ABC News Studios’ popular Truth and Lies documentary series returns with three new two-hour episodes, the first of which focuses on the hunt for the Long Island serial killer and the arrest of Rex Heuermann. Truth and Lies: The Hunted premieres on Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Episode two takes viewers inside the Titan submersible tragedy and investigates the final voyage of the Titanic sightseeing service. Episode three examines the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community and its controversial founder Warren Jeffs.
The docuseries premiered in 2017 with three episodes on the Menendez brothers, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton scandal. Produced by ABC News Studios, the documentary series is executive produced by Muriel Pearson and David Sloan.
Truth and Lies Episode Descriptions, Courtesy of ABC:
Truth and Lies: The Hunted (Jan. 25)
After 23-year-old escort Shannan Gilbert disappeared in 2010, police stumbled upon a serial killer’s graveyard in Gilgo Beach, Long Island — which held the human remains of four other missing sex workers. Shortly after, authorities discovered six more bodies along the same stretch of road. Truth and Lies: The Hunted chronicles the twists and turns in the decade-long investigation to find the Long Island serial killer, uncovering allegations of corruption and police biases that slowed the investigation and enraged the victims’ family members.
This episode takes viewers inside the task force that used new technology that led to the July 2023 arrest of the man now accused of murdering those four sex workers: Rex Heuermann, a husband and father who police claim was leading a dark double life. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to these charges. Truth and Lies: The Hunted explores the police’s ongoing investigation of this notorious case and dives deep into the subculture of sex work, giving viewers the point of view of the women behind these headlines.
Truth and Lies: Final Dive of the Titan (Feb. 8)
Entrepreneur Stockton Rush dreamed of a revolutionary submersible that could take adventurous tourists into the deep sea to view the fabled Titanic wreckage. Truth and Lies: Final Dive of the Titan reports on how Rush’s Titan submersible became a cautionary tale about the risks of innovation. Through interviews with Rush’s friends, former Titan “mission specialists” and adventure pioneers, the episode explores the groundbreaking technology behind the Titan, painting a picture of both the excitement and devastation surrounding the deadly venture.
The program also takes viewers through the pivotal moments that ultimately led to the demise of the Titan and all on board its final tragic journey into the deep sea.
Truth and Lies: The Doomsday Prophet (Feb. 15)
Truth and Lies: The Doomsday Prophet examines the secretive Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community and the unconventional and controversial life of its founder, Warren Jeffs, exploring the rise of the sect and its practice of polygamy. The episode features harrowing, exclusive interviews with courageous ex-FLDS members, including one of Jeffs’ former wives and his daughter. Never-before-seen footage takes viewers inside this closed community that encourages women to “keep sweet” by suppressing emotions and obeying their husbands and the all-knowing prophet.
By unraveling the complexities of power, faith and control, the documentary paints a vivid portrait of the impact the FLDS had on its followers and the broader implications of Jeffs’ leadership, which still influences the society he constructed.
