The Midwest Crime Files
184 episodes listed below
Small towns, hard cases, plainspoken grief.
The Midwest Crime Files follows murder cases from Midwestern towns and nearby regions, often tracing how ordinary homes, hospitals, roads, and neighborhoods become crime scenes. Gina’s narration mixes case chronology with candid reactions from guests, leaving room for emotion, disbelief, and plainspoken judgment.
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The Midwest Crime Files is a conversational true-crime show about murders and severe violence that break through the quiet surface of smaller communities. Gina is the clearest recurring voice in the excerpts, guiding cases through timelines, family relationships, warning signs, police findings, and the aftermath left behind. The show has a loose, unscripted feel. That looseness matters. Instead of presenting each case as a sealed documentary package, episodes often sound like someone working through the facts with another person in the room, stopping for disbelief, frustration, or a hard emotional beat. Guest hosts such as Taylor, Lindsay, and Sophia give the show a reactive texture, especially when a case depends on suspicious explanations or choices that make little sense under scrutiny. In Jade’s story, Jessica Bradley’s presence shifts the episode into something more personal, with grief and memory carrying as much weight as procedure. The subject matter is heavy. Recent excerpts include child abuse, domestic violence, a child’s death, a man found shot in his front yard, a young man found dead in a Chicago alleyway, and the Erica Parsons case, where the supposed story around “Nan” collapses under investigation. The show also reaches into older crime history, including the Bloody Benders. Its editorial center is not mystery for mystery’s sake. It is the rupture: what happened, who was hurt, what families knew, what investigators could prove, and how a community absorbs the damage. The tone can be blunt, especially when the facts are cruel or the alleged behavior is hard to sit with. It does not hide that reaction. That makes The Midwest Crime Files best for listeners who want true crime with human immediacy, not a heavily produced reenactment or a clinically neutral case file. The show’s strength is its plainspoken moral pressure. It keeps asking the practical questions that linger after the headline fades.
Made for: For true-crime listeners who want intimate case storytelling, victim context, and candid reactions around murders that shook smaller communities. It fits audiences comfortable with emotionally heavy material and a less-polished, more conversational format.
What sets it apart: The show’s unscripted case-talk style gives room for real-time disbelief, personal connection, and blunt moral response. Episodes often feel less like a studio documentary and more like a detailed case conversation at the kitchen table.
Small Towns. Heinous Crimes. We are exploring the crimes that rocked small communities. Chris & Gina are a married couple who discuss real crimes from their area and other midwest towns in an unscripted format. Gina researches the cases and writes the blog, but the podcast is completely unscripted and Chris usually has no knowledge of the case before hand. His reactions are raw and real.
Gina brings the case file; you bring a strong stomach and room for raw reactions.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A personal, grief-shaped account of Jade's life, loss, and the relief of finally speaking it aloud.
Jade's Story brings Midwest Crime Files to a loss the host cannot hold at arm's length. Jessica Bradley recounts the death of her 11-year-old daughter, Jade, while the host remains both friend and interviewer.
Measured true crime with uneasy questions.
This episode explores the story of Joseph Murphy, who committed a brutal murder, examining whether his childhood circumstances should mitigate his actions and the debate over the death penalty.
The host of the Midwest Crime Files podcast interviews her friend Jessica Bradley about the 2020 death of Bradley's 11-year-old daughter, Jade, in Southern Illinois.
This episode tells the true crime story of Walter Couch, focusing on his abusive marriage to Linda and the deadly consequences that unfolded in a small town.
This episode explores a true crime story about a mother who deceives her child, betraying the fundamental role of protection and nurturing, set in a small town context.
Gina and Taylor discuss the murder of Bill Reynolds in southern Indiana, exploring the case details and investigation.
The Midwest Crime Files examines the June 2000 murder of Oscar Velasquez, a 22-year-old Mexican immigrant and over-the-road trucker living in Chicago.
Gina recounts the story of an infant's mysterious injury and the subsequent investigation into the father's role.
Gina recounts the case of Jennifer Jackson and Brian Stewart, whose infant son was abused, exploring the impact of military service and fatherhood.
The Midwest Crime Files examines the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee.
A married couple discusses a real crime case from the midwest in an unscripted format, with one host reacting to the details for the first time.
A married couple discusses heinous crimes from small midwest towns in an unscripted format, starting with Patreon shoutouts.
A married couple discusses a 2016 murder case in Kalamazoo, Michigan involving an Uber driver.
Chris and Gina introduce the new season of their unscripted true crime podcast, discussing a family feud case.
A married couple discusses a Halloween special about a midwestern serial killer who influenced horror cinema.
Chris and Gina discuss the case of serial killer dentist Glennon Engelman from St.