True Crime - New York City [2021] Jun 2026
Similarly, the story of the "Mob Wives" and the fall of the Five Families in Little Italy showed how organized crime operated not in the shadows, but in plain sight, running social clubs and garbage routes. These stories fascinate us because they reveal that in New York, money and power can hide a multitude of sins—until they can’t.
But the story doesn't end in the 70s. Because of modern genetic genealogy and a deal with prosecutors, Cottingham—who has been in prison since 1980—has begun confessing to cold cases in the last five years. In 2021 and 2022, he led police to the remains of women missing for decades, including a victim buried under the Sands Motel in Long Island. true crime - new york city
In recent years, the case—though spanning the suburbs—has brought renewed attention to the forgotten victims of New York’s underbelly. The discovery of over a dozen bodies along Gilgo Beach in 2010 revealed a dark ecosystem of exploitation, with the accused now linked to a Manhattan architecture firm. Similarly, the story of the "Mob Wives" and
If the 70s gave us street-level grit, the 80s and 90s introduced a different predator: the white-collar killer. True crime in New York is often a study in contrast, and nowhere is that clearer than in the world of high finance. Because of modern genetic genealogy and a deal
Similarly, the story of the "Mob Wives" and the fall of the Five Families in Little Italy showed how organized crime operated not in the shadows, but in plain sight, running social clubs and garbage routes. These stories fascinate us because they reveal that in New York, money and power can hide a multitude of sins—until they can’t.
But the story doesn't end in the 70s. Because of modern genetic genealogy and a deal with prosecutors, Cottingham—who has been in prison since 1980—has begun confessing to cold cases in the last five years. In 2021 and 2022, he led police to the remains of women missing for decades, including a victim buried under the Sands Motel in Long Island.
In recent years, the case—though spanning the suburbs—has brought renewed attention to the forgotten victims of New York’s underbelly. The discovery of over a dozen bodies along Gilgo Beach in 2010 revealed a dark ecosystem of exploitation, with the accused now linked to a Manhattan architecture firm.
If the 70s gave us street-level grit, the 80s and 90s introduced a different predator: the white-collar killer. True crime in New York is often a study in contrast, and nowhere is that clearer than in the world of high finance.