In The Dark
The New YorkerIn The Dark
In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the mysterious abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the lack of accountability that sheriffs face when they fail to solve cases. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. In 2020, In the Dark released a special report on the coronavirus pandemic in the Mississippi Delta. In 2023, In the Dark joined The New Yorker and in 2024, it released “The Runaway Princesses,” a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal family keep trying to run away. Season 3, released in 2024, asked why no one was punished for the killings of twenty-five civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
In the Dark won the Pulitzer Prize for audio for Season 3. The podcast is a three-time Peabody Award winner and, in 2019, became the first podcast to win a George Polk Award, one of the top honors in journalism. The program has also received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.
New Yorker subscribers get early, ad-free access. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
If you have comments or story tips, please send them to inthedark@newyorker.com.
© 2024 Condé Nast. All rights reserved.
In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the mysterious abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the lack of accountability that sheriffs face when they fail to solve cases. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. In 2020, In the Dark released a special report on the coronavirus pandemic in the Mississippi Delta. In 2023, In the Dark joined The New Yorker and in 2024, it released “The Runaway Princesses,” a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal family keep trying to run away. Season 3, released in 2024, asked why no one was punished for the killings of twenty-five civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
In the Dark won the Pulitzer Prize for audio for Season 3. The podcast is a three-time Peabody Award winner and, in 2019, became the first podcast to win a George Polk Award, one of the top honors in journalism. The program has also received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.
New Yorker subscribers get early, ad-free access. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
If you have comments or story tips, please send them to inthedark@newyorker.com.
© 2024 Condé Nast. All rights reserved.
After he disappeared nearly 27 years ago, Jacob Wetterling's remains have been found. Why did it take so long? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In Season 1 of our podcast, we reported that the Jacob Wetterling case was a botched investigation. Just yesterday, law enforcement acknowledged it too.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The sentencing of Danny Heinrich on Nov. 21, 2016, brought to a close the 27-year investigation into the abduction and murder of Jacob Wetterling. But it didn't end the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The abduction of Jacob Wetterling, which made parents more vigilant and led to the first national requirement that states track sex offenders via registries, took place before moonrise on a warm October night in 1989. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When Jacob Wetterling was taken, authorities launched what would turn into one of the largest searches for any missing person in the history of the United States. But that first night, law enforcement didn't cover all the basics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S1 E3: The One Who Got Away
S1 E4: The Circus
S1 E5: Person of Interest
In the 1970s and early '80s, missing children weren't considered a policing priority. You couldn't even enter missing child information into the FBI's national crime database. But that changed quickly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S1 E7: This Quiet Place
S1 E8: What's Going on Down There?
S1 E9: The Truth
Season Two: The Trailer
S2 E1: July 16, 1996
S2 E2: The Route
S2 E3: The Gun
S2 E4: The Confessions
S2 E5: Privilege
S2 E6: Punishment
S2 E7: The Trials of Curtis Flowers
S2 E8: The D.A.
S2 E9: Why Curtis?
S2 E10: Discovery
We answer your questions and report on a fire in Winona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Curtis Flowers' appeal. Now the justices will examine if District Attorney Doug Evans had a history of racial discrimination in jury selection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Update: Back to Winona
S2 E11: The End
S2 E12: Before the Court
S2 E13: Oral Arguments
S2 E14: The Decision
S2 E15: Revelations
After nearly 23 years locked up, Curtis Flowers has a chance to get out on bail -- if his lawyers can convince the judge to rule in his favor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After almost 23 years, Curtis Flowers is no longer behind bars. For his family, it's a long-awaited reunion. But not everyone in Winona is happy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
District Attorney Doug Evans has prosecuted Curtis Flowers for 23 years and six trials. Now he says he's done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 E19: Freedom
After nearly twenty-three years behind bars, Curtis Flowers was freed, in part due to In the Dark’s reporting. Now he’s back in Winona, Mississippi, where his saga began. What brought him home, and how is he doing? We visited him to find out.
New Yorker subscribers get new In the Dark episodes early and ad-free. Subscribe today at <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a>.
In the Dark has merch! Buy hats, T-shirts, and totes at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
S2 E20: Curtis Flowers
A crime committed. A crime forgotten. A crime unpunished.
Season 3 of In the Dark, coming July 30th. Listen early and ad-free at newyorker.com/dark.
Donald Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense caught the attention of the In the Dark team. Hegseth, formerly a weekend co-host of “Fox & Friends,” is a longtime supporter of accused American war criminals, and has called Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL who was tried for murder and other crimes, a “war hero.” The reporters Madeleine Baran and Parker Yesko discuss what Hegseth’s appointment could mean for war-crimes prosecutions under the Trump Administration.
Was it scary to knock on all those Marines’ doors? What was it like to report in Iraq? Is it still possible for any Marines to face consequences for what happened in Haditha? The In the Dark team sits down to answer your questions.
To view the online-only features of Season 3—the photographs, war-crimes database, and interactive documentary—visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/season3">newyorker.com/season3</a>.
Have a story idea for the In the Dark team? E-mail us at inthedark@newyorker.com.
For the past year, the Interactives Department at The New Yorker has been working alongside In the Dark on a remarkable visual exploration of what happened that day in Haditha. Sam Wolson, who co-directed the project, joins the podcast to talk about “Cleared by Fire.”
Find the interactive documentary at <a href="http://newyorker.com/season3">newyorker.com/season3</a>.
Got questions for the In the Dark team? E-mail them to us at <a href="mailto:inthedark@newyorker.com">inthedark@newyorker.com</a>.
A man in Haditha, Iraq, has a request for the In the Dark team: Can you investigate how my family was killed?
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
A trip to a Marine Corps archive reveals a clue about something that the U.S. military is keeping secret.
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
We travel around the U.S. to find the Marines who were on the ground in Haditha on the day of the killings.
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
Two conflicting stories about what happened that day emerge—one from the Marines involved in the killings, and another from a very different perspective.
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
Was it a face-off with insurgents or the murder of four innocent brothers? We investigate what happened in the final house the Marines entered that day.
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
Startling new information emerges from deep within the investigation files. Then the In the Dark team gets a big break.
To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
The conflicting narratives about what happened in Haditha make their way through the opaque inner workings of the military justice system, until they reach a top commander who decides which story to believe.
To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
The case against the squad leader, Frank Wuterich, finally goes to trial.
To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.
The audio of Frank Wuterich in this episode comes from the podcast “Murder in House Two,” by Michael Epstein.
For years, we’d thought what everyone thought: that there were twenty-four civilians killed by Marines in Haditha on November 19, 2005. But maybe everyone was wrong.
To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3.
A new limited-run series from In the Dark, reporting on Covid-19 in the Mississippi Delta. Episodes every Thursday, beginning April 30. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An Announcement
A storm hits Greenville just in time for Easter. Two pastors and a mayor clash over how to do church during a pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How do you self-isolate when your home is a single room that you share with 107 men? That's what inmates at Mississippi's infamous Parchman prison have been wondering for six weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The doctors and nurses at Greenwood Leflore Hospital brace for the pandemic, cordoning off their ICU and preparing for an influx of patients. Then the virus strikes one of their own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the middle of a pandemic, with so many people suffering alone, it seemed an appropriate time to hear from a Delta blues singer. Enter Watermelon Slim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the coronavirus swept into the Mississippi Delta, a judge in the small city of Indianola decided to release every inmate she had in jail. That is, every inmate except one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
College football is practically a religion in Mississippi. And for the players, it's life. As Covid-19 upended their world, the teammates at Delta State struggled to find structure and support for an off-season like no other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark’s Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty.
"The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe.
As sex workers flee Sheikh Mohammed’s U.K. estate bruised and weeping, no one is held to account. British authorities look the other way after one of the sheikh’s own daughters tries to escape.
"The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe.
Princess Latifa is desperate to help her sister Shamsa, who’s been captured, drugged, and imprisoned on her father’s orders. She makes a plan to flee Dubai.
"The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe.
Latifa has made it to international waters, but she’s not out of danger. Her father has powerful forces at his command.
"The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe.
Secret recordings reveal what happened to Latifa after armed men stormed the yacht she was hoping would bring her to freedom.
"The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. To read Heidi Blake’s reporting on the princesses of Dubai, visit newyorker.com/princesses.
Five family members, murdered. A sixth in prison for life. It’s one of Britain’s most infamous crimes. But did the justice system get it wrong? “Blood Relatives,” a six-part series from In the Dark, is coming on October 28th.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
On August 7, 1985, five family members were shot dead in their English country manor, Whitehouse Farm. It looked like an open-and-shut case. But the New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake finds that almost nothing about this story is as it seems.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
Heidi visits an unlikely group of detectives: the victims’ extended family. Their sleuthing upended the police’s original theory of the case.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
One day, Heidi gets a call from Wakefield Prison, where Jeremy Bamber remains locked up, forty years after the murders. He’s one of the nation’s most reviled villains. But he insists he’s innocent.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
A bloody Bible, propped at an unlikely angle. A manor, locked from the inside. And a silencer, hidden under the stairs, and daubed with blood. Heidi digs into the evidence and uncovers shocking flaws.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
A puzzling clue leads Heidi to a new witness. His story about a phone call made from inside Whitehouse Farm on the morning of the crime threatens the entire case against Jeremy Bamber.
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.
Jeremy Bamber has a new opportunity to clear his name. But will the British justice system acknowledge that it might have gotten this famous case wrong?
New Yorker subscribers get full, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives” and every season of In the Dark. In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit <a href="http://newyorker.com/dark">newyorker.com/dark</a> to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.
In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at <a href="http://store.newyorker.com">store.newyorker.com</a>.