People don't vanish into thin air, but it sometimes seems that way. Australia has a reputation for mysterious disappearances, but folk go missing everywhere, and families all over the world are left fearing the worst. Sometimes foul play is afoot: a serial killer snatching victims off the street, or a stalker with a score to settle. In those cases, it can be decades before evidence of a crime comes to light. The fear of sinister figures lurking in the shadows has inspired generations of horror movies. The most chilling, as you're about to hear, are based on real events. These cases are the ultimate true crime mysteries.

The podcast looks at the police investigation into the murder of Alfred Swinscoe, a coal miner who vanished without a trace in 1967. What do the police do when faced with a 50+ year-old cold case? The Psycho Killer team investigates.

Jack the Ripper. The unknown serial killer murdered and mutilated at least five women in the East End of London in 1888. Every time he gave the police the slip. He only made one mistake – dropping a piece of apron ripped from his fourth victim. Catherine Eddowes was murdered in Mitre Square in the City of London. A copper found the apron piece in Goulston Street, less than half a mile away in Whitechapel. So, what was the East End like at the time of the killings? And how would a modern homicide team investigate them? Jacques Morrell and Simon Ford joined Ripperologist, Mick Priestley, on a tour of Jack the Ripper's backyard.

Jack the Ripper – the serial killer who murdered at least five women in London's East End in 1888 – is the subject of a special Psycho Killer investigation. M.P. Priestly is the author of 'Jack the Ripper – One Autumn in Whitechapel' and Jack the Ripper tour guide. Mick kindly agreed to answer some questions from former major crime detective Jacque Morrell about the reliability of the witnesses who came forward. Were they attention seekers? Were they profiteers? Or were they, perhaps, covering their tracks?

Warning: graphic content Mystery surrounds the mass murderer known as Jack the Ripper. He prowled the back streets of London's East End preying on the poor and the vulnerable. This devil butchered his victims and left their mutilated corpses down dark alleys, on doorsteps, and in doss houses. Then, the killer vanished, seemingly into thin air. What spurred the Ripper on his rampage? Some believe he was driven by dark forces conjured from hell itself. The evidence, they say, is plain to see––if you know what to look for. In this podcast we go to Whitechapel – Jack the Ripper's hunting ground – in search of answers.

Contains very strong language Some said Mad Billy Hughes was born bad. He was a misogynist who let his fists do the talking. But Mad Billy was worse than a knuckle-headed bully. He was a psychopath — cunning, resourceful and ruthless. And when he was cornered, he'd stop at nothing. Location recording by Karl Cooper, Podcast Partners UK.

1. Take an unremarkable, working class man, who idolises the soldier father he never knew. 2. Steep in military doctrine until rejected by the army. 3. Set aside while he retreats into a fantasy world and allow resentment to simmer for several years. 4. Then flambé his personal life, garnish with an illegal firearm, and serve to an unsuspecting copper – or three. Acknowledgements Featuring the song ‘Barry Prudom’ by Combat 84 (re-released by Splattered! Records, 2019) and extracts from the documentary, ‘Manhunt: Phantom in the Forest’ (ITV, 2002).

Barry Prudom was a loner. A quiet bloke, obsessed with the army. But the army wouldn't have him. So he made up his own fantasy world where he pretended he was in the special forces. And instead of a toy gun, Prudom had smuggled in the real thing. His little friend was a Beretta Jaguar – his pride and joy – and they played happily together until one day, on manoeuvers when Prudom pulled the trigger. In a policeman's face. Prudom went on the run. He killed again. And again. That summer of 1982 witnessed the biggest armed police operation the UK had ever seen. For weeks, Prudom gave the cops the slip. But they cornered him in the end and blew his hiding place to pieces. When the gunsmoke cleared they found that the electrician from Leeds had already killed himself. Ex-detective Jacques Morrell followed Barry Prudom's bloody footsteps to Girton – an isolated village on the banks of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire – where he met fellow Psycho Killer host and true-crime investigator, Simon Ford.

sex, violence, language The newspapers called him the Sneinton Strangler after the district of Nottingham where he plied his trade. Mark Martin operated in the shadows. While others walked by 'Reds', as he was known, always had time for the hungry and homeless. But he was no Samaritan. He took what little they had – their benefits, their drugs, their remaining shreds of dignity. And when he had sucked them dry, Martin disposed of his victims – or got one of his henchmen to do the job for him. Mark Martin was a psychopath, a parasite, and a curse on society. It was a blessing the police stopped him when they did.

Journalists Pip Watts and Simon Ford join retired major crime detective Jacques Morrell to investigate the life and crimes of one of Scotland's most reviled serial killers. Peter Tobin, who died in October 2022, was exposed as a paedophile, rapist and murderer of at least three young women. As he rotted in jail, Tobin's name became linked to a spate of sex murders in Glasgow in the 1960s – the so-called Bible John killings. In this podcast, the team unearths evidence of unspeakable evil and cruelty in their search for answers.