Stay ConnectedNancy Grace dives deep into the day’s most shocking crimes and asks the tough questions in her new daily podcast – Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace had a perfect conviction record during her decade as a prosecutor and used her TV show to find missing people, fugitives on the run and unseen clues. Now, she will use the power of her huge social media following and the immediacy of the internet to deliver daily bombshells!
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Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing and presumed abducted for 100 days. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos facing heavy backlash for the handling of the case, and may be officially ousted from office.
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It's been four years since father of three, Eric Richins, died from a fentanyl overdose. We now know his ingestion of the drug was planned by his wife Kori. Afterwards, she wrote a children’s book about grief, with her children, to help them cope. Kouri Richins' book isn't the only thing she's written.
There's a six-page handwritten letter, "the walk the dog letter." Prosecutors say that in the letter, Richins is instructing he family how to lie about what happened the night her husband died.
It's called the "walk the dog letter," since that phrase is written in big letters on the top. In it, Richins makes the claim that her husband Eric was addicted to drugs, that he would make frequent trips to Mexico to get pills, and that his death was an accidental overdose. The letter was written to Richins' mother, and it reportedly tells her to instruct Richins' brother to make the connection to Mexico and drugs
The jury deliberated just under three hours before convicting Richins of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud.
What happened to the Richins children?
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In this week’s episode of "Zone 7," retired NYPD detective Mike Alcazar joins Sheryl McCollum to talk about what hostage negotiation looks like when a scene is tense, the stakes are high, and one wrong move can change everything.
Drawing on decades in law enforcement, Mike discusses the Nancy Guthrie case, explains how negotiators read people in real time, and highlights the importance of patience, trust, and teamwork.
He also shares stories from the field and looks back on the path that took him from undercover work to hostage negotiation and, later, to the recovery efforts after 9/11.
Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl McCollum welcomes retired NYPD detective Mike Alcazar to Zone 7
(1:00) Mike’s first reaction to the Nancy Guthrie case and why it struck him as unusual from the beginning
(4:15) Information negotiators look for first: behavior, history, and possible mental-state concerns
(9:00) The challenge of deciding when family can help and when they may make a crisis worse
(13:30) Tension between negotiation and tactical response, and how one decision can undo hours of progress
(19:30) How Mike became a negotiator and what the training process was like
(23:00) A Brooklyn barricade, drone technology, and the friend who helped bring the situation to a peaceful end
(29:45) Why voice, personality, and appearance can shape who a subject chooses to trust
(31:15) How a sandwich from the bodega helped resolve a case
(32:45) Mike looks back on becoming a detective and how 9/11 changed the course of his career
(35:15) Ground Zero, recovery efforts, and the emotional toll officers carried after 9/11
Guest Bio
Mike Alcazar is a retired NYPD detective with more than 30 years of service in law enforcement. During his time with the department, he worked undercover in vice, served as a hostage negotiator, and handled organized crime investigations.
Mike took part in recovery efforts following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and now serves as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
About the Host
Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide.
With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases include, in part, The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, and Tupac Shakur. Her work on the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
Social Links:
Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, "Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life, Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist," releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster.
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Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert
Here's Sydney Silvagni with some of our top stories this week:
Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”
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Only twelve days after Rebecca Haro reports her son's kidnapping and claims she was knocked out in a parking lot while changing the 15-month-old's diaper, both parents of Emmanuel Haro faced murder charges. Rebecca Haro faces a preliminary hearing May 29. Prosecutors have told the court they’re ready to present their evidence. Emmanuel's mother has plead not guilty and is still being held on $1 million bail.
Father Jake Haro pleaded guilty last year to second‑degree murder and related charges. He’s now serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
Emmanuel’s remains still haven’t been found.
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Just weeks after a judge said says Rex Heuerman "will go to trial come hell or high water," the accused serial killer pleads guilty to all seven murders for which he's charged, and an additional murder. Now we are learning details of what police found on Heuermann's phones. Yes, multiple phones. Rex Heuermann used a series of burner phones to lure sex workers, contacting them hundreds of times over two years, according to court documents. These "untraceable" phones, along with his personal phone, traced to a "tight cluster" of cell towers near his Massapequa Park home, linking him to the victims and taunting calls made to family members.
Police arrested the prominent New York architect in connection with murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The 8th victim, 34-year-old Karen Vergata, was last heard from on Valentine's Day 1996. Her legs and feet were found the same year on Fire Island. Her skull was found fifteen years later near Tobay Beach in Nassau County.
The women's remains were found along Gilgo Beach in Long Island within 500 feet of each other. The first four victims, dubbed the Gilgo Four, were found wrapped in burlap. Heuermann, originally claimed his innocent.
Asa Ellerup, his estranged wife, filed for divorce six days after his arrest and then signed a deal worth at least 1 million dollars to take part in a documentary series.
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David Anthony Burke facing severe state-level charges in the death of Celeste Rivas. He has not been formally charged with federal crimes. If it can be proven that he lured Celeste to his home, wouldn't let her leave then murdered her, that rises to the level of kidnapping, a federal offence. D4vd could already be facing the death penalty for the special circumstances in the case —lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness to a crime.
Especially disturbing is a video released by the singer showing him sitting in a chair wrapping what looks like a human finger in a cloth. Celeste Rivas had two fingers cut off. They have not been found. The finger being held by D4vd was actually a plastic anime toy.
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Sheriffs deputies re-examine Susan Flores' backyard with ground penetrating radar, hoping to finally locate Kristin Smart. Columbian national crosses center line drunk, killing a father of two in the resulting head-on crash. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, missing now more than three months. Clashes between FBI director Kash Patel and Pima Sheriff Chris Nanos has seemingly torpedoed the search for Nancy.
The search continues as we learn a vast area near Nancy's home is unsearched and why have investigators shifted, now searching for a gray van.
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FBI Director Kash Patel says Pima County Sheriff turned away all offers of help for four crucial days after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. Coast Guard seeking contact with owners of boat moored near the Hookers' Soulmate the day Lynette "fell overboard." Sydney Silvagni reports.
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