CRIME

This Halloween procession in Massachusetts was poison-free.

When a Long Island Housewife Handed Out Arsenic to Kids on Halloween

Helen Pfeil thought some kids were much too old for treats, so she played a nasty trick on them instead.

Sarah Edmondson in a scene from The Vow (2020).

10 Facts About NXIVM and The Vow, HBO's True Crime Docuseries

The HBO docuseries 'The Vow' offers an in-depth exploration of NXIVM, the multi-level marketing scheme-cum-sex cult that has been making headlines for the past several years.

Halloween scares can sometimes invite legal action.

6 Bizarre Halloween-Related Lawsuits

Every so often, Halloween celebrations can get a little out of hand. That's when the courts have to intervene, scaring everyone with summary judgments.

The Cleveland Torso Murderer: The Scariest Serial Killer You've Never Heard Of

In 1936, there was a lot going on in the city of Cleveland. In addition to being in the midst of the Great Depression, the city had a serial killer on the loose—one who remains unknown to this day.

Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes, and Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes in Netflix's Enola Holmes (2020).

Who Is Enola Holmes? 7 Facts About Nancy Springer’s Hit YA Book Series

Though her name may be lesser known, Enola Holmes—teenage sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes—has been around for more than a decade in the form of Nancy Springer’s young adult book series. Now she's featured in a hit Netflix movie starring Millie Bobby

The books were wrapped a little better than these.

200 Rare Books Were Stolen in a Thrilling Heist—Three Years Later, They’ve Been Found Buried in Romania

The pricey cache includes first editions by Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, and Francisco Goya—and it wasn’t an isolated incident.

Kim Jong-Il, Choi Eun-hie, and Shin Sang-ok in a scene from Ross Adam and Robert Cannan's The Lovers & the Despot (2016).

Take Two: When Kim Jong-il Raised North Korea's World Cinema Profile By Kidnapping Two South Korean Stars

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was once in charge of propaganda films for his country, and he decided to recruit some A-list talent the easy way: by abducting them.

Al Pacino is (still) all in the family in The Godfather: Part III (1990).

'The Godfather: Part III' Is Getting a Do-Over—and a New Ending

The closing chapter in Francis Ford Coppola's mafia saga trilogy was met with mixed reviews in 1990. Coppola believes this new version is better.

The tunnels around Chicago's Green Mill Lounge are rife with Prohibition lore.

The Facts and Fiction of Chicago's Prohibition-Era Bootlegging Tunnels

When people think of 1920s Chicago, stories of bootleggers, speakeasies and Al Capone naturally come to mind. The Uptown tunnels are just part of the roaring ‘20s Chicago story.

Smooth Operator: How Con Man "Count" Victor Lustig Sold The Eiffel Tower—Twice

In 1925, an article appeared in a Paris newspaper about the decaying condition of the Eiffel Tower. There was a passing comment in the piece about how the French government had considered that it might be cheaper to tear down the Eiffel Tower than to fix

A Wily Fox With a Passion for Fashion Stole More Than 100 Shoes From a Berlin Neighborhood

This furry burglar has embarked on a crime spree that puts Dora the Explorer’s Swiper completely to shame.

Grave Error: A Man Attempting to Fake His Own Death Was Caught Because of a Typo

Robert Berger tried to avoid a jail sentence by forging a death certificate. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the Office of Vital Statistics and Regsitry.

10 Facts About I'll Be Gone In the Dark

In 2006, Michelle McNamara began amateur-sleuthing cold cases. One of those cases was that of The Golden State Killer, a cold case she helped to crack, and which formed the basis of her 2018 book 'I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,' which is now an HBO docuseries.

Iron Age skeleton found buried face-down on Wellwick Farm in England.

Possible Iron Age Murder Victim’s Skeleton Discovered In England

During in excavation in Buckinghamshire, England, a skeleton was found lying face-down with its hands tied behind its back, indicating that it belonged to a possible murder victim.

Robert Stack as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables in 1960.

Join Us for 8 Fascinating Facts About Robert Stack

Robert Stack, the popular host of the original 'Unsolved Mysteries,' had a long and storied career, including an Oscar nomination and an appearance in the first-ever 3D movie.

Dogs have been trained to sniff out the new coronavirus.

7 Unusual Things That Dogs Can Detect by Smell

Dogs' sense of smell is at least 10,000 times as acute as ours, and they're being trained to sniff out a wide range of objects—from bombs to viruses.

Al Capone: Public Enemy #1, soup kitchen proprietor

When Al Capone Ran a Soup Kitchen During the Great Depression

During the Great Depression, 50 percent of Chicago's workforce was out of a job. Al Capone, the city's bloodthirstiest gangster, stepped in feed the hungry.

Steve McQueen stars in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

The 25 Greatest Heist Movies of All Time

There is nothing quite like watching the characters in a movie pull off a great heist against all odds. Here are some of the best of them.

An actual nurse tends to a patient during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

“Slick” Julia Lyons: The Con Artist Who Posed as a Nurse During the 1918 Flu Pandemic—Then Robbed Her Patients

When Chicago was in desperate need of at-home nurses, one dastardly schemer named Julia Lyons saw an opportunity to turn a profit.

5 Ways to Protect Yourself from COVID-19 Phone Scams

A public health crisis is the worst possible time to be targeted by criminals. But naturally, scammers are doing their best to take advantage. Here's how to avoid them.

Svetlana Monyakova, iStock via Getty Images

Crepe and Punishment: Police in Surrey, England Are Using Pancakes to Share Wanted Posters

The police in Surrey, England used Pancake Day as an excuse to make pancake art wanted posters and flood their Twitter feed with breakfast puns.

Mooove Over, Florida Man: A Florida Cow on the Loose Is Wanted By Police

The wanted poster for the runaway cow in Florida described her as having "surprising speed" and "amazing fence jumping skills."

The National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch handles crime in the park system.

The Long Branch of the Law: Inside the National Park Service's Criminal Investigations Unit

When a serious crime occurs in a national park, rangers don't call local law enforcement or the FBI. They call the ISB, a little-known team of investigators responsible for 85 million acres of public land.

Virginians may soon be able to legally swear in public.

Virginians Haven't Been Able to Legally Swear Since 1792 But That's About to Change

The state has prohibited public expletives since 1792, with offenders facing a $250 fine. That's about to change.

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