Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary, The Carman Family Deaths, examines the case of Nathan Carman and the series of deaths within his family. It explores the mysteries surrounding these events and focuses on Nathan, who was regarded as the prime suspect.
What happened to Nathan in The Carman Family Deaths documentary?
Released on November 19, 2025, Netflix’s documentary The Carman Family Deaths dives deep into the investigations that uncovered the tragic events surrounding Nathan Carman and his family.
The Carmans first came into the public eye after Nathan and his mother, Linda Carman, reportedly went missing after embarking on one of their regular fishing trips. They reportedly left from Ram Port Marina in Rhode Island on September 17th, 2016. When Sharon Hartstein, Linda’s friend, couldn’t get in contact with the two, she contacted the US Coast Guard.
After days of intense search and covering thousands of square miles, the Coast Guard called it off, presuming that the mother and son were dead. However, on September 25, a passing freighter found Nathan alone on a life raft. This garnered massive attention not only to his mother’s suspicious disappearance, but also to his grandfather, John Chakalos’s, death.
John Chakalos was a wealthy real estate developer. He reportedly supported Linda and Nathan, despite his turbulent relationship with her. In 2013, someone murdered Chakalos under mysterious circumstances, and Nathan was the last person to see him alive.
Reports revealed that Nathan had inquired about the inheritance before Chakalos’ death and had lied to the authorities about owning a rifle that seemingly killed Chakalos. Nonetheless, Nathan inherited a large sum of money from his grandfather’s insurance policy. This raised further suspicion that he may have a hand in Chakalos’ death. Since he had an alibi, they couldn’t charge him with the crime.
Back to his mother’s disappearance: new witnesses reportedly came forward claiming that Nathan was tampering with their boat the day before their fishing trip. In 2022, the federal court formally indicted Nathan for killing his mother and grandfather. And on June 15, 2023, Nathan Carman died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial. Finally, in 2023, the case was closed, formally declaring Linda Carman to be dead.
