CASE 293Austin, Texas
2018
The Austin serial bombings
A series of package explosions in Austin killed Anthony House and teenager Draylen Mason in 2018. Investigators used security footage to identify and pursue the person placing the devices.
Unforgotten Casebook
One case. Every angle. One place.
Explore books, movies, podcasts, news coverage, and court records—organized by true crime case and real-life story, together in one place.
Read the booksWatch the adaptationsListen & investigateGo to the sources
THE CASE LIBRARY
Start with a story.
U.S. cases, plus the Bernardo–Homolka case in Canada.
Explore The Cases
Showing 1–24 of 38CASE 268Harris County, Texas
2017
Clint Greenwood
Assistant Chief Deputy Clint Greenwood was shot outside a Harris County courthouse in April 2017. Security cameras helped investigators follow the movements connected to the attack.
CASE 400San Antonio, Texas
2016
Unresolved disappearanceBianca Carrasco
Bianca Carrasco, a nurse and mother of three, disappeared from her San Antonio home in May 2016. Her family continues to seek answers about what happened to her.
CASE 372Montgomery County, Texas
2015
Ramon Sosa
Texas boxing trainer Ramon Sosa worked with investigators after learning of a plot to kill him. A staged death scene became part of the operation documented in 48 Hours.
CASE 264San Antonio, Texas
2015
Torrance Cheeves
Care worker Torrance Cheeves was found stabbed in his San Antonio home in August 2015. Investigators searched neighborhood security cameras while working through conflicting clues.
CASE 273Plano, Texas
2014
Christina Morris
Christina Morris, 23, disappeared during a night out with friends in Plano. Surveillance recordings helped investigators reconstruct her movements and investigate what happened after she left the group.
CASE 177Marshall, Texas
2013
Kari Hunt
Kari Hunt was killed by her estranged husband in a Marshall motel room in 2013. Her daughter tried to call 911 but the telephone system required an outside-line prefix. Her family’s campaign helped change emergency dialing requirements for covered multiline phone systems.
CASE 378Texas
2012
Michelle Warner
Michelle Warner vanished while living with her former boyfriend Mark Castellano. His televised interview with Dr. Phil and a later account to police became part of the reporting on her disappearance and death.
CASE 260Cedar Park, Texas
2009
Jessika Kalaher
Jessika Kalaher, 27, was found strangled in her car in September 2009. Her missing wallet and keys prompted investigators to examine security recordings for evidence of her final movements.
CASE 259San Antonio, Texas
2008
Christopher Duncan
Christopher Duncan left his San Antonio apartment in February 2008 and did not return. Surveillance footage became a key lead as police investigated his disappearance and killing.
CASE 344Houston, Texas
2003
Susan & Jeff Wright
Jeff Wright's disappearance led police to his body buried behind the family home. Susan Wright admitted killing him but claimed self-defense; prosecutors disputed that account at her trial.
CASE 223Houston, Texas
2001–2002
Enron’s employees, investors & whistleblowers
Enron’s collapse exposed misleading accounting and business practices while employees and investors faced serious losses. Reporters and investigators examined the company’s culture, leadership and financial claims. The Smartest Guys in the Room follows the rise and failure of a business once celebrated as an innovator.
CASE 067Austin, Texas
1999–2000
Steven & Celeste Beard
Retired television executive Steven Beard was shot in his Texas home in 1999 and later died from complications. Investigators uncovered a plot involving his wife, Celeste, and Tracey Tarlton, who fired the shot. Tarlton testified against Celeste, and the prosecution argued that the killing was arranged for financial gain.
CASE 180Jasper, Texas
1998
James Byrd Jr.
Forty-nine-year-old James Byrd Jr. was murdered in Jasper, Texas, in June 1998 after three white men chained him to a pickup truck and dragged him along a road. The killing and subsequent trials exposed racial divisions and helped spur hate-crime reforms.
CASE 175Arlington, Texas
1996
Unsolved homicideAmber Hagerman
Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, in January 1996 and was found murdered. Her case inspired a local broadcast-alert effort that grew into the AMBER Alert system for abducted children.
CASE 069Rowlett, Texas
1996
Devon & Damon Routier
Six-year-old Devon and five-year-old Damon Routier were stabbed to death in their Texas home in 1996. Their injured mother, Darlie, said an intruder had attacked them. Prosecutors rejected that account, and she was convicted of Damon’s murder. Disputes over the physical evidence and interpretation of her behavior sustained public debate about the case.
CASE 060Texas, United States
1995
Adrianne Jones & the Texas cadet case
Sixteen-year-old Adrianne Jones was murdered in Texas in 1995. Investigators eventually identified David Graham and Diane Zamora, whose promising military-academy futures made the case national news. Prosecutors described jealousy and a plan to eliminate a perceived romantic rival. Both were convicted of murder.
CASE 068Austin, Texas
1995
Regina Hartwell
Regina Hartwell was murdered in Austin in 1995, and her body was left in a burned vehicle. The investigation connected her death to Justin Thomas and a circle involving drugs, money, and complicated personal relationships. Thomas was convicted of murder, while testimony exposed the events leading to the killing and its concealment.
CASE 111Corpus Christi, Texas
1995
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was shot by former fan-club president Yolanda Saldívar in 1995 during a dispute involving their business relationship. Saldívar was convicted of murder. Biographical films and reporting also document Selena’s career and the impact of her death on fans and family.
CASE 144Houston, Texas
1993
Jennifer Ertman & Elizabeth Peña
Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña were attacked and murdered while taking a shortcut home in Houston in 1993. A group of gang members participated in the crimes. Their deaths led to multiple trials and years of reporting about the victims and the defendants’ sentences.
CASE 446Near Waco, Texas
1993
The Branch Davidians & the Waco siege
A failed federal firearms raid on the Branch Davidian community near Waco in February 1993 began a 51-day standoff. It ended in fire during an FBI operation, with children and adults among the dead. Waco: American Apocalypse and official reviews examine negotiations, tactical decisions and the experiences of those caught inside.
CASE 363Dallas, Texas
1991
Nancy & Richard Lyon
Nancy Dillard Lyon died from arsenic poisoning in Dallas in January 1991. The investigation examined her marriage and the origin of the poison. Her husband Richard was convicted, and the case inspired both a nonfiction book and a television drama.
CASE 007Channelview, Texas
1991
Wanda Holloway · “Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom”
Wanda Holloway tried to arrange the killing of the mother of a girl competing with her daughter for a cheerleading position. She believed the death would keep the rival out of competition. The man she approached contacted authorities, and recordings exposed the 1991 Texas plot before anyone was killed.
CASE 346Texas
1990
Jerry Sternadel
Jerry Sternadel became gravely ill and died in 1990. An autopsy found arsenic, leading investigators to examine his financial and personal relationships and the actions of bookkeeper Debra Baker.
NEW CASES. MORE TO EXPLORE.
The next story, in your inbox.
Be notified when we add new cases and updates to the casebook. Email signup is optional and for readers 18 and older.
JUST GETTING STARTED
A new home for stories worth exploring.
Unforgotten Casebook is new and growing. Have a name, a case, or a book, movie or podcast we should include? Help shape what comes next.
Our research and writing are AI-assisted, with links to sources so you can explore further. How we build the casebook.
BEYOND THE HEADLINE