The cat killer’s nemesis

Animal-lover Tony is on the trail of a cat killer. He believes that someone is killing and mutilating pets across south-east England. But not everyone agrees this is murder, or even a crime. As Tony pursues a nightmarish villain, he must also contend with those who believe he’s chasing a shadow. After Tony’s story, producer Poppy Damon speaks to true crime expert Rachel Monroe on the role that ordinary citizens like Tony play when investigating cases alongside the police, and the sacrifices that home sleuths make in devoting their time to a cause.

Home Sleuth brings you true crime stories from citizen investigators taking justice into their own hands. An unidentified murder victim, a schoolteacher’s suicide, the brutal dismembering of animals. The police have investigated these cases, but our sleuths aren’t content with the answers. They begin their own search for justice. Over five episodes, we hear the gripping story of the role that home sleuths play in investigating crimes and mysteries, from the original internet sleuth in the 1990s through to present-day true crime YouTubers. In most true crime podcasts, a presenter tells you where the story is going. This time, we break the mould. The sleuths present their own stories. After each episode, the series producers sit down with true crime expert Rachel Monroe to examine what the case can tell us about the wider world of true crime. Why do ordinary people dedicate themselves to these investigations? Is it ethical? What does it say about our obsession with true crime? Home Sleuth is a Furrowed Brow production for BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon

Associate producer - Brenna Daldorph

Sound Design by John Scott

Fact-checking by Arthur Gompertz

Editorial consultation and additional sound design by Nick Van Der Kolk at Wingdog Audio

Commissioned by Luke Eldridge and Nicky Birch for BBC Sounds