If you’ve watched Cleveland Abduction, you know how thrilling and suspenseful a true crime story can be. The Cleveland Abduction is the story of Ariel Castro, a man who kidnapped three women and held them captive for over a decade.
While the Cleveland Abduction is certainly a must-watch, there are other true crime stories that are just as gripping. Here are 15 amazing true crime books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts for fans of Cleveland Abduction:
If you want to READ amazing true crime books for fans of Cleveland Abduction AND Ariel Castro
19-year-old Anna did not have much of a choice about the kind of family she would be born into. It turned out to be dysfunctional, with uncaring parents who had open favorites. No prizes for guessing whether she was the favorite. So, when Anna ends up being held against her will by her 38-year-old boss in the
summer of 2010, she blames herself. And like Ariel Castro did to the Cleveland Abduction survivors, her boss repeatedly assaults and finally impregnates her. This is a real, raw, and emotional true crime story. Read here.
If you enjoyed watching Cleveland Abduction, you might find the book it was based on even more intriguing. Finding Me tells the harrowing story of the three young men Ariel Castro abducted and held captive for years. Written by the very first woman Ariel Castro kidnapped, this true crime story will give you rare insight
- into what goes through an actual survivor’s mind. How did Michelle Knight keep the courage and hope burning even when she was taunted daily that no one was looking for them?. Read here.
Coming from a background of severe abuse and neglect, 15-year-old Anna Ruston readily accepted a taxi driver’s offer of friendship. However, the decision would bring her anguish over the next 13 years and haunt her for the rest of her life. Fans of Cleveland Abduction will find similarities in how Anna’s abductor
tricked her into going home with him. He also violated and terrorized Anna, even impregnating her several times as his family condoned the abuse. Find out how the fear of being accused of racism allowed the abuse to continue in this gripping story. Read here.
The year is 1975, and two sisters aged 11 and 13 disappear from a shopping mall in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. But even after the police doggedly pursue all leads, the case goes cold. That is until 2013, when a man serving time for a series of similar but unrelated crimes lets something slip. Like Knight, Berry, and
DeJesus, the two girls were kidnapped by Lloyd, who, together with members of his extended family, repeatedly defiled them. Both riveting and heartbreaking, this story gives insights into the criminal mind while leaving you wondering how one sinks into such deplorable lows. Read here.
If you’ve read the novel Lolita, you’ll appreciate reading this true crime story that serves as a reminder that Lolita is not a love story. Instead, it’s a disturbing horror story about the ordeal Sally Horner underwent in the almost two years she had been kidnapped. Fans of Cleveland Abduction will draw parallels between
the three Ariel Castro survivors and Sally. That’s because Sally was also kidnapped by a pedophile, held captive, and abused. Additionally, it was only through the intervention of a neighbor that her rescue was made possible. Read here.
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If you want to WATCH amazing true crime movies and TV shows for fans of Cleveland Abduction AND Ariel Castro
Believe Me recounts Lisa McVey’s story, who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted for 26 hours in 1984 by the serial killer Bobby Joe Long. However, Bobby isn’t the first one to carry out these horrors on Lisa as her grandmother’s boyfriend has been sexually assaulting her. Nonetheless, Lisa’s grandmother
reports her missing, although she casually assumes that the girl has run away. Fans of Cleveland Abduction and Ariel Castro will recognize how this is similar to the way the police assumed Knight had run away voluntarily. Watch here.
Based on Elizabeth Smart’s true story, this movie describes the ordeal she underwent and survived after being kidnapped by a religious fanatic. The 14-year-old Smart was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City and held captive for nine months before being rescued. Like the survivors in the Cleveland
Abduction that Ariel Castro masterminded, Smart Smart is forced to endure defilement every day. And although Smart’s abductor is unable to kidnap her cousin Olivia, it’s clear that he, too, would not have stopped at abducting one victim. Watch here.
When Elizabeth Shoaf is handcuffed by a man dressed in a sheriff’s deputy uniform, she has no idea that her destination isn’t a police cell. Instead, Shoaf is taken to a hidden underground bunker where she is used for the man’s sexual pleasure every day. Like Ariel Castro tricked his victims into going with him,
Shoaf is tricked into thinking she’s being arrested for marijuana possession. Thankfully, her ordeal only lasts ten days. Viewers will love that Shoaf is able to outsmart her kidnapper and contact help, just like Berry in Cleveland Abduction.
Aged only 10, Australian girl Natascha Kampusch is kidnapped on her to school in 1998. For the next 8 years of her life, Natascha is held captive by Wolfgang Priklopil in a small cellar until she manages to escape. Natascha was violated and regularly assaulted by her captor and kept as a domestic slave. Fans of
It’s 1980 when Mary Stauffer and her daughter Beth are abducted at gunpoint by Mary’s former student Ming Shiue. Unfortunately, a young boy witnesses the abduction, and he, too, is bundled into the trunk. Unfortunately, it’s later revealed that Ming killed the boy. Meanwhile, Mary is forced to do regular video
interviews, and her captor also violates her. Only her hope and her daughter’s love keep her going during the 53 days they’re in captivity before they finally escape Ming. Watch here.
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If you want to LISTEN to amazing true crime podcasts for fans of Cleveland Abduction AND Ariel Castro
1. Crime Junkie – Podcast
True crime fans will love this podcast, seeing as it has straightforward storytelling about various crimes, including kidnappings, murder, and serial killers. You’ll be thrilled every Monday as Ashley Flowers gives you your suspenseful crime fix.
Stories include Survived: Elizabeth Smart, which narrates Elizabeth Smart’s
ordeal after she was abducted from her bedroom at knifepoint. Taken at 14, she’ll remind fans of Gina DeJesus, who was also 14 when Ariel Castro kidnaped her.
2. Once Upon a Crime – Podcast
Hosted by Ester Ludlow, this podcast tells the story behind the story of true crime. Ester recounts the events in a narrative style and offers tidbits and facts listeners won’t hear anywhere else. The Abductions/Kidnapping Episodes category will throw you right into the mix of depraved perpetrators and the
victims and survivors of their crimes. If you loved Cleveland Abduction, you’ll love Ester’s take on serial predator Curtis Dean Anderson, fugitive Ruth Eisemann-Schier, and others who committed bizarre kidnappings.
This award-winning true crime podcast presents episodes that dive into the circumstances, investigations, and trials of cases from all over the world. Whether solved or unsolved, Casefile presents unforgettable stories in what is definitely a must-listen experience. You’ll love the Abductions category, where all
manner of sinister kidnapping motives, including satanic rituals, sexual deviancy, and child victims reign supreme. Listen here.
When Jacob Wetterling was abducted in 1989, the investigation into his disappearance yielded nothing for 27 years. The search for Wetterling would turn into one of the largest searches for a missing person in the United States. But that was because law enforcement had failed to cover all the bases. Season one
of this podcast will leave you completely engrossed in recounting the kidnapping that led to the United States sex offender registries. Like Ariel Castro’s victims, Wetterling was sexually assaulted by his kidnapper. However, there was no escape for him, just eternal bliss. Listen here.
This podcast is hosted by two attorneys, Talia and Tonya. You’ll find thoroughly researched episodes, complete with police and court records! While they bring their background in law to bear, they also rely on wit and sarcasm to plow through hardcore true crime. Kidnapping episodes include Abducted from a
Slumber Party, which tells how 12-year-old Polly Klaas was taken straight from her bedroom door. The kidnapper only took her, even though Polly had invited two of her classmates to her slumber party. Other episodes where victims were also held captive and sexually assaulted include The Devil’s in the Details. Listen here.
