New Orleans Unsolved
New Orleans Unsolved is an independent narrative true crime podcast based in New Orleans. Investigator/producer Anna Christie and veteran journalist Thanh Truong explore unsolved cases and lesser-known stories from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. Season 1 focused on the mysterious death of a teenager whose body was recovered from the Mississippi River. Season 2, The Rope Murders, revolves around cold cases involving murder victims who were ritualistically tied up and left in desolate areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Episodes
S2 Episode 43, Annie Get Your Gun
How can you understand a story if you don't have all the pieces?
S2 Update before Ep.43
Why have I been so quiet? That's a good question and I have an update for y'all.
S2 Episode 42, Who's Watching Who?
The past always catches up. This episode breaks down how information has looped back around, connecting pieces of a puzzle that's been building for over six years.
S2 Update to Ep.41
This is a brief update on what I’ve learned since the release of Episode 41 regarding the bodies I observed at St. Roch Cemetery in New Orleans.
Since the episode aired, I’ve made efforts to get clarification and understand what I was seeing. This update reflects where things stand based on the information I was able to obtain after the episode was released.
I will also be posting the video I reco
S2 Episode 41, Follow The Money
Every detail has its day.
S2 Episode 40, The Playbook
A small discovery opens a much bigger path. Anna traces it, step by step, into places that have been overlooked for decades.
S2 Episode 39, Something's Happening
As Stanley Burkhardt’s bid for bail is denied, years of chasing scattered leads finally pay off. Long-missing details come to light, revealing more about Burkhardt himself and the path he’s taken to escape accountability — until now.
If you’d like to support this ongoing investigation, visit NewOrleansUnsolved.com for donation links and ways to help.
S2 Episode 38 Don't Swing Twice
With the help of new information that has surfaced, I’m able to fit together pieces of the puzzle that had long remained disconnected. This episode traces the impact of that development—and the new clarity it brings to the investigation.
S2 Episode 37, The Baby
Time takes everything but the truth.
Update before Ep.37
Just a little update.
S2 Episode 36, The Dogwood Tree
In this episode, Anna follows a trail of overlooked details—newspaper clippings, archived files, and a name buried in an old contact list—that led us to a hidden connection between two key figures. What began as a quiet hunch became a pivotal piece of the larger puzzle. You’ll hear how Anna's research unfolded in real time, and how every small clue helped bring a buried link to light.
To donate,
S2 Episode 35, Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Anna receives some long awaited documents, uncovering a lead she never expected. A conversation she thought impossible finally happens, revealing critical new information. But just as the pieces start falling into place, a new discovery shifts the investigation.
S2 Episode, 34 Chasing Time
No one's the villain in their own story.
S2 Episode 33, In for a Penny, In for a Pound
In this episode Anna gives updates from leads she has been tracking down. Anna also has a meeting that doesn't get the results she was hoping for. However, a new lead that brings new information comes to light. You know what they say, when one door closes, another door opens.
Update before Episode 33
I know I've been quiet. Here's an update before the next episode.
S2 Episode 32, Hindsight is 20/20, The Rope Murders: The Investigation
A small detail revealed in a recent interview connects back to information from season one, bridging the gap between two criminals. The Eddie Wells case continues to be the nexus in every leg of the investigation.
S2 Episode 31, The Thief/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
In this episode Anna focuses on two of the men convicted in Troop 137. More information comes to the surface that leads to implications of a cover-up , conspiracy or blackmail on a much larger scale. You'll also hear from an individual that witnessed the theft of an important recurring item.
S2 Episode 30, House Of Cards/ The Rope Murder:The Investigation
This is the second half of episode 29. After you listen I think you'll understand why I had to break this up into two parts. Out of all the information I've received during this six year investigation, this is the most shocking so far. Every time I think it can't get worse, it does.
S2 Episode 29, The Unraveling/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
This is a two part episode. The second part will come out tomorrow night at midnight.
"A secret is a kind of promise ... It can also be a prison."
–Jennifer Lee Carrell
S2 Episode 28, Riding Shotgun/ The Rope Murders : The Investigation
In this bonus investigation episode, "This is just way way too much, I mean its unfolding, from what you are telling me its unfolding."
S2 Episode 27, Write the Wrongs/The Rope Murders : The Investigation
New Orleans Unsolved began as a deep dive into one mysterious death. But in the six years Anna dedicated to investigate the cases that eventually became the basis for both seasons of the podcast, she discovered that rarely were the details isolated. They were part of a web consisting of cops, corruption and cruelty. In the season finale of The Rope Murders, Anna's investigation comes full circle.
S2 Episode 26, Yet Again/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
The path of Anna's investigation takes her back to Pass Christian, Mississippi for a second look at the location where Mark Richardson's body was discovered. We also hear about a more sinister undercurrent of what ties these cases together and the shocking news that brings us to the present day.
S2 Episode 25, Take The Long Way Home / The Investigation
The Rope Murders took place at a time which preceded what we've all come to know as forensic science. The murders of Dennis Turcotte, Mark Richardson and Daniel Dewey were also comitted before the internet age . Anna's investigation of the murders has never revolved around web-sleuthing. Much of it has revolved around making contact and connections. It has led her on a path to retrace the trail of
S2 Episode 24, The Dead End Road/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Dead end roads don't always lead to dead ends, sometimes they lead to answers. Anna takes a trip to meet a listener that helps connect the dots to a location she has been searching for for years.
S2 Episode 23, The Map/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
From digging into old records and newspaper archives to tracing faded genealogy lines, Anna has used different investigative techniques and tools. But the one tool that perhaps produced the most revelatory information has been a map that became available through a cab company. In this episode, Anna details what she placed on this map, and in turn, what she learned from it. She also makes a shockin
S2 Episode 22, The Photos/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Over the course of six years and two seasons of the podcast, Anna has been trying to decipher the identities of the murdered teenage boys who ended up in the photos that were eventually shown to other children. The individual who showed them those photos was a child predator. Anna's investigation has steadily cleared a path through a forest of questions. In this episode, she explains why what was
S2 Episode 21, Devil in the Detail/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Anna unexpectedly connects with a woman who had information that sent her reeling. The years Anna has spent investigating the Rope Murders have been filled with attempts to connect deaths, details and decades. It’s been a constant pursuit of this theory that the murders of Dennis Turcotte, Mark Richardson and Daniel Dewey were part of a wider web spun by predators masking as trustworthy people. In
S2 Episode 20, The Leak/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
During Anna’s investigation of the Rope Murders, she found correlations to the mysterious case of Eddie Wells, the pedophile operation ran by Boy Scout Troop 137, and one person who seemed to have tentacles touching all those elements. But it took Anna years to find those connections. In the initial stages of her investigation, she had a working theory about the Rope Murders. That theory was teste
S2 Episode 19, The Footlocker / The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Anna’s investigative focus stays on the Orange Grove Plantation as she sits down with a woman who, as a young girl, lived near the plantation in Plaquemines Parish and visited its grounds. Through Anna’s yearslong investigation of the Rope Murders, she’s come to believe the Orange Grove Plantation was a significant site. It was also a place a survivor from season 1 of New Orleans Unsolved was take
S2 Episode 18, The Shell Road/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Fragmented memories, fading landmarks and decades old newspaper articles have been among the puzzle pieces Anna has had to work with as her investigation of the Rope Murders took her deeper into Plaquemines Parish…and some of its troubled history. One place, located off what was described as the shell road, stood for more than a century. But for one person, it represents a dark point in his past.
S2 Episode 17, The Dark Star/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
The bodies of Dennis Turcotte, Mark Richardson and Daniel Dewey may have been found north of New Orleans, but as Anna as got deeper into her investigation of their murders and the crimes of Boy Scout Troop 137, her findings kept taking her south…to Plaquemines Parish. She discovered connections to some of its history of hate. At a remote site off the parish’s coast, there was physical evidence of
S2 Episode 16, King of the Bayou / The Rope Murders: The Investigation
So far, Anna’s investigation of the Rope Murders has uncovered links to the pedophile cell that was Boy Scout Troop 137. While that troop may have been based in New Orleans East, Anna found that its tentacles reached outside of the city. In this episode, Anna’s investigation shifts to a place that was once dominated and defined by a segregationist who some called King of the Bayou.
S2 Episode 15, Be Prepared/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
The Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” predates the founding of the organization in 1910, but preparedness became a cornerstone of Scouting for the century that followed. In the case of Boy Scout Troop 137 in New Orleans, the crooked leaders of that troop were unprepared for the investigations and arrests that stemmed from the abuse inflicted on the children of that troop in the 1970’s. In this epis
S2 Episode 14, Scout's Dishonor/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Over the two seasons of the podcast, Anna’s investigations have involved the mysterious deaths of teenage boys and the abuse of young children. As she continued her work on the Rope Murders, she kept finding a connection to an organization that was historically known to be a place for boys and young children.
S2 Episode 13, The Trapper/ The Roper Murders: The Investigation
Anna begins to lay out her four-year investigation of the Rope Murders. It includes a familiar person from season one who said he was shown photographs of dead boys tied up and left in rural settings. Anna analyzes the locations where the victims of the Rope Murders were left. What did they have in common? And to gain a better understanding of how something or someone can be hogtied, we turn to a
S2 Episode 12, The City/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
It took almost 30 years for investigators to identify Daniel Dewey’s body. For almost as long, a narrative kept repeating in newspapers and online articles that Dewey and the two other victims of the rope murders may have been male prostitutes or well-known street kids in the city of New Orleans. But was that really the case? We pose that question to Dennis Stewart and relatives of two of the vict
S2 Episode 11, Texas/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
In the summer of 2000, the remains of John Doe were exhumed from his grave at Pine Hill Cemetery in St. Helena Parish. He had been buried for more than 20 years. Back in 1979, his body had been tied up and left at a local garbage dump in the parish. There were hopes that technology and forensic science could finally reveal the boy’s identity. Those hopes quickly faded until the discovery of an enc
S2 Episode 10, The FACES Lab/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
For roughly 20 years, John Doe’s body had been buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in St. Helena Parish. At the time of his burial and in the two decades that followed, there wasn't much progress in finding a suspect in his murder. The victim’s true identity also remained elusive. In the summer of 2000, officials and investigators physically dug up the past. They exhumed John Doe’s remains. In an attem
S2 Episode 9, Baton Rouge/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
In 1997, after almost 20 years of cold case status, the murders of Dennis Turcotte, Mark Richardson and John Doe would get renewed interest. Dennis Stewart was a relatively new detective with Louisiana State Police, but his knowledge of one of the Rope Murders went back to 1979. Stewart grew up in Greensburg, Louisiana, not far from where John Doe’s body was discovered. He remembered hearing about
S2 Episode 8, The Quarter/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
When each victim of the rope murders was found, investigators didn’t make any public mention of a serial pattern or perpetrator. But, within a month after the discovery of John Doe’s body in St. Helena Parish, at least one newspaper ran a story about the boys being “male hustlers” who may have been stalked by a “sex killer”. The hustling scene in the French Quarter of New Orleans has been a real t
S2 Episode 7, Pine Hill/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
In 1979, Jack Foster was assigned the case of a teenaged boy who had been ritualistically tied up, murdered and left at a local garbage site in St. Helena Parish. Foster was a self-taught detective working part time with the sheriff’s office. He was described as determined and thorough. But, those qualities wouldn’t be enough to find out the boy's true identity, let alone the person responsible f
S2 Episode 6, St. Helena Parish/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
On November 12, 1979, the tiny sheriff’s department in St. Helena Parish was just beginning its investigation of a body that had been ritualistically tied-up and left at a garbage dumpsite. The body was decomposing. Identifying the victim was difficult. What authorities could say definitively was that it appeared to be the body of a teenage boy. In an attempt to identify that boy, the sheriff’s gr
S2 Episode 5, Greensburg/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Following a coroner’s inquest jury in Harrison County, it was determined that Mark Richardson’s death was the result of a homicide. The coroner presumed Richardson died from a possible overdose of injected drugs, but the actual cause of death was undetermined. No explanation or theory was offered about the fact that Richardson was found with his hands and feet tied behind him. How was Richardson k
S2 Episode 4, Biloxi/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Two days after a tied-up body was found in a wooded area near coastal Mississippi, a family from Biloxi believed it was that of their teenage son. Only weeks separated the discoveries of his body and Dennis Turcotte’s. The fact that both victims had been ritualistically bound would seem to show a strong connection between the cases, but early in the Mississippi investigation, authorities were grap
S2 Episode 3, Pass Christian/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
Soon after Dennis Turcotte’s body was discovered, the working theories about his death and disappearance revolved around New Orleans’ French Quarter. A New Orleans bellhop was said to be the last person who saw Turcotte alive. In this episode, Turcotte’s brother details what Dennis was doing before he went missing. In neighboring Mississippi, a second investigation begins after the body of another
S2 Episode 2, Slidell/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
After Dennis Turcotte’s body was discovered bound and dumped in 1978, New Orleans Police Detective Frank Weicks traveled out of his jurisdiction to the rural area of Talisheek to assist in the case. The working theory was Turcotte had spent time in New Orleans French Quarter and was possibly kidnapped from there. But once at the crime scene, Weicks found some pressing and practical problems. In th
S2 Episode 1, Talisheek/ The Rope Murders: The Investigation
The creators of New Orleans Unsolved are finally back with their second season. This time, they’re investigating a set of truly mysterious murders. In 1978, hunters found the body of a teenager in a rural area of Louisiana. His hands and feet were ritualistically tied, the rope was connected to his neck. Some described the way the victim was bound as “hogtied”. A veteran New Orleans Police detecti
The Rope Murders Trailer
Investigative producer Anna Christie and veteran journalist Thanh Truong are back with the second season of their independent true crime podcast. Season 2 of New Orleans Unsolved, The Rope Murders, begins October 11th, 2023.
Episode 18: Raleigh
A man who says he was one of Eddie Wells’ best friends cautiously shares what he knows of a fateful day in 1982. He claims he was with Eddie the day he disappeared. To get his story, we go inside a parish jail.
Episode 17: Urquhart Street
In the season finale, Stanley Burkhardt gets arrested again, but will he stay in prison? His testimony in a court hearing weighs heavily in that decision. The testimony includes details in Eddie Wells’ case.
Episode 16: The Lower 9th Ward
On the very same day of the jailhouse interview, a second interview followed. It was unexpected and took place in the Lower 9th Ward. What did one of Eddie's closest friends say to him before he disappeared?
Episode 15: St. Bernard Parish
A man who says he was one of Eddie Wells’ best friends cautiously shares what he knows of a fateful day in 1982. He claims he was with Eddie the day he disappeared. To get his story, we go inside a parish jail.
Episode 14: Haney Drive
New Orleans is in the 1980’s was a very dark place and time for one man. As a boy, he lived in New Orleans East, not far from Stanley Burkhardt’s home. His memories of certain events are some of the most detailed we’ve heard so far, including details of a disturbing photo of Eddie Wells.
Episode 13: Southeast Louisiana
Robert details a set of serial killings that predates the death of Eddie Wells. He believes all the cases could be linked to Stanley Burkhardt, but is there evidence to support any of it?
Episode 12: Orleans Parish
Two people with intimate details of Stanley Burkhardt’s career as a New Orleans police detective are coming forward. They both believe Burkhardt is capable of murder. They only agreed to speak under a cloak of anonymity.
Episode 11: The Upper 9th Ward
After revealing her story about her time with Stanley Burkhardt, Kristin now is ready to detail what she knows about the death of Eddie Wells. Her accounts seem to build a stronger connection between Burkhardt and Eddie’s mysterious death in 1982.
Episode 10: Florida
A woman who has never spoken publicly about her alleged ordeals with Stanley Burkhardt finally comes forward. Her revelations about Burkhardt and Eddie Wells are shocking. We travel to Florida to get her story.
Episode 9: Kenner
As the current cold case investigation into Eddie Wells’ death continues, we hear from a woman who has intimate knowledge of the man whom multiple people believe had a role in Eddie’s death in 1982. She is also the man's niece, and a victim of his criminal side.
Episode 8: Dallas
In the aftermath of the prison system releasing Stanley Burkhardt multiple times, Richard decides to go on the offensive. He begins what he calls “the crucible.” It set off a chain of events that ultimately leads to the cold case investigation of Eddie Wells’ death.
Episode 7: Vaughan’s Lounge
The law catches up with Stanley Burkhardt, but not before a shocking a conversation Richard says he had with him. That conversation supposedly took place at Vaughan’s Lounge in the Bywater, and it revolved around the death of Eddie Wells.
Episode 6: New Orleans East
The narrative shifts to New Orleans East. Vic’s family moves to that neighborhood and he believes he can avoid Stanley Burkhardt. He’s proven wrong and something proves to be even more chilling when he says Burkhardt shows him a set of photos.
Episode 5: North Carrollton and Banks
An already twisted situation for Richard worsens and it begins to unfold just blocks away from his home in Mid-City. Meanwhile, Vic recalls the first time he met Eddie Wells. All of this takes place with Stanley Burkhardt looming over their lives.
Episode 4: South Broad and Gravier
Detailed accounts and accusations of corruption deepen. Serious questions about a New Orleans Police Detective are swirling. It’s the same detective who was adamant that Eddie Wells was murdered back in 1982.
Episode 3: Mid-City
The current cold case investigation into the death of Eddie Wells began after complaints filed with the New Orleans Police Department by two men. They believe one man killed Eddie. The accounts of what they endured and witnessed begin to uncover a long history of cover-up.
Episode 2: The Bywater
We get a clearer picture of the life Eddie Wells led in the neighborhood where he grew up: Bywater. Eddie was portrayed in a less than favorable way in the newspaper, but those who grew up with him paint a different portrait. They also describe a person who often put Eddie on edge. Did he have anything to do with Eddie’s death? The web of questions expands.
Episode 1: Piety and Desire
The death of Eddie Wells in 1982 would seem like a straightforward case. His body was found floating in the Mississippi River in New Orleans’ Upper 9th Ward. The coroner determined he likely drowned, but a police detective believed the 17-year old boy was murdered. The New Orleans Police Department is now re-examining Eddie’s death, and so are we. The mystery begins between Piety and Desire stree
New Orleans Unsolved Trailer
The new podcast is a narrative dive into the decades old case of a 17-year old boy who drowned in New Orleans. The investigation into the mysterious death uncovers a web of crime, corruption and cover up. At the center of it all is a criminal who has been hiding in plain sight.
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