Best Missing Persons Podcasts (2026)
Missing persons podcasts investigate the disappearances that shook communities — cases where someone walked out the door and never came home. These shows give a voice to the voiceless, amplify tip lines, and pressure law enforcement to keep looking.
Unlike murder cases where a body confirms the worst, missing persons cases carry a particular psychological weight — the absence of answers that haunts families for years. The best missing persons podcasts treat victims with dignity while relentlessly pursuing the truth.
95 podcasts — expert-reviewed and community-rated
Top Best Missing Persons Podcasts
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And Then They Were Gone
Each week the hosts take one missing-person case and lay out what is known, hoping new information might help.
Ireland Crimes and Mysteries
An Irish host retells crimes and mysteries from across Ireland.
Re-Solved Mysteries: An Unsolved Mysteries Podcast
Updates every segment from the 1990s Unsolved Mysteries TV show.
Already Gone Podcast
Lesser-known cases from Michigan and the Great Lakes.
A Million Other Choices
A Canadian-hosted, victim-centred true crime podcast covering murder and other criminal cases from around the world, with a particular interest in the Canadian justice system.
Hands Off My Podcast: True Crime
Covers missing and murdered people from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
The Deck Investigates
Audiochuck's deep investigation of cold case homicide victims featured on playing card decks distributed to prison inmates.
Your Own Backyard
Listeners who want investigative true crime with real-world consequence and single-minded, passionate focus from a creator who refused to let a case die.
Bear Brook
True crime fans fascinated by forensic science, DNA technology, and cold cases with a genuine scientific payoff.
The Teacher's Pet
True crime fans who like journalism-driven investigations with massive real-world impact; anyone fascinated by domestic crime and institutional failure.
Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo
CBC's Connie Walker investigates the Sixties Scoop through the disappearance of Cleo Semaganis Nicotine.
Going West
Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman cover haunting disappearance and murder cases twice a week, building one of the genre's deepest back catalogues.
Southern Shadows
Community-focused true crime podcast sharing victim stories to raise awareness in Southern communities.
True Crime South Africa
South Africa's flagship true crime podcast, hosted by award-winning journalist Nicole Engelbrecht — the country's most popular true crime show even against international competition.
Ladies Who Crime
Feminist true crime podcast covering cases that disproportionately affect women, hosted by two women.
Someone Knows Something
True crime fans who value empathy, journalistic integrity, and collaborative investigations conducted alongside the victim's own family.
Trace: Murder in the Rainforest
ABC Australia's investigation into the mysterious 2001 disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in the Australian outback.
Five Miles From Home
Keith Morrison and Dateline investigate the disappearance of high school junior Micaela Costanzo on her way home from track practice in a small Nevada casino town.
Death in Ice Valley
True crime fans who love cold case mysteries with an international dimension; people fascinated by forensic identification and the stories hidden in unidentified remains.
LISK: Long Island Serial Killer
Dedicated ongoing coverage of the Long Island Serial Killer investigation, which began in 2010 with the disappearance of sex worker Shannan Gilbert.
We Call Her Emma
Tortoise Investigates and The Observer trace how a high-achieving west London woman ended up at the centre of the Emma Caldwell case.
Lost in Larrimah
A man disappears from an outback settlement with 12 residents, lifelong feuds, and one very missing dog. The ABC's finest outback mystery — and one of the most absorbing podcasts in Australian true crime.
Charlene: Somebody Knows Something
The Crime Desk revisits the 2003 disappearance of 14-year-old Charlene Downes from Blackpool — a case that still has no resolution.
Valley of Shadows
Pushkin traces how the 1998 disappearance of a deputy sheriff exposed the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic and a corrupt police force covering it up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best missing persons podcasts to start with?
Your Own Backyard (covering Kristin Smart), Up and Vanished (covering Tara Grinstead), and Casefile's episodes on missing persons cases are widely considered among the best. Each brings serious investigative reporting to long-unsolved disappearances.
Do missing persons podcasts help find people?
Some do. Your Own Backyard generated enormous public attention that contributed to new leads and ultimately an arrest in the Kristin Smart case. Many shows partner with tip lines and advocacy organisations to turn listener engagement into actionable information.
How do podcast hosts find missing persons cases to cover?
Most hosts start with cases that are under-reported or where families are actively seeking help. Some receive tip-offs from listeners or victims' families who want more attention on their cases. FOIA requests, court documents, and family interviews form the backbone of original reporting.
Are missing persons podcasts factually accurate?
Quality varies significantly. The best shows verify all facts, present multiple perspectives, and include corrections where needed. Always look for shows that cite their sources and acknowledge the limits of what is known.
What is the most listened-to missing persons podcast?
Up and Vanished by Payne Lindsey is one of the most downloaded missing persons podcasts, with tens of millions of downloads. It covers the disappearance of high school teacher Tara Grinstead in Georgia and was instrumental in breaking the case open.
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