Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we’re covering the incredible case of Margot Freshwater- a woman given a 99 year sentence for murder in 1969. But just 18 months into her sentence, she escaped. Decades passed by, and everyone assumed she had likely died while on the run- she was even declared legally dead. However, in the spring of 2002, 32 years after he escape, Margot was found living under an assumed identity in the very same town she’d grown up in.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.BedJetEnd sleepless nights with the world's #1 best-selling cooling & warming sleep system for bedsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn 1990, 21 year old UCLA student Ronald Steven Baker's body was found in a train tunnel near the Manson Family's infamous Spahn Ranch near Los Angeles. His murder was initially believed to be occult related, but investigators would soon discover Ron's death was the result of a botched kidnapping plan carried out by his own roommates. (Subject Matter Begins @ 7:05) Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.BedJetEnd sleepless nights with the world's #1 best-selling cooling & warming sleep system for bedsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailFrom 1976 to 1986, three women were found murdered and dismembered in Oklahoma City. To this day, no one knows exactly who their killer was, but he has since become known as the Oklahoma City Butcher. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.BedJetEnd sleepless nights with the world's #1 best-selling cooling & warming sleep system for bedsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we cover the mystery of the I-70 Killer- an unidentified man who murdered half a dozen people across several states during a 2 month period in 1992. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.BedJetEnd sleepless nights with the world's #1 best-selling cooling & warming sleep system for bedsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary "The Crash", and also do a brief synopsis of the case for those not familiar. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we examine the 1995 disappearance of 62 year wealthy socialite Jackie Levitz, who vanished from Vicksburg, Mississippi just weeks after moving there. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover a few amazing events that have happened during passenger flights, from a boy stowing away in the plane's wheel well, to a passenger quite literally coming back from the dead. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhen it comes to mobsters and organized crime in the 1920s and 30s, you probably think of cities like New York and Chicago, and gangsters like Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Lucky Luciano. But what if I told you that during that same period there was also an expansive criminal network made up of mobsters every bit as cunning and ruthless, not in the American Midwest or northeast, but in Sydney, Australia. Based on their affinity for carving each other up, this became known as the “razor gang” era. And within this deadly Down under Underworld were two beautiful women who, by seducing the era’s most powerful crime bosses, were able to quite literally sleep their way to the top. But their lovers also had a bad habit of dying, which soon earned the two subjects of our story tonight- Dulcie May Markham and Nellie Cameron, nicknames like “the black widow” and “the kiss of death girl”. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailRedbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Paul and Cody from the "Haunted Ozark Theater" podcast stop by to talk about all things horror. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn February of 1985, in Yonkers, New York, Alex Mengel quickly escalated a routine traffic stop to the murder of a police officer. Followin that, he engaged in a short lived crime spree that took the life of an innocent woman, and didn't end until he himself was finally killed. (Subject Matter Begins @ 5:37)Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn the summer of 1991, 14 year old Trey Cooley attended a shooting competition with his father at a shooting range in Dallas, Texas. Before the day was over, a freakish series of one in a million incidents would lead to Trey's death. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary on the unsolved disappearance of Amy Bradley.  Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn July of 1984, after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, Wayne Lee Crossley suddenly pulled a gun and shot the police officer multiple times. Following that, he fled to a nearby Hotel bar called "The Other Place", where began firing indiscriminately at the people inside and in the parking lot. After he believed everyone was dead, Crossley turned the gun on himself and ended his own life. To this day, no one is sure why Crossley snapped that day. (Subject Matter Begins @ 13:18)Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss the tragic double homicide that occurred at Devil's Den State Park, in Northwest Arkansas in July on 2025. Clinton and Cristen Brink, who'd just moved to the area, were attacked on the trail by a lunatic named Andrew McGann, who had also just moved to Northwest Arkansas. Thanks to eye witness tips and swift police work, McGann was captured within four days of the incident. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailOn the night of June 15th, 1839, three strangers showed up at the Wright family cabin in Cane Hill, Arkansas. When William Wright opened the door, he was killed where he stood. What followed was a senseless and horrific massacre that resulted in the deaths of five members of the Wright family. In the following months, four men were hanged for the crime, but in the months and years that followed, many began to fear they'd killed the wrong men.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIts hard to imagine, but there have been several cases in which a person went missing for years, only to discovered to have never left their home. These are two of those cases.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart".Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we continue following the investigation, including eliminating several people of interest, and finally, we cover the DNA evidence that "linked" her abductor to the crime decades later. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover Morgan's life, the details of her disappearance,  and the beginning of the investigation. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we bring you a mixed bag of bizarre stories so outlandish that they are hard to believe.  Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn November of 1982, Don Kemp left his fast paced life in the New York advertisement business to take a solo trip across America and work on a book about history he'd deamt of writing for years. Instead, his 1979 Chevy Blazer was found abandoned off highway 80 in Wyoming. It was still running, had half a tank of gas, and there was one set of footprints leading into the frozen prairie. Don was never seen alive again. Support the show

Send us Fan MailTeresa Williams, Crystal Parton, Cynthia Mabry, and Julianne Helton were real people with families, futures, and lives abruptly cut short by an inhuman monster. In December 1976, 13-year-olds Teresa and Cynthia and 14-year-old Crystal vanished in rural Arkansas. Years later in Missouri, 25-year-old Julianne Helton’s promising life ended in similarly horrific fashion. It would soon be discovered that all four girls were killed by the same man- James B Grinder. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn early December of 1958, Kenneth and Barbara Martin gathered their three children into their Ford station wagon and drove from their Portland home to the Columbia River Gorge to collect greenery for Christmas decorations. At some point during the short trip, the family and their car vanished in the Oregon wilderness, and it would be close to 70 years before the Martin Family Mystery would solved.... at least, partially. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailOn the afternoon of October 5th, 2018, 27 year old television producer Terrence Woods Jr was filming a reality show with a dozen other crew members in the remote Idaho wilderness when he suddenly threw down his equipment and sprinted into the woods. That was the last time he was ever seen. In the years since, many people have put forth their own theories as to what may have happened, including Terrence's parents. Was it a case of someone snapping and running away, or did something nefarious happen?Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover the curious case of "The Bodies in the Bayou". In September of 2025, a cluster of bodies was found in Houston's waterways within a two week span. This has caused many to suggest a serial killer may be at large. Law enforcement insists that is not the case, but could there be? Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn 1977, a young Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson vanished in Surrey, England, only to later reappear with a story that shocked both sides of the Atlantic. He alleged that Joyce McKinney, his ex girlfriend, and an accomplice had abducted him at gunpoint, transported him to a secluded cottage, and held him captive as a sex slave for days. This episode examines the known facts, the investigation, and why the so-called “Manacled Mormon” case remains one of the most controversial crimes of the 1970s.Support the show

Send us Fan MailMerry Christmas! In this episode, we examine three tragic events that have occurred on Christmas Day throughout the years, along with one mystery that has endured for over a hundred years. And of course, we do our best to sprinkle in a little comedy and holiday cheer amongst the mystery and mayhem. So, pour yourself a glass of eggnog, throw another log on the fire, put in those earbuds to drown out the in-laws, and have yourself a very “Mantis” Christmas!Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss the I-44 Tri-State Truck Explosion. In September of 1970, the Tri-State trucking company and the Teamsters Local 823 Union were locked in a heated battle. Union truckers had been on strike for weeks, but their demands were being ignored. Instead, Tri-State had simply hired more non-union workers to fill the void. In retaliation, a few union drivers decided to set up along Interstate 44 near Springfield, Missouri to shoot and disable passing Tri-State rigs. However, one of those trucks was carrying 21 tons of dynamite, and what resulted was a catastrophic explosion that would end one innocent life and put three others in prison. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we dive into the story of Karen Silkwood — a lab technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who stumbled into a nightmare. After raising alarms about contaminated equipment, falsified inspection records, and dangerous working conditions, Karen found herself the target of intimidation, mysterious exposures to plutonium, and escalating pressure. On November 13th, 1974, she set out to deliver documents to a reporter — evidence she believed would expose the truth. She never made it. Karen was found dead in her car, crashed off a rural highway, the documents missing, and the questions only beginning. Was it an accident… or something far more sinister?Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover the origins of “The Highway Serial Killings Initiative”- an FBI program that identifies and links unsolved murder cases that have occurred along interstate highways to support law enforcement agencies. We also talk about one of the most notorious killers the program has helped capture- Bruce Delane Mendenhall, a long haul trucker/murderer also known as “The Truck Stop Killer”. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover the extraordinary disappearance, and RE-appearance, of Brenda Heist. On an ordinary morning in February of 2002, the 43-year-old mother dropped her two children off at school near her home in Lititz, Pennsylvania. After returning home briefly- Brenda vanished. Her laundry was left in the dryer. Dinner was thawing in the sink. Her car was soon found abandoned. Her family believed she had been taken—or worse. But they never could’ve guessed what would happen next- After missing for eleven years, Brenda walked into a sheriff’s office in Key Largo, Florida, and informed them that she was Brenda Heist, and the search could finally end.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailJ Paul Getty III was the grandson of J Paul Getty, the richest and as well as the cheapest man alive. When he was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1973, his famously frugal grandfather refused to pay. That is, until pieces of J Paul III began arriving in the mail....Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThis episode is about a New Age cult and it’s strange leader, a middle aged woman named Linda Good McGillis. Linda claims to be the equivalent of every religious deity combined, and says     she is the leader of an intergalactic space force that she communicates with via a holographic computer that only she can see. Believe it or not, Linda has a few thousand followers online, and several in person as well. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn July of 1983, actress, beauty queen and model Tammy Lynn Leppert vanished without a trace. In the preceding weeks her mental state had diminished,  and she had insisted someone was out to kill her. Were her fears justified, or another product of a psychotic break? Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover the life of legendary radio host Art Bell, as well as the origin story of his unconventional but incredible radio show, “Coast to Coast AM”. We’ll also cover the show’s evolution throughout the years and where it is today, talk about one of the show’s most infamous guests, and finish the episode by playing some of the crazier interviews that show has produced. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode 350 concludes our two part series on the Clutter Family murders. We'll follow killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, as they made their 45 day run around the U.S. and Mexico. We'll also cover the investigation, their capture, and finally - their executions.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode 349 is part one of our two part series on one of the most infamous cases in all of true crime, and the basis for Truman Capote's legendary book "In Cold Blood" - the Clutter family murders. The Clutters were a prominent farm family in rural Kansas and were respected and revered by everyone in their tiny community.  Then, on a chilly November night in 1959, someone broke into the Clutter's home and murdered everyone inside. Barely anything was taken, so robbery wasn't thought to be a motive. But if not, who killed the Clutters, and why? Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn 1912, Floyd Allen was put on trial for intercepting deputies and "wrongfully freeing prisoners"- prisoners who happened to be his family. He was pronounced guilty, and sentenced to a year in prison. However, as soon as the verdict was announced, shots rang out, and within 90 seconds, seven people lay wounded and 3 were dead, with a 4th passing away from their wounds the following day. In this episode, we cover the rowdy history of the Allen family, and the series of events that led to the deadly courtroom shootout.. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we cover the life of Buford Pusser, the man who inspired the hit 1973 film "Walking Tall". Support the show

Send us Fan MailApril Dawn Andrews was 15 years old when she was last seen speaking with an unknown male in an old truck in front of her apartment complex in Pea Ridge, Arkansas on November 18th, 2006. The investigation into her disappearance was inadequate to say the least, and her own mother kept April's disappearance a secret from the rest of her family for a year. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we present to you a mixed bag of strange things and events throughout history- from minced mummies to witch bottles to a war that nearly started over the death of a pig. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode 344 is about the Lawson Family Massacre. On Christmas Day of 1929, an Iowa tobacco farmer named Charlie Lawson grabbed a shotgun and killed his wife, six of their seven children, and finally- himself. To this day, no one is sure exactly what his motive was. Charlie is pictured second from the right in this photo, which by the way, was taken just days before the massacre.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode 343 is about the unsolved death of Jordan Grider. Jordan was a New Mexico native who enjoyed living off the grid. However, after traveling to northern Minnesota in October of 2018, he vanished in the wilderness. His remains were discovered six months later, but why and how he died is still a mystery.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn episode 342, we cover the disturbing case of Joe Clark, aka the "Baraboo Bone Breaker". Clark was responsible for the kidnapping and torture of two young boys in Baraboo, Wisconsin, back in the mid-90s. One of his victims, a boy named Chris Steiner, died from his injuries. As the nickname implies, Clark's method of torture was breaking his victim's bones. However, his second victim, Thad Phillips, miraculously survived, escaped, and helped catch and convict his tormentor. (Episode Content Begins 8:00)Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss the horrific tale of Sawney Bean, who raised a family of cannibals who terrorized a section of Scotland's west coast for decades. Support the show

Send us Fan MailBarbara Daly Baekeland was a wealthy socialite with everything anyone could ever want. Or at least that's how it appeared from the outside. But in reality, her perfect marriage was a sham, she was suffering from mental health issues, and her son was a delusional psychopath who would eventually end her life. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we cover the life and tragic death of David "Stringbean" Akeman, an icon of both the Grand Ole Opry and classic television show Hee-Haw.Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn our first podcast about something other than Jim Jones in 3 1/2 months, we attempt to cleanse your and our palate with a light hearted episode about HOAs and some crazy stories involving them. Redbeard SoundRedBeard Sound specializes in live sound engineering, recording, music production & audio editing.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThis episode is the FINAL part of our series on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. We cover Leo Ryan's volatile visit to Jonestown, his attempts to help several defectors escape, and the terrible tragedy that ultimately resulted from Jim Jones' total inability to accept even one single rejection.Support the show