Grimly Podcast

On a quiet summer morning in July 2007, Barbara Bolick set out on a familiar trail in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana with a friend. It was a place she knew well, a short, easy hike with nothing unusual about it. But in the span of just a few moments, Barbara disappeared no sound, no struggle, no trace left behind.Despite extensive searches, helicopters, and tracking dogs, there has never been a single piece of evidence explaining what happened that day at Bear Creek Overlook. How does someone vanish so completely, in broad daylight, on a trail they’ve walked before?Listen as we recount the day in question, talk about the main characters in this story and theories of what happened. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay Grimly Curious. 

In this weeks special episode, we’re stepping inside Overbrook Asylum with Brandon O. from Terrorific. Overbrook was a place that once held thousands and left behind countless unanswered questions about the care that was supposed to happen but instead was met with tragedies that we will never hear. From its overcrowded past to the chilling events of 1917 and the ghost stories that followed, this is the story of a hospital that may have closed its doors… but never fully let go of its history.Be sure to rate and review Grimly and Terrorific and as always, stay grimly curious. 

In our final episode of this series. We cover the final years of the group that would come to be known as The Heavens Gate Cult. We cover additional member recruitment after the death of Bonnie Nettles. Along with the shift in ideology that eventually leads to the groups final major act in 1997 after the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet. But with the conclusion of Heavens Gate we still wondering, where does free will end and coercion begin and when does influence negate personal responsibility. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious. 

In part two of our three part series of the infamous Heaven's Gate cult, we dive deeper into the psychology of the coercion and control that became more and more apparent under Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite's leadership. We also talk about how the group changed from their original doctrine and beliefs to one that has the catastrophic end in 1997. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious. 

Before the mass suicide that shocked the world, there was a story of two people, a growing following, and a belief system that promised something beyond Earth.This week, we dive into Part 1 of the Heaven’s Gate story breaking down the early lives of Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, how they met, what their teachings were and how their teachings began to pull people in to the cult that would later be known as Heaven's Gate. 

In 1997, a man calling himself Mel Waters phoned into Coast to Coast AM with a story that sounded almost impossible. On a piece of land near Ellensburg, Washington, he claimed there was a hole with no measurable bottom. A place where anything thrown inside simply vanished… and where the deeper the story went, the stranger it became. Over time, Mel described bizarre phenomena, mysterious government interest, and a discovery that blurred the line between legend and something far more unsettling. Listen as we explore the origins of Mel’s Hole, the man behind the story, and the question that still lingers decades later… was it all just a tale, or is there something out there that no one has ever been able to fully explain?

A newlywed marriage in Florida hides a deadly secret when police uncover a murder-for-hire plot targeting Michael Dippolito. What follows is a dramatic sting operation, hidden cameras, and one of the most bizarre true-crime sagas of the modern era. In this episode, we unravel the twists, trials, and shocking moments behind a case that left people wondering how far someone might go to get away with murder.

When a quiet Arkansas community learned that a 67-year-old man had been arrested on dozens of charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a teenage girl, many believed justice was already in motion. But months later, that same man was out on bond. Then, one night in October 2024, everything changed. After discovering his daughter missing from her bedroom, Arkansas father Aaron Spencer began searching for her. He soon found her in a truck with the very man accused of abusing her, Michael Fosler. What happened next would ignite a national debate about justice, parental instinct, and the limits of the law. Fosler was dead at the scene, and Spencer was soon charged with second-degree murder. Today, the case has become one of the most polarizing legal battles in recent memory. Some see Spencer as a father who did what the system failed to do. Others argue that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands. As the courts prepare to decide his fate, the story forces a difficult question: when the justice system falters or fails, where does justice really come from?Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious. 

In September 1952, a fireball streaked across the evening sky over the small town of Flatwoods, West Virginia. What began as a group of boys chasing what they thought was a fallen meteor quickly turned into one of the strangest encounters in American history. Waiting on the hillside was a towering figure… floating, silent, and unlike anything they had ever seen. The witnesses ran home terrified, reporting burning eyes, the smell of sulfur and ozone, and a creature that still defies explanation more than seventy years later.Was it a trick of the light? Misidentified animal? Cryptid?… or something not meant to be found in those Appalachian woods? Tonight, we step into the fog and retell the legend of the Flatwoods Monster.

On the night of April 15th, 1988, 17 year old Randy Leach borrowed the family car and headed out to a party with friends in the small Kansas town of Linwood. But sometime between the party and the drive home, he vanished. In the decades since, investigators, family, friends and volunteer searches have never been able to explain how a boy, a car, and small town could hold so many secrets that still haven’t revealed what happened to Randy Leach. In this episode we talk timelines, witness accounts of the party and the crazy rumors that surround this story. 

After a fire broke out in 1834 at 1140 Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Rescuers forced their way into the attic, and uncovered a scene so disturbing it shocked even a city already accustomed to brutality. The discovery turned Madame LaLaurie from respected socialite into one of the most infamous figures in American history, and the house on Royal Street into a legend of cruelty, tragedy, and lingering unrest.Nearly two centuries later, the LaLaurie Mansion remains one of the most haunted locations in America. But what truly happened inside those walls history, exaggeration, or something even darker?Tonight, we separate myth from record and explore the woman, the crimes, and the haunting legacy that refuses to stay buried.

In the final episode of our coverage of DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappearance , the focus turns to what still doesn’t add up. As private investigators take a closer look at the case, growing suspicion centers on the people who were with DeOrr the day he vanished.We examine the involvement of PIs, the mounting questions surrounding DeOrr's parents Vernal and Jessica, and the leading theories of what may have happened during the camping trip in Idaho. With no physical evidence and no definitive answers, the case remains painfully unresolved.This episode doesn’t offer closure sadly as this case is still unsolved, but it lays out the facts, the doubts, and the theories that continue to haunt one of Idaho’s most disturbing missing child cases.

In July 2015, two-year-old DeOrr Kunz Jr. vanished from a remote campground in Idaho’s Lemhi Range. He was last seen playing near his family’s campsite, surrounded by adults who believed he was never out of sight for more than a moment. Within minutes, he was gone. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, we lay out the foundation of the case: the family trip to the wilderness, the timeline of DeOrr’s disappearance, analyze some of the families behaviors after the immediate disappearance and the massive search effort that followed. All while asking, what happened to little DeOrr? Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious. 

In 1975 in Snowflake Arizona one of the most infamous UFO abduction stories happened, or did it? The Travis Walton abduction still sits at that gray area between belief and doubt. Polygraphs, hypnosis sessions, skeptical analyses, and tabloid deals have all been analyzed and scrutinized, but none have overturned the basic testimony of the seven men who were there the night of the abduction. Despite the decades of pressure, criticism, and national exposure, their accounts have remained consistent, and none of them have publicly recanted. So what happened that November night? Listen to this week’s episode, where skepticism and eyewitness testimony collide in the space between belief and doubt.Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

It is episode 90 and we are back and as unhinged and chatty as ever! Today Meg is doing her annual tradition of kicking off the new year with an episode with a perplexing and frankly frustrating missing persons case. Daniel Robinson was 24 when he disappeared from a geologist worksite in the Arizona desert. For his family, the search has lasted years through recovery efforts, lackluster police investigation, and a battle for media attention many missing families know all too well. In this episode, we look at Daniel’s final known movements, the investigation that followed, and the questions that still keep the case open.Be sure to rate, follow and review and as always stay grimly curious.

In this episode, we dive into the darker roots of Christmas folklore from around the world. Where winter isn’t just cozy, it’s crawling with creatures, warnings, and ancient traditions meant to keep people in line through the longest nights of the year. From Iceland’s terrifying Gryla and the towering Yule Cat to Wales’ eerie Mari Lwyd and the restless household spirits like the Tomte, we explore the legends that shaped midwinter celebrations long before modern Christmas.

Before Christmas was all lights and cheer, Victorians gathered by firelight to tell ghost stories. This episode dives into the legend of the Mistletoe Bride and the haunting of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, two of the most famous Victorian Christmas tales still whispered about today.

On Christmas Day 1929, the quiet tobacco fields of Germanton, North Carolina, became the backdrop for one of the most haunting family tragedies in American history. What began as a day of celebration ended in unthinkable violence when Charlie Lawson murdered his wife and six of his children before taking his own life. Nearly a century later, the question of why still lingers like a cold winter fog over Stokes County. In this episode, we unravel the events leading up to that horrific morning, explore the rumors and theories that have surrounded the case for decades, and trace the echoes of a family portrait taken just days before the killings. This is the story of the Lawson Family Murders, a Christmas tragedy that refuses to be forgotten.

A missing nurse. A desperate search to find her. And a woman who claimed she could see what no one else could. In 1980, the disappearance of Melanie Uribe spiraled into one of the most baffling true-crime stories in Los Angeles history when aerospace worker Etta Louise Smith came forward with a startling vision, one that led police directly to Melanie’s body. But instead of gratitude, Etta found herself arrested and accused of murder. This episode dives into the mystery, the intuition, and the injustice behind the case that still leaves more questions than answers.Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In January 2002, 20-year-old Christopher Carlton Thompkins vanished in broad daylight while working a surveying job in rural Harris County, Georgia. One moment he was walking along a fence line with his crew, seconds later, he was gone. His tools were left behind, a boot was hanging from a barbed wire fence, and twelve cents lay scattered on the ground. Two decades later, there are still no answers. What happened to Christopher Thompkins?Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious

On Easter Sunday 2024, while Los Angeles celebrated the holiday, a team of thieves quietly pulled off one of the largest cash robberies in U.S. history. They cut through the roof of a high-security storage facility, bypassed alarms, and disappeared with more than $30 million dollars, without leaving a trace.In this episode, we break down how the heist happened, who might have been behind it, and why, months later, investigators still have no solid suspects and no money recovered.Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

The summit of Everest is called the top of the world, but in May 1996, it became a place of chaos and loss. As hurricane-force winds ripped across the mountain, climbers were stranded, oxygen was running out, and rescue was nearly impossible. This is the story of how ambition, heroism, and the unforgiving power of nature collided on the roof of the world. Listen as we dive into the 1996 Everest Disaster. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

On 284 Green Street in a quiet neighborhood just North of London, a strange phenomena happened in 1977. It started with knocking and furniture moving, then small childhood items like marbles and legos flew through the air on their own. The press caught wind of the strange happenings, and soon the story spread across Britain. That’s when paranormal investigators Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair arrived and over the next two years, they would capture some of the most famous evidence of a poltergeist ever recorded.Listen as we break down the infamous Enfield Poltergeist.Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious

Wayne Nance had been hiding in plain sight for over a decade. Behind this average man was a trail of brutal, unsolved murders stretching across western Montana.Until a September night, Nance broke into the home of Doug and Kris Wells binding, stabbing, and terrorizing them in what he believed would be his next kill. But this time, his victims fought back. And their survival would finally expose one of Montana’s most chilling serial killers.Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

This week, we look beyond the campfire and into stories that have lived for thousands of years. We’re honoring Indigenous People’s Day by sharing four spirits that still walk between worlds The Wendigo, Deer Woman, The Stick Indians, and Coyote the Trickster. They’re not just myths. They’re lessons about greed, balance, and the price of forgetting who we are.

Political aspirations, royal dynasties, and even the wrestling ring. Some families seem destined for greatness, yet shadowed by an unshakable curse. This week, we explore three families whose legacies were built on power, ambition, and tragedy: the Shah Royal Family of Nepal, whose monarchy ended in blood; the Von Erichs, wrestling legends haunted by loss; and the Kennedys, America’s own dynasty plagued by untimely deaths and scandal. Were these simply coincidences, or something far darker woven into their names?Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

After the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, whispers and sightings of a creature began to occur in the pacific northwest. It was described as over 7 feet tall, being a blueish color and having the face and wings of a bat. Is it a cryptid? Interdimensional being brought over after the eruption? Or something that we want to see? This week we are covering the creature known as batsquatch. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In April 2016, fitness instructor Terri “Missy” Bevers arrived before dawn to set up for her Camp Gladiator class inside Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. But before her students arrived, Missy was brutally attacked and murdered. Surveillance cameras showed a mysterious figure dressed in police-style tactical gear wandering the church halls before her death which has fueled speculation ever since. Despite thousands of tips and years of investigation, her killer has never been identified. Was it someone she knew? A random act of violence? Or a carefully planned attack caught on camera but never solved?Join us as we dive into this tragic case.

She was once the biggest and fastest ocean liner of her time, being two times the size of the Titanic. During WWII she was called the "gray ghost" and helped win the war the effort, but then she was docked for good in Long Beach California in 1967 and stories began to emerge. Apparitions, disembodied voices and even figures seeming to enjoy the pool that had long been emptied. One of the most haunted locations in the world you can't help but wonder while walking the decks of The Queen Mary, is there something else also on board? Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

On December 29, 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing more than a hundred people in one of the worst aviation disasters in U.S. history. But the story didn’t end there. Soon after the crash, whispers began to spread among pilots, flight attendants, and passengers of sightings of the dead crew appearing on other Eastern flights. Most people believe the ghostly presences were tied to salvage parts from Flight 401’s wreckage.Join Missy and Meg as they dive into the tragedy, the chilling folklore that followed, and the question that lingers half a century later: did Flight 401’s crew ever really leave the skies?Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Your home is supposed to be your safe space. It's where you kick your shoes off after a long day, pour a glass of wine and forget about the world. But what if you start feeling paranoid in your own home? Things are moving or just go missing all together, you hear footsteps or a door close but no one is there. You begin to become paranoid, is this something paranormal? Or are you just imagining things? For Campbell family it wasn't either of these things, it was a phenomena called phrogging, where a person lives in your home without you knowing it. And the man living in the Campbell house had very dark intentions. Listen as we dive into this unsettling story. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In an area of Colorado by the great sand dunes. A horse named Lady hadn't come back to her ranch one evening after grazing all day. Lady was a creature of habit so the ranch owner, Harry King was worried. A few days later Lady aka Snippy was found dead and mutilated in a way that still cannot be explained. Some people say natural causes, others, explain what a happen citing more unearthly culprits. Join us as we ask, what happened to this poor animal. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In 1968 in the Canary Islands, a fishing vessel called the El Fausto left a port bound for Tazacorte on La Palma. The ship would never make it's destination but what happened before it was lost forever is just as bewildering and confusing as it was some 50+ years ago. This week we cover the ship that was lost at sea 3 times and wonder, what the hell happened. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Before the superhero craze of the last few decades and even before Christopher Reeves would don the iconic "S" suit. There was George Reeves, a man who had a complicated relationship with his identity as the man of steel. His name would be synonymous with the superhero, but how is life ended would also be infamous. Was his death by his own hand, an accident, or something more sinister? Today we are covering the OG Superman and his tragic and mysterious death. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

This podcast episode is brought to you by Pepsi (not really but wouldn’t that be cool!) In the 1960’s in an area outside of Rio. Two men ascended a hill, they wore matching raincoats, had notebook with cryptic instructions, eye protection made out of lead, and capsules filled with an unknown substance. A few days later they would be found dead on that very same hill. Why did Miguel and Manoel go up that hill? This week we dive into this story to investigate. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

She was a beauty queen, model and was breaking into acting. Until she saw something that shouldn’t have seen and it caused everything to come crashing down. Soon after Tammy Lynn Leppert disappeared and she’s been missing since. This week we talk about the events leading to her disappearance and the theories that emerged from her disappearance. Be sure to rate and review, and as always, stay grimly curious.

Do you love baseball? How about beer? Or maybe a hot dog, or do you just love to be naked in public? Boy do I have a story for you. This week Meg and Missy are talking about an infamous baseball game, but this isn’t a typical baseball game. This game is absurd because of one promotion that seemed genius at the time, beers for 10 cents a piece. Go listen wherever you get your podcasts and remember to stay grimly curious.

Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in US History. And while he had tons of support from his constituents and community, there were others that believed he should stay out of politics and stay in the closet. But Harvey was loud, relentless and willing to put his life on the line for the good fight. His life was cut short by someone he knew and even at one time respected, but his legacy has been carried on for decades. In our own trying times, I hope you listen to this story of one man making big changes and try to create change in your own community. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In the early 90’s Craig Williamson went on a business trip to try to support his fish farm that he ran with his wife Christine, but he didn’t come home and seemingly vanished. Next there were confusing clues and sightings that had investigators believe Craig ran away to start a new life somewhere. Christine believed a different story and decided to go find him herself, until one day she received a call that changed everything. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

During the holiday season in 1989, 5 year old Melissa Brannen went missing at a party. It was as if she vanished into thin air. The small Virginia community searched for weeks and a suspect was named and put on trial. But there is still so much mystery surrounding this case 3 decades later. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Locked away behind glass in the Warrens' Occult Museum, Annabelle looks like an ordinary Raggedy Ann doll, but her story is anything but innocent. Listen as we dive into the real-life case that helped inspire the Conjuring universe, a terrifying tale of a doll said to be possessed by a malevolent force. We'll explore the origins of Annabelle, the claims of paranormal activity surrounding her, and the role of famed (and infamous) paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Was Annabelle truly haunted? Or is her legend the product of fear, folklore, and Hollywood storytelling? Join us as we unravel the mystery behind one of the most infamous haunted objects in the world.Remember to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In 2013 a college student by the name of Bryce Laspisa had been acting strangely for a few weeks. His friends and girlfriend were so worried about him they were contacting his parents telling them that something was wrong. Bryce then makes a fateful trip down to Laguna Niguel California to see his parents because he says they have a lot to talk about, but before that happened he disappeared and the trail went cold. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

For decades Georgia Rudolph had been having vivid memories and dreams. The dreams and memories were of a place and time she had never been to, but they also seemed so familiar to her. This was the start of an incredible journey that some believe to be a story of reincarnation. Listen and ask yourself, is this an elaborate hoax? Or was Georgia Rudolph actually Sandra Jean Jenkins in another life?Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Grizzly bears are beautiful, powerful, and dangerous. In the 90's and early 2000's there was man in Katmai National Park who took it upon himself to protect them and educate the general public about the grizzly. His methods were unorthodox to say the least, most would call them downright dangerous. In 2003 Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard met a tragic and gruesome end. This week we cover the story that lead to their demise. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In the 1870's a ship with an infamous reputation was given a new name and new ownership. This maiden voyage was supposed to be a new chapter for the ship and her crew. But then in early December, another ship find her adrift without her crew. Sailors come on board and find an eerily quiet vessel with no obvious signs or problems that would cause everyone on board to abandon ship into the dark Atlantic. So what happened? Piracy? An overreaction from a protective captain? A tragic mistake? Or something more sinister or even other worldly? Join us as we dive into the disappearance of the crew of the Mary Celeste. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In May of 1997 Patricia (Patty) Bottarini went on a hike with her husband in Zion National Park. Then the unthinkable happened, she falls down the steep cliffs of the observation point trail to her death. Some people think it’s a tragic accident, others say that her husband, James, had a much more sinister plan in place on that day. Listen as we dive into this case. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe and as always, stay grimly curious.

Put on your sunscreen kids, because we are heading to the desert. While watching a youtube video one day Kenny Veach left a comment that would put his life on a course that ultimately lead to his demise, or did it? This story has taken on a life of its own trying to find the answers to one big question. Did Kenny Veach find that M cave again? And did finding it cost him his life? Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Are you still mad at us from last week? Let us make it up to you. This week we are diving into the investigation, coroners inquest and theories of what people think happened to Gareth Williams. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

Hello everyone and a special hello to those fine people who make dot’s pretzels. Keep up the good work. This week we are going to the UK to dive into some real spy shit. Gareth Williams was a brilliant mathematician working in international intelligence. Until his life was cut short in one of the strangest ways. Be sure to rate and review and as always stay grimly curious.

Sorry for the delay. I had to evade some weird, pasty guys in black suits for the last 24 hours. This week we are putting our kooky caps on and diving into the bizarre theories of men who have been around since the 1940’s. Are they here to protect government secrets? Or keep the truth about extraterrestrials from getting to the general public? The Men in Black is the topic for this week. Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.