Plot Synopsis

Featuring archival footage, re-creations, and interviews with key players in the investigations, PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES takes viewers to the heart of the most controversial crimes as each hour-long episode focuses on stories ripped from the headlines. From the Long Island Serial Killer case where new updates have been uncovered exclusively by People reporters; and the "Grim Sleeper," where one of People's journalists worked the case from the beginning, interviewing victims and families and connecting the killings that were occurring in Los Angeles; to the JonBenet murder mystery as it unfolds making headlines now approaching its 20th anniversary and the infamous MacDonald Family murders and more, People's own trusted journalists seek to divulge new facts while revealing the shocking twists and unexpected resolutions that occurred while they were investigating each emotionally riveting case.

PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES premiered on Monday, November 7, 2016 from 9-11pm ET/PT, with a two-part story about the Long Island Serial Killer on Investigation Discovery with a simulcast on TLC. The series' first hour (9pm) begins in 2010 as a vivacious young escort, Shannan Gilbert, visits a client on the south shore of Long Island and vanishes under mysterious circumstances. Her disappearance leads police to the bodies of other victims buried along the shore. This discovery unleashes a wave of secrets, suspects, recriminations and conspiracy theories in the hunt for a serial killer who targets prostitutes, and who leaves behind a trail of grieving families determined to find justice. Then, in the second episode (10pm), the discovery of four women's bodies in the marshlands off Gilgo Beach was just the beginning. Authorities now believe the Long Island Serial Killer may be responsible for up to seventeen deaths over a twenty-year period. But who is the Long Island Serial Killer? Police have no shortage of theories, including multiple killers, corrupt cops, and wealthy sadists who kill for pleasure - but still no suspect. Their investigation leads us into the most sordid corners of this quiet beach community, revealing shocking secrets and twisted relationships, as they race to identify and capture this prolific killer before he strikes again.

The sophomore season of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES premiered on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. In the season opener, "People" editor-in-chief Jess Cagle and senior writer Christine Pelisek delve into the iconic Golden State Killer case. Originally suspected to be two separate criminals -- The East Area Rapist and The Original Nightstalker -- this violent predator began terrorizing Californians in the late 1970s, attacking and killing innocent people at home as they slept. His victims shared little in common, and his deadly escapades haunted the Golden State for nearly a decade. Investigators believe the Golden State Killer is responsible for 12 killings and more than 45 assaults in California spanning 1978 to 1986; the perpetrator remains at large. Subsequent episodes feature: the disappearance of two-year-old DeOrr Kunz; Joey and Summer McStay and their two young boys, who suddenly disappear without a trace; and a family of four being held hostage in their home in the quiet community of Cheshire, CT.

The 15-episode third season of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES premiered on Monday, November 5, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. In the season opener, "Somebody's Watching," Nanette Krentel is found burned to death in her own home in St. Tammany Parish, LA. Her husband and local fire chief, Steven Krentel, is baffled by the accident that took everything he owned, including his true love. During Nanette's memorial service, news is released that Nanette's cause of death was not by the fire. She was shot in the head. An investigation into the lives of Nanette and Steven uncover secrets, lies and deceit while arson experts unravel the story of a fire intentionally set to burn any evidence of a killer. A family of suspects challenges detectives to find the shooter, while a treasure trove of emails and texts from Nanette point towards those closest to her. For the Sheriff's Department, a mystery ensues: Who killed Nanette Krentel?

Season 4 of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES premiered on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. Anchored by original reporting from PEOPLE's award-winning true crime editorial team, the 12-episode new season delves into extraordinary tales of ordinary people thrust into the national spotlight following notorious crimes. The season opener, "The Springfield Three," transports viewers back to June 6, 1992, the graduation day for Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri. After receiving their high school diplomas, new graduates Suzie Street and Stacy McCall head straight to celebrate with their peers at a series of graduation parties. When the evening festivities come to an end, Suzie and Stacy are seen leaving a friend's house to go spend the night at Suzie's. But by the next morning, the two teens, along with Suzie's mother, Sherill Levitt, are gone without a trace. Stacy's family files a missing person's report for the three women, prompting an investigation that leads police through countless twists and turns as authorities work tirelessly to solve the mystery of the Springfield Three.

PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES returned for its fifth season on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. The season opener, "Highway of Horrors," delves into the mysterious disappearance of college student Tammy Zywicki. In 1992, Tammy vanishes after her car breaks down on the highway. Family and friends scramble to find her, and have a semblance of hope when multiple witness accounts of Tammy on the side of the highway flood in. But those hopes are dashed when investigators discover the sinister truth. Police struggle with dead-end leads and suspects who don't pan out, but the case is revitalized when DNA technology and new evidence sheds light on what happened decades later. Subsequent episodes focus on the stories of: camp counselors Lindsay and Jason, whose bodies are found at Fish Head Beach, in Jenner, CA in the summer of 2004; Kelsey Berreth, a young mother and pilot, who was last heard from on the morning of Thanksgiving 2018; The Delphi Killer, who murdered middle-school friends Libby German and Abby Williams in Delphi, IN in February 2017; and more.

On Monday, June 6, 2022 from 9-11pm ET/PT, Investigation Discovery premiered the 12-episode sixth season of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES. The two-hour season opener, "Groene Family Massacre," uncovers the horrific triple murder and double kidnapping of the Groene family that rattles an idyllic lake front community in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Investigators arrive at the Wolf Lodge residence, where mother Brenda Groene, her boyfriend Mark McKenzie and son Slade Groene are discovered bound and bludgeoned within the home -- her youngest children, Shasta and Dylan Groene, missing from the scene. When investigators confirm that the missing Groene children are not with other family members, Amber Alerts are issued and a massive search effort fueled by volunteers and law enforcement sets off to find Shasta and Dylan, dead or alive. Across two mind bending hours, viewers will get a first-hand look as investigators uncover every horrifying detail of Shasta's harrowing escape and rescue and her tireless fight to stay alive.

Season 7 of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES premiered on Monday, July 10, 2023 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. The new season shines a spotlight on some of the most horrifying crimes that have gripped the nation in recent memory. From a mass murder at a yogurt shop in Austin, Texas, that shook the city to its core to exclusive, new revelations in a disturbing missing persons case in the High Sierras that has been a fixation of internet sleuths for years to insight into the hunt to track down the Times Square Killer - each episode continues to offer exclusive interviews with those closest to these crimes, incredible archival footage and emotional, firsthand accounts from victims' loved ones and survivors. The two-hour season opener, "Girl Scout Murders," delves into the 1977 brutal assault and murder of three Oklahoma Girl Scouts away at summer camp: Lori Lee Farmer, Doris Denise Milner and Michele Heather Guse. The case dominated national headlines for more than a year as law enforcement scrambled to find answers. PEOPLE's reporting team takes viewers through the twists and turns of this case, from how local authorities zeroed in on a suspect (a prison escapee with a dangerous past), the all encompassing manhunt to track him down and the subsequent trial that led to heartbreak for the victims' families and many unanswered questions. Featuring an exclusive emotional, new interview with Lori Lee Farmer's parents and siblings, as well as testimony from jurors on the trial and experts close to the case, PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES' gripping season premiere offers key insight into a decades-old case that still lingers in the public consciousness.
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The eighth season of PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES debuted with back-to-back new episodes on Monday, October 28, 2024 from 9-11pm ET/PT. Season 8 delves into a number of shocking cases from across the country. Cases featured this season include a chilling, execution-style murder in West Palm Beach, Florida carried out by a killer in a clown costume; the devastating murder of a young soon-to-be mother outside Chicago, Illinois by a public servant trusted by the community; and a Maryland woman who, after taking a harmless genealogy test to learn more about her past, discovers her birth father is wanted for some incredibly heinous acts, among other gripping stories.

In the season opener, "The Boogeyman" (9pm), in Homosassa, Florida a nine-year-old girl is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night; after a relentless three-week search ends in a devastating discovery, the girl's father dedicates himself to ensuring this tragedy doesn't happen to another family. Then, in the night's second episode, "A Story to Die For" (10pm), Virginia firefighters respond to a house fire in Upperville, Virginia where they discover the body of a local journalist. The fire destroys any hope for evidence, but the victim's social media history leads police down a rabbit hole.