Unfiltered

When Paul Joseph Fronczak was 10 years old, he discovered a family secret: In 1964, when Paul was just one day old, he was kidnapped from the Chicago hospital where he’d been born. Paul’s abduction led to the largest manhunt Chicago had ever seen. One year later, an abandoned child was found outside a New Jersey department store and ultimately identified as “Baby Fronczak”. Paul was reunited with his parents and soon had a baby brother.  Then, In 2012, Paul took a DNA test and made a shocking discovery. He was not the real Paul Fronczak, and the story he’d been told about his identity was wrong. In an instant, he became what is known as an "unidentified living person." Over the past decade, Paul has been digging for answers, seeking his true identity, and connecting the dots to find the whole truth.  Links: fronczakfiles.com facebook.com/WhoIsPaulFronczak? instagram.com/fronczakfiles The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me  True Identity: Cracking the Oldest Kidnapping Cold Case and Finding My Missing Twin 

What does it mean to be a man today? And what do we want it to look like tomorrow? These are the types of questions asked by Tomorrow Man, a social enterprise that facilitates workshops across Australia for men of all ages. The organization's mission is to reinvent masculinity by disrupting outdated stereotypes and building emotional muscle.  Ryder Jack, the principal facilitator of Tomorrow Man, shares his experience and thoughts about reinventing a healthier version of masculinity to live by. Links: tomorrowman.com.au tomorrowwoman.com.au instagram.com/tomorrowman_au facebook.com/tomorrowmanaustralia

J. Sakiya Sandifer, an entrepreneur, designer, and best-selling author. Over his nearly 30 year career, Sakiya has worked with Coca-Cola, Bally Total Fitness, Lil Wayne, and most notably, his longtime friend Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Sakiya’s primary focus now is his own lifestyle brand XSSORTMENTS, a hyper-curated collection of elevated basics for every mood. Recorded from the comfort of his home, in our sit-down conversation, Sakiya generously shares some of his creative, insightful and humorous philosophies and anecdotes that have created his path to success. Links: https://www.xssortments.com

“Monsters” are the people who commit the most heinous of acts. So what happens when that monster is your father? How do you process it?  When I was 16, the head of our family, Ralph O’Brien, took his own life, leaving us to sort through his trail of lies, financial wreckage and our own grief. Four years later, we discovered he had sexually abused our eldest brother. Today, I sat with my youngest brother, Matthew, to discuss the monster who was our father.  This one goes deep.

Rob Jua is a music executive and record producer from Brownsville, Brooklyn. Rob’s personal journey navigating the music industry is a truly inspirational tale. From his time at Quad Studios and Roc-a-Fella Records, to discovering his business executive calling and starting his own record label, one thing’s for sure - Rob never quits on himself! Join us as Rob shares the highs and lows of his illustrious career in an ever-changing industry. Links: instagram.com/rob.jua disruptivelabel.com

When three friends disappeared or were murdered within a 30-day period in a California town, an investigation began that would ultimately unearth dark secrets and revelations no one was prepared for. Written and reported by award-winning investigative crime reporter Olivia LaVoice. All 15 episodes of The Bakersfield Three are available to stream right now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen here:  Website - https://casefilepresents.com/the-bakersfield-three Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bakersfield-three/id1713527997 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2c1Qap8SSElRakXKUdFprZ

You may have come across American actress Jan Broberg’s story in the television series A Friend of the Family. The show details Jan’s childhood experience of being groomed and kidnapped by a close family friend, who was also a convicted child sex offender. Jan’s story is shocking, to say the least. But to see her now, standing in her power as a woman who has healed from her traumatic childhood is inspiring beyond words. Please join Jan and I for a deep, and at times emotional chat, about how we are transforming our narratives of abuse in the hopes that other survivors feel propelled to transform their own. Links: https://linktr.ee/janbroberg

I recently travelled to the United States for the first time. While I was in Los Angeles, I had a serendipitous encounter with an individual whose story blew me away. His life sounded like the plot line for a movie - part Boyz n the Hood, part The Godfather - but this was no fictional tale. This guy had actually lived it. I know, because I verified his stories by checking court documents and speaking to people connected to him. At first, this individual was reluctant to speak with me for Unfiltered, but I promised to protect his identity to allow him to share the unimaginable. Without further ado, please meet Anonymous Brown.

To better understand the methodology behind solving cold cases, I’m joined by the primary architect for the first NCIS Cold Case Homicide Unit, retired NCIS Special Agent, Joe Kennedy. Joe takes us into the mind of a cold case detective and how to go about uncovering evidence. Links: Solving Cold Cases: Investigation Techniques and Protocol

Coercive control describes a pattern of behaviour used by a perpetrator to gain power in a relationship. To do so, they erode their partner’s autonomy and self-worth. These behaviours create invisible chains that trap the victim in the relationship, scared to stay and terrified to leave.  In my opinion, when it comes to domestic violence, the concept of coercive control should be central to the discussion. For that reason, I’m joined by award-winning criminal behavioural analyst and expert on domestic violence, Laura Richards, who spearheaded pioneering law reform in the UK, criminalizing stalking and coercive control, to help decode the mechanisms of coercive control. Links: thelaurarichards.com crime-analyst.com dashriskchecklist.com youtube.com/@crimeanalyst Twitter: @laurarichards99, @thecrimeanalyst, @realcrimeprofil Instagram: @laurarichards999, @crimeanalyst, @realcrimeprofile

When it comes to unforeseen deaths involving violent crimes, accidents and suicides, you might be shocked to know that the burden of cleaning up the scene is often left to the loved ones of the deceased. Not only can this be deeply traumatic, but it also presents all kinds of health hazards. Instead, the work is typically outsourced to professionals.  Ben Giles is the managing director of Ultima Environmental, a biohazard cleaning company specialising in trauma and crime scene cleanups across the United Kingdom. In this episode, Ben joins me to share his first-hand experience of this incredibly important yet greatly taxing line of work.  Links: https://ultimacleaningacademy.com

In 2011, Loren O’Keeffe’s 24-year-old brother Daniel disappeared from their family home in Victoria, Australia. Loren says the search for her brother gave her purpose. In 2013, she founded the Missing Persons Advocacy Network (known as MPAN), now known as The Missed Foundation. Loren offers insight into her personal experience with missingness and explains why it's important to reframe Missing Persons as a Public Health Issue. Links: instagram.com/missedaus missed.org.au

Flavio Andrade and Mark Sutton got involved with gangs at a young age. Flavio is Mexican, and Mark is African American. Technically, the two should be rivals. But when a 10-year-old Pasadena boy became the victim of a gang-related shooting, Mark and Flavio joined forces to prevent further gang-related violence while maintaining their street credibility. They join me today for a conversation about transforming the narrative of collaboration and unity. Links: instagram.com/ogbigpreach

In the small Los Angeles city of Pasadena, the Bloods expanded to form the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods, which became one of the largest blood gangs in California. Mark Anthony Sutton, aka “Big Preach”, was one of the founding members. He was eventually incarcerated for 26 years for a gang-related homicide.  He is now the Co-Founder and Director of the Partners Building Community Groups Project, a grassroots movement working towards disrupting and preventing gang violence. Mark’s story is raw and real, and he speaks to the power of transformation, starting with himself and expanding his reach to serve the community. Links partners-building-community-groups.webnode.page instagram.com/ogbigpreach

In 2004, 18-year-old college student Brittany Phillips was tragically raped and murdered in her Oaklahoma apartment. To this day, the case remains unsolved. Brittany’s mother, Dr Maggie Zingman, is a trauma psychologist who has dedicated almost two decades to helping catch her daughter's killer. Maggie shares the incredible story of her fight for justice as she keeps Brittany’s legacy alive. Links:  brittanyphillipsmurder.net facebook.com/mom.missing.brittany

What price do whistleblowers really pay for uncovering the truth? Former US soldier Justin Watt has first-hand experience. Covered in episode 78 of Casefile, the Janabi Family Case occurred in 2006, during the height of the Iraq War, when a local family was killed in their home south of Baghdad. While the crimes were initially thought to be carried out by local insurgents, the reality was even more shocking. When Justin Watt discovered who was really responsible, he risked everything to reveal the truth.  17 years on, Justin and the man he credits with saving his life, John Diem, join me to reflect on trust, empathy, and the consequences of speaking out.

In 2021, I sat down and had a series of hour-long phone calls with the anonymous host of Casefile, or “Casey,” as he’s been dubbed by fans of the show. At the time, Casey was recovering from an unexplained medical issue. Our chats reminded me of the power of real and raw conversations, and it paved the way for ‘Unfiltered,’ the new Casefile Presents podcast where guests from all walks of life join me for a conversation about justice and transformation.  In our first episode and his first-ever in-depth interview, Casey generously opens a window into parts of his own story that he’s never before shared publicly. Follow Casey on Instagram: instagram.com/caseys.snaps

Hello, From the Files listeners. This is just a quick message to let you know that in a few weeks’ time, brand new episodes will start appearing on this feed under a new show name: Unfiltered. Unfiltered has been in the works for a long time now. It’s inspired by what I believe was the best part of From the Files: the in-depth chat with a different guest in every episode. Unfiltered will be hosted by Raquel O’Brien, whose podcast, Silent Waves, was the first released on the Casefile Presents platform.  After getting to know Raquel and seeing how talented she is at interviewing people from all walks of life, I knew that she had to have her own conversation-style podcast one day. And although I don’t host the show, the first episode features the first ever in-depth interview I’ve ever given. It's a long chat and you’ll get to know some things about me that I’ve never spoken about publicly. Raquel is the only person I felt comfortable having this conversation with, and I hope you’ll check it out.  Episode 2 stars two key witnesses from Case 78 of Casefile, The Janabi Family. Justin Watt, who previously appeared on From the Files, and his former sergeant, John Diem, speak in depth about their experiences in war and as whistleblowers. Future episodes will feature a diverse range of different guests from all walks of life. Some are connected to Casefile episodes or Casefile Presents series, while others are not. But all have real stories to share about justice and transformation. Unfiltered is an exploration into human experiences. No topic is off-limits. These raw and honest conversations will open you up to a range of perspectives and invite you to make up your own mind. Episodes one and two will drop on Wednesday, August 30th, with all subsequent episodes being released weekly.

The host talks with Justin Watt, an American soldier stationed in Iraq at the time of the Janabi family slaying, as covered in episode 78 of Casefile. Months after the murders, a sergeant confided that one of their fellow soldiers was responsible for the brutal crime. Justin put his friendships, career, and even his life at risk by conducting his own covert investigation into the matter. He discovered several other soldiers were involved to varying degrees, and made the difficult decision to expose them. Credits: Justin Watt - special guest Anonymous Host - research, narration Erin Munro - writing Milly Raso - writing Elsha McGill - writing Mike Migas - production, scoring Paulina Szymanska - design For all credits and sources please visit fromthefiles.com/exposing-a-war-crime-with-justin-watt

The host talks with Gary Tippet, a journalist and author whose illustrious career spans over four decades. Gary has received multiple awards for his work, including a Walkley, Australia’s top journalism honour, and has co-authored two true crime books... Credits: Gary Tippet - special guest Anonymous Host - research, narration Erin Munro - research, writing Milly Raso - research, writing Elsha McGill - research, writing Mike Migas - production, scoring Paulina Szymanska - design Sponsors: Candid Aligners – Get $75 off with promo code 'FILES' Audible – Get 3 months of Audible for just $6.95/month | Alternatively text 'FILES' to 500500 SimpliSafe – Save money during the massive Black Friday sales. Offer ends Monday, December 2nd For all credits and sources please visit fromthefiles.com/reporting-on-the-port-arthur-tragedy-with-gary-tippet