Small Town Mysteries

Send us Fan Mail Do you believe in psychics?  In this episode, we talk about our (very) different opinions on psychics and their involvement with criminal investigations.  Kate discusses several high-profile cases that were solved(-ish?) with the help of psychics, focusing primarily on the murder of California nurse Melanie Uribe.  Hear from a believer, a skeptic, and someone who just isn't s...

Send us Fan Mail College student Brooke Wilberger goes missing one day while at work. The crime scene? Just a pair of flip flops and some cleaning supplies off of a parking lot. Brooke’s wallet/purse, cell phone, and car were also left behind. A break in the case comes several months later, when another young woman is kidnapped - but manages to escape.  Brooke's murder case was one of the mos...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rachael takes us back in time to the early U.S. to discuss a case involving a loooot of dead bodies, a trap door, a tiny "cabin", and one murderous family.  Sources: 1) https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1871?amount=4600 2) https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/ 3) https://crimereads.com/the-bloody-benders-americas-first-family-of-serial-killers/...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Kate covers the case of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph. Maria was taken off of the street by a stranger in the 1950s. This case was presumed to be solved not once, but TWICE, with the convictions being overturned both times.  Twice solved, but never closed, this case is as cold as ever. Sources:  1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore,_Illinois 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/...

Send us Fan Mail In this case, we bring it allll the way back to the 1830s/40s to talk about the unsolved case of Mary Rogers. This case was a major catalyst for the start of the True Crime genre. Mary herself was a sort of a "reality celebrity" in town, with many people traveling to the tobacco store she worked at for the sole purpose of getting to see her. Mary had a suspicious disappe...

Send us Fan Mail A family disappears one day in 2009, and their skeletal remains are found several years later. In their car is 32,000 dollars, and videos show the family seemingly packing up in the days leading up to their disappearance. Theories range from murder or a drug deal gone wrong, to witchcraft and possession.  Sources: 1)https://allthatsinteresting.com/jamison-family 2)https://www.stra...

Send us Fan Mail For the episode this week, Kate tackles a VERY complicated topic: Salman Rushdie’s book THE SATANIC VERSES and the controversy that surrounds it. Spoiler alert: the last section of this episode will be about an assassination attempt on Rushdie’s life that occurred in New York on August 12, 2022 Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_Verses 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Send us Fan Mail How does one woman manage to steal an estimated 5,000 babies from their parents, then sell them to the rich?  In this episode, Christine goes over the atrocities committed at the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an orphanage ran by a woman named Georgia Tann.  Tann committed everything from fraud to abuse, and even murder. Learn how Tann got away with committing these crime...

Send us Fan Mail One day in June 2015, Nicholas Godejohn stabs Dee Dee Blanchard 17 times, murdering her. His girlfriend, Gypsy Rose Blanchard (and Dee Dee's daughter), listens as her mom screams for help.  Later, it is discovered that Gypsy Rose was the one who requested that Nicholas commit the murder. But why? What was the motive? And where are they now? Keep an ear out for some facts and...

Send us Fan Mail There are many theories about the body that was discovered in a Wych Elm tree in Worcestershire, England. Who was the woman in the tree, and how did she die? Who wrote the graffiti saying: "WHO PUT BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM", and were they connected to the case?  This may just be a case that is never solved. Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_put_Bella_in_the_Wych...

Send us Fan Mail On the evening of May 12, 2001, a 16-year-old girl named Timeka Pridgen vanished from the small town of La Grange, North Carolina. Timeka's mom had fallen asleep while waiting for her boyfriend to get to the house, and upon waking up, Timeka is just...gone.  Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Banks  2) https://charleyproject.org/case/timeka-donyale-pridgen  3) ht...

Send us Fan Mail SPECIAL EPISODE ALERT: This week, Kate discusses The Enfield Monster, and how it served as a case study for "social contagion". A creature that someone witnesses in his backyard late at night turns into something MUCH bigger than anyone could have expected.  If you want, there is also a drinking game that you can participate in this episode. *Of course, please drink reps...

Send us Fan Mail This is one of those cases that keep you thinking long after it is over.  On May 8, 2008, 18-year-old Joshua Maddux left his home in Woodland Park, Colorado to go for a walk. Unfortunately, Joshua Maddux did not come home and was never seen alive again. Seven years later, Joshua's remains were found inside the chimney of an old house that was only a quarter mile from his home...

Send us Fan Mail A lot lies beneath the surface of a small town called Bardstown in Kentucky.  This week, we discuss the murder of a mom of 5, Crystal Rogers, and how it may connect to a series of other murders in the town's recent past. Sources:  1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardstown,_Kentucky 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Talbott_Tavern  3) https://www.crimeonline.com/2019/09/02...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Kate gets into the intricacies of The Bar, and what might happen when someone has a past history with the law...and then wants to become a lawyer. This is one that is chock-full of legal knowledge! Sources: 1) https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/convicted-murderer-in-tulane-law-school-welcomes-scrutiny/article_73286970-6c56-5ca4-bc2b-b9483ff6b768.html 2) https://www....

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rachael goes over the case of Maren Sanchez, a junior in high school who was murdered by a fellow student the night that she was supposed to attend her prom.  Sources 1) https://www.cnn.com/2014/04/25/justice/connecticut-school-assault/index.html 2) https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Maren-Sanchez-16-stabbed-to-death-at-11724922.php 3) https://www.ctpost.com...

Send us Fan Mail Tune in this week to hear a truly shocking case about the torture and murder of a 16-year-old girl named Sylvia Likens. This one involves an entire family AND neighborhood, and is frequently regarded as one of the worst true crime cases ever.  Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sylvia_Likens  2) https://sylviascac.org/sylvias-story/#:~:text=of%20our%20community-,S...

Send us Fan Mail Though Elliott Smith's friends and family could not quite say they were surprised by his untimely death (he had been abusing drugs for quite some time), they were surprised by the manner of his death... Tune in to this week's episode to hear Kate talk about the famous musician, his rise to fame, and the mystery surrounding his death. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail George Brinkman was treated with nothing but kindness from his friends -- they let him live in their home when he was unhoused, and he was like a father to their children. He had known his victims for decades. So why did he betray them? Sources: 1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Brinkman_murders#:~:text=George%20Brinkman%20Jr.,%2Dyear%2Dold%20Kylie%20Pifer. 2) https://appgate...

Send us Fan Mail Bobby Dunbar was a four-year-old boy who had gone on a fishing trip with several members of his family, along with family friends. When Bobby goes missing one day in 1912, his family searches for him for weeks, but finds no evidence of an animal that has eaten him, someone who kidnapped him, or any sort of accident. There's just...nothing.  Eight months later, a telegram come...

Send us Fan Mail If you look up the death of Christopher Morris, you will likely not find any news articles. Only a podcast with his sister, Ashley, and several online forum posts about his death exist.  Why is it nearly impossible to find any information about this case? What information DO we know? And why would someone (or many different someones) want to hide the truth about Christopher Morris...

Send us Fan Mail On today's episode, Christine starts by describing the murder of Melissa Gosule, a teacher in Boston who accepted a ride from a supposed "good samaritan" after her car broke down.  Find out how the JFK Jr. plane crash ties in to the case, and how a Massachusetts law was created due to Melissa's murder. Melissa's killer had 27 prior convictions.  Next, Rach...

Send us Fan Mail Tune in to hear about how it is possible for two people to be buried in their own backyard by their own flesh and blood for FIFTEEN YEARS without anyone asking a question.  Also: why would someone do such a thing? I bet you wouldn't believe me if I told you it had something to do with memorabilia...cause that's just TOO insane, right? Right. Sources: 1) https://www.infla...

Send us Fan Mail Michelle O'Connell was a young mother to a 4-year-old daughter and had just gotten her dream job. Which is why her loved ones are in disbelief when police say that Michelle has committed suicide.  What makes this questionable is the fact that Michelle's supposed suicide occurred the night she told her sister she was going to break up with her boyfriend, a police officer...

Send us Fan Mail The year is 1933. It's the Great Depression, the last year of prohibition, and alcoholism is widespread.  This sets the scene for the case of Michael Malloy, otherwise known as "Iron Mike" and "Mike the Durable". Mike is an alcoholic who drinks 24/7...and he's also the target of a group of people known collectively as "The Murder Trust".  Le...