Castles & Cryptids

This week we bring you two murders that were labeled cold cases for decades before finally being solved. First, Kelsey tells the frustrating murder of Irene Garza; a local beauty queen and beloved teacher. Just how did the case go unsolved for so many years when so many people knew who was responsible? Listen to find out. To close the ep, Alanna shares the seemingly random attack and death of Lee...

Welcome class! Time to broaden our minds, use our inner eye to see the future!- Hermione Granger, mocking Professor Trelawney. Time for Divination lessons! Have you ever had your tarot cards or tea leaves read? gone to see a psychic or consulted a magic 8 ball? then you're probably as fascinated by fortune-telling as we are!  We dived into the origins (older than you think!) of tarot cards and the...

Time to laugh at some more inept thieves, petty criminals and other stupid people! This is one of those episodes that have fewer than 5 murders. But less than zero, so there's that.... Kelsey covers some contraband cheese, some stolen road structures, fruity disguises and more on her segment of stupid crimes.  And when Alanna kicks her turn off, Kelsey has the inside scoop AGAIN as it happened in...

Welcome to a very special episode, this week we wanted to honour Ukraine by learning more about it and sharing it with our listeners. Kelsey kicks us off by reading three very popular stories from Cossack Fairy Tales, which was originally published in 1894. Then, Alanna covers some traditional clothing and Pysanky, all before finishing off the episode with a deep dive into Baba Yaga and the story...

We are super excited to bring you a wild, hand-picked, fan-picked episode this week! An esteemed member of our Illuminaughty Patreon group chose Australian Crimes and we got to go hog wild picking whatever case we wanted!  So they are very different cases; first up Kelsey brought the stealth and wealth by covering the Bank of Australia robbery. The names read like a cast of characters, (seriously,...

This week we decided to travel all around the world to explore some of the craziest and most interesting places we could find. Kelsey starts us off with a collection of almost all naturally occurring wonders. From some of the saltiest places of earth, to a few places with enough acid to melt your face off and everything in between. Alanna covers a number of stone circles and stone megaliths that h...

What constitutes a cult? Charismatic leader that plays or knows God, demands of undying devotion and very disgusting acts of violence?  and well, we have all those in spades in this episode of cruel cults and scary loosely religious based followings.  Kelsey covers the High Priestess of Blood and her unusual rise to goddess status in the small town of Yerba Buena, Mexico. The whole town ended up u...

Welcome to the Sanitarium, where it's easy to check in and impossible to check out.....alive.  This week we cover two of the creepiest "Hospitals" in history. Kelsey takes a deep dive into the horrible past of one of the most infamous Asylums in the world, The Bethlem Hospital. Since it first opened nearly 800 years ago a lot of bad things happened to thousands of people; including something calle...

What happens when you microdose arsenic and belladonna cocktails as part of your healthy routine? Nothing good, you guessed it! Oh sorry, they were digestive tonics, you say? old-timey medicine was straight-up bonkers y'all! As we see in Alanna's case, not all poison crimes are crystal clear; Florence Maybrick was accused of killing her husband James, but it's complicated by toxic family and secre...

Part 2 has arrived. This week Alanna continues her deep dive into the Curse of Oak Island and shares with us many of the discoveries made over its long history. To finish the ep off we explore many of the theories about what purpose Oak Island was built for, as well as things people believe may be waiting inside the money pit. Is it filled with gold and treasure unlike anything the world has...

Hoodoo you think you are anyway? Hopefully a fan of the pod! This week Kelsey takes us to Southern Alberta and a few other places, that all have hoodoos. What the heck are hoodoos you ask? She'll tell you! and gives us the legends that surround these funky rock formations. Are they really spirits that look after that land? you might be surprised! hooda hell are we to say..... Then we make our way...

When you hear Hello Kitty you think soft and snuggly but as this is true crime, Kelsey's story is anything but. She tells the tale of Fan Man-Yee, a hardworking young woman who fell prey to predators in her midst. It's a heart-wrenching, horrifically cruel case that hurts to hear. Buckle up. Alanna has another tragic tale of a woman who was failed by the system, Xiao Huamei, otherwise known as the...

For this weeks episode we revisit some strange things that human bodies are capable of. If you're like Kelsey, you grew up fascinated by the phenomena of spontaneous human combustion. What circumstances lead to this occurring, and why does it seem to only ever leave behind a pair of legs? Alanna closes out the episode on a much lighter note; introducing a group of real life "superhumans". From wit...

It's Part 2 of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's horrific acts of violence. It kind of reminds us of that old saying from sing-alongs, you know,  same song- second verse, a little bit louder and a little bit worse! It's certainly going to be one of those things! Hopefully not too much louder, we try to keep the volume consistent :P Picking up where we left off, we go through all of his kills, close-c...

This episode is filled with shout-outs: to supportive sisters (and the rest of you beautiful May babies), Scorpios, and people named Joyce! But we shall give no shout-outs for cannibalism and lack of consent, however often they might come up this time.  That's right folks, we are covering a major serial killer today- Jeffrey Dahmer, aka the Milwaukee Cannibal, or the Milwaukee monster. How we...

Welcome to an episode filled with two plane mysteries so bizarre it's hard to believe they're real. Kelsey kicks things off by covering her favourite true crime case ever......the elusive D.B Cooper hijacking! Was he an experienced paratrooper or was he really just a guy with a grudge, some snazzy sunglasses, and a clip-on tie? Alanna closes the episode with the strange disappearance of not one, n...

This week we take a dive into some wild and random cases as we bring you the weirdest objects used to kill someone. No, Jason Bourne and John Wick will not be on this list, these are real people using whatever's on hand to commit their crimes.  First, Kelsey brings a trifecta of bizarre cases with murder weapons ranging from bread to guitar strings. No candlestick or lead pipe??  Then, A...

It's no surprise how much we love aliens, every time we get to talking about them for research  or anything, we cannot stop! First we define the levels of Close Encounters- there may be more than you think. Then, this time our stories range from sweet and rather helpful to down right creepy as shit! Kelsey case takes us to Massachusetts and then Alanna leaves us in Zimbabwe. The one theme tha...

This week we bring you a plethora of individuals who are really bad at trying to kill people. Alanna brings a variety of cases, including a girl's plan to murder her neighbours over some really good......dairy products? as well as a lesson not to mess with Susan because she will not go down without a fight. Then, Kelsey covers the winding tale of a contract kill that was re-gifted way too many tim...

Happy Podiversary Cryptic Cuties!! It has been one whole year since we started this peculiar little paranormal podcas,t and we want to thank all of you for listening! We would be nothing without you.  We have some very special creatures for you this week, you know them, you love them, it's Mothman and Bigfoot! The dynamic duo :)  Let's dive into the history, sightings, FBI profiles, and...

For this week's episode we take you through two tragic crimes that happened during spring break trips gone wrong. First, Kelsey covers the unsolved disappearance of Brittanee Drexel. Who was involved? Do the girls that were invited her know more than they say, or worse did they target Brittanee from the start? Then, Alanna covers the horrific murder of Mark Kilroy, who got separated from his frien...

Something wicked this way comes....or maybe it's already in your house? We dive into the history of Ouija boards, the most popular spirit summoning board you can buy at your local toy store. How did these "talking boards" get to be a household name and "game", but also a notorious occult item? Kelsey takes us through it and also shares some sinister first-hand experiences of planchette play. Have...

If you've ever been on a trip with friends far from home, you probably know how scary the idea of getting lost can be. Or getting hurt. That's what makes the case of missing hikers Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers so sad and sinister. These two young Dutch girls went missing in Panama and the world has been wondering what exactly happened ever since.  Alanna takes us through the facts, mysteries and...

Welcome back! This week we take a shallow dive into all things Scotland to bring you this very special episode. First, Alanna covers some Scottish folklore and legends, ranging from giants to whirlpools. Then, Kelsey shares some cryptids that you need to keep an eye out for on your next vacation to the Highlands. Prepare yourself for Scottish accents, buff horses, Outlander chat and so much more i...

There seems to be a running theme with this week's episode- and it's love triangles! Well, one might be more of a rhombus, not sure, let's just say, It's Complicated.  Because how could we have Crimes of Passion without first having the passion? And who drives you more crazy than your significant other?? Evelyn Nesbitt was sometimes called the Marilyn Monroe of her times- a beautiful, photogenic a...