The Skeleton Key Chronicles

2 hours ago

There was some encouraging news out of Washington this weekend after a 4-year-old at the center of a statewide AMBER Alert was found safe, but authorities are still searching for her father.

The alert was issued Saturday after authorities alleged that Grace's father, 41-year-old Matthew Susmilch, took her following an incident at an apartment in Kennewick. Early Sunday morning, officials announced that Grace had been found safe in neighboring Pasco. The alert was canceled after her recovery, however, authorities are continuing their search for Matthew Susmilch as the investigation remains active.

Authorities say Matthew Susmilch should not be approached, rather anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact law enforcement.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

8 hours ago

When a Volkswagen Beetle carrying five teenagers crashed in Riverside, California in 1978, four young lives were lost. While investigators quickly identified three of the victims, the fourth victim's identity would remain a mystery for nearly 48 years.

On June 2nd, 1978, the Beetle lost control while traveling along Arlington Avenue, crossed the center divider, and collided with another vehicle. The driver was the only survivor. When investigators spoke with him, he said he had only met one of his passengers the day before and knew very little about him. With no one else able to identify the young man, his identity remained unknown for decades despite investigators' efforts.

Now, thanks to forensic genetic genealogy, investigators have identified him as 18-year-old Mark Alan Smith. The breakthrough came after a grant made it possible to exhume Mark's remains for additional testing, while the organization GenGenies covered the forensic genetic genealogy work that generated the investigative leads needed to identify him. Nearly five decades later, Mark finally has his name back, and his family finally has the answers they had waited so many years to receive.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

23 hours ago

There are family secrets… and then there are the ones that change everything you thought you knew. That's exactly what happened to actress and filmmaker Sophia Maddox after her father took a DNA test that revealed his biological father was Charles Manson.

Until then, neither of them knew they were connected to one of the most infamous names in American history. The discovery sent Sophia searching for answers about a family history she never knew existed. Along the way, she spoke with people who knew Manson personally, including former members of his group, hoping to understand the man beyond the headlines and what, if anything, that connection meant for her own life.

That journey became the new Hulu documentary "My Grandfather Charles Manson". Rather than simply revisiting a case that's been examined countless times, the film looks at the tangled web left behind and the impact it can still have on later generations who had no part in it.

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