Cold cases create severe, long-lasting impacts for families that are affected by them. These cases prevent closure and lead to families experiencing “ambiguous loss,” a unique type of grief that causes chronic and unresolved pain.
Cold cases also leave dangerous criminals in communities, allowing more potential crimes to occur. They strain police resources and foster public helplessness.
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These cases continue to exist in the uneasy space between truth and mystery, intriguing people’s interest. Unanswered questions, missing pieces, and the haunting possibility that the truth is still out there waiting to be uncovered triggers public interest.
If you are intrigued by cold cases, here are five shows you can binge-watch.
Five chilling shows to watch if you are intrigued by cold cases
- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (HBO/Max): This groundbreaking six-part documentary explores the eerie history of real estate heir Robert Durst, long suspected in the still-unsolved 1982 disappearance of his wife, and also the subsequent murders of family friend Susan Berman and neighbor Morris Black. The show features an extended interview with Durst himself. According to HBO Max, the series “sheds new light on real-estate scion Robert Durst who has been accused of three murders but has evaded justice for over 30 years.”
- The Keepers (Netflix): The docuseries delves deep into the unsolved murder of Cathy Cesnik, a beloved nun and Catholic high school teacher in Baltimore. Cesnik went missing on November 7, 1969, and her body was found nearly two months later. According to Netflix, “This documentary series examines the decades-old murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik and the suspected link to a priest accused of abuse.”
- Dead of Winter (ID/Max): The show tells true tales of murder set in stark wintry conditions, including the story of a body frozen in the snow and a woman who vanishes in an icy wilderness. According to IMDb, “True tales of murder featuring first-person interviews with family and investigators. Each episode shows the detectives work to track down a killer, all while battling the unforgiving elements.”
- Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey (Netflix): The series revisits the murder of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, who was killed in her Colorado home. It features interviews with key figures, including with Ramsey’s father. The girl was reported missing from her home in the 700 block of 15th Street on December 26, 1996. She was later found dead in the same house in Boulder, Colorado, and according to an autopsy, she had been killed by strangulation. According to the City of Boulder, detectives have been unable to solve the case despite following up on every lead that has come into the department, which includes more than 21,016 tips, letters and emails. Netflix says, “Police missteps and a media circus derailed the JonBenét Ramsey murder case. This documentary series chronicles the decades-long quest for justice.”
- This is the Zodiac Speaking (Netflix): The series explores how a family searching for answers shares clues and chilling testimonies about the prime suspect in the Zodiac murders. The Zodiac Killer murdered at least five people – and claimed 37 – in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969. IMDb says of the show, “A shocking new series that points to Arthur Leigh Allen as the Zodiac killer. At the heart of the revelations is an unlikely family whose increasingly chilling relationship with Allen promises to connect him to the infamous Zodiac murders.”