Accurate, vivid storytelling with impact.
I’m an award-winning investigative journalist. For more than 20 years, my stories have revealed wrongdoing and held the powerful accountable, and my feature writing has transported audiences to new places and experiences.
SUSPECT
My six-episode narrative podcast charted at #1 in the U.S. for two consecutive weeks and remains a favorite on true crime lists. I tell the story of middle schooler Jonelle Matthews who disappeared from her Colorado home in 1984. Could the obsessions of a self-professed true crime fan spur detectives to solve the case?
BUZZ:
Forbes: "Suspect II" among top 25 podcasts to binge
Irish Times: Fantz's "Suspect" exactly what true crime fans want
Podcast critic Lauren Passell: “I loved this show because of the host, former CNN reporter Ashley Fantz. She feels close to the story and I trust her, she’s smart but has a warmth with the people she talks to and her audience that made listening feel good, despite the horrible details.”
Crime Writers On voted “Suspect” as one of best podcasts of 2022 saying, “The host has really great storytelling chops…they build that mystery very well.”
Watch me on NBC's "Dateline" • Full episode here
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Destroyed
My investigation “Destroyed” uncovered that police nationwide trashed rape kits – most never tested for DNA – in at least 400 sex crime cases before the statutes of limitations expired or when there was no time limit to prosecute. The destruction followed flawed and incomplete investigations and, in some cases, violated the law.
IMPACT:
Georgia passed a law prohibiting the destruction of rape kits
Police stopped destroying evidence, apologized and state leaders ordered reviews.
Vice President Kamala Harris called the report devastating