Flight attendant Helle Crafts disappeared from Connecticut in 1986, and her husband Richard offered explanations for her absence. Investigators recovered tiny human remains and other evidence connected to a wood chipper. The forensic work showed that she had been killed and her body destroyed. Richard Crafts was convicted of murder.
Content note: violence, abuse, or loss. Linked material may contain graphic descriptions. Screen dramatizations may change events and dialogue.
Newtown, Connecticut. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Map sources checked September 14, 2026. No case-specific Odd Stops location was found in this review.
See this case’s source review
Odd Stops
No verified match found. Source imagery is linked; only separately licensed photos are reproduced.
MurderData
No verified match found.
ArcGIS essay
Not included in this essay.
Reddit map
Reviewed as a general resource. Its coordinates and victim counts were not adopted as case evidence.
“No verified match” describes the accessible material found in this review, not proof that a source has never covered the case. MAP’s anonymous records were not individually matched to people.
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
A verified movie listing has not been added yet.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
03TV & documentaries
1 items
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
IMDb · TV episode
Forensic Files — The Disappearance of Helle Crafts (1996)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Listed release: 1996. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Original newspaper coverage, hosted by Newspapers.com. Read each article in the context of its publication date; later findings may differ. Full-page access may require sign-in.
Featured newspaper clipping
Read a featured clipping here, then explore more reporting in the newspaper archive.
Asbury Park Press · 1990-02-08 · Page 23
A newspaper reviews The Woodchipper Murder
A contemporary book review discusses Arthur Herzog’s account of Helle Crafts’s murder.
Book criticism; contains graphic descriptions.
Loads the article viewer from Newspapers.com. That service receives your browser and connection information and may use cookies. Access is controlled by the publisher; a subscription may be needed for additional archive material.
Case videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
FilmRise True Crime
The Disappearance of Helle Crafts | S1 E1 | Forensic Files | FULL EPISODE
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from FilmRise True Crime covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 22:42.
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Ep. 119 | The Murder of Helle Crafts.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Outside blogs, personal essays, and creator write-ups. These reflect each author’s perspective. Check publication dates and compare claims with reporting and court records.
Missing Persons Commentary · Blog / essay
Missing Persons Commentary: Forensic Files Series Premiere - Helle Crafts, Richard Crafts, and Lie-Detector Skepticism
An outside blog or essay discussing Helle & Richard Crafts. Read the author’s analysis alongside the dated reporting and court sources in this case guide. Some publishers require a subscription.
Frozen Betrayal: The Wood Chipper Murder of Helle Crafts
An outside blog or essay discussing Helle & Richard Crafts. Read the author’s analysis alongside the dated reporting and court sources in this case guide. Some publishers require a subscription.
Individual records from Internet Archive: library books, historical broadcasts, and preserved web pages. A catalog listing does not guarantee free reading or full playback. Access, previews, and borrowing are controlled by Internet Archive.
Internet Archive · Library record · 1989
The woodchipper murder
Herzog, Arthur. A library catalog record for a book connected with Helle & Richard Crafts. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
11Court records & documents
1 items
Court opinions, filings, transcripts, and dockets, alongside clearly labeled parole records, released investigative files, and courtroom recordings. Each item identifies its source and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. These selections are not complete case files. Where an online document could not be verified, a separate guide identifies the records office or archive to contact.
Court opinionArchive copy
State v. Crafts — appeal in Helle Crafts’s murder
The Connecticut Supreme Court reviews Richard Crafts’s conviction, including circumstantial evidence, statements attributed to Helle Crafts, and extensive publicity surrounding the trial.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
13Where are they now?
0 items
The latest information verified for this collection is listed below. Each source has its own date; these are not live custody records.
A current-status update has not been verified for this case yet.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
14Positive Outcome
0 items
Documented laws, advocacy, and reforms connected to this case. Changes do not undo the harm, and listing a law does not claim that it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific law, reform, or advocacy initiative has been verified for this collection yet. This does not mean that none exists.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
Helle & Richard Crafts — media, court records & case files | Unforgotten Casebook
07Social Media
9 itemsCase videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
FilmRise True Crime
The Disappearance of Helle Crafts | S1 E1 | Forensic Files | FULL EPISODE
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from FilmRise True Crime covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 22:42.
Watch on YouTubeClues Pod with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore
REVISITING: The Wood Chipper Murder Of Helle Crafts
Video from Clues Pod with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 13:59.
Watch on YouTubeFilmRise True Crime
Forensic Files - Season 1, Episode 1 - The Disappearance of Helle Crafts - Full Episode
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from FilmRise True Crime covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 22:50.
Watch on YouTubeTrue Crime Brewery
The Disappearance of Helle Crafts
Video from True Crime Brewery covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 1:34:33.
Watch on YouTubeAMERICA Forensic Files
Forensic Files 2026 💀The Disappearance of Helle Crafts 🆘 True Crime Documentary
Video from AMERICA Forensic Files covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 1:53:47.
Watch on YouTubeForensic Tales
The Woodchipper Murder: Helle Crafts
Video from Forensic Tales covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 34:13.
Watch on YouTubeOUTLORE with Eleanor Neale
The Body In The Woodchipper
Video from OUTLORE with Eleanor Neale covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 57:07.
Watch on YouTubeClues Pod with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore and 2 more
She Caught Him Cheating... So He Got Rid of Her (ft. Annie Elise)
Video from Clues Pod with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore and 2 more covering the Helle & Richard Crafts case. Length: 1:20:48.
Watch on YouTubeTikTok · Creator channel
A Trial by Podcast — TikTok channel
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Ep. 119 | The Murder of Helle Crafts.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Visit the TikTok channel