Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes

On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found hacked to death in their Fall River, Massachusetts home, and their daughter Lizzie became the prime suspect almost overnight. In an era when wealthy young women were above suspicion, the case exposed a fractured family, a botched investigation, and a media frenzy that convicted Lizzie long before she ever saw a courtroom. In this episode of Co...

In 1979 and 1980, three young women, Doreen Levesque, Barbara Raposa, and Karen Marsden, were brutally murdered in Fall River, Massachusetts, in killings linked to a small satanic cult led by pimp Carl Drew. Investigators built their case around a web of unreliable witnesses, psychic confessions, and a star witness whose story kept changing. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crime...

Since 2022, at least thirteen people connected to American scientific and defense research have died or disappeared under circumstances that have drawn scrutiny from the FBI, Congress, and the White House. Some cases have clear explanations — a revenge killing, a system failure, a man lost to grief — but others remain genuinely unsolved, with no confirmed sightings and no answers for the families...

In 1993, David Holthouse was working on a remote cannabis farm in California's Emerald Triangle when two panicked men burst into his cabin claiming three workers had been killed in the fields—torn apart by Bigfoot. Holthouse fled the next morning and spent 25 years trying to forget what he heard. But as an investigative journalist, he couldn't let it go. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cul...

In the late 19th century, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn emerged in Britain as a secretive society devoted to ritual magic, mysticism, and hidden knowledge. Drawing in artists, writers, and intellectuals, including figures like Aleister Crowley, the group promised spiritual enlightenment through a structured system of occult teachings. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crim...

In the 1960s, residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia reported sightings of a strange, winged figure with glowing red eyes, a creature that would become known as the Mothman. As encounters spread, so did fear, with witnesses describing eerie experiences and unexplained phenomena surrounding the sightings. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the...

In 1926, famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson vanished from a California beach, sparking a nationwide search and fears that she had been kidnapped or killed. Weeks later, she reappeared with a dramatic story of abduction, claiming she had escaped from her captors in the desert. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the disappearance of Aimee Semp...

In the 1970s, a small, radical group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army emerged in the United States, promoting a mix of revolutionary politics, anti-capitalist ideology, and violent action. The group gained national attention after the kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, a crime that quickly escalated into a media spectacle. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa...

In 1932, the infant son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his family’s home in New Jersey, setting off a massive search that captivated the nation. As the investigation unfolded, the case drew unprecedented media attention, intense public scrutiny, and a wave of speculation about who was responsible. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson...

In 15th century France, Gilles de Rais rose to prominence as a decorated nobleman and military commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years’ War. But after her death, his life took a dark turn, and rumors began to circulate about disturbing activities taking place on his estates. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the rise...

In the 20th century, a secret society known as the Priory of Sion claimed to protect a hidden bloodline tied to Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, a revelation that, if true, would rewrite the foundations of religious history. The group alleged that this lineage had been preserved for centuries and concealed from the public by powerful institutions. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and...

In 18th century France, a series of brutal killings terrorized the rural region of Gévaudan, leaving dozens dead and an entire population gripped by fear. Witnesses described a massive, wolf-like creature with strange features, and as the attacks continued, panic spread from isolated villages to the royal court of King Louis XV. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Ri...

In the 1980s, “Freeway” Rick Ross rose from the streets of Los Angeles to become one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the United States, building an empire that helped fuel the crack cocaine epidemic. Years later, explosive allegations surfaced claiming that the drug pipeline supplying Ross was connected to CIA backed operations tied to the Nicaraguan Contras. In this episode of Conspiracy...

In 1989, University of Texas student Mark Kilroy traveled to Matamoros, Mexico for a spring break trip that would end in one of the most disturbing cult crimes in modern history. When Kilroy vanished after a night out with friends, authorities uncovered a shocking network tied to drug trafficking, ritual sacrifice, and a violent group known as the Narcosatanists. In this episode of Conspiracy Theo...

Gary Webb was an award winning investigative journalist who ignited a national firestorm when he published the “Dark Alliance” series, reporting that a CIA connected drug network had helped fuel the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. His reporting made him a hero to some and a target to others, as major newspapers challenged his findings and pressure mounted inside his own newsroom. In this ep...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the story of Bob Lazar, the man who claimed he worked on reverse engineered alien spacecraft at a secret site near Area 51. Since coming forward in 1989, Lazar has fueled one of the most persistent UFO conspiracy theories in modern history. Lazar alleged that the U.S. government possessed extraterrestrial techno...

In this special episode Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney from Sinisterhood, introduce The Raëlians cult. In the 1970s, a French journalist claimed he was contacted by extraterrestrial beings who revealed that humanity was scientifically created by an advanced alien race. From that encounter, the Raëlian Movement was born, blending UFO belief, sensual fr...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson investigates Area 51, the secretive military base in the Nevada desert that has become ground zero for UFO sightings, alien rumors, and government cover-up claims. Originally established during the Cold War to test experimental aircraft, the facility’s extreme secrecy helped spark decades of speculation about what might...

75 years after the Rosenberg trial gripped the nation, its legacy still sparks debate about justice, fear, and political power. In Part 2 of this two-part special, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes turns to the courtroom battle that would cement Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s place in history and ignite decades of controversy. Vanessa Richardson is joined again by Carter Roy, host of Murder: Tr...

At the height of Cold War paranoia, one American couple stood accused of betraying their country in a case that would divide a nation. Marking the 75th anniversary of the Rosenberg trial, Part 1 of this two-part special from Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes examines the explosive investigation that placed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg at the center of an alleged atomic spy ring. Vanessa Richard...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the 1972 disappearance of House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and Alaska Congressman Nick Begich, whose small plane vanished over the Alaskan wilderness during a campaign trip. As a powerful Louisiana politician and member of the Warren Commission, Boggs had publicly questioned aspects of the JFK assassination in...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the so called 241 Plot and the rise of Alaska militia leader Schaeffer Cox, whose anti government ideology and armed network drew national attention in 2011. Cox, a self described constitutionalist, built a following rooted in sovereign citizen beliefs, apocalyptic rhetoric, and deep distrust of federal author...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history. When a blaze broke out on the upper floors of a New York City garment factory, locked doors, inadequate fire escapes, and overcrowded working conditions trapped hundreds of immigrant workers inside. One hu...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the rise and fall of the Pullman Company Town, a planned industrial community built outside Chicago in the 1880s. Created by railroad magnate George Pullman, the town was designed to provide workers with housing, stores, churches, and strict moral oversight under corporate control. While promoted as a model so...

In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the 2022 destruction of the Georgia Guidestones, a rural monument that had long been at the center of global conspiracy theories. Erected in 1980 and inscribed with ten guiding principles for humanity, the massive granite structure was viewed by some as a call for unity and sustainability, and by others as evi...