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PODCAST

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

I know a thing or two about true crime... I’ve been reporting on it for 36 years. This is the podcast where I take you on a journey through mystery and injustice... and dive deep into critical clues with an irreverent style that I don’t share on TV! Join me for my personal take on many of these stories and my personal connection to several as well! I’m Ashleigh Banfield, and I’m Drop Dead Serious! New Episodes Every Thursday!

true crime

All Episodes

46:06

Lynette Hooker Bombshell Evidence: “She Made It Back...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/07/08

Bombshell new evidence in the Lynette Hooker investigation suggests Brian Hooker’s story about what happened the night his wife vanished in the Bahamas was a lie. According to Lynette Hooker’s family, she did not fall off the back of the dinghy as Brian claimed. Instead, sources with knowledge of the investigation say evidence shows Lynette made it back to the couple’s sailboat, Soulmate, where there were signs of a fight, evidence of foul play, and evidence that Lynette was dead on board.

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47:45

Unbelievable: Guthrie Ransom Hoax Scammer Won’t Spend...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/07/03

Just days after Nancy Guthrie vanished, a fake Bitcoin ransom scammer tried to exploit her family’s worst nightmare. Five months later, on July 2, Derrick Callella, a 42-year-old man from Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty after prosecutors said he sent Bitcoin-related ransom messages to Nancy Guthrie’s family after she vanished and after an earlier ransom demand had already been made. Derrick Callella is expected to receive 5 years probation, not prison, when he is sentenced on Sept. 10. In

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56:37

'Fake' Ransom Note Bombshell: FBI Says Some Demands...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/07/02

The Nancy Guthrie case just got even more confusing, as the FBI is now pushing back on reports that every alleged ransom note tied to Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother was fake. Reuters reported that FBI sources believe all of the ransom-related messages are bogus, but TMZ’s Harvey Levin says his FBI contacts are telling him something very different: that some of the original ransom demands may still be considered potentially legitimate. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield

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52:07

Murdaugh Retrial Twist: Could Mystery DNA Under...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/07/01

Alex Murdaugh is heading back to court for a new murder trial in 2027, and one overlooked piece of evidence could become a major problem for prosecutors: unknown male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest pretrial hearing in the Murdaugh murders case with Peter Tragos, host of The Lawyer You Know, including the defense’s argument that Alex Murdaugh’s orange jumpsuit and shackles could poison the jury pool before

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55:24

Eerie Apple Watch Location Raises New Questions in...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/30

A critical new detail in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping mystery may help explain why investigators have been taking the first ransom note so seriously. According to new reporting from CBS, the first ransom note received on February 2, 2026, included a highly specific detail about Nancy Guthrie’s Apple Watch: that it had a white band and was on the floor of Nancy's bedroom. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Crime Junkie Breaking News Reporter, Brianna Whitney, who

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40:32

Chilling New Ransom Demand Claims Video Shows Nancy...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/27

The person who has repeatedly contacted TMZ claiming to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers is now making an even bigger claim: that he has video of Nancy with the “main guy” on what may have been the last day of her life. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest alleged ransom communication, the new Bitcoin demand, the claim of a hidden phone containing video, photos, names, addresses, and information about two people allegedly involved in Nancy’s

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51:23

Mackenzie Shirilla’s Mom Defends Daughter After...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/26

Mackenzie Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, is speaking out after Netflix’s The Crash reignited outrage over the deadly 2022 Ohio crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. Mackenzie was 17 years old when prosecutors said she deliberately drove into a brick wall at 100 miles per hour, killing her boyfriend and friend. She was convicted in a bench trial and sentenced to 15 years to life, but Natalie insists the public still does not know the full story.In this episode of Drop Dead

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64:43

Ransom Note Horror: "Hello Savannah. We Have Your...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/25

The Nancy Guthrie case just took another disturbing turn after new reporting revealed the chilling words allegedly sent after the 84-year-old Tucson grandmother vanished: “Hello Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy.” In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest Nancy Guthrie ransom note details, including the alleged apology, the claim that Nancy “perished shortly after she was taken,” and the bizarre phrase that she was “buried with nature.” Ashleigh is joined by

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53:08

Mystery Deepens: Officials Turn To Her Organs to...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/24

The 39-year-old Lexington, South Carolina personal trainer vanished after being seen at Planet Fitness and was later found dead in a wooded area near a bridge. Now, the autopsy results are in, but instead of answering the biggest question, how did Elena die, they’ve left the case wide open. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the strange timeline before Elena disappeared, the bizarre Ring camera video from days earlier, the possible EMS dispatch involving a

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55:09

Bombshell Nancy Guthrie Twist: Ransom Note Claims...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/23

A stunning new report is raising disturbing questions in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, after sources say an old ransom note claimed Nancy was dead and “buried with nature.” In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the unbelievable new reporting around the alleged ransom notes, and the claim that Nancy may have died shortly after she was abducted. Ashleigh also speaks with TMZ’s Harvey Levin, whose team received early

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36:46

Disturbing Mystery: Missing Woman’s Husband Was a...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/19

Chilling New Details: A body has been found in the search for missing Lexington, South Carolina woman Elena Moore, but the coroner says there was “nothing obvious” at first glance. We've also learned that Elena Moore’s husband spent 14 years as a local deputy before becoming a private investigator. Police said early in the investigation that he was not a person of interest. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Sergeant Vicki Rains, who was featured in Netflix’s hit

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42:12

Disturbing Mystery: Body Found After Missing Woman’s...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/18

Breaking: A body matching Elena Moore’s clothing was found in a wooded area after newly obtained surveillance video showed the missing 39-year-old walking near Old Cherokee Road the night she vanished. Elena Katherine Moore disappeared in Lexington, South Carolina after she was last seen leaving Planet Fitness on Whiteford Way on June 11, wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants. Police later obtained surveillance video showing Moore walking through the Publix parking lot at

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45:03

Nancy Guthrie: Sheriff Flags Disturbing “Wrench...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/17

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home more than 135 days ago, and investigators have released almost nothing about what happened to the 84-year-old grandmother. But now, a new cybersecurity report on so-called “wrench attacks” and “proxy target attacks” has raised a disturbing possibility in the case: was Nancy taken not because of what she had, but because of who she was connected to? In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the new report, the brutal rise

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50:10

Anna Kepner Case: Teen Stepbrother Sent to Jail As...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/16

Anna Kepner was found dead under a bed on a Carnival cruise ship, and now the 16-year-old stepbrother who shared that cabin with her has been sent to jail. Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old accused in the death of Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon, has been ordered into U.S. Marshals custody after prosecutors pushed to have him detained. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh walks through the newly unsealed court documents, the cruise ship surveillance timeline, the

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55:55

Nancy Guthrie Tip Leads Searchers to “Killing Field”...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/12

A chilling new tip has pushed the Nancy Guthrie case across the border and into one of the darkest possible search areas yet. After 131 days with no sign of the missing Arizona grandmother, a volunteer search group in Nogales, Mexico says it received a specific anonymous tip claiming Nancy Guthrie may be buried near Mariposa, an area where searchers have previously found 25 unmarked graves. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the new Mexico search, the anonymous tip,

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33:22

Shocker: Husband REFUSES to Cooperate in Suspected...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/10

Breaking: Brian Hooker is refusing to cooperate in the suspected murder investigation into his missing wife, Lynette Hooker. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh breaks down the latest turn in the Bahamas case and sits down with famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos to talk about what it means when a husband at the center of a suspected murder probe refuses to cooperate with investigators. Brian says Lynette “bounced” off the back of their dinghy in the Sea of Abaco, but the Coast

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41:37

Brian Hooker Spotted in Michigan as Family Demands...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/09

Brian Hooker has been spotted in Michigan, far from the Bahamas where he said he would never leave without Lynette. After weeks of questions about where Brian went after Lynette Hooker vanished in the Sea of Abaco, Brian was seen at a Sierra store in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his daughter Rosie. Ashleigh also breaks down reports of Brian’s movements through California and Oregon, including the family connections that may explain why he has been bouncing from place to place while Lynette’s family

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28:25

“He Took Her Last Breath and Threw Her Away Like...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/06

Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, and her husband Bill sit down with Ashleigh after the latest search in the Lynette Hooker suspected murder investigation, reacting to the dinghy now in Coast Guard hands, the evidence turned over by Bahamian police, and the new route information that appears to blow up Brian’s story about drifting helplessly across the Sea of Abaco. Darlene and Bill also reveal what they know about a secret “off-the-grid” cabin tied to Brian’s family and deliver a chilling

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30:50

Exclusive: “Devastating” Evidence Secured, But No...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/05

Law Enforcement: "He's F*cked" | No remains were found in the search for Lynette Hooker, but sources say the Coast Guard still left the Bahamas with evidence that could be devastating for Brian Hooker. After three days of sonar, drones, divers, and Maggie the cadaver dog searching the Abacos, the Coast Guard did not recover Lynette’s remains. But this suspected murder investigation is far from over. Sources say the trip was “well worth it,” with investigators securing Brian and Lynette Hooker’s

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41:01

Exclusive: On Board With Divers & Cadaver Dog in...

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield ·

2026/06/04

Exclusive New Video: Coast Guard teams are now searching northwest of Lubbers Quarters Cay and Marsh Harbor near an abandoned boat harbor as the hunt for Lynette Hooker expands across land and sea in the Bahamas. CGIS investigators, divers, an ROV, and Maggie the cadaver dog are all part of the effort in the Sea of Abaco, with the new search areas tied to Brian Hooker’s timeline, his GPS data, and the growing questions around the night he says Lynette “bounced” off the back of their dinghy. Sources

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353 results

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