Global True Crime

Clowns are supposed to make us laugh. Colourful wigs, exaggerated expressions and oversized red shoes are things we associate with birthday parties, circuses, and children’s entertainment. But what happens when a clown knocks on your door carrying flowers, balloons, and a gun? Marlene Warren seemed to be living a safe and comfortable life with her family in an upscale neighbourhood in Florida. But one morning in May of 1990, she was shot and killed inside her own home, right in front of her son. The person behind the trigger? A clown.

In the early hours of 12 March 1992, Jack and Caren Koslow were woken by two unknown men entering their bedroom. Within minutes, their home in the affluent Rivercrest neighbourhood of Fort Worth, Texas, had become a brutal crime scene. At first, it looked like a violent break-in that had spiralled out of control. But as the investigation continued, it became clear that the truth was far more shocking than anyone had first imagined.

On the night of December 13 into December 14, 2020, 21-year-old Jason Landry got into his car to begin the three-hour drive from college back to his parents’ home for Christmas break. Investigators were later able to trace his route through GPS data until contact was lost about 30 minutes before he disappeared. Just over an hour later, his crashed car was found on a remote rural road. His clothes were lying in the roadway, but there was no sign of Jason. More than five years have passed, and the questions remain: was it an accident? Was a crime committed? And above all, where did Jason go, naked and alone in the middle of the night?

During the night between 30 April and 1 May 1999, 16-year-old Marianne Vaatstra cycled home after a night out in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. It was a route she already knew well, through an area generally considered quiet and safe. But that night, she never made it home. What began as the brutal murder of a teenage girl would soon become one of the most politically charged cases in modern Dutch history, and the starting point for one of the country’s most extensive and groundbreaking DNA investigations.

In October 1941, a man named Philip Peters was found brutally murdered in his own home in Denver, Colorado. He had been beaten to death by an unknown attacker in his kitchen. At first, police believed the murder may have taken place during a robbery. But there was no evidence to suggest that anyone had tried to break into the house. Strange theories soon began to circulate throughout the city. And before long, some people even started to wonder if Philip’s death could be connected to something paranormal. But the truth about what had actually happened, and what had been going on inside that house for quite some time, would turn out to be far more shocking, and far more disturbing than anyone could have imagined.

In the summer of 1981, thirteen-year-old Mary Louise Day disappeared from her home in Seaside, California. And no one reported her missing. The family moved on, as if nothing had happened. And for years, no one asked about Mary. But much later, suspicions began to surface. Unusual statements, an interview that raised concern, and discoveries in a backyard where something, or someone, may once have been buried. At the time, no one could have anticipated that someone would eventually come forward and turn everything upside down.

In 1984, Baton Rouge in Louisiana was shaken by a kidnapping that quickly gained national attention across the United States. An eleven-year-old boy was taken by someone the family believed they could trust. When he was eventually found, the case took an unexpected turn. What followed was a widely discussed act of revenge, one that was captured on camera as it happened.

It was the night between December 7th and 8th, 2000.Twenty-two-year-old Trevor Deely stepped out into the rain after attending a Christmas dinner and after-party with colleagues in Dublin, Ireland. On his way home, he stopped by the bank where he worked to pick up an umbrella, and then continued walking toward his apartment. At 4:14 a.m., a security camera captured Trevor walking down the street, heading home with the umbrella in his hand. It would be the last confirmed sighting of him. After that moment, Trevor Deely disappeared without a trace. And among the many questions that remain from that night, one stands out: Who was the man dressed in black who was also captured on camera and was he waiting for Trevor in the dark, rain-soaked street?