Inside the Hunt: New Podcast Reopens One of The FBI’s Most Baffling Cases.

More than two decades after a wave of anthrax-laced letters terrorized the U.S. in the wake of 9/11, a new podcast is pulling back the curtain on the FBI’s high-stakes investigation to track down the culprit. Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer launched this month, with filmmaker Jeremiah Crowell guiding listeners through the twists and turns of one of the most confounding manhunts in American history.

The eight-part series is a collaboration between Wolf Entertainment, USG Audio, Dig Studios, and CBC Podcasts. Known for its true-crime storytelling, Wolf Entertainment is the company behind television powerhouses like “Law & Order” and “FBI.” Now, the company is channeling its narrative muscle into the audio space — this time tackling one of the most unsettling episodes of domestic terrorism the country has ever faced.

“In the days following 9/11, the nation was already shaken,” says Executive Producer Elliot Wolf. “Then came the anthrax letters. Americans feared something as ordinary as opening their mail. Yet today, few people know who was responsible. This podcast revisits that forgotten fear and the enormous effort to confront it.”

The podcast traces the harrowing timeline of the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five people, infected 17 more, and triggered widespread panic across the country. Letters laced with deadly spores were sent to news outlets and U.S. senators, forcing the evacuation of government buildings and paralyzing the postal system. The FBI launched what became one of the largest and most complex investigations in its history, facing down false leads, mounting public pressure, and a maze of scientific evidence.

What emerges in the Aftermath podcast is not just a story of bioterror, but one of psychological impact, political consequence, and the fragile boundary between public safety and public fear.

Crowell, who directed “The Anarchists” for HBO and “Generation Hustle” for Max, lends a cinematic eye to the audio series.

“This story is about more than just a crime,” Crowell explains. “It’s about the ripple effect of terror — and how institutions respond when the threat is invisible.”

Each podcast episode features newly declassified materials and first-person accounts, many of which have never been publicly shared. Crowell and co-creator Scott Tiffany (known for “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman”) weave these elements into a narrative that moves between scientific inquiry, media frenzy, and the internal struggles of investigators and victims.

The podcast also benefits from the production work of Dig Studios and Spoke Media, with USG Audio and CBC Podcasts co-producing. 

Josh Bloch, Executive Producer for USG Audio, emphasized the importance of collaboration on a story of this magnitude. “Wolf Entertainment has a long-standing reputation for quality storytelling,” he said. “And CBC Podcasts brought deep investigative experience. Together, we’ve created something that feels both urgent and timeless.”

For CBC Podcasts, the partnership marks another major step in its push toward internationally resonant narratives. “We were proud to collaborate on last year’s Broomgate: A Curling Scandal, and now we’re thrilled to join forces again on something even more globally significant,” said Arif Noorani, Director of CBC Podcasts. “This is a story with lasting impact — and questions that still need answers.”

Subscribers to the CBC True Crime Premium Channel on Apple Podcasts will have early, ad-free access to all eight episodes. For other listeners, new installments will be released weekly through May 14.