Netflix’s ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case’ chronicles how Lucie Blackman went missing from the Tokyo hostess club, Club Casablanca, on July 1, 2000. What followed was a massive investigation that stretched on for months until witnesses led the police to Japanese-Korean businessman Joji Obara, who was convicted of dismembering and disposing of her body in 2008.
Through a one-on-one interview with Lucie’s father, Tim Blackman, the movie explicitly documents how he flew all the way to Tokyo to pursue his daughter’s killer. Well, if you were intrigued by Lucie’s story and are looking true crime documentaries like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ we have some good recommendations!
8. American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
Although ‘American Murder: The Family Next Door’ is a true crime documentary, it is presented as a found-footage movie documenting how Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shannan, and their two children, Bella and Celeste, on August 13, 2018. While Shannan was found buried in a shallow grave near a Frederick, Colorado, oil-storage facility, the police recovered the children’s remains from two crude oil tanks. Like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ the documentary blends archival footage and one-on-one interviews to reveal how Chris Watts was ultimately brought to justice.
7. Girl in the Picture (2022)
While ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case’ chronicles how 21-year-old Lucie was abducted from Tokyo’s Roppongi district, Netflix’s ‘Girl in the Picture‘ documents Sharon Marshall’s life after she was kidnapped by career criminal Franklin Delano Floyd between 1973 to 1975. Although he put her through school and raised her like his own daughter, he later subjected her to brutal sexual assault and even forced her to marry him.
Tragically, Sharon, born Suzanne Sevakis, was never returned to her parents as authorities found her lying unresponsive on the highway outside Oklahoma City in 1990 and believed she was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Much like ”Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ ‘The Girl in the Picture’ uses one-on-one interviews and archival footage to portray how the FBI ultimately identified Sharon.
6. Why Did You Kill Me? (2021)
Netflix’s ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ takes the viewer through the gruesome February 2006 murder of Crystal Theobald and documents how her mother, Belinda Lane, never gave up on her pursuit of justice. When the latter realized that the police investigation was going nowhere, she took matters into her own hand and began investigating her daughter’s murder through the popular social media site MySpace.
Likewise, the film documents Belinda’s journey and portrays the challenges she faced before the perpetrators were brought to justice. Like’ Missing: The Lucie Blackman Murder,’ ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ uses archival footage and one-on-one interviews to chronicle a parent’s search for her daughter’s killer.
5. Murder by the Coast (2021)
Netflix’s ‘Murder by the Coast’ documents the death of 19-year-old Rocío Wanninkhof Hornos, who was found brutally murdered in the Spanish city of Málaga on October 9, 1999. Through old footage and one-on-one interviews with people related to the case, the film documents how Rocío’s mother’s ex-partner, Dolores Vázquez, was wrongfully convicted before a second murder shook the case wide open. Like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ ‘Murder By The Coast’ documents a hunt for justice and shows how a second crime can often hold the key to bringing a perpetrator to justice.
4. Capturing the Killer Nurse (2022)
Like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ ‘Capturing the Killer Nurse’ uses police reports, pictures, archival footage, and one-on-one interviews to document how the police finally apprehended serial killer Charles Cullen. Charles, who worked as a nurse at various hospitals and nursing homes around the United States, used his position to poison patients to death. Even though a few establishments suspected his involvement in the deaths, he confessed to 40 murders after being caught while working at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey.
3. I am Vanessa Guillen (2022)
Although Vanessa Guillen achieved her dream of working in the armed forces, her mother was alarmed when the 20-year-old complained of sexual harassment at Fort Hood, Texas. Moreover, her mother, Gloria Guillen, was shocked when the young soldier went missing on April 22, 2020, shortly after making the complaint, and her body was located two months later along the Leon River in Belton.
Determined to let her child’s life end in vain, Gloria campaigned for justice and even became a vocal advocate for victims who demanded action against their abusers. Hence, like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ ‘I am Vanessa Guillen’ takes viewers through a parent’s fight for justice and their determination to change things for the better.
2. The Women and the Murderer (2021)
Guy Georges is an infamous French serial killer who spread terror throughout Paris from 1991 to 1997. Although he was convicted of 7 murders after his March 26, 1998 arrest, authorities believe he is responsible for several other crimes, including kidnappings, rapes, assaults, and attempted murders.
Interestingly ‘The Women and the Murderer’ chronicles how the mother of one of George’s victims joined forces with a female police officer to bring the serial killer to justice. While the documentary features archival footage and one-on-one interviews similar to ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ it also features an incident where a victim’s parent worked directly with the police for an arrest.
1. My Daughter’s Killer (2022)
Like ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ ‘My Daughter’s Killer’ elaborately chronicles a father’s fight for justice after experiencing his daughter’s tragic death. When Kalinka Bamberski passed away on July 10, 1982, her mother’s partner, a German doctor named Dieter Krombach, claimed the child had died from heatstroke. However, the victim’s father, André Bamberski, refused to accept his explanation, believing the doctor was responsible for his daughter’s murder. That was when André began pursuing justice, which would last almost 29 years until Krombach was convicted of manslaughter.
Read More: Lucie Blackman’s Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?