We bring the series to a close with a special episode dedicated to the story of Cindy Paulson, the 17-year-old sex worker who turned the entire Hansen case around. In 40 years, Cindy has never spoken in public about her experience. Now we fly to meet her for an exclusive interview. We talk about her childhood and what led her into sex work, we hear her side of Hansen’s attack and the police’s subsequent negligence. We learn how she began to trust Glenn Flothe, and where she disappeared to. We...

Robert Hansen meets with the prosecution, and the true extent of his crimes becomes apparent, surprising even his defense lawyers. But he doesn't remember any of his victims' names. What follows is the painstaking recovery of bodies and the attempts to identify them. Dr. Michelle Ward revisits the story of Delynn Frey and tells of her family's heartache as the wait to identify her body stretches into years. Two other unidentified victims' stories take us to the present day, and the cold case...

On a fall day in 1983, the police tear apart Robert Hansen’s home in search of evidence connecting him to the murders of two dancers, but all they’ve found is a few flight maps. In an interview room across town, Sergeant Glenn Flothe has his man in front of him, but he’s telling the same old stories. However, as the search turns and Flothe starts to build a concrete case, his key witness, 17-year-old sex worker Cindy Paulsen, disappears into the Anchorage nightlife scene. Hansen has slipped...

In 1983, another woman’s body is found in the sand banks of the Knik River. The police can no longer deny there is a serial killer at work. Detective Glenn Flothe takes on the case at the Alaska State Troopers and realizes it is much bigger than he ever imagined. He painstakingly tracks down further survivors of the man terrorizing Anchorage, including former dancer Christy Hayes, who speaks publicly for the first time about her abduction and escape. Meanwhile, Flothe narrows in on his...

Superiors at the Anchorage Police Department shrug off sex worker Cindy Paulson’s accusations of rape and kidnapping. Still, Patrol Cop Gregg Baker thinks he knows who is responsible and will not let it lie. In this episode, Dr. Michelle Ward and Criminal Profiler Brent Turvey dive deep into the backstory of Gregg’s main suspect. What can his current life in Anchorage and his distant past in Pocahontas, Iowa, tell us about him and the likelihood that he is involved with the cases of the...

Years pass, and more young women disappear from Anchorage’s notorious 4th Avenue strip. Dr. Michelle Ward delves into their unsettled backstories and learns that Anchorage may not be a safe place, but when you want to run away, Alaska is about the furthest place you can go. Then a young girl, just 17, is found handcuffed and bruised running down the street. Could this be related to Detective Maxine Farrell’s missing dancers? Dr. Michelle Ward uncovers audio interviews and looks into the...

Dr. Michelle Ward takes us to 1980s Alaska, into the swirl and chaos of the pipeline oil boom. For months, Detective Maxine Farrell’s been troubled by the list of missing dancers on her desk, but her superiors don’t want to know about it. Then, an off-duty cop makes a shocking discovery in the wilderness - a young woman’s body in a shallow grave. In this episode, Dr. Michelle Ward explores the underworld of Anchorage and its seedy 4th Avenue strip. She explores potential mafia connections and...

If you enjoyed Mind of a Monster, you might also like Very Scary People from ID. Listen to episode 1 here, and follow Very Scary People wherever you get your podcasts. In the late-80s and early 90s, the quaint suburbs of Toronto, Canada were blind-sided by an unprecedented flurry of violent crimes: a serial rapist on the loose and young girls vanishing… only to later discover their dead bodies, dismembered. As separate investigations developed, police across the region followed leads pointing...

Aileen is found guilty of the murder of her first victim. Despite her protestations of self-defence and numerous assessments deeming her mentally incompetent, she is sentenced to death. For the remaining five murders, she fires her legal team and hires a new lawyer, Steven Glazer. She pleads “no contest” further sealing her fate. Aileen’s best friend Dawn stays in close contact, her constant comfort, Aileen begins writing long letters to Dawn. Aileen is on death row for eight years before...

Aileen Wuornos has been captured, her killing spree at an end, but her arrest is only on an outstanding warrant. Police need evidence to prove her guilt and they persuade Tyria, Aileen’s girlfriend, to elicit a confession. It’s a delicate operation but over the phone Aileen eventually agrees to confess. Dr. Michelle Ward explores, with Psychologist Dr. Tasha Jackson, the diminishing emotional state of Aileen in custody, as we hear of her hallucinations from a letter to her best friend, Dawn....

Aileen Wuornos has now killed five men, stealing their cars and possessions in the process. Her next victim is an ex-cop and determined police manage to retrace his steps. Their breakthrough comes from a pawn shop where they find two items belonging to Aileen’s first victim. Dr. Michelle Ward speaks to the investigators about how the case unfolded. They get a name and a fingerprint, but the name is false. Turning to the fingerprint they get a match and have a suspect: Aileen Wuornos. An...

Police are investigating the murder of Richard Mallory. He’s been shot dead by Aileen Wuornos who he solicited for sex work, but Mallory himself has a violent past. Aileen confides in her girlfriend Tyria about the murder, who is initially shocked. Meanwhile, the police investigation runs cold, but it is only six months until Aileen’s next kill. This time, her victim is a construction worker named David Spears. She shoots him not once, but six times in the chest. Dr. Michelle Wards speaks to...

Aileen Wuornos has hitchhiked to sunny Florida, making money through sex work along the highways before meeting a millionaire yacht club president, whom she marries in 1976. But her chance at happiness is short lived and the marriage is annulled. She heads home to Michigan to see her brother, but he soon dies of cancer. Aileen is heartbroken and attempts suicide. Returning to Florida, Aileen meets the love of her life, Tyria. But Dr. Michelle Ward hears how sex work is still Aileen’s only way...

Season 5 of Mind of a Monster begins in Rochester, Michigan. Aileen Wuornos is just a child when she is abandoned by her parents and left with a grandfather who physically abuses her. Aileen is bullied at school and is just 14 when she begins accepting money for sexual favors. Tragically, she is raped by her grandfather’s friend and becomes pregnant, but the baby is taken away from her. Now homeless, Aileen is forced to live in the woods. Dr. Michelle Ward speaks to psychologists and Aileen’s...

From 1989 to 1990, Aileen Wuornos killed seven men as she hitchhiked along Florida’s highways. Some were giving a woman in need a ride, others gave her money for sex, but they all fell victim to the rock ‘n’ roll biker chick dubbed the ‘Damsel of Death’. Across 6 episodes, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward speaks to detectives, witnesses, and experts to delve into the mind of Aileen Wuornos, a woman fuelled by rage after decades of abuse at the hands of men. We’ll hear Aileen’s...

Jeffrey Dahmer’s reign of terror finally ends after claiming 17 lives and attacking and drugging countless more. As the case goes to trial, could his insanity defense actually work?  Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters themselves. Season 4 of Mind of a Monster examines Jeffrey Dahmer, who from 1978 to...

Dr. Michelle Ward tracks his latest victim, Tracy Edwards, as he manages to escape Dahmer’s clutches. This time, law enforcement finally takes notice, and when they enter his apartment, they make a macabre discovery -- a human head in the fridge.    Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters themselves. Season...

It’s 1991 and Jeffrey Dahmer's depravity has descended to a new low. Tired of his victims dying so quickly, he attempts to create human zombies. Dr. Michelle Ward investigates as Dahmer’s apartment transforms into a Dantean epicenter of pain, deviance, and torture, as victim after victim find themselves in Dahmer’s clutches. In this episode, we meet Rita Isbell, whose brother Errol’s life was cut short by Jeffrey Dahmer when he met him near a bookstore. We also follow as once again the police...

After a nine-year gap between his first and second kills, Jeffrey Dahmer now murders men and boys at speed. Dr. Walsh tracks Dahmer’s progression as a serial killer and investigates how a near miss almost stops his killing spree in its tracks. Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters themselves. Season 4...

Dr. Michelle Ward discusses how Dahmer flunks college and enlists in the army, before finally moving in with his grandmother in Milwaukee. The prevailing story of this period is that he resists his violent urges for nine years -- but is this the truth?  Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters themselves....

We begin in the picturesque town of Bath, Ohio, where a troubled teenager is developing some disturbing interests. Speaking to experts and witnesses, Dr Michelle Ward investigates the pivotal moment that saw Jeffrey Dahmer shift from class jokester to ruthless killer.  Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters...

Hosted by criminal psychologist Michelle Ward, the Mind of a Monster true crime podcast brings you exclusive access and insight into some of history’s most notorious serial killers—with chilling audio straight from the monsters themselves. Season 4 of Mind of a Monster examines Jeffrey Dahmer, who from 1978 to 1991 murdered seventeen men and boys, attempted to kill at least two others, and attacked, drugged, and abused countless more. He cannibalized some of his victims, dismembered their...

While you're waiting for the new season of Mind of a Monster, check out a new podcast from ID: Why Can't We Talk About Amanda's Mom? Listen to episode 1, Renee, here. In November 1993, a veteran discovers the body of a woman on a dirt road near Interstate-10 in Mobile, Alabama. She’s nude, drained of blood, and decapitated. But despite the horrific nature of the murder, it garners little sympathy in the press and detectives fail to close the case. Over the course of 8 episodes, host Sarah...