Brewed and Bewildered

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we explore one of America’s oldest and most chilling legends—the Jersey Devil. But this story is more than just folklore. Host Jess shares a personal experience from childhood while camping in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey—an encounter in broad daylight that she couldn’t explain at the time. Is it a real creature hiding in the Pine Barrens? A case of mis...

In February 1978, five young men left a college basketball game in Yuba County… and never made it home. Days later, their car was discovered abandoned deep in the mountains of the Plumas National Forest, far from their intended route. Months later, some of the men were found, but the circumstances surrounding their deaths only raised more questions. Why did they leave a perfectly working car? Why...

In 1984, a late-night stop along the Garden State Parkway would turn into one of the most shocking crimes in New Jersey history. When Maria Marshall was shot and killed at the quiet Oyster Creek rest area, her husband Robert Marshall claimed they had been victims of a random robbery. But detectives soon discovered troubling secrets beneath the surface—gambling debts, an affair, and allegations tha...

In December 1948, a well-dressed man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia, with no identification and no clear cause of death. Hidden inside his pocket was a tiny scrap of paper reading “Tamám Shud,” a phrase meaning “ended” or “finished.” The paper had been torn from a copy of the classic Persian poetry book Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and inside that book investigators later dis...

Deep in Montauk, New York, an abandoned military base known as Camp Hero has fueled decades of conspiracy theories. Some believe it was the site of secret government experiments involving mind control, psychological warfare, and even time travel. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we explore the origins of the Montauk Project conspiracy, the Cold War history of Camp Hero, and the claims th...

In Episode 21, I’m taking you to a lonely, snow-covered farmstead in 1922 Bavaria for one of the most chilling cold cases in history: Hinterkaifeck. This isn't just a story about a crime; it’s about the psychological horror of being watched from within your own home. Before the Gruber family was murdered with a mattock, they found footprints in the snow leading from the woods to their door—with no...

To celebrate our 20th episode milestone, I’m bringing you back to a place I have personally visited and experienced firsthand : the crumbling, haunted corridors of Eastern State Penitentiary. In this special episode, I dive into the dark origins of America’s most influential—and psychologically disturbing—prison. From the 'Eye of God' architecture to the brutal reality of the Iron Gag, we’ll explo...

In 1966, two electronics technicians ascended a remote hill in Brazil wearing formal suits, raincoats, and crude, handmade lead masks. They were found dead three days later, lying side-by-side with a cryptic note that read: 'Ingest capsules... wait for signal.' What were Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana waiting for? Was this a botched scientific experiment, a UFO contact ritual gone wr...

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , Jess dives into the chilling psychology of the Stanford Prison Experiment, one of the most disturbing studies in history. What happens when ordinary college students are given power—and no one stops them? Guards became cruel, prisoners broke down, and the experiment ended after only six days instead of the planned fourteen. We explore the setup, the psych...

It’s October, the season of shadows and strange tales… Dive into one of the darkest true crime stories ever recorded: Ed Gein, the Butcher of Plainfield. From his isolated childhood under a domineering mother to the horrifying discoveries at his farmhouse, this episode explores the macabre life of one of America’s most infamous killers. We’ll also discuss his impact on pop culture, including films...

In 1978, 20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich vanished over Bass Strait in Australia, leaving behind only chilling radio transmissions describing a strange hovering craft. Despite massive searches across thousands of square kilometers, neither Valentich nor his plane was ever found. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , host Jess dives into the haunting mystery, exploring theories from UFO e...

In 1930, a seasoned fur trapper arrived at a remote Inuit settlement near Anjikuni Lake in northern Canada—only to find it completely abandoned. Fires still smoldered. Food hung untouched over the embers. Sled dogs lay frozen in the snow. And the villagers? Gone without a trace. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , host Jess explores one of Canada’s eeriest unsolved legends—the supposed disa...

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we delve into the haunting story of Centralia, Pennsylvania—a once-thriving mining town now abandoned due to an underground coal fire that's been burning since 1962. Discover firsthand accounts from residents who lived through the disaster, explore eerie photographs of the desolate landscape, and uncover archival newspaper clippings that chronicle the tow...

We're back after a summer full of traveling! A well-dressed man steps off a plane in Tokyo in 1960 carrying a passport from a country no one has ever heard of, speaking multiple languages, and claiming an urgent mission. The problem? His homeland does not exist. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered, we explore the strange case of John Allen Kuchar Zegrus, the man who insisted he was a diplomat...

In a quiet Ohio town, residents began receiving anonymous, threatening letters that revealed their darkest secrets. These weren’t just rumors—they were specific, chilling, and relentless. From affairs to attempted murder, the Circleville Letters saga escalated into one of the most baffling and eerie unsolved mysteries in American history. For nearly two decades, the anonymous author tormented the...

On a remote, wind-lashed slope in Russia’s Ural Mountains, nine young hikers vanished into legend. In February 1959, what began as a routine expedition turned into one of the most haunting cold cases in modern history—the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Their tent was found slashed open from the inside. Their bodies scattered, mutilated, and frostbitten. Theories abound—from avalanches and secret military...

Step inside the infamous 284 Green Street and uncover the chilling story of The Enfield Poltergeist —a case that shook 1970s England and still sparks debate today. Was it a real haunting, a clever hoax, or a psychological breakdown captured on camera? In Episode 10 of Brewed and Bewildered , Jess delves into the eerie events, firsthand accounts, and hidden truths behind one of the most extensively...

On a quiet Minnesota night in May 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson vanished after his car veered into a ditch, just moments after a chilling final phone call with his parents. Despite an extensive search, no trace of him was ever found. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we explore the baffling mystery that continues to haunt investigators, from eerie cell phone pings to theories of foul...

On January 15, 1947, a young woman’s severed body was discovered in a Los Angeles vacant lot—drained of blood, surgically mutilated, and eerily posed. The victim? 22-year-old Elizabeth Short. The press named her The Black Dahlia , and the mystery surrounding her death would grip America for decades. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we explore the brutal crime that became one of the most...

On Christmas Eve, 1945, a mysterious fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Five of the ten Sodder children vanished without a trace. Despite no remains being found in the ashes, authorities declared them dead, but the truth may be far more disturbing. In this episode, we unravel one of America’s most haunting mysteries. Were the Sodder children kidnapped? What about...

Off the coast of Denmark, beneath the icy waters of the North Sea, lies a mysterious submerged site—possibly an ancient Viking city lost to time. In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we dive deep into the mystery as divers uncover Viking-age tools, pottery, and structures buried beneath the seabed. But the story doesn’t end there. Some artifacts may date back to the Mesolithic era , suggesti...

In 1587, over 100 English settlers vanished from Roanoke Island—leaving behind no bodies, no signs of struggle, and only a single word carved into a post: CROATOAN . What happened to the Lost Colony? In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we unravel one of America’s most enduring historical mysteries. Explore the real story behind Roanoke through colonial records, recent archaeological discove...

Deep in the forests of Vermont lies the Bennington Triangle—a place where people have mysteriously vanished without a trace. Once home to the bustling town of Glastenbury, this remote area became the site of unsolved disappearances beginning in the 1940s. From hunters to hikers, the missing left behind no signs, no explanations—only eerie, unanswered questions. If you have any information about th...

In this chilling episode, we dive deep into the eerie legend of the SS Ourang Medan, a ghost ship shrouded in mystery. Discovered drifting in the Straits of Malacca in 1947, the ship's crew was found dead under strange and unexplained circumstances. Was it a tragic accident, or did something far more sinister take place aboard this ill-fated vessel? Join us as we explore the facts, theories, and c...

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered , we explore one of the most perplexing and unsettling phenomena ever to haunt a small town: the Taos Hum. Since the early '90s, Taos, New Mexico residents have been hearing a mysterious, low-frequency hum—one that only certain people can perceive. Despite years of investigation, scientists, researchers, and government officials have come up empty-handed, l...