Netflix audience moved to tears by ‘gut-wrenching’ true crime documentary featuring ‘insane twists’

Netflix has once again delivered with a ‘gut-wrenching’ true crime documentary that has brought viewers to tears.

As the dark and chilly nights have arrived, there seems to be no better remedy than to cozy up on the couch with some chips for an evening of television.

While the festive season approaches, Netflix caters to true crime enthusiasts with a documentary produced by actress Charlize Theron.

Rather than focusing on Theron, the series delves into the story of Cathy Terkanian, who was only 17 when she gave birth in 1974.

Terkanian, aiming to provide her daughter with a better future, decided to place her baby Alexis up for adoption. But her hopes were dashed in 2010 when authorities requested a DNA sample from her.

Officials informed her that remains had been discovered in Wisconsin, and they needed to determine if they belonged to her biological daughter.

Only then did Terkanian discover that her daughter, renamed Aundria Bowman, had vanished in 1989 at the age of 14.

This revelation prompted Terkanian to embark on a quest to uncover the truth about her daughter’s fate.

The documentary, titled Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, features a trailer in which Terkanian expresses her deep sense of foreboding, saying she felt something was wrong ‘in [her] bones’.

The two-part series has left viewers both shocked and moved, with many taking to social media to recommend the ‘gut-wrenching’ episodes and calling it a ‘tearjerker’.

“A Mother’s instincts…chills down my spine,” one person commented on LADbible’s Netflix Bangers Facebook page.

Another viewer shared: “This was amazing, the best thing on Netflix for a while.”

A third person remarked: “Done watching this today. This is the most jaw-dropping documentary I’ve ever watched,” while another added: “Fabulous lots of twists and turns.”

In a PEOPLE interview, Theron discussed what motivated her to assist in telling Terkanian’s story.

She stated: “Her determination, resilience and honestly how badass she was! She never let anyone tell her no, she trusted her instincts, and she is a true personification of the power of motherhood.”

Acknowledging the abundance of true crime content available today, Theron noted that this story felt ‘different’.

“A story that touches on the complexities of adoption, motherhood, found family. You don’t see that too often in this genre – it felt fresh and much needed,” she said.