The Binge Cases: Killer Story
Episode 2: Why a Nurse?
Sony Music Entertainment — February 9, 2026
Overview
This episode dives into why veteran TV journalist Lyndall Marks became obsessed with finding justice for Sabrina Kidd—a teenage girl who went missing and was later found dead in 1987. As Lyndall’s professional journey takes her from hard news to tabloid journalism, listeners discover how her own traumatic experiences fuel her quest for answers in Sabrina’s cold case. The episode weaves together personal history, newsroom politics, and the first big clue in Sabrina’s disappearance: the visit from a mysterious nurse.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The State of the Cold Case
- Authorities recover an unidentified young woman’s body (later determined to be Sabrina Kidd) from a river in Arizona in 1987.
- Medical examiner describes preservation techniques: hands are removed to collect fingerprints for identification, but no matches are found.
- Authorities treat the case as just another body—no family steps forward, so the system moves on.
Memorable Quote:
"An unidentified body has no name, no history, no touch points with the world, with one exception: the system that processes the dead."
— Narrator (Steve Fishman), [01:14]
- Early suspicion lingers: Did Sabrina drown? The autopsy reveals otherwise; her lungs are dry, suggesting “something else happened.”
Notable forensic detail:
"She didn’t... she had dry lungs. Her irises were occluded."
— Medical Examiner, [02:56]
2. Lyndall Marks: Ambition and Transition to Tabloid TV
- Lyndall’s background: Fast-rising journalist, had worked at Australia’s “60 Minutes” and later at CBS’s respected “60 Minutes” in the US.
- Despite prestige, Lyndall laments being behind the scenes and seeks an on-camera role.
- She is recruited away by “A Current Affair,” a tabloid news show, trading respectability for the promise of visibility, higher pay, and adrenaline.
Quotes:
"It was a wonderful, welcoming, warm, sophisticated, civilized center for the best journalism I’ve ever experienced."
— Lyndall Marks on '60 Minutes', [08:34]
"There was a lot of angst, sure there was."
— Lyndall Marks, reflecting on the career leap, [11:30]
"It's a zoo. It's a crazy ass zoo. And I thought, have I made a huge mistake? Is this going to be not my people? Is this not going to be my world?”
— Lyndall Marks, [12:56]
- The chaotic newsroom culture is described as a “madhouse… vying for stories,” with little regard for traditional journalistic guardrails.
3. Personal Trauma: Lyndall’s Dark Motivation
- Lyndall’s attachment to Sabrina’s case is rooted in a trauma she rarely speaks about: As a university student, she was brutally assaulted by an ex-boyfriend.
- The account is visceral: He pinned their drama professor, then turned to Lyndall and punched her repeatedly, smashing her nose and leaving her unrecognizable.
Memorable Moments:
"He literally full fist punches me in the face. Couple of times right on the bridge of my nose."
— Lyndall Marks, [19:00]
-
After reconstructive surgery and immense emotional pain, Lyndall describes a pivotal hospital encounter with a compassionate doctor, who tells her,
"You are not a victim. Don’t let this shape who you are."
— Lyndall Marks, [22:31] -
She channels her pain into purpose:
"I decided... I’m going to give a voice to people whose lives can take a turn they never had any say in. That’s not fair."
— Lyndall Marks, [23:18] -
The attack’s aftermath led to distrust of men and an obsessive focus on her work, but also forged a deep empathy for “the defenseless”—like Sabrina.
4. The Newsroom Partnership & Pivot to Personal Stories
-
Lyndall is persistent despite her editor Dan’s resistance to the story, who sees the case as a dead end:
"Teenager who went missing in Las Vegas four years earlier. Hard. No."
— Narrator paraphrasing Dan, [25:59] -
Yet, Dan acknowledges Lyndall’s tenacity:
"Whereas Lyndall had almost 100%. If she went out on story, she came back with a story, whatever the assignment."
— Dan, [27:57] -
Their working relationship blossoms into romance, providing Lyndall with both professional support and personal companionship.
-
Despite Dan's continued skepticism about the newsworthiness of Sabrina’s case, Lyndall uses her relationship to push for a trip to Vegas—a possible workaround.
Quotes:
"I had one thing going for me. I could get his ear privately on the pillow, and I use that."
— Lyndall Marks, [33:27]
5. Crack in the Cold Case: The Nurse Clue
- To justify a Vegas trip, Lyndall pitches a sensational “showgirl” story, but her real motivation is to pursue Sabrina’s cold case on the side.
- Meets Sabrina’s friends, Jennifer and Crystal, the first people to take Sabrina's disappearance seriously.
Insight from Friends:
"We had to go downtown... sat in this white room... they asked questions... signed the report, and nothing came of that."
— Jennifer/Crystal, [36:00]
- The crucial breakthrough: Jennifer remembers Sabrina mentioned a nurse visit shortly before she vanished.
- Lyndall’s instincts flare—this visit, brief and unexplained, is highly suspicious since Sabrina was reportedly not sick.
Quotable Moment:
"She said a nurse came and she didn't stay very long. She just did a physical. And then I'm thinking... what? Wait, what?"
— Lyndall Marks, [37:36]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (Chronological with Timestamps)
-
On Prestige vs. Tabloid:
"You literally had to pick up a phone and say, Hi, I'm from CBS 60 Minutes and was like, whoa. You had credibility."
— Lyndall Marks, [08:54] -
On Chaos at A Current Affair:
"It’s a zoo. It’s a crazy ass zoo. And I thought, have I made a huge mistake? Is this going to be not my people? Is this not going to be my world?"
— Lyndall Marks, [12:56] -
On Trauma and Purpose:
"I am going to give a voice to people whose lives were—can take a turn that they never had any say in. That is not fair."
— Lyndall Marks, [23:18] -
On Pushing for the Story Despite Resistance:
"Screw it. I need to do this story. I really feel something’s wrong. Something’s wrong. Something’s happened to this kid."
— Lyndall Marks, [27:28] -
On Newsroom Partnership & Relationship:
"I just, honestly, didn’t think I was someone that guys wanted to be with. I was the career girl, and I was the career girl by choice. And that choice was made back when I was attacked."
— Lyndall Marks, [32:23]
Important Segment Timestamps
- [01:14] – The process of identifying unidentified bodies
- [07:51] – Lyndall’s background in journalism
- [19:00] – Lyndall’s personal trauma, brutal assault recounted in detail
- [23:40] – How the attack impacts Lyndall’s drive and professional ambitions
- [27:28] – Lyndall resolves to pursue the story despite limited evidence
- [33:27] – Lyndall’s relationship with Dan and how it aids (and challenges) her pursuit
- [36:00] – Interview with Sabrina’s friends, highlighting the police’s disinterest
- [37:36] – Revelation about the nurse’s brief, strange visit before Sabrina disappeared
Central Takeaways
- Lyndall Marks’ drive to solve Sabrina Kidd’s case—and to fight for the voiceless—comes from her own experience with violence, shame, and disempowerment.
- The episode explores the tension between evidence and gut feeling in investigative journalism, as Lyndall goes against editorial reluctance to chase a story no one seems to care about.
- The key clue—a nurse’s mysterious visit—shifts the investigation, introducing a new suspect or angle and setting up the stakes for the next episode.
Tone & Style
The episode balances journalistic rigor with tabloid pacing, alternating between hard-nosed newsroom banter and deeply personal, emotional confessionals. Lyndall’s Australian humor and candor, Dan’s New York bluntness, and the show’s investigative style keep the narrative urgent, raw, and accessible.
End of summary.