PNW Haunts & Homicides

Are there really portals to Hell hidden in the United States? In this episode, we explore the creepy legends surrounding Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena, California, the haunted Riverdale Road in Colorado, and a Salem, Oregon, house that sparked rumors of a gateway to the underworld. From occult rituals and curses, to phantom cars and ghostly joggers, we’re diving into paranormal encounters, haunted...

This episode dives into the eerie legends of the Women in Black . We start in Yakima, Washington, where a mysterious woman in a black dress was reported in 1897. Witnesses described a tall, silent figure racing through the streets who could supposedly shapeshift into a massive black hog, earning her the terrifying nickname Hog Devil . But was Yakima’s first ghost actually a supernatural entity, a...

On the night of August 1, 1989, Ronnie Jack met a stranger at a Prince George pub who offered him and his wife Doreen jobs at a logging camp near Cluculz Lake. By 1:30 the next morning, Ronnie, Doreen, and their two sons, 9-year-old Russell and 4-year-old Ryan, had climbed into the man's dark pickup truck and driven off into the night. They were never seen again. More than three decades later, the...

A woman gets a 3 a.m. email from a documentary producer who says he's spent a year developing a project about her life. What starts as flattering turns unsettling fast, and she can't seem to stop what's already in motion. Then a dog who's never shown a hunting instinct in his life starts locking onto something in the corner of a cabin near Mt. St. Helens — frozen, tail up, eyes fixed on nothing. H...

This episode explores the haunted filming locations of Practical Magic 2 , from a nearly 900-year-old English pub to the ruins of a medieval castle. While the original Practical Magic was filmed in Washington’s San Juan Islands, the sequel was primarily filmed in England, including recreated sets of the iconic Owens family dream house. At The Royal Standard , England’s oldest-claimed pub, reported...

In celebration of Practical Magic 2 coming out this week, we’re returning to an episode where we visit the bewitching Pacific Northwest seaside town where Practical Magic was filmed!  The enchantment doesn't stop there—while chatting with Margaret from Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery , we delve into her passion for preserving historic sites and the engaging tours that breathe life into forgotten stor...

Besalynn Mary James was 62 years old when she disappeared from her home on the Lummi Nation reservation in January 2025. Her boyfriend told police she left at 2 AM to go for a walk in freezing temperatures. After she didn’t return, it took four days for him to report her missing.  What her sister found when she went to check on Besalynn's dogs didn't match his story. The clothes he said Besalynn w...

In Southern Oregon, the historic Wolf Creek Inn has welcomed travelers, celebrities, and curious guests since the 1800s. Originally built along the Applegate Trail, it became a popular stop for settlers, miners, stagecoach passengers, and later railroad and highway travelers. The inn has hosted famous guests including Jack London, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Orson Welles, and Sir Anth...

Picking up where we left off in Part 1, Earle Leonard Nelson — the man newspapers called the 'Dark Strangler,' the 'Gorilla Man,' and the 'Gorilla Killer' — unbeknownst to the public or authorities had left the Pacific Northwest and was heading east. Behind him: a trail of victims across California, Oregon, and Washington, including four in Portland alone. Ahead of him: a killing spree that would...

From San Francisco to Winnipeg, he carried a worn Bible and a strange but seemingly polite smile. He answered ads about homes for sale and rooms for rent where he was invited in by unsuspecting, vulnerable women. Between February 1926 and June 1927, twenty-two women and one eight-month-old baby lost their lives to Earle Leonard Nelson – the man newspapers of the day called the 'Dark Strangler,' th...

Dive into the weird world of Pacific Northwest cryptids as we separate fact from fiction. This week, we're climbing into the forests of Washington to investigate the legendary  Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus , one of the internet's most famous hoaxes that became a surprisingly convincing lesson in online misinformation.  Then we head beneath the  Tacoma Narrows Bridge  to uncover the legend of the...

In 1986 the North and West End neighborhoods of Tacoma trusted their parks. That was, until two girls disappeared from public parks in Tacoma, Washington within a few miles and a few months of each other, both stories ending in tragedy. Twelve-year-old Michella Welch disappeared from Puget Park on a bright Wednesday afternoon in March. Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Bastian vanished from Point Defianc...

On March 9, 2000, Leah Roberts left her home in Durham, North Carolina, on a Kerouac-inspired cross-country road trip in search of something she couldn’t quite name, telling no one exactly where she was going. At 23, in the wake of multiple personal tragedies she had recently dropped out of college just as graduation was nearly in sight. Days later, she reached Bellingham, Washington.  Five days l...

In this episode, we dive into chilling Reddit true stories from across the Pacific Northwest, featuring creepy encounters, unexplained mysteries, and possible paranormal activity in Oregon and Washington. First, a couple hiking Hobbit Beach on the Oregon Coast discovers a disturbing forest altar made of candles, feathers, eggs, and animal bones before crossing paths with two suspicious strangers....

On July 9, 1734, a Native woman named Patience Boston confessed to drowning an eight-year-old boy in a well — then walked two miles to turn herself in. Seventy-two years later, to the day, a respected Maine farmer spent an evening sharpening an axe and reading his Bible by candlelight before murdering nearly his entire family. Two tragedies. Same calendar date. Both set in colonial Maine, centurie...

Deep in eastern Oregon, the historic town of Sumpter is home to one of the Pacific Northwest's most fascinating Gold Rush landmarks: the Sumpter Valley Dredge. Built to recover gold flakes from the Powder River, these massive gold dredges operated around the clock, reshaping the landscape and leaving behind towering tailings that are still visible today. Now preserved as the Sumpter Valley Dredge...

In October 2023, Kristil Krug began receiving threatening messages she believed were coming from an ex-boyfriend she hadn't spoken to in years. She filed police reports, kept a detailed log, installed cameras, obtained a concealed carry permit, and ran home defense drills with her children. She told her father: "Someone's going to die. It's either me or him." She was right. She just didn't know th...

In honor of Pride Month, we're resharing this very important unsolved murder. 🌈  We'll see you next Thursday! Loni Kai was a vibrant, friendly, well-liked young woman. She has also graced the  5 of Hearts  in a  cold case deck of cards.  Loni was born Lorenzo Okoruru in the  Mariana islands , but by 2001 she was living in the Hillsboro/Aloha area of  Oregon  with some of her extended family that...

In November 1988, Deborah "Debe" Atrops left a hair appointment in Tigard, Oregon and never came home. When she was found — what investigators discovered would haunt Washington County for decades. Debe was 30 years old. She was a mother to an eight-month-old daughter. She had told a friend: "If anything happens to me, Bob did it." It would take decades, a new cold case unit, and a trial that raise...

Step into haunted Port Gamble, Washington, a historic mill town founded in 1851 and home to the infamous Walker-Ames House, known as the most haunted house in Washington. From ghostly women in the windows and children's voices in the attic to mysterious EVPs, shadow figures, and unexplained apparitions, this abandoned home has become a legendary paranormal hotspot. In this episode, we explore the...

On May 20, 2016, multiple 911 calls reported a black Chrysler Sebring drifting across multiple lanes of Interstate 5 south of Tumwater, Washington — with no one at the wheel. When authorities searched the car, they found a wallet, phone, keys, cash, and curiously a bag of snacks still sitting upright in the center console. What they didn't find was 19-year-old Logan Schiendelman. Ten years later,...

Explore the haunted history of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse on the Oregon coast. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was abandoned after only three years and nearly demolished before locals fought to save it. Today, it’s famous for chilling ghost stories, including the legend of Muriel, a teenage girl who mysteriously vanished inside the lighthouse in the tale The Haunted Lighthouse . Along with eerie legends of...

On the evening of March 6, 2009, Nancy Moyer stopped at a grocery store in Tenino, Washington, paid by check, and drove home.  After that night, she was never seen again. She left behind her purse, her keys, her car, and two wine glasses on the coffee table.   When Bill, her husband from whom she had separated, brought their daughters back two days later, he found the front door ajar, the lights s...

On the evening of June 26, 2009, ten-year-old Lindsey Baum left a friend's house in McCleary, Washington for the short walk home, but she never arrived. McCleary is the kind of town where everyone knows each other - fewer than 2,000 residents, two dozen streets, one major employer. It was exactly the kind of place Melissa Baum thought was perfect for a fresh start with her two kids after relocatin...

This episode dives into the immersive Titanic Artifact Exhibit at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), blending haunting history, real-life tragedy, and eerie modern-day coincidences. The exhibit’s emotional weight builds through authentic artifacts, heartbreaking survivor and victim stories. The episode also explores Pacific Northwest connections, including Herman Klaber and the Warrens...