Investigations
Every multi-part investigation from PRETEND, the true crime podcast hosted by Javier Leiva: the cases, who's involved, and how they ended.
The Gypsy Rose Obsession
what Gypsy Rose Blanchard's medical records really show
PRETEND's series on Gypsy Rose Blanchard, built on a nearly three-hour interview in Louisiana, her leaked medical records, a genetic counselor's review of her 1q21.1 microdeletion, and seven years of prison calls released by Missouri in 2026.
Read the case →The Stalker
the Fernandez family stalking case, Peoria, Arizona
A 23-episode investigation into Rick and Tanya Fernandez of Peoria, Arizona, who told PRETEND they were the victims of a years-long cyberstalker — until police said the messages had come from inside their own home.
Read the case →Chain of Command
the NTCC and House of Prayer churches
PRETEND's investigation into the New Testament Christian Churches of America (NTCC) and its breakaway sect, the House of Prayer, both accused of using cult tactics to recruit and financially control active-duty U.S. service members.
Read the case →Word of Faith Fellowship
Jane Whaley's Spindale, North Carolina church and the Brooke Covington case
PRETEND's coverage of Word of Faith Fellowship, Jane Whaley's secretive church in Spindale, North Carolina, and the 13-year prosecution of minister Brooke Covington over the 2013 beating of former member Matthew Fenner.
Read the case →Who's Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey
harassment and intimidation allegations against true crime author LaDonna Humphrey
PRETEND's investigation into LaDonna Humphrey, an Arkansas true crime author, podcaster, and cold-case researcher accused by former associates and family members of running a harassment and intimidation campaign against people connected to the cases she covers.
Read the case →The Real Catch Me If You Can
the true story behind Frank Abagnale's con-man legend
PRETEND's eight-episode investigation into Frank Abagnale, the self-described con man whose story inspired the film Catch Me If You Can, built on court and prison records that contradict the central claims of his famous autobiography.
Read the case →The Prank
David Richard Stewart and the McDonald's strip-search hoax calls
PRETEND's coverage of David Richard Stewart, the prime suspect in a decade-long wave of hoax calls impersonating police officers that talked fast-food managers into strip-searching employees — reporting that led to Javier Leiva's role in Netflix's Don't Pick Up the Phone.
Read the case →