REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana

Wondery | Ballen Studios
Episode: Introducing: American Criminal
Date: August 27, 2025

Overview

This episode of REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries introduces listeners to the podcast American Criminal, hosted by Jeremy Schwartz. Focused on deconstructing some of America’s darkest and most perplexing crime stories, the episode provides a compelling preview of a season centered on the infamous serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. Through in-depth storytelling, the show explores the confessions, investigations, and wide-scale impacts of their alleged crimes, including the tragic case of Adam Walsh. The featured segment, “The Head in the Canal,” immerses listeners in the chilling discovery that catalyzed a national movement for missing children.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to American Criminal’s Approach (00:02 – 01:03)

• Host Jeremy Schwartz describes the podcast’s unique format—delving deeply into major true crime cases over several episodes.
  • "We're not just sticking our toes in for one episode covering the basics. No, no, no, no, no. We dive deep into these cases over a number of weeks to bring you the whole story from start to finish." (A, 00:12)
• Cases explored are not only examined for the crimes themselves but through motivations, investigations, media responses, and broader societal impact.

2. Featured Storyline: Lucas & Toole and the Adam Walsh Case (01:03 – 02:13)

• Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole: Serial killers whose confessions to hundreds of murders in the 1980s led to confusion, recantations, and disputes among law enforcement and media.
  • "It got to the stage where no one knew what was the truth and what was fiction. Law enforcement agencies squared off to fight about it. The media published exposes and the courts...couldn't work out what to do. It was a mess." (A, 01:09)
• The abduction and murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh is woven into the Lucas and Toole narrative, underscoring the broad impact on how America deals with missing children.
  • "Adam's story, the way his parents and community mobilized to search for him and how the country as a whole reacted, literally changed the way America responds to missing children." (A, 01:28)

3. Chapter Preview: "The Head in the Canal" (02:13 – 07:06)

• The Discovery (02:13 – 06:28)
  • August 10, 1981: Two farm workers in Central Florida discover the severed head of a child in a canal—a traumatic scene recounted in immersive, narrative detail.
  • Their shock quickly intertwines with morbid curiosity and gut instinct, wondering if this is “the boy who went missing last month”—Adam Walsh.
  • Investigation begins, divers search the canal, and the focus shifts from a missing child search to a homicide case.
• Backdrop: The Lucas & Toole Connection (06:28 – 07:06)
  • Introduction to Lucas and Toole’s criminal partnership and notorious claims of a nation-wide murder spree.
  • Deep skepticism surrounds their confessions, as evidence often fails to corroborate their stories.
  • Raises the central tension: “If Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole didn't commit all of the murders they copped to, who did?” (B, 07:03)

4. Lucas & Toole: Early Relationship and Modus Operandi (07:07 – 12:40)

• 1979, Jacksonville, Florida: Otis Toole meets Henry Lee Lucas—an uneasy friendship forms against a backdrop of poverty and abuse.
  • Vivid descriptions of their day-to-day, the dismal environment, and their relationships with family, especially Toole’s vulnerable young niece, Becky.
• The pair use a stolen or otherwise acquired car for odd jobs, petty crimes, and, according to their later claims, as a vehicle for murder sprees.
  • Becky's involvement highlighted as especially predatory, tying into Henry's history of abuse.

5. Case Deep Dive: Sandra Mae Dubs (12:41 – 14:46)

• October 3, 1979, Texas: Sandra Mae Dubs’s car breaks down on I-35. The sequence paints her vulnerability, isolation, and reliance on the goodwill of the stranger who ultimately becomes her killer.
• October 8, 1979: Sandra's body is found, confirming suspicions of foul play with sexual assault and homicide—her family reports missing valuables, and investigators reach dead ends.

6. Community in Fear: Austin Double Murder (14:47 – 15:30)

• October 23, 1979: Book and liquor store owners Molly and Harry Schlesinger are found shot; both succumb to their wounds.
• Residents are haunted by the proximity in time and location of Sandra Dubs’s murder and the Schlesinger shootings, questioning whether a pair of killers is terrorizing their region.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We’re bringing you a chapter from our most recent season which covers the twisted, violent lives of Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole, a pair of serial killers who between them confess to—get ready—hundreds of murders in the 1980s." (A, 00:40)
• "Then they took it all back, then confessed again." (B, 01:04) – succinctly capturing the maddening inconsistencies.
• "It's the afternoon of August 10, 1981, in Central Florida...The closer they get to the object, the clearer they can see it. This isn't a piece of plastic bobbing in the water. It's the head of a person, a child." (B, 02:27) – a shocking, cinematic description.
• "Under any circumstances, this would be a hard day for anyone. Knowing that you found the remains of a child is traumatic enough, but alongside those feelings is a morbid kind of curiosity." (B, 03:11)
• "How much can you really take their word for it?...If Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole didn't commit all of the murders they copped to, who did?" (B, 07:01/07:03) – encapsulating the enduring mystery.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 – 01:03: Introduction to American Criminal’s format and philosophy
• 01:04 – 02:13: Overview of Lucas/Toole saga and the Adam Walsh case’s impact
• 02:13 – 07:06: Chapter from "The Head in the Canal": Discovery of Adam Walsh’s head, Lucas & Toole’s suspect confessions
• 07:07 – 12:40: Early relationship and lifestyle of Lucas & Toole
• 12:41 – 14:46: Sandra Mae Dubs case: Victim’s last night and aftermath
• 14:47 – 15:30: Austin double murder and the climate of fear

Tone and Storytelling Style

The episode maintains a dramatic, immersive narrative tone, employing evocative storytelling and focusing on chilling details to pull listeners into the unsettling realities of notorious crime stories. Jeremy Schwartz’s delivery is methodical, empathetic, and occasionally self-deprecating, which grounds the intense subject matter and connects with the audience on a human level.

Summary Conclusion

This episode delivers a gripping preview of American Criminal, promising deeply researched, multi-faceted exploration of real crimes that shaped America’s legal and cultural landscape. With haunting stories like those of Henry Lee Lucas, Otis Toole, Sandra Mae Dubs, and Adam Walsh, listeners are compelled to confront the murky boundary between truth and myth in serial killer lore—and the chilling uncertainty that often accompanies cases where the facts refuse to come clean.