Crime Stories With Nancy Grace

The disappearance of Chase Massner on March 27, 2014, has stumped police and devastated the Iraqi War vet’s family. As the probe is handed over to a cold case unit, Nancy Grace leads her own investigation at the request of Chase’s mom. She shares what she's finding over the next weeks in a special “Crime Stories” series, starting with episode 1 on the 3rd anniversary of Chase’s vanishing. (music by audionautix.com) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tennessee teacher now on the run with a freshman student frequently gave the 15-year-old girl back rubs and held hands with her at school, according to the lawyer for the teen’s father. There is a nationwide lookout for Tad Cummins, 50, wanted for aggravated kidnapping of Elizabeth Thomas. Nancy Grace interviews attorney Jason Whatley in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A prosecutor offers new clues suggesting Elizabeth Thomas did not leave voluntarily with former teacher Tad Cummins. The 15-year-old told her sister “if I’m not back by six o’clock tonight, call the police or come looking for me,” District Attorney Brent Cooper tells Nancy Grace. “My biggest fear is that she had changed her mind about going with Mr. Cummins and that she expressed that to him and he took her then forcefully,” he tells Nancy in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Elizabeth Thomas’ father complains he was never told a teacher was romantically involved with his daughter, it’s revealed Tad Cummins’ wife works for a high-ranking school official. Police fear the teacher and the 15-year-old girl may be hiding far away from their Tennessee hometown. They reveal Cummins had search the web for info on marrying a teen. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke look at the latest in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An alarming number of kidnappings, rapes and murders have been linked to messaging applications that can easily be downloaded onto smartphones for free by pre-teens and teens. Police are warning about one especially popular mobile chat app called Kik, which the creator claims is used by 40% of US teens. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke explore the dangers in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The male teacher who is on the run with a 10th grade girl could be “far away” from their Tennessee town hometown, according to investigators. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is calling on people across the country to keep an eye out for Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas, who they think may be camping in rural areas to avoid being found. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke update the search for Cummins, 50, who is wanted for the aggravated kidnapping of Thomas, 15. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A high school teacher is allegedly on the run with a 15-year-old female student and investigators warn he is armed and dangerous. Elizabeth Thomas was last seen stepping into Tad Cummins’ SUV at a Columbia, Tennessee gas station Monday. A nationwide Amber Alert was issued when police determined the teen was in extreme danger. Cummins lost his teaching job last month amid accusations about his close relationship to his student. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke take a close look at the investigation in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Temple spent a decade in prison after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife, but the former high school coach is free while a Texas DA decides if he’ll be tried again for Belinda Lucas Temple’s death. She was 8 months pregnant when killed by a shotgun blast in her Katy, Texas, home in 1999. Prosecutors argued her husband wanted to get rid of her so he could marry his mistress. The conviction was tossed when an appeals court ruled prosecutor misconduct denied Temple a fair trial. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia investigators are close to declaring the disappearance of Iraq War vet Chase Massner to be a cold case. Nancy Grace, however, won’t let the search for the father of two young girls go cold. Grace has literally taken to the streets to track down witnesses and clues about what happened to Massner, who was 26 years old when he vanished. The results of her personal investigation will be presented in a week-long series of “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” episodes starting March 27, the third anniversary of Chase’s disappearance. This episode offers a preview of what she is finding. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Polanski fled the United States 40 years ago because he feared a Los Angeles judge would send him to prison for years after he admitted having sex with a 13-year-old girl. The filmmaker, who found refuge in Europe, has renewed his legal effort to be allowed back in California with no more jail time so he can resume his movie-making career. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke debate Polanski’s case in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casey Anthony appears to blame her parents — specifically her father — for the death of her two-year-old daughter in a new interview with the Associated Press. She tells the AP reporter that she doesn’t know what happened to Caylee, but that the child was in the care of her parents. Nancy Grace believes George and Cindy Anthony are the Tot Mom’s “other victims.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhonda Stapley kept her near-death encounter with serial killer Ted Bundy secret for decades, fearing the judgment that could come if she told how he kidnapped and raped her. The Utah college student hitched a ride with someone she thought was a cute law student, but he took a detour and coldly announced he was going to kill her. It was only because she fell into a river and was swept away by a swift current that she escaped. Stapley talks with Nancy Grace about the pain that followed in this “Crime Stories” episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casey Anthony, the Florida woman Nancy Grace dubbed “Tot Mom,” says she has no idea how her daughter Caylee died, but she has no trouble sleeping at night. Anthony’s controversial comments came in an Associated Press interview. Grace, who covered the search when two-year-old Caylee was missing and the acquittal of her mother on murder charges, has her own words for Anthony in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OJ Simpson could be months away from walking out of the Nevada prison where he’s served nine years of a 33-year sentence for a Las Vegas armed robbery. The former NFL star is expected to be freed on parole in October. Jim Moret covered the trial where Simpson was acquitted on murder charges in the killings of his ex-wife and a Brentwood waiter and later for when Simpson was convicted in a robbery trial. Nancy Grace and Moret discuss Simpson’s life behind bars and his prospects when he becomes a free man in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Payne Lindsey, whose podcast about the disappearance of Tara Grinstead is credited by many with helping to solve the cold case after more than a decade, is still digging into the the Georgia teacher’s murder. The “Up & Vanished” creator has new details about Ryan Alexander Duke, who was charged with assaulting and murdering Grinstead and then disposing of her body in a pecan orchard to conceal her death in 2005. He shares his latest findings with Nancy Grace in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video shows Dalia Dippolito telling an undercover cop she wants her husband dead, but screaming later when police tell her he had been killed. Still, two Florida juries have refused to convict Dippolito of hiring a hit man. Dippolito lawyer Brian Claypool argues Boynton Beach police pressured an informant to set her up so the “Cops” reality show could record it. Nancy Grace debates the Dippolito case in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Jackson’s mother signed sworn statement alleging her nephew abused her, stole her money and isolated her from friends and family. The allegations are in a court filing. Trent Jackson denies the charges and accuses several of Katherine Jackson’s sons and daughters of scheming to get rid of him to get closer to her money. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss the latest Jackson family feud in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A judge will soon decide if a retired police captain was within his rights to shoot to death a man who threw popcorn at him during an argument over cell phone use in a movie theater. It is the latest controversial case involving Florida’s “stand your ground” law. Curtis Reeves testified that he feared for his life when Chad Oulsen tossed a bucket of popcorn at him. If the judge decides Reeves’ fear was reasonable, the 75-year-old man will avoid a murder trial. Oulsen’s wife, Nicole, also suffered a wound to her left hand in the shooting. Her lawyer T.J. Grimaldi discusses the case with Nancy Grace in this episode of “Crime Stories.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Pennsylvania mother allegedly used her 8-year-old daughter’s breath to bypass the breathalyzer device installed to prevent her from driving while drunk, but she was busted after crashing her car, according to police. Judges allow many convicted drunk drivers to stay behind the wheel as long as they only drive cars with ignition interlock devices, which tests a driver’s breath before cranking. The woman now faces charges of corrupting her child, along with a new DUI offense. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss this case and the conviction of another woman who put her drugged 5-year-old into a burning car in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fitness guru Jackie Warner blames the sleeping pill Ambien for her drunk driving arrest in which she allegedly tried to hit a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy with her Porsche. Warner, best known for her Bravo TV show “Work Out,” said she took one pill before laying down to sleep. She was in a hospital when she woke up, she said. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke explore Warner’s Ambien defense in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.