Synopsis

Michelle McNamara often thought back to the 1984 murder of her childhood neighbor, Kathy Lombardo. The case, she believes, first sparked a lifelong preoccupation with unsolved crimes. Detectives who investigated the East Area Rapist (EAR) case during the 1970s – and those who continued their efforts as citizen sleuths – recall a surge in serial rape cases across Northern California. They speak of an era when victims frequently suffered in silence, burdened by shame, and when sexual offenses rece