Season 2, Episode 8 — The Somerton Man

Adelaide, Australia. 1948.

A well-dressed man is found dead on a quiet beach, leaning against a seawall as if he had simply fallen asleep.

There are no signs of violence.

No identification.

And no clear cause of death.

As investigators begin to search for answers, the case takes a strange turn. Labels have been removed from his clothing. A suitcase linked to him contains more clues — but no identity. Then, hidden inside a secret pocket, police discover a small piece of paper with two words:

Tamám Shud.

The phrase leads to a rare book… and inside it, a coded message that has never been fully deciphered.

In this episode of Shadows of Crime, we explore the discovery of the Somerton Man, the investigation that followed, and the theories ranging from poisoning to Cold War espionage.

Who was this man?

What did the code mean?

And why was his identity hidden so carefully?

Keywords: true crime podcast, Somerton Man, Tamam Shud case, unsolved mystery, unidentified person case, cold case investigation, real crime stories

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Season 2, Episode 7 — The Setagaya Family Murders

Tokyo, Japan. December 2000.

In a quiet suburban neighbourhood, a family of four is murdered inside their own home. The crime is brutal, shocking, and unlike anything the area had ever seen.

But what makes this case truly disturbing is what happened after the murders.

The killer didn’t flee.

He stayed.

He used the family’s bathroom.

He ate food from their kitchen.

He spent hours inside the house after the crime.

When investigators arrived, they found an unusual amount of evidence — fingerprints, DNA, clothing, and personal items believed to belong to the killer.

It should have been enough to solve the case.

But more than two decades later, no one has been identified.

In this episode of Shadows of Crime, we explore the events of that night, the evidence left behind, and the investigation into one of Japan’s most baffling unsolved murder cases.

Who was the killer?

Why did he remain inside the house?

And how has such a well-documented crime remained unsolved?

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Season 2, Episode 6 — The Sodder Children Disappearance

West Virginia. Christmas Eve, 1945.

A house fire breaks out in the middle of the night, quickly engulfing the Sodder family home. Parents George and Jennie Sodder manage to escape with some of their children.

But five of them are never seen again.

As the flames die out, investigators search the ashes expecting to find remains.

They find nothing.

No bones.

No bodies.

No evidence that the children were ever inside the fire.

What begins as a tragic accident quickly turns into a mystery filled with strange details — a missing ladder, trucks that wouldn’t start, a cut phone line, and reports of sightings of the children after the fire.

For decades, the Sodder family refused to believe their children had died.

In this episode of Shadows of Crime, we explore the events of that night, the investigation that followed, and the theories surrounding one of the most haunting disappearance cases in American history.

Did the children perish in the fire…

or were they taken before the flames spread?

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