A Scary State

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! For our next October Spooky Special, we're exploring the chilling connections between true crime and urban legends. Sometimes, the truth behind a legend is even more disturbing than the stories themselves. First, Lauren shares the tragic murder of Brenda Sue Schaefer and its connection to the eerie legend of the Water Ghost. Then, K...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! October is here, which means our spooky specials are officially back! For our first special of the month, we’re exploring stories connected by one particularly unsettling theme: things found in walls. First, Kenzie heads across the pond to England to tell the disturbing story of John Christie and the horrifying discoveries made at 10 Ril...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re staying close to home as we head to Virginia! First, Lauren takes us to Old Town Alexandria and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, where centuries of history have left behind more than a few ghostly legends. Then, Kenzie dives into the disturbing crimes of Cola Beale IV and a case that unfolded across Virginia Beach. Join us as we...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re heading to Delaware for a story of betrayal on land and a centuries-old mystery beneath the sea. This week, we’re heading to the First State for two dark Delaware stories. First, Kenzie shares the murder of Cynthia “Cindy” Amalfitano, whose disappearance quickly turned into a devastating investigation. Then, Lauren takes...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re heading to Indiana for two stories that prove some mysteries never really go away. First, Lauren dives into the infamous Burger Chef murders, where four young employees disappeared from an Indianapolis restaurant during a late-night shift and were later found murdered.. Then, Kenzie returns to Fox Hollow Farm, the former...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re heading to Colorado for two stories filled with murder, mystery, and some seriously unsettling history. First, Kenzie takes us inside Denver’s historic Lumber Baron Inn, where the beautiful Victorian mansion hides a much darker past. In 1970, when the building had been divided into apartments, Cara Lee Knoche and best fr...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re heading to the Northeast for some strange and spooky stories from Connecticut! First, Lauren shares an unusual true crime story involving the largest pharmaceutical heist in U.S. history. A multimillion-dollar theft that sounds more like the plot of a Hollywood movie than a real crime. Then, Kenzie takes us out onto the...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! Welcome back for our second volume of Listener's stories, where you tell us what is scary in your state! In this episode we have it all! Ghosts, cryptids, murders and so much more! Join us this week as we read what is scary in your state! - - Follow us on Social Media and find out how to support A Scary State by clicking on our Link...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We have a special episode for you this week in honor of our trip to Montreal! Instead of covering stories from the United States, we’re traveling up north to our neighbors in Canada to explore some of the country’s dark history and chilling mysteries. First, Kenzie takes us to Quebec for the murder of 19-year-old Guylaine Potvin in April...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re heading to the Sunshine State! Lauren starts us off with the murder of Jerry Michael Williams and the killer who managed to hide in plain sight for years. Then, Kenzie lightens things up with a much-needed palate cleanser featuring some classic Florida Man stories and all the bizarre chaos that surrounds them. Join us as...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week we're heading to South Dakota for an episode filled with murder, mystery, and local legend. First, Kenzie tells the heartbreaking story of Vicki Eagleman, a young woman whose murder shocked her community and left investigators searching for answers. Then, Lauren explores the eerie history of Easton Castle, a mansion surrou...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we are headed to Minnesota for two eerie ghost stories. First Lauren shares about the William A. Irving , a cargo ship that became a vessel of ghostly spirits lurking in the corridors. The William A. Irving , a cargo ship that became a vessel for ghostly spirits said to lurk throughout its corridors. Next, Kenzie shares the fa...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week we're heading to New Hampshire to examine two murders that revolve around conspiracies and the determination to find the truth. First, Kenzie tells the story of Jack Reid, whose shocking murder was eventually solved after investigators discovered a millionaire with dark secrets. Then, Lauren covers the mysterious killing o...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We’re heading to Arkansas for two stories that blur the line between true crime and the paranormal. First, Lauren covers the shocking murder of former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins-Smith, a case filled with betrayal, hidden motives, and an investigation that took a dramatic turn when unexpected evidence exposed the killer. Then, K...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we’re headed to Nevada to explore two of the state's most infamous haunted hotels! First, Kenzie takes us inside the legendary El Cortez Hotel and Casino. Built in 1941, it’s one of Las Vegas’s longest-running casinos, and according to countless guests and employees, one of its most haunted. Then, Lauren checks us into th...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! Happy 250th Birthday America! For this year’s Fourth of July episode we decided to cover stories we felt were inherently American. Lauren kicks things off with the iconic Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. She shares the history of the competition, its most famous champions, and the scandals that have surrounded the event over the years. T...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we head southwest to New Mexico! First, Kenzie shares the shocking confession of a man who admitted to murders that had remained unsolved for more than 30 years. Then, Lauren dives into the tragic murder of Girly Chew Hossencofft, and the strange conspiracies that surrounded her death. From long-buried secrets to shocking moti...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We head to the Pacific Northwest for a spooky journey through Washington State! In this episode, both of our stories are connected by one iconic Seattle landmark: Pike Place Market. Lauren explores the history and hauntings of Kell’s Irish Restaurant & Pub, where ghostly patrons and unexplained encounters have become part of the esta...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We head to the tippey-top of the U.S. to share stories from Maine! First, Kenzie talks about the story of Darien Richardson who was tragically shot and later died from her injuries. Despite years of investigation and countless leads, her case remains unsolved more than 15 years later. Next, Lauren talks about the ominous Specter Moose. T...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! Pull up a chair, meet our grandma, and listen to our family lore behind the Starkweather murders that horrified our hometown of Lincoln Nebraska in the 1950s. Before the fear spread across Nebraska, before Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate became household names, there was just a quiet city — our city. In this Spirits Uncorked episod...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We’re kicking off Round 5 with the Midwest mitten itself, Michigan! Lauren starts us off with the unsolved mystery surrounding the death of a lighthouse keeper. Was it murder, an accident, or something else entirely? With so many unanswered questions, we couldn’t help but come up with a few theories of our own. Then, Kenzie dives into th...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! Guess who’s back? Our fabulous Lauren rejoins us this week — and she brought her own story with her. This marks the first episode where we’re finally back to business as usual. First, Lauren dives into the chilling unsolved case of the Phantom Freeway Killer, an unknown predator who targeted young girls before leaving their bodies along...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! This week, we head to the Peace Garden State—North Dakota! Special guest and longtime supporter of the show, my dad, joins me as we dive into one of the state’s most haunting and heartbreaking unsolved crimes for decades: the Swanson Motel Murders. In 1981, two people were brutally killed inside a motel in Dickinson, leaving behind a mys...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! Welcome back to the show, Kenzie’s fellow educator, Amelia! This week, we are in the Volunteer State, Tennessee! Kenzie gets creative and comes up with her own legend about the old, abandoned Pine Haven School. The legend says that a young boy was killed in the school by his bully, and continues to haunt the building to this day. But wha...

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know! We are in the Mountain State and our close neighbor, West Virginia! This week, Kenzie’s long time friend Amanda joins the podcast to hear about the Greenbriar Ghost. Was it a mother’s intuition, or an apparition who could not rest until justice was served? This is the only murder trial in American history that a ghost's testimony wa...