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

What the report says

Police departments in the US are increasingly using podcasts to revive interest in unsolved murders and missing-person cases, according to BBC World News. The article highlights several examples, including Aurora, Colorado’s podcast on the 2016 killing of 21-year-old Chelsea Yasser, and earlier efforts in California and Illinois that helped generate attention around cold cases.

In Aurora, officers launched a podcast this summer to seek new tips in Yasser’s case. Investigators say the episode-based format allowed them to explain the evidence, the surveillance video, and the unanswered questions in a way that could reach people who might never have seen earlier news coverage. By the end of July, the show had been downloaded thousands of times and produced multiple leads, including one that police were still pursuing.

The BBC also points to other departments that have tried the same approach. In California, a police podcast about fugitive Peter Chadwick helped keep pressure on him while he was on the run before his capture in Mexico and later guilty plea. In Illinois, Elgin police used a podcast about Karen Schepers’ disappearance as part of a cold-case review; her remains were later found, and officers said the process also helped organize their investigation.

The piece notes that the trend is still developing. Supporters say podcasts can widen the audience and bring in tips, while critics worry about legal and fairness issues when police narrate active cases. Background reporting in the article suggests more agencies are likely to experiment with the format as true-crime audio remains popular.