Plot Synopsis

Using never-before-seen evidence, REAL LIFE MIGHTMARE is a one-hour docuseries that presents heart-wrenching, personal mysteries and unexplained deaths that continue to baffle investigators and horrify those left behind. Episodes include:

"5-year-old Vanished" (November 2, 2019): Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings mysteriously disappears overnight from her home near Jacksonville, Florida after dad's girlfriend puts her to bed. Was Haleigh abducted or did something else happen?

"Mystery in the Closet" (November 9, 2019): Newlyweds Jessica and Matthew Boynton seemed like the picture-perfect couple...until the young mother is found unresponsive and covered in blood inside her locked bedroom closet. Jessica doesn't remember how she ended up there, and the investigation leaves some with more questions than answers.

"Horror at the Campground" (November 16, 2019): A family camping trip to the remote Idaho mountains turns into something out of a horror movie when two-year-old DeOrr Kunz disappears. At first it looks like he may have been abducted...until other disturbing theories start to emerge.

"Mom of 3 Vanished" (November 23, 2019): Beautiful mom Michelle Parker appears on an episode of THE PEOPLE'S COURT, fighting with her ex-fiance over a luxury, diamond engagement ring. But hours after that episode airs, Michelle mysteriously vanishes.

"Deadly Hotel Check-In" (November 30, 2019): 21-year-old college student Elisa Lam checks into a Los Angeles hotel -- but never checks out. The last known images of the young tourist are from the hotel's elevator security camera. Nearly 2 weeks later, her naked body is found floating face-up in the hotel's rooftop water tank. What happened to Elisa Lam?

"Million Dollar Death" (December 7, 2019): 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau seemed to have it all...until she's found dead in a multi-million dollar mansion -- hanging from a balcony under bizarre circumstances. Police ruled her death a suicide, but some aren't buying it.

"Night of No Return" (December 14, 2019): 20-year-old Lauren Spierer went for a night out with friends in June 2011. The gorgeous college coed has never been seen since. But years later, the mystery deepens when another female student from the same university is found dead after another night on the town.



The second season of REAL LIFE NIGHTMARES premiered on Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 10pm ET/PT on HLN. The six-episode new season includes these stories:

"Murders on Lake Oconee" (November 8, 2020): Russell Dermond's headless body is discovered in the garage of his million-dollar lakefront mansion. His wife, Shirley, is found floating dead in the water, her ankles tethered with cinder blocks. One key piece of evidence still remains missing.

"Vanished from School" (November 15, 2020): After 7-year-old Kyron Horman's stepmother drops him off at a school science fair and takes a picture, the little boy is never seen again. His disappearance is one of the largest mysteries and investigations in Oregon's history.

"Missing Skelton Brothers" (November 22, 2020): Three young brothers are reported missing the day after Thanksgiving. In a shocking twist, their daddy claims he gave them to an underground group -- but investigators say his story doesn't add up.

"Vanished from the Crib" (November 29, 2020): Baby Lisa Irwin goes missing from her crib in the middle of the night. Stolen cell phones and a disturbing debit card charge on the parent's account only adds to the mystery.

"You'll Never Find Him" (December 6, 2020): Six-year-old Timmothy Pitzen vanishes after a 3-day trip to waterparks and the zoo with his mom. In a terrifying twist, his mom is found dead in a motel room with a disturbing note by her side.

"Spring Break from Hell" (December 13, 2020): 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel suddenly disappears from spring break in Myrtle Beach. She leaves a friend's hotel and is never seen again. But the case comes alive when twisted and disturbing details start to emerge from a prison cell.



Season 3 of REAL LIFE NIGHTMARES debuted on November 14, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT on HLN. The six-episode new season features a two-hour special event "Mojave Mystery: Vanished in the Desert," an investigation into the November 2014 disappearance of popular hiker Kenny Veach, as he searched for the mysterious "M Cave" near Area 51. Season 3 episodes include:

"Bourbon Town Mystery (Crystal Rogers)" (November 14, 2021 from 9-10pm ET/PT): A 35-year-old mother of five goes missing, and when her maroon Chevy is found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire, her keys, purse, and cell phone are left inside. But Rogers' disappearance isn't the only mystery casting a shadow over Bardstown, Kentucky.

"Med Student Mystery (Brian Shaffer)" (November 21, 2021 from 9-10pm ET/PT): A handsome, young medical student is out celebrating the start of Spring Break with friends after cramming for medical exams. Brian is clearly recorded on surveillance video entering a bar but is mysteriously never seen leaving.

"Mojave Mystery: Vanished in the Desert (Kenny Veach): (November 28, 2021 from 9-11pm ET/PT): An avid outdoorsman vanishes near the mysterious Area 51. Searchers find his cell phone near a mine shaft, but no sign of Kenny. In earlier recorded video, Veach describes his body vibrating as he approaches a cave near the same location.

"Connecticut Murder Mystery (Jennifer Dulos)" (December 5, 2021 from 9-10pm ET/PT): A mom of five disappears after dropping her kids at school, but evidence shows a brutal assault in the garage of her upscale, Connecticut home.

"Murder at Chapel Hill (Faith Hedgepeth)" (December 12, 2021 from 9-10pm ET/PT): A young female college student is found bludgeoned to death in an off-campus apartment. DNA, a threatening note at the crime scene, and a voicemail from Faith's cellphone could point to her killer.

"Secrets in the Ashes (Nanette Krentel)": (Sunday, December 19, 2021 from 9-10pm ET/PT): A raging fire kills a woman in her secluded home in the middle of the day. Investigators are puzzled why she was unable to escape, until the autopsy reveals the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
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Featuring new host Paul Holes, Season 4 of REAL LIFE NIGHTMARES premiered on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT on HLN. Episodes include:

"Blood Mountain: The Hunting Ground" (Sunday, November 13, 2022 from 9-11pm ET/PT): Twenty-four-year-old Meredith Meredith Emerson disappears on New Year's Day on a hike up Blood Mountain. Eyewitness accounts of a strange toothless man with a dog lead investigators to Meredith's remains, and uncover several unsolved murders.

"The Disappearance of Flight MH370" (November 20, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT): 239 passengers vanished in March of 2014, never to be seen again. Shortly after takeoff, a routine flight becomes a trip from hell when pilots stop responding and the plane disappears from radar.

"Secrets in the Catholic Church: Father Kunz Murder" (December 4, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT): A Catholic priest was found with his throat slit in his church of 32 years. Did Father Kunz's investigation of sex abuse in the church play a role in his unsolved murder?

"Who Kidnapped Lindsey?" (December 11, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT): 10-year-old Lindsey Baum disappeared while walking home alone in a small town in Washington state. Her remains were discovered eight years later, more than 100 miles away.

"Mommy Murdered: Arianna Vanished" (December 18, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT): 2-year-old Arianna Fitts vanishes from San Francisco after her young mom is discovered murdered and buried in a local park. Just days earlier, the mom was on her way to go meet her daughter's babysitter.

"Ambush on Exit 34" (December 18, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT): A young police officer is ambushed and shot with a 12-gauge shotgun in the middle of the night on his way home from work, but this isn't the only unsolved mystery in the small and quaint community of Bardstown, Kentucky.