Best Top New True Crime Podcasts of September 2026
Here are my top nine true crime podcasts of September 2026 - believe it or not there were a few more that I listened to but they didn’t make the list!
1. In The Dark: The Journey - Hosted By Ava Kofman - The New Yorker.
You know I love a “medical” related true crime podcast and this podcast has a medical theme crossed with that of a “con-artist”, another genre of true crime that I love so really, this might be the most perfect true crime podcast ever!
In The Dark: The Journey shines a light on the dark side of surrogacy… although to be fair, I am sure this particular case is very rare but it is truly shocking!
We begin hearing from Kayla Elliott who at the age of twenty-six became a surrogate for the first time and:
“… gave birth to a baby girl for a wealthy couple living in a mansion in L.A. County. The couple told her that they already had one child, who desperately wanted a sibling.” (Source here).
Sounds good and legitimate… but after some strange interactions Kayla begins to question if the new parents are being truthful and it really spirals from there!
Not giving any spoilers in case you are not already familiar with this true crime story (although it was all over the news in October 2026) - but your jaw will be on the floor!
The great news is that all five episodes plus a bonus sixth episode are out now and you are definitely going to want to binge this true crime series!
2. Unravel: Lies in Lismore (Season 9) - Hosted By Richard Barker - ABC Australia.
We are off to Australia for the second true crime podcast on this months list where host Richard Barker is investigating the murder of Simone Stobel. Simone Stobel was only twenty-five years old when she vanished from a caravan park in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia and unfortunately her lifeless body was found nearby, six days later. Since then:
“… questions have followed her boyfriend, Tobias Suckfuell, who’s always insisted that he’s innocent. But the truth is difficult to find when lies are layered upon lies. Now there are new twists in the story, and more potential suspects coming into focus. Has the truth been hiding in plain sight? Or did a killer escape without scrutiny?.” (Source here).
This true crime podcast is excellent and will have you hooked from the beginning as host Richard Barker finally tries to solve this cold case.
All seven episodes plus a bonus eighth are out now!
Another brilliant true crime podcast from the Unravel Team that I featured on my Top New True Crime Podcasts of June and July 2026 is Unravel: What Became of Jack? - be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!
3. Al-Fayed: Who Looked Away? - By Nicola Thorp - The Crime Desk.
I featured the World of Secrets: Al-Fayed, Predator at Harrods podcast on my blog back in 2024 and this brand new true crime podcast Al-Fayed: Who Looked Away? takes us back into the life and crimes of Al-Fayed with even more information highlighting his disgusting and disgraceful acts.
However, it is also revealed that Al-Fayed did not operate alone - he had lots of help! In this true crime podcast we learn all about the trafficking operation that aided (and hid) his crimes:
“But this was more than just one man. It was a trafficking network, on the scale of Jeffrey Epstein. In Al-Fayed: Who Looked Away?, journalist Nicola Thorp speaks with survivors to uncover the system that enabled and protected Al-Fayed - and the fight for justice that continues to this day.” (Source here).
A gripping true crime podcast that will have you bingeing all five episodes that are already available now!
4. World of Secrets: Catching My Teacher - Hosted By Rebecca Henschke - BBC.
The investigative true crime podcast World of Secrets has featured many times on my true crime podcast recommendations (one instance I already mention above) and I can’t see that changing any time soon, everything they do is top notch!
In World of Secrets: Catching My Teacher former students that were abused by a teacher/leader who worked throughout a network of boarding schools in Indonesia, get together and realise they are not alone, there are many victims and there has been no justice for them and they want to change this:
“Students from a network of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia hear about a dark secret at the heart of the powerful institution that shaped their lives. They set out to seek the truth - at every step, they’re secretly recording. It’s a story about friendship, love and who you can trust.” (Source here).
A really captivating, raw and revealing true crime podcast that will certainly keep you tuned in until the end!
All five episodes are out now.
5. Ireland Crimes and Mysteries - By Nules - GoLoud.
Honestly this Irish true crime podcast somehow slipped through the cracks as I’ve actually been listening since it launched in 2023 - my bad!! In each episode of this Irish true crime podcast host Nules dives into a different Irish true crime story which makes this the perfect choice if you are tight on time or just don’t want to get caught up in a full true crime podcast series!
Now, with over one hundred true crime episodes available, you have lots to choose from so get downloading and listening!
6. I’m Not A Monster Presents… Where is Austin Tice? - By Josh Baker & Sara Obeidat - BBC Sounds.
In the true crime podcast I’m Not A Monster Presents… Where is Austin Tice? hosts Josh Baker and Sara Obeidat use their investigation skills in an attempt to finally discovering what happened to American freelance journalist Austin Tice who was abducted on the 13th of August 2012, while reporting in Syria:
“Josh Baker investigates one of the biggest missing-person cases of our time. American journalist Austin Tice vanished in Syria, but the US president says he’s alive. For more than a decade Austin’s mother Debra has been leading the search for her son. As Josh Baker and Sara Obeidat travel to Syria to help Austin’s mother’s search, a source gives Josh information that might unlock where he is - and a simple instruction: “Find Austin.”” (Source here).
Hearing from Austin Tice’s mother throughout this podcast really reinforces that this is so much more than another true crime podcast; it is a real life experience, one which highlights a mother’s never ending love for her son and her unwavering quest to find him.
Trust me when I say you need to download all the episodes and queue them up, as there are so many pivotal moments that you simply won’t be able to turn this true crime podcast off once you start listening.
All nine episodes are out now.
7. Betrayal: The Confidante (Season 6) - Hosted By Andrea Gunning - iHeartPodcasts & Glass Podcasts.
Now in its sixth season, I think this is the best season yet of the Betrayal true crime podcast, although it is a pity about all the adverts that feature throughout each and every episode, over and over again… this will really test your patience so you have been warned!! If you can get beyond the annoying advert breaks, the true crime story told in Betrayal: The Confidante is well worth hearing - your jaw will be on the floor! What awaits you is the story of Carl which starts with:
“Threatening messages. A shocking confession. And the year of chaos in between.” (Source here).
In a way, this true crime podcast could slot into the “con-artist” true crime category… there is a ““a cuckoo in the nest”!!
All seven episodes are out now, just wait until you get to episode six!
8. Baby: The Melissa Highsmith Story - Hosted By Sean Kipe & Jason Hoch - Particle Entertainment & Wavland.
Baby is a truly remarkable true crime story. It begins on August 23rd 1971 when a twenty-two month old baby girl named Melissa Highsmith is kidnapped from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Fifty-one years later, Melissa is finally reunited with her family. Melissa Highsmith was still living in the Fort Worth area but “How do you know you’re lost if you don’t even know you’re missing?”.
Over seven episodes we get to know Melissa as she tells her story. We also hear from her family who never stopped searching for her.
A fantastic documentary style true crime podcast that will tug on your heart strings and having you reaching for the tissues!
All seven episodes are out now.
9. Black Box: The Chatbots - Hosted By Michael Safi - Guardian.
OK so the final podcast on this list today is labelled as a “documentary” rather than true crime but I think you will agree, once you listen, that there is a potentially criminal element at work within this podcast and its also too good not to feature.
“Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots.” (Source here).
I honestly found this podcast so interesting and so relevant to life right now.
All six episodes are out now.
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