Investigators race against time to find a woman who was abducted in the middle of the street. The disappearance of a young girl from a park devastates an entire community. A notorious cold case is solved after more than six decades.
Those are just a few of the Philly-area cases that NBC10 will highlight during a special true crime marathon on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and the weekend after.
NBC10 documentaries
The “True Crime Marathon” will feature true crime documentaries from NBC10, NBC Washington, NBC Connecticut, NBC Miami and NBC Chicago.
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Where can I watch the 'True Crime Marathon?'
The “True Crime Marathon” will stream on NBC 10 Philadelphia News, our 24/7 streaming channel which is available on Roku TV, Peacock, Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play, Local Now, Pluto, Google TV, TCL, Xfinity, and FreeVee.
You can also stream our channel in the video embedded on top of this article, the NBC10 app or by tapping the “Watch News 24/7” button on NBCPhiladelphia.com.
What documentaries will stream during the marathon?
The “True Crime Marathon” will stream the following documentaries at the following times:
Finding Carlesha
Streaming Times: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from noon to 1 p.m. ET; Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from 1 to 3 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 30 from 5 to 6 p.m. ET
In 2014, Carlesha Gaither Freeland was walking home from the bus stop when a man stopped her to ask for directions. That man then grabbed her and pulled her down the street. As she kicked and screamed, he pushed her into his car and drove off. Police may have never known a woman was abducted — or even who she was had it not been for an unlikely witness.
In “Finding Carlesha,” viewers get a behind the scenes look at the race to find her, starting with the moments before she went missing, the people involved and the frantic search for clues Carlesha was leaving behind across state lines. We retrace the path Carlesha’s abductor took during those three days, including a 300-acre farm in Maryland, the strip mall where an ATF agent found the kidnapper’s vehicle, and the town in Virginia where the kidnapper had abused and nearly killed a 16-year-old girl just two weeks before he abducted Carlesha.
We tell the story from various points of view, including Carlesha herself. She tells us her story of survival, hope and forgiveness. The documentary brings together people of different walks of life, all in an effort to save a young woman.
Who Killed Barbara Jean?
Streaming Time: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from 2 to 4:30 p.m. ET
In 1988, 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn was abducted from her Northeast Philadelphia home and murdered. Her body was left inside a cardboard box on the street. Today, after more than 30 years and two trials, police still don’t know who killer her. Her family, the suspects, her neighborhood, and the city of Philadelphia are haunted by this murder.
Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce
Streaming Times: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from 1 to 2 p.m. ET; Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from 4 to 5 p.m. ET; Saturday, Nov. 30, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET
Dulce Maria Alavez went missing on Sept. 16, 2019, from a Bridgeton, New Jersey park. NBC10’s Claudia Vargas reexamines the case. She retraces Dulce's last know steps and speaks with the girl’s family and case investigators.
Somebody Knows Something: Pine Top Trail
Streaming Times: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from 5:30 to 6 p.m. ET; Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from 2:30 to 3 p.m. ET; Saturday, Nov. 30 from 4 to 4:30 p.m. ET
Forty-five years ago, police say Holly Branagan was found dead with a butcher knife in her back in her home in Bethlehem. The mystery continues as family and friends believe that "Somebody Knows Something" in hopes to solve the several decades old crime.
Boy in the Box: Naming America’s Unknown Child
Streaming Times: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from 4:30 to 5 p.m. ET; Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET
In 1957, a young boy was found dead and beaten inside a box in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood. The investigation into this death became one of the nation’s most notorious cold cases. Now 65 years later, police finally know the boy’s name: Joseph Augustus Zarelli. The NBC10 Investigators and Claudia Vargas unveil the decades-long process it took to finally identify the “Boy in the Box.”
Where Is Relisha Rudd?
Streaming Times: Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) from 5 to 5:30 p.m. ET; Saturday, Nov. 30 from 2:30 to 3 p.m. ET
Ten years ago, D.C. police sent the first amber alert in a case that will never be forgotten in Washington. Eight-year-old Relisha Rudd disappeared and has never been found. In our latest News4 Rewind, we spoke to reporters and advocates about Rudd's case and the mystery that remains unsolved today.
Tracing of Doubt: The Forensics of Dr. Henry Lee
Streaming Times: Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from noon to 1 p.m. ET; Sunday, Dec. 1 from noon to 1 p.m. ET
An NBC Connecticut Original Investigation. Forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee is a hometown hero to many in Connecticut. For the first time we hear from two Connecticut men released from prison after a judge ruled Lee gave false testimony during their murder trials 30 years ago.
Parricide: The Act of Killing a Parent
Streaming Times: Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday) from 3 to 4 p.m. ET; Sunday, Dec. 1 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET
Seventeen-year-old Carlos Hallowell killed his adoptive mother, Denise Hallowell, with an axe in 2019. While charged as an adult, Hallowell wasn’t eligible for the death penalty because he was a minor when he plunged a full-sized axe into the back of his mother’s head as she slept. He tried to cover up his tracks by calling 911 and ditching the weapon in a nearby pond, but two years later, at the age of 19, a jury found him guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. Hallowell was given a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is now 22-year-old and talked to NBC Miami exclusively.
The Dora Pinder Murder
Streaming Time: Saturday, Nov. 30 from 4 to 4:30 p.m. ET
A look back at what happened in 1952 after Dora Pinder, the wife of a Miami gambling baron, was murdered.
Scene of the Crime: What Happened to Timothy Pitzen?
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET
For 11 years, the mystery of Timmothy Pitzen’s disappearance has haunted the Aurora boy’s family, police and a legion of supporters, many of whom believe he is alive. This new documentary from NBC Chicago and NBC 5 Investigates follows the twists and turns of the case with exclusive interviews and details that upend previous theories about Timmothy’s whereabouts.
Scene of the Crime: What Happened to Jelani Day?
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET
He was a bright student with a promising future, but an unexpected and sudden change in his daily routine led to a heartbreaking discovery as the reliable son went missing and his relentless mother went looking. New clues and never-before-seen evidence unfolds in a case that was once under a national spotlight.
Ep. 1 Cold Crimes
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 4 to 4:30 p.m. ET
Looking for new clues in some of South Florida’s most notorious cases. The body of a missing woman found in a canal. A man gunned down at a bus station in broad daylight. A convenience store owner killed in cold blood. As unsolved crimes fade from the headlines, there are still those seeking answers — some of them decades later. From new renderings of suspects to surveillance footage offering new clues, police departments across South Florida are using technological advancements and new tools to provide more insight into the cold cases that have shaken South Florida.
Ep. 2 Cold Crimes
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 4:30 to 5 p.m. ET
Can the killers be brought to justice? From new renderings of suspects to surveillance footage offering new clues, police departments are using technological advancements and new tools to provide more insight into the cold cases that have shaken South Florida.
Confessions of a Facebook Killer
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 5:30 p.m. ET
Convicted South Florida murderer Derek Medina speaks for the first time after being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Jennifer Alfonso, in 2013. The victim's mother also breaks her silence and responded to him. The crime generated international attention after Medina took a photo of the victim's body and posted it on Facebook. “When I published that photo, I didn't do it with cruel intentions,” Medina said. From prison, Medina told NBC 6 he killed his wife, Jennifer Alfonso, in self-defense. It’s the first time Medina, who is known as the “Facebook Killer,” talked exclusively to NBC 6 since he was sentenced to life in prison.
The Fatal Obsession of Pedro Bravo
Streaming Time: Sunday, Dec. 1 from 5:30 to 6 p.m. ET
This documentary examines the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and murder of University of Florida student Christian Aguilar in Gainesville by his friend Pedro Bravo after Aguilar started dating his ex-girlfriend, Erika Friman. Interviews with the detective, prosecutor, and father of the victim put the pieces of the puzzle together, along with the interrogation video of Bravo, surveillance images, photo evidence, as well as police interviews with Erika Friman and friends. Ultimately, the documentary reveals: How did Pedro Bravo kill his friend, and what were his motivations for committing such a heinous crime?
