Crime To Burn

lilpyrogirl

A true crime podcast where we explore the dark sooty landscape of crimes involving fire including arson and criminal negligence. Join us as we explore what really happened in some of the most horrific criminal fires in history. Hosted by April and some guy that’s seen Backdraft at least twice.

  1. Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 3

    4d ago

    Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 3

    Episode 116 John Stuart spent years insisting he had been framed. Most people dismissed the claim as just another excuse from a career criminal with a long history of arrests, escapes, and bad decisions. But the attempted murder conviction that haunted Stuart's life may not have been as straightforward as it appeared. In Part 3 of our Whiskey Au Go Go series, we examine the 1965 shooting of Sydney underworld figure Jacky Steele, the conviction that transformed Stuart into a deeply paranoid man, and the conspiracy he believed followed him for the rest of his life. Along the way, Stuart develops an obsession with alibis, begins documenting his movements through postcards, befriends one of Queensland's most respected detectives, and repeatedly warns nightclub owners about the growing threat of protection rackets. As Brisbane's criminal underworld collides with allegations of police corruption, organized crime, and extortion, Stuart finds himself once again at the center of the story. The question is whether he's a whistleblower, a criminal opportunist, or something in between. Because when the Whiskey Au Go Go burns, investigators will discover that John Stuart had been warning people for months that a nightclub was going to be firebombed. The problem is that John Stuart was also the man they suspected of setting the fire. Sources for this episode include Geoff Plunkett's excellent book, The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century, along with contemporary reporting and historical records. If you'd like a much deeper dive into the case, we highly recommend the book. As always, keep your exits clear and your fire escapes free of storage. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Plunkett, Geoff. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Big Sky Publishing, 2018. Siganto, Talissa. "Whiskey Au Go Go fire bombing witness told by police to change her statement, inquest hears." ABC News Australia, June 16, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/qld-whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-witness-police-statement/100220474 "Murdered Because She Knew Too Much: The Untold Story of the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire." 7NEWS Spotlight, YouTube, June 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH4kz5dbj8g Australian Associated Press. "Police were warned Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go would be burned down, inquest told." The Guardian, May 11, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/11/police-were-warned-brisbanes-whiskey-au-go-go-would-be-burned-down-inquest-told Cavallaro, Ebony. "Whiskey Au Go Go inquest reveals new evidence into fatal nightclub fire." Nine News Australia, February 3, 2022. https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-new-evidence-in-queensland-1973-nightclub-fire-that-killed-15-people-20220203-p5yegq.html "From the Archives: The Deadly Whiskey Au Go Go Nightclub Fire." Brisbane Times, March 7, 2019. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/from-the-archives-the-deadly-whiskey-au-go-go-nightclub-fire-20190306-p5127e.html

    44 min
  2. Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 2

    Jun 15

    Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 2

    Episode 115 In Part 2 of our Whiskey Au Go Go series, we leave the nightclub behind and turn our attention to the man who would become the central figure in the investigation: John Andrew Joshua Stuart. Long before the Whiskey Au Go Go fire claimed 15 lives, Stuart was already well known to police, journalists, and much of Brisbane's criminal underworld. Raised in a home marked by violence, poverty, and abuse, Stuart's life became a revolving door of arrests, reform schools, mental institutions, prison escapes, and newspaper headlines. This week, we follow Stuart's journey from troubled child to notorious criminal, exploring the brutal conditions at Westbrook Farm Home for Boys, his involvement in Australia's bodgie and widgie subculture, his repeated clashes with police, and his growing reputation as a man who always seemed to be at the center of the action. We also examine Stuart's unusual relationship with Sunday Truth reporter Brian "The Eagle" Bolton, a connection that transformed Stuart from an ordinary criminal into something far more influential: a source. Time and again, Stuart appeared to possess insider knowledge of crimes, escape plots, and events before they occurred. Sometimes he warned people. Sometimes he claimed no one listened. As police would later discover, that pattern would become impossible to ignore. Because years before the Whiskey Au Go Go burned, John Stuart had already established himself as a man who seemed to know things before they happened—and a man who desperately wanted people to pay attention. Sources for this episode include Geoff Plunkett's excellent book, The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century, along with contemporary reporting and historical records. If you'd like a much deeper dive into the case, we highly recommend the book. As always, keep your exits clear and your fire escapes free of storage. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Plunkett, Geoff. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Big Sky Publishing, 2018. Siganto, Talissa. "Whiskey Au Go Go fire bombing witness told by police to change her statement, inquest hears." ABC News Australia, June 16, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/qld-whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-witness-police-statement/100220474 "Murdered Because She Knew Too Much: The Untold Story of the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire." 7NEWS Spotlight, YouTube, June 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH4kz5dbj8g Australian Associated Press. "Police were warned Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go would be burned down, inquest told." The Guardian, May 11, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/11/police-were-warned-brisbanes-whiskey-au-go-go-would-be-burned-down-inquest-told Cavallaro, Ebony. "Whiskey Au Go Go inquest reveals new evidence into fatal nightclub fire." Nine News Australia, February 3, 2022. https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-new-evidence-in-queensland-1973-nightclub-fire-that-killed-15-people-20220203-p5yegq.html "From the Archives: The Deadly Whiskey Au Go Go Nightclub Fire." Brisbane Times, March 7, 2019. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/from-the-archives-the-deadly-whiskey-au-go-go-nightclub-fire-20190306-p5127e.html

    46 min
  3. Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire

    Jun 8

    Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire

    Episode 114 In March 1973, a firebomb ripped through Brisbane's Whisky Au Go Go nightclub, killing 15 people and injuring many more in one of Australia's deadliest nightclub fires. But according to one man, the tragedy wasn't a surprise. Months before the fire, career criminal John Stuart had been warning police, reporters, and nightclub owners that organized crime was planning a series of nightclub firebombings. First an empty club. Then a crowded one. Most dismissed the warnings as the paranoid ramblings of a convicted criminal. Then an empty nightclub called the Torinos was firebombed. Less than two weeks later, the Whisky Au Go Go burned. In Part 1 of this series, we examine the Brisbane nightclub scene of the early 1970s, the layout and fire safety issues inside the Whisky Au Go Go, the events of the March 8, 1973 fire, and the disturbing warnings that suddenly made investigators ask one question: How did John Stuart know? Sources for this episode include Geoff Plunkett's excellent book, The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century, along with contemporary reporting and historical records. If you'd like a much deeper dive into the case, we highly recommend the book. As always, keep your exits clear and your fire escapes free of storage. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Plunkett, Geoff. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Big Sky Publishing, 2018. Siganto, Talissa. "Whiskey Au Go Go fire bombing witness told by police to change her statement, inquest hears." ABC News Australia, June 16, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/qld-whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-witness-police-statement/100220474 "Murdered Because She Knew Too Much: The Untold Story of the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire." 7NEWS Spotlight, YouTube, June 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH4kz5dbj8g Australian Associated Press. "Police were warned Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go would be burned down, inquest told." The Guardian, May 11, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/11/police-were-warned-brisbanes-whiskey-au-go-go-would-be-burned-down-inquest-told Cavallaro, Ebony. "Whiskey Au Go Go inquest reveals new evidence into fatal nightclub fire." Nine News Australia, February 3, 2022. https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-new-evidence-in-queensland-1973-nightclub-fire-that-killed-15-people-20220203-p5yegq.html "From the Archives: The Deadly Whiskey Au Go Go Nightclub Fire." Brisbane Times, March 7, 2019. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/from-the-archives-the-deadly-whiskey-au-go-go-nightclub-fire-20190306-p5127e.html

    31 min
  4. River of Ruin - The Cuyahoga River Fires

    Jun 1

    River of Ruin - The Cuyahoga River Fires

    Episode 113 For decades, the people of Cleveland watched their river catch fire—and barely seemed to care. In this special two-year anniversary episode of Crime to Burn, we dive into the astonishing history of the Cuyahoga River. Long before the Environmental Protection Agency existed, the Cuyahoga River became a dumping ground for oil, industrial waste, sewage, and chemical runoff. The result? A river that burned not once, but at least thirteen documented times. But the burning river is only half the story. As pollution worsened, Cleveland embarked on an ambitious effort to secure cleaner drinking water by constructing massive offshore intake tunnels beneath Lake Erie. What followed was a decades-long saga of explosions, cave-ins, toxic gas, decompression sickness, fires, and rescue attempts that claimed dozens of lives. In this episode, we explore: Why the Cuyahoga River kept catching fire How industrial pollution transformed a waterway into a recurring fire hazard The deadly construction of Cleveland's offshore water tunnels The 1916 tunnel disaster that killed nineteen workers Garrett Morgan's heroic rescue efforts using an early gas mask The massive 1952 river fire that became one of the largest in American history How a photograph of the wrong fire helped spark the environmental movement The surprising recovery of a river once considered biologically dead What happens when a city becomes so accustomed to disaster that a burning river feels normal? Join us as we examine one of the most remarkable environmental and industrial stories in American history—a tale of flaming waterways, deadly engineering projects, political indifference, and a river that ultimately helped change the nation. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Bellamy, John Stark. Cleveland's Greatest Disasters! 16 Tragic True Tales of Death and Destruction: An Anthology. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers, 2009. Boissoneault, Lorraine. "The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire at Least a Dozen Times, but No One Cared Until 1969." Smithsonian Magazine, June 19, 2019. Smithsonian Magazine Article Dubelko, Jim. "The 1916 Waterworks Tunnel Disaster – Twenty Clevelanders Die Four Miles Out in Lake Erie." Cleveland Historical. Cleveland Historical Article "River Burned 13 Times and Changed the Nation Forever." Wild Versus YouTube Channel, January 4, 2025. Wild Versus Video "U.S. River Burned for Over 100 Years – You Won't Believe How It Recovered." Make Tech Future YouTube Channel, February 4, 2026. Make Tech Future Video Source for the bonus story at the end: "Replacement Window." GoFundMe Campaign. GoFundMe Page

    52 min
  5. Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion - The Finale

    May 18

    Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion - The Finale

    Episode 112 In the finale of Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion, we examine the aftermath of one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history—and the devastating questions that followed. Why didn’t the firefighters, longshoremen, and citizens of Texas City understand the danger they were facing? Who did understand the risks of ammonium nitrate? And how did knowledge of those dangers fail to reach the people whose lives depended on it? In this episode, we trace the history of ammonium nitrate from wartime explosive to postwar fertilizer, explore how critical safety knowledge became fragmented after World War II, and break down the landmark legal battle that followed the disaster: Dalehite v. United States. We also examine the Federal Tort Claims Act, the government’s controversial defense before the Supreme Court, and the chilling realization that the Texas City disaster may have been entirely preventable. This is the conclusion of our three-part series on the 1947 Texas City disaster. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Stephens, Hugh W. The Texas City Disaster, 1947. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Minutaglio, Bill. City on Fire: The Explosion That Devastated a Texas Town and Ignited a Historic Legal Battle. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003. International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Texas City Disaster. National Hazardous Materials Fusion Center Hazmat History. https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1haz/hazmat_history_texas_city_disaster.pdf Fire Prevention and Engineering Bureau of Texas and National Board of Fire Underwriters. Texas City, Texas Disaster Report. https://www.local1259iaff.org/report.htm Havel, Gregory. “Texas City Disaster.” Fire Engineering, October 6, 2008. https://dam.clarionengage.com/downloads.pennnet.com/fe/misc/20081006havel_texascity.pdf Ross, Cheryl Lauersdorf. “The 1947 Texas City Disaster: Changing Lives in a Heartbeat.” Houston History Magazine, vol. 15, no. 1. https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Texas-City-Disaster.pdf

    41 min
  6. Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion - Part 2

    May 11

    Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion - Part 2

    Episode 111 As Texas City struggles to respond to one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history, chaos spreads across the burning waterfront. With the entire volunteer fire department wiped out in the first blast, civilians, medical workers, military personnel, and rescue crews are forced to improvise a disaster response in real time while rumors, chemical fires, and mass casualties overwhelm the city. But sitting just yards from the wreckage of the Grandcamp is another ship loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer: the High Flyer. In Part 2 of Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion, we follow the fragmented and increasingly desperate efforts to understand the danger still lurking in the harbor—and the catastrophic failures, misunderstandings, and expert reassurances that would lead Texas City toward a second devastating explosion. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Stephens, Hugh W. The Texas City Disaster, 1947. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Minutaglio, Bill. City on Fire: The Explosion That Devastated a Texas Town and Ignited a Historic Legal Battle. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003. International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Texas City Disaster. National Hazardous Materials Fusion Center Hazmat History. https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1haz/hazmat_history_texas_city_disaster.pdf Fire Prevention and Engineering Bureau of Texas and National Board of Fire Underwriters. Texas City, Texas Disaster Report. https://www.local1259iaff.org/report.htm Havel, Gregory. “Texas City Disaster.” Fire Engineering, October 6, 2008. https://dam.clarionengage.com/downloads.pennnet.com/fe/misc/20081006havel_texascity.pdf Ross, Cheryl Lauersdorf. “The 1947 Texas City Disaster: Changing Lives in a Heartbeat.” Houston History Magazine, vol. 15, no. 1. https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Texas-City-Disaster.pdf

    50 min
  7. Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion

    May 4

    Shockwaves: The 1947 Texas City Explosion

    Episode 110 On April 16, 1947, a routine morning in Texas City, Texas turned catastrophic when a fire broke out aboard the French cargo ship Grandcamp, which was loaded with thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. As smoke poured from the vessel, onlookers gathered and firefighters responded—unaware of the danger posed by the volatile cargo. Efforts to contain the fire instead intensified the conditions inside the ship, leading to a massive explosion that devastated the port, killed hundreds—including the entire responding fire department—and injured thousands more. The blast triggered widespread destruction, secondary fires, and a cascading disaster that engulfed nearby industrial facilities. In this episode, we examine how a combination of misunderstood chemistry, risky cargo practices, and critical decision-making failures led to one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history—and why the danger wasn’t over when the Grandcamp exploded. CHECK OUT MY NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.anauthornamedapril.com The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Stephens, Hugh W. The Texas City Disaster, 1947. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Minutaglio, Bill. City on Fire: The Explosion That Devastated a Texas Town and Ignited a Historic Legal Battle. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003. International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Texas City Disaster. National Hazardous Materials Fusion Center Hazmat History. https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1haz/hazmat_history_texas_city_disaster.pdf Fire Prevention and Engineering Bureau of Texas and National Board of Fire Underwriters. Texas City, Texas Disaster Report. https://www.local1259iaff.org/report.htm Havel, Gregory. “Texas City Disaster.” Fire Engineering, October 6, 2008. https://dam.clarionengage.com/downloads.pennnet.com/fe/misc/20081006havel_texascity.pdf Ross, Cheryl Lauersdorf. “The 1947 Texas City Disaster: Changing Lives in a Heartbeat.” Houston History Magazine, vol. 15, no. 1. https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Texas-City-Disaster.pdf

    38 min
  8. Absence & Ashes: The Joey Lynn Offutt Case - The Conclusion

    Apr 27

    Absence & Ashes: The Joey Lynn Offutt Case - The Conclusion

    Episode 109:  In Part 2 of the Joey Lynn Offutt case, we move beyond the fire and into the contradictions that define this investigation—examining Joey’s life, relationships, and the nine critical days before she was reported missing. Investigators confirm the fire was intentional and that her infant son died before it began, but answers only become more elusive as timelines, witness accounts, and physical evidence raise new questions instead of resolving them. Joey’s history—marked by instability, complicated relationships, and conflicting reports about her mental state—collides with a series of unsettling details: groceries left to rot, a possible sighting days after she was last heard from, and her car discovered far from home under circumstances that suggest someone else may have been driving. While Alexis Brolin Jr. cooperates with investigators and initially appears unlikely to have carried out such a crime, later developments in his life cast that assumption into doubt, opening the door to more troubling possibilities. Nearly two decades later, with no definitive answers and multiple competing theories—from voluntary disappearance to foul play—Joey Lynn Offutt remains missing, her case suspended in a space where every explanation feels incomplete and every detail seems to point in more than one direction. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Disappeared. Season 5, Episode 10, “Lost Little Girl.” Directed by Chris Gidez. Aired March 12, 2012. Accessed via Amazon Prime Video. Crime Junkie. “Missing: Joey Lynn Offut.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kLEOjghknE Profiling with Pat Brown. “What Happened to Joey Lynn Offutt.” YouTube video, uploaded September 7, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ikKVCyF2OY Find Joey. “Changelog.” https://www.findjoey.org/changelog.asp Facebook. “Help Find Joey Lynn Offutt.” https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindJoeyLynnOffutt/ Thompson, Hayden. “Missing Jefferson County Woman Declared Dead, PSP Still Searching for Answers.” WTAJ, March 26, 2025. https://www.wtaj.com/news/local-news/missing-jefferson-county-woman-declared-dead-psp-still-searching-for-answers/ Cloonan, Patrick. “State Police Reopen Cold Case Out of Sykesville.” Indiana Gazette, July 5, 2024. Updated August 9, 2025. https://www.indianagazette.com/news/police_emergency_and_courts/state-police-reopen-cold-case-out-of-sykesville/article_0be4d6a2-38a4-11ef-9976-ef34d740f211.html Ciampi, Raquel. “Joey Lynn Offutt: PA Officials Remain Mystified Years After Woman Vanishes, Infant Found Dead.” WTAE, updated July 2, 2024. https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/crime/2026/01/02/nearly-two-decades-later-state-police-continue-investigation-into-missing-jefferson-county-woman-171917/ Associated Press. “Family of Missing Pa. Woman Seeks Answers.” Fox News, July 11, 2011. Updated November 30, 2015. https://www.foxnews.com/us/family-of-missing-pa-woman-seeks-answers

    1h 13m
See All (100)

Trailer

5
out of 5
78 Ratings

About

A true crime podcast where we explore the dark sooty landscape of crimes involving fire including arson and criminal negligence. Join us as we explore what really happened in some of the most horrific criminal fires in history. Hosted by April and some guy that’s seen Backdraft at least twice.

Information

  • Creator
    lilpyrogirl
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Crime to Burn, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Crime To Burn

You Might Also Like