Missing & Murdered Introduces | Uncover: Calls From a Killer

Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo

CBC

True Crime

4.7 • 8K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does a reporter do when they receive a cold call from one of the most horrific serial killers in Canadian history?

The killer: Clifford Olson, who murdered at least eleven children in the 1980s. The reporter: Arlene Bynon, who recorded her jailhouse calls with Olson for years.

Alongside legendary journalist Peter Worthington, Arlene spent hundreds of hours on the phone with Olson. It was kept secret from his prison guards; he wasn't allowed to speak to the media.

In Calls From a Killer, from CBC’s Uncover, Arlene unearths secrets that have been buried for decades.

More episodes of Calls from a Killer are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/Vt22K2

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Connie Walker. If you listen to my podcast missing and murdered, you might be interested in a new story I'm reporting for CBC's The Fifth Estate. For three decades, Sonia Sywink's death has gone unsolved. And now her sister Maggie has taken the search for the truth into her own hands. She's finding leads that police overlooked and trying to solve the mystery of Sonia's murder.
0:22.3	You can watch A Sisters Promise free on CBC Gem or on the Fifth Estate YouTube channel.
0:27.5	Just click on the link in your podcast notes.
0:31.2	This is a CBC podcast.
0:48.6	What does a young female reporter do when they receive a cold call from one of the most horrific serial killers in Canadian history?
0:58.0	The killer, Clifford Olson, who murdered 11 children in the 1980s, maybe more. And the reporter, well, that's me. Hi, I'm Arlene Bynon. I'm a journalist and radio broadcaster. And I'm the host of
1:07.4	calls from a killer, a brand new season of CBC's Uncover.
1:12.6	Clifford Olson began calling me over three decades ago.
1:16.8	I recorded my jailhouse calls with him for years.
1:21.7	When he was locked away, there was no doubt authorities thought the story was over, but it wasn't.
1:29.7	Alongside legendary journalist Peter Worthington, I spent hundreds of hours on the phone with
1:35.7	Olson. It was kept secret from his prison guards, since he wasn't allowed to speak to the media.
1:43.5	In calls from a killer, I revisit those tapes
1:47.0	and unearthed secrets that have been buried for decades. With Nathaniel Frum, Peter's grandson,
1:54.2	I expose hard truths about a forgotten tragedy, a bungled investigation, and the mind of a psychopath.
2:03.6	Now here's the first episode of Calls from a Killer, from CBC's Uncover. Have a listen.
2:11.6	The following episode contains strong language and descriptions of violence.
2:20.6	Please take care when listening.
2:28.5	Whenever I stayed at my grandparents' house as a kid, there was a rule.
2:33.1	Always pick up the phone. Because you never knew who could be
2:36.8	calling for my grandpa Pete. A Soviet spy, a cabinet minister, a serial killer. Growing up, I'd learn what my
2:46.9	grandpa did for a living through the stories he'd share at the holidays or summers at the
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.