When Medical Mysteries Meet Malpractice Mayhem
Captivated by the surgical nightmare that was Dr. Christopher Duntsch? Congratulations, you’ve officially joined the ranks of people who find comfort in medical malpractice stories while simultaneously vowing to research every doctor within a 50-mile radius before your next check-up.
“Dr. Death” combined our morbid fascination with true crime and our deep-seated fear that the person wielding a scalpel might be having an off day, creating the perfect storm of investigative journalism that had us all Googling our physicians’ credentials at 2 AM.
If you’re craving more medical true crime podcasts like “Dr. Death”, here’s a collection of shows that examine medical mysteries, institutional failures, and the terrifying reality that sometimes the call is coming from inside the hospital.
Bad Batch
Individuals seeking a miraculous remedy find themselves in life-threatening situations. Time becomes crucial as investigators work to determine the cause before additional victims suffer harm. The investigation traces back to a healthcare corporation featuring polished promotional campaigns and an influential chief executive. The path also leads to a massive stem cell sector where avarice and hopelessness intersect.
The Binge Cases: Doctor’s Orders
After a heated argument with her boyfriend, an aspiring actress and model in Santa Monica, Calif. lets a stranger into her home. Their talk escalates to violence, ending with her strangulation. The 2008 killing of Juliana Redding opens a case that leads detectives to a storage unit containing evidence of a $150 million fraud scheme orchestrated by a mysterious orthopedic surgeon whom prosecutors call the “mastermind of fraud.”
Sick
“Sick” serves as an investigative podcast examining failures within institutions designed to maintain public health. The program’s initial season investigates the complexities of reproductive medicine, focusing on one Indiana physician’s misuse of authority and the multiple generations impacted by his actions.
The Immaculate Deception
Fertility specialist Jan Karbaat achieved remarkable success rates at his Rotterdam clinic, helping desperate women conceive. After the clinic’s closure, disturbing rumors emerged about Karbaat’s methods. The offspring from his treatments – the Karbaat Kids – started questioning what truly occurred. From Somethin’ Else, The Immaculate Deception explores a physician willing to create life through any means necessary.
Do No Harm
When Melissa Bright’s five-month-old falls from a lawn chair and hits the pavement, she believes she’s facing a parent’s worst fear. However, rushing him to the hospital triggers an even greater ordeal. The Brights become caught in a medical and legal framework so determined to prevent child abuse that it targets innocent families. Using exclusive recordings from the actual events, this six-episode series follows the Brights’ struggle to preserve their family against a system that can cause more damage than protection.
The 13th Step
An examination of the pervasive environment of sexual impropriety and exploitation that continues within the substance abuse treatment sector.
Sympathy Pains
Hosted by Laura Beil (Dr. Death, Bad Batch), Sympathy Pains is a six-part series from Neon Hum Media and iHeartRadio. For two decades, Sarah Delashmit fabricated illnesses like cancer and muscular dystrophy, claiming abuse and child loss to manipulate those around her. Rather than seeking money, she pursued something far more precious than financial gain.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Author Andrea Dunlop seeks understanding after her sister’s Munchausen by Proxy investigation destroyed their family over a decade ago. This podcast features leading experts exploring the psychology behind this abuse and its devastating impact. Each season, Dunlop examines a case through interviews with families, medical professionals, and authorities. Nobody Should Believe Me exposes these complex crimes and their far-reaching consequences.
MedCrimes: a Medical True Crime Podcast
Follow Devon, a registered nurse, and Kate, a nurse practitioner, as they examine some of the most disturbing healthcare-related true crime cases and medical enigmas.
The Shrink Next Door
Seasoned reporter Joe Nocera lived next to a therapist named Ike in the Hamptons. Ike treated famous clients and Manhattan’s wealthy elite, throwing celebrity-filled gatherings at his unusual retreat home. However, one summer Joe learned that Ike had vanished and all his assumptions about his neighbor — and the adjacent property — were false.
Believe in Magic
Jamie recounts the story of Megan Bhari, who at 16 launched the charity Believe in Magic in 2012 to help seriously ill children, gaining support from One Direction and recognition from Prime Minister David Cameron. Claiming her own brain tumor diagnosis, Megan fundraised for US treatment. When internet investigators suspected fraud and hired a detective, events took an unexpected turn, leaving the parent-sleuths questioning whether they had misjudged everything. “It wasn’t meant to end like this,” says one.
The Baron of Botox
Dr. Fredric Brandt evolved from a Miami dermatologist to Madonna’s skincare consultant and celebrity favorite over two decades. While building his empire of products, luxury homes, and art, he became addicted to his own treatments. Though many blamed Martin Short’s satirical portrayal in ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ for his death, the reality was far more complex. From Justine Harman and the ‘Broken Harts’ team.
MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries
The human body can transform from miraculous to terrifying when things go wrong. Master storyteller MrBallen presents medical horror stories and diagnostic puzzles designed to chill listeners. Featuring rare diseases, medical accidents, and unexplained deaths, MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, creators of Dr. Death. Discover the best episodes of MrBallen Podcast.
This Podcast Will Kill You
Despite its title, this podcast won’t harm listeners, but Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke explore plenty of things that could. Since 2017, they’ve examined diseases, medical mysteries, and public health topics from plague to COVID-19, handling the research so audiences don’t need to. Each episode includes cocktail recipes alongside the science. Erin Welsh, Ph.D. is a disease ecologist and epidemiologist, while Erin Allmann Updyke, MD, Ph.D. is completing her family medicine residency. Discover the best episodes of This Podcast Will Kill You.
Dirty John
A factual account exploring temptation, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Investigated and presented by Christopher Goffard from the L.A. Times.
The Missionary
A young missionary named Renee Bach abandoned her comfortable American life to establish a malnutrition program in rural Uganda. Both Americans and Ugandans initially celebrated her as an exemplary missionary demonstrating divine healing power. However, a decade later she faces accusations of impersonating a physician and allegations of causing hundreds of child deaths at her unlicensed facility. The question remains whether Renee Bach represents misguided good intentions or a predator masquerading as a saint.
Scamanda
Amanda appears to be a charming wife, mother, and blogger sharing her cancer journey online, inspiring followers worldwide. But investigative producer Nancy receives an anonymous tip to examine Amanda’s blog, uncovering a shocking secret. Award-winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this bizarre true story of a San Jose, California woman whose deception destroyed her family and stunned her community. Scamanda reveals how Amanda’s own words exposed her lies.
Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
Follow Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy as they explore the foolish, harmful, disgusting, bizarre, and misguided methods humans have used to heal others throughout history. Discover the best episodes of Sawbones.