Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we cover the curious case of "The Bodies in the Bayou". In September of 2025, a cluster of bodies was found in Houston's waterways within a two week span. This has caused many to suggest a serial killer may be at large. Law enforcement insists that is not the case, but could there be?  Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineer...

Send us Fan Mail In 1977, a young Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson vanished in Surrey, England, only to later reappear with a story that shocked both sides of the Atlantic. He alleged that Joyce McKinney, his ex girlfriend, and an accomplice had abducted him at gunpoint, transported him to a secluded cottage, and held him captive as a sex slave for days. This episode examines the known facts,...

Send us Fan Mail Merry Christmas! In this episode, we examine three tragic events that have occurred on Christmas Day throughout the years, along with one mystery that has endured for over a hundred years. And of course, we do our best to sprinkle in a little comedy and holiday cheer amongst the mystery and mayhem. So, pour yourself a glass of eggnog, throw another log on the fire, put in those ea...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss the I-44 Tri-State Truck Explosion. In September of 1970, the Tri-State trucking company and the Teamsters Local 823 Union were locked in a heated battle. Union truckers had been on strike for weeks, but their demands were being ignored. Instead, Tri-State had simply hired more non-union workers to fill the void. In retaliation, a few union drivers deci...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the story of Karen Silkwood — a lab technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who stumbled into a nightmare. After raising alarms about contaminated equipment, falsified inspection records, and dangerous working conditions, Karen found herself the target of intimidation, mysterious exposures to plutonium, and escalating...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we cover the origins of “The Highway Serial Killings Initiative”- an FBI program that identifies and links unsolved murder cases that have occurred along interstate highways to support law enforcement agencies. We also talk about one of the most notorious killers the program has helped capture- Bruce Delane Mendenhall, a long haul trucker/murderer also known as “T...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we cover the extraordinary disappearance, and RE-appearance, of Brenda Heist. On an ordinary morning in February of 2002, the 43-year-old mother dropped her two children off at school near her home in Lititz, Pennsylvania. After returning home briefly- Brenda vanished. Her laundry was left in the dryer. Dinner was thawing in the sink. Her car was soon found abando...

Send us Fan Mail J Paul Getty III was the grandson of J Paul Getty, the richest and as well as the cheapest man alive. When he was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1973, his famously frugal grandfather refused to pay. That is, until pieces of J Paul III began arriving in the mail.... Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editin...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about a New Age cult and it’s strange leader, a middle aged woman named Linda Good McGillis. Linda claims to be the equivalent of every religious deity combined, and says     she is the leader of an intergalactic space force that she communicates with via a holographic computer that only she can see. Believe it or not, Linda has a few thousand followers online, and...

Send us Fan Mail In July of 1983, actress, beauty queen and model Tammy Lynn Leppert vanished without a trace. In the preceding weeks her mental state had diminished,  and she had insisted someone was out to kill her. Were her fears justified, or another product of a psychotic break?  Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we cover the life of legendary radio host Art Bell, as well as the origin story of his unconventional but incredible radio show, “Coast to Coast AM”. We’ll also cover the show’s evolution throughout the years and where it is today, talk about one of the show’s most infamous guests, and finish the episode by playing some of the crazier interviews that show has prod...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 350 concludes our two part series on the Clutter Family murders. We'll follow killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, as they made their 45 day run around the U.S. and Mexico. We'll also cover the investigation, their capture, and finally - their executions. Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audi...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 349 is part one of our two part series on one of the most infamous cases in all of true crime, and the basis for Truman Capote's legendary book "In Cold Blood" - the Clutter family murders. The Clutters were a prominent farm family in rural Kansas and were respected and revered by everyone in their tiny community.  Then, on a chilly November night in 1959, s...

Send us Fan Mail In 1912, Floyd Allen was put on trial for intercepting deputies and "wrongfully freeing prisoners"- prisoners who happened to be his family. He was pronounced guilty, and sentenced to a year in prison. However, as soon as the verdict was announced, shots rang out, and within 90 seconds, seven people lay wounded and 3 were dead, with a 4th passing away from their wounds t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we cover the life of Buford Pusser, the man who inspired the hit 1973 film "Walking Tall".  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail April Dawn Andrews was 15 years old when she was last seen speaking with an unknown male in an old truck in front of her apartment complex in Pea Ridge, Arkansas on November 18th, 2006. The investigation into her disappearance was inadequate to say the least, and her own mother kept April's disappearance a secret from the rest of her family for a year.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we present to you a mixed bag of strange things and events throughout history- from minced mummies to witch bottles to a war that nearly started over the death of a pig.  Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 344 is about the Lawson Family Massacre. On Christmas Day of 1929, an Iowa tobacco farmer named Charlie Lawson grabbed a shotgun and killed his wife, six of their seven children, and finally- himself. To this day, no one is sure exactly what his motive was. Charlie is pictured second from the right in this photo, which by the way, was taken just days before the massacre. R...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 343 is about the unsolved death of Jordan Grider. Jordan was a New Mexico native who enjoyed living off the grid. However, after traveling to northern Minnesota in October of 2018, he vanished in the wilderness. His remains were discovered six months later, but why and how he died is still a mystery. Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, reco...

Send us Fan Mail In episode 342, we cover the disturbing case of Joe Clark, aka the "Baraboo Bone Breaker". Clark was responsible for the kidnapping and torture of two young boys in Baraboo, Wisconsin, back in the mid-90s. One of his victims, a boy named Chris Steiner, died from his injuries. As the nickname implies, Clark's method of torture was breaking his victim's bones. Ho...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss the horrific tale of Sawney Bean, who raised a family of cannibals who terrorized a section of Scotland's west coast for decades.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Barbara Daly Baekeland was a wealthy socialite with everything anyone could ever want. Or at least that's how it appeared from the outside. But in reality, her perfect marriage was a sham, she was suffering from mental health issues, and her son was a delusional psychopath who would eventually end her life.  Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we cover the life and tragic death of David "Stringbean" Akeman, an icon of both the Grand Ole Opry and classic television show Hee-Haw. Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at...

Send us Fan Mail In our first podcast about something other than Jim Jones in 3 1/2 months, we attempt to cleanse your and our palate with a light hearted episode about HOAs and some crazy stories involving them.  Redbeard Sound RedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purcha...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is the FINAL part of our series on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. We cover Leo Ryan's volatile visit to Jonestown, his attempts to help several defectors escape, and the terrible tragedy that ultimately resulted from Jim Jones' total inability to accept even one single rejection. Support the show