About Crossroads
Where Every Trail Leads to the Truth
Located in Monroe, North Carolina, Crossroads Ranch is the home base of forensic criminologist Dr. Laura Pettler — a place where horses, investigation, and innovation intersect.
As the nation’s only True Crime Horse Farm, Crossroads Ranch blends equine science, forensic training, and agritourism into one experiential environment.
It serves as:
The official equestrian training center for Coroner Karla Deese’s Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit, the first coroner’s office-based mounted search, rescue, and recovery team in the world.
The headquarters of Laura Pettler & Associates (LPA), an internationally recognized forensic investigation, training, and equipment company.
The home of True Crime & Equines™, a series of immersive programs — including Adult and Kids CSI Horse Camps, Mounted Search & Rescue training, and live forensic events.
A trusted source for DNA-verified Horses and Dogs, developed with transparency, integrity, and measurable standards. Each animal is trained, health-screened, and DNA-tested to ensure quality, temperament, and soundness for lifelong partnerships.
The creative and educational hub for Pettler’s media work, including Crimeworx Productions, where television, film, crime music, and podcast projects come to life.
Crossroads Ranch isn’t just a working farm — it’s a living laboratory for truth-seeking. Here, Dr. Pettler unites forensic science, horsemanship, and storytelling to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of investigators, responders, and riders.
More Than a Ranch — It’s a Mission #RiseAndSlay
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True Crime & Equines
Where forensic science meets horsemanship.
Crossroads Ranch is home to the original True Crime & Equines™ experience — a series of immersive programs blending death investigation, behavioral forensics, and equine partnership. From Adult and Kids CSI Horse Camps to Mounted Search & Rescue training and live forensic events, participants learn how evidence, intuition, and empathy work together in both investigation and horsemanship.
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Available Horses & Dogs
Partners built with integrity, transparency, and skill.
Every horse and dog at Crossroads Ranch is trained and cared for with measurable standards. Each listing includes full veterinary records, DNA verification, and behavioral evaluations, ensuring the buyer knows exactly who they’re partnering with. Developed in collaboration with Honeysuckle’s Ranch Academy, our animals reflect quiet minds, sound bodies, and steady hearts.
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Education, Training & Outreach
Building stronger investigators, responders, and riders.
Crossroads Ranch serves as a national training and education hub for law enforcement, first responders, and the public. Home to Laura Pettler & Associates (LPA) Investigations, Training, and Equipment and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit, the ranch offers hands-on learning in The Murder Room Method, Mounted Search & Rescue, and animal-assisted forensic training — turning theory into practice on every acre.
Dr. Pettler’s True Crime & Equines™ Ecosystem
Where horses, investigation, education, and community all come together.
The True Crime & Equines™ Ecosystem is a one-of-a-kind world created by Dr. Laura Pettler that blends her lifelong love of horses with her career in forensic investigation. It’s a place where people can learn, grow, serve, and experience something truly unique—whether they come for the horses, the true crime, the community, or the adventure.
This ecosystem brings together everything that makes Crossroads Ranch special: horsemanship, search and rescue, forensic education, creative storytelling, and meaningful outreach. At its heart, it’s designed to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds while giving horses and humans a purpose they can share.
A Home for Learning, Healing & Service
Everything begins at Crossroads Ranch, the headquarters and heartbeat of the ecosystem. Here, horses, volunteers, investigators, families, and community members meet to learn, train, and be part of something bigger. The ranch serves as:
The training home of the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit, the first coroner’s office-based mounted search and rescue team in the world.
The base of LPA Investigations, Dr. Pettler’s nationally respected forensic practice.
The center of all True Crime & Equines™ programs, events, and camps.
A safe landing place for horses coming out of the slaughter pipeline, where they are retrained, repurposed, and loved.
Crossroads Ranch is a working farm, but also a warm and welcoming community where people and horses find connection, confidence, and purpose.
Experiences That Stay With You
The True Crime & Equines™ Ecosystem offers hands-on, unforgettable programs for adults, teens, kids, first responders, families, and anyone who loves horses or true crime—or both. Signature programs include:
Adult CSI Horse Camp
Kids CSI Horse Camp
Mounted Search & Rescue Training (MSAR)
True Crime & Equines™ Speaker Events
CSI Yellowstone Cattle Drive Weekend Retreat
LPA forensic workshops and courses
MRU Explorers Program (ages 14–18)
Public outreach and community events
These experiences are fun, educational, and surprisingly empowering. Participants learn real investigative techniques, practical horsemanship, teamwork, and confidence—often discovering new strengths in themselves along the way.
Storytelling That Makes an Impact
Through Crimeworx Productions, the ecosystem extends into film, podcasts, and digital storytelling. This is where true stories, cold cases, and the world of equine-assisted investigation come to life. Current and upcoming media projects include:
Saddled in Secrets – Where Horses & Homicide Collide
Mounted Justice - Dr. Pettler rides out to forgotten crime scenes on horseback and returns to the Murder Room to dissect her discoveries with the LPA Expert Roundtable.
The Murder Room - Join Dr. Pettler in The Murder Room as she and her experts take listeners inside the truth of real cases through deep forensic and behavioral analysis.
And new shows, documentaries, and educational series in development
These projects let the ecosystem reach people across the country, creating awareness, inspiration, and opportunities for education and engagement.
Horses With Heart and Purpose
The horses in the True Crime & Equines™ Ecosystem are more than mounts—they’re partners, teachers, and members of the team. The ranch trains Friesians, Gypsy Cobs, ranch horses, and rescued slaughter-pipeline horses to take on meaningful, fulfilling roles such as:
Mounted Search & Rescue partners
Outreach and community ambassadors
Training and camp horses
Therapy and support horses
Stars in education and media projects
Every horse here matters. Every horse gets a job, a purpose, and a fresh start.
A Community That Truly Cares
This ecosystem thrives because of the people who are part of it—volunteers, riders, investigators, kids, families, and community members who want to help, learn, or simply belong somewhere meaningful. We believe in:’
Welcoming everyone
Teaching with kindness
Training with purpose
Serving our community
Supporting survivors
Helping horses and humans grow together
The True Crime & Equines™ Ecosystem is more than a series of programs—it’s a place where people show up for each other, learn together, and make a difference together. It’s where curiosity meets compassion, where science meets the saddle, and where every trail truly leads to the truth.
