On tonight's episode of True Crime Sleep Stories... Joseph Kallinger, a Philadelphia shoemaker and father of seven, was shaped by severe childhood abuse and untreated mental illness. In 1974–1975, delusions of divine commands led him, and tragically, his 12-year-old son Michael, into a brief but devastating crime spree. This episode honors the victims: José Collazo (age 10) Joseph Kallinger Jr. (Joey, age 13) Maria Fasching (age 21) We also remember the survivors of multiple terrifying home inva...
Mar 05, 2026•19 min•Ep. 70
Tonight on True Crime Sleep Stories, we revisit one of the most haunting public service announcements in American television history: the nightly reminder that began airing in the late 1960s... “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?” What started as a simple, well-meaning nudge amid rising urban crime and changing family dynamics slowly took on a darker resonance as the 1970s and 1980s brought wave after wave of heartbreaking child disappearances and exploitation cases. In this episo...
Mar 01, 2026•34 min•Ep. 69
Welcome to True Crime Sleep Stories. In the summer of 1983, 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican citizen and daughter of a papal household employee, left home for a routine music lesson in Rome... and never returned. What began as a simple missing person case quickly unraveled into one of the most enduring mysteries of our time, weaving together cryptic phone calls, terrorist demands, mafia connections, Vatican scandals, and decades of unanswered questions. Join us in this soothing yet haunti...
Feb 27, 2026•11 min•Ep. 68
In 1984, Japan was gripped by one of its strangest true crime sagas: a shadowy group calling themselves the "Monster with 21 Faces" kidnapped a candy company president from his bathtub, demanded millions in ransom, then escalated to taunting letters, arson, acid bombs, and actual cyanide-laced sweets placed on store shelves. They terrorized massive brands like Ezaki Glico (makers of Pocky) and Morinaga, forcing nationwide recalls and widespread panic over everyday treats. For 17 months, they out...
Feb 26, 2026•15 min•Ep. 67
In this True Crime Sleep Stories bonus episode, host Kelli shares a real, personal mystery she first told on The Disclosure Lounge podcast. On a pitch-black " Black Moon " night in August 2025, while tent camping alone along a river, something intelligent moved through the darkness—circling, watching, making deliberate sounds that still haunt me months later. Was it Bigfoot? Something otherworldly? A prankster? Or simply the woods playing tricks? No real crime in this episode, just the slow, pri...
Feb 24, 2026•7 min•Ep. 66
In this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we explore the unsolved 1987 disappearance of 16-year-old Theresa Ann Bier from Fresno, California. What began as an exciting day trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains—searching for the legendary Bigfoot—ended in mystery when the man she went with returned alone with shifting stories that eventually settled on an extraordinary claim: Bigfoot had taken her to join a hidden colony in underground caves. No trace of Theresa was ever found in the vast, rem...
Feb 22, 2026•20 min•Ep. 65
Tonight on True Crime Sleep Stories, we explore the life and crimes of Robert Christian Hansen, the Anchorage baker known as the “Butcher Baker.” The shy Iowa native built a normal life in Alaska: bakery owner, family man, bush pilot, and avid hunter. From the early 1970s to 1983, he abducted dozens of women, mostly sex workers and dancers, chained and assaulted some in a hidden basement space at home, and released others under threats. Over 30 survived. At least 17 (likely more) did not. He fle...
Feb 20, 2026•24 min•Ep. 64
On this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we explore the chilling truth that monsters rarely look the part. They wear friendly smiles, live next door, or even share your home as family or partners, the people meant to love and protect us. Beneath the trimmed hedges and warm porch lights of ordinary suburbs, unimaginable darkness can hide in plain sight. Settle in under the covers as we slowly unpack four cases where trust was shattered, innocence violated, and the facade of normalcy crumbled....
Feb 03, 2026•34 min•Ep. 63
Welcome to True Crime Sleep Stories. On July 10, 2016, 27-year-old DNC staffer Seth Rich was shot twice in the back in Washington, D.C.'s Bloomingdale neighborhood, just one block from his apartment. Police called it a botched robbery (however... nothing was stolen, signs of struggle), but the case remains unsolved nearly ten years later. Weeks after his death, WikiLeaks released over 20,000 internal DNC emails, sparking questions about whether Seth may have been a source. Julian Assange's unpro...
Jan 28, 2026•27 min•Ep. 62
In this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we explore the haunting case of Herb Baumeister, a suburban Indianapolis businessman and family man who hid a deadly secret. Over the course of more than a decade, he is believed to have murdered numerous young men—many last seen at gay bars in central Indiana—and buried their remains on his 18-acre estate, Fox Hollow Farm. The discovery of thousands of bone fragments in 1996 revealed the scale of the horror, yet many questions remain unanswered nearl...
Jan 15, 2026•19 min•Ep. 61
Welcome back to True Crime Sleep Stories. This episode is a recording from a recent Iowa show I took part in for a great community cause... On June 9, 1912, in quiet Villisca, Iowa, the Moore family and two young guest sisters, the Stillinger girls, returned home from church, happy. In the dead of night, with the whole town darkened by a power issue, someone slipped inside with an axe from their own shed. Eight people (six children) were brutally murdered in their sleep. The killer covered windo...
Jan 14, 2026•7 min•Ep. 60
In this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we drift into one of the internet's most delightfully absurd "conspiracy theories": the long-running joke, sparked by comedians Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky on their podcast Your Mom's House , that country music legend Garth Brooks might be hiding a very dark secret. From emotional Facebook Lives and endless tears, to the infamous Chris Gaines alter ego, massive stadium tours where people gomissing, and that unforgettable catchphrase, "Where are...
Jan 05, 2026•12 min•Ep. 59
Gather close on this frosty December night for a special holiday bonus episode of True Crime Sleep Stories. We’re stepping away from real cases tonight to bring you something delightfully dark and festive: a twisted true crime parody of the beloved classic poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas . Imagine the quiet anticipation of Christmas Eve… but instead of reindeer on the rooftop, shadowy figures descend the chimney. Evidence bags hang by the fire. A blood-spattered moon illuminates the snow....
Dec 18, 2025•8 min•Ep. 58
In this chilling holiday-season episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we delve into the brutal 1979 murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in a Cedar Rapids mall parking lot. For nearly four decades, her killer lived freely just an hour away, until groundbreaking DNA technology and genetic genealogy finally brought justice. Host Kelli Brink shares the full story, including eerie coincidences, lingering questions, and her own shocking personal connection to the case. As always, lock your doors an...
Dec 15, 2025•28 min•Ep. 57
Welcome to True Crime Sleep Stories On Christmas Eve 1945, a devastating fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. George and Jennie Sodder escaped with four of their ten children, but five siblings—Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5)—vanished in the flames. No remains were ever found. What followed was a lifetime of questions, strange clues, and a family's unwavering belief that their children may have survived. Join host Kelli Brink as sh...
Dec 10, 2025•18 min•Ep. 56
On a quiet Thanksgiving night in 2013, while Seattle slept off its turkey dinners, two ordinary plumbers executed the the most audacious wine theft in Pacific Northwest history. Over 13 meticulous hours, Samuel Harris and Luke Thesing cut through walls, disabled cameras, and walked away with more than $648,000 worth of rare Bordeaux, California Cabernets, and priceless collectibles, only to be undone by a city tow truck and their own explosive overconfidence. This is the true story of the spiral...
Nov 24, 2025•16 min•Ep. 55
A gentle note before we begin This week’s episode is 100% original crime fiction—a cozy, atmospheric holiday thriller I wrote especially for you. If you’re strictly here for real-life cases, feel free to save this one for a night when you’re in the mood for a creative bedtime story. Next time we’ll return to our usual true-crime format. But if you love a resourceful heroine, glittering empty mansions, and justice served with a side of Midwestern politeness… you’re in exactly the right place. Abo...
Nov 19, 2025•20 min•Ep. 54
In the fog-choked alleys of 1888 Whitechapel, a phantom killer stalked the most vulnerable women of Victorian London. Five brutal murders – Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly – turned the East End into a nightmare and gave the world its first modern serial-killer legend: Jack the Ripper. Tonight we walk those blood-soaked streets again. We’ll meet the women behind the headlines, explore the desperate poverty that made them targets, follow th...
Nov 17, 2025•20 min•Ep. 53
Thanksgiving 2012 was meant to be a quiet day for 64-year-old Byron David Smith in Little Falls, Minnesota. After suffering at least six burglaries in the prior year—including one the night before, he sat armed in his darkened basement, waiting. When two teenagers, Haile Kifer & Nicholas Brady, entered his home, he opened fire. The entire sequence was captured on over six hours of audio and video, recordings that revealed not just the shootings, but chilling taunts and “finishing shots” afte...
Nov 14, 2025•18 min•Ep. 52
G’day to our Aussie listeners (and everyone else) - this one’s for you! In the quiet Hunter Valley town of Aberdeen, in Australia, beloved miner and father John Price trusted the wrong person. What began as a volatile relationship ended in a crime so shocking it earned Katherine Knight the title of Australia’s most horrific female murderer. From her traumatic childhood to her chilling expertise in an abattoir (a slaughterhouse where animals are processed for meat), we trace the red flags ignored...
Nov 12, 2025•14 min•Ep. 51
On a quiet September evening in 1937, retired greeting-card tycoon Charles Sherman Ross pulled over on a suburban Chicago road to let a trailing car pass—only to find a revolver tapping his window. What followed was a chilling 15-day ordeal that captivated the nation: a meticulously planned $50,000 ransom, two hidden woodland dugouts, a murderous double-cross, and one of the FBI’s most sweeping manhunts. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you...
Nov 10, 2025•13 min•Ep. 50
In the snow-dusted driveway of a Pennsylvania estate, one of America’s wealthiest men raised a .44 Magnum and ended the life of an Olympic champion. This is the story of John Eleuthère du Pont—chemical heir, self-proclaimed ornithologist, wrestling messiah, and murderer. In this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we dive deep into the bizarre world of Foxcatcher Farm: where Olympic gold medalists trained alongside thoroughbred horses, where a private army patrolled the grounds, and where paran...
Nov 07, 2025•14 min•Ep. 49
In this haunting episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we trace the chilling rise and mysterious fall of Jeffrey Epstein, a man who built an empire of influence among the world’s most powerful, only to die in a federal jail cell under circumstances that still defy explanation. From his improbable beginnings in Brooklyn to the private island where secrets were allegedly traded like currency, this is a story of ambition, abuse, and unanswered questions. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON! Subscribe to our...
Nov 05, 2025•15 min•Ep. 48
In the quiet woods of Allenstown, New Hampshire, two rusted barrels hidden beneath the leaves held a secret that would take 40 years to unravel. Four lives—Marlyse Honeychurch, her daughters Marie and Sarah, and a little girl known only as “the middle child”—were stolen by a man who changed names as easily as seasons. Terry Peder Rasmussen, the “Chameleon Killer,” left a trail of aliases and vanished women across the country. But science, persistence, and the refusal to forget finally gave the v...
Nov 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 47
Four years after David Berkowitz was locked away for life, the Son of Sam—chained in an upstate prison—whispered a chilling prophecy to a fellow inmate: “A ritual killing is coming soon near Greenwich Village. They’ll be shot in the head.” Weeks later, on Halloween 1981, it happened exactly as he foretold. Photographer Ronald Sisman and 20-year-old Smith College student Elizabeth Platzman were beaten, executed, and left in a ransacked Chelsea apartment. The killers took only two things: Sisman’s...
Oct 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 46
Picture Halloween night, 1981, in New York City's vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. Amid the chaos of costumes and celebrations, a quiet apartment becomes the scene of a brutal double execution. Freelance photographer Ronald Sisman, 40, and college student Elizabeth Platzman, 20, are shot at close range in a ransacked apartment—seemingly targeted for something hidden in plain sight. Was it a drug debt hit? A random burglary? Or a chilling connection to the Son of Sam cult? Settle in for this hauntin...
Oct 22, 2025•23 min•Ep. 45
Drift into the shadows of a foggy autumn night in 1922 with True Crime Sleep Stories as host Kelli Brink unravels the chilling tale of the Lovers Lane Murders. In a quiet corner of New Jersey, a forbidden romance between a rector and a choir singer ended in a brutal crime that shocked a nation. Found beneath a crabapple tree, their bodies were surrounded by scattered love letters, a calling card tucked grimly in the rector’s mouth. Who pulled the trigger? Who slashed the singer’s throat? And why...
Oct 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 44
As Halloween approaches, True Crime Sleep Stories delves into the chilling origin story of Ed Gein, the infamous "Butcher of Plainfield." This hypnotic narrative traces Ed Gein’s life from his oppressive childhood in rural Wisconsin to the gruesome discoveries that shocked the nation and inspired iconic horror films like Psycho , The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , and The Silence of the Lambs . Told in a soothing yet eerie tone, this episode explores the isolation, obsession, and fractured psyche tha...
Oct 18, 2025•18 min•Ep. 43
In this chilling Halloween-themed episode of True Crime Sleep Stories , we delve into a haunting series of axe murders that struck rural America in the early 1900s. Known as “the man from the train,” an elusive figure left a trail of tragedy near railroad tracks, targeting families in their sleep. From Trenton, South Carolina, to Villisca, Iowa, we explore the eerie patterns—covered mirrors, untouched valuables, and meals eaten in silent homes—that marked these unsolved crimes. Join us as we wea...
Oct 17, 2025•18 min•Ep. 42
Step into the shadows with True Crime Sleep Stories for a chilling Halloween special, "Real Life Houses of Horror." As jack-o'-lanterns glow and autumn winds whisper, we explore three haunting tales of homes turned sinister: the infamous Amityville Horror, the real-life terrors behind The Conjuring , and the controversial McKamey Manor. From urban legends to cinematic nightmares and modern-day controversies, these stories unravel the allure and peril of houses that betray their promise of safety...
Oct 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 41
