Is there a new episode of Dateline this week (October 8th, 2025)? Explained

Dateline has new episodes this week. On Wednesday, October 8, Oxygen airs two new cuts of The Hands of a Killer at 3 am and 4 am ET, adapted from the earlier Dateline NBC report on former Arkansas state senator Linda Collins.

Across the rest of the week, Oxygen follows with fresh airings of The Day the Music Died, Righteous Obsession, On the Hunt for the Zombie Hunter, and Footprints in the Snow, all in paired half-night slots at 3 am and 4 am ET. Each is a re-edited presentation based on prior Dateline NBC reporting, trimmed for Oxygen while keeping the core case timeline.

---

Wednesday: The Hands of a Killer

This two-part Oxygen presentation revisits the 2019 stabbing death of former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins. Detectives tracked movements around her Pocahontas home, noticed missing security cameras, and later reviewed recovered system footage that linked a close associate, Rebecca O’Donnell.

She ultimately pleaded guilty to murder and abuse of a corpse, and also entered no-contest pleas in a related solicitation case. According to CBS News, she received a 50-year prison sentence.

---

Thursday: The Day the Music Died

Set in Asheville, North Carolina, this story retraces the 2016 killing of plastic surgeon and musician Dr. Frank “Buddy” McCutcheon. Investigators looked at a staged-burglary claim, found the handgun outside, and examined business records and tax issues tied to the practice.

The Day the Music Died (Image via NBC)

The focus shifts to the conduct after the shooting and the timeline inside the home. Brenda McCutcheon was later convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison, as reported by the Asheville Citizen Times.

---

Friday: Righteous Obsession

The Elizabeth City, North Carolina, home-invasion narrative unravels through phone calls, a witness far from the crime scene, and a recorded admission.

Dateline: Righteous Obsession (Image via NBC)

The account describes how an affair, planning, and a staged break-in led to the death of antique dealer Milton Sawyer. The Oxygen cut centers on what happened inside the house and how a mentor’s cooperation produced key audio that moved the case forward.

Also read: Did Ed Gein help solve the Ted Bundy case? Details explored as Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story brings new twists

---

Saturday: On the Hunt for the Zombie Hunter

Phoenix canal murders from the early 1990s are reassembled step by step. The case uses genetic genealogy and a covert DNA collection to identify Bryan Patrick Miller, known locally as the “Zombie Hunter.”

Zombie Hunter (Image via NBC)

Bench trial findings, scene work, and victim timelines anchor the narrative. A Maricopa County judge sentenced Miller to death in 2023, per CBS News.

---

Sunday: Footprints in the Snow

Colorado’s Jonelle Matthews case starts with a choir night drop-off, shoeprints in fresh snow, and a disappearance that lasted decades. Pipeline work in 2019 uncovered remains, shifting the file from missing to homicide.

Footprints in the Snow (Image via NBC)

A Weld County grand jury later indicted Steven Pankey; a 2022 jury found him guilty of felony murder and kidnapping. Reuters reported the verdict and sentencing to 20 years to life.

---

Where to watch Dateline

Oxygen runs these new Dateline episodes at 3 am and 4 am each day, noted below. Listings are based on the Oxygen schedule.

For streaming, recent and classic Dateline NBC episodes are available on Peacock, NBC, Fubo, and The Roku Channel.

---

Also read: Ed Gein’s brutal crimes- A complete timeline of events

Edited by Preethika Vijayakumar