Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made Paper Ghosts a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is one of them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

March 28, 2024 34 mins

In Rochester, New York, a young housewife and young mother is found brutally murdered in her bed. Her husband, an executive at Kodak Eastman Company, is at work. A local criminal steps up and confesses to the murder. But 40 years later, the case takes a different turn--one you’d never expect--after a renowned pathologist questions the the time of death.

Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigativ...

Mark as Played

It’s a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in a suburb of Detroit during the summer of 1985. Teenager Shawn Moore heads to the store on his bike for a soda. After he fails to return home, a frantic search ensues … as a man dubbed the "Real Norman Bates," the fictional serial killer from the classic film "Psycho," is discovered trolling the area for victims.

 

Mark as Played
March 14, 2024 31 mins

Two young women go missing along the Jersey Shore in the early 1980's. An eighteen-month search produces no leads. Then a woman walks into a local police station and begins talking—and a new search leads to a grisly discovery and several more victims. 

Mark as Played
March 7, 2024 35 mins

In late 2023, one of Keith "Happy Face Killer" Jesperson's Jane Doe victims was identified. Phelps speaks with death investigator Emily Speed, who worked on the case along with Phelps for many years. In this special hybrid episode of two podcasts, "Death Calls" with Emily Speed and "Crossing the Line," Phelps and Speed discuss how the case evolved over almost 30 years and how, finally, she was identified. 

Mark as Played

A teenage girl goes missing in a small Minnesota town. Police are baffled. Her large family of nearly a dozen siblings are mortified. Weeks turn into months, there’s no sign of her. Then a series of revealing events occur, tipping off police that ‘Stranger Danger,’ such a prevalent Public Service Announcement at the time, scaring kids from coast to coast, is likely more smoke than fire, and the culprit might be closer than anybody ...

Mark as Played

In this first episode of the 2024 season, Phelps discusses several recent, alarming developments in the Long Island Serial Killer case, the implications they will have on the true crime genre, and, most importantly, the Long Island serial killer's victims’ families.

Mark as Played

Your favorite true crime podcast, CROSSING THE LINE WITH M. WILLIAM PHELPS, is back with all new episodes beginning February 22, 2024.  Enjoy, share, and post the latest trailer. Check out www.crossingtheline.biz for more information. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your favorite podcasts, so you don't miss a new episode. 

Mark as Played

Phelps speaks with Lauren Fields’ mother, Shantell, about the surprising cause and manner of death in Lauren’s case. He also digs into the Brenda Rawls death - another woman found dead after a date - the very same night, just down the road from where Lauren died - whose family was also never informed of her death by the police.

Mark as Played

You might have heard about this case: A woman, Lauren Smith-Fields, TikTok influencer, model and college student studying physical therapy, invites a Bumble date over to her apartment in December 2021 and winds up dead … police say accidental, family says suspicious … and yet the manner of death is only half the story. What happened inside Lauren’s apartment on the night she died, and the next day, will have your jaw on the floor, ...

Mark as Played

A beloved woman in a posh Connecticut town goes out for a jog, same as she does every day. Along that route is an immense estate owned by the puppeteer, Caroll Spinney, who played the iconic “Big Bird” and “Oscar the Grouch” characters on Sesame Street. After failing to return, police searching for the woman find a literal blood trail leading directly to Big Bird’s estate … and an immaculate Chinese pagoda on the property. Soon, al...

Mark as Played
January 31, 2023 42 mins

When problems between a wealthy woman, her son and his wife begin to get ugly, people turned a blind eye. But when Rebecca Cornell catches fire one night and dies, the case is re-opened after a ghostly appearance convinces local lawmakers it wasn't just an accident. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
January 25, 2023 2 mins

When a young college student’s car was abandoned on the side of a busy midwest highway in 1992, police figured it was a runaway case. Nine days later, she was found brutally murdered, nearly 500 miles away in another state. What happened to Tammy Jo Zywicki? Hear the story when PAPER GHOSTS returns with a new season on February 1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



...

Mark as Played

Conrad Roy died by suicide on a hot July night in 2014. But what is the true story behind “the girl from Plainville”, who faced a judge on manslaughter charges after texts reveal she might have had urged him to take his own life? Phelps digs into the social and legal aspects of this high-profile case, featured in a special Hulu series. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Mark as Played
January 17, 2023 37 mins

When a tipster starts calling in to a California tip line saying he knows where bodies are buried, eyebrows are raised. But after cash payouts for info on several missing women, suspicions arise that an actual serial killer might just be phoning in his own murders.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played

During the late 1980s in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, women were murdered one after the other, with the brutality of a serial killer so exceptionally grotesque, he is compared to Jack the Ripper. Phelps goes deep into his psychology, in an episode surely not for kiddos. Buckle up.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

Mark as Played

43-year-old Liz Romero of Waco, Texas goes missing in early April 2022. Her family and friends are concerned almost immediately. The case cools before a tip comes in. And the horror of what transpired becomes everyone’s worst reality. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
December 27, 2022 44 mins

A mother loses custody of her kids to her violent and abusive ex. Did the government go one step further and effectively sanction her murder?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played

In Portland, Oregon, a beloved culinary teacher is found murdered inside his school's kitchen. Could his wife, a budding romance novelist, be guilty of his murder? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
December 13, 2022 36 mins

A cruise ship can be a blissful, relaxing vacation for a family … or, as true crime fans know all-too-well, a dreaded nightmare. We’ve all heard the horror stories from cruise ships. This week, Phelps digs into the missing person investigation of Amy Lynn Bradley — and trust us, you’ll think twice about taking that cruise after hearing this episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Mark as Played

A man leaves his Long Island home with one goal in mind: To kill the next person he runs into. Phelps digs into the death of a 16-year-old boy: a murder that sets off an incredible story rarely looked at in the true crime boom.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

    How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. Plus, entertaining stories from a combined 21 years in the league, off-field interests, and engaging conversations with special guests. Watch and listen to new episodes every Wednesday during the NFL season & check us out on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok for all the best moments from the show.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.