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Cardinal Crimes is a true crime podcast that explores cold and unsolved cases, criminal behavior, and crime prevention.
The host, Becca, is a former Intelligence Analyst interested in the "why" behind crime, the systems that shape it, and the ways we can prevent it.
51 Episodes
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Between 1991 and 1998 in the D.C. area, ten women were sexually assaulted by a man dubbed the Potomac River Rapist. The last victim, Christine Mirzayan, was murdered. For years, these cases remained unsolved, leaving so many haunted, traumatized, and without answers. In today’s episode, we will discuss each of the victims, the crime scenes, the evidence, and examine what the offender's behavior might reveal about him. Then, we will discuss the eventual arrest of Giles Warrick and ...
In June of 2001, the world was stunned when news broke that a Texas mother had drowned her five children. Photos of Andrea Yates, her children, and what many considered to be a “picture-perfect family” were plastered across the media, with everyone wondering how something so horrific could happen. In this episode, we look at the events leading up to that day, the red flags that were ignored or minimized, and how Andrea and Rusty’s extreme religious beliefs likely exacerbated her postpartum ps...
In 1997, Connie Ruddy disappeared from her home without a trace. Two years later, her jawbone was discovered miles away, confirming her death but offering few clues about what happened to her. For almost three decades, her case seemed cold. Until October of 2025, when investigators returned to her home to search for new evidence. This case is a reminder that all it takes is one piece of information, one new advancement in technology, to change everything for a "cold case". Someone...
If you want to support the Greenberg's through donations to their legal fund, or through signing petitions to reopen her case please see the website below: https://www.justiceforellengreenberg.com/ If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, there is help available. Visit https://www.thehotline.org/ for resources or text "START" to 88788. On October 10, 2025, the Philadelphia Chief Medical Examiner published their opinion on the manner of death of Ellen Greenberg ...
On July 12, 1979, a fire at the Hill Top Motel in Red Oak, Iowa, claimed the life of 3-year-old Keara Coshow. Despite known suspicions of child abuse from Keara's stepmother, Karen, and Keara being nearly blind from an injury many suspect was inflicted upon her by her stepmother, investigators ruled the fire and Keara's death a tragic accident. The investigation was reopened in 2007 and closed in 2010 with the same conclusion: the fire and Keara's death were an accident. Many, inc...
One name that you will almost certainly find while researching the 1980 murders of Rose Burkert, Roger Atkison, and William Kyle, and the 1970 murder of Jack McDonald is Raymundo Esparza. In this episode, we talk about how he is connected to the case, the evidence (or lack of evidence) against him, and the status of the investigation into his connections to the case. We then explore the theory that all of these murders were sexually motivated homicides, and committed by one serial...
In today's quick bonus episode, we break down what we know about the recent case of a mass shooting averted at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. This could have been a devastating tragedy, but it was stopped thanks to a family member seeing something concerning and reporting it. We talk about how this shooting was averted, the concept of leakage, and why it is so important that the public is educated on the warning signs of mass shooters. I close with a quick ran...
In October of 1970, a maid at the Travel Inn in Meridian, Mississippi discovered the body of 23-year-old Jack McDonald. He had been murdered by multiple blows to the head with an ax or hatchet-like instrument. The investigation into the murder of Jack McDonald remains unsolved, but today, many believe he may have been murdered by the same man who killed William Kyle, Rose Burkert, and Roger Atkison. In part five we will go over everything we know about Jack's case and the similari...
Today we have a bonus episode coming to you from my car! There are a few developing crime related stories I wanted to talk about, including the Louvre heist. Then, I have thoughts on a few documentaries and Netflix series. I talk about Death in Apartment 603, What Happened to Ellen Greenberg (HULU), My Father, the BTK Killer (NETFLIX), MONSTER: The Ed Gein Story (NETFLIX), and The Perfect Neighbor (NETFLIX). If you have any information on the murder of Kada Scott please call or text Phi...
On Wednesday, June 25, 1980, workers at the Sheraton Motor Inn in Galesburg, Illinois, found the body of William Kyle, a lumber salesman, brutally murdered in his hotel room. To this day, Kyle’s murder remains unsolved, but the crime scene contains many similarities to that of Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison’s murder. In this episode, we cover what we know of the murder of William Kyle, and discuss the similarities and differences between the two scenes. If you have any information on th...
The brutal 1980 murders of Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison have puzzled investigators for decades. While suspicion has often fallen on people close to the couple, the list of potential suspects has grown far beyond their inner circle. In this episode, we explore the individuals who’ve been investigated over the years — from those who knew Rose and Roger personally to complete outsiders. We break down possible motives, examine what evidence cleared (or didn’t clear) them, and look at how invest...
On September 12, 1980, Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison were brutally murdered at a Holiday Inn in Williamsburg, Iowa. To this day, this case remains unsolved. In part one, we went through the crime scene in detail. Today, in part two, we step beyond the crime scene and into the investigation that followed. Who were Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison, and what brought them to that Holiday Inn room on the night of their deaths? We trace their final movements, reconstruct the timeline, and exam...
On September 13, 1980, a housekeeper at the Holiday Inn in Williamsburg, Iowa, discovered a horrifying scene: Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison had been brutally murdered in their hotel room bed. More than four decades later, their case remains unsolved. But could the answers be closer than ever? In part one, we dive deep into the crime scene itself, piecing together details from decades of media coverage and released crime scene photos. The scene is puzzling, but hidden within it may be critica...
This week, we’re revisiting a past episode with freshly cleaned-up audio before diving into a brand-new cold case next week. This particular interview is one I’m especially proud of. It was such an honor to speak with someone with such knowledge and dedication to ending domestic violence and pursuing real solutions. I hope you enjoy listening, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, a national leader in research and advocacy in the ...
Laura Van Wyhe spent the evening of Friday, October 25, 1996 celebrating her recent 21st birthday with family and friends. Hours later, around 2 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, 1996, she was found critically injured along Highway 136 near Kahoka, Missouri. She later died from her injuries at an Illinois hospital. While her injuries led investigators to believe she had been struck by a vehicle, the scene as a whole suggested she had been moved, and that she might have been struck on purpose.&nbs...
On July 30, 2011, a massive fire destroyed the home of Bill and Kay Wood. One victim was found in the rubble, and testing would later confirm the remains were those of Bill. An autopsy revealed he had been shot several times before the fire. Kay's remains were not found in the home. The couple's vehicle was found during the fire, 170 miles south in Kansas City, MO, and an unidentified male was seen walking nearby. To this day, the cause of the fire remains unknown, the murder of Bill an...
On July 30, 2011, firefighters rushed to a massive late-night blaze in Norwalk, Iowa. When the flames were finally extinguished, the charred remains of 79-year-old Bill Wood were discovered inside. His wife, Kay, was missing, and the couple’s truck turned up abandoned over 170 miles away in Kansas City, Missouri, with witnesses reporting a lone man walking from the vehicle. Weeks of investigation revealed a chilling detail: Bill Wood hadn’t died in the fire—he had been shot before it ever beg...
In the early morning hours of July 4, 2001, Crystal Arensdorf vanished after being out at a bar in Dubuque, Iowa with friends. After countless searches, interviews, and months of investigating, there was no sign of the 20-year-old. In fact, no one ever saw Crystal leave the bar at all. In this episode, we go over what we know of her movements before she disappeared, some of the known individuals investigated and ruled out, and talk about some theories of what might have happened to her....
In 2004, an analyst from the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation discovered a pattern of murdered women dumped along the Interstate 40 corridor in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Her work eventually led to the creation of the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings Initiative. In today’s episode, I sit down with Frank Figliuzzi, former FBI Assistant Director and author of Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers. In his book, Figliuzzi examines the Highway Serial Killings Initiative...
Tammy Zywicki was last seen on Sunday, August 23, 1992, on her way back to college in Grinnell, Iowa. When her parents didn’t receive word that she’d arrived safely, and later learned her vehicle had been abandoned along I-80, they reported her missing, sparking a multi-state search effort. Nine days later, her body was discovered in rural Missouri, hundreds of miles from where she was last seen; she had been murdered. In this episode, we walk through the timeline of her disappearance, the se...
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