Twisted and Mysterious

This week on Twisted and Mysterious , we sink our teeth into the case of Tony Costa — the so-called “Cape Cod Vampire.” (Spoiler: he wasn’t actually biting necks.) We question where that nickname even came from, Sarah admits she thought Cape Cod was just a town and not an entire geographical feature , and we unpack the bizarre detail that Tony once babysat two little girls and… didn’t hurt them. M...

In this episode of Twisted and Mysterious , Sarah steals the story Faren was researching (no shame, no regrets) and dives headfirst into the bizarre Dyatlov Pass Incident. Nine experienced hikers mysteriously died in the frozen Siberian wilderness in 1959 — and we’re unpacking the weirdest theories about what went wrong. Was it an avalanche, UFOs, secret military experiments…or a rogue wolverine a...

Kenyon College may look like your average picturesque liberal arts campus, but behind the ivy-covered walls are ghost stories that’ll make you rethink walking across campus alone at night. In this episode of Twisted and Mysterious , we dig into the legends, tragedies, and hauntings that make Kenyon one of the most famously haunted colleges in America. We cover the Old Kenyon fire of 1949, where tr...

November 24, 1971: A man in a suit, sunglasses, and a clip-on tie (yes, really) boards a plane, orders a bourbon, and politely tells a flight attendant he has a bomb. Fast-forward a few hours: he’s handed $200,000 in ransom money , straps on a parachute, yeets himself out of a Boeing 727… and completely disappears. Welcome to the mystery of D.B. Cooper —the most legendary unsolved skyjacking in U....

In 1897, Zona Heaster Shue of Greenbrier County, West Virginia, died under “mysterious” circumstances—which is old-timey speak for “her husband’s story didn’t make sense, but everyone was too polite to push it.” That is, until Zona came back as a ghost and told her mama the real tea: she’d been murdered. This supernatural testimony led to one of the weirdest murder trials in U.S. history—because w...

She was Jesus. She was Marilyn Monroe. She was Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth, and—at one point—the queen of Lemuria. Oh, and Donald Trump was her dad in a past life, and Robin Williams was her spirit guide . Welcome to Love Has Won , the New Age cult so bizarre it makes most conspiracy theories look like light reading. This week on Twisted and Mysterious , we unravel the psychedelic doct...

This week on Twisted and Mysterious , Faren takes us into one of the most haunting and heartbreaking cases we've ever covered: the tragic death of Lacey Fletcher. For years, Lacey lived in almost complete isolation inside her parents' home—what investigators would later describe as a scene of unimaginable neglect. In 2022, authorities made a discovery that shocked even the most seasoned profession...

In December 1979, 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was found brutally stabbed to death in her family’s Buick, parked outside a shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The attack was personal, violent — and seemingly without motive. With no robbery, no sexual assault, and no obvious suspects, Michelle’s murder baffled investigators for decades. But while the case went cold, the rumors didn’t. Especially...

If you've ever wanted to hear about a haunting that included a ghost nun, flying bricks, and a rector's wife possibly faking poltergeist activity to cover up an affair, welcome to the Borley Rectory! In this episode of Twisted and Mysterious , we dive into the messiest haunting in England's history. With wall scribbles, self-moving objects, and a psychic researcher who treated ghost hunting like a...

In this episode of Twisted and Mysterious , we dive into the chilling case of Michael Wayne McGray—a Canadian serial killer whose crimes stretched across provinces and spanned decades. From hitchhiking horror stories to grim confessions behind bars, McGray's case is as disturbing as it is baffling. Along the way, we discovered an unsettling coincidence: one of your hosts (hi, it’s me—Sarah) shares...

In 1874, a group of 21 men set off into Colorado's unforgiving San Juan Mountains in search of gold. On one man, Alfred Packer, stumbled back out, looking suspiciously well-fed. This week on Twisted and Mysterious , we chew over the legendary tale of the so-called Colorado Cannibal: Was he a hapless guide just trying to survive? Or the hungriest tour leader in history? Join us for a tale of snowst...

In 2010, 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found dead at the bottom of a garbage chute in a luxury Melbourne apartment building. Authorities quickly ruled her death a tragic accident—but the details of the scene raised far more questions than answers. Who climbs into a garbage chute feet-first? Why were her injuries so inconsistent with the official story? And why didn’t police check for signs of li...

Four teenage girls, a strip mall frozen yogurt shop, and one of the most haunting unsolved cases in Texas history. In this episode, we dive deep into the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders—and the tangled mess of false confessions, unanswered questions, and lingering grief left in their wake. We also take a quick detour into mall nostalgia (raise your hand if you miss Sam Goody) and the surprisingly...

This week Faren takes us deep into the disturbing case of Sean Lannon—a man from New Mexico who confessed to multiple murders, including his own ex-wife. There were bodies in a truck. Multiple states involved. And somehow… no one smelled anything? We also talk about how we retained absolutely nothing from the D.A.R.E. program, how Faren once did smell decomp on Easter Sunday, and how addiction is...

Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 1966. Something with wings, glowing red eyes, and a flair for the dramatic started terrorizing locals--and just might have predicted a major tragedy. But was Mothman a warning? A menace? A misunderstood cryptid trying to mind his mothy business? This week, we're trading unsolved disappearances for winged weirdness, diving deep(ish) into the legend of Mothman. We'll c...

Picture this: you're 17, you just finished your shift at work, and your car ends up halfway through a wall of an abandoned farmhouse. Sounds like the start of a horror movie, right? Sadly, it’s the baffling real-life mystery of Brianna Maitland. In this episode, we dive headfirst into one of Vermont’s strangest unsolved disappearances—full of cryptic clues, sketchy acquaintances, and a lot of "Wai...

In 2004, 21-year-old Maura Murray emailed her professors about a "death in the family," packed her car with snacks, booze, and more than a few secrets, and drove off into the snowy woods of New Hampshire...never to be seen again. What followed was not your average missing persons case--it was full-on internet obsession complete with cryptic clues, shady phone calls, and a search party that somehow...

This week, we check into the famously haunted Stanley Hotel—where the views are stunning, the ghosts are active, and the walls have definitely heard things. Built by Freelan Stanley, inventor, entrepreneur, and overachiever with a mustache to match, the hotel was originally a luxurious mountain escape for the well-to-do (and unwell-to-do—Stanley himself came to Estes Park for tuberculosis recovery...

This week, we dive back into Iowa’s most infamous fixer-upper: the Villisca Axe Murder House. In 1912, a horrific and unsolved murder left eight people dead—and ever since, the ghosts have apparently been auditioning for their own reality show. Join us as we discuss the legends, the cold case, and the number of times ghosts have slammed the door in Zak Bagans' face. We’ll examine all the burning q...

Welcome to Villisca, Iowa—home to friendly neighbors, charming farms, and one of the most brutal unsolved axe murders in American history. This week, we take a cheerful little stroll into utter horror with the Villisca Axe Murders—because nothing says “Midwestern hospitality” like eight people bludgeoned in their sleep by a mystery guest. In 1912, someone crept into the Moore family’s home, commit...

"THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!" -Dr. Evil This week we explore the totally chill, not-at-all disturbing case of Roland Doe--a teenager in the 1940s who allegedly got possessed after dabbling with a Ouija board, because apparently Hasbro was out here ruining lives decades before Monopoly fights. Spoiler: this is the real-life case that inspired The Exorcist, which means things get wildly dramati...

Faren's telling us a story (!!!)--a weird story about the time the Cirigliano Family went missing and went on a Mr. Dursley-went-crazy-running-from-Hogwarts-letters adventure. Don't forget to call 9-1-1 and let them know everything is just fine tonight and not to worry about anything. Thanks for listening! If you have a minute, please rate, review, and subscribe. You can also find us on social med...

Get ready for a big fat bummer. This week we delve into the horrifically brutal murder of Jayna Murray. Spoiler alert: if you think you're smart enough to get away with murder, you aren't. Thanks for listening! If you have a minute, please rate, review, and subscribe. You can also find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us your personal stories or story suggestions to twistedandmys...

Today we take a little trip to upstate NY, where a little guy known as Champ (Champy, to his friends) resides in Lake Champlain. Is he an everlasting dinosaur or a really big goldfish? Is he a he? Should he and Nessie have little dinosaur babies? So many questions, so few answers. Thanks for listening! If you have a minute, please rate, review, and subscribe. You can also find us on social media @...

As chronic Excedrin users, this week was a doozy. We're talking about the Excedrin poisonings of Washington State in 1986 (when Faren was but a wee babe). This episode has it all: murder, mayhem, fish, and headaches. Thanks for listening! If you have a minute, please rate, review, and subscribe. You can also find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and emails us your personal stories or story...