An incredible photo essay in which both the images and words tell the crazy story of imprisoned mortician David Sconce (up for parole in 2022). In the ’80s, Sconce turned his family’s California funeral home into a mass crematorium and black market body part- and organ-harvesting business.
Search results
Posted inFood, Highlight, Quotes
“The Glitter-scurfed Frappuccinos” Is Totally the Name of My New Band
Don’t disrespect the fish. Or do! It’s your dinner.
Posted inReading List
This Week in Books: (Terrified, aside to Cassilda.) No mask? No mask!
“Oh, all the one-way tickets! / I haven’t found anything / more sorrowful than you / in the pockets of the world.”
Posted inNonfiction
Escaping Coronavirus Lockdown Through a Stranger’s Solitary Walks on YouTube
Under self-quarantine, Aaron Gilbreath ‘moves’ freely with the help of Rambalac’s video travelogues.
Posted inNonfiction
The Growing Power of Prosecutors
An unintended consequence of mandatory minimums has been to concentrate too much power in the hands of prosecutors. Journalist Emily Bazelon talks about how some cities are pushing back.
Posted inCrime, Highlight, Quotes
The Case of the Poisoned Calves
Someone poisoned eighteen of Buck Birdsong’s calves in the past four years. But who? And why?
Posted inNonfiction
Longreads Best of 2020: Investigative Reporting
Our top picks for investigative journalism this year.
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Rumor in Madrona
Before Info Wars or Pizzagate, a right-wing conspiracy theory led to the murder of a prominent Seattle lawyer.
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
The Prank that Killed Andrew Finch
How a malevolent, remorseless online troll and the shoot-first, ask questions later mode of policing added up to a real-life tragedy in Wichita Kansas.
Posted inCommentary, Current Events, Discussions, Podcasts
Editor’s Roundtable: Shorthand, Looking Away, Getting It Wrong (Podcast)
Longreads editors discuss stories in The Cut, The New Yorker, and The California Sunday Magazine.
