Algorithm

Afrikka Didn't Need to Die

When Afrikka Hardy was strangled in 2014 it seemed completely random. But it wasn’t. It was part of a pattern.Lori Townsend reminisces about her daughter Afrikka, and journalist Thomas Hargrove says Afrikka's death could've been prevented.Subscribe to Algorithm now, so you don't miss an episode, and <a href="https://twitter.com/Ben_Kuebrich">follow host Ben Kuebrich on twitter</a> for more information about the case. Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

When Afrikka Hardy was strangled in 2014 it seemed completely random, but it wasn’t. It was part of a pattern.

Four years earlier, reporter Thomas Hargrove had created an algorithm to detect serial killers and flagged Gary, Indiana as the site of an unusual number of strangulations.

But when Hargrove reached out to warn local police, he was ignored -- until Afrikka Hardy was murdered, and those cold cases suddenly didn’t look so cold.

Algorithm follows the investigation into Afrikka’s murder, exposing the warnings that police ignored, and uncovering more than anyone expected -- that a serial killer was strangling women in Gary, Indiana could've been stopped. And that Afrikka Hardy should be alive today. 

This podcast will explore how technology can be used to identify and track serial killers, and how an algorithm can influence the way homicides are investigated all across the country.