Alternative Interests

Cherish was 8 years old when absolute scum from the depths of hell befriended and gained the trust of her mother, Rayne, while they were out doing some last minute shopping. This heartbreaking case is difficult to tell but is an important lesson in staying vigilant no matter how charming a stranger may be. This episode discusses the murder of a young child and while we did not share explicit details of the horrors she endured, listener discretion is still advised.

Benjaman Kyle was the assumed name of a man who was found naked and nearly unconscious behind a Burger King in 2004. For over a decade he knew nothing of his life before he was found, and despite efforts on several fronts for answers, he struggled to find his identity while also struggling to make a life for himself.   The Last Unknown Man: https://newrepublic.com/article/138068/last-unknown-man Finding Benjaman: https://vimeo.com/34589969

Sextortion is a steadily rising form of online blackmail, primarily targeting teenaged boys. The warning signs are easy to spot if you are aware of what they look like; we are aiming to increase awareness and create the opportunity for more discussions about this dangerous scam. Please be advised, this episode discusses suicide and several cases of children who completed suicide resulting from sextortion.  For more information, visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's webpage on Sextortion at: https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/sextortion

Melissa Oxley was suddenly jolted awake in the middle of the night after hearing a loud noise. She went to investigate and found the front door of the home wide open, and returned to find her husband, Ben, dead in the bed where they had just been sleeping together. The story she told dispatch, police, and detectives seemed odd and didn't make sense to investigators. After years of surveillance, investigation, and interviews, Ben's murderer was identified.

In 2023, 16 month old Jailyn suffered for 10 long days while her mother simultaneously enjoyed herself on a vacation with her friends.  Content Warning: This episode is rough and involves discussion of neglect/abuse of a young child.

Colleen was one of those bright souls who worked hard daily to uplift those around her and lived her life being a positive influence to everyone lucky enough to know her. In her second year as a teacher, one of her students took her life and to this day we don't have a legitimate reason for his behavior. Colleen's friends and family live in her memory and celebrate the lasting mark she left on this world in her short time with us. 

When Ryan and Heather didn't show up on Christmas day and phone calls went unanswered, worried family went to their home to check on them. Police eventually made their way inside, and thus began one of the most grossly mishandled situations we've ever discussed. 

Everyone knows B is for Bigfoot when we're talking Cryptids, but we're sharing a couple lesser known beasts including a Wisconsin canine, an adorable (if sensitive) Scottish friend, and a Pacific Northwest hybrid. 

Another woman of many names: born Catherine Lawler, resurfaced as Kate Webster, playing at Kate Thomas... One thing that remains consistent is that she lies. 

In the small rural town of Athens, Wisconsin, the Kunz family were known as strange loners at the center of decades worth of rumors. On July 4th, 1987 the entire family save for one member was murdered in their home, stirring up more rumors that still exist today. There was a conviction in relation to their deaths, but there is much speculation as to whether true justice was served.

One morning Peter Porco went about his daily routine, waking up, getting dressed, making coffee and breakfast, and ultimately succumbing to devastating injuries sustained in a horrific attack on both he and his wife the night before. This highly unusual crime has a not altogether surprising culprit, though the star witness in his defense makes this story truly memorable. 

Elyse Pahler was a spunky 15 year old girl in 1995, enjoying all the perks of being an adventurous teenager. She had a wide variety of passions and interests and had an entire bright future ahead of her. Unfortunately, three boys she trusted and thought were her friends took it upon themselves to use her in their twisted violent scheme which they believed would bring them the success they couldn't be bothered to actually work for.   

Stephen Griffiths fancied himself a criminal mastermind, and a superior creature above the lowly human race. He is best known for a moniker he gave himself in the courtroom, widely believed to be a publicity stunt. Stephen targeted women struggling with addiction who were working toward getting their lives in order, and he relished the attention he got from his confession. 

Max DeVries went missing while on a family vacation in Aruba on May 12th, 2004. His mother has worked tirelessly the last 20 years searching for her son and trying to get any kind of law enforcement involvement to move the search forward. Please share his story to bring justice for Max. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ycdevries Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/62321359000/

Hannah Upp is a bright, beautiful soul missing from St. Thomas. She went missing in September of 2017 in the days between Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Due to the chaos surrounding the island in those days, she could be anywhere. Furthermore, due to a neurological condition, she may be unaware that she is Hannah. Hannah is 5'7" with light brown hair and eyes and as of the release of this episode she would be 40 years old. Her family remains hopeful she will be found. Find Hannah Upp Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FindHannahUppUSVI/

There is no shortage of cryptids in the Appalachian region of the United States, and guest host Jane came back to talk about a few! We discuss Bigfoot's Appalachian cousins in the north and south, as well as a reptilian cryptid famous in Ohio.

On October 17, 2003 Lisa Gurrieri and Brandon Rumbaugh were celebrating their one year anniversary by recreating their first date. They drove out to Bumble Bee Road just north of Phoenix, Arizona to spend an evening stargazing and camping out. Tragically, Lisa and Brandon were murdered that night, and their families have gone over 20 years without answers of who or why.  If you or someone you know was camping in the vicinity of I-17 and Bumble Bee Road on October 17, 2003 and know anything or think you saw something, please call the Yavapai Silent Witness tipline at 1-800-932-3232

In August of 2021, Jonathan Gerrish and his wife Ellen Chung took their young daughter Miju out for a typical family nature outing and didn't come home. When their nanny came for her scheduled shift and found a suspiciously empty home, she immediately knew something was wrong. When the young family along with their dog were all found dead in the middle of a hiking trail, law enforcement worked to figure out the mystery of where they had been and what had happened.

When one young man's vision for the dream relationship with the love of his life is stripped away, his obsession and inability to move on led him to murder the woman he adored. Today's case is one that many may not know, but almost everyone is aware of the legislation changes that came as a result of this terrible murder.

17 year old Natasha Ryan disappeared one day without a trace after leaving for school one morning. Despite a history of running away in the past, her family felt this time was different and spent years searching for her. When other young women in the small Australian town of Rockhampton also went missing a man was brought to trial for their murders along with Natasha's. In a baffling turn of events, criminal proceedings brought to light the surprising truth of Natasha's disappearance.

This poor excuse for a human is truly one of the worst we have covered on this podcast and so we must give a warning now that this episode discusses murder and sexual abuse of young children, please listen at your own discretion. Tsutomu Miyazaki held zero remorse or regret for his actions, and actually blamed a minor developmental deformity as well as an unsubstantiated alter-ego for what he did to the sweet young girls he victimized. We had nothing positive to say about him at the end of this episode and  you may find that you agree.

Many of us know what it is like to hit a rough patch with our mental health and are familiar with the struggles that can overwhelm someone in the midst of a mental health crisis. In this episode we discuss the tragic and senseless death of Lacey Fletcher, whose mental health struggles went far beyond anything imaginable and leaves us questioning where the line is between family support and enabling behavior. We don't have answers, but we know this went far beyond that line.

Reality television has been popular for decades, with some shows taking more risks than others in the chase for viewers; in the late 90s in Japan, one game show network pushed boundaries to extremes. One season of the show featured 22 year old Tamoaki Hamatsu, following his journey living in a small apartment for months. Tamoaki's months in this show illustrate the very worst of what network producers will do to someone for the sake of entertainment. 

This week's episode discusses the recent case resulting in the loss of the potential of three vibrant young lives after a car crash. The driver, dubbed "Hell on Wheels" by the judge, changed the trajectory of not only the people in the car, but countless other lives touched by them.

The Samaritan Foundation was a short lived organization of individuals that shared the beliefs of their leader, Linda Greene. We discuss how Allen Ross became involved with the Samaritans, and ultimately how that connection resulted in his murder, as well as the George family's dissolution at the influence of the Foundation. 

Hannah Clarke and Rowan Baxter had what appeared to be the picture perfect marriage, cultivating a public image of a family of fitness enthusiasts in love with each other and their three beautiful children. We must remember, however, that social media is only one small look into someone's life, and the secrets hiding in this family came to a devastating and horrific end no one could have seen coming. 

Part 2 of 2 After Jo, Michelle, and Christe Rogers' bodies were found in Tampa bay, investigators searched for leads to find their killer. After one woman's tips repeatedly went overlooked, they finally found a lead suspect in Oba Chandler. In this episode we discuss Oba's background, the trial, and the aftermath for Hal Rogers and a postmortem discovery involving Oba.

Part 1 of 2 Jo and Hal Rogers raised their daughters Michelle and Christy on their dairy farm, working hard together to keep things running. In 1989, after a year dealing with lawyers, police, and the legal system, Jo decided to take the girls on a cross country road trip to get away from the small town rumor mill. Unfortunately, they would never return home.  Link to "Angels and Demons" by Thomas French: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/classics/angels-and-demons/chapter-1-sunset/ 

In this episode we explore one of the most inexplicably horrible crimes that can be committed, and the two women involved. We discuss Lisa's troubled and traumatic upbringing, the circumstances that led Bobbie Jo to cross paths with her, and ultimately Bobbie Jo's murder. 

In this week's episode we talk about three separate instances of food poisoning and extortion from Germany. After hearing these stories, you might think twice about using the refrigerator at work and you'll definitely want to take a close look at the packaging next time you have a hankering for gummy bears.

After our long hiatus we are back! To ease back into the show, we brought several stories revolving around the passion and heartbreak surrounding February 14th.   

**Sound Note: We had extreme technical difficulties that were not caught until after we ended the recording. We were dealing with a significant audio lag, and around 42:00 Kat's audio cuts out and we received no notification that this had happened - from that point forward it will only be Crystal's side and some discussion had to be cut for continuity and clarity. Thanks for your understanding!** Richard Speck is one of America's most infamous murderers, committing what was immediately dubbed the "Crime of the Century" in Chicago, Illinois in July of 1966. His brutal slaying of 8 young student nurses was callous and horrifying, and a huge escalation in behavior, even considering his extensive criminal history leading up to that night. In Part 3 we discuss the manhunt and Richard's capture as well as some disturbing details that surfaced about his time in prison. 

Richard Speck is one of America's most infamous murderers, committing what was immediately dubbed the "Crime of the Century" in Chicago, Illinois in July of 1966. His brutal slaying of 8 young student nurses was callous and horrifying, and a huge escalation in behavior, even considering his extensive criminal history leading up to that night. In Part 2 we discuss the horrific events of the night of July 13th when Richard methodically slayed 8 innocent young nursing students in their home while life went on as normal just outside. 

Richard Speck is one of America's most infamous murderers, committing what was immediately dubbed the "Crime of the Century" in Chicago, Illinois in July of 1966. His brutal slaying of 8 young student nurses was callous and horrifying, and a huge escalation in behavior, even considering his extensive criminal history leading up to that night. In part 1, we cover Richard's early years and the string of crimes leading up to the evening of July 13, 1966. 

In this episode you can hear the full interview with Marty Duram's ex-wife Christina. She shared so much information including: How she and Marty met, how Glenna knew Marty, detailed information about why her children broke into the house and what they were doing there, details from the police investigation, misconceptions about how many times Marty and Glenna were actually shot, and much more. Pay attention to the birds in the background because at one point you can hear Bud recite his now infamous dialogue. For so much more information and lots of pictures, please see the Justice for Marty Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Justiceformarty

In 2015, Marty and Glenna Duram were married and living their lives together in a rural area of Michigan. When neighbors didn't hear from the couple for a few days, they went to check and found a gruesome scene where Marty had been shot to death and Glenna was taken to the hospital to treat a gunshot wound herself. The story that unfolded is one of the strangest and most unique stories with one of the most unusual witnesses to the crime that we have ever heard of.  After we aired the original episode, Marty's ex-wife reached out to us to let us know that there was a lot of information that was incorrect in our research due to news media twisting facts and narratives to tell a "good story" rather than the true story. In conjunction with Christina, we have taken our original audio and inserted clips from an interview to correct the information that will be found if you research this case. By doing so, we hope to cover all the bases of fact and fiction in order to get the most accurate version of the story of Marty Duram's murder told. 

Hide and Seek is a classic childhood game that everyone has played at some point in their lives, but how many of us have considered the potential dangers this game has? We share some horribly unfortunate stories of Hide and Seek gone wrong as a preamble to our main story featuring Sarah and her boyfriend. A night of silly fun and games turns deadly when Sarah finds her boyfriend dead the next day, and the story she tells is about as chaotic as they come. 

On the morning of May 13, 2015, neighbors had not heard or seen Glenna or Marty in days and were getting worried. After numerous calls, texts, and house calls, one neighbor found the door open and went to investigate, finding the Durams unresponsive in their bedroom. The resulting investigation brought us one of the strangest witnesses we have ever heard, and a viral news report showcasing their recollection of events. 

We pick up where we left off from Part 1 with police finding three bodies in a shed on the property of a cute little farmhouse in Idaho. The community was shocked to discover the identity of the three victims was not who they thought it would be, and one individual was nowhere to be found. 

216 South KCID Road in Boise, Idaho was supposed to be a darling farmhouse for Cheryl and Mike to spend their retirement together. However, Mike had a lifetime of secrets he was keeping from Cheryl, and this cute farmhouse would become the center of his biggest secret yet. 

Clare Wood is a name with a legacy that will last for decades to come due to the work of her father, Michael Brown. Clare's life was brutally stolen from her by an asshole who didn't understand or tolerate a woman rejecting him, then proceeded to steal justice from her family in the aftermath. No one in Clare's life knew what she was truly going through until after her sudden murder, and even Clare herself didn't know who she had gotten involved with while she dated George Applewood. Michael worked hard to bring about Clare's Law, which actively provides a measure of protection from men and women facing domestic violence situations.  Link to the official Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme Guidance https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575361/DVDS_guidance_FINAL_v3.pdf **we profusely apologize for the literal shit show that is the sound quality of this episode and hope it does not distract from the importance of the story we are sharing**

During the pandemic there have been concerns on many fronts that domestic violence would go widely undetected due to the isolation of lockdown. Today's story tells the heartbreaking tale of a family who lost a loved one and was subsequently terrorized in the wake of the grief that followed.  This is an ongoing case and we will keep an eye out for updates as proceedings move forward. 

Howard was a quiet man, regarded by his neighbors as a nice young man, if a little strange. However, Howard was concealing a simmering rage toward many of his neighbors for an untold number of grievances.  Many people will immediately think of Charles Whitman as the first mass shooter in American History, but 17 years before the Texas Tower Shooting, there was Howard Unruh's Walk of Death.

In this episode we bring you the story of two absolute badass women who survived the most traumatic experience of ten lifetimes, and turned their lives into something positive in the aftermath.  Please be advised, this episode includes graphic details of sexual assault and physical injuries. *Sound quality note - our software dumped half the audio file and we had to piece together a few different emergency backups provided by the IT gods of our recording host, sound levels may not be even but we did our best to stabilize it. Thanks for your patience!*

Newlyweds Dalia and Michael were off to a rocky start just six months into their marriage, and Dalia decided she was done. Instead of taking a more rational approach, she resorted to increasingly desperate plots and plans to free herself from the prison of matrimony. Thankfully that desperation made her incredibly easy to convict, although the absolute senselessness of her defense arguments also sealed her fate quite effectively. 

Michael and Dalia were a newlywed couple in the Summer of 2009. They were settling into a groove in their new marriage and were working toward rectifying some mistakes from their past so they could have a bright future together. On August 5th, Dalia received a phone call from police telling her to get home right away, only for her to find a full blown crime scene where her home should be. Her husband was dead, and police needed answers. In Part 1, we explore the parts of Michael's past that may shed light on who could be responsible for the events on the morning of August 5th, 2009.

This episode starts with a brief update on the Melissa Lucio case - this update was recorded before the news broke about Melissa's indefinite stay of execution.  Blake Ruff met Lori Kennedy and they began a whirlwind romance. Blake's family wasn't too fond of Lori's secretive ways, but he loved her. They were quickly married and had a child together, which Lori guarded like a hawk. Their marriage fell apart, and sadly Lori took her own life. In the wake of her sudden death, more questions began to arise and soon, Blake realized he had no idea who this woman actually was.

Melissa Lucio currently sits on death row in Texas, her execution date is set for Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Melissa's story is incredibly important and it must be heard. The Innocent Project is fighting to stop this execution and every day more and more people are joining the fight to save her life. We hope this gives more context behind the circumstances that led to Melissa's conviction to decide for yourself if this is what is right.  Please note, this episode features extensive discussion of physical and sexual abuse of children and adults.  Innocence Project: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/grant-melissa-lucio-clemency/?p2asource=hp_033302022 Family interview with Lone Star Plate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqsHKwBTH68  

Some people just aren't built for having families, and we believe Steven is one of those people. This story is fraught with abuse in all forms, perpetuated by one of the worst human meat bags we have covered so far. In Part 2, we bring you the conclusion of the Pladl story as well as discuss the phenomenon of Genetic Sexual Attraction to add some context to the situation with Steven and Katie. In this story there is no closure, no reform, and there is most certainly no justice.  Please be advised, this episode includes discussion of the murder of an infant that may be difficult to listen to.   

Some people just aren't built for having families, and we believe Steven is one of those people. This story is fraught with abuse in all forms, perpetuated by one of the worst human meat bags we have covered so far. In Part 1, we discuss what little we know about Steven's early years and the first victim of his sick grooming. Please be advised, this episode includes a significant amount of discussion of child abuse that may be difficult to listen to.

Most of us have been taught from a young age that if we are in trouble and there is an emergency, we should call 911 for help. But what happens when we do everything right: we call the number, we give the information, and it still isn't enough? Denise's story is a tragic example of everyone doing exactly what we have been taught, and somehow still failing the person who needed help most.