Lurking In the Shadows Podcast

Amber & Kirsten
  • 3.7 (3)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

A True Crime podcast with best friend hosts Amber and Kirsten. Join us as we delve into cases of murder, disappearances, and mysteries, to be a voice for victims and promote justice.

  1. 6d ago

    The Torso Killer AKA The Times Square Ripper

    Episode 70: Imagine checking into a Times Square hotel room in 1979, only to find the fire department rushing past you into a smoke-filled room. What they discovered inside wasn't just a fire—it was a scene so depraved, it would change New York City forever. Two women, completely dismembered, their heads and hands missing, and a killer who melted into the neon lights of the city. This is the story of Richard Cottingham, a family man and computer operator by day, and one of America’s most sadistic serial killers by night. They called him The Torso Killer, and while he was convicted of eleven murders, he claims his true body count is closer to one hundred. Today, we are diving deep into the double life, the gruesome crimes, and the decades-long interrogation that finally broke the silence of a monster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cottingham https://kympasqualini.medium.com/richard-cottingham-the-torso-killer-of-times-square-1b12d1a40d6f https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/a-serial-killer-stalks-times-square-in-the-1970s/ https://nassauda.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/1464 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/08/torso-killer-1965-murder-new-jersey https://www.aetv.com/articles/torso-killer-convicted-5-murders-confessed-more-than-20 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/nyregion/torso-killer-richard-cottingham-cold-case.html https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2021/06/13/how-a-new-jersey-detective-coaxed-a-confession-from-a-serial-killer-to-solve-the-decades-old-murders-of-2-teen-girls-this-case-was-always-haunting-me/ https://www.police1.com/investigations/articles/how-a-detective-delved-into-the-mind-of-njs-torso-killer-to-close-brutal-cold-case-murders-BQloB30i4Du7GKED/ https://www.nydarksidepodcast.com/episodes-16-20/episode-20-richard-cottingham-the-torso-ripper-part-1 https://nassauda.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/1464 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-01/americas-notorious-torso-killer-reveals-himself/101757368

    The Torso Killer AKA The Times Square Ripper

  2. Sep 17

    Clark Perry Baldwin: The Iowa Trucker Killer

    Episode 69: Thousands of miles of asphalt, anonymous truck stops, and a lone man. In the early 1990s, long-haul trucking was the ultimate frontier of anonymity—and for Clark Perry Baldwin, it was the ultimate hunting ground. For nearly thirty years, investigators across multiple states were haunted by nameless victims known only as 'Bitter Creek Betty' and 'I-90 Jane Doe.' But what happens when our friend DNA accidentally unmasks one of America's most elusive highway predators? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Perry_Baldwin https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/05/05/accused-serial-killer-trucker-convicted-in-tennessee-now-headed-to-wyoming-for-trial/ https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/18/accused-serial-killer-suspected-of-murdering-2-women-in-wyoming-dies-in-tennessee/ https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/620432-Serial-Killer-Suspect-Dies-1-Day-after-Third-Victim-Identification/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/05/07/clark-perry-baldwin-iowa-what-to-know/3087903001/ https://www.krgv.com/news/trucker-charged-in-serial-killings-faces-scrutiny-across-us/

    Clark Perry Baldwin: The Iowa Trucker Killer

  3. Sep 10

    Robert Ben Rhoades: The Truck Stop Killer

    Episode 68: Most serial killers have a hunting ground, but for Robert Ben Rhoades, the hunting ground was the entire American highway system—and for investigators in the 1990s, it presented a nearly impossible challenge. How do you track a suspect who is constantly moving across state lines? You’ve driven past hundreds of semis on the highway. Today, we look inside the rolling House of Horrors that you could never escape. https://medium.com/@truecrimestoriies/the-routine-traffic-stop-that-saved-countless-lives-from-a-highway-predator-3e062a2d341b https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ben_Rhoades https://allthatsinteresting.com/robert-ben-rhoades https://abcnews.com/US/texas-trucker-traveling-torture-chamber-admits-murders/story?id=16037743 https://www.gq.com/story/truck-stop-killer-gq-november-2012 https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/alberta-woman-recognizes-herself-in-photo-found-in-u-s-serial-killers-truck/ https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-trucker-pleads-guilty-to-2-more-murders/ https://darkdialoguenetwork.com/faith-on-the-open-road-remembering-patricia-walsh-douglas-zyskowski-and-those-still-unnamed/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/x2bwsr/the_infamous_final_photo_of_14yearold_regina_kay/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-known-truck-stop-serial-killer-convicted-third-murder-rcna188872

    Robert Ben Rhoades: The Truck Stop Killer

  4. Sep 3

    True Crime In a Dime Chapter 13: College Campus Murders

    Welcome to True Crime in a Dime, our short stories segment. In Chapter 13 we discuss the cases of Jeanne Clery, Judy Martins, Betsy Aardsma, and Tammy Zywicki, all college students who were murdered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jeanne_Clery https://www.mcall.com/2002/08/31/henry-trades-appeal-rights-for-life-in-prison-for-1986-rape-murder-of-lehigh-student-northampton-county-judge-oks-deal-death-sentence-was-thrown-out-in-may/ https://www.aetv.com/articles/19-year-old-murder-federal-protections-university-students https://library.lehigh.edu/news/remembering-jeanne-how-lehigh-students-tragic-death-1986-made-enduring-impact-campus-safety https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1986/4/12/lehigh-student-raped-strangled-in-dorm/ https://www.library.fordham.edu/digital/item/collection/RAM/id/19856 https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/03/07/seeking-justice-kent-state-student-still-missing-after-nearly-47-years/?fbclid=IwY2xjawT5XYFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4F9IzcFq3Q_WTdc2laIuqaPbsjdgQTgOoM7L9_F6yUjR0n0ZXUm9x8YOgIDw_aem_nVztbqlEd4GS0l_B2AuiWQ https://www.pbswesternreserve.org/blogs/luminus-stories-about-us/we-never-stopped-looking-the-search-for-judy-martins-continues/ https://anotherbundyblog.com/2026/07/01/elizabeth-betsy-ruth-aardsma/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Betsy_Aardsma https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/unsolved-murder-penn-state-student-betsy-aardsma-haunts-community-52-n1284867 https://www.aetv.com/articles/penn-state-student-betsy-aardsma-fatal-stabbing-unsolved https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1uthdow/who_murdered_betsy_aardsma/ https://medium.com/@mrodriguez0/the-bizarre-unsolved-murder-of-betsy-aardsma-df9d31055ea8 https://onwardstate.com/2025/09/19/penn-state-history-lesson-murder-in-the-stacks/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tammy_Zywicki https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/tammy-j.-zywicki

    True Crime In a Dime Chapter 13: College Campus Murders

  5. Aug 27

    The Mysterious Disappearance of Patricia Meehan

    Episode 67: A head-on collision hundreds of miles from home. A silent stare from a stranger as she walks into the pitch-black Montana prairie. In April 1989, Patricia Meehan walked away from a car crash and vanished without a trace, leaving investigators with one simple, terrifying question: Where do you go when you may have forgotten who you are? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQdzbOlzYzs https://unsolved.com/gallery/patricia-meehan/ https://charleyproject.org/case/patricia-bernadette-meehan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAQkXg5JkVA

    The Mysterious Disappearance of Patricia Meehan

  6. Aug 20

    The Beauty School Murder of Mackenzie Cowell

    Episode 66: Mackenzie Cowell was a 17-year-old student and aspiring model from Washington who was murdered in February 2010. She vanished after leaving her beauty school in Wenatchee, and her body was found four days later along the Columbia River. A fellow cosmetology student who left the school shortly after Mackenzie on the day she vanished, emerged as a prime. Who killed Mackenzie Cowell? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Mackenzie_Cowell https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/kyckuk/extensive_write_up_on_the_murder_of_mackenzie/ https://forensictales.com/mackenzie-cowell/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-search-for-mackenzie-cowells-killer-2/ https://medium.com/@truecrimestoriies/the-vanishing-of-mckenzie-cowell-a-small-town-mystery-that-shattered-a-community-aedecb593fee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR7MNN18byo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=918rwqIL1UA https://medium.com/the-wicked-truth/mackenzie-cowell-the-beauty-school-murder-a53bec3bdee5 https://allthatsinteresting.com/mackenzie-cowell https://komonews.com/news/local/trial-set-to-begin-in-wenatchee-beauty-school-killing https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/may/20/beauty-school-student-murder-trial-begins/ https://vocal.media/criminal/mackenzie-cowell-s-murder-by-a-classmate-obsessed-with-serial-killers

    The Beauty School Murder of Mackenzie Cowell

  7. Aug 13

    The Case That Coined 'Stockholm Syndrome'

    Episode 65: A man walks into a bank in a disguise, fires a submachine gun into the ceiling, and shouts, 'The party has just begun!' Six days later, the hostages he held at gunpoint refused to testify against him, raised money for his defense, and hugged him as he was dragged away in handcuffs. Welcome to the robbery that created Stockholm Syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan-Erik_Olsson https://www.history.com/articles/stockholm-syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrmalmstorg_robbery

    The Case That Coined 'Stockholm Syndrome'

  8. Aug 6

    True Crime In a Dime Chapter 1: Tanner Ward, Daniel Robinson, Shane Fell, George Stinney

    THIS EPISODE IS A RE-RUN. Due to life and vacations, we were unable to give you a new episode this week (so sorry!), so we are playing a re-run of our first True Crime In a Dime. This episode features the cases of Tanner Ward (mysterious death by hanging), Daniel Robinson (mysterious disappearance), Shane Fell (mysterious disappearance), and George Stinney (wrongful execution at the age of 14!). Listening to 166. The Death of Tanner Ward | Everand⁠ ⁠The Mysterious De-ath of TannerWard – Tech Shpily⁠ ⁠Ward’s Death Is Ruled A Suicide |Trenton Republican-Times⁠ ⁠https://pleasehelpfinddaniel.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/09/29/new-information-on-daniel-robinson-who-has-been-missing-since-2021/71007618007/⁠ ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Daniel_Robinson⁠ ⁠https://medium.com/@Charlie_OBrien/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-daniel-robinson-e10f9afe6691#:~:text=Daniel%20Cornelius%20Robinson%20was%20born,missing%20part%20of%20his%20forearm⁠.⁠Man Vanished From Scene OfA-Ccident: Where Is Shane Fell? | Criminal⁠ ⁠He Crashed His Car After A NightOut With Friends In 2011, Leaving Behind Only One Shoe At The Scene - ChipChick⁠ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stinney⁠ ⁠https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/george-stinney

    True Crime In a Dime Chapter 1: Tanner Ward, Daniel Robinson, Shane Fell, George Stinney
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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A True Crime podcast with best friend hosts Amber and Kirsten. Join us as we delve into cases of murder, disappearances, and mysteries, to be a voice for victims and promote justice.

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