The Knife: A True Crime Podcast

This week Hannah answers a listener’s question about a man named Tommy Lee Buckley and his “Treasury Gate” scheme— a web of corruption, secret bank accounts, government conspiracy, and a billion dollar  payday that was always just around the corner.  Then, Patia dives into the dark side of sudden wealth with stories of lottery winners whose luck went sideways, including Tonda Dickerson’s unfo...

Patia shares a story she’s followed for years and has a personal connection to: the disappearance of Samantha Sayers, who vanished after hiking Vesper Peak in August 2018. Patia grew close with Samantha’s mother, who has never stopped searching for her daughter. Then, Hannah tells the extraordinary survival story of Robert Schock, who set out for a trail run in 2024 and survived 30 harrowing days lost in the wilderness....

This week we speak with Johnathan Walton, creator of Queen of the Con and author of Anatomy of a Con Artist. Johnathan shares how he met “Mair Smyth,” grew to love her as a sister, and then was brutally betrayed when she conned him out of $100,000. Johnathan has since spoken with hundreds of other victims and built a handbook to expose the tricks con artists use to destroy lives.  

Links:  

Anatomy of a Con Ar...

This week we’re talking scams. Hannah shares the story of a man whose photo was used to con thousands of women, and Patia takes us inside an unsettling case of identity theft. 

Alex Couros’ Website: https://educationaltechnology.ca/information-for-romance-scam-victims/ 

Recommendations:  

The Binge Cases: Catch Me If You Ken 

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara 

See omnystudio.com/li...

Patia and Hannah speak with Cassie, who attended a Halloween party at an Oregon State University fraternity in 2008. The night started with costumes, loud music and a crowded basement full of college students. 

By the end of the night, Cassie was in the ER, holding a bag that contained her bloodstained costume. She soon found herself in a police interview recounting what happened. The state brought charges, and the case went t...

This week we bring you two crime stories in collaboration with Mandy and Melissa from Moms and Mysteries. Hannah and Patia discuss the killing of Richard Challen by his wife, Sally Challen. Then, Mandy and Melissa share the wild true story of the teenage serial thief known as the “Barefoot Bandit.” Plus, Patia and Hannah have recommendations.   

Links:  

Moms and Mysteries podcast: https://www.momsan...

Bob Innes never set out to stop murders. But when his satirical website, RentAHitman.com, started attracting real requests for contract killings, he found himself in an unusual predicament. What, if anything, should he do about it? Now, he spends most of his spare time trying to intercept murder-for-hire plots, including an entire family wanted dead over an inheritance. But it turns out trying to stop a murder before it happens is ...

Hannah and Patia sit down with Anna Sinfield, the producer and writer behind the first two hit seasons of The Girlfriends, to talk about why the world needs more stories of women winning. Stepping into the host seat for The Girlfriends: Spotlight, Anna shares what it’s like to dive headfirst into a story, the emotional toll of true crime, and what to expect from the highly anticipated new season, The Girlfriends: Jailhouse La...

Tennyson and Kyle felt safe in their quiet, rural community—until their lives were shaken by not one, but two violent home invasions. It wasn’t random. The attacks were targeted, and Tennyson was the focus. Even more chilling: it all happened on her very first Mother’s Day as a new mom. We speak with Tennyson about the events of that day and the long road of healing that followed. 

The Mother of All Days: htt...

Patia shares a conversation she had with Shileshia and Eric Milligan, a couple who became victims of adoption fraud in 2019 after self-matching through a Facebook group. What began with hope quickly turned to fear when the teen birth mother claimed she was in danger. Then, Hannah unpacks the story of Tara Lee, the woman behind a multi-million dollar adoption scam that operated out of Michigan. 

National Council for Adoption: H...

On November 23, 1985, Jackie Pflug took her seat aboard EgyptAir Flight 648. When the plane reached flying altitude, several men forcefully took control of the plane. Jackie’s flight was being hijacked. Jackie miraculously survived, but many others did not. Decades later, she tells a story of bravery, profound loss and hope. 

Sydney Morning Herald – 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/from-the-archives-1985-m...

A listener sends in a tip about an international conman, Chadwick Hauser – who is still on the run. Through an interview with his ex-wife, Hannah tells Patia the story of a man whose scams have ruined lives across the world and whose victim list is still growing. For Chad’s ex-wife, Jordana, the end of their marriage was just the beginning. When the man she thought she loved vanished with her children, she would stop at...

Susan was going about a normal day at work when an FBI Agent showed up with terrifying news. She was on a hit list. A notorious terrorist organization wanted her dead. Susan tries to find out why she of all people would be targeted. As she tries to answer this question, she must also work to protect herself. 

Articles referenced in the episode:  

The Seattle Times: 

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-...

Hannah and Patia discuss the 1996 murder at Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy, where 16-year-old William Futrelle—new to the school—was killed by fellow students. They unpack the trial of Joseph Burris, who was charged with Futrelle’s murder, and examine the disturbing environment that enabled the crime. We also cover what happened with Bethesda Home for Girls, Bob and Betty Wills’ earlier “troubl...