How police in the US are using the power of podcasts to crack unsolved murders

Police departments across the United States have begun producing true‑crime podcasts to bring new life to old cases. The California police script on the murder of Peter Chadwick, the Colorado series on Chelsea Yasser’s 2016 stabbing, and the Illinois launch on Karen Schepers’s disappearance – all have promised fresh leads from ordinary citizens.

Chadwick, a Newport Beach millionaire who fled after killing his wife in 2012, was captured in Mexico after the department aired the first episode of his podcast. A month later, the podcast’s broadcast created enough pressure that law‑enforcement officials were able to obtain permitting and extradition warrants “in record time.”

The case of Chelsea Yasser, found stabbed in a mall parking lot, was similarly targeted. Aurora Police Department’s “White Whale” podcast reached over 7,000 downloads by mid‑July, and investigators have reported that at least one tip from listeners is now an active line of inquiry.

In Illinois, the Elgin Police Department’s “Somebody Knows Something” shows a missing‑person story that culminated in the discovery of Karen Schepers’s body in the Fox River in 2025. The podcast team of Andrew Houghton and Matthew Vartarian, who used the platform to structure their investigative theories, found that the serial format helped them track information on social media that ultimately led to the resolution of the case.

Proponents argue that podcasts are a way for police to control the narrative and actively solicit information, especially from audiences who may not watch nightly news or read local newspapers. Experts highlight that while the method is still early, the potential for preventing prolonged investigations is significant, and the model could improve recruitment and retention in police forces by giving officers an open‑ring to share their work.

Yet challenges remain. Police in California warned critics that the water‑bath” was too easy for editors to portray the suspect as “murderer” before a trial. The legal implications, budget constraints and need for technical expertise deter many departments from adopting podcasting.

Despite these obstacles, more departments are preparing to tap into this media trend, hoping to increase public participation and speed up the pursuit of criminals worldwide.