INFAMOUS: The Mushroom Cap Murders

It started with a parked car near Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and a woman’s voice from inside: “You’re going to hurt me.” Within hours, investigators were at the door of a boarded-up rowhouse in the city’s Olney neighborhood. What they found inside raised more questions than answers, and months later, they’re still trying to separate what’s real from what was staged. So our team started digging into the house, the men who lived there, and the women whose trails lead back to it.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, a serial predator targeted young girls in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. He wore a mask and left little evidence behind. Investigators described him as calm and calculating, earning him the nickname, “Mr. Cruel.” More than three decades later, he has never been caught. But continued reporting by crime journalists and renewed hope from crime junkies have kept the case in the spotlight, fueling hope that his identity may one day be revealed.