Podcasts about true crime stories

Layla Santanello disappeared from Kingsport, Tennessee, on June 27, 2023, after a series of troubling sightings around the Americourt Motel. Santanello, then 20 years old, had spent the previous night at the motel and was later seen barefoot, going door to door before running toward a nearby tree line. Early the next morning, she was spotted in a field next to the motel and asked a warehouse employee for a cigarette. Her last confirmed sighting came when she was seen walking along the nearby Greenbelt. After that, she vanished without a trace and has not been heard from since.Investigators now believe Santanello encountered a group of people after leaving the motel and that some of those individuals know what happened to her. Authorities have said they believe she is likely dead, but no one has been charged and no suspect has been publicly named. Her disappearance has remained unsolved despite searches, interviews and continued appeals for information, while her family has worked to keep attention on the case. More than three years later, the central mystery remains unchanged: what happened after Layla left the Americourt area, who she met, and why no one with knowledge of her final movements has provided the information needed to bring the case to a conclusion.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Melanie Gibb's testimony gave jurors an inside look at the belief system Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had built around themselves before the deaths of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell. Gibb testified that Lori and Chad divided people into categories of “light” and “dark,” claimed some individuals had become possessed by evil spirits or turned into “zombies,” and performed religious “castings” they believed could drive those spirits out. She said Lori had described Charles Vallow, Tylee and JJ as dark or possessed before they died, while Chad and Lori believed they had been married in past lives and had a special spiritual mission connected to the 144,000. Gibb also testified that she personally saw nothing abnormal about JJ's behavior even though Lori claimed he had become possessed.Gibb also became central to the prosecution's case because Lori falsely told police that JJ was staying with her after he had already disappeared. Gibb initially repeated part of that story, but later contacted investigators and secretly recorded a December 2019 phone call confronting Lori and Chad about where JJ really was. On the recording, Lori refused to reveal his location and insisted he was safe, while Chad suggested Gibb was being influenced by dark forces. Gibb told jurors that Alex Cox later made a disturbing comment suggesting she did not want to know what had happened to JJ. Her testimony tied the couple's increasingly extreme beliefs directly to the deception surrounding the missing children and gave prosecutors a firsthand witness who had watched Lori and Chad's ideology become more radical as people around them began dying.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

The so-called Atlantic City Serial Killer, also known as the Eastbound Strangler, is an unidentified killer believed to have murdered four women in the Atlantic City area in 2006. On November 20 of that year, the bodies of Barbara Breidor, Molly Dilts, Tracy Ann Roberts and Kim Raffo were discovered in a drainage ditch behind the Golden Key Motel along the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township. The women had been placed face down in shallow water, spaced apart in a row, with their heads oriented toward the east and their shoes and socks removed. At least two of the victims died from strangulation or asphyxiation, while decomposition prevented authorities from determining definitive causes of death for the others. Several of the women had histories involving sex work, which led investigators to believe the killer may have targeted vulnerable women in the Atlantic City area.The case has remained unsolved for nearly two decades despite multiple suspects and periodic attempts to revive the investigation. One man, Terry Oleson, drew intense scrutiny after police learned he had been staying at the Golden Key Motel and later found evidence that he had secretly recorded a minor, but he was never charged in connection with the four murders. Investigators also revisited the case after the arrest of accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann because of similarities between the victims and the disposal sites, but authorities said they found no known connection. The identity of the Eastbound Strangler remains unknown, leaving the murders of Breidor, Dilts, Roberts and Raffo as one of New Jersey's most haunting unsolved serial murder cases.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Layla Santanello disappeared from Kingsport, Tennessee, on June 27, 2023, after a series of troubling sightings around the Americourt Motel. Santanello, then 20 years old, had spent the previous night at the motel and was later seen barefoot, going door to door before running toward a nearby tree line. Early the next morning, she was spotted in a field next to the motel and asked a warehouse employee for a cigarette. Her last confirmed sighting came when she was seen walking along the nearby Greenbelt. After that, she vanished without a trace and has not been heard from since.Investigators now believe Santanello encountered a group of people after leaving the motel and that some of those individuals know what happened to her. Authorities have said they believe she is likely dead, but no one has been charged and no suspect has been publicly named. Her disappearance has remained unsolved despite searches, interviews and continued appeals for information, while her family has worked to keep attention on the case. More than three years later, the central mystery remains unchanged: what happened after Layla left the Americourt area, who she met, and why no one with knowledge of her final movements has provided the information needed to bring the case to a conclusion.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Vermont might be picturesque, but these Green Mountains are no strangers to scandal. This brave little state has its own long history of counterfeiting, illicit gambling, mysterious murders and more. The exhibition Vermont Vice at the Bennington Museum explores some of the shadier aspects of life. Curator Jamie Franklin shares his favorite stories from the show. Author Thea Lewis has written many books about the darker side of the state. Her new book, True Crime Stories of Vermont, is out this week. We also hear from Doctor Vu, artistic director of Green Mountain Cabaret and president of Nightlife Arts, for a modern take on the girly shows of yore.

Brian Laundrie confessed in a notebook recovered near his remains that he had killed Gabby Petito. In the handwritten note, Laundrie claimed that Petito had been badly injured after a fall near a creek in Wyoming and that he killed her because he believed she was suffering and wanted the pain to end. He framed the killing as an act of mercy, but that account was immediately at odds with the official findings that Petito died by manual strangulation and blunt-force trauma. The FBI had already concluded that Laundrie was responsible for her death, and the notebook gave investigators a direct admission from him before he died by suicide in Florida.Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, reacted angrily to the confession and rejected Laundrie's attempt to explain the killing on his own terms. She described the note as narcissistic and shared a message saying that narcissists rewrite history to avoid accountability, while also making clear that the family would continue pursuing the truth and justice for Gabby. For Schmidt, the confession did not provide closure so much as another attempt by Laundrie to control the story after killing her daughter. She and the rest of Gabby's family continued to challenge the version of events he left behind and to pursue legal accountability connected to what happened before and after Gabby's death.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Day two of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing focused heavily on prosecutors' effort to connect Robinson to the Utah Valley University campus and to the physical evidence recovered after Charlie Kirk was shot. Investigators introduced additional surveillance footage they said showed Robinson moving around UVU before and after the shooting, while the State also turned to forensic evidence recovered along the alleged escape route. A screwdriver found on top of the Losee Center and a towel recovered from a wooded area near the rifle became major points of testimony. The State Bureau of Investigation introduced an FBI laboratory report concluding that DNA from both Robinson and his roommate, Lance Twiggs, was present on the screwdriver and towel, evidence prosecutors argued helped connect Robinson to the rooftop area and to the abandoned rifle. The hearing also featured argument over the State's allegation that Kirk had been targeted because of his political and religious views, an issue relevant to the victim-targeting enhancement prosecutors had attached to several chargesThe defense spent much of the day attacking how strongly the forensic evidence could actually be interpreted. FBI forensic examiner Amanda Bakker was questioned for roughly three hours as defense attorney Michael Burt dug into the technical details of the DNA testing, mixtures, statistical interpretation and the limitations of what the results could establish about when or how DNA was deposited on the objects. Robinson's lawyers also pushed back against the State's motive theory, challenging the attempt to characterize the killing as being driven by Kirk's religious beliefs in addition to political disagreement. By the end of day two, prosecutors had added important physical evidence to the surveillance case presented on day one, but the defense had begun laying out the approach it would use throughout the hearing: concede that certain items contained Robinson-associated evidence while aggressively challenging what that evidence actually proved about possession, timing, motive and the circumstances of Kirk's killing.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

The man at the center of the Portland serial killer case is Jesse Lee Calhoun, a convicted felon who has been charged with killing multiple women whose bodies were found across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Prosecutors have accused Calhoun of murdering Kristin Smith, Charity Lynn Perry, Bridget Webster, Joanna Speaks and Ashley Real, and in September 2026 he was also indicted in connection with the death of Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson. The women disappeared or were found dead between late 2022 and 2023, often in isolated locations, and the similarities between the cases fueled early fears that a serial killer might be operating in the Portland area. Calhoun has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, and the cases remain pending.What made the case especially controversial was the way Portland police initially pushed back against those fears. In June 2023, after six women had been found dead in the region, the Portland Police Bureau publicly said it had “no reason to believe” the cases were connected and characterized suggestions of a serial killer as unsupported speculation that was creating unnecessary fear. But the picture changed quickly. By July, investigators acknowledged that four of the deaths were believed to be connected and that Calhoun was a person of interest, and prosecutors later began filing murder charges tying him to several of the women. The reversal became a major part of the story because authorities had initially tried to reassure the public that there was no evidence of a common killer, only for subsequent investigations to establish the very kind of connection that residents and victims' families had been worried about.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

When Jeffrey Dahmer was finally caught in 1991, his confessions to detectives revealed the full horror of his crimes. He admitted in chilling detail that he had lured men and boys back to his apartment, where he drugged, strangled, and dismembered them. He described how he kept body parts as trophies, including skulls and bones, and in some cases engaged in acts of necrophilia and cannibalism. His willingness to recount these actions without visible remorse shocked investigators, as he openly discussed his urges, rituals, and the escalating compulsion that drove him to kill.Dahmer explained to detectives that he had begun killing in the late 1970s and that his crimes grew more methodical and grotesque over time. He spoke about his desire to create “zombies” by drilling into victims' skulls and attempting to inject chemicals, a twisted effort to make them submissive and permanently under his control. His confessions painted a picture of a man consumed by obsession, driven by both sexual compulsion and a profound need for domination. The level of detail he provided gave law enforcement the clearest view into his psyche and the systematic way he carried out his murders, making his case one of the most infamous in modern criminal history.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:confession1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

In 1978, a brown-paper parcel was found between two cars at a Chicago university. It looked ordinary. The professor named as the sender had never seen it before. Then it exploded. That first device began a 17-year bombing campaign that moved from university campuses to an airliner, computer shops and private homes. Sixteen bombs would kill three people and injure 23, while investigators struggled with devices deliberately built from common materials and a bomber capable of disappearing for years. What the FBI did have was strange: scrap-built components, pieces of wood, the initials F.C., a witness sketch and, eventually, a bomber who decided to start writing. Part One follows the creation of the UNABOM investigation, the long silences between attacks, the deadly return in the 1990s and the extraordinary decision to publish Industrial Society and Its Future. Then, after thousands of bad tips, one lead arrived that pointed towards a name already inside the investigation: Ted Kaczynski. Topics Included The mysterious first package bomb found in Chicago in 1978 How the university and airline attacks gave the UNABOM case its name The scrap-built bombs, pieces of wood and recurring F.C. signature The escalation from serious injuries to the first fatalities The 1987 eyewitness encounter and iconic hooded-man sketch The Unabomber's six-year disappearance and sudden return Freedom Club and the demand to publish Industrial Society and Its Future The manifesto publication and the tip that pointed towards Ted Kaczynski Resources and Further Reading Unabomber case history — FBI Inside the FBI: The Unabomber Case — FBI podcast and transcript The Unabomber Case 25 Years Later — FBI Unabomber Bomb Shrapnel — FBI artifact Unabomber Cabin — FBI artifact The Profile of a Loner — The Washington Post Unabomber's Elusive Trail — The Washington Post To Unabomb Victims, A Deeper Mystery — The Washington Post UNABOM Major Case 75 Task Force Report — digitised 1995 BATF, FBI and USPIS task-force report Project Unabom — Apple Original podcast Host & Show InfoHosts: Kyle Risi & Adam CoxEditor: Giordanno Bottezini Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to ActionReview & follow on: Spotify & Apple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonSuggest a Topic: Freaky RegisterShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dennis Rader, known as the BTK killer, was an American serial killer who murdered 10 people in and around Wichita, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. The initials BTK stood for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” a name Rader gave himself in letters he sent to police and news organizations. He targeted men, women and children, often stalking victims before entering their homes, restraining them and killing them. Rader's crimes terrified the Wichita area for years, particularly because he repeatedly taunted authorities and the media with letters describing the murders and seeking attention for himself.Rader remained unidentified for decades while living what appeared to be an ordinary suburban life, working various jobs, serving as a church leader and raising a family. He resurfaced in 2004 by sending new communications to the media, and that decision ultimately led investigators to him. Police traced a computer disk he had mailed to a local television station back to his church and then used additional evidence, including DNA, to confirm his identity. Rader was arrested in February 2005, later pleaded guilty to all 10 murders and received 10 consecutive life sentences.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Die Themen von Lisa und Jan am 24.09.2026: (00:00:00) Olympia: Welche Stadt ihre Bewerbung zurückgezogen hat und wer weiter im Rennen ist. (00:01:11) Hype um Chicken: Warum Leute für Grillhähnchen stundenlang Schlange stehen und welche True-Crime-Story dahintersteckt. (00:08:32) Enteignungen: Wie realistisch das Wahlversprechen der Linken in Berlin ist, Immobilienkonzerne zu vergesellschaften und welche Kritik es daran gibt. (00:13:33) Windkraftschwindler festgenommen: Wer der Millionenbetrüger Hendrik Holt ist und wo er nach vier Wochen Flucht geschnappt wurde. Hier findet ihr die ARD-Doku zum Windkraftschwindler https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/holt-der-windkraft-schwindler/holt-der-windkraft-schwindler/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzIzMDk5NjI Und auch unsere Kolleg:innen vom Podcast toomanytabs hatten über ihn gesprochen: https://www.ardsounds.de/episode/urn:ard:episode:0086f64bec4f80bc/ Habt ihr Fragen oder Feedback? Schickt uns gerne eine Sprachnachricht an 0151 15071635 oder schreibt uns an 0630@wdr.de Kommt auch gerne in unseren WhatsApp Channel https://1.ard.de/0630-Whatsapp-Kanal Hier könnt ihr per QR-Code rein: https://1.ard.de/0630-bei-Whatsapp Von 0630.

On June 5, 1999, 15 year old Michael “Mike” Palmer disappeared after leaving a graduation party near Meadow Lakes, Alaska, with three friends. The boys were riding their bicycles when Mike fell behind, and although they waited for him at a nearby 7-Eleven, he never arrived. Mike was never seen again. His bicycle was later discovered in the Little Susitna River, while his wet and muddy Converse sneakers were found roughly 200 yards away near a private airstrip. In this episode, we take a closer look at the location where Mike was last seen and try to come up with explanations about his bicycle and shoes. We also look at discussions from people familiar with the area on Facebook, including the local theories and speculation surrounding two individuals whom some believe may have information about Mike's disappearance. Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

In the days immediately after Bryan Kohberger's arrest, investigators had finally identified a suspect in the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, but many of the biggest questions about the case remained unanswered. Police had said the attack was targeted, yet they had not explained whether one victim or all four had been intended targets, what the motive was or whether Kohberger knew any of the students. The murder weapon had still not been recovered, and authorities had released few details about exactly how the killer entered or left 1122 King Road. Investigators had also kept quiet about what DNA or other forensic evidence had been recovered from the sprawling and bloody crime scene, while the circumstances surrounding the white Hyundai Elantra seen near the house had only recently become a major focus.Other mysteries centered on the timeline and what happened inside the house before the victims were discovered. Kaylee and Madison had returned home around 1:56 a.m., while Xana and Ethan had arrived earlier after attending a Sigma Chi party, but the original public timeline still contained major gaps, particularly regarding Xana and Ethan's movements. Two surviving roommates had been in the house during the killings, and friends were called to the residence before the 911 call reporting an “unconscious person,” yet police had not revealed who actually placed the call or exactly what the roommates and friends had seen. Kohberger's arrest therefore represented a major breakthrough, but at that stage it answered only one fundamental question: who police believed committed the murders. The motive, the relationship to the victims, the precise sequence of events, the missing weapon and the evidence connecting him to the house were still largely hidden from public view.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Israel Keyes was an American serial killer, kidnapper, rapist and bank robber who deliberately tried to make his crimes difficult to connect. He traveled extensively around the United States, sometimes flying to one part of the country, renting a vehicle and then driving hundreds of miles before selecting victims with whom he had no obvious connection. Keyes also buried “kill kits” containing weapons, restraints and other supplies years in advance so he could return later and commit murders without having to purchase suspicious items immediately beforehand. He confessed to killing Bill and Lorraine Currier in Vermont in 2011 and to abducting and murdering 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2012. After killing Koenig, he staged a ransom demand using a photograph of her body and withdrew money from her debit card, activity that ultimately helped investigators track him down and arrest him in Texas.After his arrest, Keyes told the FBI that he had killed multiple people over many years and claimed his murders stretched across several states, but he was deliberately evasive about names, locations and victim totals. Investigators believed he was responsible for at least 11 murders, although only three victims were conclusively identified, and he was examined in connection with numerous unsolved disappearances and homicides across the country. Keyes described choosing victims opportunistically and said he sometimes traveled specifically to kill, making geographic profiling unusually difficult. He died by suicide in an Alaska jail in December 2012 before he could be tried for most of the crimes he confessed to, leaving investigators with a disturbing combination of confirmed murders, partial confessions and unresolved questions about how many victims he actually had.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Gary Michael Hilton was a drifter and convicted serial killer who became known as the “National Forest Serial Killer” after targeting people in remote wilderness areas across Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. His known killing spree unfolded in 2007 and early 2008, with victims including elderly hikers John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina, Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and 24-year-old Meredith Emerson in Georgia. Hilton preyed on people in isolated hiking areas, abducted them, robbed them and in several cases used their bank cards before killing them and attempting to conceal or mutilate their bodies. He pleaded guilty to murdering Emerson after investigators linked him to her disappearance and found evidence in his van, and he later admitted killing the Bryants.Hilton was also convicted in Florida of kidnapping and murdering Cheryl Dunlap, whose decapitated body was found in the Apalachicola National Forest in December 2007. A Florida jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, and he was sentenced to death in 2011. He received additional life sentences for the Bryant murders, while his Georgia sentence for Emerson's murder was life imprisonment. Investigators also examined Hilton in connection with other unsolved disappearances and killings, including cases involving people who vanished near hiking areas, though not all of those suspicions resulted in charges. His crimes stood out for their predatory use of isolated public lands, where he could approach victims with little chance of witnesses and then use the surrounding wilderness to hide evidence and bodies.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Gary Michael Hilton was a drifter and convicted serial killer who became known as the “National Forest Serial Killer” after targeting people in remote wilderness areas across Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. His known killing spree unfolded in 2007 and early 2008, with victims including elderly hikers John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina, Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and 24-year-old Meredith Emerson in Georgia. Hilton preyed on people in isolated hiking areas, abducted them, robbed them and in several cases used their bank cards before killing them and attempting to conceal or mutilate their bodies. He pleaded guilty to murdering Emerson after investigators linked him to her disappearance and found evidence in his van, and he later admitted killing the Bryants.Hilton was also convicted in Florida of kidnapping and murdering Cheryl Dunlap, whose decapitated body was found in the Apalachicola National Forest in December 2007. A Florida jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, and he was sentenced to death in 2011. He received additional life sentences for the Bryant murders, while his Georgia sentence for Emerson's murder was life imprisonment. Investigators also examined Hilton in connection with other unsolved disappearances and killings, including cases involving people who vanished near hiking areas, though not all of those suspicions resulted in charges. His crimes stood out for their predatory use of isolated public lands, where he could approach victims with little chance of witnesses and then use the surrounding wilderness to hide evidence and bodies.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Gary Ridgway's confessions came after he struck a 2003 plea agreement with King County prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a complete and truthful accounting of every murder he committed in the county. Ridgway ultimately pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and spent months giving investigators detailed interviews about how he selected, killed and disposed of his victims. He admitted that he deliberately targeted women he believed were sex workers because he thought they would be less likely to be immediately missed and because he believed their lifestyles made them easier to approach. Ridgway described strangling most of his victims, frequently having sex with them before killing them and, in some cases, returning to their bodies afterward. He also explained how he dumped victims in clusters around remote wooded areas, the Green River and other locations so he could keep track of where he had left them.What made the confessions especially chilling was Ridgway's detached manner and his admission that he had killed so many women that he could no longer clearly remember all of them. Investigators used the interviews to take him back to disposal sites, identify victims and resolve cases that had remained open for decades. The FBI later described him as speaking about the murders and sexual violations with striking emotional detachment, treating the women more like objects than human beings and showing little genuine empathy for the suffering he caused. Ridgway officially admitted to 48 murders, but investigators have long believed his true victim count may have been higher, and he himself suggested during questioning that he had killed more women than he could reliably identify.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

A severed arm inside a shark. Two men found wearing lead masks. The Dead Don't Stay Silent gathers nine true-crime cases and macabre histories in a Terrifying & True collection. Explore the Shark Arm case, Somerton Man, Bella in the Wych Elm, Donna Doll, Lynnette Craft, and the Lead Masks mystery, plus the Salish Sea feet, the shrunken-head trade, and Carl Tanzler. More than four hours trace forensic clues, unsolved murders, and the legends that grow around human remains. What can the dead reveal when the living won't tell the truth? We're telling that story tonight.Bonus episodes & support: https://weeklyspooky.com/joinMore scary stories: https://weeklyspooky.com/Story submissions: WeeklySpooky@gmail.com

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The “Great Basin Killer” was the name investigators and the media gave to a suspected serial murderer believed to be responsible for a string of killings across Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Idaho between 1983 and 1997. At least nine women were initially grouped together as possible victims because of similarities in the cases: many were young women or hitchhikers, several had been sexually assaulted, and their bodies were dumped in remote areas near major interstate highways running through the Great Basin. Some victims were strangled, others stabbed or shot, and in several cases their bodies appeared to have been deliberately posed. The geography of the crimes, particularly the proximity to highways and truck stops, raised suspicions that the killer might have been a long-haul truck driver or someone else who moved routinely across state lines. Investigators interviewed truckers, sex workers, service-station employees and others who traveled those corridors, but no single suspect was ever definitively identified as the Great Basin Killer.Over time, however, the theory that one unidentified predator committed all of the Great Basin murders largely fell apart. Advances in DNA testing and later investigations showed that several of the killings had been committed by different men. Dale Wayne Eaton was convicted of murdering Lisa Marie Kimmell, while serial killer and truck driver Robert Ben Rhoades was eventually linked to Patricia Walsh and her husband Douglas Zyskowski; other cases were separately solved or attributed to different offenders. Several murders nevertheless remain unsolved, leaving open the possibility that one unidentified killer could still be responsible for some portion of the original series. The Great Basin case therefore evolved from the hunt for a single roaming serial killer into something arguably even more disturbing: a collection of unrelated predators using the same isolated highway system and vast stretches of western wilderness to prey on vulnerable women, with investigators initially mistaking the similarities for the work of one man.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

On 26 April 2010, 16 year old Alexandria “Ali” Lowitzer disappeared from Spring, Texas. Ali had arrived home from school at around 2:30pm and called her mother to say she had forgotten her house key. She then asked if she could walk to the nearby Burger Barn, where she worked, to collect her paycheck and ask about picking up a shift that evening. She was seen getting off her school bus with two other students, but she never arrived at the Burger Barn. When her mother returned home later that afternoon, Ali was nowhere to be found.On the podcast, we examine the area where Ali was last seen after getting off the school bus, including the route she may have taken toward the Burger Barn. We focus about the security footage from a nearby gas station and discuss if it proves that Ali never made it to the restaurant. We also explore the wooded area close to the neighborhood and consider whether it could be related to Ali's case.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

On 22 June 1997, 51 year old Marion Barter left Southport, Queensland, to begin a year-long trip through England and Europe. Shortly before leaving Australia, Marion had secretly changed her name to Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel and obtained a new passport, but she told no one about the change. She travelled to England and remained in contact with family and friends for several weeks, but on 1 August 1997, Marion spoke to her daughter Sally for the final time. The following day, her passport was used to return to Australia, despite Marion apparently still claiming to be in England. Over the following weeks, Marion's life savings were withdrawn from her bank account, and after 15 October 1997, there were no further confirmed signs of Marion. In 2024, a coroner declared Marion deceased, but was unable to determine where, when or how she died.On the podcast, we examine what may have happened to Marion after her return to Australia, including her relationship with Ric Blum, the man she knew as Fernand Remakel, and the coroner's findings about his history of exploiting vulnerable women. We consider whether Ric Blum is responsible for Marion's disappearance or if there is a different explanation why Marion Barter vanished.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

On 12 October 2004, 16 year old Samantha Tapp disappeared from Burleson, Texas. After an argument with her grandfather, Samantha left her grandparents' home at around 7:30pm and went to her older sister Kendale's boyfriend's house, where Kendale was staying. Samantha wanted to stay with her sister, but Kendale told her she would have to return to her grandparents' home for the time being. Samantha left at around 8pm, and although Kendale expected her to cool off and eventually go home, Samantha was never seen again.On the podcast, we look at the possibility that Samantha may have returned to her grandparents' home sometime after she disappeared, including the cigarette butts, moved furniture and missing clothes discovered in the backyard. We also discuss the potential sightings and other clues that have emerged over the years, and consider how likely it is that Samantha could still be alive today and living a different life.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

A man falls from a New York hotel window. The CIA calls it suicide. Decades later, the story starts to look much darker. MKUltra is one of the most disturbing secret programmes in CIA history: a Cold War attempt to find out whether drugs, hypnosis, interrogation, sensory manipulation, and psychological pressure could break the human mind and reshape it. At the centre is Frank Olson, a biological warfare scientist who was secretly dosed with LSD at a CIA retreat and died days later after falling from Room 1018A of the Hotel Statler. But Olson's death is only one part of the story. This dark history moves from Nazi research and Operation Paperclip to Project Bluebird, Project Artichoke, Sidney Gottlieb's LSD experiments, Donald Ewen Cameron's psychic driving, Operation Midnight Climax, destroyed records, congressional hearings, and the questions that still refuse to die. Because MKUltra was not just about mind control. It was about secrecy, power, and what governments are willing to do when “national security” becomes the magic phrase that makes human rights disappear. Topics Include what MKUltra was and why the CIA created it Frank Olson's death at the Hotel Statler Cold War brainwashing fears and Project Bluebird Project Artichoke and CIA interrogation experiments Sidney Gottlieb and CIA LSD testing Donald Ewen Cameron and psychic driving Operation Midnight Climax destroyed MKUltra records and surviving financial files Rockefeller Commission and Church Committee revelations the unresolved questions around modern influence and control Resources and Further Reading Project MKULTRA, Research in Behavioral Modification - U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence MKUltra - Wikipedia Operation Paperclip - Wikipedia Sidney Gottlieb Testimony - National Security Archive DNI Denies CIA Raided Tulsi Gabbard's Office - Newsweek James E. Erdman III Testimony - Homeland security Host & Show InfoHosts: Kyle Risi & Adam CoxEditor: Giordanno Bottezini Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to ActionReview & follow on: Spotify & Apple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonSuggest a Topic: Freaky RegisterShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan MailToday on the Wheel of Crime, our listeners sent us their wildest, weirdest and creepiest stories. Jenn and Em share the listener lore, from haunted cabins and ghost encounters to cryptids, psychic readings, killer clowns and close calls with crime.Support the show

On 24 August 1951, 10 year old Beverly Potts disappeared while walking home from a children's performance at Halloran Park in Cleveland, Ohio. Beverly had attended the event with her friend Patricia Swing, and was last seen shortly after the show ended, when hundreds of people were leaving the park. Her home was less than a quarter of a mile away, but Beverly never made it home. On the podcast, we go through the clues that have emerged throughout the decades, including the reported sightings of Beverly, the mysterious cars seen near Halloran Park, and the numerous confessions and tips that followed her disappearance. We also examine the suspects in the case and discuss which of the suspects we find most interesting.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Lucy Letby was convicted as Britain's most prolific child serial killer, but the case has never stopped raising questions. At the Countess of Chester Hospital, a sudden rise in neonatal deaths and collapses led consultants to suspect a young nurse who seemed impossibly ordinary. The prosecution said the pattern was clear: insulin poisoning, alleged air embolisms, overfeeding, suspicious notes, Facebook searches, hospital documents under her bed, and one nurse present again and again. But this Lucy Letby case does not end neatly at conviction. We look at the medical evidence, the shift chart, the NHS failures, the role of expert testimony, and the later claims from specialists who argue that natural causes or poor care may explain far more than the trial allowed. This is British true crime at its most uncomfortable: if Lucy Letby is guilty, a hospital failed to stop her. If she is innocent, the failure is even harder to face. Topics Included lucy letby and the countess of chester hospital the rise in neonatal deaths and unexplained collapses the insulin evidence involving baby f and baby l air embolism, overfeeding, and medical evidence the shift chart used against lucy letby hospital management and nhs safeguarding failures the handwritten notes and hospital documents found at her home why some experts question the conviction the criminal cases review commission and possible appeal questions the emotional impact on the babies' families Resources and Further Reading The Nurse Who Hated Babies, 2023 – Channel 4 Lucy Letby – Wikipedia The Thirlwall Inquiry – “The Thirlwall Inquiry Lucy Letby International Expert Panel Press Conference - Youtube Three bosses at Letby hospital arrested for ‘manslaughter – Press Reader Host & Show InfoHosts: Kyle Risi & Adam CoxEditor: Giordanno Bottezini Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to ActionReview & follow on: Spotify & Apple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonSuggest a Topic: Freaky RegisterShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On 18 March 2009, 35 year old University of York chef Claudia Lawrence disappeared from her home in Heworth, York. Claudia had spoken to both of her parents that evening and appeared to be in good spirits, but after sending her final text messages, she vanished. The following morning, she failed to turn up for work, and her phone remained in the Heworth area before being switched off. Claudia has never been found and her disappearance remains unsolved.On the podcast, we dig into the individual clues surrounding Claudia's disappearance, including the CCTV footage of the silver Ford Focus, the unidentified man seen near the alley behind her home, and the Astravan parked nearby on the night she vanished. We also look at the significance of The Nag's Head, Claudia's connections to people in the area.Medium article by Major Lang:https://medium.com/@majorlang/claudia-lawrence-who-was-she-and-who-took-her-f3b096a1aa62Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Martin and Dan kick off with a wild only in America moment that spirals into a Luigi Mangioni update and a rundown of how broken US health insurance really is. Then Dan puts a true crime docuseries in the box, the one where a host revisits small town murder cases with fresh eyes, including a wrongful conviction case that'll make you rethink everything. Martin counters with a full Pamela Anderson renaissance: the Netflix documentary, The Last Showgirl, and a deep dive into her Baywatch to icon era. Finally, the advice segment tackles a big move for a promotion, and a listener asks the real question: is this still a Mariah show? The box is open, the mics are on. Let's get into it.

On 24 May 1990, 30 year old substitute teacher Paige Renkoski disappeared after stopping on the shoulder of Interstate 96 near Fowlerville, Michigan. Witnesses reported seeing Paige talking with one or more men near a maroon minivan, but by the time police arrived, Paige was gone. Her car was still running with the keys in the ignition, her purse and shoes inside, and no obvious reason for her to have stopped. Despite searches and decades of investigation, Paige has never been found and her disappearance remains unsolved.On the podcast, we examine why Paige may have stopped on the side of I-96 in the first place, and why she was barefoot when witnesses saw her outside the car. We also discuss the possibility that someone impersonating a police officer convinced Paige to pull over, and whether recently arrested murder suspect Buster Robbins could have any connection to Paige's disappearance.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Aileen Wuornos stood on the shoulder of a Florida highway with a pistol in her bag and a partner at home demanding rent money. Within a year, seven men were dead. She said it started as self defense, that her first client raped her and she fought back. The press called her the Damsel of Death and America's first female serial killer. But was she a victim striking back after a lifetime of abuse, or a killer who got a taste for it and did the rest for money?  This is the story of Aileen Wuornos, told from a childhood of abandonment, beatings, and exploitation through to the Florida killings, her relationship with Tyria Moore, the thumbprint that gave her away, and the trial that sent her to death row. We follow the murder of Richard Mallory, the confession Moore was paid to draw out of her, and the question that has never gone away: how much of Aileen's story is true, and how much was survival, performance, or both? A hard, sad, genuinely complicated true crime story where the word victim applies to more than one side.    Topics Included  who aileen wuornos was and how she became a killer her childhood of abuse, abandonment, and the people who raised her the murder of richard mallory and the self defense claim how her years of sex work on florida's highways shaped the case her relationship with tyria moore and the immunity deal the thumbprint and pawned camera that led to her arrest the trial, the withheld evidence, and the death sentence the victim or villain debate at the heart of the case her final years on death row and her 2002 execution Resources and Further Reading  Aileen Wuornos – Wikipedia Monster (2003) – directed by Patty Jenkins Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) – directed by Nick Broomfield & Joan Churchill Monster: My True Story - by Aileen Wuornos & Christopher Berry-Dee Host & Show InfoHosts: Kyle Risi & Adam CoxEditor: Giordanno Bottezini Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to ActionReview & follow on: Spotify & Apple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special two-part crossover, I join Carter Roy, host of Murder: True Crime Stories, to trace the rise of the so-called paradise on the island of Floreana, the strange settlers who built it, and the slow unraveling that would soon turn the Enchanted Islands into one of the strangest unsolved cases of the 20th century.Follow Murder: True Crime Stories to hear part 2 of this story: https://pod.link/1745145932Strange and Unexplained" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab & Three Goose Entertainment and is a journey into the uncomfortable and the unknowable that will leave you both laughing and sleeping with the lights on. You can get early and ad-free episodes and much more over at www.grabbagcollab.comFollow us on InstagramEpisode Sponsors:Mint Mobile. To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MINTMOBILE.com/strangeWildgrain. Wildgrain has more than 40,000 five-star reviews, was named USA Today's Best Food Subscription Box three years in a row, plus they have award winning croissants! Visit Wildgrain.com/STRANGE to get $30 off your first box, plus free croissants for life.Alloy. Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code STRANGE for $20 off your first order!Rula. Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/strange #rulapodMiracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/STRANGE and use the code STRANGE to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF.

On 14 April 2011, 86 year old Patrick Carnes was driving home to Reno, Nevada after visiting family and touring retirement homes in Ohio. The following morning, his Subaru Forester was found abandoned in a remote field off Interstate 80 near Winnemucca, nearly 200 miles from where he had last been seen. Patrick and his beloved dog Lucky had vanished without a trace. Despite extensive searches, neither has ever been found and the case remains unsolved.On the podcast, we discuss Patrick's final known movements and whether he was actually following the unidentified truck driver. We also explore the possible explanations for how Patrick's car ended up a couple of hundred miles farther than he had intended on the night he disappeared. Finally, we discuss whether there could be a connection to the 2006 disappearance of Judith Casida, whose abandoned vehicle was found at the very same Interstate 80 exit.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Paranormal investigator, television personality, podcaster and bestselling author Amy Bruni returns to The Paranormal Podcast to discuss her new book, Cuisine to Kill For: Recipes and True Crime Stories from the World's Most Haunted Places. Amy explains how the success of Food to Die For led to this follow-up, which features 60 recipes connected to haunted locations with true crime histories, including destinations outside the United States. Amy takes us inside the Paris Catacombs, the Tower of London, the site of H.H. Holmes' Murder Castle, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and other locations featured in the book. We also discuss Amy's theories about why tragedy may leave an imprint on a place, why she tries to remember victims for how they lived rather than how they died, and some of the recipes that surprised her most, including Shrimp Wiggle, Edgar Allan Poe's beloved eggnog and baked cod from Boston's Omni Parker House. You can find Amy's new book at Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bvSNCx Thanks Amy! --- VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at ⁠https://virtualcampfiregroup.com⁠EVENTSHope to see you soon at one of Jim's live events: https://jimharold.com/eventsYOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim's YouTube channel at: ⁠https://youtube.com/jimharold⁠ JOIN JIM'S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim's entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://⁠jimharold.com/plus⁠ and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content!MERCHGo to ⁠https://jimharold.com/merch⁠ to get your Jim Harold T's, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more! BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim's Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a beautiful cigar shop girl is found dead under mysterious circumstances, a troubled Edgar Allan Poe becomes obsessed with solving the real-life crime—turning tragedy into fiction in a desperate search for truth.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/PoeCigarGirlFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: I'm sharing a chapter from the book “Nevermore: The Haunted Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” by Troy Taylor, which I narrated the audiobook for. But this chapter by itself was so interesting to me that I thought it would make a great episode of Weird Darkness – plus, it gives you a little peek into what you might get if you purchase the book itself. I've left a link to the book in the show notes below. This is the true story about the murder of a girl who worked in a cigar shop, the investigation of it by law enforcement, how Edgar Allan Poe saw it as an opportunity to escalate his career and name… and how it all almost blew up in his face, even with some claiming Poe was the murderer of the poor girl! LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Nevermore: The Haunted Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” by Troy Taylor: https://amzn.to/41e7BxJ(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: March 2022Weird Darkness devotes this episode to the unsolved 1841 murder of New York shopgirl Mary Cecilia Rogers and its strange collision with the unraveling life of Edgar Allan Poe. It opens with the July 28, 1841 discovery of Rogers's body floating in the Hudson River near Hoboken's Sybil's Cave, tracing her path from a Connecticut-born clerk at John Anderson's Tobacco Emporium on Manhattan's Nassau Street to the local celebrity known as "the beautiful cigar girl," then following the search led by her fiancé, cork-cutter Daniel Payne, and former suitor Alfred Crommelin, through the police suspicion cast on Payne and on Anderson, the September discovery of her bloodied clothing in a Weehawken thicket, and Payne's own laudanum suicide at that same spot that October.From there, the episode moves to Philadelphia, where Poe was following the case from a distance while his household came apart around him: his wife Virginia's sudden pulmonary hemorrhage during a parlor performance on January 20, 1842, the day after Poe turned thirty-three, marked the onset of the tuberculosis that would eventually kill her, and the strain bled directly into stories like "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Eleonora." It follows Poe's collapse at Graham's Magazine, including his refused request for a salary advance on an $800-a-year wage, his failed bid for a Philadelphia Custom House post that ended with a fumbled meeting tied to President John Tyler, and his abrupt exit from the magazine after being passed over for associate editor Charles Peterson.Next comes Poe's attempt to solve the Rogers case through fiction, recreating how he pitched a sequel to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" to Baltimore editor Joseph Evans Snodgrass and Boston's George Roberts before selling it to William Snowden's The Ladies' Companion as "The Mystery of Marie Roget," transplanting the murder to Paris and casting the sleuth C. Auguste Dupin as the man who would name the killer. It details the disastrous timing by which Weehawken tavern keeper Frederica Loss, shot by her own son on November 1, 1842, gave a deathbed account claiming Rogers died during a botched abortion, undercutting Poe's carefully built naval-officer theory just as his final installment was headed to press.The episode closes with the suspects who have circulated around the case ever since, from the hanged Somers mutineer Philip Spencer, floated by biographer John Ingram, to Daniel Payne and Alfred Crommelin, to tobacco magnate John Anderson, who lived out his final years in a Tarrytown mansion behind steel-lined shutters, convinced his cook was poisoning his roast beef and claiming to speak with Mary Rogers's spirit, and it ends on the long-running question of whether Poe himself carried knowledge of, or any personal connection to, the murder he spent his career trying to solve on paper.

On 21 May 1982, 23 year old secretary Andrea Allen left work early in West Palm Beach, Florida after telling coworkers she wasn't feeling well. The following night, an anonymous man called police to report a woman slumped over the steering wheel of a car in a Winn-Dixie parking lot. When officers arrived minutes later, they found Andrea's abandoned car, but Andrea herself had vanished. She has never been found and her disappearance remains unsolved.On the podcast, we examine the missing time between Andrea leaving work and her car being discovered. We also explore the possibility that the anonymous caller may have known more about Andrea's disappearance.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

A headless body hung in a Wisconsin barn, strung up like a deer carcass. That was what police found when the Ed Gein case broke open on the first day of hunting season in 1957, and it was only the beginning of what waited inside his farmhouse. This is the true story of Ed Gein, the quiet, polite handyman from Plainfield, Wisconsin, who became known as the Butcher of Plainfield and inspired some of the most terrifying characters in film history. We trace how a domineering, deeply religious mother named Augusta shaped a lonely boy who never broke free, and how that obsession curdled into something monstrous after her death. You'll hear what really happened to shopkeeper Bernice Warden and tavern owner Mary Hogan, what investigators discovered among the rubbish and rot inside his home, and the detail most people get wrong: Gein only ever confirmed two murders. The rest of his grim collection, he said, came from graves he had robbed. We also untangle how one man's life fed three wildly different films; Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and  The Silence of the Lambs, and ask the uncomfortable question of how much sympathy a story like this can hold. A true crime story about isolation, control and the real horror behind Hollywood's nightmares. Topics included The discovery in the barn on the first day of hunting season The murder of Bernice Warden and the antifreeze receipt that gave Gein away Augusta Gein and a childhood built on isolation and religious fear The suspicious death of Ed's brother Henry What police found inside the farmhouse The confirmed victims versus the grave robbing Mary Hogan and the women who resembled his mother The schizophrenia diagnosis and a lifetime in an institution How Gein inspired Norman Bates, Leatherface and Buffalo Bill Whether the story deserves any sympathy at all Resources and Further Reading Ed Gein - Wikipedia Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original ‘Psycho' – by Harold Schechter "Monster, The Ed Gien Story (2025) - Netflix Host & Show InfoHosts: Kyle Risi & Adam CoxIntro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to ActionReview & follow on: Spotify & Apple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On 27 September 2025, 4 year old Gus Lamont disappeared from his family's remote sheep station, Oak Park Station, in South Australia's outback. Gus was last seen playing outside the homestead before vanishing during a 30 minute window. Despite four large-scale searches no trace of Gus has ever been found. In February 2026, police declared the investigation a major crime and identified a resident of the property as a suspect after finding inconsistencies in their account of the events.On the podcast, we examine the timeline surrounding Gus's disappearance which to us did not make any sense. We also look at clues and theories raised publicly by Gus's grandmother, Josie Murray, including her claims of unusual vehicle tracks and other suspicious observations.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

On 16 May 2006, 32 year old aspiring screenwriter Rey Rivera disappeared after receiving a phone call and suddenly running out of his Baltimore home. A week later, his body was discovered inside the historic Belvedere Hotel beneath a hole in the roof. Although authorities believed Rey died by suicide, the medical examiner ruled the manner of death undetermined due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the case.On the podcast, we take a look at multiple theories that could explain Rey's death, we also try to find any reason why Rey would have been targeted.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

In June 2016, 36 year old law clerk Joseph Balderas disappeared after setting out for a hike near Mile 44 on Alaska's remote Nome–Council Highway. His truck was found abandoned, extensive searches uncovered no trace of him. Police never named any suspects and Joseph's disappearance remains unsolved. On the podcast, we discuss Joseph's final known movements, we also talk about his roommate Jake Stettenbenz who initially lied to police about where he was when Joseph went missing as well theories about Joseph's relationships put forward by Up and Vanished podcast.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

Between 1987 and 1991, an unidentified offender known only as Mr Cruel terrorized Melbourne, Australia, carrying out a series of meticulously planned home invasions, child abductions, and assaults. Despite one of Australia's largest investigations, Mr Cruel has never been identified. On the podcast, we look at the evidence that Mr Cruel left behind, and take a closer look at several of the leading suspects, including Robert Keith Knight and Normie Lee, also known as "Chops" Lee.Contact us at: weeknightmysteries@gmail.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/weeknightmysteriesTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weeknightmysteries

What if debt isn't a personal failure—but a symptom of a much bigger problem?For years, we've been told that financial struggles come down to individual choices: spend less, budget better, work harder. But what if the real story is more complicated?My guests today are Jamie Feldman and Rachel Webster, creators and hosts of the award-winning podcast Debt Heads, a groundbreaking series they describe as a "true crime investigation into the murder of our bank accounts." The podcast is now entering season 2.Season one began with Jamie's own experience navigating credit card debt and the shame that came with it. But what started as one woman's debt payoff journey quickly evolved into a deeper investigation into the systems, cultural pressures, and economic realities that leave so many people feeling financially stuck.Jamie is a writer, editor, and storyteller. Rachel is a filmmaker and producer. Together, they've built a fiercely honest, deeply funny, and surprisingly hopeful podcast community around a topic most of us avoid talking about: money.Now, as Debt Heads returns for its second season, they're widening the lens beyond spending and debt to explore work, job security, income instability, and what it means to pursue financial wellbeing in a world that often feels increasingly precarious.In our conversation, we talk about the hidden connections between mental health and money, why so many women tie their self-worth to spending, how shame keeps us isolated, and why financial security is about far more than your net worth.You'll also hear their thoughts on the creator economy, the pressure to monetize every passion project, and why making meaningful work—not just profitable work—can lead to unexpected opportunities.Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I teamed up with Carter Roy for a special guest collaboration on Murder: True Crime Stories and this one is something else. For the full episode, follow Murder: True Crime Stories on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1745145932In November 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won $30 million in the Florida Lottery. He couldn't read or write, and within two years he'd given most of it away to anyone who asked. Then Dee Dee Moore showed up promising to protect what was left — and within months, she had his house, his insurance, and his power of attorney. Not long after, Abe vanished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carnival of Lies ////// Part 4 Part 4 of 4    www.TrueCrimeGarage.com May 25th is National Missing Children's Day. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25, 1983 as the first National Missing Children's Day. He established the annual observance to bring national awareness to child safety and encourage communities to prioritize protection efforts. The date was chosen to mark the sad anniversary of the disappearance of Etan Patz, a six-year-old who vanished from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979. Twelve years after Etan Patz disappeared and on National Missing Children's Day 1991, a five-year-old boy named Timothy Wiltsey vanished from a Carnival in Sayreville, New Jersey. This week in observance of National Missing Children's Day, we take a look at a case that will never leave the hearts and minds of many. This is the unsolved case of Timothy “Timmy” Wiltsey.  To learn more about National Missing Children's Day and/or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children go to MissingKids.org   Beer of the Week - Hoser Juice Triple IPA by Double Trouble Brewing Garage Grade - 3 and 3 quarter bottle caps out of 5    More True Crime Garage can be found on Patreon and Apple subscriptions with our show - Off The Record.  Catch dozens of episodes of Off The Record plus a couple of Bonus episodes and our first 50 when you sign up today.    True Crime Garage merchandise is available on our website's store page.     Follow the show on X and Insta @TrueCrimeGarage / Follow Nic on X @TCGNIC / Follow The Captain on X @TCGCaptain    Thanks for listening and thanks for telling a friend.  Be good, be kind, and don't litter!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.