08Summary readyThe 39-year-old Lexington, South Carolina personal trainer vanished after being seen at Planet Fitness and was later found dead in a wooded area near a bridge. Now, the autopsy results are in, but instead of answering the biggest question, how did Elena die, they’ve left the case wide open. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the strange timeline before Elena disappeared, the bizarre Ring camera video from days earlier, the possible EMS dispatch involving a disoriented woman, and the new autopsy update showing no obvious trauma, no clear cause of death, and no final manner of death. Forensic criminologist and death investigator Dr. Laura Pettler joins Ashleigh to explain why investigators are now turning to toxicology, medical records, and histological testing of Elena’s organs to figure out what happened in those final days.
SummaryBombshell Nancy Guthrie Twist: Ransom Note Claims Nancy Was "Buried With Nature"
Jun 2300:55:09Summary readyA stunning new report is raising disturbing questions in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, after sources say an old ransom note claimed Nancy was dead and “buried with nature.” In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the unbelievable new reporting around the alleged ransom notes, and the claim that Nancy may have died shortly after she was abducted. Ashleigh also speaks with TMZ’s Harvey Levin, whose team received early communications in the case and worked with the FBI as investigators tried to trace the people behind them. Harvey reveals what TMZ did and did not receive, why he believed one mysterious tipster may have known something, and the moment the FBI suddenly stopped responding. As the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping mystery grows darker, the biggest questions remain unanswered: who took Nancy, where is she now, and did the ransom notes tell the truth?
SummaryDisturbing Mystery: Missing Woman’s Husband Was a Local Deputy for 14 Years | Elena Moore
Jun 1900:36:46Summary readyChilling New Details: A body has been found in the search for missing Lexington, South Carolina woman Elena Moore, but the coroner says there was “nothing obvious” at first glance. We've also learned that Elena Moore’s husband spent 14 years as a local deputy before becoming a private investigator. Police said early in the investigation that he was not a person of interest. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Sergeant Vicki Rains, who was featured in Netflix’s hit true crime docuseries, Missing: Dead or Alive? Rains served for more than 20 years in law enforcement, including with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s Victims Services Unit. She weighs in on the unusual timeline, the strange Ring camera video showing Moore disoriented days before she disappeared, the husband’s law enforcement background, and the questions investigators still need to answer. Previous Video: https://youtu.be/aZ6UHHD29FUElena Katherine Moore, 39, was last seen on June 11 after signing in at Planet Fitness in Lexington. Surveillance later showed her walking near Publix on Old Cherokee Road wearing the same olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants she had on earlier that night. Days later, police said they found a body wearing similar clothing, but official identification and cause of death were still pending.
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