The Red Note

The Red Note

Over the last 25 years, thousands of women have been viciously murdered or disappeared along the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The investigation into these crimes has revealed a systemic web of corruption, drug violence, sex trafficking, and unchecked globalization that authorities have tried desperately to hide. Hosted by famed investigative journalist Lydia Cacho and produced by a Mexico-based creative team, The Red Note examines the story of the Juarez femicides through the voices of investigators who tried to solve the mystery of these crimes, and the families of the victims, whose lives have been reshaped by tragedy.

Episodes

Trailer: The Red Note

July 15, 2020 • 4 mins
Since 1993, thousands of women have been murdered or disappeared along the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Follow investigative journalist Lydia Cacho on a journey to uncover the powerful forces behind these shocking crimes – and the investigators and activists fighting to stop them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Crimes | Chapter 1

September 22, 2020 • 49 mins
In 1993, residents of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico begin noticing a string of serial murders that appear to be linked by a common signature. But for more than two year, these brutal crimes are ignored by local investigators. As host Lydia Cacho explores the powerful forces along the border that gave rise to these femicides, our production team comes face-to-face with danger on the streets of Juarez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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"The Juarez Ripper" | Chapter 2

September 22, 2020 • 47 mins
Forensic examiner Oscar Maynez starts to suspect that a serial killer is on the loose in Juarez, but his theory is ignored by local officials. Facing a public outcry over their failure to solve the femicides, investigators in Chihuahua finally launch an investigation. An Egyptian chemist, Abdul Latif Sharif Sharif, is arrested and charged with the serial murders. But as more and more women’s bodies are found in the desert, local re...
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The Invisible Hand | Chapter 3

September 29, 2020 • 47 mins
After Sharif is charged with dozens of serial murders in Juarez, a local politician, Irene Blanco, agrees to take over the Egyptian’s defense. The members of a local gang are arrested in the city’s red light district and accused of conspiring with “the Juarez Ripper” to commit the serial murders; but doubts still linger about Sharif’s involvement in the crimes. Chihuahua’s state attorney general announces the creation of a special ...
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Hunting Monsters | Chapter 4

October 6, 2020 • 46 mins
Facing widespread protests over his handling of the femicides investigation, Chihuahua’s governor invites FBI profiler Robert Ressler to Juarez in the hopes of solving the serial murders. Host Lydia Cacho examines how sex trafficking grew into a lucrative revenue stream for Mexico’s drug cartels, fueling the disappearance of hundreds of women each year along the border. Local residents are hopeful that the appointment of Suly Ponce...
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The Usual Suspects | Chapter 5

October 13, 2020 • 42 mins
A 13-year-old maquiladora worker survives a brutal assault outside Juarez and identifies several bus drivers as her assailants. After local officials allege that the gang of drivers conspired with Sharif to commit the serial murders, Juarez residents begin to question Suly Ponce’s commitment to ending the femicides. Irene Blano tries to speak out after Sharif is convicted of murder, but the powerful forces that control Juarez move ...
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The Cotton Field Case | Chapter 6

October 20, 2020 • 45 mins
The discovery of eight womens’ bodies at a cotton field in central Juarez sends shockwaves through the city. Forensic examiner Oscar Maynez contends that the cotton field murders prove that an organized criminal network is behind the serial murders. Just days after the eight bodies are discovered, authorities arrest two bus drivers and charge them with the killings. When questions emerge about the drivers’ guilt, residents and acti...
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The Cotton Field Case, Part 2 | Chapter 7

October 27, 2020 • 45 mins
Forensic examiner Oscar Maynez resigns after Juarez officials order him to plant evidence that would help implicate the two cotton field suspects. The FBI and Mexico’s federal government try to launch their own investigations of the serial murders along the border, but are rebuffed by Juarez officials. After the accused cotton field killers are convicted, doubts persist about their role in the murders, and the identity of the victi...
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Ni Una Menos, Ni Una Mas | Chapter 8

November 3, 2020 • 47 mins
Outrage over cotton field murders prompts an international outcry, focusing worldwide attention on the story of the Juarez serial murders. Jane Fonda, Eve Ensler, and other celebrities travel to Juarez to protest the killings alongside local activists and the families of the victims. Writers, artists, and musicians create artworks inspired by their outrage over the crimes. The codification of the term “femicide” into Mexican law he...
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The Imaginary War | Chapter 9

November 10, 2020 • 49 mins
“Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel tries to seize control of drug trafficking in Juarez, plunging the city into years of crime and bloodshed. Mexican President Felipe Calderon sends federal troops in the hopes of ending the conflict; but by 2010, Juarez has become the most dangerous city in the world. The war leaves a permanent scar on the city, and in the hearts of local residents caught up in the violence. Learn more about your ad c...
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The Pain That Cannot Forget | Chapter 10

November 17, 2020 • 53 mins
25 years after the first serial murder in Juarez, local authorities have failed to bring their perpetrators of these crimes to justice. As the city emerges from years of unprecedented violence, the story of the femicides begins to recede from national and international headlines. But in Juarez, activists and the victims’ families continue undaunted in their quest for justice, even as they struggle with the grief of losing their dau...
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Special Preview Episode: Elizabeth the First. Control.

November 21, 2022 • 24 mins
Here’s your special preview episode of the new series Elizabeth the First – about the remarkable life of Elizabeth Taylor. In our preview, we hear how Elizabeth Taylor’s career takes off, and she finds herself navigating a patriarchal movie studio system determined to own her every move… until she seizes the moment to take control. It was a time of great promise. Then, tragedy strikes. Headline News says ‘I love Elizabeth the Fir...
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Wondery Presents: Frozen Head

January 23, 2023 • 5 mins
Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid. When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera f...
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