True Crime

Miami Mystery: The Disappearance of Olavi Hendrickson

Miami Mystery is a true crime podcast in which Emmy Award winning journalist Dana Dean reopens the unexplained disappearance of her own grandfather, Miami City Attorney Olavi Hendrickson. In October 1962, Hendrickson walked out of his home in a black suit and never came back. No body, no death certificate, no record of a missing person investigation.

Joined by her sister, Dean’s five year investigation, built on FOIA requests, archival newspaper research, a long hidden letter, and exclusive family interviews, uncovers a story that upends what her family believed for six decades.

The series explores organized crime in 1960s Miami, political corruption, and family secrets, following two sisters’ search for the truth about their own grandfather.

Latest Episodes:

Part of Something Bigger| The Disappearance of Olavi Hendrickson Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Dana and her sister Erica travel to Miami, searching for answers about their grandfather's mysterious disappearance more than 60 years ago.

What they uncover is a city with a complicated past, where organized crime, illegal gambling, and notorious nightclubs were part of the landscape.

With help from Casey Piket, founder of the Miami History Substack and podcast, they discover a scandal involving the Clover Club, a nightclub on Biscayne Boulevard, and their grandfather, then Miami City Attorney Olavi Hendrickson.

In February 1961, Olavi walked into the Clover Club and stayed for eight hours. By morning, there was a photograph, 33 drinks on the tab, an unpaid bill, and questions that would threaten his career.

Was this simply a night gone wrong, or was Olavi caught up in something much bigger?

Know something about Olavi Hendrickson or his 1962 disappearance? Email producers@miamimystery.com. Behind-the-scenes photos and video: @miamimysterypod on Instagram https://instagram.com/miamimysterypod Episodes plus more photos from the Hendrickson Family archive: https://miamimystery.com

He Walked Out| The Disappearance of Olavi Hendrickson Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In October 1962, Miami City Attorney Olavi Hendrickson put on his best black suit, left his home, and disappeared.

More than six decades later, his granddaughters are reopening a mystery that has followed their family for generations.

In Episode 1, an unexpected discovery of unclaimed property brings Olavi's disappearance back to the surface.

Emmy award winning journalist Dana Dean and her sister begin retracing what their family knows — and confronting just how little is known about what happened after he walked out.

No body. No death certificate. More than six decades of unanswered questions.

This is where the investigation begins.

Trailer | The Disappearance of Olavi Hendrickson Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

64 years ago, Miami City Attorney Olavi Hendrickson disappeared. He walked out of his home in October 1962 and never came back. No body. No official missing person report on record. No answers.

Now, a new generation of his family is digging up what the official record never explained.

Miami Mystery: The Disappearance of Olavi Hendrickson premieres October 12, 2026. Follow @miamimysterypod on Instagram to uncover a story that's gone untold for more than six decades.

Have information about Olavi Hendrickson or his disappearance? Email tips to producers@miamimystery.com.