Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave Affair
by Jenelle Vincent & Morgan Leper
A podcast about everything that happens the funeral home and beyond- death, decomposition, and the macabre. We’re digging deep into stories you’ve never heard before, visiting unique burial sites, and shining light onto funerary scandals. And there may or may not be a little bit of wine involved...
Episodes
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S3 E2: Just Another Funeral Home Scandal
A new funeral home scandal brings us back to Colorado yet again- a putrid smell leads investigators to find 190 improperly stored bodies littering Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, CO. This state's unique and liberated death culture seems to have a dark side, and we're finding out why....
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S3 E1: When Death Does NOT Us Part
We're starting out season 3 with a (very belated) Valentine's Day tribute to two couples whose deaths did not separate them. We visited the grave of the tallest couple on record, and we're also diving into an ancient love story with a terrifying ending. You'll also get to hear about the bizarre...
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S2 E14: Cadaver Dogs
If you listen to enough true crime podcasts, you've probably heard multiple cases where cadaver dogs played a role. But we wanted to know what happens before a dog even gets to its first case... we're looking into how they're trained and some examples of how cadaver dogs fit into the justice...
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S2 E13: Eternal Tenure- University Cemeteries
American universities are giving a new meaning to dark academia with the rise of on-campus burials. We’re discussing our feelings about spending eternity at our alma maters, and revealing a conspiracy behind a historical college cemetery. Don’t miss our stories about the people who never left…
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Mini Episode: Graveyard Ghost Stories
For our second annual Halloween mini episode, we brought our friend John along for the cemetery shenanigans as we try to out-spook each other with (somewhat) true ghost stories.
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S2 E12: Green Cemeteries- A Forest of Graves
How can we make the funeral industry more environmentally friendly? We took a trip to one of only ten conservation cemeteries in the United States to find out! Morgan will go over some of the most glaring problems when it comes to human burials, and Jenelle will explain some greener options (and...
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S2 E11: Breaking Story- Body Snatcher Suspect Arrested
An underground body snatching ring revealed? The body snatching story we covered in episode 9 goes deeper than we thought. We have some inside information as a recent suspect in the case has been right under our noses all along. References: "Bullitt County Man Arrested and Charged with Possession...
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S2 E10: Radioactive Corpses
Ever wonder how bodies are handled after a nuclear accident? Radioactive corpses may be more common than you think, with certain cancer treatments leaving patients with radiation in their bodies after death. We're looking into guidelines for handling these situations, and what happens when…
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S2 E9: Body Snatchers 3: A Social Media Scandal
We're back with another corpse stealing scandal! A man was selling human remains on a social media page, and it turns out they were sourced from a mortuary worker who was harvesting them directly from the bodies she worked with. We infiltrated some online oddities groups to see if we could find...
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S2 E8: Colorado’s Fire and Ice Funerals
Inspired by our trip to Colorado, we looked into a couple of post- mortem options that are unique to the state: fire and ice. Learn about the Frozen Dead Guy Days and the United States’ only public open-air cremation site in this episode! Resources: frozendeadguydays.com “Frozen Dead Guy/ 100...
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S2 E7: Taxidermied People
This episode, we're talking taxidermy- human taxidermy. We'll be covering two of the most famous examples of human taxidermy attempts in recent history, and discussing the ethics of the practice. "English Philosopher’s Dressed-Up Skeleton Goes on View in New Glass Display" by Theresa Machemer,...
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S2 E6: American Catacombs
Under the streets of the city that never sleeps, there is an underground burial room in the basement of an unassuming church. Join us as we explore the catacomb's dark tunnels and learn about the burial ban that led to its creation.Resources: "For $7M, spend the afterlife in a crypt at Nolita’s…
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S2 E5: Pantry Poisons & Postmortem Toxicology
Learn how poisoning went from a household crime to having a branch of science dedicated to detecting it!Resources: "Arsenic's Afterlife: How Scientists Learned to Identify Poison Victims [Excerpt]" by Linda Stratmann, Scientific American"Poisoning Crimes and Forensic Toxicology Since the 18th...
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Remastered: St. Michan's Crypt- Dublin, Ireland
For St. Paddy's Day, we're throwing it back to our season 1 discussion of the mummies of St. Michan's crypts in Dublin, Ireland! We'll tell you about the history, some recent grave robberies, and most importantly, our own trip to the crypts. Resources: Jenelle's Ireland journal including quotes...
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S2 E4: Modern-Day Body Snatchers
We're bringing you more postmortem drama! This case combines shady funeral home business practices with sketchy body donation transactions. Find out what happened when these funeral home directors went to court earlier this year! Resources: **Information on body broker bill:...
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S2 E3: Dating Spirits of Death can be "Grim"
We're diving into death lore to meet its creatures throughout different cultures. Morgan will be introduced to some of these beings through Jenelle's limited-time game show, and we'll tell you all about Britain's graveyard guardian, the Grim! Resources: "Charon’s Obol: Putting Coins on the Eyes…
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S2 E2: National Parks: Six Feet Under
What happens to your body if you die in a National Park? How are bodies retrieved from precarious places? We'll walk you through the process of a wilderness body recovery! Resources: "An Analysis of Deaths in U.S. National Parks" -PSBR.law "Mortality Dashboard Key Statistics CY2014 - CY2016"-...
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S2 E1: Pope Benedict's Funeral & Papal Corpse Catastrophes
We watched Pope Benedict XVI's funeral so you don't have to! We'll give you the rundown and also tell you some stories of papal embalming gone wrong. Resources: "Pope Francis leads funeral for predecessor Benedict XVI, a first in modern times" by By Sana Noor Haq, Sharon Braithwaite, Valentina Di...
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S1 E15: A Tale of the Two Bills- Holiday Special
We visited a small-town mortuary museum to see a hearse that was used in a film starring Bill Murray! We'll take you on a tour of the museum and give you a review of the movie "Get Low", about a man who decides to throw his own funeral party. Plus, we're making holiday treats using recipes…
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S1 E14: Mysteries of the Mounds
What happens when an Indigenous burial mound is turned into a Revolutionary War cemetery? We're discussing the fine line between preservation and desecration at the Mound Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio. Resources: "Marietta Earthworks", Marietta: Ohio's First Adventure "White Settlers Buried the…
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S1 E12: Body Broken Industry
Donating one's body to science seems like a beneficial sacrifice, but there is a dark underbelly to the industry. "Body brokers" are selling donated body parts- and it's all perfectly legal. Resources: "How to donate your body to science" by Lori Cuthbert- National Geographic Department of…
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Mini Episode: Ghost Stories with Ghosts
We're doing something a little different for spooky season! We'll be coming to you from a cemetery and reading real-life horror stories. Get ready to be spooked by tales of a murder house and an abandoned sanatorium! Resources: "The True Story of the Boise Murder House is Straight Out of a Horror...
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S1 E11: The Royals' Dark Secret
With the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we've been thinking a lot about the peculiarities of the royal funeral process. This week we're diving into a dark secret of one royal funeral... Resources: “1936 Secret is Out:Doctor Sped George V’s Death” by Joseph Lelyveld, NYT (1986) “King George V was...
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S1 E10: Clean Grave Club
We're taking you on a field trip for a lesson in grave cleaning from our friend, Joe Reisinger! Join in on our new favorite hobby Resources: "Charges filed over Jeffersonville funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies were found" by Caleb Stultz. Courier-Journal "Charges filed against director of...
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S1 E9: A Viking Murder in Iceland
We're taking you with us as we climb treacherous Hjörleifshöfði in Iceland, where a Viking grave with a dark story lies at the summit. Resources: "Hjörleifshöfði Promontory in South-Iceland - The Blood Brothers Ingólfur and Hjörleifur" by Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir, Guide to Iceland....
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S1 E8: Funeral Home Horror
We're discussing breaking news of an Indiana funeral home where 31 unembalmed bodies were found decaying on the premises. We'll compare that to the 2002 crematorium scandal where hundreds of bodies were left scattered across the property. Resources: "Mercury Emissions from Crematoria" by Susan R...
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S1 E7: The Cemetery Murder of Jessica Lyn Keen
TW: physical and sexual violence Badass cheerleader Jessica Keen was found murdered in a graveyard in 1991. We'll bring you with us to the scene of the crime. Support teens like Jessica by donating to Huckleberry House in Columbus, Ohio: https://www.huckhouse.org/donate/ Resources: "Horror in the...
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S1 E6: Relics & Incorruptible Corpses
Rest in peace.... until you're canonized a saint. We're unearthing the mysterious practice of collecting relics! Join us for an interview with someone who knows a little bit more about sainthood than we do. Resources: "The (Not Really So Very) Incorruptible Corpses" by Elizabeth Harper- Order of...
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S1 E5: Cemetery Picnics
Plot Twist is going on the road for the first time! Morgan and Jenelle are revisiting a Victorian-era pastime: picnicking among the dead. Resources: lakeviewcemetery.com "Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries" by Jonathan Kendall, Atlas Obscura "Party Like it's 1899: Are Cemetery...
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S1 E4: S1Zion National Park- Grafton & Hog Allen
Join us for our spooky shenanigans in Utah at Grafton ghost town and Hog Allen's grave. Also, tune in for our first interview ever! TW: postmortem grossness at the end. Native Land app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/native-land/id1194356597 Bird extraordinaire Nick Harris: @longwingslc...
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S1 E3: The Merry Cemetery/Neptune Memorial Reef
We're highlighting two unusual cemeteries for this episode: the Merry Cemetery in Romania, with its clever epitaphs that reveal the community's secrets, and Neptune's Memorial Reef, an underwater graveyard that incorporates cremains into a living reef. Bring a notepad and get some inspiration on...
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S1 E2: Bog Bodies
We're getting down and dirty with bodies preserved for thousands of years buried under European bogs! Resources: "What is a Bog?" National Geographic "Who Were the Ancient Bog Mummies? Surprising New Clues" by Christine Dell'Amore- National Geographic "The Mystery of the Gauballe Man, The Iron…
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S1 E1: St. Michan's Crypts- Dublin, Ireland
This week we're discussing the mummies of St. Michan's crypts in Dublin, Ireland. We'll tell you about the history, some recent grave robberies, and most importantly, our own trip to the crypts. Resources: Jenelle's Ireland journal including quotes from St. Michan's tour guide Atlas Obscura-...
About this show
A podcast about everything that happens the funeral home and beyond- death, decomposition, and the macabre. We’re digging deep into stories you’ve never heard before, visiting unique burial sites, and shining light onto funerary scandals. And there may or may not be a little bit of wine involved...
Hosted by
Jenelle Vincent & Morgan Leper
Categories