Raw and intimate, HBO’s new four-part docuseries Murder on Middle Beach follows new filmmaker Madison Hamburg as he attempts to solve the murder of his mother Barbara, who was attacked in her own front yard in Connecticut in 2010. Madison digs deep into his mother’s past, examining every member of his family as the possible culprit.
Unsolved crimes leave the loved ones of victims tangled up in unresolved pain and trauma. Some family members and friends turn to television and film to shine a light on their cold cases, hopeful that more attention will bring the people responsible to justice. Resolution isn’t always easy to come by, but the documentaries made about unsolved crimes testify to the power of never giving up – even when police officials move on.
Children Of The Snow (2019)
Between 1976 and 1977, four children who lived in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, were kidnapped and murdered under similar circumstances. Despite dozens of leads, DNA evidence, and connections with other crimes, no one has been formally charged with these connected crimes.
Dubbed the Oakland County Child Killings, these heinous slayings are the subject of Investigative Discovery’s two-part documentary Children of the Snow. Through extensive interviews with survivors and those who knew the victims, the film hints at the possibility multiple adults were involved as part of a vast scheme to target children.
Wormwood (2017)
Famed documentary filmmaker Errol Morris takes true crime reenactments to the next level by casting Hollywood actors in Wormwood, his Netflix docuseries that examines the government’s attempts to cover up CIA experiments with LSD in the 1950s. Coined Project MKUltra, the studies led to the death of scientist Frank Olson – who was covertly dosed with LSD by his colleagues.
The government ruled Olson’s death a suicide, but his son Eric believes it was murder. Wormwood follows Eric’s struggle to make those involved with MKUltra accept responsibility for his father’s horrible death.
Who Took Johnny (2014)
One of the first missing children to be featured on the side of milk cartons, 12-year-old Johnny Gosch was kidnapped in 1982 while working his paperboy route in West Des Moines, Iowa. As of 2020, Johnny’s whereabouts and fate are unknown.
The 2014 documentary Who Took Johnny centers around interviews with Johnny’s parents, John and Noreen, who are still searching for answers. The film, streaming on Amazon, explores similar cases in the area, Noreen’s claims about being visited by her son in the 1990s, and other evidence police have ignored.
Shadow Of Truth (2016)
Even though someone was convicted for the savage murder of 13-year-old Israeli high schooler Tair Rada, the four-part Netflix docuseries Shadow of Truth posits the wrong person was jailed – meaning her death is still unsolved. In 2006, Rada was found dead in a bathroom at her high school, leading police to charge Ukrainian immigrant and school employee Roman Zadorov with the crime.
Shadow of Truth dissects testimony from other sources that pinpoint other culprits, including Rada’s own classmates. It also digs into the corrupt nature of the criminal justice system.
The Keepers (2017)
One of the more popular true-crime series on Netflix, The Keepers is full of intrigue, conspiracy, and cover-ups. This seven-parter centers around the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik in 1969.
Cesnik worked at an all-girls Catholic high school, and some of her former students believe she was murdered for attempting to expose a priest who was molesting pupils. At a time when the Catholic Church continues to receive criticism for its handling of sexual abuse cases, The Keepers opens up outsiders to a whole new potential level of deception from on high.
Brother’s Keeper (1992)
Directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky produced some ground-breaking docs in the 1990s, and Brother’s Keeper is among their best. The movie tells the story of Delbert Ward, a lifetime farmer who was accused of and likely coerced into confessing to the murder of his brother William.
Brother’s Keeper traces the media’s attempt to portray the Ward family as backward bumpkins, in contrast to locals who characterize them as regular country folks. It also highlights inconsistencies in the case that point toward William’s exact cause of death still being unknown.
The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
David France’s documentary about gay activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson celebrates her impact on queer rights and culture. From 1969’s Stonewall Riots to ACT UP’s AIDS mobilization in the ’80s and ’90s, Johnson was a centerpiece of New York’s LGBTQ+ scene.
Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River in 1992, leading her friends and loved ones to believe she was killed even though police ruled it a suicide. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson paints a reprehensible portrait of the NYPD, who refused to adequately Johnson’s death due to homophobic policies and beliefs.
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Another feature from Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills reexamines the hideous triple murder of three young boys in Arkansas and the teenagers who were charged with their ritualistic deaths. When it debuted on HBO, Paradise Lost changed the landscape for true crime documentaries with its scathing portrayal of the criminal justice system.
It was followed by two sequels in 2000 and 2011, which show how enough evidence was eventually compiled to exonerate the three teenagers of the crimes. Unfortunately, the true killers are presumably free.
The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann (2019)
In 2007, 3-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her bed while vacationing at a resort in Portugal with her family. One of the most-reported missing persons cases in modern history, Madeleine’s abduction sent shockwaves around the world.
To this day, Madeleine’s whereabouts or the identity of her kidnapper are unknown. The eight-part Netflix docuseries The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann reassesses the details of the case to find some thread of evidence that may lead to a conviction.
Out Of Thin Air (2017)
In 1974, Icelandic police arrested six people for the disappearances of Guðmundur Einarsson and Geirfinnur Einarsson – two men who went missing 10 months apart. The Netflix documentary Out of Thin Air looks back at the cases, which have been scrutinized by the Icelandic public over the decades.
Simply put, residents believe the wrong people were convicted. Without bodies or any physical evidence to determine what happened to the two unrelated men with the same last name, the truth remains a mystery.
