Q&A with Ryan Kraus: Part I
Aug 01, 2019
Show notes
Enter the strange mind of Cold Case Murder Mysteries host Ryan Kraus for the fascinating first episode of a two-part series in which he answers questions posed by listeners.
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Open Doors & Mysterious 2x4s: The Murders of Blake and Chynna Dickus
Jul 29, 2019
Show notes
On the afternoon of July 24, 2006 a 33-year-old man named Sean Dickus arrived home from work to discover his 26-year-old wife Chynna and 10-year-old son Blake had been brutally murdered inside their house in Franklin, IN. As the investigation proceeded, two possibilities quickly became apparent as the most likely scenario that rendered this horrifying result: one is that Sean Dickus himself could be the killer, and the other pointed the finger at a connection to a local string of burglaries that occurred in the area. Thirteen years after the crime, however, the assailant remains unknown, as does his motive. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological evaluation of the available evidence in an effort to piece together a narrative that finally offers the truth.
The Devil in the Details: Diane Downs
Jul 25, 2019
Show notes
At 10:40pm on the night of May 19, 1983 a young mother named Diane Downs pulled her Nissan Pulsar up to the ER entrance of a hospital near Springfield, OR and informed the staff her children had been shot by a strange man who tried to carjack her out on a dark, desolate road nearby. Inside the vehicle, doctors and nurses discovered three kids who had suffered severe wounds delivered by a .22 handgun, leaving one of them dead and the other two barely clinging to life. It was a mother’s worst nightmare. As the police began to investigate, however, it soon became clear Diane’s story of what happened conflicted with the forensic evidence found at the scene. Before long, Diane was arrested, charged, and convicted of the shootings, leaving the world to wonder how a loving mother could perpetrate this unspeakable act against her offspring. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of Diane’s childhood to uncover the irreconcilable emotional wound from her past that led to murder.
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BAIN/BANE
Jul 20, 2019
Show notes
On the morning of June 20, 1994 police in Dunedin, NZ responded to an emergency call placed by 22-year-old David Bain that eerily proclaimed, "They're all dead." Upon arriving at his home, authorities soon discovered a massacre that left the other five family members deceased, seemingly a result of a murder-suicide carried out by patriarch Robin Bain. Yet, as the investigation began, it quickly became apparent something wasn't right with this crime scene. Before long, David Bain was arrested, charged with the murders, and convicted. After spending nearly fourteen years in prison, however, a successful appeal led to a second trial that set him free. In the aftermath, the public is forever left to wonder what really happened on that fateful morning. Join host Ryan Kraus for an extensive psychological exploration of the crime scene and suspects to determine, once and for all, who killed the Bain family: Robin ... or David?
Daddy’s Princess: The Disappearance of Ayla Reynolds
Jul 05, 2019
Show notes
Around 8pm on the night of December 16, 2011, young father Justin DiPietro put his 20-month-old daughter to sleep in her crib at their Waterville, ME home, leaving his sister to check on the child a while later. All seems fine. But sometime during the night, Ayla Reynolds disappears, prompting Justin to phone 911 when he wakes in the morning and realizes what's happened. Yet, despite the largest search for a missing person in the state's history, the little girl's whereabouts remain a mystery to this day, and police believe the adults in the house that night may know why. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological journey through the blood evidence at the crime scene in an attempt to establish a truthful narrative about what really took place in Justin's home on that fateful evening.
Tappaja Varjoissa: The Lake Bodom Murders
Jun 23, 2019
Show notes
On the morning of June 5, 1960, a grim discovery was made along the shoreline of Lake Bodom in Espoo, Finland. Four local teens on a camping trip were found brutally bludgeoned and stabbed inside their tent, with three of them having succumbed to their injuries. The survivor, Nils Gustafsson, suffered a broken jaw and multiple facial fractures, leaving him with almost no memory of the incident. Yet, before long, the suspicion mounted, and many came to believe Gustafsson was actually the killer.But did he really do it? Or was the real perpetrator one of several other shady men who came under police scrutiny in the aftermath of the crime? Either way, the case remains unsolved, and the murderer never saw justice.Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of evidence found at the scene in an attempt to finally uncover the truth of this baffling mystery.
Leaning Toward Allegorical Meaning & Other Great Reasons to Prevent a Brain-Dead Jury from Assessing the Psychology of Story: Alex Stevens and Megan Shaffer
Jun 13, 2019
Show notes
On the evening of January 3, 2017, 24-year-old Alex Stevens and 20-year-old Megan Shaffer ventured to High Rock overlook in Western Maryland accompanied by multiple animals, where they abandoned their cars, hiked a mile up a dark trail in the freezing cold, and held a strange ritual in the nude near the edge of a cliff. As the hours passed, and nobody heard from them, a friend became concerned enough that he drove to their location to check on them. But they were nowhere to be found. By the next morning, one of them will call 911 for help, and the other will be dead. Join host Ryan Kraus for another trip down the rabbit hole to assess the psychology lurking within this fascinating mystery.
High-Pitched Wails, Gargling Fails & Myriad Ways to Make a Man Sound Crazed: The Mysterious Death of Henry McCabe
May 30, 2019
Show notes
September, 2015. 32-year-old Liberian immigrant Henry McCabe, an auditor for the Minnesota Department of Revenue, leaves his Mounds View home to go drinking at a nearby night club with two acquaintances. But within hours, Henry will make a desperate, eerie, and alarming phone call to his wife, at which point the line goes dead, and nobody ever hears from him again. Nearly two months later, the man's body is discovered by a kayaker in Rush Lake, only miles from his house, but that event brings more questions than answers, and the truth remains a mystery. Join host Ryan Kraus for an examination of this baffling case in an effort to learn what really happened to Henry McCabe on that fateful night.
Creating a Thesis for Drunken Kinesis: The Disappearance of Lauren Spierer
May 15, 2019
Show notes
In the early morning hours of June 3, 2003, a 20-year-old Indiana University student named Lauren Spierer vanished off the streets of Bloomington while walking home after a long night of partying. Nearly 8 years later, there's still no sign of what happened to her. Some believe she was snatched off the roadside by a serial predator, and others think there's rampant dishonesty among the people who accompanied Lauren that fateful evening. But no matter which theory you choose, one thing is for sure... The truth remains a mystery. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of this enduring enigma in an effort to see what evil is lurking beneath the surface.
The Sociopathic Junction of Fried Chikin & Brain Function: Justin Ross Harris
May 04, 2019
Show notes
June 18, 2014. Justin Ross Harris straps his 22-month-old son Cooper into a rear-facing car seat located in the back of his SUV after exiting an Atlanta Chik-Fil-A restaurant where the two just ate breakfast. He kisses the boy on the head and says "I love you", before getting in the vehicle and driving off. But instead of making a left turn at the next intersection to drop Cooper off at daycare, Harris continues straight down the road until he arrives at work. Seven hours later, upon leaving his office for the day, with the temperature nearly 90 degrees, the father realizes every parent's worst nightmare: Cooper is dead in the back seat, a victim of hyperthermia. As police investigate, what initially seems a tragic accident on the surface soon reveals the potential for a much more sinister reality lurking beneath. Join host Ryan Kraus for a fascinating journey through the psychology of this mysterious event to undercover the secrets lurking in Ross Harris's mind.
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