Best Cold Case Podcasts (2026)
There's something about an unsolved case that stays with you. These podcasts dig into cold cases with real investigative depth — some have even helped generate new leads. If you like mysteries that keep you thinking long after the episode ends, start here.
Waking up with a podcast on iOS
Podcast Alarm is a fully featured podcast player and alarm. You can set up queues of your favourite episodes and listen to them whenever you like. Why not subscribe to your favourite podcast and have the latest episode wake you up every weekday morning. There are lots of screenshots and videos in our "How to set a podcast as an alarm on iphone?" blog post.
1. Cold Case Files
The podcast companion to the A&E series, Cold Case Files revisits murders and disappearances that went unsolved for years or decades. Each episode walks through the original investigation and the breakthrough that eventually cracked it. Tight storytelling with real stakes.
2. The Trail Went Cold
Robin Warder covers a different unsolved case each week, many of which you won't have heard of before. His research is thorough and his delivery is calm and measured. One of the best solo true crime shows out there.
3. Thin Air Podcast
Thin Air focuses exclusively on missing persons cases. The hosts treat each disappearance with genuine care, interviewing families and examining the evidence without sensationalising. It's the kind of show that makes you want to help.
4. Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad
Billy Jensen and Paul Holes — the investigator who helped catch the Golden State Killer — team up to work active cold cases. They bring real expertise and actually crowdsource tips from listeners. This show has directly helped solve crimes.
5. The Vanished Podcast
Marissa Jones covers missing persons cases, often working directly with the families to bring attention to cases the media has ignored. The show is compassionate and well-researched, shining a light on people who deserve to be found.
6. Unfound
Ed Dentzel interviews the families of missing people, giving them a platform to tell their stories in their own words. Every episode is a reminder that behind every cold case is a family still waiting for answers. Raw and important listening.
7. Trace Evidence
Steven Pacheco examines unsolved cases with meticulous detail, laying out all the evidence and presenting his own theory at the end. His episodes are long and thorough — perfect for when you want to get fully absorbed in a single case.
8. Someone Knows Something
CBC's David Ridgen investigates cold cases across Canada, often finding new witnesses and evidence decades after the original crime. Each season is a single case told in gripping detail, and Ridgen's dogged reporting has actually helped reopen investigations.
Start Your Morning with a Great Podcast
Set any of these podcasts as your alarm with Podcast Alarm and wake up to something worth listening to.
Waking up with a podcast on iOS
Podcast Alarm is a fully featured podcast player and alarm. You can set up queues of your favourite episodes and listen to them whenever you like. Why not subscribe to your favourite podcast and have the latest episode wake you up every weekday morning. There are lots of screenshots and videos in our "How to set a podcast as an alarm on iphone?" blog post.
