Shows
Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS3 E2: Just Another Funeral Home ScandalA 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.References:"Colorado hasn't licensed funeral practitioners since 1983. Now some want change." by Michael Abeyta, CBS News"Grisly discoveries at Colorado funeral homes fuel push for tougher state regulation" by Sam Tabachnik, Denver Postcofda.org (Colorado Funeral Directors Association)"189 decomposing...2024-04-0551 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS3 E1: When Death Does NOT Us PartWe'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 adventure we're starting out on for 2024...2024-03-0457 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E14: Cadaver DogsIf 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 system.Resources:Cid Torrez vs. State of Florida, casetext.com"Cadaver detection dogs: A review of their capabilities and the volatile organic compound profile of their associated training aids" by Rushali Dargon and Shari L Forbes, WIREs Forensic Science"...2023-12-0444 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E13: Eternal Tenure- University CemeteriesAmerican 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 their college campus!References:“College Campuses with Cemeteries”, collegetimes.co“Fordham University History”, Fordham.edu“Jesuit Cemetery, Fordham University” by Mary French, New York City Cemetery Project“Who’s Buried at Fordham?” by Bob Fetterhoff, The Ram Newspaper“A Grave Place, ISU’s Cemet...2023-11-1041 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairMini Episode: Graveyard Ghost StoriesFor 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.2023-11-0120 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E12: Green Cemeteries- A Forest of GravesHow 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 debunk some myths too).2023-09-0856 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E11: Breaking Story- Body Snatcher Suspect ArrestedAn 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 of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon" Press release from U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Kentucky"Harvard Medical School Morgue Manager Sold Body Parts, U.S. Says" by Michael Levinson, New York Times"Families sue Harvard over theft of body parts...2023-08-0348 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E10: Radioactive CorpsesEver 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 they're not followed.Resources:"Here’s why you shouldn’t cremate radioactive dead people" by Beth Mole, ArsTechnica"Radiation Contamination Following Cremation of a Deceased Patient Treated With a Radiopharmaceutical" by Nathan Y. Yu, MD1; William G. Rule, MD1; Terence T. Sio, MD, MS1; et al- Journal of the Amer...2023-07-1344 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E9: Body Snatchers 3: A Social Media ScandalWe'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 some human remains for sale- and we were surprised by what we found.Resources:"Historical skulls, other body parts being sold on Facebook — report" by TOI staff, Times of Israel"Sicko sold stolen body parts on Facebook: cops" by Snejana Farberov, Ne...2023-06-2149 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E8: Colorado’s Fire and Ice FuneralsInspired 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 Wonders/ Atlas Obscura”, Atlas Obscura on YouTubecrestoneendoflifeproject.org“Crestone End-of-Life Project”, Atlas Obscura.“Crestone End-of-Life Project”, fourcornersgeotourism.com“How did the Vikings Honor their Dead?” by Thaddeus Morgan, history.com“Bronze Age Cremation Burials and Funeral...2023-05-2454 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E7: Taxidermied PeopleThis 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, Smithsonian Magazine"El Negro reburied in Botswana", news24.com"Auto-Icon"- Bentham Project, ucl.ac.uk"The History of Taxidermy", all-taxidermy.com"The Man Stuffed and Displayed like a Wild Animal" by Frank Westerman, BBC"Why Philosopher Jeremy Bentham's Severed, Stolen, and Poorly Preserved Head is Back on Display", CBC.ca"Why are there No Hu...2023-05-0643 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E6: American CatacombsUnder 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 Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral" by Dana Schulz, 6sqft.com"No Burial Line of 1832" by Liz Volavka, History of Health in New York"19th Century Knock Seer Gets Grave of His Own at Old St. Patrick’s Cemetery" by Christie L. Chicoine, Catholic New York"New Yo...2023-04-1246 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E5: Pantry Poisons & Postmortem ToxicologyLearn 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 Century" by Katherine D Watson, American Forensic Pathologist "Pick Your Poison—12 Toxic Tales" by Cathy Newman, National Geographic"History of Poison"- Wikipedia"Toxicology of Poisons"- Crime Museum"Guidelines on autopsy practice: Autopsy when drugs or poisoning may be involved "- Royal College of Pathologists"Poisoning in the Modern World"- Chapter "Forensic Toxicology" by Sahar Y...2023-03-2947 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairRemastered: St. Michan's Crypt- Dublin, IrelandFor 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 from St. Michan's tour guideAtlas Obscura- Dublin, Ireland- St. Michan's CryptsSt. Michan's Official Website"Head of 800-year-old 'Crusader' Mummy Stolen from Dublin Vaults" by Sorcha Pollak- the Irish Times"Man who stole 800-year-old mummified head jailed for 28 months"...2023-03-1844 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E4: Modern-Day Body SnatchersWe'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: https://nfda.org/advocacy/current-legislation/body-broker-bill"Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body parts without permission" by Phil Helsel, NBC News"Funeral home operators sentenced after illegally selling body parts" by Paradise Afshar and Rebekah Riess, CNN"Colorado Funeral Home Owner And Mom Convicted Of Selling Body Parts...2023-03-1442 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 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 of the Dead" by Sam Tetrault, Cake Blog"Charon's Obol and Other Coins in Ancient Funerary Practice" by Susan T Stevens, Pheonix Journal"Where Does the Concept of a 'Grim Reaper' Come From?" by Amy McKenna, brittanica.com"Mexico's grand dame of the De...2023-02-2836 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E2: National Parks: Six Feet UnderWhat 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"- National Parks Service"Ranger Confidential" by Andrea Lankford"Climber Madeline Baharlou-Quivey’s Body Recovered 5 Days After She Messaged for Help on Colorado Mountain" by Inside Edition Staff- Inside Edition"Woman's body recovered from mountain after she sent me...2023-02-1450 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS2 E1: Pope Benedict's Funeral & Papal Corpse CatastrophesWe 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 Donato and Delia Gallagher- CNN"Benedict XVI’s funeral: How to watch, what to expect" by Joe Bukuras- Catholic News Agency"Pope Francis presides over historic funeral for Benedict XVI" by Gerard O'Connell- America Magazine"Who’s that with Pope...2023-01-3152 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E15: A Tale of the Two Bills- Holiday SpecialWe 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 printed on gravestones!Resources:"Peoples Mortuary Museum", https://www.cawleyandpeoples.com/peoples-mortuary-museum"Get Low" film (2009), director Aaron Schneider"On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand: The Extraordinary Last Rites of Felix Bushaloo Breazeale", clanbrezeale.com2023-01-011h 00Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 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 Truth about the Midwest's Mysterious Mound Cities" by Sarah E Baires, Smithsonian MagazineMound Cemetery National Register of Historic Places nomination correspondence"Marietta, Ohio’s Ancient Earthworks: Star Alignments as a Portal to the Path of Souls" by Dr. Greg Little, Alternate Perceptions Magazine"Marietta Earthworks"...2022-12-0754 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E12: Body Broken IndustryDonating 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 GeographicDepartment of Defense Memorandum: "Army Policy for Use of Human Cadavers for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Education or Training""How the body of an Arizona great-grandmother ended up as part of a U.S. Army blast test" by John Shiffman- Reuters"A business where...2022-11-0754 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairMini Episode: Ghost Stories with GhostsWe'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 Movie" by Alyssa Fiorentino- House BeautifulDaniel E. Rodgers v. State of Idaho, Docket No.22417"The Story Behind this Evil Place in Idaho Will Make Your Blood Turn Cold"- Only In Your StateMolly Stark- starkparks...2022-10-1824 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E11: The Royals' Dark SecretWith 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 murdered, not euthanised” by Gerrick Adler ( the Guardian)“The Death of George V” by Francis Watson- History Today“The Funeral of King George V” the Royal Windsor Website“Lying-in-State”- Parliament.uk“Royal lying in state traditions endure...2022-10-061h 05Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E10: Clean Grave ClubWe're taking you on a field trip for a lesson in grave cleaning from our friend, Joe Reisinger! Join in on our new favorite hobbyResources:"Charges filed over Jeffersonville funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies were found" by Caleb Stultz. Courier-Journal"Charges filed against director of Jeffersonville funeral home after bodies, cremated remains found"- WDRB.com2022-09-1743 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E9: A Viking Murder in IcelandWe'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."Hjörleifshöfði & Yoda Cave- A Star Wars film location in Iceland"- Arctic Adventures"Families watched as Lankford Funeral Home owner hands over records; 'There’s no remorse'" by Grace McKenna, WHAS11"Indiana suspends license...2022-08-2351 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E8: Funeral Home HorrorWe'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 Maloney"State Requirements for Home Funerals"- National Home Funeral Alliance"New funeral home opens in Jeffersonville" by Tara Schmelz- News & TribuneIndiana Code, Title 25, Article 15, Chapter 4"Funeral home owner speaks in court" by Libby Cunningham"Nearly 20 years ago, nearly 350 decomposing bodies...2022-08-081h 00Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E7: The Cemetery Murder of Jessica Lyn KeenTW: physical and sexual violenceBadass 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 Graveyard: The Murder of Jessica Keen" by Verity Partington, Medium."Jessica Keen" unsolved.com; Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Slack- season 10, episode 9."Foster Chapel Cemetery", morbidtourism.com"Jonathan Adler", Ohio History CentralFranklin County Clerk of...2022-07-1847 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E6: Relics & Incorruptible CorpsesRest 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 the Good Death Blog"How Can a Corpse be Incorruptible?" by Josh Clark- HowStuffWorks"Saints"- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops"How to Obtain Relics?" by Father Kenneth Doyle- Echoes"Why do Catholics Venerate Relics?" by Michael R. Heinlein2022-06-2259 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E5: Cemetery PicnicsPlot 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 Picnics Making a Comeback?" by Patricia Hartley, Connecting Directors"Dying to Get In: When Cemetery Picnics Were a Thing" Intrigued Mind, Youtube2022-06-0640 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E4: S1Zion National Park- Grafton & Hog AllenJoin 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/id1194356597Bird extraordinaire Nick Harris: @longwingslc @n.harrishawkResources:Grafton Heritage Plaques"Black Hawk War" by John A. Peterson, Utah History Encyclopedia"Grafton Cemetery" Outdoor Family Adventures"Grafton Cemetery" findagrave.com"Grafton Ghost Town" World of Urban Legends"The...2022-05-211h 03Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E3: The Merry Cemetery/Neptune Memorial ReefWe'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 where to spend eternity!Merry Cemetery epitaphs: https://peterkayafas.com/the-merry-cemetery-of-sapanta/Neptune Memorial Reef: https://www.nmreef.comResources:Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/merry-cemetery"Death, Color, and Conflict Collide at Europe's Most Viral Cemetery" by Mircea Barbu, ViceRolandia https...2022-04-2459 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E2: Bog BodiesWe'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 Age Body Preserved in a Peat Bog for 2,300 Years" by Marco Margaritoff- All Things Interesting"The Grauballe Man" by Seamus Heaney"Europe's Famed Bog Bodies are Starting to Reveal their Secrets" by Joshua Levine- Smithsonian Mag"Bogs, Fens, and Pocosins"...2022-04-0945 minPlot Twist Podcast: A Grave AffairS1 E1: St. Michan's Crypts- Dublin, IrelandThis 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 guideAtlas Obscura- Dublin, Ireland- St. Michan's CryptsSt. Michan's Official Website"Head of 800-year-old 'Crusader' Mummy Stolen from Dublin Vaults" by Sorcha Pollak- the Irish Times"Man who stole 800-year-old mummified head jailed for 28 months"- The Irish TimesExplore Dublin's Dark...2022-03-2646 min