Top True Crime Podcasts

When 20-year-old Matthew Leveson failed to return home after a night out clubbing in Sydney, his loved ones were worried sick. Matty was a trustworthy, warm, and caring young man who adored his friends and family, not the type of person who would just take off without a word. Suspicion soon fell on Matt’s partner, 45-year-old Michael Atkins, after it was revealed that the pair were fighting on the night of Matt’s disappearance. But was that unfortunate timing, or did Atkins have something to hide?

Matty is a 10-part series narrated by Loren O’Keeffe from The Missed Foundation (formerly known as MPAN – Missing Persons Advocacy Network). Join Loren as she documents the decade-long struggle faced by Matt’s parents, Mark and Faye, who refused to give up on their son. We go behind the headlines for an exclusive insight into how the investigation unfolded, exploring the failures of law enforcement and the ongoing obstacles faced by the Levesons. At the heart of it all lies the question: how far would you go to bring your loved one home?

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Blood Trails is a new investigative podcast from MeatEater, hosted by writer and journalist Jordan Sillars. Each episode digs into true crime stories from the world of hunting and fishing—cases where the woods and the water became the backdrop for violence and mystery. From missing hunters deep in public land to poachers turned killers and fishing trips gone fatally wrong, Blood Trails uncovers the moments when outdoor life collides with the darkness of the human heart. But this isn't repackaged Wikipedia. Each story features original reporting you won't hear anywhere else, expert insight from detectives and hunters, and first-hand accounts from the people who were actually there. For true crime listeners looking for something new—and outdoorsmen who know the thrill and risk of time afield—Blood Trails exposes the stories left behind in the tracks. If you’re a fan of Dateline, Criminal, or Bear Grease but want your true crime set in the wild places you know, this podcast is for you.

Hidden deep in online forums, a growing subculture thrives on anger, isolation, and blame: incels, or “involuntary celibates.” Incels see themselves as rejected by women and overshadowed by so-called “Chads”—the confident, attractive men they believe they can never be. Their frustration often mutates into open hostility, harassment, and, in the most extreme cases, acts of violence. 

Incels takes listeners inside this unsettling world—not to sensationalize it, but to understand it. Through expert analysis, first-hand accounts, and the voices of former incels, we break down how these communities operate, why they’re growing, and the psychological traps that keep men locked in cycles of resentment. With chilling stories and deep insight, Incels reveals the human cost of a culture built on hate—and the path forward for those ready to leave it behind.

Emily Simpson may bring the receipts on RHOC, but in her podcast “Legally Brunette” Emily and her attorney husband Shane bring the cold hard evidence. Backed by their respective law degrees, Emily and Shane pick apart the true crime stories you can’t get enough of!

Whether you believe the defense or the prosecution, they explain the charges, the counts, the plea deals, and the appeals! From high profile crimes to celebrity court cases, you are hereby sentenced to a front row seat in trials around the world, without all the legal fees and jail time!

So don’t call your next witness, call your bestie and tune into the podcast that takes you from Real Housewives to True Crime.

Court is now in session and this couple is nowhere near resting their case! 

It starts with a name. A name whispered in an interrogation room, scribbled into police reports, passed along like an absolute that seemed to solve everything—too neatly, too quickly.

Then it was a truck. A checkbook. Fingerprints. Suspects. Lies. Like a deadly game of Clue, the very pieces you’d expect to matter most were the ones that slipped between the cracks. And in August 2007, when Danny Harris — a father, veteran, and lifelong Tennessean — was found brutally murdered inside his Memphis apartment, the case faded into silence. A story the public never truly heard—until now.

From StephTown Studios, host Stephanie Tinsley has spent the past year retracing these pieces—talking to unheard voices, convincing people to come forward, and bringing to light Everything They Missed.

Julie Ann Garciacelay was not quite 20 when she vanished from her inner-city apartment in Melbourne 50 years ago.

Three men who were with her that night in July 1975 told police the young American left to make a phone call and didn’t return. One would be linked to the infamous Easey Street murders 18 months later.

Julie has never been seen since, nor has her body been found. Her disappearance is one of Australia’s oldest, most haunting ‘cold cases’. But investigative journalist Helen Thomas has unearthed new information about her vanishing - so far from home, almost lost in time…

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When a small French coastal town is plunged into chaos, the world discovers what happens when political power and supernatural forces collide.

The local mayor Gilles d’Ettore wants to spiritually connect with his late father, so he seeks the help of professional mystic Sophia Martinez. However, the psychic sessions soon spiral out of control, with anonymous phone calls from heaven leading to an abuse of power that shatters the facade of small town serenity. Has Gilles been bewitched by Sophia?

With their entanglement the talk of the town, locals start questioning if Gilles is using his position to favour the mystic, or is he simply a generous leader? Is Sophia preying on a vulnerable man, or are her actions helping Gilles fulfil his need to believe?

Presenter Anna Richardson and journalist Leo Schick unravel this story from the very beginning, investigating how our past can shape our actions, and vulnerability can be both a strength and a weakness. They explore how the actions of Gilles and Sophia propelled a sleepy tourist trap onto the front pages of newspapers all over the world.

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He left home as the chubby kid with a dream, a decade later, he's a touring comic with a killer set. Literally. In Wisecrack, stand-up comedian Edd Hedges returns to his hometown for a charity gig, only to find himself headlining the most terrifying night of his life. The warm welcome quickly unravels into a chilling true crime tale of a downward spiral and a town shaken by murder. When TV crime producer Jodi Tovay stumbled across Edd’s comedy set, it did more than get a few laughs, it opened the door to a years-long investigation she never saw coming. Part comedy special, part true crime thriller, Wisecrack blends punchlines with plot twists in a genre-defying ride where the laughs are real and the danger is no joke. 

Lizz Melgar Rose went from being interested in true crime to living true crime. Back in 2012, relatives found her mother Sandy Melgar shut in a closet, her hands bound behind her back. Her dad Jim Melgar had been murdered. There was no time to finish the university course Lizz had signed up for, inspired by her teenage fascination with violence and serial killers. She needed to figure out what happened. If it weren't for her strange interest, she believes she’d have been lost. It enabled her to protect her family and herself and helped her try to fit the pieces of a seemingly unsolvable puzzle together. Award-winning journalist and host Maggie Robinson Katz will take you inside the police investigation that followed, inside the courtroom drama as a jury wrestles with who’s responsible for a truly shocking crime, and inside Lizz’s ongoing battle for answers and for justice. Because there is one thing Lizz is convinced of, the wrong person is in prison for her dad’s murder.Hands Tied is a new eight part true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and BBC Studios.

Hitchhiking was a rite of passage for teens in the 70s in the beautiful Pacific Northwest – until a charming predator turned their freedom into fear. Some managed to escape him, but police believe this good-looking stranger was responsible for the kidnapping, torture and murders of many more young women. The grieving families of his victims refuse to let their daughters and sisters be forgotten, and those who survived their run-ins with this killer lived to tell their own tales. Together, their stories paint a chilling portrait of a killer who hid in plain sight. This is the chronicle of lost girls, found strength, and the fight to shine new light on all-but-forgotten cases. Stolen Voices of Dole Valley is the story of a serial killer you’ve never heard of -- and the victims and survivors you’ll never forget.

No AI was used at any point in the making of this podcast.

Created and Produced by Pie in the Sky Media and KSL Podcasts. 

A gripping true crime story of survival, justice, and the power of a mother’s love.

A mother’s love is fierce. A mother’s fight for justice is unstoppable. When Lydia Lerma discovers the unthinkable has happened to her son, she refuses to wait for justice - she hunts for it. 

The Hunter is a thrilling true crime documentary following one woman’s relentless pursuit of a criminal which turns into a high-stakes international manhunt. From the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the streets of Mexico, Lydia stops at nothing - risking her own safety to bring him to justice.

This series contains very strong language and deals with sexual abuse.  

Email the team thehunter@bbc.com

Host: Anaya Echo Hawk

Producer and writer: Emma Weatherill

Sound designer: Melvin Rickarby

Production management: Juliette Harvey

Executive Producer: Joe Kent

The Hunter is a BBC Studios Audio production