Thad is thirteen years old, asleep on his couch when a stranger enters his house and abducts him. What happens for the next 43 hours only occurs in nightmares but he lives to tell the tale and the story is truly unbelievable.
Between 1971 and 1973, three child murders rocked the community in and around Rochester, New York. All three victims shared numerous similarities, but perhaps most peculiar was that they all had first and last names that started with the same letter. The perpetrator or perpetrators have evaded justice for nearly half a century but perhaps you can figure it out for yourself or prevent a similar incident from happening. The Rochester Police Department is still actively investigating this case so a...
On February 11th, 2023, Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old British transgender girl was murdered in a premeditated attack by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe . There are many theories as to why, but an odd obsession and a case of transphobia are most likely to blame. Listen Now!
Leonarda Cianciulli was an Italian poetess and fortune teller. However, when her superstitions got the best of her, she turned to murder for solutions. What she did with the bodies gave her the infamous reputation as the Soap-Maker of Corregio. Listen now!
After a brief mental health break, WE'RE BACK!!!! Chris and Patrick are more than ready to get back into the swing of things and share true crime tales with our loyal (and new) deviants. This week, we cover a variety of recent true crimes that are making "head"lines.
There is an epidemic across North America that has not received nearly enough media attention and that is the murder and disappearance of indigenous women, girls, and two-spirits. Every year thousands of these people disappear often to little or no media coverage. In this episode we will look at a few examples of cases that deserve a closer look and the unique difficulties in investigating these disappearances.
When it comes to the Civil Rights Era, chances are you've heard of the big names like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X and their tragic stories of assassination. But among the many hard working and self-sacrificing members of the movement there is one name that deserves some extra attention and that is Medgar Evers: the first field secretary for the NAACP's Mississippi branch who was assassinated by a white supremacist in 1963.
Familiars. It's hard to think of witches and witchcraft without also thinking of the infamous black cat associated with them. However, the back cat is not the only form familiars that witches possess, they are actually just the tip of the familiar family. So what are familiars exactly? And why do witches posses them? Listen now and find out!
Does the thought of going to the circus strike terror into your heart? Does white face makeup cause your pulse to quicken? Do you flinch with fear when you hear the comical honk of a bicycle horn? Then you may suffer from Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Today's episode talks a little bit about the history of the modern clown as well as a few examples of the clowns that frighten us from Pagliacci to Pennywise.
You wake up in the middle of the night and there it is: a menacing presence that you can first feel and then see when you open your eyes. Scared like the dickens, you try to scream and bolt — but you can’t. It’s like you’re paralyzed or being held down by the evil presence. What in the world is happening? Three words: sleep paralysis demons. Listen now as Patrick gets personal and talks about the horrifying experience.
As the legend goes, Bloody Mary is easy to summon. All you have to do is stand in a dimly lit bathroom, stare into the mirror, and chant her name 3 times. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary…” Then, a ghostly woman is staring at you from within the mirror and she will haunt your forever, or even worse! But how did this Urban Legend get started? Could Bloody Mary have been inspired by a real life woman? Listen now, and decide for yourself.
When an 8-year-old girl started her walk to school, her family could never have imagined the monster that awaited her at a church nearby. Cho Doo-soon became Korea's most hated man, and remain infamous as he moved back into the same neighborhood as his victim years later.
Early Christmas morning, December 25, 1945, tragedy struck the Sodder family in Fayetteville, Wes Virginia, when their house went up in flames. The parents and four children were able to escape, but five children disappeared. Did these kids die in the fire, or are they still out there somewhere? Someone must know something about this cold case from nearly 80 years ago.
Join us this week as Patrick tells the conclusion of the unsolved case of the Burger Chef Murders. In Speedway Indiana, 1978, after a string of uncommon violent crimes had occurred, four young victims were brutally murdered after being abducted from a Burger Chef restaurant. Jayne, Mark, Danny, and Ruth were taken from the restaurant and killed in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong. Despite eye witness testimony, a potential murder gang, and confessions from inmates, the quadruple homic...
In Speedway Indiana, 1978, after a string of uncommon violent crimes had occurred, four young victims were brutally murdered after being abducted from a Burger Chef restaurant. Jayne, Mark, Danny, and Ruth were taken from the restaurant and killed in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong. Despite eye witness testimony, a potential murder gang, and confessions from inmates, the quadruple homicide has never been solved and remains a mystery to this day.
Once again, we have another true tale from the collection Louisville Murder & Mayhem: Historic Crimes of Derby City by Keven McQueen. In 1892 Emma Austin and Eugenia Sherrill sat down to breakfast after a night of entertaining gentlemen callers, but by the afternoon both women were dead. Who killed these women? And what might their amorous neighbor downstairs have to do with it? Buckle up because this case has plenty of twists and turns as well as a heaping helping of DRAMA!
The Dark and Devious team has been doing some traveling lately and we're excited to bring you some tales collected from the road. Chris recently traveled to Louisville, Kentucky and found an excellent true crime volume called Louisville Murder & Mayhem: Historic Crimes of Derby City by Keven McQueen. Today's episode comes from a chapter from that book called "Chestnut Street's House of Horrors" in which a desperate husband develops a habit that puts his whole family in danger....
In the 1890s Upstate New York was shaken by the discovery of three bodies on the Halliday family's farm. Two women and one man were found murdered and what was even more shocking at the time was the prime suspect, the wife of the farm's owner:,Lizzie Halliday. A woman murderer was sensational enough for the time period, but soon enough her sanity became a major sticking point in her prosecution. Was she or wasn't she? You'll have to decide for yourself by the end of this episode.
In the middle ages, torture was used to extract information, force confessions, punish suspects, frighten opponents, and satisfy personal hatred. Modern day interrogation techniques have taken inspiration from Medieval Torture techniques, which itself took inspiration from the Ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures and practices. However, nothing practiced today, even the most extreme techniques, compare to the horrific, barbaric, and excruciating torture practices from the past. Listen now, and we...
Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a wealthy and powerful Hungarian noblewoman who reigned as supreme ruler throughout the early 1600s' in what now is present day Slovakia. In 1610 she was accused of gruesome acts of torture and serial murders beyond anyone's imagination. She was confined to her home, Castle Čachtice, where she remained until her death in 1614. Bathory is reputed to have killed at least six hundred victims, earning her a Guinness World Record for most prolific female murderer. Her a...
Starved Rock State Park is a beautiful national park located in the State of Illinois, USA. The park is home to dark historical past, but today flourishes with beauty and awe. However, that dark past seemed to come back to life in the winter of 1960. In March of that year , Frances Murphy, Lillian Oetting, and Mildred Lindquist set off for a girls' trip. Just days later, the three women were found in Starved Rock State Park, bludgeoned to death with their hands and feet bound. After months of in...
In the early 1950s Ann Woodward found herself at the top of the best dressed list and the wife of a banking heir. But her happiness at the top of the social ladder would not be for long. It all came crashing down one fateful night in October of 1954 when booze, pills, and paranoia resulted in a family tragedy. Ann was responsible for her husband's death, but later on she would cross paths with someone who was unsuspectingly dangerous: the legendary writer, Truman Capote. This episode is based on...
Betty Williams was a small town girl growing up in Odessa, Texas, in the the 1950's-60's. An outspoken feminist and voice for racial equality; she stuck out in the conformists small town she called home. She dreamed of moving to Hollywood with the intent of becoming s star. However, these dreams would never come true as she was subjected to a family that did not support her and bullying and gossip at school. She chose to end her own life, but lacked the courage to do so; Which brings in Mack. Wa...
Tamla Horsford was bright and loving, a devoted wife and mother of six. She was an avid football fan and was looking forward to a night of fun with her fellow football moms. However, the adult themed slumber party would end in tragedy. Tamla, was found dead the next morning and suspicion rose quickly as her race became a sticking point in the investigation. Despite multiple attempts to piece together what led up to her death no theory seemed satisfactory. Still, investigators closed the case, le...
In the fall of 2013, Gerald and Alice Uden were living comfortably on a farm in rural Missouri, set back a ways from the road and the rest of the world, living happily ever after. They had both been married multiple times before, but when they found each other they knew it was a match made in Heaven....or was it? For 30 years they lived an ideal life, raising their daughter, Erica and now in their golden years they enjoyed their lives as grandparents. However, that perfect façade suddenly came c...
In September of 1988, Tara Calico set out on a routine bike ride. Her route was planned and predictable, yet she never came home. She vanished, with only a few scraps of evidence left behind pointing to how, and why she was suddenly missing. 34 years later there is still no answer of where Tara went, and what happened on that fateful day. In this episode we'll discuss the case and some of the most prevalent theories.
As we explored on last week's episode, the Dozier School for Boys, located in Florida's panhandle had many accusations leveled against it. Survivors of the school rallied against the institution and it's brutal practices until the school was finally closed in 2011. But the story doesn't end there. When families of deceased children started looking for the remains of their loved ones a whole new battle emerged. It seems that many people in town were more interested in keeping the past buried, but...
The Arthur G. Dozier School For boys was once America's largest reform school. It operated for more than a century with the goal of setting "troubled" and "delinquent" boys on track to become respectable members of society. But what happened behind the doors of the school was not always well intended. Many suffered cruel punishment and abuse, and some even died while under the school's care. While the school finally shut down operations in 2011, the questions remain; where are the boys who were ...
Holidays are generally filled with love, good times, good food, and good cheer. However not all family gatherings are as joyous as everyone hopes. On Christmas Day 1929, Charlie Lawson committed the chilling act of murdering his wife and 6 of his 7 children. What led to this horrific act of familicide and why are there still unanswered questions nearly 100 year later? Listen to hear the chilling details of this crime and maybe you can crack the case as to why this father, and husband, would murd...
On the morning after Christmas Day of 1996, 6 year old JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled to death in the basement of her family's home. At the time, the only other people known to be in the home were her parents, Patsy and John, and her brother, Burke. With little signs of forced entry from an intruder and with a very odd ransom note in possession, investigators weren't sure to look into the family or someone else. With conflicting evidences and a messy investigation the case eventu...
