Darkly Speaking

Parts of the Appalachian mountains have been here longer than almost anything we know — hundreds of millions of years. Long before people… before the forests that cover them now… and they’ve seen a lot since. People have passed through, settled, disappeared… but the stories remain... Tonight, I’m going to walk you through a series of real-life horror stories straight from Appalachia — someone waking up to something circling their tent in the middle of the night… a voice in the woods that turns into something much worse… a haunted boarding school in Kentucky with a tragic past… and something caught on camera that no one can explain. So get comfortable… settle in… we’re stepping back into Appalachia. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

You’ve probably heard the stories—something calling your name from outside… something that looks wrong… not quite animal… not quite human. And if you’ve spent any time on the darker side of the internet, you’ve probably heard the word Skinwalker. It’s become one of the most talked-about—and most misunderstood—topics in paranormal spaces. Videos claiming to show proof of a shapeshifting cryptid. Dogs opening doors. Deer standing on their hind legs. Animals staring a little too long, like something behind their eyes is watching you back. Figures that move wrong. Voices calling out from the dark, trying to pull people closer. But if it were only that simple...  The deeper you go, the more heinous it becomes—because the reality is far darker than most people realize. This being is not a creature. Not a myth in the way people think—but a human, tied to a deeply disturbing path.  Skinwalkers are rooted in Navajo belief—referred to as yee naaldlooshii. In its original context, this topic isn’t meant to be discussed openly—so what we’re covering here only scratches the surface.  TW: This episode contains discussion of disturbing encounters, cultural beliefs involving taboo practices, and unsettling themes. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

On February 24th, 1978, five young men left Yuba City in Northern California for what should have been an ordinary night — a college basketball game, a short drive home, and plans for the next morning they had been looking forward to for weeks. But they never made it home. Days later, their car was discovered abandoned on a remote mountain road — hours away from where they should have been and headed in the opposite direction of home.  This case is often compared to the Dyatlov Pass Incident where nine hikers vanished in the northern Ural Mountains of Soviet Russia and were later discovered scattered across a frozen mountainside under mysterious circumstances. I covered that story in Episodes 16 and 17 — and the parallels between the two cases are deeply unsettling. Four of the men would eventually be found — one having survived for weeks in the trailer — while one was never recovered. Their names were Gary Mathias, Bill Sterling, Jack “Jackie” Hewitt, Ted Weiher, and Jack Madruga. Nearly five decades later, their disappearance remains one of the most disturbing and perplexing death investigations in California history — now known as The Yuba County Five. TW: This episode contains discussion of death, exposure to extreme winter conditions, starvation, and the discovery of human remains in remote wilderness. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In the early morning hours of August 2nd, 1989, the Jack family packed up and left home after Ronnie Jack accepted a job offer from a mysterious stranger earlier that day. They were last believed to be traveling along Highway 16 in northern British Columbia — a remote corridor later known as the Highway of Tears. For decades, this stretch of road has been linked to the disappearances and murders of dozens of Indigenous women and girls, many of whose cases remain unsolved. More than 35 years later, the Jack family has never been seen again, and their disappearance remains one of Canada’s most perplexing unsolved cases.  TW: This episode contains references to violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse against Native women and peoples. It also includes discussion of police mishandling of criminal investigations. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Imagine waking up inside an endless maze spanning hundreds of millions of square miles, with no clear way out. The hum of fluorescent lights fills the air at full volume. Yellowing wallpaper peels from the walls. Damp, stained carpet stretches through rooms that never seem to end. Spaces once meant for people — offices, hallways, waiting rooms — now stripped of purpose and abandoned. A place where escape feels impossible, and entities are said to move just beyond your line of sight. And yet, it feels familiar. Like you’ve been here before. In 2019, a single image of a liminal office space began circulating online, giving a name to a concept that felt instantly recognizable and spawning an entire genre of modern horror. But the idea itself didn’t begin there. Versions of it have existed in people’s subconscious for decades. Some dismiss it as fiction. Others see it as psychological. And some point to real-life experiences that feel eerily similar — moments of disorientation, repetition, and being trapped somewhere that shouldn’t exist. Movie. Video game. Creepypasta. Fever dream. Purgatory. Or something closer to reality than anyone wants to admit — because some real-world stories sound disturbingly similar. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In January 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted in broad daylight while riding her bike near her grandparents' home in Arlington, Texas. A witness saw a man force her into a pickup truck. The vehicle was distinctive. The description was clear. What didn’t exist was a way to alert the public—fast enough, wide enough, or urgently enough to make a difference. Amber was held for two days before her body was discovered, and her murder remains unsolved. In the aftermath, her family and community were left grappling with a devastating question: what if the information had reached the public in time? That question exposed deep failures in how the country handled child abductions—and became the catalyst for change, revealing the need for a coordinated, immediate response when a child is taken. Amber’s name became the foundation of the AMBER Alert system—a nationwide tool designed to mobilize communities in real time. But before the alert, there was Amber. And this is her story... TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. ---  According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, as of December 2025, 1,292 children have been safely recovered as a direct result of AMBER Alerts and the public response they trigger. But not every alert ends with a resolution. While many cases are resolved within hours, some children featured in AMBER Alerts are still missing, and their families continue searching for answers. To learn about active alerts and view the full list of children who remain missing after an AMBER Alert, visit: https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/amber Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

We’re back in the wilderness of Vermont’s Bennington Triangle — a stretch of land tied to murders, disappearances, and stories that refuse to stay buried. In this chilling Part Two, we step into the other side of the story. The darker side of the Appalachian Mountains. Tonight, we dig into what surrounds the vanishings. Over the years, this region has been linked to murders, strange lights in the sky, UFO sightings, and encounters with something large moving through the woods — what became known as the Bennington Monster. Stories of time slipping. Of people losing their bearings. Of reality feeling unreliable once you cross a certain point. This episode also returns to the disappearances from Part One, breaking them down piece by piece. The terrain. The timelines. The details that never quite line up. Trying to understand how people could vanish the way they did — and why every explanation seems to fall apart. We end with the story of Robert Singley, an experienced hiker who became lost during his descent near Glastenbury Mountain when heavy fog rolled in. After a night spent disoriented in the woods — marked by unsettling bone discoveries and a growing sense that he wasn’t alone — he emerged miles from where he should have been. How does someone descend one mountain and wake up on top of another, miles away? Disappearances aren’t the only thing haunting these woods. The Bennington Triangle leaves room for it all...  And the harder you try to understand this place, the less sense it makes. Have ghost stories of your own? E-mail them to me at [email protected] Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

There's a haunting place in the Appalachian mountains associated with unexplained vanishings, violent deaths, and phenomena that refuse easy explanation. A region tied to stories of people disappearing without a trace, of murders that left more questions than answers, and of events that seem to bend time, space, and logic itself. Over the years, this landscape has become associated with accounts of time slips, interdimensional portals, strange lights moving across the sky, UFO sightings, and encounters with something large and humanoid moving through the forest. Some describe it as a place where reality feels unstable. Others see it as a convergence point — a stretch of land where stories accumulate because ordinary explanations fail to hold. There is simply too much history, too many cases, and too many layers to unpack in a single episode. So this story unfolds in two parts. In Part One, we begin where it all starts. With the land itself. We’ll look at the history of the region, the Indigenous knowledge that shaped how this place was understood long before it was named, and the series of unexplained disappearances that eventually drew national attention and gave the area its identity. In Part Two, we cross into the other side of the story. The phenomena that gathered around this landscape over time. The theories, sightings, and explanations people reach for when conventional answers fall short — when something about this place feels fundamentally off. So lace up your hiking boots and grab your parka. We’re heading into the vast wilderness of southwestern Vermont. Into the dense, cold forests of the Bennington Triangle. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

You know the line — There’ll be parties for hosting Marshmallows for toasting And caroling out in the snow There’ll be scary ghost stories And tales of the glories Of Christmases long, long ago. This is one of those stories... The Signalman is a gothic short story by Charles Dickens that centers on an isolated railway worker who becomes convinced he is being warned of coming disasters by a ghostly figure that appears before fatal accidents. Each warning arrives too late to prevent tragedy, and the danger no longer feels distant. First published in 1866, the story is told through the perspective of a narrator who forms a cautious friendship with the troubled signalman, approaching his claims with rational doubt before gradually confronting the possibility that something supernatural may be at work. Shaped in part by real railway disasters of the era, The Signal-Man explores isolation, inevitability, and the fragile boundary between reason and the unknown. Enjoy this rendition of Dickens’ classic Christmas ghost story, and happy holidays! Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern Spooky Winter Book Recs: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney The Family Game by Catherine Steadman Near The Bone by Christina Henry Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Christmas has another history...  Before Santa, the season was shaped by pagan winter traditions and folklore filled with punishment and fear.  From belly-slitting witches said to roam during the winter solstice to a demonic beast who dragged sinners to hell, the season was once ruled by things far less holy.  So get cozy and settle in because because we're going back.. To the Darker version of Christmas past.  Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern Spooky Winter Book Recs: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney The Family Game by Catherine Steadman Near The Bone by Christina Henry Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Five days before Christmas in 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews returned to her home in Greely Colorado after a school concert and vanished without a trace. No forced entry. No struggle. Just footprints in the snow behind the Matthews home.  Her disappearance quickly gained national attention, becoming one of the first cases featured in the milk carton campaign. And for nearly four decades, the investigation remained frozen, shaped by shifting stories and stalled leads. That is, until nearly 35 years later, when Jonelle’s remains were discovered more than 20 miles from her home. And all signs pointed to a man whose involvement only grew stranger as he continued placing himself in the center of the investigation long before anyone suspected him. TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Have a terrifying story or strange encounter? I'd love to hear it! Please send your spooky scary stories to [email protected] ⸻ Winter has a way of hiding things — until they step out of the dark right in front of you. In this episode, we’re walking through five chilling encounters that took place in the dead of winter. Footprints in the snow from an unwanted guest, strangers emerging out of the darkness on a frozen mountain pass, a pale ghost boy’s staring from hospital room 9, an unsettling midnight offering deep along the Appalachian Trail, and a creature on the highway that defies anything you’d expect to see on the road. These aren’t just odd moments or tricks of the light — they’re the kind of winter encounters that leave you questioning what you saw… and who, or what, might’ve been watching you back. Bundle up. Because these stories are anything but a silent night. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern Spooky Winter Book Recs: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney The Family Game by Catherine Steadman Near The Bone by Christina Henry Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In February 2018, 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka left a house party in Sun Peaks and began the short walk toward home. A route that should have taken just a few minutes. Ryan never made it home. Instead, his final movements remain frozen in time. Search crews pushed through deep snow and subzero temperatures. Volunteers returned week after week. Helicopters and ground teams covered every direction the terrain allowed. No footprints. No belongings. No confirmed trace. The trail turned cold almost immediately. Seven years later, the case sits at a standstill — suspended between what is known and what has never surfaced. Does someone know something… or does nobody know anything at all? Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

Weeks after the Dyatlov group’s final journal entries, search teams reached the site. The scene didn’t line up with a simple hiking accident: a tent sliced from the inside, barefoot tracks in the snow, and bodies found under injuries and circumstances no single theory could fully explain. In Part 2 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we break down the search, the recoveries, the injuries, and the theories — from avalanche to military involvement — and examine why none of them fully explain what happened on that mountain. TW: This episode contains discussion of death, hypothermia, trauma, and graphic forensic details. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

January 1959 — nine hikers set out into the frozen Ural Mountains. Experienced, prepared, and full of life. Days later, their tent was found ripped open from the inside. Their gear abandoned. Their bodies scattered across the snow. What happened on that mountainside has haunted investigators and historians for more than sixty years. In Part 1 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we retrace the group’s final days through their recovered journals, photographs, and official reports—following their footsteps into one of the most chilling mysteries of the 20th century. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

In the summer of 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff vanished from Nome, Alaska. When her body was discovered days later, the truth that surfaced would devastate the small town and force a reckoning with its own police force. As investigators closed in, they uncovered a betrayal that went far deeper than anyone imagined — one that exposed years of neglect and mistrust between Nome’s authorities and Alaska Native women, a crisis that still haunts Alaska today. TW: This episode contains references to violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse against Alaska Native women. It also includes discussion of police misconduct, murder, and the mishandling of criminal investigations. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

Legend has it, if you stand in a dark room with a mirror and say her name three times… she’ll show herself. Maybe she’ll whisper. Maybe she’ll crawl right out and drag you with her. So go on. Let’s play. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. The story has been passed down for generations — a sleepover dare turned ritual, stitched together from fear, history, and something much older than either. But who — or what — are we really summoning? Some say she was a witch. Some say a queen bathed in blood. Others say she was just a woman — punished, twisted, and remembered as a warning. In this episode, we step through the mirror to uncover the truth behind the legend — the women who became her, the science that explains her reflection, and the meaning buried beneath the myth. Because this isn’t just a story about a ghost. It’s about reflection. Transformation. Power. And what happens when we stop running from the things that terrify us — and face them head on. The vanity. The blood. The becoming. And the moment you realize the mirror was never haunted at all. It was just waiting for you to look back. TW: This episode contains references to folklore violence, blood, historical execution, and the persecution of women accused of witchcraft. It also includes discussion of body imagery, menstruation symbolism, and psychological horror themes. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

Before The Conjuring Universe, there were the real stories — and the real consequences. In 1974, the quiet town of Amityville became ground zero for one of the most infamous hauntings in the world. Six members of the DeFeo family were murdered inside their home, and when the Lutz family moved in, they claimed something inhuman remained. Voices whispered. Walls bled. Crosses turned upside down. The Warrens arrived with faith and cameras, determined to prove evil was real. But behind the fame that followed came something else — suspicion, profit, and a growing question about where belief ended and justice began. Seven years later, another case would push them to the edge. In 1981, 19-year-old Arne Johnson stabbed his landlord to death — and claimed he was possessed by a demon that had once plagued an eleven-year-old boy. It became the first U.S. murder trial to argue demonic possession as a defense. And for the first time in American history… The Devil stood trial. The Warrens stood by Arne, risking their credibility — and perhaps their conscience — to defend what they called the Devil’s truth. The Church refused to sanction the exorcism. The court refused to acknowledge the supernatural. And the world was left wondering whether the Warrens were fighting for salvation… or selling it. From the haunted rooms of Amityville to the chaos of Brookfield, this episode exposes not just the stories that made the Warrens famous — but the ones that made them infamous. The moral questions, the contradictions, and the thin line between conviction and corruption. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

If you see something… no, you didn’t. If you hear something… no... you didn’t...   These are just a few of the unspoken rules of the Appalachian Mountains — a place where the forest doesn’t just breathe, it listens. Stretching more than two thousand miles across the eastern United States and beyond, the Appalachian Trail cuts straight through the heart of some of the oldest — and most haunted — land on Earth. These mountains have swallowed more souls than history dares to count, and some say they never let go. In this episode, we’ll follow the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains — from the mysterious disappearances of Dennis Martin and Trenny Gibson to the chilling legends whispered in their wake. Stories of what might still move beneath the earth… and what feeds above it. So if you’re curious enough to brave the trail with me, we have to tread carefully. Because if you stray too far from the path, yours might be the next story they tell.   Out here, there are rules: Respect the land. Never stray from the marked path. Never whistle in the woods. Never look too long into the tree line. Never stay out past dark. And whatever you do — don’t answer when something calls your name.    If you see something… no, you didn’t. If you hear something… no... you didn’t...   Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

For months, Frank Bowen’s daughters were convinced something was wrong inside their Pepperell, Massachusetts home. They heard footsteps where no one should have been, objects moved on their own, and an uneasiness settled over the house that no amount of logic could shake. Frank dismissed it as imagination — until one winter night in December 1986, the unimaginable happened. An intruder emerged from the dark and took the Bowen family hostage inside their own home. When police arrived, the truth stunned everyone — the intruder wasn’t a stranger from far away, but a sixteen-year-old local boy named Daniel LaPlante, a resident of Elm Street in nearby Townsend, Massachusetts. The Bowens survived that night, but the community couldn’t shake the story — the boy who had lived inside someone’s home, watching and tormenting them from the dark. After his arrest, LaPlante was released on bail, and for a brief moment, it seemed like the nightmare had ended. But what no one realized then was that the horrors had only just begun. Over the following year, Daniel’s behavior would spiral into something far more sinister. His childhood trauma, isolation, and fixation on control would manifest in unthinkable ways. And by the next winter, another family — the Gustafsons — would pay the ultimate price. TW: This episode includes disturbing content related to child abuse, psychological trauma, home invasion, hostage situations, and the murders of a mother and her two children. It also references stalking, sexual assault, and violent criminal behavior involving minors. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

As October approaches, so does Domestic Violence Awareness Month — a time to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the warning signs too often ignored. Few cases embody that tragedy more than the Powell family. In December 2009, Susan Powell vanished from her Utah home. Her husband, Josh, claimed she simply disappeared during a midnight camping trip with their two young boys. But as investigators dug deeper, disturbing secrets within the Powell family surfaced: Josh’s controlling behavior, his father Steven’s obsessions, and a home filled with tension and fear. The nightmare didn’t end with Susan’s disappearance. Three years later, Josh carried out an unthinkable act of violence against their sons, Charlie and Braden, in a horrific ending that shocked the nation. This episode examines Susan’s disappearance, the devastating loss of her children, and the unanswered questions that still linger. Through it all, her parents — the Cox family — continue to fight for justice, and to ensure Susan, Charlie, and Braden are never forgotten. TW: This episode includes disturbing content related to domestic violence, child abuse, child pornography, family annihilation, and the murders of Susan Powell and her two sons. It also includes references to stalking, coercive control, and disturbing criminal behavior.Listener discretion is strongly advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

In September 2006, 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart was house-sitting for her aunt and uncle in Pocatello, Idaho. She was responsible, kind, and trusted — but what should have been a quiet weekend became a nightmare that no one could have imagined. Two of Cassie’s classmates were obsessed with the movie Scream — the 1996 slasher film known for its masked killer who stalks and murders teenagers in their homes. For most, it was entertainment. A cult classic that shaped horror for a new generation. But for two high school classmates in Pocatello, Idaho, Scream became an obsession. And in 2006, they set out to bring it to life.  That night, Cassie was brutally murdered in the place where she should have been safe. The crime devastated her family and sent shockwaves through the community. This episode focuses on Cassie’s case: the betrayal she faced, the chilling recordings left behind, and the lasting impact of a murder driven by a horror obsession. TW: This episode contains disturbing material, including explicit details of a violent crime, audio and video footage created by the perpetrators, references to mass shootings, and discussions of premeditated violence. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  

Have you ever heard someone you love call your name… only to realize they couldn’t have? Or seen a familiar figure standing in the room… when you knew they weren’t home? That’s the terror of mimics — entities that steal voices, faces, and movements to pass as the people we trust most. In this episode, I uncover chilling reports and folklore of the uncanny. Voices luring people into the woods. Loved ones seen in two places at once. Figures that breathe and speak like us — until they vanish. These aren’t just stories; they’re encounters that strike at something universal: the fear that what feels familiar is suddenly wrong. We’ll explore the different forms of mimicry — from doppelgängers said to foreshadow death, to Appalachian fleshgaits that stalk the living with stolen voices. And we’ll confront the uncanny valley itself — that unsettling space where something looks human… but isn’t, and where the thing wearing your loved one’s face might not have human intentions at all. Because if it wasn’t really them — then who, or what, was it? Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In August 1995, six-year-old Rosie Tapia was taken from her Salt Lake City home in the middle of the night. By morning, she was found murdered in a nearby canal. This past August marked the 30th anniversary of Rosie’s death — a case that remains one of Utah’s most haunting mysteries, a story of innocence stolen and justice delayed. Over the years, the investigation has twisted through rumors, overlooked leads, and heartbreaking dead ends. Rosie’s family — especially her mother, Lewine — has never stopped fighting for answers. And now, three decades later, there is renewed hope. On August 25, 2025 — just two weeks before this episode’s release — Salt Lake City police announced a fresh appeal to the public. Detectives are actively seeking two men who may hold critical information about Rosie’s abduction and death, and advances in forensic genealogy have given the case new direction. In this episode, I walk through Rosie’s story from the night she vanished to the most recent developments in 2025, examining the investigation’s failures, the resilience of her family, and the community’s ongoing search for the truth. If you have any information about the kidnapping and murder of Rosie Tapia, please call 801-799-3000 or submit an anonymous tip through the CityProtect App, referencing case number 95-119190. TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Leaving San Pedro should have ended Jackie Hernandez’s nightmare. But when she relocated to Weldon, California, the haunting came with her — and soon began targeting not only Jackie, but the very investigators who tried to help her. As the phenomena spread, the case took on a darker edge. Attacks followed the team beyond Jackie’s home, and a real-life murder mystery in San Pedro raised unsettling questions about whether the haunting was tied to something far more sinister. In Part 2 of this series, we follow the story as it moves beyond San Pedro, blurring the line between paranormal terror and true crime — and cementing its place as one of the most disturbing cases in American haunting history. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In 1989, Jackie Hernandez moved into a modest bungalow in San Pedro, California — and soon found herself living inside one of America’s most violent hauntings. Cold spots and pounding in the walls gave way to something far darker: objects hurled across rooms, shadowy figures, and attacks that left Jackie and those around her shaken to the core. What began in that small house on West 11th Street would draw neighbors, investigators, and even a film crew — becoming one of the most infamous cases in American paranormal history. In Part 1, we explore Jackie’s background, the history of San Pedro, and the chilling first signs of the haunting that would consume her life. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

On August 2, 2006, attorney Robert Wone was found dead inside a townhouse on Swann Street in Washington, D.C. What should have been a straightforward case quickly unraveled into one of the most perplexing unsolved murders in modern true crime. Robert had spent the evening with friends and colleagues before heading to the home of three men he trusted. Within hours, he was discovered with multiple stab wounds — yet there were no signs of forced entry, no defensive wounds, and almost no trace of blood where he was attacked. Investigators quickly realized that the crime scene appeared staged, and the timeline presented by the men inside the home didn’t make sense. Despite years of legal battles, shifting testimonies, and intense public scrutiny, no one has ever been convicted of Robert’s murder. Instead, his death remains shrouded in secrecy, leaving behind only questions: Why was Robert targeted? What really happened inside that townhouse? And how has this case remained unresolved for nearly two decades? In this episode, I break down Robert’s final hours, the investigation that followed, and the haunting details that continue to disturb both investigators and the public to this day. TW: This episode includes discussion of violent crime and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

June 13, 1977 — the first night of summer camp at Camp Scott in Mayes County, Oklahoma should have been filled with campfire songs and laughter. Instead, the bodies of three young Girl Scouts — Lori Farmer, Michelle Guse, and Denise Milner — were discovered near their tent. The shocking crime set off one of the largest manhunts in Oklahoma history, leading to the arrest of fugitive Gene Leroy Hart. But despite national attention and a highly publicized trial, Hart was acquitted — and the murders remain officially unsolved nearly 50 years later. In this episode, we revisit the events of that night, the investigation that followed, and the lingering questions surrounding one of America’s most haunting cold cases. TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Imagine a quiet evening at home. The TV’s on. The lights are low. Then — a knock at the door. You’re not expecting anyone. And when you check, two kids are standing outside. Heads down. No expression. Voices flat.  They ask to come in. Say they need to use the phone. Every part of you says not to open the door. Then they look up — and their eyes are completely black. That’s how these stories begin. And if you think they only happen at night — or only at your doorstep — think again. In this episode, we’re digging into the strange and terrifying encounters with the Black-Eyed Children — stories spanning decades, continents, and settings. The details rarely change. Something about their presence feels wrong from the start — but it’s the eyes that stop people cold. Solid black. Unnatural. And after that, nothing feels the same. We’ll explore the theories, cultural parallels, possible explanations…. And what happens when you let them in.   Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! YouTube ⁠Spotify Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

In the premiere episode of Darkly Speaking, we’re diving into the mysterious death of Elisa Lam — a case that captivated the internet and continues to raise questions more than a decade later. In 2013, 21-year-old Elisa checked into the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles — a building with a long, disturbing history of violence, tragedy, and unexplained events. But shortly after arriving, she vanished. What followed was a chilling sequence of events: unsettling elevator footage that showed Elisa acting strangely, a rooftop water tank, and a discovery that sparked worldwide speculation. Her death was ruled accidental. But between the contradictions in the timeline, the bizarre behavior caught on tape, and the hotel’s dark reputation — many believe there’s more to the story. Was it a mental health crisis? A tragic coincidence? Or did something far stranger unfold within the walls of the Cecil Hotel? We’re breaking down the timeline, the theories, and the disturbing details that still don’t sit right. TW: This episode includes discussion of mental illness, death, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern ⸻ 🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤 Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge. Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravelings to encounters with the unexplained. Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place. Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into. Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird. ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts! ⁠ Apple Podcasts ⁠ ⸻ 📲 CONNECT WITH US: ⁠YouTube ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠TikTok ⁠ ⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!) Email us your stories! → [email protected] ⸻ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated. Copyright Disclaimer: Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

Welcome to the Dark Side! Introducing a very dark true crime and paranormal podcast, Darkly Speaking. Host, Alex Kern takes you beyond headlines and horror tropes into the darkest corners of our reality—where every mystery is real to someone.  From unsolved disappearances and infamous murders to whispered legends and the paranormal, each episode unpacks the unsettling with immersive storytelling, psychological insight, and a fearless curiosity. These stories aren’t just about what happened… but why we can’t look away.  Some questions don’t come with answers. That’s where Darkly Speaking begins.  Starting August 4th, new episodes drop weekly on Spotify, Apple podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts!  Subscribe for free now!  Website - Darklyspeakingpodcast.com YouTube - https://youtube.com/@darklyspeakingpodcast?si=vbZiu0coZr8LEN-I Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/darklyspeakingpodcast/ TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@darklyspeakingpodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578764991468