Cascadia Crime & Cryptids

A tragic case with some truly wild details, this is the awful murder of Susann Hentschel Smith.    Sources https://www.kiro7.com/video/archive/police-still-investigating-bothell-murder/DGPYRMYBRYYIWYJAVM3GZFXZAI/ https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/search-warrants-reveal-new-details-in-bothell-mothers-murder/ https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/former-bothell-resident-alan-smiths-conviction-up...

This is the tragic, senseless murder of 16 year old Syanna Puryear-Tucker.  If you would like to sign the petition for Syanna's Law, please click here .  The link is also below in the source list. Sources https://www.facebook.com/justiceformaesmom https://mycrimelibrary.com/lola-luna-guilty-of-syanna-puryear-tucker-murder/ https://twitter.com/KING5Seattle/status/1620209000187928578 https://www.kit...

Joan Hall was supposed to meet her aunt at Warrenton Grade School, but disappeared after departing a convenience store to make the half mile walk to the school - what happened to Joan Hall? If you have any information on Joanie's case please contact the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office at 503-325-8635 or email sheriff@clatsopcounty.gov . Sources https://www.clatsopcounty.gov/sheriff/page/cold-cases...

Alice Rheem was relocated to Orcas Island by her husband in the hopes that her wild ways might calm down, but Alice couldn't be tamed.  Now, her ghost spooks visitors with some real saucy EVPs.  This is the tale of Alice Rheem. Sources https://rosarioresort.com/ https://www.visitsanjuans.com/haunted-hotels-in-the-san-juan-islands http://63.76.193.160/about/history https://www.ancestry.com/1940-cen...

After telling her brother she was afraid of her partner, Roseann Stone Pleasant disappeared and has never been seen again.  Tragedy would strike again when just 6 years later, Roseann's daughter Valiree vanished from her own backyard.  Sources https://uncovered.com/cases/roseann-stone https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/brad-jackson/ https://charleyproject.org/case/roseann-marie-stone-pleas...

The early-morning quiet in Pacifica, California was shattered on January 21, 1999 when a car bomb exploded on a residential street.  The gruesome scene was the horrifying end to a years-long neighborhood feud sparked by a disagreement over a simple flower bed between houses.   Sources https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Pacfica-Woman-Says-Tiff-Grew-Into-Threats-2950547.php https://moviechat.org...

Teresa Davidson-Murphy disappeared under suspicious circumstances in October of 1999 - after failing to pick up her daughter Jessica after a multi-day sleepover, Teresa's husband Richard unceremoniously told Jessica that her mother had been using drugs and would not be returning.  But that was only his first story about Teresa's sudden vanishing.  What happened to Teresa Davidson-Murphy? Sources h...

On Sept. 17, 1992, after attending the Puyallup Fair with a friend, 14 year old Misty Copsey missed the last departing bus home and was never seen again.  Her case remains unsolved today.  What happened to Misty? If you have any information about Misty's disappearance, please contact the Puyallup Police Department tip line at 253-770-3343. Sources https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Misty_Copsey h...

Preston School of Industry opened its doors in 1894 for the male wards of the state of California - hundreds of boys and young men passed through the halls of this correctional facility until its closure and relocation in 1960.  The history of the building and grounds (now named Preston Castle) will come in a later episode; today, Caro takes us through the paranormal activity that Preston Castle i...

YAY, it's Sara's first cryptid episode!  Today we learn the brief but curious and sometimes hilarious history of the Cascadia cryptid known affectionately as Colossal Claude.   Sources https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Colossal_Claude https://www.thenewsguard.com/community_paid/offbeat-oregon-colossal-claude-the-great-columbia-bar-sea-serpent/article_7df40f0a-4773-11ea-acf4-678991ac3ee4.html https:...

Wei Amanda Zhao never returned from an evening walk to the grocery store in October of 2002 - 11 days later, her body was found in a suitcase near a lake 40 miles from her home.  This case takes us from Cascadia to China for the first time, and every time you think it's over - think again. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Amanda_Zhao https://bc.ctvnews.ca/chinese-authorities-make-ar...

Sara takes us in the way-back machine to tell the story of the Lava Lake murders of Ed Nichols, Roy Wilson, and Dewey Morris in the winter of 1923/24.     Sources https://deschutespioneers.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/grisly-1924-lava-lake-murders-still-unsolved/ https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19240426.1.2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- https://www.newspapers.com/image/100115403/ htt...

Welcome to Cascadia, where we don't just stick to one kind of octopus cryptid - we have a menagerie.  Please enjoy the tale of the mysterious and endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! Sources https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ https://zapatopi.net/blog/?post=200910296120.pitch-chewing_tree_octopuses_of_british_columbia https://zapatopi.net/blog/?post=200809266800.olive_loving_tree_octopuses_of...

Philip Fraser's promising life was cut short in the summer of 1988 while he was making the long drive from Alaska to Washington state to start school at Evergreen State College - his body was recovered, but his murderer has never been found.  Who killed Philip Fraser? Sources https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Philip_Innes_Fraser https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151661139/philip-innes-fr...

After a practically undetected first murder, Jerry Brudos escalated quickly in the fall of 1968, taking the lives of three more women before he was identified and apprehended in 1969.   Sources  "Lust Killer" by Ann Rule "Jerry Brudos: The True Story of the Shoe Fetish Slayer: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers (True Crime by Evil Killers Book 19)" by Jack Rosewood https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

When Oregon police finally took Jerome "Jerry" Henry Brudos into custody and searched his property, they found over 40 pairs of women's high heels, dozens of items of women's lingerie, hundreds of horrifying photos of unwilling victims, and Brudos's very own home torture chamber.  This is part one of the crimes of Jerome Henry Brudos, the Shoe Fetish Slayer. CW: This episode contains extremely gra...

On November 24, 1989, 18 year old Mandy Stavik went for a run, but only her family dog Kyra returned from that Friday route.  Three days later, Mandy's body was found in the Nooksack River, but leads went cold from the very beginning of this tragic case.  Over 20 years later, a conversation between two local moms brought a suspect name to light and finally helped bring Mandy's killer to justice.  ...

McMenamin's UFO Fest in McMinnville, Oregon is the 2nd most popular and 2nd most attended UFO festival in the United States - who knew the #2 hotbed of UFO sightings in the US was right here in our own Cascadia backyard.  Caro tells us how a UFO sighting in the 1950s inspired the McMenamin's festival that is now in its 24th year! Sources https://www.mcmenamins.com/ufo-festival https://www.newspape...

Becky Reid was forcibly abducted from her closing shift at a grocery store in Eugene, OR in the very early hours of January 27, 1997 - she has not been seen since.  What happened to Becky Reid? If you have any information about Rebecca's disappearance please contact the Eugene Police Department at 541-682-5588 or epdcoldcasesquad@ci.eugene.or.us . You can also utilize Crime Stoppers of Oregon (www...

A harrowing attack on a Sunday afternoon, a fight for her life, a battle cry now known throughout the running world: "Not today, motherf*cker!"  This is the survival story of Kelly Herron. Fighting Chance Seattle Kelly Herron Instagram Other Podcast Episodes featuring Kelly's story: Shameless Mom Academy, Ep 210 C Tolle Run, Ep 10 She's Bold Podcast, Ep 91 Sources Runner's World Documentary "Not T...

Doreen, Ronnie, Russell, and Ryan Jack were last seen getting into a stranger's vehicle outside their Prince George home at 1:21am on August 29, 1989 - promised jobs and childcare, Doreen and Ronnie were simply trying to secure a future for their family when they disappeared that summer night.  They are still missing today, over 30 years later.  What happened to the Jack family? If you have any in...

Neighbors of Courtney Holden witnessed a loud argument as she attempted to flee her adoptive mother's house one August night in 2018 in Spokane, WA - Courtney has not been seen since.   What happened to Courtney Holden?   Anyone with any information about Courtney's case or whereabouts is encouraged to contact Spokane PD major crimes detective Randy Lesser at 509-625-4016 . Sources https://www.khq...

Sara takes us on a spooky tour through some of the haunted happenings in Seattle's famous Pike Place Market.   Sources https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2011/06/pike-place-market-ghosts-june-2011 https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/special-reports/ghost-stories-haunt-pike-place-market/ https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wa-pikemarket/ http://ghostalleyespresso.com/our-ghost https:/...

Apologies for the hum + crackle on the audio folks - Caro did her best to try and remove it in post but didn't make much progress.  This has only impacted 2 recordings and we will be doing test runs to avoid it next recording session! The Keddie Cabin Murders of April 1981 are one of Northern California's infamous unsolved cases - but they really shouldn't be.  Research into this case reveals that...

Apologies for the hum + crackle on the audio folks - Caro did her best to try and remove it in post but didn't make much progress.  This has only impacted 2 recordings and we will be doing test runs to avoid it next recording session! We needed a little break from reality and a cute email from The Doug Fury's gave Caro the urban legend she didn't know she was looking for: come learn the tale of Ca...