Had you turned left instead of right.
Had you taken another route.
Had you chosen to stay home that day.
Perhaps you would have never crossed paths with your killer.
Most killers know their victims but for those who don’t, Murdered at First Sight, unravels the chilling tales of innocent lives brutally taken by complete strangers delving into the harrowing challenges faced by police as they hunt for a killer with no motive, no connection, and no trace - turning the pursuit of justice into a race against time.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 1: WITHOUT A TRACE – KELSEY SMITH- US
On June 2, 2007, Kelsey Smith, 18, visits her local Target store in Overland Park, Kansas to buy an anniversary gift for her boyfriend John. But her plans to celebrate the milestone together soon fall apart when she disappears, resulting in a frantic search for the teenager who is found days later, raped and murdered by Kansas local, Edwin Hall – a married father of one living out a sick fantasy of power and violence.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 2: A MOTHER’S ABSENCE – MICHELLE GUNSHON - UK
In December 2004, 38-year-old mother of three, Michelle Gunshon, disappears after working as a security guard in Birmingham, England. Her abandoned car, found with unidentified blood and semen, first leads authorities to presume she is dead. But seven years later, DNA links violent offender Martin Stafford to her murder, but Michelle’s body remains missing with her killer Stafford refusing to reveal its location..
SEASON 3 EPISODE 3: A FATHER’S LOVE - JORGE RODRIGUEZ - US
On July 4, 2017, Jorge Rodriguez, a father of three and soon-to-be grandfather, goes out to a supermarket in Pasco, Washington to buy tomatoes for a family Independence Day celebration—but he never returns home. Shot in his car, Jorge seeks help from stunned passers-by before dying in the hospital. Two days later, 17-year-old Pedro Cardenas is arrested after his girlfriend alerts authorities.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 4: TAKEN - CARLIE BRUCIA - US
On February 1, 2004, 11-year-old Carlie Brucia is walking home from a friend's house in Sarasota, Florida. It's Super Bowl Sunday and she wants to watch the big game with her family but she never made it. Kidnapped in broad daylight by a man she had never met, the sixth grader’s body was found days later near a church. Her killer? A dangerous individual called Joseph Smith who was out on probation having been released from prison 13 months earlier.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 5: UNFORGOTTEN - MANDY STAVIK - US
On November 24, 1989, 19-year-old Mandy Stavik goes for a jog with her faithful dog Kyra near her home in Acme, Washington. But when her dog returns alone, her family become concerned. Three days later, Mandy’s body is found floating in the Nooksack River. Ruled a homicide with signs of sexual assault and strangulation, the search for Mandy's killer goes cold for almost three decades. But in 2013, local rumours eventually lead investigators to a squeaky-clean resident - Timothy Bass, whose DNA eventually matches evidence from the scene.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 6: IN PLAIN SIGHT – BRECK BEDNAR - UK
On February 16, 2014, 14-year-old Breck Bednar tells his parents he’s heading out to visit a friend near to their home in Surrey, England. This comes as a relief to his family after months of growing concern over a stranger Breck has befriended online through a gaming group, influencing Breck's values and personality, causing tension at home. Believing the troubling relationship has come to an end, Breck's parents are unprepared for the devastating events that unfold in the next 24 hours, when it’s revealed Breck has been lured to his death by the manipulation and deceit of 17-year-old predator, Lewis Daynes.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 7: UNINVITED - THE PETIT FAMILY - US
On July 23, 2007, 11-year-old Michaela Petit and her mother Jennifer, 48, are unwittingly targeted at a supermarket in Cheshire, Connecticut by two strangers. That night, known offenders Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky break into the Petit family home, brutally attacking Michaela’s father William and 17-year-old sister Hayley before sexually assaulting Jennifer and Michaela. Seven hours later, all three women were murdered as they perished in the house that had been set on fire with their killers fleeing the scene and Jennifer’s husband, William narrowly surviving the horrific ordeal that took the lives of his wife and children.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 8: LOVE & HATE - PHILIP WALSTED - US
On June 12, 2002, 24-year-old Philip Walsted, is taking a walk in Tucson, Arizona after a long shift at work when he’s attacked by David Higdon, a random stranger who, upon realising Philip is gay, strikes Philip with a baseball bat over 50 times resulting in fatal injuries. Initially thought to be a robbery, the murder is soon revealed via crucial evidence to be fuelled by hate at the hands of a neo-Nazi white supremacist.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 9: WHERE MERCY DIED – SEAN MCKAY - UK
On October 10, 2021, 23-year-old Sean McKay is randomly attacked in his hometown of Stevenston, Scotland and killed by 40-year-old Gary McVey, a stranger with a violent criminal history. Despite public help, Sean, who had just become a father, dies at the scene. Hours later, after vain attempts to cover up his crimes, McVey texts a friend to gloat about killing Sean and shows no remorse for his actions.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 10: TARGETED – BEVERLY CARTER - US
On September 25, 2014, Beverly Carter, 49, disappears after scheduling a viewing to show a house to a prospective buyer in the rural area of Scott, Arkansas. When she doesn’t return home that evening, her husband reports her missing. The next day, Beverely's car is found abandoned, with her cell later discovered at a different location. Using phone records, law enforcement begin a search, and within a few days, were able to locate her body and identify a suspect for her murder - Arron Lewis, a 33-year-old man with a violent criminal history.