Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

An Indiana mother, Britney Gard, vanished right after her house caught fire. Her car was still in the driveway, her purse was inside, and her phone was silent. For eight days, family and police feared the worst. Then came the discovery that stunned everyone: Britney was found alive in the woods, just two and a half miles from home. How did she survive? Why was her phone suddenly active again? And what does the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office mean by calling the fire “suspicious” while insisting there is “no threat to the public”? In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the baffling timeline, the sheriff’s latest statement, and the unanswered questions surrounding this House Fire Mystery that has all of Indiana talking. Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

One year after the beloved San Antonio, Texas real estate agent and mother of four vanished without a trace, her sister has now been arrested while Suzanne’s husband, Brad Simpson, remains locked up awaiting trial for her murder. Investigators say Brad was caught on camera buying cleaning supplies, hauling trash bags and a tarp in his truck, and later found with a burned laptop, several destroyed phones, and a saw that allegedly tested positive for Suzanne’s DNA. Suzanne’s body has never been found. Now, in a shocking twist, Suzanne’s sister Teresa is facing charges of her own. Investigators say the arrest is not connected to Suzanne’s death, but it has deepened the mystery surrounding a family already torn apart. As Brad awaits his murder trial and Suzanne’s body remains missing, the Simpson family story continues to grow darker. Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

She was a substitute teacher and a mother-- trusted by parents, admired by students. But prosecutors say Brittany Fortinberry was living a secret double life, one that crossed every imaginable line. In fact, prosecutors say Ms. Fortinberry engaged in sexual acts with SEVERAL teenage boys, some as young as 13. One of those boys told investigators he ended things when he learned she was doing the same with other teenage boys. And in one of the most haunting details of all, prosecutors say she made them wear Scream masks during the encounters. Now, Ms. Brittany Fortinberry faces 47 felony charges, her husband is accused of threatening one of the victims, and a lawsuit claims the school district ignored red flags that could have stopped it all. Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

In 2019, 27-year-old Sonam Kshatriya was found hanging in the closet of her Manhattan apartment. The medical examiner ruled it a suicide but the evidence tells a much darker story. Her family says this case is a chilling echo of the Ellen Greenberg case, where a young woman was found with 20 stab wounds and still declared a suicide. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield exposes the shocking details of Sonam’s death, from the blood at the crime scene that did not match the official story, to the ex-boyfriend with seven prior arrests who discovered her body. With bruises, surveillance video, and a 911 call that raises more questions than answers, Sonam’s family is fighting to prove she did not take her own life.  Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

Sean “Diddy” Combs faced the music in federal court, and it was brutal. Judge Arun Subramanian eviscerated the hip-hop mogul during sentencing, quoting Diddy’s own filthy words back to him. Diddy sobbed in court, called his behavior “sick, shameful, and disgusting,” and begged for mercy before being sentenced to 50 months in federal prison on Mann Act convictions. His defense team even submitted a slick, 12-minute video packed with celebrity testimonials and family footage, meant to show Diddy as a loving father and mentor. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down every shocking moment inside that courtroom, plus exclusive interviews with Kim Goldman, whose brother Ron was murdered by O.J. Simpson, marking 30 years since that verdict; former federal prosecutor Nadia Shihata, who helped put R. Kelly behind bars; and former mob boss Michael Franzese, who reveals what really happens when power meets justice. Was this true accountability or just a slap on the wrist for a billionaire? Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

On February 2, 2008, inside a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, Illinois, six women were bound with duct tape and forced to the floor. Within minutes, five were executed, one miraculously survived, and the gunman vanished without a trace. Seventeen years later, the case known as the Tinley Park Five remains one of the largest unsolved mass shootings in U.S. history. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield exposes the horrifying details of the Lane Bryant murders, from the frantic 911 call to the police response that came just two minutes too late, and asks why the unmasked killer is still free. She is joined by filmmaker Charlie Minn, whose upcoming documentary Who Killed These Women? The Tinley Park Five digs deep into evidence, theories, and the silence of investigators. Could the surviving witness still hold the key? Was this a botched robbery, a targeted attack, or something even darker? The Lane Bryant killer is still out there, and this case demands answers.

Fourteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez ran away from home again and again, but this time, she never came back. Her badly decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla tied to rising singer D4vd. Now, shocking new records reveal police were called to Celeste’s family’s home 11 times in just over a year. Surveillance footage, missing persons reports, and disturbing family dynamics raise urgent questions: What really happened in those final months? And how did she end up dead in a superstar’s car? To get answers, two of Banfield’s NewsNation producers went straight to Celeste’s neighborhood and spoke with locals, store owners, and neighbors who saw the police presence firsthand. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield investigates the disturbing new timeline, the repeated police calls, and the growing mystery surrounding Celeste’s connection to D4vd. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMRLLM9Rik&list=PLxEAbh-aNbMJYJQZb9PHrh23KR0Em2NN4&index=4 Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

A wild new twist in the D4vd scandal as Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s teenage ex-boyfriend breaks his silence, speaking out about their relationship before she ran away to live with the rising star D4vd, aka David Anthony Burke, in his Hollywood Hills mansion. Police also swarmed D4vd’s family home in Houston after a bogus 911 call that triggered an armed response, captured on bodycam. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield unpacks Damien Hernandez’s exclusive interview with TMZ, the shocking swatting incident, and the timeline of raids and evidence tied to Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dead in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla. With new footage, new testimony, and new questions about D4vd’s disappearance from the spotlight, this scandal just keeps getting darker. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMRLLM9Rik&list=PLxEAbh-aNbMJYJQZb9PHrh23KR0Em2NN4&index=4 Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

The case of University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling has taken an even DARKER turn. Prosecutors revealed bombshell new details in court docs: her newborn baby was possibly born alive, wrapped in a towel “like a burrito,” and hidden in her closet. Hours later, instead of seeking help, Laken allegedly grabbed McDonald’s and stopped by the campus health clinic, but never went inside. Her roommates told investigators they heard loud crashes in the middle of the night, so strong that one even knocked a picture off the wall. Suspicious of her excuses, they later discovered a blood-soaked towel, a trash bag filled with evidence of childbirth, and, horrifyingly, the body of a baby boy in her closet. Court documents also show Laken admitted to police that the baby moved and whimpered after birth.  Now, the question looming over this case is devastating: was the baby born alive, and if so, why didn’t she get help? Digital journalist Abby Escobar, known as Abby Blabby True Crime & News on TikToK, joins Ashleigh Banfield to break down the online firestorm and what people who know Laken are saying in real time. Previous Podcast Episode: Kentucky Cheerleader Horror: 21-Year-Old College Student Accused of Hiding Newborn In Her Closet Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kentucky-cheerleader-horror-21-year-old-college-student/id1749169659?i=1000725072885 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/26ySIfHDWgeqpjwfAZfmMt?si=xicBs86pR0iu5LKWfVMsPA Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

A haunting new surveillance video of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has surfaced and it could be the most important clue yet in the Tesla death mystery. The footage shows the 14-year-old before her decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla belonging to rising singer D4vd. At the same time, police records reveal tickets piling up on that same abandoned car, before it was finally towed and opened. Private investigator Steve Fischer uncovers the Tesla’s paper trail, while TMZ’s Charles Latibeaudiere shares what he’s learned about Celeste, D4vd, and the explosive new surveillance video of Celeste. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield unpacks the disturbing timeline, the surveillance video, the unanswered questions about the Tesla, and what investigators are saying about Celeste’s death. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMRLLM9Rik&list=PLxEAbh-aNbMJYJQZb9PHrh23KR0Em2NN4&index=4 Watch Banfield weeknights at 10 p.m./9 C only on NewsNation. To find NewsNation on your screen: NewsNationNow.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious Follow Ashleigh on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleighbanfield https://www.instagram.com/DropDeadSeriousPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvashleigh https://www.tiktok.com/@DropDeadSeriousPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleighBanfield Website: https://www.dropdeadserious.com/