"Finding Missing Records: Looking Into The Case of An Unnamed Victim"- with Bellingcat's Peter Barth

This week Bellingcat's Peter Barth joined us to go behind the scenes of his latest investigation into a cold case murder. This talk specifically dove into his methodology for public record requests and how this pursuit led to him finding the answers he was looking for. Full of FOIA tips and tricks, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to do in-depth investigations on cases that may have taken place pre-internet boom.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 17th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Peter's cold case investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/us-canada/2026/08/31/investigating-a-murder-public-records-uncover-new-clues-in-chinatown-cold-case/?utm_source=stagetalks

Peter's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aGJNVqzHSgOC4nwsKT7rrw7NpO--a8lWCK8k2Z8apoM/edit?usp=sharing

Merch contest (referenced at beginning): https://www.bellingcat.com/uncategorized/2026/09/14/bellingcat-official-merch-design-contest/

Peter's last talk on cold cases: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2101281/

Space in the Discord Server to talk tools for cold case investigations: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488

Muckrock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/

also a great FOI website: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

Peter's Texas cold case: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/