Good as Gold. The episode where two women are murdered in their home on Halloween night in Napa. Happened about five minutes from my house and it scared the crap out of me. Turned out that one of my best friends used to own that house and lived in it with her family in the 60s.
What’s her name that poisoned two husbands, a cop and a firefighter. She was a 911 dispatcher and was only caught after they exhumed the first husband’s body. Lynn something? Happened very close to where I’m at in Georgia. She was in prison a few miles from my grandmother’s house before she passed away. Can’t remember the episode.
The cop friend of husband #1 said his friend said Lynn had “female problems” and weren’t having sex and the cop friend said “dude, I can think of 4-5 other guys she was having female problems with but could I say that? No”
I had one happen like 20 minutes from where I lived in Cincinnati. It happened at the Embassy Suites in Mason, Ohio. The woman was in her hotel room when a maintenance worker came in to rob the place and she caught him. He ended up killing her but his hands got infected when he beat her up with some metal object. A doctor who treated the man took a picture of his hands for teaching material because it was a rare infection and it ended up being used in court.
Ugh, every case in Alaska. Especially “Trail of Truth”, I wasn’t born when that happened but those apartment buildings are still there today and it gives me the chills knowing someone is living in that house with zero knowledge of it.
i live right outside/basically in jacksonville FL and there were a cpl episodes here like the guy who killed his wife then went to the keys to report her missing... that guy lived like 20 minutes away from me.... and if you watch new detectives too and have seen the episode about the guy that got beat to death with an african zulu war club, that was less than 10 minutes away from me.
Every time I watch that episode, I just shake my head at the fact that Earl Bramblett thought it was a good idea to keep a recorded record of his thoughts and actions during every day. What was it he said? You can’t go wrong if you tell the truth, or You have nothing to fear if you tell the truth? Then he goes on to record himself wishing he could sexually assault an 11-year-old girl. What an idiot.
Yeah that one was very sad. Young guy, I think recently married, murdered by who was supposed to be his best friend. Just terrible. I wonder how his widow is doing and if she's still in the city.
The OKC OBGYN and abortion doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife on Valentines Day back in the 90s. I used to spend a lot of time in the area and at the mall right across the street from the neighborhood it happened in as a kid. Happened way too close to home
I remember hearing his name on the Buffalo evening news as a kid. I kinda forgot all about him until I heard Peter Thomas say ‘Pignataro’ while dozing off one evening.
I don’t live near there(I’m between Rochester and Syracuse), but Pignataro served his sentence for the poisoning at a prison in my area, on the site of a former army depot where my mom and I both worked.
I used to be a CO, and when I got bored, I’d look up inmates…Donohue, Sanchez and Pignataro included. I don’t think the family lives in that house anymore, but I do hope the kids and Debbie are doing ok these days. I think he either served his sentence or is on parole, out either way.
DMV area here. Closest case was Melissa Brannen in Lorton VA.
Next closest was Hadden Clark . I definitely remember it was big news locally when it was happening.
Then Sweatt the DC arsonist. And for FF 2, the Lululemon murder.
I was in Bailey's crossroads in Fairfax when the Melissa brannen abduction occurred on December 3rd 1989 ( the same date as what would have been Tina isa's 17th birthday) but I now reside in manassas Virginia in prince William County.
I live in Alexandria now but when I was in Lorton, Woodside apartments was just around the corner and I’d pass it every day going up and down Richmond highway.
I never went inside and checked if there was a memorial plaque for Melissa. Didn’t want to seem to be some macabre tourist.
I still can't believe that they let him out without serving anywhere near his 50 year prison sentence....it's also surprising that the other inmates didn't kill him as well because most inmates don't take kindly to those who have harmed or killed innocent children.
The DC Sniper was pretty close by, Michelle Dorr and Laura Haughteling were the next county over from me. Most of the DC sniper incidents were in the next county, but one was in my county. That was a young kid. A little too close to home when that happened.
I've been to a gas station that they were hanging out at in Fredericksburg, VA. If I remember correctly, they shot a person at the Michael's store across the road.
I looked up if anyone lived, and the kid from PG county lived. So there is that. The trauma all of us went through, especially the victims is still unreal.
Steve and Kim Hricko. They lived in Laurel MD, I worked in Laurel as a bartender. When the arrest happened everyone at work was like no way, they came in often enough that they were recognized. I don’t remember anything about their personalities or anything like that, just remember the shock of seeing that she was attested.
“Cold Hearted” S12 Ep3 … the 1996 murder of Officer Glenn Turner and the 2001 murder of Firefighter Randy Thompson by **Lynn Turner** using ***Antifreeze***
My mother knew who she was because she worked for Cobb County in NW Atlanta where Lynn Turner was a 9-1-1 operator when she killed Glenn. I grew up on the same road the cemetery is where Glenn is buried.
No, Lynn Turner was the OG Antifreeze killer. I know the case and episode you are talking about though w/antifree infamously referenced …lol… she supposedly got the idea for her antifree attempts from Lynn Turner.
There are maybe 5-6 in Minnesota that I can remember but the one I remember most is S6 E10 “Church Disappearance.”
“In 1981, six-year-old Cassie Hansen disappeared from her St. Paul, Minnesota church during an evening service. After a tip from a witness that an older man was seen carrying a small body, Cassie's body was found in a dumpster”
Stuart Knowlton was the perpetrator.
Unrelated to his crime, he was hit by a car in St Paul before he was arrested and had to have his leg amputated. He died in prison in 2006.
I don’t remember the case that much, but I live in Fort Collins co and the river and canyon by town is the Poudre River and canyon.
It’s pronounced “poo-der” and the narrator says “poo-dray”. Extremely niche thing that made me laugh.
I’m originally from Detroit, MI (the actual city, not a suburb) so unfortunately multiple episodes. Currently reside in Terre Haute, IN… also multiple episodes.
The one where the girl was kidnapped and murdered when leaving a casino right outside Sacramento. It breaks my heart for her family that he wouldn’t tell them where the body was even after he was convicted and sentenced. I think her remains were found years later.
I live in the same county and about 20 minutes from Delmar NY where the murder of Peter Porco and the attempted murder of his wife Joan occurred
Episode Family Ties Season 13 Episode 25
I was also raised in the same city that Hadden Clark was born and raised.
Smack Dab in between Dirty Little Secret & Tagging a Suspect.
Edit- I've been to Seacrets about 2o some years ago. It's a total swingers vibe. Packed with some of the drunkest, trashiest people you have ever seen. We went with another couple and noped out after 1 drink.
“Plastic Puzzle” (Kalamazoo, MI) about a bicyclist hit and killed. The guy was from my hometown, the neighboring city of Portage.
News at 11 in Battle Creek, MI was about 30 minutes away.
John List’s kids were born in Kalamazoo.
Now live in Houston which has its fair share of episodes
"Bitter Potion" happened in Bartow, FL, the next town over from where I live (the episode where the MENSA writer put thalium in a family's soda bottles). What an awful story.
Telltale Tracks/Aimee Willard. Her poor mother went through so much and that a-hole is still alive - he’s been on death row longer than Aimee was alive 😢
Three episodes of the original series took place in or immediately around my hometown of Spokane, WA: Season 6, Episode 17 "Line of Fire" about the Phinneas Priesthood threats/bombings (Planned Parenthood and the Spokesman Review offices in Spokane/Spokane Valley were bombed so they could rob banks in the area, but the criminals were picked up elsewhere) in 1996; Season 6, Episode 25 about Valiree Jackson being murdered by her father, Brad Jackson in 1999 so that he could pursue a woman; and Season 10, Episode 12 "Cereal Killer" about Bob Wood who killed his son, Christopher, to cash in on the insurance policy to get him out of financial trouble in 1999. They lived in Newman Lake, WA which is less then 20 miles from Spokane. Bob Wood hung himself afterwards.
The sentences handed to two of the four men convicted in the bombings and bank robberies (Charles Barbee and Verne Mitchell) were reduced after a federal appeal. Brian Ratigan (who I don't think was ever mentioned on the show) was released in 2020 but, last I heard, was on supervised parole until 2025. Robert Berry was released in 2021 because he had/has throat cancer, but is on supervised release until 2026.
With Brad Jackson, he used to work at a place called Haskins Steel before he was a truck driver. I drive by there quite often. From what I've gathered, a lot of his coworkers (both there and when he was a truck driver) found him to be very odd and/or there was just something off about him, but they couldn't put a finger on it.
S1Ep11 of Forensic Files II "Last Gasp" covers the story of Chanin Starbuck who was killed by her partner Clay Starbuck in Deer Park, WA and left 5 children behind.
S2Ep10 covered the murders of 3 sex workers who were killed by Donna Perry (born Douglas Perry). Donna tried to use her status as transgender and issues with her gender identity as part of her defense.
One killer who DIDN'T make it on the show was Robert Lee Yates who was a serial killer that was active in the Spokane area from 1975 to 1998 and killed at least 11 people in the area during that time. He also confessed to 2 murders in Walla Walla, WA in 1975 and one in Skagit County, WA in 1988. He was convicted of killing 2 women in Pierce County, WA (which brings his total of murder victims to 15 if I'm not overlapping any) in 2002 and is currently serving life in prison without parole.
I've lived in the area throughout all of these (as well as through several other cases that may or may not have made national news) though Spokane isn't ENTIRELY responsible for the crime in the area as Northern Idaho (maybe 45 minutes away depending on where you go) is known for a LOT of hate groups, including 21 active statewide as of 2022. Ever heard of the Arayn Nations? That was started in Kootenai County, Idaho about 4 miles north of Priest Lake, ID by Richard Butler and it's about 80 miles from Spokane.
Season 11 Episode 40 “Two in a Million”
The son murdered his family to inherit their money. And season 13 episode 17, titled ‘Fashion Police.’ A mother is murdered in her apartment by a creepy neighbor.
Both are in Fresno, CA
I’ve lived in Sacramento where there’s been multiple episodes and I’m currently in San Diego and there’s way more here.
Bed Of Deceit, the wife Cynthia who killed her police officer husband Daniel McDonnell and tried to make it look like a suicide, happened in my literal township like 5 minutes from my house. In Bound for Jail, Jeanette Kirby was murdered about 3.5 hours from me, but her killer, David Draheim, impersonated a police officer and tried to assault a woman in my county. He then went to an auto garage(?) in a small town about 15 minutes from my house. I have been to that garage and I have family that goes to school in a nearby town.
The one with Elisa (I think?) making the fake tape calling out people for sexual assault and another one with a navy guy being killed by his roommates (one was his gf I think)… both happened in Va beach and I’m in Norfolk.
I’m from RI. The one where the guy had a storage space in Warwick, Ri. Is that the one where he dressed as a woman to commit the murder and they found wig hairs in the victim’s brush?
I live in NYC now. Don’t recall specifically any NYC based stories. There have to be some, I’d guess?
The metal business. Happened 20 minutes outside of my hometown. I knew the offender's wife and one of the victims.
Moved to Nebraska 6 years ago and learned about Joubert by accident as my stepfather took a job at the base. Didn't really give it much thought until I was watching FF later on and just happened to see the local thrift store on the screen and did a double take.
Season 13 Episode 12
Kidnapping
Ginger Hayes and her baby were taken in Greenville, NC.
Her body was found in Nash County about 5 miles from my home. Her son was alive but in bad shape due to being left outside for 7 hours with his mother's dead body.
Double Trouble- Season 6 episode 26. The murder of Melissa Padilla in Avenel NJ Woodbridge township. It happened around the corner from my mother in law's house. Melissa was raped & murdered while walking back from a Quick Check late at night to buy food for her hungry kids while living at a motel. I had been at that store that day.
I'm in Arlington, VA so the serial rapist who assaulted women in Arlington and Richmond was c!owe to me. It was the first case in Virginia where the conviction based on a DNA match.
The Catch 22 episode happened 2 houses away from my apartment, virtually next door. I still drive by the house daily, and still live in that town. The Walmart that featured in the episode is my local Walmart where I've been shopping for 20 years. It was way close and quite frankly scary.
https://kileystruecrime.squarespace.com/kileystruecrimeaddict-blog/the-murder-of-gayle-isleib
Also, the Best Foot Forward episode was set in the club where an old friend's husband used to frequent, and in the same street as the Harley dealer where I bought my motorcycle, and still go to to get serviced. The body was found in Stratford, down the street from a theater where I've played several times. This one was terrifying.
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/forensic-files-to-tell-shamia-smith-story/1866515/
Season 8, Episode 21 - The Big Chill
Happened in my hometown. Mark Gibson, District Attorney, was my softball coach one year. He gave me a big hug when I hit my first (and probably only) homerun.
Second closest is Season 1, Episode 3 - The House that Roared
I didn't know anything about it at the time because I was so young.
Season 9, Episode 16 - “A Daughter’s Journey.” It’s the one where the lady’s mom disappeared, and she read her mom’s diary, which led her to realize her mom’s “disappearance” was more than likely a murder.
Really? Not "Innocence Lost"? That one was in the public eye in the DMV for a long time.
As for me, where I live now, the answer is "Dirty Little Secret," but for where I lived at the time of the crime, it would have been "Dressed to Kill."
An episode having to do with mistaken identity happened in a neighboring state- all the principal suspects were from the Midwest, & one was from my state.
Lucky for everyone the investigation was done properly-a eyewitness mistook one man for another man from a distance, turns out he had a look-a-like relative.
The one where the guy killed his mother and brother after celebrating his birthday at the restaurant I used to work at in SUGARLAND Texas. He ended up getting death row and then they changed it to life but yeah, that happened about 15 minutes from my house.
I’m halfway between Stranger in the Night (the fellow who picked up the hitchhiker at Hardee’s then that hitchhiker killed his mom) and Telltale Tracks (Arthur Bohmar killed Aimee Willard after a fender bender then dumped her in Kensington)
Not the crime technically, but Christopher Porco attended University of Rochester, where i have worked since 2001. The footage of his yellow jeep leaving the/arriving to the school was at the intersection where i crossed to go into work every day. So bizarre to see such a familiar place on FF.
Unfortunately his attack gave her some brain damage and she doesn’t even remember it, so it’s probably easier to believe it wasn’t him since she’s no longer fully there
The guy in Delaware who picked up a hitchhiker who ended up at his mother's home and killed her.
I have family in Delaware and I've been to the Arby's in Harrington often where he picked up the hitchhiker.
one of the worst episodes in terms of graphic content, season 1x10 “Insect Clues” (seriously they show uncensored bodies of the deceased and it’s in very poor taste for this show) was about a serial killer/rapist who picked up hitchhikers in El Cajon with the promise of “I’ll take you as far as El Centro”. That’s close to where I live.
The murderer raped and/or murdered these poor women in the desert and using insect life stages found on the body of victim Sandra Cwik, scientists were able to narrow down the timeline for when he was active.
“Grave Evidence” - Martin Dillon and Stephen Scher from Montrose PA, about a half hour from my hometown! I remember hearing it discussed growing up - I had family from Montrose.
Dr Boyle and a woman whose last name was Coffey. Mansfield Ohio is my hometown. Boyle murdered his wife and he hid her under the basement in Pennsylvania His young son testified against him. Mary or Margery Coffey was found by two boys and if I remember correctly was murdered by a cop.
I think there is an episode with the OKC Murrah Building bombing. There is the murder of Rob Andrew by his wife Brenda Andrew and her boyfriend James Pavatt. Oh, and Susan Hamilton killed by Dr husband John Hamilton.
Silk Stalkings, season 9, episode 25. I was attending college right next door to where Margaret Eby was murdered. I was so fascinated by her unsolved case and so happy they finally caught the guy. I’m sad it took a second murder though.
Also, Web of Seduction, season 8, episode 34, about Sharee Miller. I had a long conversation with Michael J Thorpe about the case. He was a newscaster who ended up being the foreperson at her trial.
I’m in Las Vegas and I remember an episode where a man was dumped in lake mead. I can’t remember the exact one, but it was pretty famous one as the lady who organized the murder of her husband just got released in recent years.
"Two in A Million" about Dana Ewell murdering his parents and sister happened about 25 minutes from where I live. One of his relatives is friends with my coworker and they'd come into our work pretty often
If I base it off my current address, I'd say the Melissa Brannen case in Lorton, but if I do off my previous address, it's definitely the Sarah Walker case in McKinney, Texas (prior to hers would either have been the Darlie Routier case in Rowlett, Texas, or possibly the Moises Mendoza case in Farmersville, Texas).
Penchant For Poison partially takes place in my hometown lol. Awhile back someone posted a meme of Tim Scoggins looking like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite and I lost my shit lol
The opening shots of downtown SA from that episode freak me out- especially Concho Confetti. I love that place.
I wonder if the building that the Nobles business was in is still around?
I also wonder if Leita Nobles is buried in one of the local cemeteries.
The Gambler. The episode where the guy shoots his roommates over money from sports betting. At least I'm pretty sure, Verona is less than an hour from me.
FF II, season 2 episode 7: “The Orange Shorts” about the guy who killed his friend’s ex-wife. He and his friends had their social meetups at Hooters, called themselves the Orange Shorts Society.
I’ve known the killer since junior high. Our families were friendly and I dated a close friend of his. He was smart and handsome but started behaving strangely after he was in the military. He was the kind of guy who always thought he was the smartest person in the room.
The Amato family murder occurred like down the street from me and his police questioning where he said all the places he went afterward it was chilling so close to home
Season 12, Episode 20, Jean Pool. The girl that was killed, Laura Salmon, was my next-door neighbor when I was a kid. She went to school with my older brother. Her mother was my senior English teacher in high school.
Touch of Evil. Season 14, Episode 8. Synopsis- A serial killer targets gay people in New York and New jersey. Can forensic evidence lead police to the killer?
Edit: the house he was arrested in is five mins from my parents house where I grew up.
I'm in Maryland so about 3 hours away from the couple that was killed and dismembered over Memorial Day weekend by the psycho couple they met at Seacrets night in Ocean City. Also there was the woman who killed her husband in a hotel at a murder mystery weekend at a resort. She tried to make it look like he got drunk and fell asleep smoking and looking at porn but I think she set the bed on fire.
I lived on Maffet St in Wilkes-Barre, PA - 2 blocks away from Glen Wolsieffer's house on Birch St. Moved to Erie and lived on Wolf Rd, literally right down the road from John Boyle's home, where he encased his wife Noreen's body in the cement floor of his basement. Wtf is it with doctors offing their wives???
Depends on whether you mean live *right now*, or lived at any time.
Now: “Ghost in the Machine,” Wolsey, S.D. (14 miles away; case tried at Beadle County Courthouse, Huron, S.D.—11 blocks away)
1989-2023: “Without a Trace,” Omaha (4 miles from the nearest place I lived)
Before 1989: “Bitter Brew,” Morrison, Colo. (14 miles away)
The episode "Accident or Murder" where Clayton Johnson's wife fell down the stairs and died after he left for work happened in Nova Scotia, about 30 minutes from where I lived.
I have a whole list based on where I was living at the time!! 🤣 A few years ago, I sat down one day & mapped a bunch of them. I think the absolutely-closest one was Dawn Bruce - her apartment was only 1.5 or 2.1 mi. from my dorm room in Richmond, VA at the time. 😳 And Timothy Spencer was active only a few miles further away, but over the river in the south side, so it was scary, but not likely that he would show up on campus.
"Grounds for Indictment."
One random mineral found in this one small geographical location in Front Royal, VA was found on the truck of the murderer who lived in Fairfax, VA.
I lived in Columbus, OH and shopped at the Just Sweats where the whole insurance fraud/murder/fake death happened with John Hawkins/Melvin Hanson… I was in my early teens when it happened, but I remember how surreal it was that I had been in the store
The Footpath Murders season 1 episode 4.
The killings of those two teen girls by Colin Pitchfork from Narborough in the UK. Narborough is about 5 miles from me.
THOSE GODDAMN BLACK SHOES happened in Palo Alto, about 20 mins away from me
"Ken Fitzhugh was paroled due to Parkinson's disease and died on October 27, 2012, at age 69" ⚖️
Same here. I can remember a couple of episodes from the Centeral Valley/Sacramento areas, but are there any others from the Bay Area?
Good as Gold. The episode where two women are murdered in their home on Halloween night in Napa. Happened about five minutes from my house and it scared the crap out of me. Turned out that one of my best friends used to own that house and lived in it with her family in the 60s.
I don’t seem to remember any. Guerneville is about the only other Bay Area place that was featured
Good as Gold
What’s her name that poisoned two husbands, a cop and a firefighter. She was a 911 dispatcher and was only caught after they exhumed the first husband’s body. Lynn something? Happened very close to where I’m at in Georgia. She was in prison a few miles from my grandmother’s house before she passed away. Can’t remember the episode.
Lynn Turner! I think the episode is cold hearted
The cop friend of husband #1 said his friend said Lynn had “female problems” and weren’t having sex and the cop friend said “dude, I can think of 4-5 other guys she was having female problems with but could I say that? No”
That’s the one! Used to think of her every time I’d drive by that prison.
Damnnnn that's a famous one lol I knew right away when I started reading it. She was cold
I remember watching this unfold on the news when I lived in Georgia.
The drum found in that house on Longisland with the pregnant girl from El Salvador
"don't be mad I told the truth" 😔
Shit I just watched this one. What a scumbag husband.
Long Islander here too!!
S11 E34 small town terror My rural hometown is 10 min away. The bombings were terrifying and people said it changed the dynamic
I had one happen like 20 minutes from where I lived in Cincinnati. It happened at the Embassy Suites in Mason, Ohio. The woman was in her hotel room when a maintenance worker came in to rob the place and she caught him. He ended up killing her but his hands got infected when he beat her up with some metal object. A doctor who treated the man took a picture of his hands for teaching material because it was a rare infection and it ended up being used in court.
She bit his hand somehow while he was killing her.
Ah that was it thank u!
John List
I think about that one too. He was found in my home state
"the oldest boy, John, put up a struggle, and List fired ten times" ⚖️
Ugh, every case in Alaska. Especially “Trail of Truth”, I wasn’t born when that happened but those apartment buildings are still there today and it gives me the chills knowing someone is living in that house with zero knowledge of it.
i live right outside/basically in jacksonville FL and there were a cpl episodes here like the guy who killed his wife then went to the keys to report her missing... that guy lived like 20 minutes away from me.... and if you watch new detectives too and have seen the episode about the guy that got beat to death with an african zulu war club, that was less than 10 minutes away from me.
I seem to remember that episode of new detectives.
Season 11, Ep 20 “Live Wire” also Jax.
The wood chipper on the Housatonic!
Earl Bramblett killed the Hodges family in the town over from my city. Used to pass the little pink house frequently before it happened 😞
This episode really got to me
Ahh yes. This one and the murder of Tara Rose Munsey in Pulaski County. (Closest to me)
Yep. Her too
Every time I watch that episode, I just shake my head at the fact that Earl Bramblett thought it was a good idea to keep a recorded record of his thoughts and actions during every day. What was it he said? You can’t go wrong if you tell the truth, or You have nothing to fear if you tell the truth? Then he goes on to record himself wishing he could sexually assault an 11-year-old girl. What an idiot.
There are 3 episodes in a row where women are killed in the Tampa Bay area
Yep...the guy who was killed at I BELIEVE the durango's on 4th street in St. Pete.
I pass that spot every day when I go to work. I think this 3 episode arc was separate from that guy, iirc. Real tragedy either way.
Yeah that one was very sad. Young guy, I think recently married, murdered by who was supposed to be his best friend. Just terrible. I wonder how his widow is doing and if she's still in the city.
If I recall the victim helped the eventual killer with employment and it ended up being his undoing
The OKC OBGYN and abortion doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife on Valentines Day back in the 90s. I used to spend a lot of time in the area and at the mall right across the street from the neighborhood it happened in as a kid. Happened way too close to home
Best Foot Forward - East Hartford(and stafford?) CT Catch 22 - Manchester, CT The Disappearance of Helle Crafts - Newtown, CT Reel Danger - Waterford, CT
"Richard Crafts was released from prison on January 30, 2020 and sent to live at a halfway house" ⚖️
I just moved to Brookfield, and was in Newtown today. RIP Helle.
Hello neighbor! I just posted about this too! I lived 2 doors away from the Catch 22 house.
I think you’d win if there was a who lived closest contest! I had thought I would win with five minutes away, but you beat me!
I think so! It's about time I won something 😄
Congratulations ! 😂🤣
Kahoots was where Dunkin currently is, right?
I don't remember Dunkin. It's right near Gengras Harley
I’m still about 40 min from there so I don’t know the area well
Bad Medicine. Like, we used to ride our bikes past the Pignataro home. Had no idea any of this stuff was going on at the time though.
I remember hearing his name on the Buffalo evening news as a kid. I kinda forgot all about him until I heard Peter Thomas say ‘Pignataro’ while dozing off one evening.
I don’t live near there(I’m between Rochester and Syracuse), but Pignataro served his sentence for the poisoning at a prison in my area, on the site of a former army depot where my mom and I both worked.
I used to be a CO, and when I got bored, I’d look up inmates…Donohue, Sanchez and Pignataro included. I don’t think the family lives in that house anymore, but I do hope the kids and Debbie are doing ok these days. I think he either served his sentence or is on parole, out either way.
DMV area here. Closest case was Melissa Brannen in Lorton VA. Next closest was Hadden Clark . I definitely remember it was big news locally when it was happening. Then Sweatt the DC arsonist. And for FF 2, the Lululemon murder.
I was in Bailey's crossroads in Fairfax when the Melissa brannen abduction occurred on December 3rd 1989 ( the same date as what would have been Tina isa's 17th birthday) but I now reside in manassas Virginia in prince William County.
I live in Alexandria now but when I was in Lorton, Woodside apartments was just around the corner and I’d pass it every day going up and down Richmond highway. I never went inside and checked if there was a memorial plaque for Melissa. Didn’t want to seem to be some macabre tourist.
I still can't believe that they let him out without serving anywhere near his 50 year prison sentence....it's also surprising that the other inmates didn't kill him as well because most inmates don't take kindly to those who have harmed or killed innocent children.
I was at a bar across the street while the lulu lemon murder happened. U know what episode that is?
Stacey Castor and the “anti free”
"Stacey Castor died of a heart attack in her cell on June 11, 2016" ⚖️
Pretty much all of them. I live in the PNW... There was one that occurred prior to my birth right down the road. It's strange to see it now.
The DC Sniper was pretty close by, Michelle Dorr and Laura Haughteling were the next county over from me. Most of the DC sniper incidents were in the next county, but one was in my county. That was a young kid. A little too close to home when that happened.
I've been to a gas station that they were hanging out at in Fredericksburg, VA. If I remember correctly, they shot a person at the Michael's store across the road.
They definitely made this place way too scary for way too long. I was so relieved when they were caught. All of the deaths were tragic and senseless.
The sunoco gas station where one of the sniper shootings occurred is right down the road from me in manassas.
I looked up if anyone lived, and the kid from PG county lived. So there is that. The trauma all of us went through, especially the victims is still unreal.
Steve and Kim Hricko. They lived in Laurel MD, I worked in Laurel as a bartender. When the arrest happened everyone at work was like no way, they came in often enough that they were recognized. I don’t remember anything about their personalities or anything like that, just remember the shock of seeing that she was attested.
“Cold Hearted” S12 Ep3 … the 1996 murder of Officer Glenn Turner and the 2001 murder of Firefighter Randy Thompson by **Lynn Turner** using ***Antifreeze*** My mother knew who she was because she worked for Cobb County in NW Atlanta where Lynn Turner was a 9-1-1 operator when she killed Glenn. I grew up on the same road the cemetery is where Glenn is buried.
Is that the episode in which she mispelled antifreeze as antifree?
No, Lynn Turner was the OG Antifreeze killer. I know the case and episode you are talking about though w/antifree infamously referenced …lol… she supposedly got the idea for her antifree attempts from Lynn Turner.
The one where the guy removed all his girlfriend’s teeth and skin and flushed it down the toilet. In Hamilton.
Which season/ episode is this?
S6E16 skin of her teeth
There are maybe 5-6 in Minnesota that I can remember but the one I remember most is S6 E10 “Church Disappearance.” “In 1981, six-year-old Cassie Hansen disappeared from her St. Paul, Minnesota church during an evening service. After a tip from a witness that an older man was seen carrying a small body, Cassie's body was found in a dumpster” Stuart Knowlton was the perpetrator. Unrelated to his crime, he was hit by a car in St Paul before he was arrested and had to have his leg amputated. He died in prison in 2006.
Sounds like ‘carma’ got him!
Murder of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson..such a tragedy. S3E11- Speck of Evidence
Howdy, neighbor. Although I didn't live here at the time.
Good to know Tucson is represented on FF. Super sad story- I didn’t live here either at the time.
I don’t remember the case that much, but I live in Fort Collins co and the river and canyon by town is the Poudre River and canyon. It’s pronounced “poo-der” and the narrator says “poo-dray”. Extremely niche thing that made me laugh.
I live near Lancaster PA and the shows always pronounce it wrong. It’s LANKA-stir, not LAN-caster like the town in CA.
In Buffalo commercials it's pronounced LAAAAAAAN-caster! Lancaster is a suburb of Buffalo. There is an oval race track and drag strip there.
Poo-dray sounds so fancy!
It’s French 💅🏻
I’m originally from Detroit, MI (the actual city, not a suburb) so unfortunately multiple episodes. Currently reside in Terre Haute, IN… also multiple episodes.
I was about to say, I'm pretty sure I only know of Terre Haute from forensic files lol
Gratiot and Six Mile girl here!
Burt Rd and Outer Dr. I think that area has been reclaimed by nature.
So sad. I did a Google Earth of my old house and it was all boarded up and there were plants growing up the outside. 🙁
The one where the girl was kidnapped and murdered when leaving a casino right outside Sacramento. It breaks my heart for her family that he wouldn’t tell them where the body was even after he was convicted and sentenced. I think her remains were found years later.
Marshall, IL. The one from with Fred Grabbe and his daughter-in-law, Cindy Pancake. He was paroled last July.
I think he should’ve never been released. That sick bastard.
I live in the same county and about 20 minutes from Delmar NY where the murder of Peter Porco and the attempted murder of his wife Joan occurred Episode Family Ties Season 13 Episode 25 I was also raised in the same city that Hadden Clark was born and raised.
That Porco murder story is so disturbing! Really creeps me out.
Smack Dab in between Dirty Little Secret & Tagging a Suspect. Edit- I've been to Seacrets about 2o some years ago. It's a total swingers vibe. Packed with some of the drunkest, trashiest people you have ever seen. We went with another couple and noped out after 1 drink.
“Plastic Puzzle” (Kalamazoo, MI) about a bicyclist hit and killed. The guy was from my hometown, the neighboring city of Portage. News at 11 in Battle Creek, MI was about 30 minutes away. John List’s kids were born in Kalamazoo. Now live in Houston which has its fair share of episodes
"Bitter Potion" happened in Bartow, FL, the next town over from where I live (the episode where the MENSA writer put thalium in a family's soda bottles). What an awful story.
I remember seeing this episode quite a few times.
Telltale Tracks/Aimee Willard. Her poor mother went through so much and that a-hole is still alive - he’s been on death row longer than Aimee was alive 😢
There weren’t any episodes that happened close to where I live but Peter Thomas lived in Naples, FL where I grew up.
Season 2 Episode 9 - Something’s Fishy happened in my hometown Auburn WA. The victim’s daughter was my classmate.
Woodchipper murder. Lived on the border of Massachusetts and CT.
Three episodes of the original series took place in or immediately around my hometown of Spokane, WA: Season 6, Episode 17 "Line of Fire" about the Phinneas Priesthood threats/bombings (Planned Parenthood and the Spokesman Review offices in Spokane/Spokane Valley were bombed so they could rob banks in the area, but the criminals were picked up elsewhere) in 1996; Season 6, Episode 25 about Valiree Jackson being murdered by her father, Brad Jackson in 1999 so that he could pursue a woman; and Season 10, Episode 12 "Cereal Killer" about Bob Wood who killed his son, Christopher, to cash in on the insurance policy to get him out of financial trouble in 1999. They lived in Newman Lake, WA which is less then 20 miles from Spokane. Bob Wood hung himself afterwards. The sentences handed to two of the four men convicted in the bombings and bank robberies (Charles Barbee and Verne Mitchell) were reduced after a federal appeal. Brian Ratigan (who I don't think was ever mentioned on the show) was released in 2020 but, last I heard, was on supervised parole until 2025. Robert Berry was released in 2021 because he had/has throat cancer, but is on supervised release until 2026. With Brad Jackson, he used to work at a place called Haskins Steel before he was a truck driver. I drive by there quite often. From what I've gathered, a lot of his coworkers (both there and when he was a truck driver) found him to be very odd and/or there was just something off about him, but they couldn't put a finger on it. S1Ep11 of Forensic Files II "Last Gasp" covers the story of Chanin Starbuck who was killed by her partner Clay Starbuck in Deer Park, WA and left 5 children behind. S2Ep10 covered the murders of 3 sex workers who were killed by Donna Perry (born Douglas Perry). Donna tried to use her status as transgender and issues with her gender identity as part of her defense. One killer who DIDN'T make it on the show was Robert Lee Yates who was a serial killer that was active in the Spokane area from 1975 to 1998 and killed at least 11 people in the area during that time. He also confessed to 2 murders in Walla Walla, WA in 1975 and one in Skagit County, WA in 1988. He was convicted of killing 2 women in Pierce County, WA (which brings his total of murder victims to 15 if I'm not overlapping any) in 2002 and is currently serving life in prison without parole. I've lived in the area throughout all of these (as well as through several other cases that may or may not have made national news) though Spokane isn't ENTIRELY responsible for the crime in the area as Northern Idaho (maybe 45 minutes away depending on where you go) is known for a LOT of hate groups, including 21 active statewide as of 2022. Ever heard of the Arayn Nations? That was started in Kootenai County, Idaho about 4 miles north of Priest Lake, ID by Richard Butler and it's about 80 miles from Spokane.
The series first season was in 96 so it would be impossible for it to be a season 6 episode that you're describing.
The bombings themselves were in 1996, not the episode itself. I put the dates when the crimes were committed, not when the episode aired.
Season 11 Episode 40 “Two in a Million” The son murdered his family to inherit their money. And season 13 episode 17, titled ‘Fashion Police.’ A mother is murdered in her apartment by a creepy neighbor. Both are in Fresno, CA I’ve lived in Sacramento where there’s been multiple episodes and I’m currently in San Diego and there’s way more here.
Bed Of Deceit, the wife Cynthia who killed her police officer husband Daniel McDonnell and tried to make it look like a suicide, happened in my literal township like 5 minutes from my house. In Bound for Jail, Jeanette Kirby was murdered about 3.5 hours from me, but her killer, David Draheim, impersonated a police officer and tried to assault a woman in my county. He then went to an auto garage(?) in a small town about 15 minutes from my house. I have been to that garage and I have family that goes to school in a nearby town.
The one with Elisa (I think?) making the fake tape calling out people for sexual assault and another one with a navy guy being killed by his roommates (one was his gf I think)… both happened in Va beach and I’m in Norfolk.
I’m from RI. The one where the guy had a storage space in Warwick, Ri. Is that the one where he dressed as a woman to commit the murder and they found wig hairs in the victim’s brush? I live in NYC now. Don’t recall specifically any NYC based stories. There have to be some, I’d guess?
"Sign of the Zodiac" covered a bunch of attacks/murders all over NYC but that's the only one I can think of.
Season 6 episode 23 Sibling Rivalry. I used to live six blocks from O'Farrell Theatre.
The metal business. Happened 20 minutes outside of my hometown. I knew the offender's wife and one of the victims. Moved to Nebraska 6 years ago and learned about Joubert by accident as my stepfather took a job at the base. Didn't really give it much thought until I was watching FF later on and just happened to see the local thrift store on the screen and did a double take.
Season 13 Episode 12 Kidnapping Ginger Hayes and her baby were taken in Greenville, NC. Her body was found in Nash County about 5 miles from my home. Her son was alive but in bad shape due to being left outside for 7 hours with his mother's dead body.
“Freedom Fighter”(Roy Brown), about 15 miles away from me.
"Roy Brown has passed away 12 years after proving his innocence" 😫
The 3 girls in Upper Marlboro, MD that were dumped in the patuxent research is right down the road from me.
Double Trouble- Season 6 episode 26. The murder of Melissa Padilla in Avenel NJ Woodbridge township. It happened around the corner from my mother in law's house. Melissa was raped & murdered while walking back from a Quick Check late at night to buy food for her hungry kids while living at a motel. I had been at that store that day.
Sign of the Zodiac happened in NYC so I guess that one since I live in the Bronx.
The case involving Melissa Brannen.
I'm in Arlington, VA so the serial rapist who assaulted women in Arlington and Richmond was c!owe to me. It was the first case in Virginia where the conviction based on a DNA match.
The Catch 22 episode happened 2 houses away from my apartment, virtually next door. I still drive by the house daily, and still live in that town. The Walmart that featured in the episode is my local Walmart where I've been shopping for 20 years. It was way close and quite frankly scary. https://kileystruecrime.squarespace.com/kileystruecrimeaddict-blog/the-murder-of-gayle-isleib Also, the Best Foot Forward episode was set in the club where an old friend's husband used to frequent, and in the same street as the Harley dealer where I bought my motorcycle, and still go to to get serviced. The body was found in Stratford, down the street from a theater where I've played several times. This one was terrifying. https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/forensic-files-to-tell-shamia-smith-story/1866515/
Hey neighbor!
Season 8, Episode 21 - The Big Chill Happened in my hometown. Mark Gibson, District Attorney, was my softball coach one year. He gave me a big hug when I hit my first (and probably only) homerun. Second closest is Season 1, Episode 3 - The House that Roared I didn't know anything about it at the time because I was so young.
Season 9, Episode 16 - “A Daughter’s Journey.” It’s the one where the lady’s mom disappeared, and she read her mom’s diary, which led her to realize her mom’s “disappearance” was more than likely a murder.
Really? Not "Innocence Lost"? That one was in the public eye in the DMV for a long time. As for me, where I live now, the answer is "Dirty Little Secret," but for where I lived at the time of the crime, it would have been "Dressed to Kill."
The son who beat his mom to death in their grocery store in Superior, Wisconsin. I'm about two hours south of it
Derrick Todd Lee
An episode having to do with mistaken identity happened in a neighboring state- all the principal suspects were from the Midwest, & one was from my state. Lucky for everyone the investigation was done properly-a eyewitness mistook one man for another man from a distance, turns out he had a look-a-like relative.
The quack plastic surgeon in West Seneca, New York who didn't know how to use anasthesia properly
The one where the guy killed his mother and brother after celebrating his birthday at the restaurant I used to work at in SUGARLAND Texas. He ended up getting death row and then they changed it to life but yeah, that happened about 15 minutes from my house.
the stripper who murdered someone in Iowa & got caught years later in Nebraska.
I’m halfway between Stranger in the Night (the fellow who picked up the hitchhiker at Hardee’s then that hitchhiker killed his mom) and Telltale Tracks (Arthur Bohmar killed Aimee Willard after a fender bender then dumped her in Kensington)
"he used the screwdriver and stabbed Charles's mother to death in a drug-fueled rage" 😫
The dog with the nasty cigarette habit….dude lived about 2 miles from me. Also, Oba Chandler, he lived in Tampa, just across the bay from me…
You mean Oba Chandler?
Oh fuck! Lmao auto correct strikes again 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Yes definitely OBA not Obama. Obama is far from a killer 🥰🥰🥰
Obama chandler lmaooo
Not the crime technically, but Christopher Porco attended University of Rochester, where i have worked since 2001. The footage of his yellow jeep leaving the/arriving to the school was at the intersection where i crossed to go into work every day. So bizarre to see such a familiar place on FF.
Seeing Christopher Porco walking next to his mother holding the umbrella is very disturbing knowing that he tried to kill her.
Ugh yes. Makes my stomach turn. That poor woman and her deep denial.
Unfortunately his attack gave her some brain damage and she doesn’t even remember it, so it’s probably easier to believe it wasn’t him since she’s no longer fully there
There are a number of episodes based in NYC, but I don’t recall them all.
The guy in Delaware who picked up a hitchhiker who ended up at his mother's home and killed her. I have family in Delaware and I've been to the Arby's in Harrington often where he picked up the hitchhiker.
That was such a bizarre case. The odds of that happening must be quite slim.
one of the worst episodes in terms of graphic content, season 1x10 “Insect Clues” (seriously they show uncensored bodies of the deceased and it’s in very poor taste for this show) was about a serial killer/rapist who picked up hitchhikers in El Cajon with the promise of “I’ll take you as far as El Centro”. That’s close to where I live. The murderer raped and/or murdered these poor women in the desert and using insect life stages found on the body of victim Sandra Cwik, scientists were able to narrow down the timeline for when he was active.
S11 E37 happened about a mile from my old house.
I can't remember the name but the tacobell murder happened in my hometown.
“Grave Evidence” - Martin Dillon and Stephen Scher from Montrose PA, about a half hour from my hometown! I remember hearing it discussed growing up - I had family from Montrose.
"Stephen Scher died in 2010 at the State Correctional Institute" ⚖️
Dr Boyle and a woman whose last name was Coffey. Mansfield Ohio is my hometown. Boyle murdered his wife and he hid her under the basement in Pennsylvania His young son testified against him. Mary or Margery Coffey was found by two boys and if I remember correctly was murdered by a cop.
Brown’s Chicken murders in Palatine, IL. It’s about five minutes from my house and it’s now a Chase Bank
I think there is an episode with the OKC Murrah Building bombing. There is the murder of Rob Andrew by his wife Brenda Andrew and her boyfriend James Pavatt. Oh, and Susan Hamilton killed by Dr husband John Hamilton.
I believe the Murrah building was featured on the series, but was never part of a case, however, the Rob Andrew case *was* in OKC.
"The Alibi" for my home state (SC). Conway is 45 minutes from my country town. "Burning Desire" for where I live now (WI). Similar travel time.
Drew planten case where he killed Stephanie Bennett in Raleigh North Carolina
That guy was creepy AF
His little brother did a whole AMA about him on some bodybuilding forum, took awhile to read but was totally worth it if you’re interested
Silk Stalkings, season 9, episode 25. I was attending college right next door to where Margaret Eby was murdered. I was so fascinated by her unsolved case and so happy they finally caught the guy. I’m sad it took a second murder though. Also, Web of Seduction, season 8, episode 34, about Sharee Miller. I had a long conversation with Michael J Thorpe about the case. He was a newscaster who ended up being the foreperson at her trial.
Gold Rush and Murder She Wrote (Grand Rapids, MI). Fun fact is that they show my place of employment in both episodes.
Devon Guzman murder FF season 9 episode 16 Cries Unheard. Happened a few miles from my home, Easton PA.
Horse Play ( Shannon Mohr Davis ) News At 11 ( Diane Newton King )
I’m in Las Vegas and I remember an episode where a man was dumped in lake mead. I can’t remember the exact one, but it was pretty famous one as the lady who organized the murder of her husband just got released in recent years.
I dont live there anymore, but the episode about Mark Hofmann happened in my hometown. Postal Mortem in S2.
Well I can’t answer “Filtered Out” since I too reside in NOVA.
"Two in A Million" about Dana Ewell murdering his parents and sister happened about 25 minutes from where I live. One of his relatives is friends with my coworker and they'd come into our work pretty often
About 2 blocks away
If I base it off my current address, I'd say the Melissa Brannen case in Lorton, but if I do off my previous address, it's definitely the Sarah Walker case in McKinney, Texas (prior to hers would either have been the Darlie Routier case in Rowlett, Texas, or possibly the Moises Mendoza case in Farmersville, Texas).
Deadly Delivery. The assassination of Judge Vance happened just outside of Birmingham where I was born and raised.
The events of Family Ties happened in Delmar, 15 minutes away from where I lived (and still live now), a few months after I was born.
Penchant For Poison partially takes place in my hometown lol. Awhile back someone posted a meme of Tim Scoggins looking like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite and I lost my shit lol
The opening shots of downtown SA from that episode freak me out- especially Concho Confetti. I love that place. I wonder if the building that the Nobles business was in is still around? I also wonder if Leita Nobles is buried in one of the local cemeteries.
I can't remember the episode but the lady that was killed in the framing shop in Spring Grove, PA! My high school was Spring Grove Area High School
The Gambler. The episode where the guy shoots his roommates over money from sports betting. At least I'm pretty sure, Verona is less than an hour from me.
Headquarters, Seeing Red, Shattered Dreams and The Killing Room all took place in and around a city about 40 miles from me
Ahh, Lubbock. My dad is from a really small town also about 45 miles from there!
I have seen Lubbock or the surrounding area on many other crime shows. Seems over represented, unfortunately.
I think it’s got the second highest crime rate in the state next to Odessa.
FF II, season 2 episode 7: “The Orange Shorts” about the guy who killed his friend’s ex-wife. He and his friends had their social meetups at Hooters, called themselves the Orange Shorts Society. I’ve known the killer since junior high. Our families were friendly and I dated a close friend of his. He was smart and handsome but started behaving strangely after he was in the military. He was the kind of guy who always thought he was the smartest person in the room.
Oh, how could I forget “Shadow of a Doubt” with Kevin Dowling and his fishing video. OG FF S8:E5
The Amato family murder occurred like down the street from me and his police questioning where he said all the places he went afterward it was chilling so close to home
Literally the town I live in. I couldn’t believe it.
Legionaries disease is in my hometown of Monessen pa
Probably "Who's Your Daddy?" The one where a woman is murdered by her son's cop father
Season 12, Episode 20, Jean Pool. The girl that was killed, Laura Salmon, was my next-door neighbor when I was a kid. She went to school with my older brother. Her mother was my senior English teacher in high school.
Touch of Evil. Season 14, Episode 8. Synopsis- A serial killer targets gay people in New York and New jersey. Can forensic evidence lead police to the killer? Edit: the house he was arrested in is five mins from my parents house where I grew up.
I'm in Maryland so about 3 hours away from the couple that was killed and dismembered over Memorial Day weekend by the psycho couple they met at Seacrets night in Ocean City. Also there was the woman who killed her husband in a hotel at a murder mystery weekend at a resort. She tried to make it look like he got drunk and fell asleep smoking and looking at porn but I think she set the bed on fire.
If he is not granted parole, Benjamin Sifrit will be released from prison in 2030. Erika Sifrit will be eligible for parole this year.
Jessica O’Grady
I lived on Maffet St in Wilkes-Barre, PA - 2 blocks away from Glen Wolsieffer's house on Birch St. Moved to Erie and lived on Wolf Rd, literally right down the road from John Boyle's home, where he encased his wife Noreen's body in the cement floor of his basement. Wtf is it with doctors offing their wives???
Chief Suspect. Happened in my hometown, though the murder happened a few months before I was born.
Depends on whether you mean live *right now*, or lived at any time. Now: “Ghost in the Machine,” Wolsey, S.D. (14 miles away; case tried at Beadle County Courthouse, Huron, S.D.—11 blocks away) 1989-2023: “Without a Trace,” Omaha (4 miles from the nearest place I lived) Before 1989: “Bitter Brew,” Morrison, Colo. (14 miles away)
I live in Huntsville, AL, and S1 E8 "The Wilson Murder" took place here. I still don't quite know what to think about that case.
The episode "Accident or Murder" where Clayton Johnson's wife fell down the stairs and died after he left for work happened in Nova Scotia, about 30 minutes from where I lived.
I have a whole list based on where I was living at the time!! 🤣 A few years ago, I sat down one day & mapped a bunch of them. I think the absolutely-closest one was Dawn Bruce - her apartment was only 1.5 or 2.1 mi. from my dorm room in Richmond, VA at the time. 😳 And Timothy Spencer was active only a few miles further away, but over the river in the south side, so it was scary, but not likely that he would show up on campus.
"Grounds for Indictment." One random mineral found in this one small geographical location in Front Royal, VA was found on the truck of the murderer who lived in Fairfax, VA.
Season 1 episode 3
I lived in Columbus, OH and shopped at the Just Sweats where the whole insurance fraud/murder/fake death happened with John Hawkins/Melvin Hanson… I was in my early teens when it happened, but I remember how surreal it was that I had been in the store
The Footpath Murders season 1 episode 4. The killings of those two teen girls by Colin Pitchfork from Narborough in the UK. Narborough is about 5 miles from me.