The WORST episodes of On the Case with Paula Zahn
Every episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of On the Case with Paula Zahn!
Led by Emmy Award-winning journalist Paula Zahn, ON THE CASE features in-depth interviews and original reporting that go beyond the headlines in search of fascinating mysteries from within our nation's justice system. Each episode is highlighted by Zahn's riveting exclusive interviews, which draw out different viewpoints from the people personally connected to tragedies that rocked their local community and the investigations that attempted to piece together the truth.
#1 - A Mother Knows
Season 24 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/20/2022
A female active-duty soldier dies in a brutal attack during a night out with members of her unit. Police try to determine if a secret fear she mentioned to her mother is the motive for her murder.
#2 - Betrayal At Charisma Farms
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/3/2011
The murder of 55-year-old farm owner Robert Dorotik in February 2000, which was staged to look like a traffic accident. To prevent him from receiving 40 per cent of her income in the event of their divorce, his wife Jane had beaten him to death and left his body by the roadside
#3 - Murder Ordained?
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 7/24/2011
The crimes of Lutheran minister Tom Bird, who in 1983 killed his wife and placed her body inside a car before running it off the road where it settled in the Cottonwood River. Later that year his mistress, a part-time secretary at Bird's church, solicited the murder of her husband
#4 - Dark Side Of A Dream
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/13/2011
The case of aspiring 21-year-old actress Kristi Johnson, whose disappearance in February 2003 followed her planned attendance at an appointment for photographs to be taken in connection with a planned film. However, officers regarded this a lure after her body was recovered in a ravine in the Hollywood Hills a few weeks later
#5 - Golden Promises Broken
Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/15/2015
A teenage couple disappears during a romantic picnic.
#6 - River of Tears
Season 15 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/20/2017
A young woman's lifeless body is found on the bank of a shallow river, and there's a note in her pocket that may point to her killer.
#8 - What Happened to Sarah
Season 23 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/12/2021
A 14-year-old girl's mysterious runaway note raises difficult questions for police. Had she really left home on her own or had someone close to her pieced together writing from her journals to cover-up an unthinkable crime.
#9 - Unthinkable Harm
Season 23 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/24/2021
When a teenager is found savagely stabbed to death in her home, police hope a trail of blood found at the crime scene will lead them to her killer.
#10 - Gone in a Blink
Season 23 - Episode 12 - Aired 10/31/2021
A teenager waiting for her friends to give her a ride home from work suddenly disappears. When her friends arrive, they find terrifying evidence of her abduction.
#11 - Alarm and Betrayal
Season 23 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/7/2021
Police must unravel a puzzling mystery when a beloved father and real estate executive is ambushed in his office.
#12 - A Cracked Alibi
Season 23 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/14/2021
If investigators can't find the crack in their suspect's seemingly air-tight alibi, a cold-blooded killer will elude justice.
#13 - A Secret Meeting
Season 23 - Episode 15 - Aired 11/21/2021
After a teenager mysteriously disappears, police must determine if a secret meeting with a young man led to her murder.
#14 - "Precious" Jane Doe
Season 23 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/5/2021
After a young woman is viciously murdered, police launch a two-part investigation; one to find her killer and a second to identify his victim, "Precious" Jane Doe.
#15 - Terror in Terre Haute
Season 23 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/19/2021
When a young college student is abducted from her campus parking lot it marks the beginning of a terrifying crime wave on a quiet college campus. Can police catch a serial predator before he strikes again?
#16 - Fatal Turn
Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/9/2014
A mother on her way home from work vanishes; the police are sent in to the darkest corners of the justice system.
#20 - A Wave Goodbye
Season 12 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/20/2015
A 14-year-old girl is discovered murdered at an empty campground, located more than 50 miles from where she was last sighted.
#21 - Two Fires, One Match
Season 29 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/3/2026
The discovery of a woman's body, burned beyond recognition, marks the start of a disturbing murder investigation. An autopsy reveals the killer stabbed the victim in a sexually motivated attack. Will a similar second crime be the key to solving both?
#22 - Unmasking the Truth
Season 29 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/27/2026
A killer guns down a businessman during a brazen home invasion. The puzzling evidence seems to indicate the crime was well planned and highly calculated. Police explore a variety of motives before they unmask the mastermind behind the attack.
#23 - A Father's Quest
Season 10 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/7/2014
After finding his beautiful 19 year old daughter dead, a father launches a relentless pursuit of her killer.
#24 - Unfinished Journey
Season 14 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/4/2016
Jamie Bowie disappears while driving from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Interstate 10, then her body is found near the highway a month later.