Netflix viewers left in tears after watching ‘gut-wrenching’ true crime doc with ‘insane twists’

Netflix has delivered once again with a 'gut-wrenching' true crime documentary that's left viewers in tears.

It's official: the dark, cold nights are here, and the only thing we can do about it is curl up on the sofa, grab some chips and settle in for a night in front of the TV.

The festive season might be just around the corner, but if you're more of a true crime fan then Netflix has got you covered with a documentary produced by none other than actor Charlize Theron.

Theron isn't the subject of this doc though; instead the series tells the story of a woman named Cathy Terkanian, who was 17-years-old when she gave birth in 1974.

Hoping to give her baby daughter a better life, Terkanian decided to place the baby, who she named Alexis, up for adoption. However, any hopes she had that her daughter would be safer with a different family were shattered when, in 2010, officials contacted her asking for a DNA sample.

Terkanian was told that remains had been found in Wisconsin, and authorities wanted to see if they belonged to her biological daughter.

It was only then Terkanian learned her daughter, who'd been renamed Aundria Bowman, had gone in missing in 1989, when she was just 14.

Stunned, Terkanian set out on a mission to figure out what had happened to her daughter.

Cathy Terkanian was determined to find what happened to her daughter (Netflix)

In the trailer for the doc, titled Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, Terkanian says she could feel something was wrong 'in [her] bones'.

Viewers have been left shocked and emotional after watching the two-part series, with many flooding to social media to urge others to watch the 'gut-wrenching' episodes and describing it as a 'tearjerker'.

"A Mother’s instincts…chills down my spine," one person wrote on LADbible's Netflix Bangers Facebook page.

Another added: "This was amazing the best thing on Netflix for a while."

"Done watching this today. This is the most jaw-dropping documentary I've ever watched," wrote a third, with another writing: "Fabulous lots of twists and turns."

Theron described the series as being different to other true crime stories (Netflix)

In an interview with PEOPLE, Theron explained what it was that made her decide to help tell Terkanian's story.

She said: "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."

Knowing there's 'so much true crime' content available to watch these days, Theron added 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.