Serial Killer Update: Houston Drownings, California Confessions, and the Evolving Landscape of Criminal Investigation

# Inside the Criminal Mind: Serial Killer News & Investigations

Join rookie Detective Emily Carter for a deep dive into the latest real-world serial killer cases making headlines across America. This eye-opening episode explores chilling investigations including:

- Houston's mysterious drownings and the controversial Smiley Face Killers theory
- Convicted serial killer Todd Kohlhepp's shocking prison merchandise scheme
- Death row inmate Joseph Naso's new confessions revealing 26 potential victims
- How modern DNA technology is finally solving decades-old cold cases

Detective Carter examines these cases from a law enforcement perspective, analyzing investigation techniques, forensic advancements, and the psychology behind these crimes. Learn how detectives balance skepticism with pattern recognition, and how digital technology is transforming the hunt for serial killers.

Perfect for true crime enthusiasts interested in current cases and the evolution of criminal investigations. This episode offers professional insights into how modern law enforcement tackles complex serial killer cases while bringing closure to victims' families.

#TrueCrime #SerialKillerInvestigations #ForensicScience #ColdCases #CriminalPsychology

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Listeners, Welcome back to another deep dive into the shadowy
corners of the criminal mind. I am Detective Emily Carter,
but you can call me em fresh out of the academy,
still squeaky clean in my uniform. But let's be honest,
I've definitely seen enough raw case footage to make most
people queasy. Today, I'm walking you through the latest real

(00:20):
world serial killer headlines and news from across the country,
and trust me, the stories are as chilling as they
are complex. If you think life on the streets means
chasing car thieves and breaking up bar fights, buckle up.
This episode is not for the faint of heart. Let's
start in Houston, Texas, which for the last several months
has been buzzing with rumors that would make any rookie,

(00:42):
even one like me who basically dreams and body bag diagrams,
perk up their ears. We're talking about a possible connection
to the infamous smiley faced killer's theory. If you never
heard of it, imagine a gang, yes, a network, not
a lone wolf, of killers who target young men, mostly
collegeed time and dump their bodies in rivers and bayous.

(01:03):
It's not a new idea. But this year, Houston's waterways
have produced sixteen bodies. Sixteen Come on, no cop in
the world, what's that slide as coincidence? And if they
say they do, they need to turn in their badge.
Five bodies showed up in just one week last month,
enough to make even hardened detectives twitchy. So what is

(01:23):
really happening in Houston? Is there a serial killer on
the loose? Or is this urban legend gone wild? Retired
NYPD Sergeant Kevin Gannon, He's basically the poster boy for
the smiley face theory, says the pattern fits drowning death,
spiking bodies ranging from their twenties and to their sixties,
and the classic signs around the crime scenes. Normally, the

(01:46):
theory points to victims being young men, often in fraternities,
but this time some are older, which only muddies the waters.
At the same time, Houston authorities are being ultra cautious
about fanning the flames of serial killer panic. The mayor
claims that drownings are a not new phenomenon in Houston's
two thousand, five hundred miles labyrinth of Bay. US Police

(02:08):
Chief No Diaz has been blunt there's no evidence and
I repeat, no evidence to suggest that any of these
incidents are connected. City leaders are pointing toward drug and
alcohol abuse among the homeless, hinting that sometimes it's not murder,
its tragic misfortune. Yet even seasoned experts like retired NYPD

(02:28):
sergeant Joseph Jockaloni push back. With sixteen bodies recovered, you
cannot just brush off speculation, especially when some might not
even be locals. The pressure's on, and while Houston p
D says be patient listeners, patience is hard to come
by when the case files keep growing. Moving east, we
hit South Carolina, where a more text book serial killer

(02:51):
is making headlines not for fresh crimes, but for trying
to turn his legacy of violence into literal March Todd Colhip,
a name that still makes local investigators Bristle killed seven
people over more than a decade. Now he's in prison,
serving seven life sentences. But guess what. He's been caught
trying to sell T shirts unblazoned with s k TK,

(03:14):
which stands for serial Killer Todd COLHEP Yes, you heard
that right. It sounds absurd, but it's for real. Messages
traced through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed Colhep's
plan to profit from his murders, violating South Carolina law

(03:37):
which bars inmates from making money off their misdeeds. The
merch plot included ideas for interviews and document releases, sparking
an investigation by the State Inspector General's office. Let me
give you some context, rookie style. Colhep wasn't just a headline.
He was a horror show. His crimes hit daylight when

(03:57):
a woman was found chained in a storage container on
his property after two months as his captive. Her boyfriend
was shot and killed by col Heep, buried in a
shallow grave at the killer's hundred acre property. After his arrest,
he confessed to the unsolved murders of four people, two
superbike motorsports. So now instead of trying to avoid detection,

(04:19):
he's trying to cash in. The FBI's local office assisted
in the investigation, leading to Colhep losing privileges and getting
transferred to higher security. But plenty of people still wonder
if there are more victims unaccounted for. Let's jump coast
to coast because the West Coast has its own dark
saga unraveling this year. Northern California is in the spotlight

(04:41):
thanks to revelations from serial killer Joseph Maso, already convicted
and on death row, who has now upped his claimed
victim count to twenty six women. NESO's chilling legacy just
got even darker as a new documentary is about to drop.
The new information doesn't come straight from Naso himself, but
from fellow inmate Bill Nogera, who spent ten years coaxing

(05:02):
and jotting down confessions. This is not some wild gossip.
Evidence found in Naso's home, a coin collection with twenty
six gold heads believed to be his morbid trophies matches
the number. The authorities, including seasoned cold case detective Ken Mains,
track down clammy clues and matched them to open cases.
Thanks to details from Naso's conversations, they potentially closed several

(05:26):
decades old mysteries. Families finally get answers, but the horror
is doubled by Naso's diary holding not just murders, but
records of serial rape going back to the nineteen fifties.
That means the FBI and local agencies are combing his
notes for matches, reopening investigations with fresh evidence. I know
details like these, wring the tension out of a police

(05:48):
station when I first walked into the briefing room with
my coffee Okay it was energy drink, don't judge. My
instructors hammered home how serial cases are more than criminal puzzles.
They're about real people, victims and perpetrators alike, unconsciously writing
pages of fear, loss, and sometimes closure. I can still
hear my old forensic professor lecturing on the importance of

(06:10):
cross referencing old case notes and never underestimating how one
document could break open an entire decade of unanswered questions.
Switch focus listeners.