Serial sexual predator and murderer David Leonard Wood, also known as The Desert Killer, turned El Paso into his hunting grounds back in the eighties. Women were disappearing left and right, but no one really knew what to make of it all until one woman finally managed to escape. The investigation would reveal that David L. Wood was more terrible than anyone could imagine. This is part one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...
Feb 02, 2022•11 min
Three friends were traveling to Finland when they boarded the Viking Sally cruise ship. A short while later, one would be dead and another would be in critical condition. Who attacked this young couple? Their traveling companion? The new friend they made that showed up covered in blood? The Boy Scout that called for help? Let’s find out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...
Jan 31, 2022•13 min
Madame Mertens was a young widow looking to make an investment with her fortune. Unwittingly paired with a destitute woman called Madame Frigard who was looking to make a fortune of her own, Madame Mertens believed that she found a proper friend. Unfortunately, Madame Frigard was more interested in her money than anything else. This is part two. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at ht...
Jan 26, 2022•12 min
Madame Mertens was a young widow looking to make an investment with her fortune. Unwittingly paired with a destitute woman called Madame Frigard who was looking to make a fortune of her own, Madame Mertens believed that she found a proper friend. Unfortunately, Madame Frigard was more interested in her money than anything else. This is part one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at ht...
Jan 26, 2022•9 min
Oscar Zeta Acosta was a prominent lawyer, politician, and activist known for ruffling feathers. He wrote books. He criticized the police. He was the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. And, one day, he went missing. Known for his loud personality and love of recreational drugs, countless theories have emerged throughout the years to explain his disappearance. Was his disappearance an accident, a fight, or an attack fueled by politics? It’s anyone’s guess. See Privacy Pol...
Jan 24, 2022•10 min
Charley Ross was only four years old when he and his brother, Walter, were abducted from their front yard while out enjoying the weather. Their abductors released Walter, but Charley never surfaced. When a ransom note arrived, his parents were horrified—and they didn’t have the money to meet the list of demands. Charley’s story was a media sensation that shook the nation. This is part two. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...
Jan 19, 2022•10 min
Charley Ross was only four years old when he and his brother, Walter, were abducted from their front yard while out enjoying the weather. Their abductors released Walter, but Charley never surfaced. When a ransom note arrived, demanding $20,000, his parents were horrified—and worse, they didn’t have the money to meet the list of demands. Charley’s story was a media sensation that shook the nation. This is part one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Jan 19, 2022•10 min
Robyn Gardner went on a trip to Aruba—and though she told her boyfriend that she was with family, the truth was a different story. In reality, Robyn was with a man that she met online. Two days into their trip, she disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Though she was never found, police received a call that would blow the case wide open and place all of the suspicion on her secret love interest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19....
Jan 17, 2022•12 min
Anne Marie Fahey was a young woman who was working to build a career that would change her life, but everything shifted when she met Tom Capano. As powerful as he was wealthy, Capano added Anne Marie to his long list of mistresses. She was one of many women in his life, but when she announced her plan to leave him for another man, Capano wouldn’t allow it. This is part two of her story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...
Jan 12, 2022•12 min
Anne Marie Fahey was a young woman who was working to build a career that would change her life, but everything changed when she met Tom Capano. As powerful as he was wealthy, Capano added Anne Marie to his long list of mistresses. She was one of many women in his life, but when she announced her plan to leave him for another man, Capano wouldn’t allow it. This is part one of her story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...
Jan 12, 2022•10 min
The Seattle Jungle Killer. The Seattle Shoelace Slasher. Chilly Willy. These are just a few of the names that DeWayne Lee Harris has gone by throughout the years. Following two years of murderous terror, he was eventually charged for the murders of three women—but Harris implied that he might have a lot more names on his list of victims. Are these the words of an honest man, or is this just another one of his lies? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Jan 10, 2022•10 min
Karen Roston was married to her husband, Scott Roston, for nine days before she was murdered on their honeymoon. In his story, Karen was knocked overboard by a gust of wind while running at three o’clock in the morning. When the Coast Guard found her body, it would tell a different story. A thousand lies later, authorities would learn that Scott had a shady relationship with the truth—but how did Israeli spies play into this? Let’s find out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...
Jan 05, 2022•23 min
Ben and Olivia were a couple of friends looking to make the most out of their New Year’s celebration together. They had plans to attend a party at a lodge and then spend the night on a yacht—but when they finally arrived at the yacht on a water taxi, they were shocked to learn that the yacht was full. A fellow passenger aboard the water taxi would offer them a place to sleep—on his own yacht—and they would happily accept. This decision would make the end of their tale. The duo was never seen aga...
Jan 03, 2022•13 min
Marianne and Christine were only fifteen years old when they went for a trip to the beach with Marianne’s siblings in 1965. When a windstorm set in, the girls would run to collect the bags they stashed at the beach—but they would never return. A day later, they would be found brutally murdered on that same beach. Theories would fill the news, blaming notorious serial killers, unnamed pedophiles, and mysterious boys from secret diary entries. To this day, their murders remain unsolved. See Privac...
Dec 20, 2021•11 min
Dan Cooper was the name given when a man with a plan boarded an airplane back in 1971. He would go on to hijack the plane by using the threat of a bomb, ordering the flight crew to land the plan and meet his demands. After refueling and picking up the $200,000 and military-grade parachutes he requested, he would force the crew to take to the skies once again, this time aiming for Mexico. Halfway through the flight, he would disappear—and he would never be seen again. See Privacy Policy at https:...
Dec 15, 2021•24 min
Philip Ashton was fishing in 1722 when he was abducted by pirates. Instead of killing him, they dragged him around the world, eventually landing on the then uninhabited Roatan, where he would make his daring escape. His story would make headlines, but not everyone believed it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19...
Dec 13, 2021•14 min
Hey, guys! This is an interview that I did back when ATDAT first started. If you’re interested in learning more about me, the show, or the indie podcaster experience, you can learn all about it here. Among the Dirt and Trees has surpassed 50,000 downloads—and it just keeps going up. Thank you so much for all of your support! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...
Dec 12, 2021•40 min
Joan Rische was a happy suburban mother and wife having a perfectly average day when her children arrived home to discover something confusing. Her young daughter would say that her mother was gone—and that the house was painted red. Police would lead a full investigation, finding a home covered in blood with rumors about a disheveled woman stumbling up the highway carrying something red. They assumed that she was murdered—or abducted, but the narrative began to change. When volunteers at the lo...
Dec 08, 2021•24 min
David Stack was eighteen when he made the decision to go visit family in California. He had one simple plan: hitchhiking. Unfortunately, David never showed up. But the day after he disappeared, a body was found in Utah. 39 years would pass before he would be identified. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...
Dec 06, 2021•13 min
Percy Fawcett was a known explorer and cartographer who lived a life of pure adventure. In 1924, Percy and his son, Jack, joined forces with Raleigh Rimell to venture into the Amazon in search of a lost city known only as Z. The day that they walked into the jungle was the last day that they were ever seen alive—but mystery surrounds their disappearance. What stopped these three adventurers from returning to their loved ones? Were they killed by locals, eaten by dangerous jungle predators—or did...
Dec 01, 2021•12 min
Russell and Shirley Dermond were elderly retirees living their best lives when they failed to arrive at a social gathering with friends. Concerned, a neighbor would check on them, only to find their door unlocked—and Russell dead on the floor. Shirley was missing, and when they found her, it was more bad news. Were they killed for their money? Or was this a personal attack? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-i...
Nov 29, 2021•11 min
Marvin Clark was headed to Portland to visit his daughter for Halloween when he vanished without a trace. Knowing that he had a disability, family feared that something might have gone wrong during his travels—or that someone might have harmed him. When he failed to return, people would speculate where he ended up. His case would remain unsolved, but someone else would be found instead. Someone unknown. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min
Roy Wilson, Edward Nickols, and Dewey Morris were three fur trappers out in the woods during a frigid winter when they disappeared in 1924. A trail of gore would lead police to the nearby frozen lake, but they needed to wait for it to thaw to look for more evidence. The lake would tell quite the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...
Nov 22, 2021•14 min
Amy Bechtel was 24 when she went for a run to train for a 10K and never came home. The belief that she was injured while out on the trail fell through when it became clear that Amy wasn’t anywhere in the area—and police had their suspicions regarding what happened. Was Amy a victim of an abusive husband, or was she picked off by an unexpected predator out on the trail? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. ...
Nov 17, 2021•11 min
Katherine Van Alst was eight years old when she vanished in the Ozarks while camping with her family. Six days later, she would be found hiding in a cave—alive. It was a miracle, but some of her story just didn’t seem to add up. Let’s explore the prevailing theories surrounding her mysterious disappearance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California ...
Nov 15, 2021•17 min
Twenty-year-old Grace Brown was building a new life working as a factory worker while living with her sister. Everything changed when she met Chester Gillette, the nephew of the factory owner. After a secret whirlwind romance, Grace was pregnant and begging Chester to marry her—lest she be ruined in society’s eyes. In response, he offered to take her away on a trip. Grace thought that she was getting a proposal. The true plan was more sinister. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...
Nov 10, 2021•12 min
Tristan Beaudette went camping with his two toddlers and planned to have a good time. Come bedtime, he would be shot dead in the tent, leaving two clueless babies behind. This killer made several attempts on the public in this area—and police didn’t share it—what happened? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com...
Nov 08, 2021•12 min
Ebony Wilkerson was a pregnant mother of three when it became clear that something was wrong. Suddenly, Ebony was concerned about the demons in her house—and she was expressing a newfound interest in religion. These delusions would ultimately lead Ebony to drive her minivan and her children into the Ocean. But, this story isn’t as sad as you would think. It just raised a lot of questions that no one really wants to address. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N...
Nov 03, 2021•13 min
The Mary Russell was on a routine run in 1828 when the crew picked up a disgraced first-mate from another ship. Captain Stewart, the esteemed captain aboard the Mary Russell, reluctantly agreed to get the man home. A few nights later, he would have a dream that his new guest had plans to lead a mutiny with his crew. This would all be fine, but Captain Stewart was convinced that his dream was a message from god—a warning. The massacre that followed was anything but holy. See Privacy Policy at htt...
Nov 01, 2021•16 min
Sidnie Waller and her friend Jennifer Rae Xavier went out for a fun night of drinking, then climbed into Jennifer’s car to head somewhere new. Jennifer, under the influence of alcohol and Xanax, crashed the car, causing it to flip upside down in a creek. Jennifer made it out alive, but Sidnie did not. This is a sad story, and a reminder that drunk driving is a crime. The GoFundMe for Sidnie’s family can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sidnies-family-pay-for-hospital-bills See Priv...
Oct 27, 2021•12 min
