Malice in the Mitten

Dive into the legend of the Kalamazoo River Dragon, one of Michigan’s most enduring cryptid mysteries. From 19th-century sightings to connections with Indigenous water spirits and river lore, we explore what people have claimed to see along the Kalamazoo River, why this creature became part of local storytelling, and what it means for Michigan folklore today. Featuring firsthand accounts, historic...

Michigan’s sand dunes aren’t just beaches — they’re ancient, moving landscapes with secrets beneath the surface. This week on Round Robin, we explore Michigan’s massive freshwater sand dunes, wild fun facts, hidden dangers, and the eerie truth about dunes that shift, swallow forests, and sometimes catch people off guard. From Silver Lake to Sleeping Bear, we break down why Michigan’s dunes are unl...

On December 2, 2016, Danielle Stislicki left her job at a MetLife office in Southfield, Michigan, planning to meet a friend for dinner. She never arrived. Her Jeep was found the next morning outside her Farmington Hills apartment — purse and belongings inside — but Dani was gone. Nearly a decade later, her disappearance has led to a murder charge, a complex legal battle, and a trial scheduled for...

Deep in Michigan’s forests, hunters whispered about a towering creature that walked like a man, screamed like something inhuman, and vanished without a trace. Known as the Gugwe, this forgotten legend predates modern Bigfoot sightings and carries a far darker reputation. In this F-Bomb Friday episode, we explore the origins of the Gugwe, eyewitness accounts, Indigenous lore, and why some believe t...

Cheers to the New Year 🥂 reflections, resolutions & real talk on this New Year’s Eve Round Robin #NewYearPodcast #RoundRobinShow #PodcastLife Produced and hosted by Tracy Preston Original Music by Tracy Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Sound effects upload from Uppbeat: party-horn-single-blow-smartsound-fx-3-3-00-01.mp3 / bottle-cork-pop-gfx-sounds-1-1-00-01.mp3 / happy-new-year-cheer...

In the final chapter of The Silent Killers Trilogy, Malice in the Mitten turns its focus to Michigan women whose stories disappeared entirely. These were not famous cases. Many never became cases at all. Recorded as illness, misfortune, or family tragedy, their deaths were quietly absorbed into history without investigation or remembrance. This episode explores how unnamed women, unexamined deaths...

Christmas is not always warm lights and joyful songs. In this episode of F-Bomb (Fables, Fiction, Folklore & Frights), we uncover the ghostly side of Christmas past—haunted traditions, lingering spirits, and winter folklore steeped in sorrow, memory, and fear. From spectral carolers and cursed celebrations to echoes of Victorian Christmases long buried beneath snow and time, these are the stor...

On today’s Round Robin, Tracy leads the table through the many faces of Ebenezer Scrooge — from the dark, musical rage of Albert Finney’s 1970 Scrooge, to the sharp corporate cruelty of Bill Murray’s Frank Cross in Scrooged. Along the way, the team dives into: How many Scrooges have appeared on screen (and why each era gets the one it deserves) Dickens’ real anger behind A Christmas Carol Victoria...

In Part Two of The Quiet Widow, the story deepens — and the line between accident and intent begins to blur. What happens when care turns into control? When silence replaces concern? When neglect becomes something far more deliberate? This episode explores the psychological unraveling at the center of the case — the warning signs, the isolation, and the choices that allowed a slow death to continu...

In the frozen wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, stories have endured for generations—whispers of Ice Bound Giants, massive figures said to roam the snow-choked forests during the dead of winter. In this episode of F-Bomb Friday, we explore one of the U.P.’s most chilling pieces of folklore. Lumber camps spoke of towering shapes moving through blizzards. Hunters reported impossible footprin...

What if ancient Egypt had better city planning than modern suburbs… but worse HR policies? In this episode of Round Robin, the table dives headfirst into the weird, funny, and wildly misunderstood truths about ancient Egypt and Cleopatra. From the fact that Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian and lived closer to the moon landing than the pyramids, to beer for breakfast, sacred cats, and cities designed with...

In the late nineteenth century, illness inside the home was often indistinguishable from something far more sinister. Limited medical knowledge, common household poisons, and deeply ingrained social fears created a perfect environment for suspicion to thrive. This episode examines the case of Euphemia Mondich, a Michigan woman whose marriages ended repeatedly in prolonged illness and death. As rum...

Step into the frozen heart of Michigan with Michigan's Col Spirits & Yuletide Shadows an original dark-winter theme crafted for true folklore, fables and supernatural storytelling.  Inspired by icy forests, haunted legends, and bone-cold nights of the Great Lakes.  Theme song written and recorded by Alan Hunt Story and Todd Preston original artwork by Todd Preston Recorded, edited and original...

On this festive Round Robin, we're taking Christmas off the nice list and digging into the weirdest holiday facts you’ve probably never heard. Why do Catalonians hide a pooping figurine in their Nativity scenes? Why does Japan eat KFC for Christmas dinner? And why did Massachusetts once make Christmas illegal? From Victorian ghost storytelling traditions to Iceland’s 13 mischievous Yuletide trolls...

In November 2025, 22-year-old Rebecca “Becca” Park — 38 weeks pregnant — vanished from Boon Township, Michigan. Days later, volunteer searchers found her body in the woods of the Manistee National Forest. Prosecutors allege that her biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, and Cortney’s husband, Brad, lured her into a vehicle, forced her into the forest, and brutally murdered her — allegedly removi...

Krampus is coming to Michigan . . . and he's not bringing gifts. In this chilling episode of F-Bomb: Fables, Fiction, Folklore & Frights, we dive into the terrifying legend of Krampus - the horned winter demon who punishes the naughty and prowls the snow-covered nights of December. From European origins to Great Lakes lore, explore how this monstrous Christmas figure found his way into MIchiga...

Get ready for one of the funniest, quirkiest Round Robin episodes ever. Today we’re diving into 14 strange, unbelievable, and completely real facts about the world around us — the stuff you absolutely don’t need in your life but will definitely tell someone later. Original music by Tracy Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Recorded and edited by Tracy Preston

Murder, poison, and deception inside a quiet Grand Rapids home. In 1916, Stanley Peck nearly died after months of mysterious illnesses. What looked like a simple case of “gastric troubles” soon unraveled into one of Michigan’s most twisted domestic plots. Behind it: a domineering mother, her conflicted daughter, and a smooth-talking fraud who called himself a doctor. In this episode of Malice in t...

There are stories carved into the old logging camps: tales of a Thanksgiving guest who never eats, never speaks… just watches. Theme song written and recorded by Alan Hunt Story researched and written by Todd Preston Recorded and edited by Tracy Preston Sound effects from Uppbeat:  wind-howling-low-intense-smartsound-fx-1-00-57.mp3 Sources: Stories from the Woods— Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Let's spatchcock!! Music by Tracy Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Recorded and edited by Tracy Preston Sound effects from uppbeat: turkey gobble

Mackinac Island. No cars. No crime. Just summer light and lake air.                Until July 1960 — when a widow went for a walk and never came back. Theme song written and recorded by Alan Hunt Original artwork by Todd Preston Story researchd and written by Tracy Preston Recording/editing by Tracy Preston If you have any information on the murder of Frances Lacey, please contact the Michigan Sta...

In the back of a Michigan cemetery lies a black marble sphere. Legend says it moves on its own. Reflections appear. Whispers echo from the woods. This… is The Witches Ball. Theme Song written and recorded by Alan Hunt Story researched and written by Todd Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Recorded and edited by Tracy Preston Sound effects from Uppbeat:  breathing-close-up-dan-barracuda-rever...

Do you ever think about how old certain foods are?   Written by Tracy Preston Original music by Tracy Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Sound effects uploaded from uppbeat:  censor-profanity-beep-long-om-fx-1-00-01.mp3 Sources:  https://historyfacts.com/famous-figures/article/fascinating-facts-about-every-first-lady/ https://historyfacts.com/world-history/article/5-historical-coincidences-t...

Fifteen years after three brothers vanished over Thanksgiving weekend in Morenci, Michigan, their father—John Skelton—has been charged with their murders. Once convicted only of unlawful imprisonment, he was days from release when prosecutors reopened the case. Malice in the Mitten revisits the evidence, the haunting scene inside his home, and a mother’s long wait for answers in one of Michigan’s...

This night the lake turned ruthless. . .and the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared without a trace. Theme song written and recorded by Alan Hunt. Story researched and written by Todd Preston. Editing and sound effects by Tracy Preston Sound effect from uppbeat:  thunder-lightning-ftus-1-00-13(1).mp3 / ocean-storm-from-ship-gfx-sounds-1-1-02-21(1).mp3 / ship-foghorn-blating-gfx-sounds-1-00-10.mp3 / stro...