The Fronczak Files

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey follow a clue hidden in plain sight: the surname Baty. What begins as a simple question…where did the name come from?…leads the investigation hundreds of miles from Chicago to Blytheville, Arkansas.

As they trace records, timelines, family connections, and forgotten histories, a network of people connected to the real Paul Fronczak kidnapping begins to emerge. Alon...

Corruption. Conspiracy. Lies.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey take a deeper look at Marlin Johnson, the head of the FBI’s Chicago office and the principal investigator in the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. But Johnson’s story stretches far beyond the walls of Michael Reese Hospital. His name was tied not only to one of Chicago’s most infamous kidnappings, but also to the Chicago Outfit, ...

Tips. Leads. Dead ends.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey continue tracing the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. After a surge of public tips, witness interviews, and possible suspects, the momentum begins to fade, and the search for Paul’s kidnapper slowly stalls.

What strategies did investigators use to find baby Paul? How many people were questio...

Tips. Suspects. Eyewitnesses.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey continue their deep dive into the original police case file on the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. Through eyewitness statements, public tips, and the suspects pursued by Chicago detectives, the chaos of 1964 begins to come into sharper focus.

What did witnesses at Michael Reese Hospital reveal about the woman who took baby Paul? Which suspects ...

Police files. Eyewitness descriptions. A kidnapper hiding in plain sight.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey open the Chicago Police Department’s original case file on the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. Through handwritten notes, typed reports, and eyewitness accounts, the file reveals the chilling movements of a woman bold enough to walk into Michael Reese Hospital and take a newborn from his mother&r...

Kidnapping. Case files. Unanswered questions.

In the Season 4 premiere of the Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey open the Chicago Police Department’s original file on the kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak, and begin reconstructing the day that changed everything.

For the first time, they reveal a minute-by-minute timeline of the events of April 27, 1964, tracing the moments before, during, and after Paul vanished from Michael Re...

Kidnapping. Abandonment. Searching.  

In this bonus episode of The Fronczak Files, Tracey interviews Jack about his early life, finding out his true identity, and the development of the podcast.

What was Jack like growing up? How did he handle the news that he wasn’t biologically related to Dora & Chester Fronczak? And how does Jack conceptualize his lost twin, Jill? Join The Fronczak Files for this emotional inte...

Kidnapping. Family. Questions.  

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey revisit the life of Alice Suane Baty, a woman once believed to be a suspect in the 1964 kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak. But after new biographical details emerge through a family connection, the investigation takes a dramatic turn and a long-held theory begins to unravel.

Who was Alice Suane Baty? What was her life really like in Chi...

Kidnapping. Chaos. Deception.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey unravel the haunting story of Kevin Ray Baty, “the real Paul Joseph Fronczak.” His life was shaped by confusion, secrecy, and a false identity that followed him from the very beginning. What emerges is not just a story of deception, but of a life built on a lie. 

How was Kevin raised? What forces shaped the man he became? And what ne...

Lies. Crime. Deception.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey step into the shadowy world of Lorraine Arnold Fountain, the woman who raised the kidnapped Fronczak child. Through a closer look at her family history, criminal record, and the places she lived, a darker portrait begins to emerge, one that brings new depth to the mystery of Paul Joseph Fronczak’s abduction.

How many times was Lorraine arrested? What...

Questions. Secrets. Cover-Up.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey turn to biological family members in search of answers about the Duncan and Rosenthal roots. Sean and Toni Anderson, two of Jack’s cousins, share a long-missing family context, offering new insight into the people whose choices shaped this story.

What was Jennie Noga Duncan really like behind closed doors? How did Sean process meeting Jack, a o...

Alcohol. Secrets. Abuse.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we dig deeper into the troubling life of Jack and Jill’s biological mother, Marie Duncan Rosenthal. Our research reveals a woman shaped by instability, isolation, and substance abuse, forces that may have set the stage for the devastating choices that followed.

Why did Marie conceal the existence of her first child in 1958? How did the Rosenthal family manage to m...

Disruption. Hardship. Fracture.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey dig into Jack’s maternal roots, a family story shaped by strong Polish Catholic ties, isolation in the Tennessee mountains, and the post-war boom in Ohio. Together these forces helped mold Marie Duncan Rosenthal.

What pushed the Duncan family to leave Tennessee for Ohio? Who became involved with an evangelical TV church? And how did a nomadic...

Trauma. Pain. Horror.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we turn our focus on Jack’s biological father, Gilbert Rosenthal. As we trace the path of his life, we uncover a story shaped by poverty, relentless physical pain, and an escalating hunger for control.

How does a man enlist in the military while facing what may have been a serious medical condition? How does he endure chronic pain while his family grows around him? A...

Love. Scandal. Abandonment

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, we continue our walk through Jack’s family tree with a deeper look at his paternal lines. As we trace these branches, we uncover deep religious roots, stark cultural divides, and a beginning marked by turmoil.

Why would a man choose circumcision in adulthood? Why would a woman drink poison in front of her husband? And what drives a man to abandon his wife and two...

Secrets. Lies. The making of monsters.

In this Season 3 premiere, The Fronczak Files takes you back to the beginning. While many know about the 1964 kidnapping of Paul Joseph Fronczak and Jack’s abandonment in Newark, few understand the full scope of Jack’s genetic beginnings, and what they reveal.

For the first time, we will walk through Jack’s full family tree, starting with his immediate Rosenthal family and tra...

Emerging technologies. Cold cases. Long-awaited breakthroughs.

In this bonus episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey sit down with Cairenn Binder, Assistant Director of the IGG Center and Director of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Certificate Program at Ramapo College. Cairenn breaks down how civilians trained in investigative genetic genealogy are helping unlock decades-old cold cases, identify the unknown, and even e...

Children sold. Memories buried. Identities erased.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, Jack and Tracey uncover the disturbing truth behind Dr. Katherine Cole, a physician who operated an illegal baby adoption ring from the 1930s through the 1960s. Countless children were trafficked through her network, many of whom would later come to be known as “Cole Babies.”

They are joined by Bob Lightner, a man directly impacted b...

A baby abandoned. A secret buried. A chance to uncover the truth.

In this episode of The Fronczak Files, the team speaks with Kris, a woman who was abandoned as a newborn in a wooded neighborhood area and adopted shortly thereafter. Years later, her adoptive parents shared what little they knew of her earliest moments, leaving Kris with a lifetime of unanswered questions. Follow along as the team uses genetic genealogy and DNA analy...