10 True Crime Stories That NEED A Netflix Documentary

9. The Lindbergh Baby

Juana Barraza, 48, is presented to the media next to a bust the police used to help in the search for a serial murder suspect at the Mexico City police headquarters Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006. Police say Barraza matches the profile of a believed serial murde
AP

The kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh jr was at one time the crime, and subsequently the trial, of the century, but nearly 90 years on a great many of the details have been consigned to history. The fascinating and troublesome case would be fantastic fodder for a reflective series, even if the story itself can never truly be solved.

The son of famous aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped in March of 1932, and following receipt of a ransom note, the child’s body was found two months later. In 1934, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted of the murder, and in 1936 he was executed in New Jersey.

For all manner of reasons, this most public of cases was a hotbed for theorising, gossiping, and amateur sleuths. Hauptmann protested his innocence to the end, and all manner of alternate theories popped up. Some suggested the crime couldn’t have been a one man job, others pointed to the shoddy police work as a reason Hauptmann’s guilt couldn’t be proved conclusively.

As with any case of such prominence, there are crackpot theorists to wade through, but the story itself remains as chilling today as ever.

Contributor
Contributor

Yorkshire-based writer of screenplays, essays, and fiction. Big fan of having a laugh. Read more of my stuff @ www.twotownsover.com (if you want!)