Severed | True Crime Podcast

We timeline the unsolved mystery of the Cleveland Torso Killer, or the “Mad Butcher” of Kingsbury Run, including his/their thirteen victims. We then discuss possible suspects, Frank Dolezol and Dr. Francis E. Sweeney, before ending with DNA testing underway. CW | TW: This episode discusses murder, decapitation, dismemberment, and dissemination of body parts. There are graphic details of these even...

We discuss the 1982 Tylenol murders, where seven victims in the Chicago area ingested capsules laced with cyanide. We also consider the 1986 death in New York that was eerily similar to the Chicago deaths, and a copycat cyanide murder in Washington State in 1991. CW | TW: This episode discusses bodily details of cyanide poisoning and death (including one child's death). Profanity included. Listene...

We discuss a trio of strange stories for our final episode of 2025. We tackle cases involving a No Kings protestor in a penis costume, a patron accidentally shot in a pizza shop, and the screening of hardcore porn aboard a ferry from France to England. CW | TW: This episode discusses sexual content and guns–it’s Severed, after all. Profanity included. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Severed is a podcast that explores true crime and paranormal cases with a concise format, in-depth analysis, and some humor. Severed Strange Stories is a commentary-only spinoff show that covers strange stories from the digital dumpsters of drama and trashy news stories for your commute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drew hosts a solo show to discuss the proliferation of online romance scam profiles involving fitness trainer Scott Cole and the pervasive issue of financial and other forms of online extortion users face every day. CW | TW: This episode discusses identity theft and romance scams. Profanity included. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Harry solo hosts the Back-to-the-Future -esque criminal possession of drugs, alcohol, and one sweet (but crashed) DeLorean. He outlines the details of 33-year-old Luke Randall’s 80s-worthy cocaine binge and bottoming out in a parking lot.  CW | TW: This episode discusses drugs, alcohol, and crashing a DeLorean in the year 2025. Profanity included. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Drew solo hosts to discuss the gruesome murders of Alex J. Mengel, New York State’s serial killer, and the inspiration for the film The Silence of the Lambs . Drew details the gripping pursuit of the fugitive by New York State and his actions that align with notable characters from the film, Buffalo Bill and Dr. Hannibal Lecter. CW | TW:  This episode discusses murder with graphic details of disme...

Drew solo hosts to analyze the major highlights of the Lizzie Borden case. Drew chronologizes key details leading up to the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden from six years to days before the double homicide. The episode concludes with the perception of Lizzie Borden in the media, at trial, and her accounting of the day of the murders on August 4, 1892. CW | TW: This episode discusses graphic deta...

We discuss the foul odors emanating from the hallways of West Florence High School, where a 32-year-old teacher’s assistant, Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis, was caught on video spraying fart spray into a hallway and a classroom, which eventually permeated the school’s ventilation system. Students were reportedly overcome by the odors, struggling to breathe, or absent to avoid exacerbating underlyi...

We discuss the menacing NYPD Officer, Ryan Olsen, who flashed his gun at a stripper outside The Carousel: Gentlemen's Club in Huntington Station, Long Island. We outline the complaints against him and identify patterns in his behavior. CW | TW: This episode discusses police, abuse of power and authority, racial profiling, harassment, and gun imagery. Profanity included. Listener discretion is advi...

We discuss “dead” kayaker Ryan Borgwardt and his attempt to fake his own death, leaving his wife and three children in Watertown, Wisconsin, to be with his online lover in the former Soviet republic.  CW | TW: This episode discusses death fraud, a premeditated plan to unalive oneself, and death imagery. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

We discuss the salacious sexual scandal between Rev. Travis Clark and two dominatrices, Lady Vi (Mandy Dixon) and Melissa Cheng (Empress Cheng), that occurred at a church’s altar in 2020. Listener discretion is advised. NSFW. CW | TW: This episode is NSFW as it contains talk of sexual abuse, sexual deviance, pedophilia, defiling of church property, blasphemy, obscene sex acts, BDSM, and more. This...

We celebrate our 100th episode by discussing the history and details of the Overlook Asylum (Essex County Hospital), the haunted Ayers-Allen House in Metuchen, and the tragic history of the Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City.  CW | TW: This episode discusses human endangerment, murder, death/unaliveness, and the paranormal, profanity included. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

We discuss historical facts and mythos surrounding The Myrtles. We succinctly chronicle the plantation’s 230-year history and explore the autobiographical (and erotically-charged) accounts of one-time proprietress, Frances Kermeen, in her book, The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House , published in 2005. CW | TW: This episode discusses enslavement, murder, and sexual...

Drew solo hosts to discuss the murders of Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna that occurred between Halloween 2004 and early November 2004 in Napa Valley, California. CW | TW: This episode discusses predatory behavior, murder, and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ins...

We discuss an inflatable yard decoration that took flight in Bay Village, Ohio. This 15-foot pumpkin was ablaze with LED lighting amidst a wind and rainstorm, obstructing traffic and posing a challenge to officers on the scene to restrain its loose tethers. CW | TW: This episode discusses a runaway, inflated pumpkin! Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

We discuss armed robbery and violence at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, NJ. Orlando Ocampo-Galo stuffed his backpack with stolen perfumes before being apprehended in Macy’s.  CW | TW: This episode discusses armed robbery, theft, and violence. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠...

We discuss the visceral to viral “F**k You! I Quit!” announcements from Walmart and Burlington employees. We consider how far-reaching and universal this message appears on social media and in the broader work culture. CW | TW: This episode discusses profanity-laden public resignations–take some notes. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website:...

We discuss the reoffending Burger Bandit, Jermaine Campbell, who broke into a Shake Shack restaurant in Paramus, NJ, to cook himself a meal and steal merchandise, including a chef’s hat. How does he like his burger? Well done.  CW | TW: This episode discusses burgers, breaking and entering, and burglary, with a side of theft. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail....

We discuss the former SoCal USPS postal worker, Mary Ann Magdamit, and her three-year mail and bank fraud scheme, in which she splashed her freshly stolen cash on social media and took lavish vacations to Aruba and Turks and Caicos. Oh, but she’s giving back the Rolex. CW | TW: This episode discusses mail and other types of fraud. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gm...

We discuss Charlotte, North Carolina, mom, Cherez Davis, who shot warning shots at a local health fair to allegedly break up a fight between her son and another child. It’s a theater of the absurd for those who love our strange stories. CW | TW: This episode discusses talk of guns and a shooting, but thankfully, there were no injuries or fatalities. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Harry solo hosts and discusses the May 2018 incident of a not-housebroken-for-prime-time New Jersey school superintendent accused of lewdness and repeated public “relief” on a rival high school’s track. Harry discusses the main story from 2018, as well as its aftermath.  Not for the faint of bowel. CW | TW: This episode includes details of a scatological nature and a professional school administra...

Harry solo hosts and discusses the May 2025 case of a Chuck E. Cheese mascot committing credit card fraud at a restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida.  Harry outlines the broad strokes of the case, talks about the childhood disillusionment of seeing a beloved character be led out in handcuffs, and weighs whether or not the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese is edible. CW | TW: This episode discusses theft, poli...

We discuss the sudden and untimely death of a passenger on board a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha in February 2025. We outline the in-flight response by the crew and the traumatic events, in which passenger Mitchell Ring was forced to sit next to the corpse for the remaining four hours of the flight. CW | TW: This episode discusses death, trauma, and sexual innuendo (in that order). L...

We discuss the tragic discovery of Matthew Zoll’s body in a Long Island homeowner’s swimming pool in May 2025. He suffered from schizophrenia and was wanted for the murder of his father, Joseph Zoll Sr., in November 2024. CW | TW: This episode discusses mental health, murder, and remains. Listener discretion is advised. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠severedpodcast.c...