American Nightmares

<p>Every headline hides a deeper story. <em>American Nightmares</em> pulls you into the most unsettling true crime cases—one season, one case at a time. These are the crimes that kept detectives awake, shattered families, and left entire communities on edge.Told through raw interviews, gripping investigative detail, and cinematic storytelling, each season reveals how these nightmares unfolded—and the long road to uncovering the truth. You may think you know the story. You don’t.</p><p><br></p><p>Season 4 - 22 Hours: A Second Look</p><p>Host Megan Cloherty returns for a new season of <em>American Nightmares</em>. In the upcoming season, we revisit the story that launched the series: a D.C. power couple, their 10-year-old son, and their housekeeper—held hostage for nearly 24 hours before being murdered inside their own home. Now, 10 years after the crime and 6 years since we first told the story, Season 1 returns with all-new content, fresh interviews, and exclusive updates that shed new light on a case that still resonates today.</p><p><br></p><p>Season 3 - Unknown Subject</p><p>For nearly a decade, he crept in the shadows, attacking women in the middle of the night — and then vanished. The 1998 murder of a brilliant scientist near Georgetown University marked a terrifying escalation. Investigators had DNA linking him to multiple crimes, but for years, he had no name — only the label “Unknown Subject.” This season uncovers the chilling case of the Potomac River Rapist, and the patrol cop who finally cracked it.</p><p><br></p><p>Season 2 - Murder in a Safe Place</p><p>In a quiet hospital just outside Washington, D.C., a 50-year-old nurse named Sherry Crandell was raped and murdered inside her workplace — a place that was supposed to be safe. With DNA, fingerprints, and even a witness to the crime, police had evidence — but no suspect. This season revisits the cold case that continues to baffle investigators and devastate a family, more than two decades later.</p><p><br></p><p>Season 1 - 2 Hours: An American Nightmare</p><p>One of the most shocking crimes in modern American history: a prominent couple, their 10-year-old son, and their housekeeper taken hostage and brutally murdered in their Washington, D.C. home. Over the course of 22 horrifying hours, they endured torture and terror before their killers tried to burn the evidence. This award-winning debut season revisits the infamous Mansion Murders, exposing new details and the twisted logic behind a senseless act of violence.</p>

S4 E2 - Taken Captive: A Second Look

This is 22 Hours: A Second Look, where we revisit our original season with original host Megan Cloherty. In this episode, Megan explores what happened to the Savopoulos' mansion. She talks to the private buyer that bought the land and steps foot in the new multi-million dollar home that sits where the Savopoulos home once stood.New episodes will drop every Tuesday.Original Episode-For the Savopoulos family and Vera Figueroa, May 13, 2015, began like any other Wednesday. Then things went terribly wrong. Through phone records, text messages and eyewitnesses, we recreate the timeline of their last 22 hours. This episode is written and produced by WTOP News reporters Megan Cloherty and Jack Moore. WTOP Digital News Director Julia Ziegler is the content adviser. New content written, gathered and produced by Megan Cloherty.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-02
56:29

S4 E1 - The Fire: A Second Look

Welcome to 22 Hours: A Second Look, where we revisit our original season with original host Megan Cloherty. In this episode, Megan shares why we're revisiting the case of the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper and she shares part 1 of her conversation with one of the Savopoulos' surviving daughters.New episodes will drop every Tuesday.Original Episode-It began with a fire. A man driving through an upscale neighborhood in Washington, D.C., in 2015 spotted smoke pouring from one of the homes. It was the first sign something terrible had happened on Woodland Drive. Later, firefighters would discover the bodies of four people inside, including a child.Now in the re-release of the original podcast, listeners will hear a new part one of Megan's interview at the end of the episode with Abigail Savopoulos, the first family member of the victims to speak about the tragedy.New content written, gathered and produced by Megan Cloherty.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-02
57:17

Returning Sept. 2nd - 22 Hours: A Second Look

Host Megan Cloherty returns for a new season of American Nightmares. In the upcoming season, we revisit the story that launched the series: a D.C. power couple, their 10-year-old son, and their housekeeper—held hostage for nearly 24 hours before being murdered inside their own home.Now, 10 years after the crime and 6 years since we first told the story, Season 1 returns with all-new content, fresh interviews, and exclusive updates that shed new light on a case that still resonates today.New episodes drop September 2ndSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

08-19
05:28

S3 E9 - Final Chapter

31 years after the Potomac River Rapist attacked his first victim, the detectives who solved the case are telling their story exclusively to WTOP American Nightmare Series Host Paul Wagner.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12-18
48:42

S3 E8 - Breaking News

Host Paul Wagner brings listeners a huge update about Giles Warrick that changes the course of...everything.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11-22
03:08

S3 E7 - Consciousness of Guilt

When Giles Warrick is questioned by police in the hours after his arrest, the 60-year-old tells them he doesn't know how his DNA turned up at 10 different crime scenes in DC and Maryland. But, what will police find when they search his South Carolina home?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11-15
58:43

S3 E6 - Unmasked

In November 2019, detectives from Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., make their way to Conway, South Carolina, where investigators are certain they will find their "unknown subject." They head to a ranch house on a rural country road where a 60-year-old man is living with his girlfriend. But, what will they find when they knock on the door?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11-08
42:48

S3 E5 - Going Down the Rabbit Hole

By 2018, investigators had tired of waiting for another DNA cold hit and decided to hand the case to a cop named 'Smugs.' A young Montgomery County police officer who had already used genealogy to solve several high profile rape and murder cases. Crimes that had stumped detectives for years. Could 'Smugs' be the one to finally give a name to the Unknown Subject?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11-01
43:35

S3 E4 - A Cold Hit

As the nineties turned into Y2K Detectives Dean Combee and Joe Mudano were still trying to solve their cases. Years of investigating had gotten them nowhere until the FBI called with stunning news. DNA from all of the attacks had been linked to one man. A fact that floored the veteran investigators who never saw it coming.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-25
45:41

S3 E3 - The Case That Wouldn't Break

In the early to mid nineties, Montgomery County Police Detective Joe Mudano knew he had a ruthless rapist preying on women but he had no idea who he was. DNA linked a number of cases, but a clear description remained elusive. More maddening for Mudano was the fact the Unknown Subject seemed to have inside information. But how?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-18
45:14

S3 E2 - Kelly's Story

Seven years before Christine Mirzayan was murdered in Georgetown, a man cut the phone lines to a house miles outside the city and raped a teenage baby sitter. The first in a string of similar attacks spread out over several years. Kelly survived that awful night and in this episode tells her harrowing story. A crime that was nothing like the murder in Georgetown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-11
36:32

S3 E1 - A Murder In Georgetown

In the summer of 1998, a brilliant scientist walking home from a party is grabbed off the street and killed. Her body is found the next day in a wooded area just steps from the Georgetown University campus. It was a gruesome scene. DC Police had no witnesses and no suspects, but they did have a valuable clue: a key piece of evidence the killer left behind.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-04
49:14

Trailer - Season 3: Unknown Subject

For 9 years, he terrorized women across the DC region. Breaking into homes and raping his victims before killing a brilliant scientist near the gates of Georgetown University in 1998. And then, it all stopped. Was he dead? Locked up? Before the FBI would name him the infamous Potomac River Rapist, detectives simply called him their “unknown subject” for years. A man whose DNA linked him to multiple crime scenes, but whose name and face remained a mystery to police. For decades, detectives had no idea who he was until a bike cop named Smugs began connecting the dots. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-01
01:34

S2 E8 - The Crandell siblings with Det. Nelson #2

Part two of host Paul Wagner’s discussion with Tiffany, Darren and Luke Crandell, and Detective Bernie Nelson. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with the team on what it’s like creating a podcast. And Detective Nelson takes us deeper into the world of using genealogy to solve cold cases. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-29
01:01:51

S2 E7 - The Crandell siblings with Det. Nelson #1

Tiffany, Darren and Luke Crandell join podcast host Paul Wagner and Detective Bernie Nelson to discuss their mother’s case. The conversation was the first time in 23 years all three Crandell siblings were together with the man who has never stopped looking for their mother’s killer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-29
49:02

S2 E6 - The Link

Ten months after Prince George's County Police Detective Bernie Nelson began using genealogy to track Sherry Crandell's killer through his relatives - the research continues on a promising family tree.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-27
50:47

S2 E5 - A Break in the Case

Prince George's County Police Detective Bernie Nelson turns to genealogy after seeing another Maryland cold case solved after 28 years. Can the murder of Sherry Crandell be solved the same way?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-20
45:13

S2 E4 - The War Room

In the days after Sherry Crandell was viciously raped and murdered in January 1998, the police in Prince George’s County, Maryland, set up what they called a ‘war room’ to manage a complex and intense investigation. A probe that uncovered shocking details about security on the 40-acre hospital campus.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-13
39:48

S2 E3 - The Dragnet

With no one in custody and no prime suspects, Prince George's County police devise a plan to get DNA from the hundreds of men working at Prince George's Hospital Center. A tactic that would turn highly controversial and put the police on the defensive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

09-06
47:32

S2 E2 - The Investigation

As Prince George's County Police detectives investigate the murder of nurse Sherry Crandell, they learn of a witness to the attack. A fact police kept deep in their files for 23 years and are revealing for the first time on this podcast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

08-30
51:02

Melissa

He should be electrocuted.

08-07 Reply

KBB

haha the host needs to change his smoke detector batteries. That's all I could hear during the intro

02-08 Reply

Kunal

Too many ads :(

11-17 Reply

Kunal

Loved the reveal of the theme song 👌🏻

09-22 Reply

Sarah Smith

Too many ads, the first season was way better. The host sounds like he's dumbing down the information. If you regularly listen to crime podcasts this guy will put you to sleep.

02-23 Reply

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