Criminally Obsessed – Details, episodes & analysis

The star witness in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial is independently investigating the Stephen Smith cold case — and he says they “got a good idea who committed this.”   Stephen was a blonde haired, blue-eyed 19-year-old left dead on a rural South Carolina road in 2015. Kenny Kinsey, who’s a forensic investigator brought in by attorneys for Stephen’s mother, has reviewed the evidence, the second autopsy, police interviews and walked the very road where Stephen’s body was found on that hot summer night. Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson spoke with Kinsey about his investigation, what he learned about law enforcement’s investigation and how he believes Stephen died. Stephen Smith’s death investigation was reopened in 2021 just two weeks after Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were murdered. The State of South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division (SLED) cited information collected during the Murdaugh murder investigation but would not elaborate. In 2023, SLED announced Stephen’s death was a homicide. His body was exhumed and a second autopsy done, but that information has been sealed.  When will justice come? July 8, 2026 will mark 11 years since Stephen was killed. Someone knows something. There is a $50,000 reward in this case. 

It's been more than 3 weeks since 16-year-old Madison Fields was last seen by her parents, or by anyone.  What started as a search for a missing teen in Colerain Township, Ohio has shifted to an FBI investigation into the dark corners of the internet - encrypted apps, private messaging platforms - and the people who hide there, preying on kids and teens.  We now know that a 43-year-old man named Kyle Lawrence has been arrested in Buffalo, New York in connection with the investigation. He’s charged with Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity, Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct and Transportation of Child pornography.  Criminally Obsessed got a hold of the 7-page federal criminal complaint against Lawrence, and we found a disturbing history - context that could hold clues to understanding what happened to Madison.  Investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Madison’s parents, Carrie and Tyler, in an emotional interview about their daughter’s case and what we can do to support them. We then hear from Chief of Ohio Land Search and Rescue, John Adams, about his boots-on-the-ground role in the search for Madison. He offers chilling insight from his experience working hundreds of missing persons cases, and the common thread that should raise alarm bells that every parent or guardian.  Please support the search for Madison by sharing her story, and if you have information, submit tips to Colerain Township PD by calling (513) 321-2677.  Subscribe, like, and follow Criminally Obsessed for ongoing coverage and expert insight into the cases everyone is talking about.  Share Madison’s NCMEC poster Learn more about Ohio Land Search and Rescue

When a barefoot and bloody woman rushed into a Butler, PA convenience store - the clerk, Tori, didn’t hesitate to help. Viral surveillance footage shows Tori springing into action to protect the woman, and it’s nothing short of incredible. Police say the victim was assaulted and kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend after she said she didn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day with him. When police caught her alleged attacker, Kenneth Clarke, they asked where he was going that day - they say he replied “on a rampage.” Senior Investigative reporter Anne Emerson spoke with Tori about her brave actions that led to Clarke’s arrest. She says she doesn’t feel like a hero, that she “just did what anyone would do”, but we humbly disagree. Among the often sad and upsetting cases we cover, her bravery is inspiring, and something to be celebrated. Hear what was going through her head in those moments and what drove her to action from the hero at the center of the story.

Three weeks in and everyone is tired of waiting for the next big break in the Guthrie case. But just imagine what the family is feeling, with no sleep and nonstop stress and worry. Dawn Conley says finding a missing person is like finding a needle in a haystack and she would know. Her 17-year-old daughter, Brittanee Drexel disappeared during Spring Break 2009 and wasn't found until 2022. Meaning, she was missing for 13 years. Right now, Nancy Guthrie has been missing for nearly three weeks. Dawn remembers the third week of her desperate search. She was meeting with law enforcement daily and making sure her daughter's face and name were on the news every night. Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson met Dawn while she was fighting for justice for Brittanee, and later saw her killer, Ray Moody, sentenced for what he did to her. They talk candidly about Brittanee's case and the toll a missing persons case takes on the entire family. Dawn says she prays for Savannah Guthrie, the entire Guthrie family and law enforcement searching Tucson for any signs of Nancy Guthrie. Britt's National Foundation for the Missing and Forgotten

Now that we know the black glove did not come back with a DNA hit, what's next in the Guthrie Investigation? Investigators are working on leads from the Nest doorbell cam, finding out who purchased the intruder's clothes and backpack from Walmart, and any information from Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker. When Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson spoke to a forensic expert about the possibility a blue light was brought back into the crime scene, Dr. Laura Pettler wanted to know, "Where was the rest of that blood?" Anne and Dr. Laura takes us through the crime scene once again with what we know and what we don't know and go through a forensic checklist three weeks into this investigation at Guthrie's Tucson home.

In 2007, British student Meredith Kercher was brutally murdered in Perugia, Italy—a crime that sparked an international media circus, a sensationalized trial, and the wrongful conviction of her American roommate, Amanda Knox. So why did Amanda choose to return to Italy to confront the place, and specifically the person, who convinced the world she was a monster? What happened when she sat down face to face with her prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini? Investigative reporter Anne Emerson sits down with Amanda Knox and her husband and director Christopher Robinson to discuss their new Hulu documentary, and their journey back to Italy to confront Amanda’s trauma head-on. For more on Amanda's story, check out Mouth of The Wolf: Amanda Knox Returns to Italy, and The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox - both now streaming on Hulu.

Wayne’s world has been turned upside down. He just learned that his 10 year marriage to Sharon Brookover was a scam. She wasn’t who she said she was — a single mom just trying to raise her daughter and lead a private life. She was wanted for taking her daughter from their Kentucky home in 1983 and vanishing. Her name was actually Debra Newton. Wayne Brookover says he always suspected she was hiding something, but never thought it was this serious. Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson gets more insight on who Debra was and all the lies she told. Who do you believe?

What if you found out that you aren’t who you think you are... and you’ve been missing for 42 years?! That’s what happened to Michelle Newton. She’d always felt like there was something not quite right about her life and in fact, at one point, a relative joked that “you’re probably on a milk carton somewhere.” Michelle and her mom moved away from home when she was three, leaving everyone behind and then her mom changed their identities. 66-year-old Debra Newton was arrested in Florida on November 24th. In a now viral video, a neighbor can be heard teasing “Sharon” that the police are coming for her. Emotional at times, Michelle reveals her feelings about her mother, father and new extended family to Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson... and how her father is feeling about her mother now that he finally found and reconnected with his daughter.

“It’s okay to grieve the life you feel like was lost to you.” Elizabeth Smart speaks from experience, and she believes telling stories helps people understand. You probably remember her name and face. She’s been an advocate for people who’ve been victims of sexual violence for 20 years. Elizabeth was kidnapped from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City home in 2002 when she was 14 years old and held captive by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee for nine months. During that time, she was manipulated, starved and repeatedly raped. She wants everyone to know that’s it’s ok to say the word rape and to remember it’s a crime—a felony. Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson has an intimate and raw conversation with Elizabeth about healing from trauma, grieving that part of your life, dealing with feelings of isolation and building yourself back after something so devastating. If you or a loved one has been sexually assaulted or abused, RAINN has trained people ready to help 24/7. You can call 800-656-HOPE or text HOPE to 64673. Elizabeth Smart's Book "Detours" is available now.

“YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOUR NEIGHBOR IS.” Wise words from 24-year-old Justin Anderson of Anson, Texas. He came home the Saturday night before Thanksgiving and heard screaming and banging from his neighbor’s yard. When he went to investigate, he could not believe what he found. The fence was so high, he had to hold his phone up to see what was going on, but when he looked, he found a woman locked inside a kennel surrounded by tarps and screaming that she was scared. He called 911, but to add to the horrible situation, Kandy Thompson, came out of the house ignoring her adopted daughter inside the cage, telling Anderson on video that she had been “tearing up everything and pissing in the house.” The victim is a vulnerable adult. Kandy Thompson was arrested on multiple charges. On this episode of Criminally Obsessed, Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson talks to Justin to hear his side of the story, and Anson Police Chief Daniel Graziose.