Let's Talk About The Facts: Recent Episodes
Elizabeth Furrey
On Christmas Eve 2006, an angry man took the lives of many people at the Christmas party at his former in-law's house while wearing a Santa suit and carrying a package to disguise his weapons. Listen in as guest Nate Ruegger weighs in on what went on to lead up to this night, the tragic deaths of the party-goers, and the aftermath.
Season 3 is still alive and kicking! Grab the tissues as we jump into a story where every single turn could have been avoided and countless lives could have been saved, but to save money, people were viewed as a useless commodity.
To lighten the heaviness that we bring you, we follow up with a personal anecdote from our guest, Rhona, about how her neighbor set their house on fire and her immediate response.
Special appearances and huffs by Amie the Dog.
We welcome in Season 3 with a re-release of last year's spooky season fave, our 10 Urban Legends discussed and debunked. With guest Kelly Larson, we patchworked ten stories together and discussed if there was a basis in reality or a total fabrication of overactive imaginations. Did we make this a game? Of course! Join in and see if you can get 10/10!
Tweet us @talkabtfacts and maybe we'll send out #hauntedornaunted stickers this time!
This week, Elizabeth and Nate discuss the case that inspired the film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Is it a mystery, or is it a clear misuse of power?
Stay tuned after the story if you're a Disney fan! We went to Disney, and it was Elizabeth's first trip! Accompanied by Nate + many other pod guests, we braved the park and we talk about our exciting adventure! Tweet us what your favorite ride/experience is!
This week, Elizabeth tells yet another Arkansan tale of unsolved proportions, the Boys on the Tracks. Yanked from the 1980s archives, this story takes twists and turns from potential CIA involvement to police cover up. Whatever truly happened it still unknown. Nate Ruegger joins us all once again to find out what we know so far about this 30+ year old cold case.
Nate Ruegger is back again, and this time presents a case of Japanese confectionary confusion that only the 1980s can give! Get ready for the twists and turns, the ups and downs, the zigs and zags, told only in the way that Nate can tell, as we buckle up for safety on this absolutely bizarre and unprecedented case from the unsolved archives in the Japanese police history.
Get ready for the most chaotic storytelling yet! Shea Fairaday joins to talk about the Texarkana Moonlight Murders after an accidental hiatus of the LTATF team. Never caught, the Moonlight Murders were the source of many pop culture inspiration, but let's talk about the madness behind the media!
When did Nelson Mandela die? What in the Beren-sh*t is it? What do you mean there's news about the Lindbergh baby?
Play along with Von and myself to see if you've fallen victim to one of the many common misconceptions, or if you're on the theory of an alternate universe, examples that there is a glitch in the Matrix!
Have you ever found yourself afraid of a toy, or looking at something lifelike for too long, thinking it blinked? Or having you seen the films of the Annabelle series or Child's Play?
Well, today I bring to you, and our barely willing guest Von, the true stories behind them, the real Annabelle doll and the 117 year old OG doll of crime, Robert the Doll.
Do you believe in ghost stories and haunted dolls? Whether or not you do, these stories might make you think twice before looking at the uncanny valley as just somewhat of a phenomenon, or perhaps we're biologically predisposed to fear things that look like us. But the question is- why?
If you've got an opinion either way, let us know! Tweet us @talkabtfacts and tell us what you think!
In 1996, Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old Stockton, CA native and freshman at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She would last be seen walking home from a party then vanish entire. The decades-long case captivated the nation, and has received renewed interest with the 2021 arrest of a suspect, Paul Flores and his father, Ruben. Paul Flores was a person of interest from practically day one, but perhaps worst of all - the campus police did not believe the reports of Kristin missing for so long, valuable evidence was not only lost, but essentially scrubbed away.
On one edge of Madison Square in Savannah, GA sits one of its finest – and most infamous – Southern architectural achievements – The Sorrel Weed House. The amber-colored home is shaped in a Greek revival aesthetic has evoked strong feelings in locals and tourists alike for decades in Savannah’s Historic District. Those emotions are largely rooted in the rumored supernatural events, and confirmed historical ones, that have given Sorrel-Weed House it’s air of mystery.
It may seem like a dated cliché now, but the idea behind putting missing children on milk cartons was a huge advancement in how the United States finds missing and exploited children. This tactic was a stepping stone to laws like Amber Alerts and photos in newspaper ads. Etan Patz’s disappearance was ultimately solved, but still left many questions around the guilt of his convicted killer. Adam Walsh was abducted from a Sears department store and later found murdered, but there are still questions around whether or not the killer has been caught.
What are do you think?
An Australian family of five mysteriously disappeared during a tech-free road-trip in the Australian outback in 2016. Even stranger is that the family members turned up one-by-one after a week-long journey of more than 1,600km (995 miles). The spellbinding mystery that captivated Australia culminated with a police investigation and two of them placed in psychiatric care.
Join Tilly & Susan Bridges as they journey with me into the world of the 1970s & 80s in Dallas, Texas... where a cult formed by a woman best known as Terri Hoffman would have unbelievable deaths circulating around around her before long.
Conscious Development of Body, Mind, and Soul was Terri's brain child, but when members were either too close or ready to leave... you'd better tune in to hear what happens.
In 1976, skeletal remains are found inside of a canoe of a photographer who resided in the Grand Canyon for over 50 years. The question is, did these remains have anything to do with the disappearance of a couple that stopped by the photographer's studio during their honeymoon in the late 1920s? Join us for a unique story-ception, a story within a story, as recommended by one of our faithful listeners!
Skylar Presents: An (alleged) Alien Abduction from 1961 to an unaware Elizabeth. What the collective conscious knows to be the shape and form of an "extraterrestrial" comes from the account of Barney and Betty Hill.
Take a listen, and let us know what you think! Skylar presents a great theory, but Elizabeth isn't willing to buy it. Where do you sit?
And next week, we'll find out if our resident alien expert/avoidant Von weighs in on this "butter crisis" Skylar mentions at the top of the episode.
This week, take a look at the 1867 story of the Mary Celeste and what happened to her missing crew. I can tell you where the Mary Celeste came from, how she came to be in the middle of the Atlantic, and who hauled her into shore once found abandoned... but only you can decide for yourself which of these many theories could be the most plausible, or if there is something else that could explain this over 150 year old mystery.
[NOTE: This is Part Two to The Robin Hood Hills Murders (Part One) Episode. For a complete story, make sure to listen to it first before this.]
Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelly are behind bars for a crime that has no physical evidence tying them to it. Rachael Hip-Flores joins me as we go through 1999-2011, then the case as it stands today.
Justice one day will be served.
A sample of what the Patreon will be offering, I interview Rachael Hip-Flores before we record Part Two of our two-part series on the West Memphis three. As Rachael had no knowledge of the case, we discussed her thoughts and feelings after having taken some time to digest her initial feelings, and how she feels about the upcoming information she'd soon learn.
Episodes like this and more will become available on the Patreon! Smaller cases, oddities, and interesting but short stories will be posted, but also interviews with our guests about how they feel after learning about stories they hadn't heard of.
Find us at http://patreon.com/talkabtfacts
And we're back! Season 2 premiere with the first of the West Memphis 3 & The Forgotten West Memphis 3 episodes deep diving into the case, the trials, and the aftermath, but also how a killer could still be on the loose after all this time.
Part One discusses the murders of 3 young boys (content warning) and the following criminal trials of three teenagers immediately accused of Satanic activity with no evidence to support it.
Mitrice Richardson was a young, twenty-four year old Black woman who had one fateful encounter with the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station that would result in her disappearance and untimely death. Every single event could have prevented. Defunding the Police has been on many of our minds, and with that comes considering how that could have benefitted with the spreading of responsibility.
The end of 2020 brought to light the case of Brandon Bernard, a man who was sentenced to death at just eighteen years old. Skylar Ezell joins to tell the story of the original crime, the updates, and we discuss the disparities of "punishment" in the judicial system. Justice is not blind, and as we say goodbye to 2020 forever, we should say goodbye to "normal" as before. The new normal is coming, and change is imminent.
Raw and uncut, the same bunch from Part One discuss their thoughts on the "top suspects" of the media and police, then discuss the culture of surrounding child abduction, targeting of girls and young women, and what we can do to challenge the failing process of putting blame on victims and instead enforcing public safety knowledge regardless of gender or sexual identity. Also, Justin turns into a Robot for a while.
This year, we're finishing off Christmas Chrimes with the good ol' classic, Jonbenét Ramsey. On our very first panel episode, veterans Rachael Hip-Flores and Kelly Larson are joined with newcomer Justin Plasket to listen to the facts of the chrime, ask questions, and process the information now as adults as the four of us are either the same age or close to that of the young American pageant queen. However, next week we'll discuss suspects, theories, and how growing up through sensationalized child abduction and murder shapes our views on this case, but also how we see the world today.
For Holiday Fun, Elizabeth brings on Facts veteran Kelly Larson to discuss some Christmas Chrimes across the United States, having Kelly try to guess what state some of these wacky misadventures happened in. Come join and see if you can figure out if you can beat Kelly's score!
Today we venture into one of the scariest unsolved Christmas Chrimes from 1945, the unsolved case of the 5 Sodder Children who may or may not have perished in a house fire. I discuss the story with West Virginia native, JJ, who has never heard it before. We come to a conclusion which is all to common today, but we're interested to hear what you all may think! Tweet us!
This is our fourth Native American Heritage month episode, as promised! Nick joins today as we discuss the true and actual history of the Trail of Tears, what is taught in school, and the reality of what is happening in Native communities today.
Don't let high school history books teach you that Native American heroes are relegated to the 1700s-1800s. Native Americans have affected foundational society for many, many years, but as a collective society, we can't pull their names out of our memory. We know why, but that's no excuse not to take the time and celebrate amazing heroes who have accomplished incredible things WITHIN THIS CENTURY.
Leslie Grant joins as my guest, and we want you to come along on this journey of discovering heroes we should have known about all along!
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women is an epidemic across the United States and Canada. In Canada, it's even considered a genocide. So far, this violation of human rights is flying under the radar of mass media, so it is time to make some noise. Kelly Larson joins to discuss two cases, one solved and one not, as we commit to continue to make noise for this cause. Learn more and donate at https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/
One of the American school system's best kept secrets is how the state of Hawaii joined the union. Did you know that it was originally a sovereign kingdom? Join VonDexter Montegut II in learning about the incredible Last Queen of Hawai'i and, as he phrased, "This Anthology of Caucasity."
The last episode of Spooky Season and just before the 2020 Election... I felt like it was important to hit something critical in American - Criminal Justice Reform. Along with one of the most haunted prisons in the United States, Rachael Hip-Flores joins me to discuss how far we haven't come in almost two hundred years in treating inmates, and how important it is this election to make sure we really take a close look at who is running.
With Gia and my trusty dog Amy on board, we dive into Circleville, Ohio where an anonymous letter writer lead to a death, the possibly wrongful imprisonment of an innocent man, and fear-mongering that plagued a city for at least two decades. Join us, and perhaps you could help US share some conjecture about this unsolved mystery!
Kelly Larson is back again, and welcome to our very first Patchwork Episode! Today we present ten urban legends and see if there is a basis in reality that they stem from, or if they are a total fabrication of overactive imaginations. Join the game and see if you can get 10/10!
This week, we head down to Mexico and discuss one of their creepiest locations. How did it come to be, and why is it still there?
Was this a labor of love, or was the inhabitant of the island keeping spirits at bay?
2,200 dolls hang on the Island of the Dolls. Tune in as Kelly and I discuss the possibilities of how this island came to be, and what more there is to learn about this part of Mexico City's history.
Content Warning: Suicide
The Cecil Hotel is often referred to as one of the most haunted hotels in America. This week, Nate Ruegger joins to discuss the very interested history of the known deaths within the walls of the Cecil, the area surrounding, and the famous tenants that have walked the halls.
Nate and I decide whether or not the Cecil is haunted or if it has had an unlucky domino fall of fate.
Addison Peacock from the Cryptid Keeper (and many other podcast) joins in to hear about the Sallie House, one of the many America's most haunted houses. Join in the wild antics of "Sallie" and plausible theories into what makes this house so terrifying, but don't forget those skepticles!
Francois the Great from Luminary Sounds joins me today to tell the story of Jam Master Jay and the absolutely undeniable legacy he left on the music industry. Though Jam Master Jay's murder has been unsolved since 2002, recent developments have happened and indictments have been served. Join us as we jump into the story, pose theories, and talk about the profound art that Jam Master Jay and Run-D.M.C. produced.
Put on those tin foil hats, because I'm taking Von on an alien abduction! We talk about the story of a 1975 alien abduction, the known facts surrounding, and read quotes from the abductee himself!
I hope that tin foil hat is ready for fun!
Tinseltown's own murder mansion turned time capsule is a story of local legend. After laying dormant for over sixty years, this strange house has its own story to tell, and we'll dive into all of the details as Alex joins the windy roads and finds out exactly when Spaghettios debuted!
Alex and Von join me as we investigate the death of Andre Jones in a Mississippi jail after being questionably arrested, which is only one of many cases that make up a nearly six year period of unresolved deaths by hanging labeled as suicides.
Andre Jones was a young Black man who was on his way to take his girlfriend home after visiting his parents, and a "routine" traffic stop would send his life out of control. We discuss the events leading up, the fall out, and what has happened as far as we know. Join us to learn more about police brutality in the South in the early 90s, and how it continues to devastate society today.
This week, we venture into a favorite category of many: conspiracy theories! A skeleton in the woods, found by young school boys. Could she have been a German spy, the victim of a ritual, or just an unfortunate woman who someone wanted gone? Who is “Bella” from inside of the Wych-Elm?
We're kicking off the podcast with a 25 year old cold case! A young girl disappears at a ball park in Arkansas. I discuss those facts and the possible leads, Stranger Danger, and more with the most delightful guest, Alex Brown!