Crime Curious

Toni Jo Henry’s story is one of the most dramatic and tragic in Louisiana true crime history. Born Annie Beatrice McQuiston in Shreveport, she survived a childhood marked by loss, abuse, and poverty before spiraling into addiction and sex work. In 1939, she married prizefighter Claude “Cowboy” Henry—only for him to be arrested soon after and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Determined to break him out, Toni Jo teamed up with accomplice Horace “Arkie” Burks, and their desperate plan led to the robbery and murder of 41‑year‑old Joseph P. Calloway. After three sensational trials, Toni Jo became the only woman ever executed in Louisiana’s electric chair, “Gruesome Gertie,” in 1942. Her case remains infamous for its blend of grit, glamour, and the haunting question of whether she was a cold‑blooded killer or a broken woman chasing love at any cost.   Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell     Wikipedia: Toni Jo Henry, citing O'Shea (1999), Baker (2015), Gillespie (2009) and Nash (1992) Capital Punishment UK: Toni Jo Henry, A Love Worth Dying For?: most detailed account of the crime, trials, condemned cell and execution Malefactor's Register: The Tough Life of Toni Jo Henry: Elliot Chaze interview, rumble seat and barbed wire details, unloaded-gun account The Pardon: Old Articles and Photos: Lake Charles American Press clippings, Feb–Mar 1940 Find a Grave: Toni Jo Henry: birth, parents, burial Geni: Toni Jo Henry: parents' names Louisiana Anthology: Toni Jo Henry: siblings The Cinemaholic: Toni Jo Henry Murderpedia: Toni Jo Henry

In 2023, Ohio toddler Mackenna Ray became the center of a heartbreaking child‑abuse case that shocked her community. At just two years old, Mackenna endured injuries no child should ever face — yet her story is not one of loss, but of survival. This episode explores the timeline of her abuse, the charges brought against those responsible, and the ongoing efforts to protect Mackenna as she continues to heal. Her case is a stark reminder of how fragile safety can be — and how powerful a community’s determination is when a child needs justice.   Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell News 5 Cleveland: family asks for justice six months after abuse News 5 Cleveland: charges filed almost a year later News 5 Cleveland: trial starts News 5 Cleveland: mother found guilty Court TV / Scripps: mother sentenced to 15 years News 5 Cleveland: Dryer changes plea to guilty Hoodline: Dryer plea and sentencing date News 5 Cleveland: Dryer to be sentenced Cleveland 19: Dryer sentenced to 15 years Jennifer Kvoriak's posts, via TikTok #JusticeForMakennaRae

In 1916, eighteen‑year‑old Marion Frances Lambert left home on a bitter February morning and never returned. By nightfall, she was found frozen in the snow leaving a mystery in her wake, and a community spiraling into scandal. Her boyfriend, college student Will Orpet, quickly became the prime suspect, igniting one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century. But Marion’s story didn’t end in the courtroom. For more than a century, drivers along Sheridan Road have reported seeing a girl in white standing at the edge of the trees.   Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Chicago Tribune (1916) • The Lake Forester (1916) • The Inter Ocean • The Day Book • Wisconsin State Journal • The New York Times (1916) • Los Angeles Herald • San Francisco Call • People v. Will H. Orpet trial transcripts • Lake County Coroner’s Inquest Records • Find A Grave: Marion Frances Lambert • Lake Forest Cemetery Records • U.S. Census Records (1900 & 1910) • Lake Forest–Lake Bluff Historical Society • Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections • Wisconsin Historical Society Archives • Sheridan Road ghost lore archives.

Before sunrise on a storm‑soaked Texas morning, fitness instructor Terri “Missy” Bevers walked into Creekside Church of Christ to set up for her bootcamp class. Within an hour, she would be dead — and the person responsible would vanish into the darkness, leaving behind one of the most chilling pieces of surveillance footage in true‑crime history. In this episode, we unravel the haunting timeline of Missy’s final moments and the mysterious figure caught on camera: dressed head‑to‑toe in police‑style tactical gear, wandering the church halls with a hammer, breaking windows, and moving with a strange, unforgettable gait. Was this a staged burglary? A targeted killing? Or something even stranger?   Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Killing of Missy Bevers - Wikipedia Who Killed Fitness Influencer Missy Bevers? | A&E What Happened to Missy Bevers? The Church Surveillance Footage and Timing Questions That Still Haunt This Unsolved Murder | Read The Real Story Homicide Investigation Under Way After Woman Found Dead Inside Midlothian Church – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth 15 Arrests So Stupid They Made Us Lose Faith In Humanity | Bored Panda

In Victorian England, when poverty and shame collided with a brutal social system, desperate mothers sometimes turned to “baby farmers” — women who promised care, safety, and adoption.… but behind closed doors, infants didn’t survive long. Special thanks to our guest host and all credit for today's episode goes to her- Patreon Tashia!  Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell

In the misty woods of Olalla, Washington, a woman calling herself a doctor built a sanitarium where “healing” meant starvation, control, and death. Wealthy seekers, spiritual wanderers, and vulnerable patients walked into Wilderness Heights hoping for a cure — but many never walked out. Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell   Washington State Archives – “Linda Burfield Hazzard: Healer or Murderess?” Collection of documents including death records, licensing records, trial materials, and historical commentary. (Washington State Digital Archives)   Washington Supreme Court – State v. Hazzard, 1913 Official decision upholding Linda Hazzard’s manslaughter conviction in the death of Claire Williamson.   Washington Supreme Court – State v. Hazzard, 1926 Decision clarifying that Linda’s medical license remained revoked despite her gubernatorial pardon.   Washington State Penitentiary Records (Walla Walla) Documentation of Linda Hazzard’s incarceration, parole, and release.   Death Certificate Records (Washington State) Includes documented deaths of patients under Hazzard’s care, including Daisey Maud Haglund.   Smithsonian Magazine – “The Fasting Cure That Killed” Detailed historical feature on Linda Hazzard, the Williamson sisters, and Starvation Heights.   Harbor History Museum (Gig Harbor, WA) – “Starvation Heights” Exhibit & Research Notes Regional historical research on Wilderness Heights, patient deaths, and community accounts.   HistoryLink.org – “Linda Burfield Hazzard and Starvation Heights” Washington State’s online encyclopedia entry summarizing Hazzard’s career, trial, and legacy.   Gregg Olsen – Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest The definitive modern true‑crime book on Linda Hazzard, based on extensive archival research.   Linda Burfield Hazzard – Fasting for the Cure of Disease (1908) Hazzard’s own book outlining her fasting philosophy and treatment methods.   Linda Burfield Hazzard – Scientific Fasting (1927) Her later work expanding on her fasting theories; used for understanding her self‑justification and ideology.   Edward Hooker Dewey – The No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting Cure The fasting philosophy that influenced Hazzard’s early medical ideas.   Seattle Daily Times (1911–1913) Coverage of the Williamson case, trial proceedings, and public reaction.   Seattle Post‑Intelligencer (1911–1913) Reporting on patient deaths, community concerns, and the sanitarium.   Tacoma Daily Ledger (1911–1913) Articles on the trial, sentencing, and aftermath.   London Daily Mail (1911–1912) International coverage of the Williamson sisters, including statements from their family.   Minnesota Birth and Marriage Records (Carver County) Documentation of Linda Burfield’s birth and first marriage to Erwin Harrison Perry.   Minnesota Census Records (1880–1900) Household listings confirming Linda’s early life, parents, and siblings.   Washington State Marriage Records (1903) Marriage documentation for Linda Burfield and Samuel Chrisman Hazzard.   Haglund Family Records (Seattle) Documentation of Daisey Maud Haglund’s death and her son Ivar Haglund’s later biography.   Kitsap County Historical Society Oral histories and local accounts of Wilderness Heights and community reactions.   Olalla Community Historical Notes Local recollections of the sanitarium, patient sightings, and the nickname “Starvation Heights.”

Renee “Giggles” Freer was the kind of child who lit up every room she walked into—sweet, chatty, and full of life. So when the 12‑year‑old vanished from her quiet Connecticut neighborhood in 1980, the community was left stunned… and terrified. What happened in those final moments before Renee disappeared? And why did the truth stay buried for decades? In this episode, we peel back the layers of a case that’s equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating—one that reveals how innocence can be shattered in an instant, and how a small town’s silence can echo for years. Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Petition · WHO KILLED RENEE FREER? - United States · Change.org Renee Freer (1968-1977) - Find a Grave Memorial Monroe police ask killer to come forward after developments in cold case – NBC Connecticut Author pursues book to shine spotlight on Monroe’s only unsolved murder | The Monroe Sun News 12 | Connecticut | Monroe Police They Have Person Of Interest In Nearly 50 Year Old Cold Case The Unsolved Murder of Renee Freer: 1977 in Monroe, Connecticut — Murder, She Told: Maine & New England True Crime CT - CT- Renee Freer, 8, missing enroute to friend's house, fatally struck on head, her body found in the woods behind her house, Monroe, 22/6/77, *DNA* | Websleuths Monroe police speak out on Renee Freer case | fox61.com 47 years later, Monroe police hope to find who killed 8-year-old girl

In 1979, Hope College senior Janet Chandler vanished from her night shift at a Holland, Michigan motel. What looked like a simple abduction unraveled into a shocking story of jealousy, abuse, and a violent conspiracy involving private security guards stationed during a local labor strike. For decades, the truth stayed buried—until a student documentary cracked the case wide open. This episode explores Janet’s life, the betrayal that led to her death, and the cold‑case investigation that finally delivered justice 25 years later.   Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Janet Chandler Murder: Where are Laurie Swank and Robert Lynch Today? Janet Chandler — ColdCaseIndex CRIME HUNTER: Janet Chandler's double life meant it took cops 30 years to solve her murder | Toronto Sun 4 Convicted in 1979 Kidnap, Rape and Murder of Michigan College Student | Fox News 28 Years Later, Justice For Slain Student - CBS News Conspiracy of silence

Buford Pusser rose from small‑town constable to one of Tennessee’s most feared and celebrated sheriffs, waging a one‑man war against the State Line Mob. But behind the legend was a trail of violence, unanswered questions, and a marriage that ended in tragedy. This episode unpacks the myth, the man, and the recent revelations that challenge everything the public thought they knew about Buford Pusser’s story. Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Sheriff Buford Pusser And The True Story Of 'Walking Tall' Buford Pusser - The True Crime Database Membership Buford Pusser Tennessee Lawman https://www.crimeonline.com/2025/10/30/new-eyewitness-testimony-laid-bare-the-ambush-that-killed-pauline-pusser-part-1-of-2/ Dixie Mafia - Wikipedia Buford Pusser - Wikipedia State Line Mob - Wikipedia

In the early 1990s, a string of disappearances along Australia’s backpacker trails led investigators deep into the eerie silence of Belanglo State Forest. What they uncovered would shock the nation. This episode unpacks the life and crimes of Ivan Milat — the man believed responsible for the infamous Backpacker Murders. Through survivor testimony, forensic breakthroughs, and the relentless work of detectives who refused to give up, we trace how Milat was finally unmasked and why questions about his true number of victims still linger today. Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell Ivan Milat, Australia's 'Backpacker Murderer' Who Butchered 7 Hitchhikers Ivan Milat was convicted of murdering seven people. Could he have killed scores more? | New South Wales | The Guardian Ivan Milat inquiry: The clues that led to his arrest. Ivan Milat's family claim serial killer was framed for backpacker murders | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines