The John Dillinger Enigma: Did The FBI Really Kill Public Enemy #1?

The John Dillinger Enigma: Did The FBI Really Kill Public Enemy #1?

Author: Robert Riggs October 3, 2023 Duration: 20:35

During the Great Depression, Newsreels about John Dillinger, the first gangster declared Public Enemy #1, drew cheers from movie audiences across America and hisses when pictures of J. Edgar Hoover appeared on screen.

Crowd Outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater After John Dillinger was shot in 1934

Agents from what would become the FBI killed Dillinger in a hail of gunfire while leaving Chicago’s Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934.

The case put the FBI on the map and, to this day, plays a major part in the bureau’s historical legacy.

But questions persist about whether the FBI killed the real John Dillinger or a stand-in resembling the gangster so he could make a getaway.

Travis Thompson, the great-nephew of John Dillinger and a veteran law enforcement officer in Indiana has literally been trying to dig up evidence from the cemetery where John Dillinger is buried.

L-R Travis Thompson, great nephew of John Dillinger, holding Tommy Gun from Gangster Era, with his father Michael C. Thompson, nephew of John Dillinger

Thompson has tried to exhume Dillinger’s body from a concrete-encased tomb at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

John Dillinger Grave Site At Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

Adding to the Dillinger mystery, Thompson and Stewart Fillmore, a retired FBI agent have unearthed a mysterious map on the family farm in Indiana.

The Dillinger case is a celebrated chapter in the FBI’s history and the bureau dismisses what it calls conspiracy theories.

But Travis Thompson brings his law enforcement background to the search for more evidence.

Did the FBI kill the real John Dillinger or a stand-in who was helping Dillinger escape?

The mystery continues in my interview with Travis Thompson.


Links To Dillinger Resources Mentioned During Episode

True Crime Reporter® Story About The FBI’s Hogan’s Alley This Bank Gets Robbed Every Day

FBI John Dillinger History

FBI “The Top Ten Dillinger Myths”

Expedition Unknown

John Dillinger’s Death Mask

History Channel Behind Efforts To Exhume John Dillinger’s Body

History Channel Drops Out Of Planned John Dillinger Documentary; Proposed Exhumation In Doubt


FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast 

SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter

THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps.

TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT  that you want to hear more about


Robert Riggs has spent decades as an investigative reporter, and in True Crime Reporter, he applies that relentless, document-driven approach to the stories that haunt us. This isn't just a retelling of grim headlines; it's a meticulous walk through active case files, historical injustices, and the societal undercurrents that allow crime to flourish. Each episode feels like you're sitting across from Riggs as he lays out his notes, connecting dots between evidence, witness accounts, and the often-overlooked details that change a narrative. You'll hear the tension in the pursuit of truth, the weight of unresolved questions, and the quiet impact on communities and families left in the wake of violence. The podcast moves beyond the sensational to examine the cultural and systemic factors at play, offering a sober, deeply researched perspective. Listen for long-form narratives that build like a detective's board, where every piece of audio, every interview, and every document serves a purpose. It’s for those who want to understand the 'why' and the 'how' as much as the 'who,' presented with the clarity and authority of a seasoned journalist who knows the terrain. This is a journey into real stories, handled with the care they demand, and it naturally becomes an essential listen for anyone fascinated by the intersection of human behavior, justice, and the news.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

True Crime Reporter
Podcast Episodes
History of the Texas Rangers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:08
The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush. Clyde Ba…
After Hitmen Failed To Kill Her Husband She Pulled The Trigger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:39
This is a story about two botched murder attempts by hired hitmen. And what happened when 65-year-old Joyce Sturdivant took matters into her own hands? One of the most common forms of homicide is when one half of a coupl…
Real Stories Of The Texas Highway Patrol [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:58
The men and women of the Texas Highway Patrol work alone, often at night, on remote stretches of highway. They drive distinctive black and white cruisers and SUVs with bright gold emblems in the shape of Texas on the sid…
Inside The Making Of Hollywood’s Greatest Crime Movies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:36
Former NYPD Detective Randy Jurgensen walked a beat in Harlem all the way into Hollywood’s greatest crime dramas of all time. He is known as the cop who killed Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Gene Hackman pats down NYPD…
Surrounded By Psychopaths With Author Thomas Erikson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:11
After listening to our episodes about serial killer Kenneth McDuff, you have no doubt that McDuff is what FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood described as a textbook psychopath. But it’s not only criminals that are psychopaths. C…
Best of True Crime Reporter® 2021 – Serial Killer Kenneth McDuff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:23
In this “Best Of True Crime Reporter®”, we take you back to the first episode in our series about serial killer Kenneth Allen McDuff. It was a Webby Award Honoree for Best True Crime Podcast in 2021. McDuff is the only c…
The Devil Lovers- The Satanic Cult of Murder & Meth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:33
What is it about Waco, Texas? A whirlwind of bizarre events and violence seems to dump all sorts of strange creatures into Central Texas. Whether it is serial killers on the hunt for victims or the Branch Davidian Cult e…

«1...678910