How we source.
Every claim has a primary source. When sources disagree, we tell you. When we don't know, we say so.
Hierarchy of sources
We rank sources in this order, and we always reach for the highest tier available before we cite anything.
- Official records. Police case files, court documents, FBI press releases, NamUs and the Charley Project, declassified government files, FOIA releases.
- Contemporaneous reporting. Newspapers and broadcast news from the time the case unfolded — local papers first, national papers second.
- Family and direct-witness statements. Public statements from family members, advocacy sites the family runs, and on-record interviews.
- Later mainstream coverage. Network documentaries, mainstream retrospectives, and long-form journalism by established outlets.
- Books by credentialed journalists. Used as supplementary context, never as the sole source for a claim.
What we never use as a primary source
Reddit threads. Wikipedia. Anonymous forums. Other true-crime podcasts and YouTube channels. They can be useful for finding leads to real sources, but they never become the source we cite.
How we handle disagreement
Cold cases are full of contested facts. When two sources disagree — even if one is more popular — we name both and tell you who said what. Never “some people say.” Always a name.
How we handle uncertainty
When a fact cannot be sourced to our standards, we either remove the claim or attribute it carefully: “According to,” “A 2009 Dispatch profile reported,” “Investigators speculated.” The viewer should always know who said it, and when.
What we never do
- Speculate about who did it.
- Name uncharged suspects.
- Run graphic content.
- Use AI-generated images of victims or witnesses.
- Use reenactments without labeling them as reenactments.
Per-episode sources
Every episode page on this site lists the full source set for that case. Every video description includes the same list. If you find a source we missed, write to hello@buriednames.com.