As dedicated crime and courts reporters we have seen some shocking and suspenseful cases unfold in 2023.
But covering cases close to home did not stop the Press and Journal crime and courts team seeking out true crime podasts with some intriguing, harrowing and heartbreaking stories to share.
Below are 10 audio series that caught the attention of the team throughout the year.
Our favourite podcasts offered some interesting insights into some well-known cases, showcased ingenious crime-solving and even, in some cases, inspired new investigations that brought the families of victims new hope and answers.
Felonious Florida
Following a family breakdown, 15-year-old Sophie Reeder’s life took a turn for the chaotic, with regular calls and visits to an older man believed to be supplying her with drugs, rumours of forays into the world of online sugar daddies, and the freedom to come and go unchecked at her father’s home.
When Sophie Reeder failed to return home after a late night walk it took almost two days for her disappearance to be reported to police.
Five years on and Sophie remains missing and unaccounted for. Where did she go? Why didn’t she come back? And what murky misdeeds are going unchecked?
Gangster: The story of John Palmer
Before the BBC drama Gold hit our screens this year, bringing the story of Brinks-Mat to the masses, there was Gangster: The Story of John Palmer.
From his poor upbringing in Birmingham, via his gold operation in Bedminster, Bristol, to his too-good-to-be-true timeshares in Tenerife, John Palmer always seemed to be looking for the next best thing.
So when the Brinks-Mat robbers found themselves with bar upon bar of gold that needed to be legitimised, Palmer probably thought his luck was in.
But the haul brought as much attention as it did opportunity and thus began the fraying of Palmers’ comfortable lifestle, which unravelled inexorably towards a perhaps inevitable end.
Suspect: Vanished in the snow
When Jonelle Matthews disappeared without a trace from her home just days before Christmas 1984 a family and a community were left shattered.
Despite the initial efforts of law enforcement, the case soon went cold and remained that way until construction work in 2019 uncovered the 12-year-old’s grave.
So who was responsible for Jonelle’s murder? And what opportunities to bring them to justice might have been missed in the intervening years?
This atmospheric podcast will have you glued to your earbuds as the puzzle pieces fall into place – and justice is finally served.
Vanished: The Arlene Fraser Murder
We are quite well-versed in the crimes that have happened close to home, but this offering from our colleague Dale Haslam has proved riveting nonetheless.
From the ominous atmosphere of Arlene’s unhappy marriage, to chilling revelations in the investigation, the twists and turns in this terrible tale have kept us gripped throughout.
Moved by the obvious affection for Arlene displayed throughout the podcast, we remain mindful that her body has never been found.
Our hope is that this podcast goes some way to jogging memories and prickling consciences to help bring some closure to this tragedy for those who love and miss Arlene.
I’m not a monster: The Shamima Begum story
If you think you know the story of Shamima Begum, think again.
Stripping back the sensational headlines, doing the real in-depth investigation, and looking beyond the noise surrounding this extremely emotive and controversial case, this podcast is a standalone triumph of unbiased coverage.
As well as shedding light on Shamima’s story, this podcast looks at the wider issues of how and why a group London schoolgirls ran away to join Islamic State, and fearlessly calls out all those who ignored opportunities to intervene along the way.
From her flight to Syria, to her discovery in a refugee camp following the fall of Baghouz and the collapse of the caliphate, The Shamima Begun Story is an unflinching evaluation of how one girl could be cast into a global media maelstrom, and who the woman that emerged on the other side might be.
The Boy in the Water
When dad Paul Jones got the call that his three-year-old son Lachlan was missing, instinct told him something was very, very, wrong.
Sadly, Paul was right, and little Lachie’s body was found floating in a wastewater treatment pond more than a kilometre from his home.
So how did Lachie get there? And why were investigators so quick to rule his death a tragic accident?
Investigative journalist Melanie Reid asks the questions that Paul wants answered. Why was there not a mark on Lachie’s bare feet if he really walked to his own death, why did police dogs not pick up his scent and why did a pathologist find his lungs were “unremarkable” at post-mortem if he drowned?
Characterised by the broken determination of a parent left behind, this podcast poses more questions than it answers – but it might just have set in motion wheels that will carry the investigation to a more satisfactory end.
The Garden of Eden
After the body of a teenage girl is found hanging from a tree in a coastal Tasmanian town, police are quick to conclude that she died by her own hand.
But Eden Westbrook’s family struggles to accept that no one else played a part in the death of their daughter, not least because of the seemingly scant investigation of the scene and circumstances.
Who messaged Eden the evening she went missing? Was she meeting someone in the early hours of the day she died? And why does one witness keep saying they are sorry?
The Garden of Eden asks listeners, including those with the influence necessary to reopen the files, to come to their own conclusions.
The Crossbow Killer
The remote Welsh isle of Anglesey seems an unlikely setting for a sniper-style crossbow execution, and yet, in 2019, it happened.
Retired lecturer Gerald Corrigan died from his injuries after being targeted with a hunting bolt fired in the darkness from behind his garden wall.
So who killed Mr Corrigan? And why?
This podcast follows the unlikely case to an unedifying conclusion resulting in a conviction but leaving many questions unanswered.
The Crossbow Killer is a podcast for those willing to draw their own conclusions, because listeners, like Gerald’s family, will not find all the answers they are looking for at the end of this incredible tale.
Someone Knows Something: The Angel Carlick Case
Hosted by the ever-professional and eminently listenable David Ridgen, the latest installment of Someone Knows Something is a poignant and painful look at the unsolved murder of Angel Carlick.
The 18-year-old was about to graduate from high school and had her whole life ahead of her when she disappeared in 2007. Six months later her remains were found in a remote mountain location.
Years on, the person or persons responsible for Angel’s murder have yet to be brought to justice, an unacceptable echo of many of the cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in North America.
The podcast brings the listener into the remote Yukon community where Angel lived and died and asks why Angel’s killer had not been caught.
Who is the Cheese Wire Killer?
It was a crime that gripped and horrified the north-east – George “Dod” Murdoch attacked and killed as he drove his taxi through an affluent Aberdeen suburb.
George was garotted with a cheese wire before the attack spilt from the cab onto the street, ending in a violent struggle that was witnessed by two schoolboys who bravely sounded the alarm.
But who would want to harm gentle George? And why?
With contributions from investigators, family members and the journalists who continue to cover the case – a couple of our own included – Who is the Cheese Wire Killer? examines the evidence and asks Aberdeen to help find the missing pieces that might finally lay this 40-year-old mystery to rest.
