Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave Affair

A new funeral home scandal brings us back to Colorado yet again- a putrid smell leads investigators to find 190 improperly stored bodies littering Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, CO. This state's unique and liberated death culture seems to have a dark side, and we're finding out why. References: "Colorado hasn't licensed funeral practitioners since 1983. Now some want change." by Michael...

We're starting out season 3 with a (very belated) Valentine's Day tribute to two couples whose deaths did not separate them. We visited the grave of the tallest couple on record, and we're also diving into an ancient love story with a terrifying ending. You'll also get to hear about the bizarre adventure we're starting out on for 2024...

If you listen to enough true crime podcasts, you've probably heard multiple cases where cadaver dogs played a role. But we wanted to know what happens before a dog even gets to its first case... we're looking into how they're trained and some examples of how cadaver dogs fit into the justice system. Resources: Cid Torrez vs. State of Florida, casetext.com "Cadaver detection dogs: A review of their...

American universities are giving a new meaning to dark academia with the rise of on-campus burials. We’re discussing our feelings about spending eternity at our alma maters, and revealing a conspiracy behind a historical college cemetery. Don’t miss our stories about the people who never left their college campus! References: “College Campuses with Cemeteries”, college times.co “Fordham University...

For our second annual Halloween mini episode, we brought our friend John along for the cemetery shenanigans as we try to out-spook each other with (somewhat) true ghost stories.

How can we make the funeral industry more environmentally friendly? We took a trip to one of only ten conservation cemeteries in the United States to find out! Morgan will go over some of the most glaring problems when it comes to human burials, and Jenelle will explain some greener options (and debunk some myths too).

An underground body snatching ring revealed? The body snatching story we covered in episode 9 goes deeper than we thought. We have some inside information as a recent suspect in the case has been right under our noses all along. References: "Bullitt County Man Arrested and Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon" Press release from U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Kent...

Ever wonder how bodies are handled after a nuclear accident? Radioactive corpses may be more common than you think, with certain cancer treatments leaving patients with radiation in their bodies after death. We're looking into guidelines for handling these situations, and what happens when they're not followed. Resources: "Here’s why you shouldn’t cremate radioactive dead people" by Beth Mole, Ars...

We're back with another corpse stealing scandal! A man was selling human remains on a social media page, and it turns out they were sourced from a mortuary worker who was harvesting them directly from the bodies she worked with. We infiltrated some online oddities groups to see if we could find some human remains for sale- and we were surprised by what we found. Resources: "Historical skulls, othe...

Inspired by our trip to Colorado, we looked into a couple of post- mortem options that are unique to the state: fire and ice. Learn about the Frozen Dead Guy Days and the United States’ only public open-air cremation site in this episode! Resources: frozendeadguydays.com “Frozen Dead Guy/ 100 Wonders/ Atlas Obscura”, Atlas Obscura on YouTube crestoneendoflifeproject.org “Crestone End-of-Life Proje...

This episode, we're talking taxidermy- human taxidermy. We'll be covering two of the most famous examples of human taxidermy attempts in recent history, and discussing the ethics of the practice. "English Philosopher’s Dressed-Up Skeleton Goes on View in New Glass Display" by Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine"El Negro reburied in Botswana", news24.com"Auto-Icon"- Bentham Project, ucl.ac.uk"Th...

Under the streets of the city that never sleeps, there is an underground burial room in the basement of an unassuming church. Join us as we explore the catacomb's dark tunnels and learn about the burial ban that led to its creation. Resources: "For $7M, spend the afterlife in a crypt at Nolita’s Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral" by Dana Schulz, 6sqft.com"No Burial Line of 1832" by Liz Volavka, History...

Learn how poisoning went from a household crime to having a branch of science dedicated to detecting it! Resources: "Arsenic's Afterlife: How Scientists Learned to Identify Poison Victims [Excerpt]" by Linda Stratmann, Scientific American"Poisoning Crimes and Forensic Toxicology Since the 18th Century" by Katherine D Watson, American Forensic Pathologist "Pick Your Poison—12 Toxic Tales" by Cathy...

For St. Paddy's Day, we're throwing it back to our season 1 discussion of the mummies of St. Michan's crypts in Dublin, Ireland! We'll tell you about the history, some recent grave robberies, and most importantly, our own trip to the crypts. Resources: Jenelle's Ireland journal including quotes from St. Michan's tour guide Atlas Obscura- Dublin, Ireland- St. Michan's Crypts St. Michan's Official W...

We're bringing you more postmortem drama! This case combines shady funeral home business practices with sketchy body donation transactions. Find out what happened when these funeral home directors went to court earlier this year! Resources: **Information on body broker bill: https://nfda.org/advocacy/current-legislation/body-broker-bill "Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body p...

We're diving into death lore to meet its creatures throughout different cultures. Morgan will be introduced to some of these beings through Jenelle's limited-time game show, and we'll tell you all about Britain's graveyard guardian, the Grim! Resources: "Charon’s Obol: Putting Coins on the Eyes of the Dead" by Sam Tetrault, Cake Blog "Charon's Obol and Other Coins in Ancient Funerary Practice" by...

What happens to your body if you die in a National Park? How are bodies retrieved from precarious places? We'll walk you through the process of a wilderness body recovery! Resources: "An Analysis of Deaths in U.S. National Parks" -PSBR.law "Mortality Dashboard Key Statistics CY2014 - CY2016"- National Parks Service "Ranger Confidential" by Andrea Lankford "Climber Madeline Baharlou-Quivey’s Body R...

We watched Pope Benedict XVI's funeral so you don't have to! We'll give you the rundown and also tell you some stories of papal embalming gone wrong. Resources: "Pope Francis leads funeral for predecessor Benedict XVI, a first in modern times" by By Sana Noor Haq, Sharon Braithwaite, Valentina Di Donato and Delia Gallagher- CNN "Benedict XVI’s funeral: How to watch, what to expect" by Joe Bukuras-...

We visited a small-town mortuary museum to see a hearse that was used in a film starring Bill Murray! We'll take you on a tour of the museum and give you a review of the movie "Get Low", about a man who decides to throw his own funeral party. Plus, we're making holiday treats using recipes printed on gravestones! Resources: "Peoples Mortuary Museum", https://www.cawleyandpeoples.com/peoples-mortua...

What happens when an Indigenous burial mound is turned into a Revolutionary War cemetery? We're discussing the fine line between preservation and desecration at the Mound Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio. Resources: "Marietta Earthworks", Marietta: Ohio's First Adventure "White Settlers Buried the Truth about the Midwest's Mysterious Mound Cities" by Sarah E Baires, Smithsonian Magazine Mound Cemetery N...

Donating one's body to science seems like a beneficial sacrifice, but there is a dark underbelly to the industry. "Body brokers" are selling donated body parts- and it's all perfectly legal. Resources: "How to donate your body to science" by Lori Cuthbert- National Geographic Department of Defense Memorandum: "Army Policy for Use of Human Cadavers for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Ed...

We're doing something a little different for spooky season! We'll be coming to you from a cemetery and reading real-life horror stories. Get ready to be spooked by tales of a murder house and an abandoned sanatorium! Resources: "The True Story of the Boise Murder House is Straight Out of a Horror Movie" by Alyssa Fiorentino- House Beautiful Daniel E. Rodgers v. State of Idaho, Docket No.22417 "The...

With the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we've been thinking a lot about the peculiarities of the royal funeral process. This week we're diving into a dark secret of one royal funeral... Resources: “1936 Secret is Out:Doctor Sped George V’s Death” by Joseph Lelyveld, NYT (1986) “King George V was murdered, not euthanised” by Gerrick Adler ( the Guardian) “The Death of George V” by Francis Watson- H...

We're taking you on a field trip for a lesson in grave cleaning from our friend, Joe Reisinger! Join in on our new favorite hobby Resources: "Charges filed over Jeffersonville funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies were found" by Caleb Stultz. Courier-Journal "Charges filed against director of Jeffersonville funeral home after bodies, cremated remains found"- WDRB.com

We're taking you with us as we climb treacherous Hjörleifshöfði in Iceland, where a Viking grave with a dark story lies at the summit. Resources: "Hjörleifshöfði Promontory in South-Iceland - The Blood Brothers Ingólfur and Hjörleifur" by Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir, Guide to Iceland. "Hjörleifshöfði & Yoda Cave- A Star Wars film location in Iceland"- Arctic Adventures "Families watched as Lank...