Netflix returns with another compelling true crime documentary for viewers to immerse themselves in.
The platform has become almost synonymous with true crime documentaries over the years.
Recently, Netflix has moved audiences with the ‘disturbing’ body cam documentary The Perfect Neighbor and left them stunned with the real-life bullying story High School Catfish.
Now, Netflix is exploring a case that true crime podcasters have called ‘bizarre’. It sheds light on a Vermont man accused of a series of terrible crimes against his own family.
The Carman Family Deaths focuses on a wealthy Vermont family surrounded by a series of chilling events—or so it seems…
In 2013, New England family patriarch and real estate developer John Chakalos died under suspicious circumstances. His 19-year-old grandson, Nathan, inherited $550,000, according to NBC.
However, Nathan quickly spent much of the inheritance, investing in a house and a fishing boat named the Chicken Pox, as reported by ABC News. This boat became the focus of national attention when, three years later, Nathan’s mother, Linda, disappeared at sea.
In 2016, Linda and Nathan embarked on a trip off Rhode Island on the Chicken Pox. During their journey, the boat reportedly sank, and Linda disappeared, leaving Nathan adrift.
Remarkably, Nathan, then 22 years old, was discovered alive on a life raft with food and water supplies near Martha’s Vineyard. He had apparently spent eight days at sea since their departure.
However, his mother was never found, and neither her body nor the boat were recovered.
Increasing suspicions arose as Nathan claimed he ‘didn’t know’ they were sinking until it was too late.
“The whole time from when I saw water in the boat to when the boat sank was probably three to five minutes,” he told ABC News. “I did not see or hear my mom.”
Questions arose around Nathan’s story when he attempted to claim an $85,000 insurance payout from the Chicken Pox incident. Investigators eventually concluded the boat was likely tampered with and suspected financial motives, as Nathan had depleted his inheritance and stood to gain approximately $7 million from his mother’s death as her sole heir.
Prosecutors accused Nathan of luring Linda onto the boat, killing her, and sinking it to claim the family fortune.
Nathan’s aunts later filed a lawsuit to block his claim to his mother’s inheritance, as another mystery emerged: the unsolved 2013 murder of his grandfather, Chakalos.
The businessman was found shot dead in his Connecticut mansion bed. Authorities believed a Sig Sauer rifle was the murder weapon, and Nathan, the last to see his grandfather alive, had purchased the exact model weeks before the murder.
In May 2022, US federal prosecutors indicted Nathan on multiple charges, including first-degree murder for Linda’s death and fraud. He was never charged with Chakalos’ murder.
Nathan pleaded not guilty to the murder and fraud charges.
While awaiting trial in 2023, Nathan was discovered dead in his cell at the Cheshire County Jail in Keene, New Hampshire.
The cause of death was not publicly disclosed, but the state Department of Justice confirmed it wasn’t suspicious.
He was reportedly alone in his cell when found unresponsive on June 15, 2023.
Several media outlets reported his death as a suicide, and his lawyers claimed to have left him a note.
The new Netflix documentary revisits this perplexing case, utilizing archive footage and interviews with Nathan’s father, Clark Carman, one of Linda’s sisters, and investigators from the Coast Guard, local police, and the FBI.
Directed by Yon Motskin and produced by Mary-Jane Mitchell, the film delves into how a missing-person case at sea escalated into a nationwide murder investigation.
The Carman Family Deaths will be available for streaming on Netflix starting Wednesday, November 19.