Fred the Head: The Man Without a Name | Midweek Mini
What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight. A True Crime PodcastShow Notes
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MIDWEEK MINI: FRED THE HEAD — THE MAN WITHOUT A NAME In March 1971, human remains were discovered buried in a secluded location beside the River Trent near Burton upon Trent. The man had been buried in an unusual position. His hands and feet had been bound. He was largely unclothed apart from a distinctive pair of socks, and on his hand was a small gold wedding ring. Police had his fingerprints. They had his teeth. They had distinctive physical characteristics. Decades later, they would have his DNA, modern facial reconstruction and new forensic techniques. But more than half a century later, one question has remained unanswered: Who was he? The unidentified man became known simply as Fred the Head. In this Midweek Mini of What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight, we follow the strange discovery beside the River Trent, the clues investigators hoped would identify Fred, the decades-long attempts to give him his name back and the missing men who have subsequently been considered as possible identities. We also examine the more recent theories surrounding the case — carefully separating established evidence from speculation. Because before he became Fred the Head, this man had a real name. Somebody knew him. And somewhere, the final clue to his identity may still exist. ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING This episode contains discussion of human remains, suspicious death and burial. Listener discretion is advised. ☕ SUPPORT WHAT THEY HIDE If you enjoy What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight and would like to support the research and production of future episodes, you can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/Whattheyhidepod Every contribution helps support the show and is massively appreciated. 🎧 TRY AUDIBLE FREE FOR 30 DAYS I use Audible myself and have built up a huge audiobook library over the years. If you’d like to give it a try, you can get a 30-day free trial through my affiliate link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/audible/arya/mlp?ref_=null&_encoding=UTF8&tag=whattheyhide2-21&purchaseType=MTRIAL&SHOPPING_PORTAL_MODE=AUGMENTED As an Amazon Associate/Audible affiliate, I may earn a commission from qualifying sign-ups made through this link. It costs you nothing extra and helps support What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight. 📱 FOLLOW THE PODCAST @whattheyhidepod on social media 📧 CASE SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK [email protected] If you enjoy the podcast, please follow or subscribe, leave a rating or review and share the episode with somebody who loves true crime. It genuinely helps an independent podcast like What They Hide reach new listeners. Sources include: Staffordshire Police Contemporary reporting surrounding the 1971 discovery and investigation Later public appeals and facial reconstruction work Crimewatch Roadshow Publicly available reporting concerning subsequent forensic examinations and potential identities Where theories or possible identifications are discussed, they are presented as such and distinguished from established evidence. Music by MUBERT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight. A True Crime Podcast
Silk Road: Ross Ulbricht and the Dark Web Drug Empire In 2011, a young American named Ross Ulbricht created a secret online marketplace that would change the criminal underworld forever. Its name was Silk Road. Hidden within the dark web, the website allowed thousands of people to buy and sell illegal drugs using Bitcoin, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions. But behind the anonymous username Dread Pirate Roberts, something far darker was unfolding. Alleged murder-for-hire plots. Stolen cryptocurrency. Corrupt federal agents. And an international investigation that would eventually lead to a dramatic arrest inside a San Francisco public library. In 2015, Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison. Then, in January 2025, President Donald Trump granted him a full and unconditional pardon. In this episode of What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight, we investigate the rise and fall of Silk Road, the extraordinary evidence against its creator, and the controversy surrounding his punishment and release. Was Ross Ulbricht a visionary who went too far, or a criminal mastermind who knew exactly what he was doing? Content Warning This episode contains discussions of illegal drug trafficking, fatal overdoses, threats of violence and alleged murder-for-hire arrangements. Ulbricht was not convicted of murder-for-hire, and investigators found no evidence that the alleged contracted killings occurred. Support What They Hide If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting the show. Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/Whattheyhidepod Try Audible FREE for 30 days: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/audible/arya/mlp?ref_=null&_encoding=UTF8&tag=whattheyhide2-21&purchaseType=MTRIAL&SHOPPING_PORTAL_MODE=AUGMENTED Affiliate disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Trial eligibility and terms apply. Every follow, review, share and contribution helps this independent true-crime podcast grow. Research and Sources FBI — Ross Ulbricht’s Laptop https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/ross-william-ulbrichts-laptop US Department of Justice — Silk Road Conviction https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ross-ulbricht-creator-and-owner-silk-road-website-found-guilty-manhattan-federal-court US Department of Justice — Life Sentence https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ross-ulbricht-aka-dread-pirate-roberts-sentenced-manhattan-federal-court-life-prison US Department of Justice — Official Presidential Pardon, January 2025 https://www.justice.gov/pardon/media/1386096/dl?inline= Join the Conversation Do you believe Ross Ulbricht deserved a life sentence? Was the presidential pardon justified? Share your thoughts, and don’t forget to follow What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight for more extraordinary true-crime investigations. Some crimes are hidden in plain sight. Others are hidden behind a screen. #TrueCrime #SilkRoad #RossUlbricht #DarkWeb #DreadPirateRoberts #Bitcoin #WhatTheyHide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Enjoying What They Hide? You can also find the podcast on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel and help this independent true-crime show reach its next milestone of 150 subscribers. ❤️
Enjoying What They Hide? You can also find the podcast on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel and help this independent true-crime show reach its next milestone of 150 subscribers. ❤️
JonBenét Ramsey: Who Killed the Child Beauty Queen? On the morning after Christmas 1996, Patsy Ramsey found a ransom note inside her family’s Boulder, Colorado home. Her six-year-old daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, was missing. Hours later, JonBenét wasn’t found outside the house. She was found inside it — dead in a basement room. Almost thirty years later, her murder remains unsolved. In this episode of What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight, we go back through one of the most scrutinised murder investigations in modern American history and separate the evidence from the mythology that has grown around it. We examine the extraordinary ransom note, the crime scene, the pineapple, the basement window, Lou Smit’s intruder theory, the secret grand-jury indictments and the DNA evidence that was later used to clear the Ramsey family — before asking whether that DNA can really tell us who killed JonBenét. No sensational accusations. No pretending an unsolved case has been solved. Just the evidence, the competing explanations and the questions that remain nearly three decades later. And a special thank you to listener Hugh Mann, who requested this case. Hugh, I told you I hadn’t forgotten. Still not convinced that’s your real name though. ☕ Support What They Hide: Buy Me a Coffee — check the support link in the show profile/show notes. http://buymeacoffee.com/Whattheyhidepod 🎧 Try Audible free for 30 days: Audible UK – 30-day free trial https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/audible/arya/mlp?ref_=null&_encoding=UTF8&tag=whattheyhide2-21&purchaseType=MTRIAL&SHOPPING_PORTAL_MODE=AUGMENTED Affiliate disclosure: The Audible link is an Amazon Associates affiliate link. If you sign up through it, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. It helps support What They Hide. ⭐ If you enjoyed the episode, follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with another true-crime weirdo. It makes a massive difference to an independent show. What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight Content warning: This episode discusses the murder of a child, including details of her injuries and allegations of sexual assault.
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