The Treehouse In The Woods

Gerald Arthur Friend. A real-life nightmare out of Tacoma, Washington, connected to one of Nirvana’s darkest songs. In this episode, we dig into the kidnapping and sexual assault case associated with “Polly,” exploring the horrific events behind the music and the man whose crimes became part of its story. Some stories are disturbing enough on their own, and Gerald, we still hate you. Trigger warni...

We promised we’d make you wait a week for the rest of the Amityville story… and then made you wait TWO. Sorry about that. This time, we’re taking a closer look at the Amityville Horror and the infamous Amityville haunting associated with the Lutz family. What was documented, what was claimed, what was challenged, and what happened somewhere in between? We’re digging through the stories, contradict...

This week, we kick things off with a quick 2026 update on the ongoing Gypsy Rose saga. Spoiler alert: we still aren’t fans. But the meat and potatoes of this episode is the REAL horror of Amityville. On November 13, 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were brutally murdered inside their home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island. We’re getting into Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr., the DeFeo fa...

In 1897, Zona Heaster Shue was found dead in her home in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. What initially looked like a tragic natural death quickly became a murder investigation after Zona’s mother claimed her daughter’s ghost came back with a shocking accusation. In this episode, we’re getting into the murder of Zona Heaster Shue, her husband Trout Shue, the strange circumstances surrounding her...

Todd Kohlhepp was a successful South Carolina real estate agent, a convicted sex offender, and ultimately a serial killer responsible for at least seven murders. In this episode, we get into the disturbing case of the man who became known as the Amazon Review Killer after investigators uncovered a series of bizarre Amazon reviews that appeared to reference the very tools and equipment connected to...

The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Spring-Heeled JackWhat do you get when Victorian-era true crime, folklore, and a whole lot of “WHAT THE HELL was that?!” collide? Spring-Heeled Jack. In this episode, we’re diving into one of the strangest mysteries to come out of 19th-century England: the bizarre stories of a terrifying figure who was said to leap impossibly high, breathe blue flames, have glowing e...

In this episode, we explore the disturbing and controversial case of Randy Herman Jr. and the murder of Brooke Preston in West Palm Beach, Florida. Randy admitted to killing Brooke, but claimed he was asleep during the attack and had no memory of what happened. His defense centered around parasomnia, a sleep disorder that can cause people to perform complex behaviors while not fully conscious. We...

What if you started feeling like bugs were crawling beneath your skin… then mysterious fibers began appearing from your wounds? Thousands of people living with Morgellons disease say that’s exactly what’s happening. But while patients insist their symptoms are real, many doctors argue the condition is psychological. This week, we dive into one of medicine’s most controversial mysteries, exploring...

In the late 1970s, anonymous letters started flooding Circleville, Ohio, exposing affairs, threatening families, and turning a quiet town upside down. School bus driver Mary Gillispie became the main target. Then came a suspicious death, a deadly booby-trapped sign, and the arrest of Paul Freshour. But the letters kept coming even after he went to prison. Was the Circleville letter writer ever rea...

Mia Zapata was the electrifying lead singer of Seattle grunge punk band The Gits. In 1993, after a night out with friends, she began the short walk home, but she never made it. Her brutal murder devastated Seattle’s music scene and remained unsolved for nearly a decade before DNA finally identified her killer. This week, we dive into Mia’s life, the investigation, and the case that forever changed...

Kyleah Rose Tolle’s case shocked Yakima, Washington, after a welfare check led investigators to a devastating discovery: a seven-month-old infant was found deceased, and her two-year-old sibling was found severely neglected. In this episode, we examine the allegations against Kyleah Rose Tolle, who has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree criminal mistreatment, and family aban...

What if you had a superpower… but it was completely useless? In this episode, we’re exploring the strange and controversial SLI phenomenon (Street Light Interference), also known as the Human Electrical Interference Phenomenon. Meet the people known as SLIders—individuals who claim they unintentionally interfere with electricity and electronics around them. From streetlights going dark as they wal...

A look at the Robert “Willie” Pickton case, the pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, who was convicted in connection with the disappearances of women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We walk through the timeline, the investigation, missed warning signs, and how police ultimately searched his property, uncovering evidence that shocked Canada. The case also raised disturbing question...

Was Carl Tanzler a hopeless romantic who simply couldn’t let go of the woman he loved, or was he one of history’s most disturbing stalkers? In this episode of Treehouse in the Woods, we’re traveling to Key West, Florida, where a radiology technician named Carl Tanzler became obsessed with a young woman named Elena de Hoyos. What began as an infatuation with a tuberculosis patient would eventually...

Denver International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports, but it’s also the center of some of the internet’s most enduring conspiracy theories. In this episode, we explore the rumors of secret bunkers, underground tunnels, hidden train systems, and billionaire escape plans lurking beneath the airport. Then we venture even deeper down the rabbit hole into stories of subterranean civiliza...

For decades, the story of Herb Baumeister and Fox Hollow Farm has been viewed as a solved case. Human remains were discovered, a suspect was identified, and before he could ever face trial, the story seemingly came to an end. Or did it? In this episode, we explore the official timeline of one of America’s most infamous serial murder cases before diving into the questions that continue to surface y...

This week, we’re talking about the disappearance of Theresa Bier a 16 year old girl whose story became tangled in Bigfoot lore, wilderness rumors, and disturbing questions that remain unanswered decades later. What started as a strange story about Sasquatch sightings in the California wilderness slowly became something much darker, involving older men, shifting stories, and the possibility that th...

This week, we’re covering the murder of Natalie McNally, a 32 year old woman from Northern Ireland who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed in her home. Investigators eventually focused on boyfriend Stephen McCullagh, a streamer whose carefully planned digital alibi quickly started falling apart. From online activity to deception and disturbing levels of premeditation, this case became a chil...

This week, we’re talking about Casey Kasem the legendary voice behind American Top 40 and one of the most recognizable figures in radio history. But his final years became the center of a deeply controversial and very public family dispute involving his wife, his children, legal battles, and serious questions about care, control, and what was really happening behind the scenes. What should have be...

In 2009, the Jamison family vanished in rural Oklahoma after what was supposed to be a normal trip to look at land for a fresh start. Days later, their truck was discovered abandoned in a remote area with thousands of dollars still inside, their belongings untouched, and the family dog left behind. What followed became one of Oklahoma’s most unsettling mysteries, surrounded by theories involving f...

A disturbing true crime case from Germany involving Armin Meiwes and one of the most infamous early internet encounters of the 90s–early 2000s. What begins on an online forum known as the Cannibal Café quickly turns into a case that shocked the world and raised unsettling questions about consent, morality, and the darkest corners of internet culture.

It starts like a ghost story. A family hears footsteps, finds strange messages, and realizes something is very wrong inside their home… like they’re not alone. But this isn’t paranormal. This week, we break down the chilling true crime case of Daniel LaPlante, also known as the “man in the walls.” What begins as eerie and unexplained quickly turns into something far more disturbing, ending in a br...

We’re diving into the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon in Panam, a case that’s been debated for years, but still doesn’t feel fully explained. Instead of just telling the story, we walk through the evidence step-by-step… from the moment they went missing, to the discovery of their phones, the strange call activity, and the photos that raised more questions than answers. We break dow...

This week’s Weird Wednesday gets… a little out there We’re diving into the famous Ariel School UFO sighting in Zimbabwe, where over 60 schoolchildren reported seeing something they definitely couldn’t explain. Aliens? Mass hysteria? Something else entirely? But before we get into that… we take a quick detour into a lesser-known (and slightly unhinged) theory surrounding JonBenét Ramsey that had us...

In this episode we examine the disturbing case of Stanislav Reshetnikov, a Russian livestreamer whose content pushed the limits of internet shock culture, until it ended in tragedy. Known online as “Stas Reeflay,” Reshetnikov participated in the growing trend of trash streaming, where viewers donate money in exchange for humiliating or dangerous acts performed live on camera. During one of these s...