Hard Times and True Crimes

During the early morning hours of July 16, 1898, eleven year old Wesley Elkins, with his baby sister in tow, alerted his neighbors that he had discovered his parents murdered in their bed. When authorities arrived at the gruesome scene, a few different suspects and theories began to emerge. The case was soon solved when one suspect came forward with a confession. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Letter R...

Naomi (Omie) Wise was an orphan girl. She fell in love with a young gentleman named Johnathan Lewis. Naomi found out she was  pregnant.  When she told Lewis, he told her to meet him that  night so they could run away and get married. Her beaten, bruised body was found  in Deep River the next morning. Male Narrator:  Curtis Hildreth Music: Naomi Wise (Omie Wise) by Donna Hughes Sources:  Naomi Wise...

On a summer morning in 1975, eight year old Gretchen Harrington walked to Bible camp just a half mile from her home. She never arrived at camp and she never made it home. Authorities and the community were dismayed but not shocked when her remains were discovered just eight miles from home in a wooded park.   Now, 48 years later, an arrest has finally been made in this horrible crime. Send us Fan...

In 1967 James Joseph Richardson was accused of poisoning to death  all seven of his children. Without a shred of evidence he was convicted of first degree murder and  sentenced to death. Years later, shocking new evidence would come to light that would clear his name and point directly to another suspect. Listen to find out what happened to James Richardson. Music by Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator:...

In 1911, two wealthy sisters submitted themselves to alternative medical treatment  for various ailments. The ailments seemed minor when they sought treatment; one sister needing help for her dropped uterus and the other for rheumatism and indigestion. So why did one of them die within 2 months and the other barely make it out with her own life? Listen to the tale of the so-called "Dr."...

On June 22, 1954,  teenage best  friends Juliet Hulme and Pauline Reiper went for a walk in Victoria Park with Pauline’s mother Honorah. Thirty minutes later, the girls ran up to a nearby tea shop with blood all over their clothes and hands… Pauline screaming, “ It’s mummy! I think she’s dead! She’s fallen and hit her head! Sources: Music by: Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Let’s Mu...

In the summer of 1980, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, along with their three children, were camping at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia.  That night after Lindy put the children down to bed in the tent, she heard a cry from her 9 week old daughter, Azaria. When she went to check on her, she discovered the baby was gone and she had just seen a dingo leaving the tent area.  This was the b...

July 1 through  12, 1916 , five people were attacked by a shark along the coast of New Jersey.  Only one victim survived the attack. Sources: Music by: Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Twelve Days of Terror  written by:   Richard Fernicola wikipedia findagrave.com newspapers.com https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inventing-beach-unnatural-history-natural-place-180959538/ https://...

One evening in 1932, a baby was taken from his crib as he slept. The child was Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of the infamous Atlantic crossing aviator, Charles Lindbergh. The crime became an instant sensational case. When several ransom notes are received through various channels, investigators are kept on their toes, chasing every lead no matter how outlandish it may be. One man is finally apprehend...

In 1910, a mob of angry Floridians gathered at Smallwood store in Chokoloskee. They gunned down their neighbor, a plantation owner named Edgar Watson. He was a  suspected and feared  serial killer.  Want to support us?  Go to hardtimesandtruecrimes.com and buy us a coffee Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Music By: Isaiah Hildreth Sharecropper and  Son  By Sherry White https://youtu.be/LlfLN8tR6q0 Sources...

In the summer of 1977, three young girls are murdered in their tent on the first night at summer camp. The tragic aftermath ended with the closing of the camp never to reopen and left parents wondering if the camp experience was no longer a safe haven for their children. One suspect stands out among several; he is eventually charged for the crime and the outcome is surprising. Sometimes justice co...

In 1928, twenty-one year old serial killer  Gordon Northcott stalked the streets of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas looking for young boys to lure back  to his chicken farm.  Darlene and Melody tell his victims' stories. Was Gordon Northcott ever brought to justice? Listen here to find out! Sources: Intro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Intro and Outro Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Photo License: {{...

In part one Darlene and  Melody discuss the disappearance of  Walter Collins.  On March 8, 1928 Christine Collins was called in to  work for a few hours at her job as a telephone operator. Her son, nine year old Walter Collins, wanted to go see a movie, so  Christine gave him  a dime to go. She  instructed  Walter to come home directly after the movie. That would be  last time Christine Collins wo...

In the summer of 1967, on a small island off the coast of NC a young intern at the outdoor drama, The Lost Colony, vanished. Nineteen year old Brenda Holland's body was found five days later in the Albemarle Sound. The suspect list is long but the evidence is lacking, and no arrest is ever made. The case remains unsolved to this day.  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries...

In 1896 a young woman's headless body was found in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky.  During the autopsy it was discovered she had been pregnant at the time of her death.  She was identified by her shoes and a birth defect that left her with webbed toes. Pearl Bryan was a beautiful  22 year old socialite from Green Castle, Indiana.  Her family thought she was visiting friends. In reality, she was visitin...

 Five year old Garnett Spears has spent most of his childhood in and out of hospitals. Doctors become suspicious when unusually high  sodium levels show up and can not be explained by natural causes.  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries while supporting your neighbors, check out NC Rooted . It’s an online food hub in Randolph County, North Carolina that lets you shop fresh pr...

In 1913 a little girl was found brutally murdered in the basement of the  pencil factory where she worked.  The trial of the century would follow an arrest. Was the right man convicted?  Music: "Hard Times" By Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Sources: newspapers.com findagrave.com Wikipedia Prash's Murder Map : True Crime Podcast Crimes of the Centuries Podcast https:/...

One morning in May 1866, just before daybreak Laura Foster quietly left her home with a bundle of clothes and her father's horse. She was going to rendezvous with her beau, Tom Dooley. Rumor had it they were going to run off and get married. However, Tom did not run off and Laura never returned home. When her body was found in a shallow grave, someone was bound to hang for her murder. The que...

An Appalachian, snake handling  preacher named Glenn Summerford tried to murder his wife using a rattlesnake as his weapon. Or did he? Music: "Hard Times" By Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator : Curtis Hildreth Sources: Salvation on Sand Mountain by Glenn Covington Alabama Snake Documentary https://youtu.be/nnnvicF9emU https://youtu.be/7OcoUyXiuU0 https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/...

In the spring of 1987,  a young woman shows up at the hospital after allegedly giving birth in her car. After a medical exam reveals that she has not given birth, authorities discover the unthinkable lengths she went to to get this baby.  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries while supporting your neighbors, check out NC Rooted . It’s an online food hub in Randolph County, Nort...

 In the 1940's Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck preyed on lonely women    looking for love through lonely hearts advertisements. The duo started out as con artists but greed and jealousy led them to  serial killing. Sources : The Lonely Hearts Killers: The Bloody Passions of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez    By Tobin T. Buhk newspapers.com findagrave.com Music : "Guilty" By Al B...

One of Hollywood's golden girls, Lana Turner ,  lived a life that could have been a movie itself.  Unfortunately the life of a movie star is not always as glamorous as it is portrayed. By the time she realized she was involved with a known gangster, it was too late. The arguments, the threats, and  the abuse eventually led to murder.  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries...

In Bibb county Georgia on  August 6, 1887 a prominent farmer, Captain Richard Woolfolk and eight members of his family were axed to death as they lay sleeping. The Woolfolk murders would be known as the bloodiest mass murder in Georgia history. The oldest son and only survivor of the horrendous attack was the main suspect. There's an unbelievable twist at the end that leaves everyone wonderin...

Velma Barfield was a beloved mother, grandmother and Sunday school teacher. She was also a master manipulator and serial killer.  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries while supporting your neighbors, check out NC Rooted . It’s an online food hub in Randolph County, North Carolina that lets you shop fresh produce, meats, honey, and baked goods from nearly twenty local farms—all...

Velma Barfield had America torn between justice and mercy. Was she a repentant murderer or an unrelenting master-manipulator?  Send us Fan Mail If you want fresher, healthier groceries while supporting your neighbors, check out NC Rooted . It’s an online food hub in Randolph County, North Carolina that lets you shop fresh produce, meats, honey, and baked goods from nearly twenty local farms—all in...