Highway to Hell

Today a little palette cleanser! After some heavy true crime and hauntings we wanted to do an episode sharing claimed in person paranormal encounters. If you'd like to submit a story- submit to [email protected]

As always special thanks to our hellions supporting us on patreon! patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast This episode closes the two-part countdown of the most haunted places on earth, covering the top five. We open in Edinburgh, Scotland — a city that sealed off its medieval streets and built a new city on top of them, leaving the original closes and vaults intact beneath the surface. The South Bridge Vaults, rediscovered in 1985, have been the subject of one of the most rigorous paranormal studies ever conducted. From Scotland we go to Bohemia, Czech Republic, and Houska Castle — a 13th-century structure with no water source, no town to protect, and no trade route to control, built in the middle of dense forest with outer walls that face inward. It was built over a hole in the ground that medieval sources describe as a gateway to the underworld. The chapel sits directly above the sealed pit and contains a fresco of St. Michael painted deliberately left-handed — in medieval Catholic iconography, the hand of the Devil. In County Offaly, Ireland, Leap Castle earns the third spot. It is the site of a massacre carried out in the castle's own chapel during a feast, and the murder of a Catholic priest at the altar by his own brother during Mass. In 1900, renovation workers discovered a concealed oubliette off the Bloody Chapel — a spiked pit containing the remains of an estimated 150 people. An elemental is also present: a creature the size of a sheep, moving on all fours in a human manner, with a human face, black empty eye sockets, and a smell of sulfur and decay that arrives before it appears and lingers after it's gone. Number two, Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania — 51,000 casualties in 72 hours across six square miles of farmland in July 1863. The most paranormally documented site in the United States. At dusk in the Wheatfield, where 6,000 men fell in a single afternoon, figures in period clothing have been reported walking in opposite directions. We close at number one: Poveglia Island where plague victims were quarantined and burned across three centuries of epidemic — 1348, 1630, and the waves between. The soil is documented at approximately fifty percent human ash and bone fragments. An estimated 160,000 people died there. The bell that was removed from the hospital tower, still rings SOURCES Wiseman, Richard. "Hauntings and Psychology." University of Hertfordshire study, Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There. Macmillan, 2011. Historic Environment Scotland. Edinburgh Castle site documentation and architectural history. Edinburgh: HES Burke and Hare: Bailey, Brian. Burke and Hare: The Year of the Ghouls. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 2002. Ottokar II of Bohemia and Houska Castle construction: Žemlička, Josef. Království v pohybu (The Kingdom in Motion). Prague: NLN, 2014. SS Ahnenerbe occult research division: Pringle, Heather. The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust. New York: Hyperion, 2006. O'Carroll clan history and Leap Castle: Simms, Katharine. From Kings to Warlords: The Changing Political Structure of Gaelic Ireland in the Later Middle Ages. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1987. The oubliette at Leap Castle: Ryan, Sean. Personal accounts and estate documentation. See also: Costello, Con. A Most Delightful Station: The British Army on the Curragh of Kildare, Ireland. Collins Press, 1996. Chamberlain and Little Round Top: Trulock, Alice Rains. In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War. University of North Carolina Press, 1992. Venice plague epidemics and the lazaretto system: Cohn, Samuel K. Cultures of Plague: Medical Thinking at the End of the Renaissance. Oxford University Press, 2010. Poveglia Island quarantine history: Norwich, John Julius. A History of Venice. New York: Knopf, 1982. Psychiatric care in early 20th-century Italy: Foot, John. The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care. Verso, 2015.

Today we start a two part series on the most haunted places in the world. This is the bottom 5 of the top 10. Little bit different format here with each individual place having its own haunted story and mini travel itinerary. Hoia-Baciu Forest in Romania — a 295-hectare forest outside Cluj-Napoca where locals refuse to enter, a circular clearing where nothing grows, and fifty years of documented reports of time loss, physical symptoms, and disappearing photographs. From there we move to Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, where the Archaeological Survey of India has posted an official government sign prohibiting entry after sunset — one of the only paranormal-adjacent access restrictions at any heritage site in India — and where the ruins of a once-thriving town of tens of thousands have sat completely abandoned since the early 18th century with no adequate historical explanation. In France, we spend time at Château de Brissac in the Loire Valley, where an eighteen-year-old woman named Charlotte de Brézé was murdered by her husband in 1476, whose killer was protected from prison by his friend the king, and who has been appearing in the castle's north wing ever since. At Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, we examine 141 years of absolute solitary confinement — a Quaker reform philosophy that Charles Dickens called torture in 1842 — and what 75,000 people left behind in those cellblocks. We close in Japan at Aokigahara Forest, the Sea of Trees at the base of Mount Fuji, examining the forest's centuries-long association with death, the documented impact of a 1960 novel on its modern history, and what it means to a search volunteer named Kenji who enters it every spring. Part Two covers places five through one. SOURCES Sift, Alexandru. Field documentation of Hoia-Baciu Forest. Babeș-Bolyai University, 1960s–1970s. Archaeological Survey of India. Official access restriction signage, Bhangarh Fort, Alwar District. Government of India, Ministry of Culture. Abul Fazl. Akbarnama. Trans. H. Beveridge. Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1902–1939. Commynes, Philippe de. Mémoires. c. 1490–1498. Dickens, Charles. American Notes for General Circulation. Chapman and Hall, 1842. Chapter 7. De Tocqueville, Alexis, and Gustave de Beaumont. On the Penitentiary System in the United States. Trans. Francis Lieber. Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1833. Grassian, Stuart. "Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement." Washington University Journal of Law and Policy. Vol. 22, 2006. Matsumoto, Seicho. Kuroi Jukai (黒い樹海). Kobunsha, 1960. Miyaji, Naoaki, et al. "Lava Flow History of Fuji Volcano." Bulletin of the Volcanological Society of Japan. Vol. 49, 2004. Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yokai. University of California Press, 2015.

TRIGGER WARNING: We typically don't have trigger warnings since it is a crime podcast, but this episode is ESPECIALLY graphic in topics of kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault. Not appropriate for young listeners. NEW: Fireside behind the scenes fireside chats available now at patreon.com/highwaytohell podcast with EVERY episode. Get ad free episodes 5 days early and then bonus chats on release day. In November 1988, 17-year-old Junko Furuta, a high school student in Misato, Saitama, Japan, was abducted by a group of teenage boys led by Hiroshi Miyano, a youth with yakuza connections. She was held captive for roughly 40 days in a house in the Adachi ward of Tokyo in the home of one of her captors, whose own parents were living in the same building and reportedly did not intervene. During her captivity, Junko was subjected to relentless and brutal abuse by four primary perpetrators and others who came and went. She died in January 1989 from her injuries. Her body was concealed in a concrete-filled drum and abandoned, which gave the crime its common name in Japan: the "concrete-encased high school girl murder case." The legal fallout drew lasting outrage. Because all four main offenders were minors under Japanese law, their identities were initially protected and they were shielded by the juvenile justice system, which prioritized rehabilitation over punishment. The sentences struck many as shockingly lenient given the severity of the crime. Ringleader Hiroshi Miyano received the harshest term at around 20 years, while the others received far shorter sentences... roughly five to ten years, five to nine years, and five to seven years respectively. Prosecutors and the public viewed the outcomes as wholly inadequate, and all four were eventually released back into society. The aftermath deepened public anger. At least one offender reoffended, including a conviction tied to a violent attack years after his release. Some married and built ordinary lives, reportedly disclosing their pasts to their spouses; one died in 2021 after years of illness and isolation. The case became a touchstone in Japanese debates over juvenile sentencing, victims' rights, and whether protections afforded to young offenders can fail to deliver justice for catastrophic crimes. Decades later, Junko Furuta's name remains a symbol of those unresolved tensions, and her case is still cited whenever Japan revisits how it treats minors who commit grave offenses. Sources: Murder of Junko Furuta — WikipediaJunko Furuta: Examining the Light Sentences of Her Killers — HowStuffWorksWhere Are Junko Furuta's Killers Now? — ComingSoonThe Junko Furuta Murder Case: Justice Revisited — Tokyo WeekenderJunko Furuta Killer Again on Trial — Tokyo ReporterThe UK's Grooming Gangs and the Lessons Never Learned — Al JazeeraRotherham Grooming Gang Scandal — Al JazeeraBrock Turner Sentence — CNNEthan Couch Sentencing — BBCHeisei Yakuza: Burst Bubble — ResearchGateStreet Youths, Bosozoku and Yakuza — Office of Justice ProgramsJapanese Juvenile Law — WikipediaCriminal Majority in Japan — European Journal of Contemporary Japanese StudiesTokyo Ghost Hunting — Metropolis JapanHaunted Places in Japan — TripXL7-Day Tokyo Itinerary — Rakuten Travel

In the early 1980s, Hoyt Richards was on track to become the world's first male supermodel. He worked campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Versace, Cartier, Burberry, and Valentino all while being part of a cult that would consume 2 decades of his life. On a Nantucket beach in 1978, 16-year-old Richards met Frederick von Mierers: older, charismatic, and full of Eastern philosophy, astrology, and talk of the universe's hidden architecture. Von Mierers victims would later say he could make you feel special, seen... and he pulled attractive, vulnerable people into his orbit. His cult was called Eternal Values, and von Mierers claimed he was an alien "walk-in" spirit, reincarnated from the giant star Arcturus, sent to Earth to prepare a chosen few for the apocalypse he predicted would arrive in 1999. Those who followed him completely, he promised, would be saved by a UFO. The rules were strict: restrictive vegetarian diets, mandatory tanning sessions, total celibacy, and absolute financial surrender. Members slept on futons on the floor, communally, regardless of what they earned outside. Anyone who challenged him faced "slamming sessions" which were group rituals where von Mierers and loyal members screamed insults and tore the dissenter apart psychologically until they submitted. He sold gems, readings, and stole his followers salaries. Von Mierers died on February 4, 1990, from AIDS-related complications, at his North Carolina compound. He was 43. His followers didn't know he had the disease until after his autopsy a final betrayal for a man who preached celibacy. A Vanity Fair exposé on his gem fraud appeared the same month he died, too late to prosecute him. Biographical and Background Reporting (2026) "Who Was Frederick von Mierers? All About the 'Bring Me the Beauties' Cult Leader." Biography.com, 2026."'Bring Me The Beauties': New Docuseries Explores 'Eternal Values' Cult." Rolling Stone, 2026."'Bring Me the Beauties': Inside the Alien Sex Cult HBO Documentary." Variety, 2026."The Untold Saga Behind an Infamous Male Supermodel Cult." The Hollywood Reporter, 2026."The True Story Behind 'Bring Me the Beauties' and the Eternal Values Cult." Time, June 1, 2026."Who Was Eternal Values Founder Frederick von Mierers?" A&E, 2026."Who Was Frederick von Mierers? How Did He Die?" The Cinemaholic, 2026."What Was Eternal Values Leader Frederick von Mierers' Cause of Death?" Distractify, 2026.Hoyt Richards — Wikipedia."How Did Male Model Hoyt Richards Escape the Cult?" Primetimer, 2026."Where Is Hoyt Richards Now?" MEAWW, 2026.Living Cult Free — Hoyt Richards biography."Fabio Helped Me Escape From a Cult." MEL Magazine / Medium."Hoyt Richards: Model Behavior." Nantucket Magazine."Why An 'Alien Walk-In' Cult Leader Convinced Elite '80s Models To Flee The Apocalypse." International Business Times UK, 2026.Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult — Wikipedia. Series overview, crew, and episode structure.Ruth Montgomery — Wikipedia. Background on the "walk-in" concept and Aliens Among Us (1985).New Age — Wikipedia. History, belief structure, and cultural penetration of the New Age movement.HIV/AIDS in New York City — Wikipedia. Statistical and historical context."The AIDS Epidemic in the United States, 1981–Early 1990s." CDC Museum Online.Billy Baldwin (decorator) — Wikipedia.Out on a Limb — Wikipedia. Shirley MacLaine (1983) and the mainstreaming of New Age belief."Supermodel." Encyclopædia Britannica. Cultural and commercial context of the 1980s modeling industry.Robert Jay Lifton, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. W. W. Norton, 1961. The foundational academic framework for understanding cultic control systems.Steven Hassan, Combating Cult Mind Control. Park Street Press, 1988. The BITE model (Behavior, Information, Thought, Emotional control) referenced in Chapter Three.

In 1952, a devout Catholic girl was born in a small Bavarian town. By 1976, she was dead at 23, weighing 66 pounds, after 67 exorcism sessions conducted by two Catholic priests while a medical diagnosis went untreated. Her name was Anneliese Michel. You probably know her as Emily Rose. At 16, Anneliese began experiencing seizures and was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and depression. She was hospitalized multiple times. But the psychiatric medications weren't working, or she believed they weren't, and she began to experience visions of demonic faces during her prayers. She grew convinced she was possessed. Her deeply Catholic family agreed. In 1975, Bishop Josef Stangl of Würzburg granted permission for a formal exorcism under the Roman Ritual. Father Arnold Renz and Father Ernst Alt began conducting sessions at the Michel family home in Klingenberg am Main. One to two sessions per week, each lasting up to four hours. They recorded everything on cassette tape. Forty-three tapes survive. On them you can hear Anneliese screaming, growling, barking like a dog, and speaking in voices that identified themselves as Lucifer, Cain, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Adolf Hitler, who argued in Bavarian dialect, and a disgraced 16th-century priest named Fleischmann. Her parents stopped consulting doctors at her request. On July 1, 1976, Anneliese Michel died of malnutrition and dehydration. The priests and her parents were tried and convicted of negligent homicide in 1978 and sentenced to six months suspended. The court was clear: she was mentally ill, not possessed. Her grave in Klingenberg am Main has become a Catholic pilgrimage site. Buses come from across Europe. People leave notes requesting her intercession. She was 23 years old. SOURCES — Anneliese Michel Wikipedia — Anneliese Michel — comprehensive overview with primary source citationsAll That's Interesting — The Real Story Behind Emily Rose — detailed narrative accountGoodman, Felicitas D. — The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (Doubleday, 1981) — the only full-length scholarly book on the case; Goodman was an anthropologist who analyzed the tapesFortea, Fr. José Antonio — Catholic theological perspective on the caseFind a Grave — Anneliese Michel Memorial — grave location and documentationThe Local Germany — "Fire Resurrects Devil Talk in Exorcism Town" — reporting from Klingenberg am MainMedium / History Retold — "The 67 Exorcisms of Anneliese Michel" — detailed timeline of sessionsEBSCO Research Starters — Anneliese Michel — academic summaryTranscript of Exorcism Sessions — partial transcripts available via Scribd (translated from German)German court records — Landgericht Aschaffenburg, Case No. 1 Ks 4/77, verdict April 21, 1978 — conviction of Josef Michel, Anna Michel, Fr. Arnold Renz, and Fr. Ernst Alt for negligent homicideRTD — "How a Girl Believed to Be Possessed Underwent 67 Exorcisms" — biographical detailDark Holme Publishing — The Exorcism That Ended in Death — medical and legal analysis

Title: The I -5 Killer  The I-5 Killer Randall Brent Woodfield seemed, on the surface, like everything America admired. A gifted athlete from Oregon, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1974 — only to be cut before the season and later arrested multiple times for indecent exposure, a pattern the NFL had quietly noted. Despite early warning signs, Woodfield drifted in and out of trouble throughout the late 1970s, until the winter of 1980–81, when a killing spree erupted along the Interstate 5 corridor from California through Oregon and Washington. Over roughly four months, Woodfield committed a string of robberies, sexual assaults, and murders targeting women — often at fast food restaurants and rest stops along I-5. His victims were shot execution-style. Investigators eventually connected him to at least 14 murders, though some estimates run as high as 44. The break came when a survivor identified Woodfield by his distinctive physique — he often wore tape over his face — and investigators matched him through handwriting, physical evidence, and witness testimony. Woodfield was arrested in March 1981. In 1981 he was convicted of the murder of Shari Hull and sentenced to life plus 165 years in the Oregon State Penitentiary. He was subsequently convicted on additional charges, adding decades more to his sentence. DNA evidence later linked him to several cold cases he was never charged with. He remains incarcerated today, his parole denied repeatedly. Ann Rule's definitive account of his crimes, The I-5 Killer, remains one of the most cited true crime books written about him. Sources for Reference:     1    The I-5 Killer by Ann Rule (Amazon) (https://www.amazon.com/I-5-Killer-Ann-Rule/dp/0593441370) — the primary book-length account of Woodfield's life and crimes     2    The I-5 Killer — Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239848.The_I_5_Killer)     3    Randall Woodfield: The 1-5 Serial Killer by Blake Simpson (Amazon Kindle) (https://www.amazon.com/Randall-Woodfield-1-5-Serial-Killer-ebook/dp/B0D5BWH841)     4    Randall Woodfield — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall_Woodfield)     5    The I-5 Killer — Wakefield Books (https://wakefieldbooks.com/book/9780593441374)     6    The I-5 Killer — Bellingham Public Library (https://bellingham.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S150C585053)     7    The I-5 Killer — Chicago Public Library (https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C2398317)     8    The I-5 Killer — Glenview Public Library (https://glenviewpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S202C215696)     9    Randall Woodfield: The 1-5 Serial Killer — Apple Books (https://books.apple.com/us/book/randall-woodfield-the-1-5-serial-killer/id6503261153)     10    The I-5 Killer Revised Edition (Amazon) (https://www.amazon.com/I-5-Killer-Revised-Ann-Rule/dp/0451165594)     11    Oregon Department of Corrections — Inmate Records (https://doc.oregon.gov/)     12    FBI Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) — Cold Case DNA Matching (https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/vicap)     13    Oregon State Archives — Court Records, State of Oregon v. Woodfield (https://sos.oregon.gov/archives)

Apologies this episode is late! We had a major tech issue that showed our podcast no longer existed on our dashboard but all is well and recovered! Thanks for your patience Thank you to our supporters on patreon.com/highwaytohell Between 1982 and 1998, Gary Leon Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in and around Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Most of his victims were young women, many of them sex workers or runaways, whom he picked up along the Pacific Highway South corridor. He strangled them, dumped their bodies in wooded areas, and for nearly two decades, walked free. The investigation was hampered from the start by institutional indifference. Law enforcement operated under an unofficial but widely understood attitude known as NHI — "No Humans Involved" — a designation applied to cases involving sex workers, homeless individuals, or drug users. Victims in these categories were deprioritized, their cases worked less aggressively, their families given fewer resources. Detectives who did push for more attention were often met with bureaucratic resistance. The assumption that these women had placed themselves in danger, that their deaths were somehow less urgent , allowed Ridgway to keep killing for sixteen years. He was finally arrested in 2001 after DNA technology linked him to several victims. In 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 murders in a deal that spared him the death penalty in exchange for helping locate the remains of still-missing victims. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sources: Sources: Green River Killer Research Rule, Ann. Green River, Running Red. Free Press, 2004.Smith, Carlton & Guillen, Tomas. The Search for the Green River Killer. Penguin, 1991.Prothero, Mark & Smith, Carlton. Defending Gary. Union Square Press, 2006.King County Superior Court, Case No. 03-1-00175-9. Guilty Plea & Sentencing Documents, 2003.King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Statement of Defendant on Plea of Guilty, 2003.Washington State Attorney General's Office. Green River Task Force Investigative Records. Washington State Archives.Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gary Ridgway Case Files. FBI Vault, vault.fbi.gov.King County Medical Examiner's Office. Victim Autopsy & Identification Records. King County Public Records.The Seattle Times. Green River Killer Archive, 1982–2003. seattletimes.com.The Tacoma News Tribune. Green River Killer Coverage Archive.Seattle Weekly. "The List" Investigative Series on NHI Classification and Victim Deprioritization.FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. U.S. Department of Justice, 2008.Criminology & Public Policy Journal. "Policing Sex Work." Various authors.Violence Against Women Journal. "Vulnerability and Victimization: Street Sex Workers and Violence." Various authors.Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster. Investigation Discovery, 2019.

Thank you so much for all of the kind comments, likes and shares. It truly means so much to us! If you'd like ad free episodes, travel itineraries and first dibs on merch please join us as a HELLION at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast He was born in 1950 in a small Austrian town called Judenburg, the son of a waitress turned occasional prostitute and an American GI he would never meet. Raised by a violent, alcoholic grandfather, Jack Unterweger learned early that the world was cruel. By twenty-three he had a record running through theft, pimping, and rape. In December of 1974 he lured an eighteen-year-old named Margret Schäfer into a Bavarian forest, beat her, and strangled her with her own bra knotted in an elaborate ligature beneath her chin. Austria sentenced him to life. Inside prison, he taught himself to write. Poems came first, then a memoir, Purgatory, that became a literary sensation. Elfriede Jelinek and Günter Grass championed his release as proof that art could save a soul. In 1990, after fifteen years, he walked free. He became a celebrity. He wore white suits, drove a Mustang, and hosted a TV show on Austrian state television. He was even commissioned to write about a string of unsolved murders of sex workers across Austria — murders he himself was committing. In June 1991 he flew to Los Angeles to study American policing of prostitution. Three women died there in a single week, strangled with their own bras in the same unmistakable knot. A retired detective from his 1974 case recognized the signature. Fibers, receipts, hotel records, and a ligature found nowhere else in any criminal database closed around him. He fled to Miami, where the FBI arrested him in February 1992. At his 1994 trial in Graz he was convicted of nine murders across Austria, the Czech Republic, and California. That night, alone in his cell, he braided his shoelaces and tracksuit drawstrings into the same ligature he had used on his victims, and hanged himself from the bars. He was forty-three. Because Austrian law treats a conviction as final only after appeal, he died, in legal terms, a man presumed innocent. Sources Leake, John. Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. The definitive English-language account. Leake had unprecedented access to the Austrian investigation files and interviewed key figures including Ernst Geiger. Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Checkmark Books, 2000. Well-sourced entry on Unterweger with citation of primary Austrian records. Documentary: Devil and the Angel  Documentary: Lustmord (ORF/BBC) Austrian public broadcaster documentary. Der Standard / Die Presse Archives (Austria) — Austrian national newspapers digital archives covered the investigation and trial exhaustively.. derstandard.at / diepresse.com FBI: Serial Murder — Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives — Serial offender behavioral analysis relevant to the Unterweger case study. Haller, Reinhard. Forensic psychiatric testimony, Graz trial, 1994. Published accounts of Haller's analysis appear in Entering Hades and Austrian legal literature. Geberth, Vernon J. Practical Homicide Investigation, 4th ed. CRC Press. Reference for the signature analysis and ligature-knot methodology used in the cross-continental identification. YouTube Archive Search: "Jack Unterweger" used for documentary clips and news segments Unterweger, Jack. Fegefeuer (Purgatory). Jugend und Volk, 1983. His autobiographical novel.

Between roughly 1980 and 1995, the United States experienced one of the largest collective delusions in its modern history. A significant share of the public, along with police departments, prosecutors, social workers, and clergy, came to believe that an organized network of Satanic cults was ritually abusing children, sacrificing infants, and operating in plain sight through churches, daycares, and rock-and-roll records. No credible evidence for such a network has ever been found. The trials, convictions, and shattered lives, however, were entirely real. The era was shaped by the lingering shadow of the Manson Family and the Jonestown massacre, the rapid expansion of televangelism, the political ascent of the Christian Right, and an unprecedented entry of mothers into the workforce that placed millions of American children, for the first time, into institutional daycare. Into this anxious moment came the therapeutic vogue of recovered memory, Geraldo Rivera's 1988 NBC special Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground, and a daytime talk-show ecosystem that elevated occult conspiracy to the status of public health crisis. We then turn to the role of popular music. Heavy metal became the panic's most visible scapegoat. Ozzy Osbourne was sued over the lyrics of "Suicide Solution." Judas Priest was tried in a Reno courtroom over allegations of subliminal backmasking. The acronym "Knights in Satan's Service" was retroactively imposed on KISS. In 1985, the Parents Music Resource Center, co-founded by Tipper Gore, led Senate hearings that produced the Parental Advisory label still in use today. We trace the panic's intellectual foundation to three books. Michelle Remembers (1980), co-authored by psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his patient and future wife Michelle Smith, introduced the template of recovered Satanic ritual abuse and has since been thoroughly discredited. Satan's Underground by Lauren Stratford was exposed as fabrication by the evangelical magazine Cornerstone in 1989. Mike Warnke's The Satan Seller, marketed for nearly two decades as the testimony of a former Satanic high priest, was similarly debunked. Each was promoted by churches, sold through Christian bookstores, and circulated to law enforcement as reference material. Finally, we examine the cases. The McMartin Preschool trial, which ran from 1984 to 1990, remains the longest and most expensive criminal trial in American history and produced no convictions. Kern County, Fells Acres, Little Rascals, Wenatchee, and the 1994 conviction of the West Memphis Three followed similar patterns: coached child testimony, suggestive interview techniques, and prosecutions driven by belief rather than evidence. Witch trials anyone? Further Reading & Sources Stanley Cohen, Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972)Lawrence Wright, Remembering Satan (1994) — the Paul Ingram caseDebbie Nathan & Michael Snedeker, Satan's Silence (1995)Richard Beck, We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s (2015)Richard Ofshe & Ethan Watters, Making Monsters (1994)Jon Trott & Mike Hertenstein, "Selling Satan," Cornerstone (1992)Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three (2002)Damien Echols, Life After Death (2012)Jack & Janet Smurl with Robert Curran, The Haunting (1988)Indianapolis Star, "The Exorcisms of Latoya Ammons" (2014) — official DCS recordsNoreen Gosch, Why Johnny Can't Come Home (2000)David Frankfurter, Evil Incarnate: Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Satanic Abuse in History (2006)Timothy Leary, The Politics of Ecstasy (1968)Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970)Jimmy McDonough, Shakey: Neil Young's Biography (2002) — Altamont contextHoward Sounes, 27: A History of the 27 Club (2013)Martin Wall, Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlin (2016) — Page/Crowley connectionPeter Biskind, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls (1998) — counterculture context

Apologies for the delay! Monte recently moved and had no internet due to delayed set up. I’m back! In Part 2, we pick up right where the FBI did. Warren Jeffs made the Ten Most Wanted List in 2006 and was arrested that August. A Utah conviction followed in 2007, but was overturned on a technicality. Texas proved far less forgiving. In 2011, prosecutors presented DNA evidence proving Jeffs had fathered a child with a 15 year old, and played audio recordings of him assaulting a 12 year old in open court. Jeffs dismissed his legal team, represented himself, and argued the proceedings were a violation of his religious freedom. The jury was not persuaded. They deliberated for just 30 minutes before returning a sentence of life in prison plus an additional 20 years. He has remained at a Texas prison ever since, with no release date and parole eligibility not until 2038. His incarceration has included a suicide attempt, force feeding, and a medically induced coma following a prolonged fast. And yet his influence never fully disappeared. At various points he was receiving over 1,000 letters a day from devoted followers. He reportedly issued a directive banning the entire community from marrying or having children while he remained imprisoned, and they complied. His son Roy left the church in 2014 and went public with allegations of childhood sexual abuse at his father’s hands. Roy passed away in 2019. His daughter Rachel later alleged that Jeffs was still directing the FLDS from his cell, with followers viewing him as a martyr absorbing suffering on their behalf. The void he left behind did not remain empty for long. By 2019, a man named Samuel Bateman had declared himself the new prophet and taken at least 20 wives, 10 of them minors, with some victims as young as nine years old. He was ultimately brought down by a researcher who went undercover, gathered evidence, and turned it over to the FBI. In December 2024, Bateman was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. Jeffs is now 70 years old and still regarded as a prophet by those who remain loyal to the FLDS.

Warren Jeffs was the self-declared prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the FLDS) a polygamist offshoot of mainstream Mormonism. He inherited leadership from his father Rulon Jeffs in 2002, even marrying some of his father's wives after his passing. At its peak, Jeffs controlled an estimated ten thousand followers, primarily concentrated in the twin border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. Local law enforcement, local government, local businesses answered to Jeffs, not the federal authorities. People who left, or were expelled, often lost everything: their homes, their families, their entire social world, overnight. The crimes Jeffs committed and enabled were extensive, systemic, and in many cases, as so many cults do, perpetrated against children. Jeffs arranged and performed marriages between adult men and underage girls, some as young as twelve and thirteen years old. He taught his followers that these arrangements were divine commandments, that questioning them was questioning God. Women and girls within the sect had no autonomy. They were assigned husbands by Jeffs himself, reassigned when he saw fit, and had children taken from them as punishment. He also wielded excommunication as a weapon. Men who challenged him or fell out of favor were cast out, stripped of their families, their property, and their standing, in a practice followers called "reassignment," in which their wives and children were simply handed to other men in the community. When the kingdom began to crumble Warren Jeffs was put on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List in 2006 but was able to elude capture until a fateful traffic stop in Nevada Sources State of Utah v. Warren Steed Jeffs (2007) — rape as accomplice conviction Utah Supreme Court appeal — reversal on jury instruction grounds (2010) Texas v. Warren Jeffs (2011) — sexual assault of a child; aggravated sexual assault of a child Texas v. Merril Jessop et al. (2009–2011) — related FLDS prosecutions Texas Supreme Court, In re: Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (2008) — ruling on mass child removal U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division v. Town of Colorado City, Arizona et al. (2012–2016) — law enforcement capture case; 2016 consent decree Utah court receivership of the United Effort Plan (UEP) trust (2005 onward) Warren Jeffs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives file (May 6, 2006) Nevada state trooper arrest report, Clark County, August 28, 2006 Utah Attorney General's Office, Safety Net Committee Reports (2004–2012) Arizona Attorney General's FLDS investigation records Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, YFZ Ranch operational reports (2008) Elissa Wall with Lisa Pulitzer — Stolen Innocence (2008, William Morrow) Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer — Escape (2007, Broadway Books) Flora Jessop with Paul T. Brown — Church of Lies (2009, Jossey-Bass) Rebecca Musser with M. Bridget Cook — The Witness Wore Red (2013, Grand Central Publishing) Jon Krakauer — Under the Banner of Heaven (2003, Doubleday) Benjamin Bistline — The Polygamists: A History of Colorado City, Arizona (2004) Andrea Moore-Emmett — God's Brothel (2004) Rachel Dretzin (director) — Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey, Netflix (2022) Salt Lake Tribune — sustained FLDS coverage 2000–2024; reporters Ben Winslow, Brooke Adams, Lindsay Whitehurst (fasting directive reporting, Lost Boys documentation, UEP trust coverage) Arizona Republic — FLDS investigation series (2005–2011) San Angelo Standard-Times — Deb McCullough's YFZ Ranch reporting (2004–2011), earliest press coverage of the compound The New Yorker — Lawrence Wright, "Lives of the Saints" (2005) Associated Press wire reporting on arrest, trial, and sentencing Laurie Allen — "Lost Boys" field research, St. George, Utah (2004) Eric Nichols (lead Texas prosecutor) — post-verdict remarks, reported in San Angelo Standard-Times (August 2011)

Thank you to our Hellions for your voted in topic! Subscribe for ad free episodes, voting topics and upcoming bonus episodes at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast. The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest range on Earth, and something has been living in them since before this country had a name. In this episode, we trace the full history of one of America's most distinct and haunted regions. Walking with the Cherokee nation and their complex spiritual world, to the Scots-Irish settlers who arrived with their own ghosts, to the coal wars, the Trail of Tears, and the grinding isolation that forged a culture unlike anything else on the continent.  Before we get to the monsters, we get to the rules. And if you’ve ever met someone from Appalachia you know some of the rules. Don't whistle after sundown. Don't answer your name if something calls it from the trees. Don't let a stranger through the door after dark. We walk through the full system of folk protections that generations of Appalachian families.   Then the legends. A haunting that killed a man and sent a future president running. A ghost who testified at her own murder trial and won. A creature that sounds like a woman screaming and has been documented in these mountains for three centuries. And a 1952 mass encounter with something no one has ever been able to explain, backed by physical evidence, medical records, and witnesses who never changed their story once. This one stays with you. First-hand encounter accounts that are not diary entries are illustrative narratives written in the tradition of submitted testimony; they reflect the type, language, and content of genuine regional accounts but are original compositions for this project. Sources: Ingram, M.V. — An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch of Tennessee (1894). Mooney, James — Myths of the Cherokee (1900, Bureau of American Ethnology). Gainer, Patrick — Witches, Ghosts and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians (1975). Eller, Ronald D. — Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers: Industrialization of the Appalachian South (1982). Williams, John Alexander — Appalachia: A History (2002, UNC Press). Dunaway, Wilma — The First American Frontier: Transition to Capitalism in Southern Appalachia (1996). Perdue, Theda & Green, Michael D. — The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears (2007). Mankiller, Wilma — Mankiller: A Chief and Her People (1993). Finger, John R. — The Eastern Band of Cherokees: 1819–1900 (1984, UT Press). The Greenbrier Ghost — documented in West Virginia state historical records; the historical marker text is publicly archived by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Feschino, Frank C. Jr. — Shoot Them Down: The Flying Saucer Air Wars of 1952 (2007). The most thorough investigation of the Flatwoods Monster incident Wigginton, Eliot (ed.) — The Foxfire Book series (1972–present, Anchor Books). Randolph, Vance — Ozark Superstitions (1947, Columbia UP). Milnes, Gerald C. — Signs, Cures & Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore (2007, UT Press). Appalachian Journal (Appalachian State University) Appalachian Studies Association research archives Western Carolina University's Hunter Library Special Collections — Appalachian Collection East Tennessee State University Archives of Appalachia

Few legends cut as deep as La Llorona, the Weeping Woman. This week we're trading the highway for the rainforest as we trace one of Latin America's most enduring and chilling folk stories into the heart of Costa Rica. We break down the origins of La Llorona, the grieving mother condemned to wander waterways for eternity searching for the children she lost, and how her story evolved differently across Costa Rica than in Mexico or the American Southwest. Local variations are darker, more specific, and tied to real rivers and real grief — and we talk to locals who swear they've heard her cry on the banks of the Río Tárcoles at dusk. From there, we take you on a tour of Costa Rica's most haunted locations — places where the legend bleeds into something that feels less like folklore and more like a warning. We visit the ruins of Ujarrás, a 17th-century church where restless spirits are said to keep residents awake, and the old colonial cemeteries of Cartago, where La Llorona sightings cluster around All Souls' Day. We also dig into the Orosi Valley, where locals describe a particular kind of dread that settles over the water after dark — and where more than one traveler has reported a woman in white standing just beyond the treeline. We close the episode the way we always do — with a reason to go. If this episode has you ready to book a flight to San José, we've put together a seven-day travel itinerary that balances the eerie with the extraordinary. You'll move through Cartago's haunted churches, down into the Orosi Valley, along the Pacific coast near Tárcoles, and end in the Osa Peninsula — one of the most biodiverse and genuinely remote places on earth, where the jungle has legends of its own. Every stop is real, bookable, and worth it — even in the daylight. Sources La Nación. (n.d.). News archives and crime reporting. Costa Rica. Tico Times. (n.d.). News reporting and cultural coverage in Costa Rica. Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ). (n.d.). Official crime reports and investigative data. Costa Rica. InSight Crime. (n.d.). Organized crime analysis in Latin America. Lyra, C. (n.d.). Costa Rican Folk Tales. Leyendas Costarricenses. (n.d.). Traditional folklore compilation. Atlas Obscura. (n.d.). Unusual and haunted locations in Costa Rica. Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). (n.d.). Official tourism information. Lonely Planet. (n.d.). Lonely Planet Costa Rica. Baker, C. P. (n.d.). Moon Costa Rica. Fodor’s Travel. (n.d.). Costa Rica Travel Guide. Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC). (n.d.). Protected areas and national parks of Costa Rica. National Geographic. (n.d.). Costa Rica travel and ecology features. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). World Heritage Sites in Costa Rica. Rainforest Alliance. (n.d.). Sustainability and biodiversity in Costa Rica. Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (ICAFE). (n.d.). Coffee production and research. World Coffee Research. (n.d.). Costa Rica coffee reports. Eater. (n.d.). Dining and restaurant guides in Costa Rica. Food & Wine. (n.d.). Culinary travel coverage of Costa Rica. U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Costa Rica Travel Advisory. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). Costa Rica health guidance. World Health Organization (WHO). (n.d.). Regional health data: Costa Rica. U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica. (n.d.). Traveler information and safety resources. Biesanz, R. (n.d.). The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica. Ras, B. (Ed.). (n.d.). Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The World Factbook: Costa Rica. BBC News. (n.d.). Costa Rica country profile.

Gordon Northcott and a trip to Canada. In the late 1920s, one of California’s most disturbing child murder cases unfolded on a remote ranch in Wineville—a place so stained by violence that it would later change its name in an attempt to escape the legacy. At the center of the case was Gordon Stewart Northcott, a sadistic rancher whose crimes against children shocked the country and exposed serious failures in early policing. Northcott operated a chicken ranch where he lured young boys with promises of work or safety. Instead, they were subjected to abuse, imprisonment, and, in multiple cases, murder. The truth began to surface through the testimony of his nephew, Sanford Clark, who had been brought from Canada and forced to participate in and witness the atrocities. Clark’s eventual escape and confession to authorities broke open the case. Investigators uncovered evidence that multiple boys had been killed on the property, their remains disposed of in shallow graves or burned. Among the most infamous victims was Walter Collins, whose disappearance became a national scandal—not only because of his likely murder, but because the Los Angeles Police Department falsely claimed to have found him and returned an unrelated child to his mother. The mishandling of the case exposed systemic issues in law enforcement, including coercion and public image protection over truth. Northcott fled to Canada as suspicion mounted but was captured and extradited back to California. During his trial, he gave inconsistent confessions—at times admitting guilt, at other times denying it—and attempted to shield his mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, from blame. She was ultimately convicted but spared execution. In 1930, Northcott was executed at San Quentin State Prison. The scale and brutality of the crimes, along with the failures surrounding the investigation, left a permanent mark on American criminal justice history. The town of Wineville later renamed itself Mira Loma to distance from the case. The Chicken Coop Murders remain one of the earliest high-profile serial child murder cases in the United States—one that reshaped public awareness around missing children and forced accountability in law enforcement practices. Sources: Los Angeles Times archives (1926–1930 coverage of Wineville Chicken Coop murders)San Bernardino County historical archives on Wineville/Mira LomaRiverside County historical society recordsState of California v. Gordon Stewart Northcott (trial transcripts, 1928–1930)Sanford Clark testimony (court records and archived statements)National Archives (U.S.) records on early serial murder casesFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) historical summaries on serial killersFox, James Alan & Levin, Jack. Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass MurderSchechter, Harold. The Serial Killer FilesNewton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial KillersGado, Mark. CrimeLibrary archives on Gordon NorthcottMurderpedia.org entry on Gordon Stewart NorthcottRamsland, Katherine. forensic psychology writings on early serial killersFind a Grave memorial records for victims and NorthcottCalifornia Department of Corrections historical execution records (San Quentin)The film Changeling (2008) directed by Clint Eastwood (historical dramatization and research notes)

Don't let them in! Black-Eyed Kids (BEK) is one of the most unsettling modern urban legends to emerge from late 20th-century folklore. Described as pale children with completely black eyes, no sclera, no iris. They are most often reported appearing at night, knocking on doors or approaching cars, and asking for permission to enter. And its not just their appearance thats disturbing, its the sense of dread that comes with it. The earliest account comes from 1996, when Texas journalist Brian Bethel shared his experience online. Bethel described being approached by two children while sitting in his car outside a movie theater in Abilene, Texas. The boys asked for a ride home, speaking in an oddly formal and insistent manner. It wasn’t until Bethel noticed their entirely black eyes that panic set in, and he refused them entry. The boys became more aggressive, repeating that they “could not enter unless invited.” Similar stories began surfacing across the United States and internationally. Common elements include: children appearing between ages 6–16, outdated or nondescript clothing, monotone or rehearsed speech patterns, requests for entry into homes, cars, or buildings, strong psychological pressure or compulsion to comply, witnesses reporting nausea, fear, or disorientation The “invitation” motif has immediately reminded people of vampire folklore, where supernatural entities require permission to enter a private space. Others have linked BEK to demonic entities, extraterrestrials, or interdimensional beings. From a folkloric perspective, Black-Eyed Kids fit into a long tradition of “stranger at the door” narratives. Stories designed to reinforce caution, especially regarding children or vulnerable individuals. These narratives often evolve with cultural anxieties; in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, fears around home invasion, child safety, and the unknown. Psychologically, some researchers suggest that BEK encounters may be explained through sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations, or heightened suggestibility influenced by prior exposure to the stories. The uniformity of descriptions—particularly the black eyes may be the result of narrative reinforcement through internet forums, creepypasta communities, and paranormal media. This episode explores the origins of the legend, the psychology behind reported encounters, and the cultural forces that transformed a single story into a global phenomenon. Sources Brian Bethel, “The Black Eyed Kids,” original account archived online (1996, reposted multiple platforms) Nick Redfern, The Real Men in Black, New Page Books, 2011 David Weatherly, Black Eyed Children, Eerie Lights Publishing, 2014 Sharon A. Hill, Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers, McFarland, 2017 Bill Ellis, Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live, University Press of Mississippi, 2001 Jan Harold Brunvand, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings, W.W. Norton & Company, 1981 Jeffrey Sconce, “Haunted Media: Electronic Presence from Telegraphy to Television,” Duke University Press, 2000 Folklore Society archives on contemporary legend transmission and digital folklore Joe Nickell, “Black-Eyed Children: A Case of Urban Legend,” Skeptical Inquirer, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Benjamin Radford, “Black-Eyed Kids: Real or Myth?” Live Science, 2013 David J. Hufford, The Terror That Comes in the Night: An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982 American Folklore Society publications on contemporary legend development Linda Dégh, Legend and Belief: Dialectics of a Folklore Genre, Indiana University Press, 2001 Trevor J. Blank (ed.), Folk Culture in the Digital Age: The Emergent Dynamics of Human Interaction, Utah State University Press, 2009

In the summer of 1997, a cross-country killing spree gripped the United States, ending in one of the most shocking celebrity murders in modern history. At the center of it all was Andrew Cunanan—a charismatic, intelligent young man whose life of deception unraveled into violence. This episode traces Cunanan’s story from the beginning: his upbringing in San Diego, his father’s financial crimes and abandonment, and Cunanan’s early talent for reinvention. Known for his charm and ability to move within wealthy social circles, Cunanan built a life on lies—fabricated identities, exaggerated wealth, and carefully curated relationships with older, affluent men. By April 1997, that façade collapsed. What followed was a brutal spree across multiple states. Cunanan murdered Jeffrey Trail in Minneapolis, followed by David Madson, whose body was discovered near Rush City, Minnesota. Days later, he killed Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin in a particularly violent attack that shocked investigators. His fourth victim, William Reese, was murdered in New Jersey as Cunanan continued south. The spree culminated on July 15, 1997, when Cunanan assassinated fashion icon Gianni Versace outside his Miami Beach home, igniting an international media frenzy and one of the largest manhunts in FBI history at the time. In this episode, we examine the timeline of the murders, the psychological profile of Cunanan, and the systemic failures that allowed him to evade capture for so long. We also explore the cultural context of the late 1990s—media sensationalism, homophobia, and public fear—and how those forces shaped both the investigation and Cunanan’s legacy. This is a story of identity, obsession, and collapse—of a man who constructed a life on illusion, and the deadly consequences when it began to fall apart. Maureen Orth, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History Gary Indiana, Three Months Fever: The Andrew Cunanan Story Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Andrew Cunanan Murder Spree (1997)” (FBI Records / Vault) Chicago Police Department, Lee Miglin case files and reports (1997) Miami-Dade Police Department, Gianni Versace homicide investigation records (1997) San Diego Police Department, background records on Andrew Cunanan The New York Times archives (April–July 1997 coverage of Cunanan spree) Los Angeles Times archives (1997 investigative reporting on Cunanan) Chicago Tribune archives (Lee Miglin murder coverage, 1997) The Washington Post archives (national manhunt reporting, 1997) Time, “The Hunt for Andrew Cunanan” (1997) Newsweek, coverage of Cunanan and Versace murder (1997) American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (based on Orth’s reporting) Vanity Fair, Maureen Orth original reporting on Cunanan (1997–1998) CNN archives (1997 breaking coverage of Versace murder and manhunt) Court TV archival coverage and legal analysis of Cunanan case

Several American roads have become famous not just for travel but for paranormal folklore, drawing visitors interested in ghost stories and unexplained sightings. The historic U.S. Route 66 stretches across eight states and is filled with haunted lore tied to abandoned mining towns, old motels, and roadside cemeteries; travelers often report shadowy figures, ghostly hitchhikers, and strange lights near places like Oatman and the historic Devil’s Elbow Bridge. In the Southwest, the former U.S. Route 666, once nicknamed “The Devil’s Highway,” became notorious for reports of phantom trucks, dark shadow figures crossing the road, and ghostly hitchhikers near towns like Gallup and the towering formation Shiprock. In New York, Sweet Hollow Road and nearby Mount Misery Road are famous for reports of ghostly children, phantom cars, and apparitions near Sweet Hollow Church and Mount Misery, where legends tell of tragic deaths and unexplained lights in the woods. Another famous haunted drive is Sleepy Hollow Road, where visitors claim to hear disembodied footsteps and see strange lights near the ruins of the Old Baptist Church Cemetery. Perhaps the most infamous haunted roadway in America is Clinton Road, a remote stretch through dense forest where travelers report glowing eyes in the woods, phantom headlights that follow cars, and the ghost of a boy said to haunt Clinton Brook Bridge. Together, these roads have become popular stops for paranormal investigators and dark-tourism travelers seeking the eerie legends that have grown around them.

Special thanks to our Hellions on Patreon! Subscribe for ad free episodes at Patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who murdered at least five women in the Whitechapel, London in 1888. The victims—Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly—were mostly impoverished women who worked as prostitutes. The killer was known for the extreme mutilation of victims, particularly the removal of internal organs, which led some investigators to speculate that he had medical or anatomical knowledge. The murders created widespread fear in London and became one of the first crimes heavily sensationalized by the modern press. The nickname “Jack the Ripper” came from a letter sent to police and newspapers claiming responsibility for the killings. Despite an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service, the killer was never identified. The case remains one of the most famous unsolved serial murder mysteries in history. Sources available by request at [email protected]

Edit: On our second ad break I gave the wrong patreon (got my podcasts mixed up). If you'd like to support this show please sign up to be a hellion at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast. On November 9th, 1971, John List walked behind his wife at the breakfast table and shot her in the back of the head. After moving her to the ballroom of the families mansion, he went upstairs to his mothers private apartment and killed her. While he waited for the school day to end he stopped the mail, ran to the bank, had lunch, and then he executed his three children and pulled them next to their mother in the ballroom. Then he drove to JFK airport where he abandoned his car and then took a train back into the city. And he disappeared like a shadow. His family was found a month after their murders and for nearly 18 years- John got away with it. He was able to fade into the invisibility of a "normal" life until America's Most Wanted agreed to air the case. That episode contained the updated facial reconstruction that had been aged but a forensic sculpture, a sculpture so accurate, he even accurately picked what time of glasses John would be wearing. Lets his the road to New Jersey villages outside of bustling NYC and a very very very- cold case Sources: ABC News. (2002, February 20). 1971 family killer breaks silence. ABC News.  Associated Press. (1990a, March 29). Killer's letter: "After it was all over I said some prayers" (as published by The Roanoke Times). Associated Press. (1990b, March 29). Letter says family killed to ensure their salvation (as published by The Roanoke Times). Associated Press. (1990c, May 1). List gets five life terms in murders; parole not possible (as published by The Roanoke Times). Cullen, D., Yuille, J. C., Porter, S., & Ritchie, C. (2019). A typology of familicide perpetrators in Australia. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2956.  Douthat, S. (1989, June 18). The fugitive: In 18 years on the run, slaying suspect's life comes to resemble his old one [Associated Press story as published by Los Angeles Times]. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). FBI Richmond history. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Liem, M., & Koenraadt, F. (2008). Familicide: A comparison with spousal and child homicide by mentally disordered perpetrators. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 18, 306–318.  Los Angeles Times. (1989, June 18). The fugitive: In 18 years on the run, slaying suspect's life comes to resemble his old one.  Los Angeles Times. (1990, April 10). 17 years later, town gets answers to family killings.  New York Times. (1990, March 29). Suspect wrote about killing family in '71. The New York Times.  NJ.com. (2008, March 25). Body of killer John List remains unclaimed.  O'Donnell, S. (1994). Forensic imaging and age progression: The John List case. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. People. (2022, October 19). 'The Watcher': John Graff is inspired by family murderer John List. People.  Priest, D., & Kelleher, S. (1989, July 1). A double life for 17 years? VA accountant denies he's mass murder suspect. The Washington Post. Scholar.lib.vt.edu. (1990, May 1). LIST GETS FIVE LIFE TERMS IN MURDERS; PAROLE NOT POSSIBLE.  Shorty Awards. (n.d.). Father wants us dead. The Shorty Awards.  State v. List, 270 N.J. Super. 252 (Law Div. 1990). State v. List, 270 N.J. Super. 169 (App. Div. 1993). UPI. (1990, March 28). Incriminating List letter can be used at murder trial.  UPI. (2008, March 23). John List, killer of family, dies at 82. U.S. Census Bureau. (2002). TOTAL POPULATION Town of Westfield and Union County 1930 - 2000.

After his sweetheart deal in 2008, Epstein was able to reintegrate into life and maintain his trafficking ring without any loss in wealth, associations or connections. This episode tracks his life and dealings from 2008 to his death in 2019, the aftermath of his cruelty, the arrest and trial of Ghislaine Maxwell and the recent release of the Epstein files. As of now, no man involved with Epstein and his human trafficking has been arrested in the US Sources The source list is way too big for the show notes but is available upon request at [email protected]

**Please forgive some slight changes as this had to be recorded remotely* Please support the show at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast 3 million more Epstein files were released and yet in the US there has been no further investigation, no arrests. Files that detail the rape, murder, cannibalism of children result in no arrests. The release of the files almost extend Epsteins story- a man of deception, greed and who skated through his life with absolutely no accountability. The middle class Jewish boy, born into an average Brooklyn jewish family but who called himself "poor, smart, and desperate to be rich". Desperate for the elite and the luxury of New York, and then the world. A man, who with no college degree who was hired to teach at the elite Dalton school anyway because of his proficiency at math. He was inappropriate with teenage girls but removed quietly- no accountability, no embarrassment for the school. But a parent who met him there brought him into Bear Sterns, with no degree, no qualifications, and when his deceit ran out, he was released quietly. Epstein then shaped himself as the financial advisor of the elite of the elite. He only needed one client, and he found it in Leslie Wexner who gave Epstein all of the keys to his kingdom. When Epstein misappropriated funds, basically gave himself a New York mansion, they settled quietly out of court- no accountability, no embarrassment. If any single person had exposed Epstein for who he was, the files likely wouldn't exist. And when he finally did get caught for abusing minors, the district attorney and FBI cut him the sweetheart deal of a lifetime. 12 hours a day in jail for 13 months, getting to work in his private office, privacy and a non prosecutorial agreement for all his friends who participated in trafficking and raping minors. They went so far as to lie to his victims about it. No accountability. No embarrassment. Boys will be boys after all. Sources ABC News. (2020, January 24). Billionaire businessman Leslie Wexner refuses to reveal full scope of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged thefts. ABC News. Alon, S. (2009). The evolution of class inequality in higher education: Competition, exclusion, and adaptation. American Sociological Review, 74(5), 731–755. Barak, G. (2015). The crimes of the powerful: Marxism, crime and deviance. Routledge. Bernstein, M. (1996). The education of the Jewish community: Class, culture, and schooling. University Press. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood. Brown, J. K. (2018, November). Perversion of justice [Investigative series]. Miami Herald. Brown, J. K. (2021). Perversion of justice: The Jeffrey Epstein story. William Morrow. Budd, K. M. (2024). Responding to crimes of a sexual nature: What we really want is no more victims. The Sentencing Project. CBC News. (2019, August 7). Victoria’s Secret owner says disgraced financier Epstein stole $46M from him. CBC News. CBC News. (2020, November 11). U.S. Justice Dept. report finds “poor judgment” exercised in Jeffrey Epstein case. CBC News. Center for American Progress. (2022, December 13). America’s broken criminal legal system contributes to wealth inequality. Center for American Progress. CBS News. (2019, August 11). Jeffrey Epstein may have taken “vast sums” from Victoria’s Secret billionaire Leslie Wexner. CBS News. Clarke, M. (2023). Responding to crimes of a sexual nature: What we really want is no more victims. The Sentencing Project. Collins, R. (1979). The credential society: An historical sociology of education and stratification. Academic Press. Cooley, A., & Ron, J. (2002). The NGO scramble: Organizational insecurity and the political economy of transnational action. International Security, 27(1), 5–39. FULL LIST OF SOURCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST [email protected]

A ransom note was found on the stairs of the Ramsey house on December 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey quickly called police and reported that her daughter, JonBenét, was missing. The police treated it as a kidnapping since the three page ransom note demanded $118,000, the exact Christmas bonus, her father John had received. Police failed to secure the entire scene, failed to search the house thoroughly,but several hours later John Ramsey searched the house himself and found JonBenét’s body in a small basement room. She had suffered a severe skull fracture and had been strangled with a homemade garrote fashioned from a broken paintbrush handle and cord. An unusually long ransom note written in the families home, physical evidence from the family on her body, no sign of forced entry but also- no indications of prior abuse. Perhaps one of the strangest cold cases in US history. Sources Books Steve Thomas. JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation. St. Martin’s Press, 2000. Lawrence Schiller. Perfect Murder, Perfect Town. HarperCollins, 1999. James Kolar. Foreign Faction. Ventus Publishing, 2012. Paula Woodward. We Have Your Daughter. Prospecta Press, 2016. Paula Woodward. Unsolved: The JonBenét Ramsey Murder 25 Years Later. City Point Press, 2021. Cyril Wecht & Greg Saitz. Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?. Onyx Books, 1998. Primary / Official Documents Boulder Police Department. Case reports, warrants, affidavits, and investigative summaries (1996–2000). Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. Grand jury proceedings and charging documents. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Forensic analysis support reports (DNA testing, handwriting analysis, behavioral science input). Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Laboratory reports and forensic testing records. Boulder County Coroner’s Office. Autopsy report of JonBenét Ramsey, December 27, 1996. Grand Jury Indictment (People v. John and Patricia Ramsey), 1999 (publicly released redacted indictment, 2013). Major Contemporary Journalism / Archives The Denver Post investigative coverage archive (1996–present). Rocky Mountain News historical coverage archive. The New York Times national reporting on the investigation and legal developments. CBS News case timeline and documentary reporting. ABC News investigative specials and interviews. Court TV trial analysis and case coverage (archived). Documentaries / Long-form Reporting (use cautiously but commonly cited) The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey. CBS. JonBenét Ramsey: What Really Happened?. ABC News. Dateline NBC special episodes on the case.

Andrea Yates, a Texas mother of five, drowned her children in a bathtub on June 20, 2001, shocking the nation. She immediately confessed to police and was later found not guilty by reason of insanity. Her medical history showed years of severe postpartum depression and psychosis, multiple hospitalizations, and suicide attempts. Doctors had warned her husband, Rusty Yates, that further pregnancies could worsen her condition and that she should not be left alone with the children. These warnings went unheeded. Rusty and Andrea adhered to a strict conservative Christian framework that emphasized traditional gender roles, homeschooling, and isolation from secular influences. Andrea gave up her nursing career to become a full-time mother, homeschooling all five children while managing household duties under increasing mental strain. A significant influence was evangelical street preacher Michael Woroniecki, whose writings and sermons the Yateses followed closely. Woroniecki preached that women must be submissive and that modern society was spiritually corrupt. He taught that mothers could lead their children to damnation by failing to follow God’s will. Andrea, in her delusional state, internalized these messages and believed her children were spiritually doomed. This religious pressure, combined with extreme isolation and untreated psychosis, shaped Andrea’s belief that killing her children was a way to save them from eternal suffering. Her statements after the killings reflected this belief, as she said she was trying to be a good mother and protect her children from Satan. Her case remains one of the most deeply tragic examples of how rigid religious ideology and untreated mental illness can collide. Sources: Texas v. Yates, 99-CR-2990 through 99-CR-2994, Harris County District Court, trial transcripts and court records, 2002.Texas v. Yates, retrial transcripts and court records, Harris County District Court, 2006.Yates v. State, 171 S.W.3d 215 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2005), Texas Court of Appeals opinion overturning the first conviction.Resnick, Phillip J. “Filicide in the United States.” American Journal of Psychiatry, 126(3), 1969, 325–334.Resnick, Phillip J. expert testimony in State of Texas v. Andrea Yates, 2002 and 2006.Dietz, Park. expert testimony in State of Texas v. Andrea Yates, 2002.Spinelli, Margaret G. “Maternal Infanticide Associated With Mental Illness: Prevention and the Promise of Saved Lives.” American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(9), 2004.Friedman, Susan Hatters, and Deborah Hensel. “Child Murder by Mothers: A Critical Analysis of the Current State of Knowledge and a Research Agenda.” American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(9), 2005.Journal of Forensic Sciences. maternal filicide and postpartum psychosis (2000–2010 issues).National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Educational materials on postpartum mental illness and psychosis.Michael and Debi Woroniecki, Mission to the World ministries newsletters, sermons, and correspondence admitted to evidenceHassan, Steven. Combating Cult Mind Control. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2015 edition.The New York Times. “Texas Mother Found Guilty in Drowning of Her Children.” 2002; and follow-up reporting Houston Chronicle. Brian Rogers and staff. Ongoing coverage of the Yates case, 2001–2006.The Washington Post. “Yates Conviction Overturned” and related trial coverage, 2005–2006.Los Angeles Times. “Depression, Religion and the Yates Family Tragedy,” 2002 investigative reporting.Associated Press. National wire service reports on the Yates arrests, trial, appeals, and retrial, 2001–2006.ABC News. 20/20. “The Andrea Yates Story” broadcast segments and transcripts.NBC News. Dateline NBC. Andrea Yates case episode and transcripts.A&E Network. The Crimes That Changed Us, Season 1, Episode “Andrea Yates,” Investigation Discovery. The Cult Behind the Killer, Andrea Yates Cummins, Eric. “Religion, Motherhood, and Mental Illness: The Andrea Yates Case.”

In this episode, we step into one of the most unsettling corners of American folklore: the legend of the skinwalker. Rooted in Navajo (Diné) tradition, the skinwalker—often called yee naaldlooshii, “with it, he goes on all fours”—is not a cryptid or campfire monster, but a deeply serious and taboo figure tied to witchcraft, shapeshifting, and the deliberate misuse of spiritual power. Medicine men who, in a search for power, violated the deepest laws of the Dine to hold that power. We explore the cultural origins of the story, what skinwalkers are believed to be within traditional belief systems, and how colonization, fear, and modern media distorted those teachings into horror mythology. From sacred law to whispered warnings, we trace how the legend moved from protected Indigenous knowledge into pop culture fascination—and why many Navajo people still refuse to discuss it openly. Then we shift into the modern era: Skinwalker Ranch, strange sightings across the Southwest, and firsthand accounts from ranchers, travelers, and locals who describe encounters they still can’t explain. The episode includes real stories—unsettling, personal experiences that blur the line between folklore, psychology, and the unknown. Then we end with a breathtaking road trip through the majesty of the Navajo nation. Listener discretion advised: discussions include disturbing imagery and intense personal encounters. Sources Blackhorse Lowe & Dustinn Craig (Diné filmmakers). Interviews and cultural commentary on Navajo witchcraft taboos and the dangers of public discussion/misrepresentation. Brugge, David. Navajos in the Catholic Church Records of New Mexico, 1694–1875. University of New Mexico Press. Denetdale, Jennifer Nez. Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita. University of Arizona Press. Hale, Berard. Origin Legends of the Navajo Night Chant. Yale University Press. Iverson, Peter. Diné: A History of the Navajos. University of New Mexico Press. Kluckhohn, Clyde. Navajo Witchcraft. Beacon Press. (Foundational anthropological study of witchcraft accusations, yee naaldlooshii beliefs, and social function of “skinwalker” narratives.) Luckert, Karl W. Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge Religion. University of Utah Press. Matthews, Washington. Navajo Legends. American Folklore Society. Reichard, Gladys A. Navajo Religion: A Study of Symbolism. Princeton University Press. Schwarz, Maureen Trudelle. Molded in the Image of Changing Woman: Navajo Views on the Human Body and Personhood. University of Arizona Press. Witherspoon, Gary. Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. University of Michigan Press. Witherspoon, Gary. Navajo Kinship and Marriage. University of Chicago Press. (Helpful for understanding hózhó, balance, and why witchcraft is framed as social rupture.) Young, Robert W., and William Morgan. The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary. University of New Mexico Press. (For correct terminology like yee naaldlooshii.) Skinwalker Ranch / modern paranormal claims (separate from traditional Diné belief) Kelleher, Colm A., and George Knapp. Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah. Paraview Pocket Books. Knapp, George, and Colm Kelleher. Skinwalkers at the Pentagon. Mystery Wire. Shermer, Michael. “The Utah UFO Ranch and the Problems with Paranormal Investigation.” Skeptic Magazine. Ziegler, Charles. “Folklore, UFO Mythmaking, and the Misappropriation of Indigenous Legend.” Journal of American Folklore.

The continuation of the West Memphis 3 case with a travel itinerary in Memphis!!! Want these episodes ad free? Subscribe to be a hellion at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast

Occasionally there's a story with so much to it and so much nuance, that we break it up into two pieces instead of making a three hour episode. So here is part one! On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. Their bodies were discovered the next day in a drainage ditch in an area known as Robin Hood Hills. The boys had been beaten, bound, and mutilated. The brutality of the crime sparked community panic. Police quickly focused on three local teenagers: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., largely because Echols was interested in heavy metal culture and wore black clothing during the height of the “Satanic Panic.” Misskelley, who had an IQ below average and was interrogated for hours without a parent or lawyer, gave a highly inconsistent confession that he later recanted. No physical evidence linked the teenagers to the murders. In 1994, the three were convicted—Misskelley and Baldwin received life sentences; Echols was sentenced to death. Over the next two decades, investigative journalists, forensic experts, and attorneys raised major concerns about coerced confessions, mishandled evidence, untested DNA, and alternate suspects. New DNA testing (2007–2011) found no genetic material connecting any of the West Memphis Three to the crime scene. With growing legal pressure, the defendants entered Alford pleas in 2011, allowing them to maintain innocence while accepting time served. They were released after 18 years in prison. The case remains controversial, with ongoing debate about wrongful conviction, police bias, and the influence of Satanic Panic on the investigation Legal Documents & Court Records Arkansas Supreme Court: Echols v. State (1996). Arkansas Supreme Court: Misskelley v. State (1996). Arkansas Supreme Court: Baldwin v. State (1996). West Memphis Police Department investigation files. DNA testing records submitted during 2007–2011 appeals. 2011 Alford Plea filings, Craighead County Circuit Court. Books & Scholarly Works Leveritt, Mara. Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. Baldwin, Jason; Echols, Damien; Misskelley Jr., Jessie. Life After Death (Echols memoir). Hobbs, Pamela. “The West Memphis Three: Media, Moral Panic, and the Politics of Fear.” Journal of Southern Studies. Burnett, Joe. The Case of the West Memphis Three: Wrongful Conviction and the American Justice System. Documentaries & Investigative Journalism Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996). Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011). West of Memphis (2012). Arkansas Times and Memphis Commercial Appeal investigative archives. Forensic & Expert Analyses Dr. Werner Spitz, forensic pathology evaluations (2007–2011). Dr. Michael Baden, forensic analysis on post-mortem animal predation vs. mutilation. FBI files and behavioral assessments (released through FOIA).

⚠️ Content Warning:This episode contains discussion of extreme violence, sexual abuse, and the murder of minors. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This episode examines the crimes of Dean Corll who operated in early 1970s in Houston, Corll, later dubbed “The Candyman”, used manipulation, coercion, and the assistance of two teenage accomplices to abduct, torture, and murder dozens of boys and young men. We trace how Corll gained access to victims, the role his accomplices played, and how systemic failures—including ignored disappearances and marginalized victims—allowed the crimes to continue for years. The episode walks through the investigation that finally exposed the murders, the discovery of multiple burial sites, and the shocking moment when Corll’s killing spree ended not with arrest, but with his own death at the hands of an accomplice.

Welcome to our new release schedule! Midnight every Tuesday (we'll explain more next episode about the schedule change) Want ad free episodes? Bonus content? Early access to merch? Become a Hellion for $5 a month on patreon at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast Opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most radical and influential prison in the world. Built on the belief that isolation and silence would inspire penitence, it pioneered the “Pennsylvania System” of solitary confinement—an approach that quickly drew international attention and criticism. In practice, prolonged isolation caused severe psychological harm, mental breakdowns, and suicide attempts. Overcrowding, brutality, and abandonment eventually replaced reform, even as the prison housed infamous inmates like Al Capone before closing its doors in 1971. Today, Eastern State stands as a decaying monument to failed penal philosophy—and one of the most notorious haunted locations in the United States. Guards, historians, and visitors have reported disembodied voices, echoing footsteps, shadow figures, cell doors slamming shut, and sudden waves of panic or despair. Paranormal activity is most frequently associated with Cellblock 12, Death Row, and the long-sealed isolation cells. This episode explores how extreme punishment, silence, and human suffering shaped Eastern State’s legacy—and why many believe the trauma embedded in its walls never truly faded. Sources Alexis de Tocqueville & Gustave de Beaumont, On the Penitentiary System in the United States American Philosophical Society — archival exhibits on early incarceration and youth prisoners Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation (1842) David J. Rothman, The Discovery of the Asylum Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site — official archives & institutional history Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site — Staff & Visitor Incident Reports Eastern State Penitentiary Preservation Coalition — 1990s restoration records Eastern State Penitentiary staff and guard incident reports — archived testimonies Eastern State preservation staff interviews (1990s–2000s) Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia — “Eastern State Penitentiary” Harry Elmer Barnes, The Evolution of Penology in Pennsylvania JSTOR — scholarly articles on prison discipline, solitary confinement, and the Pennsylvania System Library Company of Philadelphia — archival materials on prison discipline and the iron gag National Trust for Historic Preservation — Eastern State Penitentiary documentation Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — Annual Reports (19th–20th centuries) Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission records Rebecca McLennan, The Crisis of Imprisonment Scholarly discussions of “place memory” in carceral ruins Scholarly literature on solitary confinement and mental health referencing Eastern State as a case study The Philadelphia Inquirer — historical reporting and interviews related to Eastern State University of Delaware — Finding Aid: Eastern State Penitentiary Medical Log Books, 1840–1868 U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence on prison conditions and the Eighth Amendment WHYY — Philadelphia public media reporting on Eastern State history and paranormal accounts

Christmas Eve release for a Christmas Eve crime! Thank you so much for the love and support from new Hellions who have become followers and subscribers! Follow us on IG at @highwaytohellpod Topic you want to hear? [email protected] On December 24, 2002, Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant, disappeared from her home in Modesto. Investigators uncovered inconsistencies in Scott Peterson’s statements and evidence of an extramarital affair. He told police he had gone fishing in San Francisco Bay the morning Laci vanished—where the remains of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, were discovered. In 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder for Laci and second-degree murder for Conner. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was later reduced to life without the possibility of parole. Sources: 48 Hours investigative reporting on the case timeline, marina evidence, and trial strategy (CBS News, 2003–2004). ABC’s acquisition of taped phone calls between Amber Frey and Scott Peterson (entered as trial exhibits). ABC News / Good Morning America exclusive interviews with Amber Frey and investigators (2003–2004). Associated Press coverage of California Supreme Court ruling overturning death sentence (2020). Associated Press coverage of the trial, verdict, and sentencing (2004–2005). Autopsy reports (Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office), completed by Dr. Brian Peterson (sealed but publicly referenced in court). Berkeley Marina parking records (Dec. 24, 2002). California Attorney General, Respondent’s Briefs in People v. Peterson (Direct Appeal). Cell phone records subpoenaed from December 2002–January 2003 (used in timeline reconstruction). CNN coverage of investigation developments, body discovery, and trial timeline (2002–2004). Court TV daily trial coverage including direct summaries from courtroom transcripts (2004). Documented police inventories of evidence seized during arrest (vehicle contents). FBI Trace Evidence Laboratory notes on mitochondrial DNA testing of hair recovered from the pliers. Financial and property records documenting Peterson’s termination of lease, car sale, mail changes, and satellite cancellation. Frey, Amber. Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson (2005). GPS tracking logs and surveillance warrants issued January 2003 (Stanislaus County). Habeas corpus petitions filed by Scott Peterson (2005–present). KTVU, KRON, and Northern California regional broadcast reporting on discovery of remains at Point Isabel and Richmond shoreline (April 2003). Law review articles discussing People v. Peterson, circumstantial evidence standards, and California’s application of Witherspoon/Witt in jury selection. Los Angeles Innocence Project filings (2024–2025), including new-evidence submissions and requests for discovery. Los Angeles Times investigative coverage of the disappearance, search efforts, autopsy details, and trial testimony (2002–2004). Los Angeles Times reporting on Peterson appeals and developments (2005–2025). Modesto Bee continuous local reporting from Dec. 24, 2002 onward (search efforts, discovery of remains, hearings, trial, verdict, sentencing, appeals). Modesto Police Department missing person reports (Dec. 24–25, 2002). Modesto Police Department press releases (2002–2003), including “Relationship Verified in Peterson Case” (Jan. 24, 2003). NBC News reporting on the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision and subsequent resentencing. NOAA & USGS tidal and hydrology data used by state experts during trial testimony. People v. Peterson, 2020, California Supreme Court, S132449. San Francisco Chronicle reporting on searches in SF Bay, tidal modeling testimony, and body discovery (April 2003). San Francisco Chronicle courthouse reporting during jury deliberations and sentencing (2004). San Mateo County Superior Court, People v. Scott Peterson, trial transcripts (2004). Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office filings and responses in Scott Peterson post-conviction proceedings (2003–2025).

For more than a decade, Jersey (one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Normandy) was haunted by a figure locals came to call the Beast of Jersey. A masked man who moved through hedgerows and farm lanes at night slicing phone lines and entering homes while families slept. He abducted women and children from their beds assaulted them in their rooms or out in the fields and then returned them hours later, all while their families were fast asleep. Today we meet Edward Paisnel: his background, his double life as a respected builder and beloved “Uncle Ted,” his access to children’s homes, and the crimes that terrorized an island from the late 1950s through the early 1970s. We examine how fear and suspicion led to the wrongful vilification and exile of Alphonse Le Gastelois. Paisnel was finally caught by chance after a reckless night drive (how many of these men were caught by traffic violations) and how the evidence: his mask, nail‑studded coat, and taped torch confirmed survivors’ accounts with chilling precision. We also explore how the case lingered, no just through the firsthand testimonies that convicted him, but the unanswered questions surrounding institutional failure, and the folklore and ghost stories that grew in the wake of collective trauma. Small islands can create big legends. This episode is a examination of one of the most disturbing cases in British criminal history. Sources Joan Paisnel, The Beast of Jersey (New English Library, 1972; later reprints). Ward Rutherford, The Beast of Jersey: The Final Chapter (Redberry Press). Ward Rutherford, The Untimely Silence (Hamish Hamilton, 1973). Hillsdon, Jersey Witches, Ghosts & Traditions (1987). Robert Sinsoilliez, Histoire des Minquiers et des Écréhou (1995). States of Jersey, Proposition P.111/1999: Alphonse Le Gastelois – Ex Gratia Payment. States of Jersey, Minutes of the States Assembly, 14 September 1999. Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, Final Report (2017). Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, Appendix 1: Chronology of Significant Events. Jersey Heritage Archive catalog entries relating to police and inquiry records (e.g., ZC/D/AW1/A1). States of Jersey, Public Records (Jersey) Law 2002 – Report R.62/2016. The Guardian (Jersey care homes and Paisnel coverage, Feb–Mar 2008). The Times — Simon de Bruxelles & David Brown (26 Feb 2008). Irish Examiner — Tom Palmer (27 Feb 2008). Jersey Evening Post (various articles, 2012–2015). BBC Jersey (coverage relating to Alphonse Le Gastelois and later reflections). Bailiwick Express (historical investigations and retrospective features). The True Crime Database – “Beast of Jersey.” The True Crime Enthusiast – “The Beast of Jersey.” All That’s Interesting – “Edward Paisnel, The Beast of Jersey.” Back on the Rock (Jersey blog, July 2020). “Edward Paisnel.” “Alphonse Le Gastelois.”

In this episode, we examine the rise and tragic end of Heaven’s Gate, one of the most infamous cults in modern American history. Founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, the group fused New Age spirituality, Christian apocalypticism, and science-fiction belief into a rigid worldview centered on ascension to a higher evolutionary level. We trace the group’s origins in the 1970s, its recruitment tactics, isolationist lifestyle, and the psychological mechanisms that reinforced obedience, identity loss, and total devotion to leadership. The episode culminates in a detailed breakdown of the 1997 mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, carried out in the belief that a spacecraft trailing the Hale-Bopp comet would transport members beyond Earth. We explore how apocalyptic thinking, charismatic authority, fear of the outside world, and technological alienation converged to produce one of the deadliest cult outcomes in U.S. history—and what Heaven’s Gate still teaches us about high-control groups, belief radicalization, and vulnerability in times of uncertainty. Sources: Benjamin E. Zeller, Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion (NYU Press, 2014).(JSTOR) Robert W. Balch, “The Evolution of a New Age Cult: From Total Overcomers Anonymous to Death at Heaven’s Gate,” in Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis, ed. W. W. Zellner & M. Petrowsky (Praeger, 1998).(Dokumen.pub)James R. Lewis, “Legitimating Suicide: Heaven’s Gate and New Age Ideology,” in UFO Religions, ed. Christopher Partridge (Routledge, 2003).(ResearchGate) George D. Chryssides (ed.), Heaven’s Gate: Postmodernity and Popular Culture in a Suicide Group (Ashgate/Routledge, 2011/2021).(Better World Books)John R. Hall, Apocalypse Observed: Religious Movements and Violence in North America, Europe and Japan (Routledge, 2000).(Wikipedia)Rosamond C. Rodman, “Heaven’s Gate,” in Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, ed. Eugene V. Gallagher & W. Michael Ashcraft (Greenwood, 2006).(Internet Archive) W. Davis, “Heaven’s Gate: A Study of Religious Obedience,” Nova Religio 3, no. 2 (2000).(JSTOR) W. G. Robinson, “Heaven’s Gate: The End,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (1997).(OUP Academic)Various scholarly essays reprinted in Chryssides’ anthology and Zeller’s volume.(Better World Books)San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, “Heaven’s Gate Case” (official case overview and FAQ).(San Diego County Sheriff)Los Angeles Times, “39 Dead in Apparent Suicide: Bodies Found in Rancho Santa Fe Mansion,” March 27, 1997.(Los Angeles Times)ABC News, “Heaven’s Gate Investigator Saw Dozens Dead With Their Shoes On,” March 25, 2007.(ABC News)History.com, “Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead,” This Day in History entry.(HISTORY)The New York Times’ contemporaneous coverage of the suicides and profiles of Applewhite and members (e.g., Barry Bearak, “Eyes on Glory: Pied Pipers of Heaven’s Gate,” April 28, 1997).(Wikipedia)

Thank you for listening! Please share and subscribe! Herman Webster Mudgett — better known as H.H. Holmes — is often regarded as America’s first documented serial killer, but long before the murders came fraud, reinvention, and carefully engineered charm. A medical student with a fascination for cadavers, he began his criminal life forging documents, taking out insurance policies on stolen corpses, and committing small-scale scams that sharpened his skill for deception. In Chicago, using aliases and credit manipulation, he built the infamous "Murder Castle" — a multi-level property designed with secret rooms, gas lines, soundproof spaces, and controlled entryways. While later retellings exaggerated elements of torture, confirmed historical evidence shows Holmes used the building primarily to isolate victims, commit insurance schemes, and dispose of bodies with chilling efficiency. Holmes is linked directly to several murders, including those of his employee and probable mistress Julia Conner, her young daughter Pearl, and later the children of his business associate Benjamin Pitezel. Although newspapers of the era sensationalized the number of victims into the dozens or even hundreds, historians note that the confirmed count is considerably smaller — perhaps 9, possibly more, but far from the mythical 200. Holmes' trial for the death of Benjamin Pitezel exposed his layered hoaxes and corpse substitutions, ultimately leading to his conviction and execution in 1896. The Holmes story persists because it lives at the intersection of fact and folklore: a man of intelligence, charisma, and absolute moral vacancy, who weaponized trust and opportunity in a rapidly industrializing American city. Sources Erik Larson — The Devil in the White City Adam Selzer — H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil Harold Schechter — Depraved: The Shocking True Story of America’s First Serial Killer David Franke — The Torture Doctor: The Murder, Madness, and Mayhem of H.H. Holmes The Philadelphia Inquirer — 1894–1896 Holmes arrest, trial, and Pitezel coverage Chicago Tribune — reporting on the Murder Castle, fraud schemes, arrest, execution New York Times — trial updates, confession coverage, execution reporting Trial Transcripts of United States v. H.H. Holmes (Pitezel case) Insurance fraud documentation filed under Holmes/Mudgett aliases Philadelphia police arrest reports — Holmes + accomplices (1894) Death sentence and execution records — Moyamensing Prison, 1896 Architectural references & investigation notes regarding the Chicago “Castle” structure Recovered correspondence between Holmes, Minnie Williams, and business associates Confession documents attributed to Holmes (with known factual inconsistencies)

And here's the Albert Fish episode! Sorry every body I uploaded them out of order on accident. But here we are. TW: Extreme child abuse and assault Albert Fish (1870–1936) was an American serial killer, cannibal, and sadomasochist whose crimes in the early 20th century remain some of the most disturbing in U.S. criminal history. Raised in an abusive orphanage and plagued throughout his life by violent sexual compulsions and self-harm, Fish targeted children, abducting, torturing, and murdering several—most infamously twelve-year-old Grace Budd, whose case led to his capture after he sent her family a chilling letter detailing the crime. Known by monikers such as “The Gray Man” and “The Boogeyman,” Fish displayed extreme psychopathy, claiming to have felt moral justification for his actions and reporting pleasure in pain, including driving needles into his own body. He was arrested in 1934, found sane enough to stand trial, convicted, and executed by electric chair in January 1936, leaving behind a legacy of horror that continues to fascinate and appall criminologists, historians, and true-crime researchers. Sources: Bardsley, M. (2012). Albert Fish. Crime Library. Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/fish/index.html Constantine, N. (2006).  A history of cannibalism. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books. Douglas, J. E. (2006).  Crime classification manual: A standard system for investigating and classifying violent crimes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hickey, E. W. (2013).  Serial murderers and their victims (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Johnson, G., & Jenks, A. (2008).  Albert Hamilton Fish. Radford, VA: Radford University. Newton, M. (2006).  The encyclopedia of serial killers (2nd ed.).  New York: Facts on File, Inc. Philbin, T., & Philbin, M. (2009).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish The killer book of serial killers. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks. Ramsland, K., & McGrain, P. N. (2010).  Inside the minds of sexual predators. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Mayer, R. (Director). (2009).  The bogeyman’s gonna eat you – Albert Fish, the vampire of Brooklyn (Motion picture). United States of America: Mill Creek Entertainment. Schechter, H. (2012). Psycho USA. New York: Random House. Schechter, H. (2012, February 24). Cannibal 'Albert Fish' documentary [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJiXNQeScs Schechter, H. (2003).  The serial killer files. New York: Random House. Schechter, H. (1990).  Deranged: The shocking true story of America’s most fiendish killer. New York: Simon & Schuster. Smith, D. J. (2003).  100 most infamous criminals. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. Wilson, C., & Seaman, D. (2004).  The serial killers: A study in the psychology of violence. London: Virgin Publishing. Vronsky, P. (2004).  Serial killers: The method and madness of monsters. New York: Penguin

Please review and subscribe to our show! Between 1976 and 1977, Oakland County, Michigan was gripped by fear as four children—Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich, and Timothy King—were abducted and murdered in what became known as the Oakland County Child Killer case. This episode walks listeners through the verified timelines of each disappearance, the forensic evidence recovered, the emerging pattern investigators identified, and the massive multi-agency task force that formed in response. We discuss the strongest suspects—including Christopher Busch, Gregory Greene, and later persons of interest—while clearly distinguishing confirmed facts from conjecture. The episode examines investigative failures, communication breakdowns, and how the case has evolved with modern DNA testing, as well as the long-lasting psychological impact on Detroit-area families and the true-crime landscape. We also explore how media coverage, community panic, and later cold-case re-examinations shaped public understanding of the murders. Finally, we look at where the investigation stands today—what has been proven, what remains unresolved, and why this case continues to haunt Michigan nearly fifty years later. Sources: Primary Reporting, Case Files, and Investigations: Michigan State Police publicly released case files FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit summaries (public portions) National Center for Missing & Exploited Children case summaries Detroit Free Press archival reporting Detroit News archival reporting WDIV (Local 4) investigative reporting WXYZ-TV Detroit investigative reports Books & Long-Form Journalism: Marney Keenan, The Snow Killings: Inside the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation J. Reuben Appelman, The Kill Jar (for contextual background on the crimes, investigation failures, and suspects) Additional Verified Sources: Helen Dagner correspondence and interviews (verified public segments only) Court records and public affidavits related to Christopher Busch, Gregory Greene, and other suspects Public statements, interviews, and advocacy from surviving family members (e.g., the King and Robinson families)

Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles’ Skid Row, the Cecil Hotel was meant to be a beacon of glamour when it opened its doors in 1927. Instead, it became one of America’s most infamous landmarks—a towering witness to tragedy, violence, and urban decay. This episode dives deep into the history of the Cecil: from its grand opening during the Roaring Twenties to its rapid decline during the Great Depression and its decades-long association with death, crime, and despair. We’ll explore the building’s eerie transformation into a haven for the lost, the desperate, and the dangerous. From the chilling stories of serial killers like Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger, to the mysterious death of Elisa Lam that reignited public fascination, the Cecil’s legacy is a mirror reflecting Los Angeles’ darkest corners. Through archival research, police reports, and first-hand accounts, this episode examines how a single building became the epicenter of so many real-life horrors—and why its legend still haunts pop culture today. Sources Chandler, Nathan. “The Story of the Cecil, One of the Creepiest Hotels in the World”, HowStuffWorks (Feb 1, 2021). (HowStuffWorks) “’The Suicide’: The Hotel Cecil and the Mean Streets of L.A.’s Notorious Skid Row”, PBS SoCal History Society (Sept 29, 2015). (PBS SoCal) “The Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles)” — Wikipedia summary with many linked references. (⁠Wikipedia⁠) “7 Facts About Los Angeles’s Notorious Cecil Hotel”, Mental Floss (Feb 3, 2021). (Mental Floss) “Photos: the Cecil Hotel’s Eerie History and What It’s Like Today”, Business Insider (Mar 9, 2022). (Business Insider) “The Creepy History of Los Angeles’ Cecil Hotel”, Country Living (Oct 13, 2017). (Country Living) “The Cecil Hotel and the Mystery of Elisa Lam”, Slaycation (recent article) — note: less traditional academic source, good for recent context. (Slaycation) “Cecil Hotel’s once-homeless tenants say it’s crawling with…”, Los Angeles Times (Aug 24, 2023) — covers its conversion to housing and current issues. (Los Angeles Times) “’Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ and the problem with internet sleuths”, ABA Journal (Mar 25, 2021). (abajournal.com)

In this episode, we delve into the life of Ed Gein — the isolated Wisconsin boy whose descent into necrophilia, murder and grave-robbing would ripple through popular culture to become the blueprint for some of horror’s most iconic monsters. We trace his roots: a domineering, religious mother whose moral fanaticism and isolation of her two sons planted the seeds of psychosis; a father whose abusiveness and alcoholism darkened the home; the death of his brother under mysterious circumstances; and the passing of his mother that left him alone and unmoored. We follow his transformation — from sweet boy to corpse-collector — uncovering the macabre crime scene of November 1957, when authorities found human skin lampshades, skull bowls, a “woman-suit” stitched from corpse flesh, and the bodies of his victims. We explore the psychological fissures: his obsession with his mother, his attempt to become her, his exhumations of female corpses who reminded him of her. Then, we pivot to his chilling cultural legacy: the way his crimes inspired the likes of Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs — how his warped psyche became fuel for Hollywood’s darkest nightmares. We ask: What about Gein’s story continues to haunt us? Why do we feel drawn to the horror that he spawned? And what does his case teach us about the thin boundary between the human and the monstrous? Join us for a harrowing journey into rural horror, psychopathy, and legacy. What you’ll learn: How Gein’s family dynamics (mother, father, brother) shaped his descent. The exact nature of his crimes — grave-robbery, body-mutilation, the two murders. How investigators uncovered the scene and the legal outcome. How Gein’s story echoed into pop culture, influencing cinematic villains and horror tropes. Why his case still fascinates true-crime and horror communities today. Ed Gein: Sources, Legacy & The Anatomy of Horror  This comprehensive source list compiles all references used throughout Monte Mader’s research and podcast scripting sessions on Ed Gein. It includes both the sources used for previous questions and the five key additional recommendations. Together, these represent the most authoritative foundation for understanding Ed Gein’s family, crimes, psychological background, and his lasting influence on horror and American culture.  Sources Referenced 1. Wikipedia – Ed Gein (birth, family background, crimes, legal outcomes).  2. Biography.com – “7 Horror Movies Inspired by Body Snatcher Ed Gein.” 3. Time.com – “Monster: Horror Movies Inspired by the Ed Gein Story.” 4. A&E; True Crime – “Ed Gein’s Dark Legacy.” 5. Deadline.com – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.” 6. Netflix Tudum – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story Unmasks the Origins of Modern Horror.” 7. Rolling Stone (2024) – “What Monster Gets Right and Wrong About Ed Gein.” 8. Life Magazine (Dec 1957) – “The Mad Butcher of Plainfield.” Further Reading & Primary Investigative Sources  1. Harold Schechter, Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho (Pocket Books, 1989). 2. Robert H. Gollmar, Edward Gein: America’s Most Bizarre Murderer (Prairie Oak Press, 1981). 3. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – “Ed Gein’s Farm: The Fire, the Trial, and the Town That Never Recovered.” 4. Wisconsin State Archives – Plainfield Police Reports and Court Transcripts (1957–1968). 5. Life Magazine (December 1957) – “The Mad Butcher of Plainfield.”

We are back! Welcome to the second season and total revamp of Highway to Hell where we take you all across the country and the world telling the craziest true crime, the scariest paranormal stories and if you are a true crime fan like us, we give you the best places in the area to see, eat and drink. Who doesn't love a little spooky in their travels. SO happy to welcome my cohost Andy Jones, my dear friend and the guitar player of my band for 4.5 YEARS. Today, we are talking about the Amityville horror. The Amityville Horror story begins with a gruesome crime on November 13, 1974, when 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings in their sleep at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. Using a .35 caliber Marlin rifle, DeFeo shot each family member in their beds, later claiming that demonic voices urged him to commit the murders. He was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The shocking crime sent waves through the quiet Long Island community and set the stage for one of America’s most infamous paranormal legends. In December 1975, just over a year later, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeo home at a discounted price, moving in with their three children. Within 28 days, they fled the house, claiming to have been terrorized by intense supernatural phenomena. According to their accounts, they experienced mysterious cold spots, foul odors, green slime oozing from walls, strange voices, and a pig-like demonic creature named “Jodie.” George Lutz reportedly woke up every night at 3:15 a.m.—the time of the DeFeo murders—while doors slammed, crucifixes turned upside down, and unseen forces moved objects throughout the home. Their terrifying story became the basis for Jay Anson’s 1977 best-selling book The Amityville Horror, which launched a franchise of films, documentaries, and debates about the line between fact and fiction. However, the haunting claims quickly came under scrutiny. William Weber, Ronald DeFeo’s defense attorney, later admitted that he and the Lutzes concocted much of the story during a night of drinking, seeing it as a way to profit from the house’s dark past. Paranormal investigators found no credible evidence of supernatural activity, and subsequent residents reported no unusual experiences. Despite the skepticism and accusations of fabrication, the Amityville Horror endures as a chilling blend of true crime and American folklore—a haunting tale that continues to captivate believers and skeptics alike.

29 missing children and young people 29 bodies Was Wayne Williams guilty? Or a scapegoat?

I wanted to do something lighter this week! a collection of some of the funniest "Florida Man" true crime ending with a "Florida Man Mayor"

VERY DISTURBING CONTENT. The "Toy Box Killer," David Parker Ray, was an American criminal who is believed to have tortured and killed numerous women in the mid-1990s. Ray lived in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, and worked as a mechanic for the New Mexico Parks Department. His crimes came to light in 1999 when a woman named Cynthia Vigil escaped from his trailer, where she had been held captive and subjected to horrific torture. Ray's trailer, referred to as his "Toy Box," was equipped with a variety of devices and tools designed for torture. He would often record his interactions with his victims, many of whom were drugged and had no memory of the events. The exact number of his victims is unknown, but it is believed to be in the dozens. Ray was arrested and, despite the lack of bodies or direct evidence of murder, was convicted of several offenses, including kidnapping and sexual torture. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison. Ray died of a heart attack in 2002 while serving his sentence. The case remains infamous for the sheer brutality and sadism involved.

In 2010-2011, 10 bodies were dug up on the shores of long island. The body count of one killer hiding in plain sight. Please subscribe and share!

Please like and subscribe! Follow on instagram @highwaytohellpod Send story ideas! Step into the chilling world of one of history's most notorious serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer. In this gripping episode, I delve into the disturbing life and gruesome crimes of the Milwaukee Cannibal. From his troubled childhood and early signs of a twisted psyche to the horrifying murders that shocked the nation, I unravel the mind of a man who hid his monstrous nature in plain sight. Discover how Dahmer lured his victims, the macabre methods he used, and the relentless pursuit of justice that finally brought his reign of terror to an end. Join me as I explore the dark, twisted journey of Jeffrey Dahmer, and the lasting impact his crimes have left on society. This is not just a story of horror, but a sobering reminder of the evil that can lurk behind even the most unassuming faces.

Please like and subscribe! Traveling to Wyoming to discuss the heartbreaking stranger murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student that shocked and changed the nation. Follow me on IG @highwaytohellpod Thank you to my sponsors!

Please like and subscribe! Traveling to South Carolina Lowcountry to explore the life and crimes of Alex Murdaugh and the entire murderous Murdaugh family!! Don't forget to follow on social media! @Highwaytohellpod

Lets travel to Washington DC!!!! We'll discuss the history of exorcism, the real life story that inspired the exorcist and the movie itself. Follow the pod on new socials: IG: @highwaytohellpod FB: @Highway to Hell Podcast Email: [email protected]

Fred and Rose West were a British couple who became infamous for their series of brutal murders and sexual assaults, primarily during the 1970s and 1980s. They were responsible for at least twelve known murders, including those of their own children. Please like and subscribe!

Please Rate and subscribe! Comments and questions to [email protected] The Children of God cult, also known as The Family International, is a religious group that originated in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, founded by David Berg. It gained notoriety for its extreme beliefs and controversial practices under the guise of Christian fundamentalism. Key elements of the cult included its apocalyptic views, the practice of "flirty fishing" (using sex to attract new members), and communal living. Over the years, it faced widespread criticism and legal actions due to allegations of abuse, including child abuse. The group underwent several rebrandings in an attempt to distance itself from its past, but its core controversial doctrines and the negative impact on former members remain significant issues.

Please rate and subscribe!! questions/comments to [email protected] A gang rape and assault... or was it? An innocent man is abducted and murdered... or was he? Lets travel to Honolulu and investigate the scandal of an era. A rocky marriage, racism, murder and a miscarriage of justice on this weeks Highway to Hell Episode. Instagram: @montemader

Please rate and subscribe! Email questions and comments to [email protected] The Sun Gym Gang, led by Daniel Lugo, Adrian Doorbal, and Jorge Delgado, embarked on a spree of violent crimes in the 1990s in Miami, Florida. Their modus operandi blended bodybuilding prowess with a penchant for ruthless criminality. Among their most infamous crimes was the abduction and extortion of wealthy businessman Marc Schiller. They tortured him for over a month, extorting his assets and leaving him for dead. Their exploits also included a series of armed robberies and a failed attempt to kidnap Frank Griga, a wealthy businessman, and his girlfriend, Krisztina Furton. The botched abduction ended in murder, and the gang dismembered the bodies in a gruesome attempt to dispose of the evidence. The Sun Gym Gang's reign of terror came to an end when their crimes were exposed, leading to arrests, trials, and convictions. The sensational nature of their crimes inspired books, documentaries, and the Hollywood film "Pain & Gain," highlighting their audacious and shocking criminal activities.

Please like, rate and subscribe! Thanks for listening Questions and comments: [email protected] Follow on Socials: www.instagram.com/montemader Show Outline:  History of Savannah The Life and Execution of Alice Riley The Haunted Sorrel-Weed House The Paranormal Investigations of Savannah Theater  Travel Tips (start at 46:48)Things to do:  Ghost Tours- Genteel and Bard Tour Sorrel- Weed House, Mercer Williams House Paranormal Investigations- Truth in Evidence Restaurants:  Rancho Alegre Cuban Collins Quarter The Public Kitchen and Bar The Grey  The Olde Pink House Bar: 1. Artillery  2. The fox lounge 3. Six Pence Bands: McLeod Baroness Donna Savage  Camoflauge

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe and share! Questions and Comments: [email protected] Sponsors: Intravenous Solutions Podcast: Nashville For Nobodies Adolph Coors III, known as Ad, was the heir to the Coors Brewing Company. He was kidnapped on February 9, 1960, while en route to work from his home in Morrison, Colorado. The route he took over Turkey Creek Bridge was where his car was later found abandoned. Kidnapping The initial discovery of Coors' car led to the immediate suspicion of foul play, as his hat and glasses were found near the vehicle, and there was evidence of a struggle. The FBI got involved quickly due to the nature of the crime and the victim's high profile. They found a ransom note demanding $500,000, which Coors' wife, Mary, tried to follow through with, but the kidnapper never made further contact. Investigation and Law Enforcement's Role The investigation was extensive and challenging. The FBI, alongside local law enforcement agencies, undertook a massive search and follow-up on numerous tips from the public. One of the key pieces of evidence was a description of a suspect and his vehicle, which a witness provided who saw Coors' car on the bridge. This led to the identification of the suspect as Joseph Corbett Jr., a convicted murderer who had escaped from a California prison in 1959. Capture of Joseph Corbett Jr. Corbett became the subject of one of the largest manhunts in FBI history. His car was later found in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which added to the nationwide scope of the search. The case broke wide open when a can of Coors' beer and a typewriter used for the ransom note were traced back to Corbett. By September 1960, Corbett was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Discovery and Aftermath Tragically, Adolph Coors III's remains were discovered in September 1960 near Pike's Peak, Colorado, by a hunter. The discovery ruled out any possibility of his survival and shifted the investigation towards a murder inquiry. The autopsy confirmed that Coors died from a gunshot wound. Arrest and Conviction Joseph Corbett was captured in Vancouver, Canada, in October 1960 after being recognized from an FBI poster. Extradited to Colorado, he faced trial in 1961. Despite his plea of innocence and lack of direct forensic evidence linking him to Coors' murder, the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. Corbett was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Conclusion Joseph Corbett Jr. remained in prison until his parole in 1980. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2009. The Coors kidnapping and murder case remains one of the most infamous crimes in American history, highlighting both the reach and limitations of law enforcement capabilities at the time. It also marked a significant moment in the FBI's use of nationwide alerts and cooperation with the public in apprehending fugitives. Highway Highlights: 1. Ad Coors III the heir to the Coors company and fortune was kidnapped and murdered on February 9, 1960 by Joseph Corbett Jr. an escaped murderer from California 2. This kidnapping resulted in the largest FBI manhunt since the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby and involved personal involvement with Hoover himself 3. Ad Coors body was found and identified in September of 1960 and in the 263 days it took to catch Corbett the FBI collected an evidence file so thick it was 5 inches tall.  4. Corbett was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison at Old Max but only served 18 years. 5. Corbett died by suicide at the age of 82 as a free man (age of Adolph Coors suicide) Sources:  https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/coors-kidnapping-ransom-note https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHlaw1O3TMw https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/-a-look-back-at-the-coors-kidnapping-case https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolph_Coors_III https://youtu.be/UFHPRNDYEfY?si=ODfnBphLkzUpp14m https://bookreadfree.com/216131/5352083

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe and share! Questions and Comments: [email protected] Show Notes: Maury Troy Travis, born on October 25, 1965, in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American serial killer who terrorized the St. Louis area from 2000 to 2002. His life took a dark turn early on, as he began engaging in criminal activities, including robbing shoe stores, and developed a crack habit after dropping out of college. Travis's criminal acts escalated to heinous murders, with him transforming his home into a torture chamber where he would lure, rape, and murder several women, capturing these atrocious acts on video. Travis claimed to have murdered 17 women in a letter, but authorities were skeptical about this number, with some believing it could be as high as 20. His victims were primarily African American women who were addicted to drugs and involved in prostitution, a choice possibly aiming to exploit their vulnerabilities and societal invisibility. The breakthrough in the case came when Travis sent an anonymous letter and a map to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which led to his arrest on June 7, 2002. Investigators discovered a torture chamber in his house, along with instruments of torture, a stun gun, newspaper clippings of his crimes, and most disturbingly, videotapes showing him murdering and torturing his victims. Before he could be tried for his crimes, Travis died by suicide on June 10, 2002, in his jail cell at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri. He left behind a chilling legacy that continues to horrify and fascinate the public, with his story being covered in various media including episodes of "Forensic Files", "Cold Case Files", and podcasts like "Last Podcast on the Left" The horror of Travis's actions is compounded by the posthumous discovery of his deeds by the unsuspecting tenant of his former home, leading to further publicized trauma and a grim reminder of the lasting impact of such brutal crimes Travel Notes: St. Louis Must Sees: Gateway Arch: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm Cathedral Basilica: https://cathedralstl.org/about-basilica/our-history Statue of the Naked Truth: https://racstl.org/public-art/the-naked-truth/ Food:  Broadway Oyster Bar: https://www.broadwayoysterbar.com/ Lona’s Lil Eats: https://lonaslileats.com/ Balkan Treat box: https://www.balkantreatbox.com/ Tattoos:  Tattoo the Lou: https://www.tattootheloustudio.com/artists Artists: Bowser: @bowser_tattoos Drinks:  The Grove: https://www.thegrovestl.com/ Venice Cafe: https://www.thevenicecafe.com/ Plantars House: https://www.plantershousestl.com/ Music:  Venue: Old Rock House: https://oldrockhouse.com/ Aaron kamm and the One Drops: https://www.aaronkammonedrops.com/ Wes Hoffman: @wesleyhoffman  Sources: https://fox2now.com/news/true-crime/serial-killer-maury-travis-the-street-walker-strangler/ https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/average-american-has-visited-just-12-states https://youtu.be/XnyHfkr5QMc?si=QRZRBH3bCdFUUjbz https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder#two https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/serial-killer-myths https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/hunting-humans-encyclopedia-modern-serial-killers#:~:text=Seventy%2Dfour%20percent%20of%20the,and%202.5%20percent%20were%20Hispanic. https://ccjls.scholasticahq.com/article/11134-media-messages-surrounding-missing-women-and-girls-the-missing-white-woman-syndrome-and-other-factors-that-influence-newsworthiness/attachment/27402.pdf

Deep dive into the history of the American Mob, the crime syndicate, La Cosa Nostra. As always thanks for listening! Please like, subscribe and follow! Questions and Comments to: [email protected] American Mafia: La Cosa Nostra ### Early 20th Century: The Foundations - **Origins:** The American Mafia, with roots in Sicilian and Italian organized crime, began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early mob activities were centered around protection rackets, gambling, and the labor and union movements. - **Prohibition Era (1920-1933):** The introduction of Prohibition provided the mob with a lucrative opportunity to engage in bootlegging, leading to a significant expansion in their operations and influence. This era saw the rise of prominent figures like Al Capone in Chicago, who became infamous for their control over illegal liquor distribution and the violence that accompanied their turf wars. ### Mid-20th Century: Expansion and Influence - **The Commission:** In 1931, to prevent internecine wars, the Mafia created The Commission, a governing body to resolve disputes and allocate territories. This helped stabilize and grow organized crime's influence in illegal and legitimate businesses. - **Post-Prohibition:** After Prohibition ended, the mob diversified into new ventures, including drug trafficking, loan sharking, gambling, and infiltration of legitimate businesses and labor unions. - **The Golden Age:** The 1950s and 1960s are often seen as the "Golden Age" of the Mafia, with its influence peaking in both illegal enterprises and legitimate businesses, including the entertainment industry and Las Vegas casinos. ### Late 20th Century: Decline and Adaptation - **Government Crackdowns:** In the 1970s and 1980s, federal and local law enforcement agencies intensified efforts to combat organized crime, utilizing new laws like the RICO Act to indict and convict high-ranking mob members. - **The Five Families:** Despite crackdowns, the Five Families of New York (Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno, and Colombo) remained powerful, though their visibility and control started to wane. ### 21st Century: Modern Era - **Adaptation:** The modern Mafia has adapted to changes in law enforcement and the economy. While traditional activities continue, there's a shift towards white-collar crimes, cybercrime, and involvement in global criminal networks. - **Reduced Influence:** Today, while still operational, the Mafia's influence is widely regarded as significantly diminished compared to its mid-20th-century peak. The rise of other organized crime groups and more effective law enforcement techniques have fragmented the traditional power of the Mafia. Travel Notes: Food: Little Italy https://www.nyctourism.com/new-york/manhattan/little-italy/ Sparks Steakhouse: place of assassination of Paul Castellano https://sparkssteakhouse.com/ Joes Pizza https://www.joespizzanyc.com/ Ivan Ramen: Best ramen in the world I'm not kidding https://www.ivanramen.com/location/clinton-st/ King of Falafel and Shawarma: https://thekingfalafel.com/ SPEAKEASY'S The Back Room: http://www.backroomnyc.com/ Please Don't Tell: https://www.pdtnyc.com/ Bathtub Gin: https://www.bathtubginnyc.com/ MUST DO: Broadway Show!: https://www.broadway.com/ The MET: https://www.metmuseum.org/ Museum of Natural History: https://www.amnh.org/?sourcenumber=50542&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtqmwBhBVEiwAL-WAYWT2wfM9mXPd7sdEObuLc6pZ-CPW8HnctgxW6_Y8ag8-VU30jdYPYRoCn68QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Harry Potter Exhibition: https://harrypotterexhibition.com/locations/new-york-city/ MUSIC The Bitter End: https://bitterend.com/ The Blue Note: NYC: https://www.bluenotejazz.com/nyc/ Mercury Lounge: https://mercuryeastpresents.com/mercurylounge/ SOURCES: https://www.history.com/topics/crime/origins-of-the-mafia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castellammarese_War Netflix: Fear City New York vs. The Mafia La Cosa Nostra: The History of the New York mafia https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Hand-American-criminal-organization https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/house-bill/3240?s=1&r=23

Please follow and review! Thank you for listening! Questions and comments to: [email protected] The Zack and Addie case is a tragic story that unfolded in New Orleans, Louisiana, with Hurricane Katrina serving as a backdrop to the events. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and causing widespread destruction and displacement. Amidst the chaos and aftermath of the hurricane, the city saw a surge in crime and social upheaval. In October 2006, the bodies of Zackery Bowen and Adriane "Addie" Hall were discovered in their apartment in the French Quarter. Bowen, a bartender, had killed Hall, his girlfriend, dismembered her body, and then jumped to his death from a hotel rooftop. The details of the case shocked the community and garnered national attention. The murder-suicide of Zack and Addie became emblematic of the post-Katrina trauma experienced by many New Orleans residents. The couple's story highlighted the strain on mental health resources, the breakdown of social support systems, and the lingering effects of the disaster on the city's residents. Travel notes starting at 1:03 Music Jazz Fest: **Note about Bourbon and Frenchman Street** Preservation Hall: Vaughans Lounge:  Bands to check out: Step aside Little Wayne! Tank and the Bangas: Big Freedia: Trombone Shorty: Visit:  The Voodoo Temple: French Quarter: Jackson Square: **mind yo pockets** Best Bars:  The Sazerac bar in the Roosevelt Hotel- The Sazerac is not only considered the official cocktail of New Orleans but is also credited as being the first American Cocktail. Originally a mix of Cognac and local bitters from druggist Antoine Amedie Peychaud. Also try the Ramos Gin Fizz Hotel Monteleone- The hotel Monteleone was purchased and expanded on by Sicilian immigrant Antonio Monteleone. Carousel bar 1949, Vieux Carre created in 1937 by Walter Bergeron (Cognac, Benedictine, Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura, and Peychaud’s Bitters.) He designed the cocktail as a tribute to the ethnic groups that made up the French Quarter. There’s sweet vermouth for the Italians, Cognac and Benedictine for the French, rye whiskey for the Americans and bitters for the Islanders of the Caribbean. Note this cocktail is 30% alcohol. Slow sip this one cause. WOW. Bar Tonique- **story about bar Tonique** Walks this amazing line between dive and cocktail bar. Super interesting clientele and amazing drinks. Restaurants:1. Cafe Du Monde:  2. Brennans: 3. Domilise: Things to do:  Ghost Tours Tour St. Louis Cemetary No. 1 Sources: “Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of Murder that Rocked New Orleans”- Ethan Brown  NBC news: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15338473 New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/09/us/nationalspecial/holdouts-on-dry-ground-say-why-leave-now.html https://www.ranker.com/list/zack-and-addie-new-orleans/patrick-thornton https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/hurricane-katrina The Butcher of New Orleans:https://youtu.be/lwIxCdL8RGM?si=deEJlGyRrEIFolzs Graveyard Love: https://vimeo.com/135476736 https://www.wdsu.com/article/woman-in-lockhart-case-interviewed-about-similar-2006-killing-1/3357764 https://wgno.com/news/local/margaret-sanchez-pleads-guilty-to-killing-jaren-lockhart/ https://www.theadvocate.com/gambit/new_orleans/news/the_latest/margaret-sanchez-pleads-guilty-in-2012-killing-of-jaren-lockhart/article_24c1bf83-b96d-533e-b6dc-040bf70877b7.html https://www.killerqueenspodcast.com/zack-bowen-and-addie-hall-part-1/ The Sazerac Bar  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sazerac-bar-new-orleans-louisiana#:~:text=The%20famous%20art%20deco%20Sazerac,America's%20first%20cocktail%2C%20the%20Sazerac. The Hotel Monteleone https://ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/hotel-monteleone/ https://www.explorelouisiana.com/culinary/recipes/vieux-carre-cocktail-recipe#:~:text=This%20eye%2Dopening%20libation%20was,French%20Quarter%20at%20the%20time.

SHOW NOTES Please Like/comment and subscribe!!! Highway to Hell- Episode 1 Nashville, TN - The Legend of the Bell Witch **Introduction** - Welcome to Highway to Hell, the show where history meets adventure. In today’s episode, we're diving into the chilling legend of the Bell Witch, a tale that has haunted Nashville, Tennessee, for centuries. Plus, stick around as we share our top travel tips for exploring the vibrant city of Nashville, from its rich history to its modern attractions. **The Legend of the Bell Witch** - The Bell Witch is one of the most famous supernatural legends in American history, centered around the Bell family in the early 19th century. We’ll explore the origins of this haunting tale, where it is said that a malevolent entity tormented John Bell and his family, leading to mysterious events that remain unexplained to this day. Travel Recap: Bars: Fox bar Pearl Diver Attaboy Restaurants: Gannons Peg Leg Porker Iberian Pig Sites: Country Music Hall of Fame National African American Museum of Music Parthenon Bands: Hayden Helms- All Good things In the world @haydenhelms No Weak Links 80s/90s rock @noweaklinks @codybennet Sheyna Gee- Country @geeis4ganster Kyndle Wylde- Soul/R&B @kyndlewylde Others: Clever Alibis- Pop Punk @cleveralibismusic Off the Beaten path Music Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar Rudy's Jazz Club The Flamingo Please send comments and new topics to [email protected] Sources: “An authenticated history of the famous bell witch”- M.V. Ingram  https://www.elizabethton.com/2020/06/05/east-tennessee-history-the-year-without-a-summer/#:~:text=People%20have%20referred%20to%201816,country%20cold%2C%20wet%20and%20miserable. https://sharetngov.tnsosfiles.com/tsla/exhibits/myth/bellwitch.htm https://www.history.com/news/african-american-slavery-marriage-family-separation https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/1816-the-year-without-summer.htm#:~:text=1816%2C%20also%20known%20as%20the,ground%20and%20the%20ocean's%20surface. https://thesouthernvoice.com/the-legend-of-the-bell-witch-and-andrew-jackson/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/2021/10/28/bell-witch-cave-haunted-sent-brave-tennessean-staffers-fleeing-1986/8544483002/