‘Why Can’t We Talk About Amanda’s Mom’ investigates a 30-year-old cold case in Mobile, Alabama

In 1993, a woman’s body was discovered on a dirt road close to Mobile, Alabama’s Interstate 10. She was found nude, decapitated, and all blood was drained from her mangled body. The victim was identified as 26-year-old Renée Bergeron, who had assumed the alias Maria Martinez. The case eventually ran cold.

In ID’s true crime series “Why Can’t We Talk About Amanda’s Mom,” host, former police officer, and sex crimes detective Sarah Cailean shares her three-year investigation into this case. She is currently a special investigator for the Mobile County (AL) Sheriff’s Office that supported her investigation.

Start all eight episodes from the very beginning to hear about Cailean’s experiences in the police force and beyond. We’ll learn how the case did not receive much sympathy from the press and left many unsolved questions.

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On the podcast, Cailean went back through the original investigation, found new evidence, and tracked down new suspects. Cailean recorded her interviews, pursued new leads as shared in the series, and even identified blind spots from the initial investigation. Cailean interviews veteran George Martin (who found Bergeron’s body), and we’ll hear from guests like Amanda, Bergeron’s daughter.

Cailean hopes the podcast will settle the past and find answers for Bergeron’s family, including her mom, who are still grappling with loss and the tragic series of events. The podcast also examines why this case is so challenging to talk about 30 years later. She also tried to locate one of Bergeron’s old friends to see if he had any information – that is, if he’s still alive.

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The podcast unearths plenty of new information, and investigators considered new theories. Was Bergeron a serial killer’s victim? A local man shared an anonymous tip right after Bergeron’s murder, but has he known the answer to the questions around her death all along?

Tune in for new weekly episodes through April wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.