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True Crime

The Fronczak Files

Mysteries, DNA, and the Search for Who We Really Are.

The Fronczak Files is a gripping podcast that delves deep into the investigation of the abduction of Paul Fronczak, the abandonment of Jack Rosenthal, and the disappearance of Jack’s twin sister Jill. This true crime podcast takes you on a rollercoaster ride through Paul’s experiences, searching for his family and uncovering new mysteries along the way. In April 1964, a woman disguised as a nurse walked into a Chicago hospital room and took a one-day-old infant from the arms of a young mother named Dora Fronczak. That day, Chicago police kicked off the biggest manhunt in the city’s history in an effort to find the kidnapped “Baby Fronczak.” Weeks passed without any sign of the kidnapper or the infant. Two years after the kidnapping, the case went cold… Co-hosted by Paul Jack Fronczak and Tracey Hastings, Season 1 pulls you into the decades-long search for answers, identity, and justice. No theories. No holding back. Just the raw, unfiltered truth – told straight from the source.

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Latest Episodes:

The Day He VANISHED | The Fronczak Files S4 Ep. 1 May 05, 2026

Show notes

Kidnapping. Case files. Unanswered questions.

In the Season 4 premiere of the Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey open the Chicago Police Department’s original file on the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak, and begin reconstructing the day that changed everything.

For the first time, they reveal a minute-by-minute timeline of the events of April 27, 1964, tracing the moments before, during, and after Paul vanished from Michael Reese Hospital.

How fast did the kidnapping unfold? When did law enforcement respond? And what new details buried in the case file could point to something more? Join Jack and Tracey as they launch Season 4: Anatomy of A Kidnapping, a deeper investigation into the evidence, the strategy, and the questions that still remain.

In this episode, Jack and Tracey:

• Reveal previously unreleased evidence from the Chicago Police Department’s investigation

• Break down the kidnapper’s possible strategy in abducting Paul

• Set the stage for a season-long examination of one of Chicago’s most haunting kidnapping cases

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📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S3 Bonus Episode: The MAN Behind the Podcast | The Fronczak Files Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Kidnapping. Abandonment. Searching.

In this bonus episode of The Fronczak Files, Tracey interviews Jack about his early life, finding out his true identity, and the development of the podcast.

What was Jack like growing up? How did he handle the news that he wasn’t biologically related to Dora & Chester Fronczak? And how does Jack conceptualize his lost twin, Jill? Join The Fronczak Files for this emotional interview in preparation for Season 4’s launch.

💬 Share your reactions

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🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The WRONG Suspect | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 9 Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Kidnapping. Family. Questions.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey revisit the life of Alice Suane Baty, a woman once believed to be a suspect in the 1964 kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. But after new biographical details emerge through a family connection, the investigation takes a dramatic turn and a long-held theory begins to unravel.

Who was Alice Suane Baty? What was her life really like in Chicago and Arkansas? And could she truly have been the woman who took baby Paul from Michael Reese Hospital? Join Jack and Tracey as they re-examine the evidence, confront a startling revelation, and open the door to an entirely new direction for Season 4.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Uncover Alice’s personality, history, and quirks

• Examine whether Alice could truly have kidnapped Paul Joseph Fronczak

• Set the stage for a bold new chapter in the investigation

💬 Share your reactions

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🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FRAUD Behind the Name | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 8 Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Kidnapping. Chaos. Deception.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey unravel the haunting story of Kevin Ray Baty, “the real Paul Joseph Fronczak.” His life was shaped by confusion, secrecy, and a false identity that followed him from the very beginning. What emerges is not just a story of deception, but of a life built on a lie.

How was Kevin raised? What forces shaped the man he became? And what new evidence has the team uncovered about the fabricated records tied to his identity? Join Jack and Tracey as they dig into Kevin Ray Baty’s past and examine the troubling realities behind the name he carried.

Follow Jack and Tracey as they:

• Uncover the details of Kevin’s early life

• Discuss his temperament, relationships, and personal struggles

• Present new findings about the documents behind his identity

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🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Woman Behind the LIE | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 7 Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

Lies. Crime. Deception.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey step into the shadowy world of Lorraine Arnold Fountain, the woman who raised the kidnapped Fronczak child. Through a closer look at her family history, criminal record, and the places she lived, a darker portrait begins to emerge, one that brings new depth to the mystery of Paul Joseph Fronczak’s abduction.

How many times was Lorraine arrested? What kind of life did she create for Kevin, the child the world knew by a name that was never truly his? And what new evidence has the team uncovered that places Lorraine in Chicago during the 1960’s? Join Jack and Tracey as they unravel Lorraine’s complicated, crime-laced past and follow the threads of a story built on secrets, reinvention, and deception.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Explore Lorraine’s early family life

• Uncover her extensive criminal history

• Push the investigation into Paul Joseph Fronczak’s kidnapping even further

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MISSING Pages | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 6 Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Questions. Secrets. Cover-Up.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey turn to biological family members in search of answers about the Duncan and Rosenthal roots. Sean and Toni Anderson, two of Jack’s cousins, share a long-missing family context, offering new insight into the people whose choices shaped this story.

What was Jennie Noga Duncan really like behind closed doors? How did Sean process meeting Jack, a once-abandoned relative whose existence had been left in the shadows? And how many secrets remained hidden within the family for decades? Tune in as Jack and Tracey try to pull back the curtain on the silence, secrets, and possible cover-up surrounding these central figures.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Interview Jack’s cousins, Sean and Toni Anderson

• Examine the secrecy and hidden truths surrounding Jennie and Marie

• Continue the investigation into Jack and Jill’s disappearance

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legacy of SILENCE | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 5 Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

Alcohol. Secrets. Abuse.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we dig deeper into the troubling life of Jack and Jill’s biological mother, Marie Duncan Rosenthal. Our research reveals a woman shaped by instability, isolation, and substance abuse, forces that may have set the stage for the devastating choices that followed.

Why did Marie conceal the existence of her first child in 1958? How did the Rosenthal family manage to move from place to place with so many children in tow? And what role did Marie and her mother, Jennie, play in the abandonment of twin children? Join Jack and Tracey as they unravel Marie’s early life, examine the family dynamics surrounding her upbringing, and confront the dark possibilities behind the trauma that unfolded later.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Examine Marie’s chaotic and painful childhood

• Uncover the story behind Marie’s secret child

• Explore Jennie’s possible role in Jack and Jill’s abandonment

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Appalachian ASHES | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 4 Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

Disruption. Hardship. Fracture.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey dig into Jack’s maternal roots, a family story shaped by strong Polish Catholic ties, isolation in the Tennessee mountains, and the post-war boom in Ohio. Together these forces helped mold Marie Duncan Rosenthal.

What pushed the Duncan family to leave Tennessee for Ohio? Who became involved with an evangelical TV church? And how did a nomadic upbringing leave lasting consequences for Marie? Join Jack and Tracey as they trace the Duncan line back to its Appalachian beginnings and uncover what the journey north changed forever.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Summarize Marie Duncan’s genealogy

• Detail the family move from Tennessee to Ohio

• Explore how frequent moves affected Marie’s life and stability

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BURIED Without Tears | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 3 Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

Trauma. Pain. Horror.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we turn our focus on Jack’s biological father, Gilbert Rosenthal. As we trace the path of his life, we uncover a story shaped by poverty, relentless physical pain, and an escalating hunger for control.

How does a man enlist in the military while facing what may have been a serious medical condition? How does he endure chronic pain while his family grows around him? And what could drive someone to erase the existence of his own twin children? Tune in as Jack and Tracey unravel the disturbing legacy Gilbert left behind, and explore how his choices may have set the stage for everything that followed.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Revisit Gilbert’s early beginnings

• Break down his medical and military history

• Theorize how these events may have led to the abandonment of Jack and Jill

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

POISONED Roots | The Fronczak Files S3 Ep. 2 Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Love. Scandal. Abandonment

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we continue our walk through Jack’s family tree with a deeper look at his paternal lines. As we trace these branches, we uncover deep religious roots, stark cultural divides, and a beginning marked by turmoil.

Why would a man choose circumcision in adulthood? Why would a woman drink poison in front of her husband? And what drives a man to abandon his wife and two children? Tune in as we follow the record trail and connect the dots behind the headlines.

Join Jack and Tracey as they:

• Dig into Gilbert Rosenthal’s roots

• Explore the major differences in religion and culture across the lines

• Provide context for Gilbert’s chaotic upbringing

💬 Share your reactions

🔔 Subscribe for new Season 3 episodes

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube

⭐ Join as a Patreon member for extra bonus content

📲 Connect with us: thefronczakfiles.com | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Threads

Theme Music by Paul Jack Fronczak and Rick Holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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