Shows
WILDCIDESinister Minister: The Case of Arthur "A.B." SchirmerA trusted pastor. A small Pennsylvania church. And a string of tragedies.
When a man named Joseph Mesante walked into a church office in Reeders, Pennsylvania and ended his life, the story seemed heartbreakingly simple: a husband devastated by the discovery of his wife’s affair with their pastor, Arthur “A.B.” Schirmer.
But Joseph's suicide was the unfortunate catalyst to a horror story.
As investigators began looking more closely at the pastor’s life, disturbing questions surfaced about another tragedy just months earlier—the death of Schirmer’s wife in what had been ruled a...
2026-03-1343 minWILDCIDEShortcide: The Butterfly EffectHistory doesn’t always change because of grand decisions. Sometimes it changes because of a wrong turn… or a forgotten petri dish.
In today's Shortcide, Bailey tells the unbelievable story of how a driver’s accidental turn down the wrong street placed Archduke Franz Ferdinand directly in front of Gavrilo Princip—triggering a chain reaction that would lead to World War I, the rise of Hitler, and the deadliest century in human history.
Then Chelsea explores the opposite side of fate: how a contaminated lab plate and one curious scientist led to the discovery of penicill...
2026-03-0441 minWILDCIDEUnderstanding Domestic Violence with Jennifer Salmons, LPCDomestic violence is rarely as simple — or as obvious — as people expect it to be.
In this special Wildcide interview episode, Bailey and Chelsea sit down with domestic violence expert and therapist Jennifer Salmons for an honest, deeply practical conversation about how abusive relationships actually develop, why victims stay, and what outsiders often misunderstand about abuse dynamics.
Moving beyond headlines and true crime narratives, Jennifer draws from decades of frontline experience working not only with survivors, but also directly with domestic violence offenders. Together, the conversation explores how abuse typically begins long before physical violence appea...
2026-03-021h 18WILDCIDEAgainst All Odds: The Tracey Thurman CaseTracey Thurman did everything a victim is told to do. She left her abusive husband. She reported threats. She obtained a restraining order. She called the police again and again — documenting a danger everyone could see coming.
On June 10, 1983, after months of ignored warnings, Tracey was brutally attacked outside her home while help arrived too late to stop the violence. What followed wasn’t just a criminal case, but a constitutional battle that forced America to confront how domestic violence victims were treated by the justice system.
Her lawsuit against the Torrington Police Department changed poli...
2026-02-2553 minWILDCIDEHeist of the Century: The Brink's RobberyBoston, January 17, 1950. Just after 7 p.m., a group of masked men walked calmly into the Brink’s Armored Car Company building and carried out what would soon be called the “Crime of the Century.”
There was no chaos. No gunfire. No panic. The robbers moved with precision — wearing disguises, speaking little, and tying up employees before disappearing into the night with nearly $2.8 million in cash, checks, and securities, the largest robbery in American history at the time. Within minutes, they were gone… leaving almost no evidence behind.
What followed was one of the longest and most compl...
2026-02-181h 04WILDCIDEBad Blood (Literally): The Case of Dr. John SchneebergerIn 1992, a respected small-town physician was accused of sexually assaulting one of his patients during a routine appointment. The allegation shocked the tight-knit Canadian community — but what happened next was even more unbelievable. Despite a DNA test meant to settle the case once and for all, the results seemed to clear the doctor. The charges were dropped. Life moved on.
But the victim never stopped fighting.
Years later, new evidence surfaced that would unravel one of the most audacious deceptions in true crime history — exposing a calculated plan that fooled investigators, prosecutors, and even medical profe...
2026-02-1156 minWILDCIDEShortcide: Beware of the Curse!Glitter, gasoline, and a whole lot of bad luck.
In this eerie Shortcide episode, Bailey and Chelsea unravel two of the most famously cursed objects in modern lore: a diamond drenched in tragedy, and a Porsche with a fatal appetite for chaos.
Chelsea races into the doom-laced legacy of James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, lovingly nicknamed Little Bastard. After Dean’s fatal crash, the wrecked car became a harbinger of death and destruction for anyone who dared own a piece of it.
Then, Bailey dives deep into the twisted tale of the Hope Diam...
2026-02-0445 minWILDCIDEInfamous: Stolen Valor and the Case of Jonathan Keith "Jack" Idema
After 9/11, America was desperate for heroes.
Jonathan Keith Idema was more than willing to step into the role.
What followed was a decades-long con built on stolen valor, inflated credentials, intimidation, and a relentless trail of lawsuits, fraud charges, and outright lies. He claimed to be Special Forces. He claimed to hunt terrorists. He claimed to work alongside the U.S. government.
None of it was true.
Idema’s story is a case study in deception—how confidence can replace evidence, how lies compound over time, and how systems fail when...
2026-01-281h 12WILDCIDEWhite Collar: Big Pharma, Insys, and Blood MoneyIt starts in the most familiar place imaginable: a doctor’s office. A patient in pain. A prescription that feels like relief. But behind that quiet moment was a pharmaceutical company running a million-dollar playbook.
Today's case dives into the rise and collapse of Insys Therapeutics, a drug company that built its empire around Subsys—a fentanyl spray approved for a narrow purpose: breakthrough cancer pain in opioid-tolerant patients.
What follows is a white-collar crime case with a body count hiding in the margins: doctors allegedly rewarded through “speaker programs,” prescriptions pushed far beyond cancer care, and...
2026-01-2159 minWILDCIDENightmare in AlbuquerqueIn the mid-2000s, Albuquerque, New Mexico was gripped by a fear it couldn’t quite name. People were being found dead inside their homes — with no connections and without clear motives. At first, the cases appeared unrelated. Different neighborhoods. Different victims. Different MO. No obvious pattern. Just a growing sense that something was wrong.
It begins with Carlos Esquibel, a 37-year-old designer whose welcoming nature would prove fatal, followed just days later by Josephine Selvage, an 81-year-old retired schoolteacher with Alzheimer’s who was attacked inside the only place she knew as safe. Two years later, the ci...
2026-01-1456 minWILDCIDEShortcide: What Are the Odds!? (ADHD Version)HAPPY NEW YEAR WILDCIDERS! We begin 2026 with a WILD Shortcide.
In today's Shortcide, we’re diving into two of the most impossibly timed brushes with fate you’ve probably never heard of.
Bailey tells the story of a stranger who makes a split-second decision on a train platform… and ends up saving the life of someone tied to one of the most infamous chapters in American history. No one knew the full weight of it in the moment—not even the guy who did the saving.
Meanwhile, Chelsea shares a jaw-dropping tale of survival...
2026-01-0745 minWILDCIDEHijacker: A Conversation with Martin McNallyIn this exclusive Wildcide interview, Bailey gets the opportunity to sit down with hijacker Martin J. McNally and the directors of the new Netflix documentary Skyjacker, Eli Kooris and Joshua Shaffer. Together, they unpack the unbelievable real story behind the hijacking of Flight 119, the 320-mph parachute jump that stunned the nation, and the decades inside federal prison that followed. Martin reflects openly on the choices that defined his life, while Eli and Joshua share what it took to bring this larger-than-life case to the screen. This is the conversation that completes our two-part series — raw, candid, and stranger than fic...
2025-12-2436 minWILDCIDEHijacked: The Case of Martin McNally (Part 2)In Part 2, we pick up where we left off: Martin McNally has made it out of the sky alive — bruised, concussed, and unaware that the FBI is already tracing the fingerprints that will lead straight to him. Within days, Martin is captured, sentenced to life in federal prison, and shipped to USP Marion — the most secure prison in America.
And inside those walls, he meets someone who will change everything: fellow skyjacker Garrett Brock Trapnell, a charismatic con man whose influence sparks not one, but two of the most shocking escape attempts in U.S. history.
Fi...
2025-12-221h 03WILDCIDEHijacked: The Case of Martin McNally (Part 1)Long before TSA lines and shoe removal, American skies lived through the *Golden Age of Hijacking*. Between 1968 and 1972, more than 130 airliners were commandeered — and one bored ex–Navy airplane electrician from Detroit decided he could turn that chaos into his big score.
Part 1 traces how Martin J. McNally became obsessed with D.B. Cooper, studied parachutes in the library, and convinced himself he could hijack a jet, get rich, and vanish. Under the fake name “Robert Wilson,” he boards *American Airlines Flight 119* with a sawed-off rifle hidden in a briefcase and turns a short hop from St. Louis to...
2025-12-1749 minWILDCIDEMark Hopkinson (Part 2): Killer by ProxyA key witness disappears. A body is found. A grand jury convenes. And suddenly the man who ruled Bridger Valley through fear is no longer hunting—he’s being hunted.
This episode takes you inside Hickey’s bombshell confession, the federal takedown of Hopkinson’s criminal network, the high-security trial that shook Wyoming, and the appeals battle that dragged on for years.
This is the downfall of a rural crime boss, the story the valley whispered about for decades—and the case that still stands as the most dangerous, far-reaching prosecution in Wyoming history.
Thanks fo...
2025-12-101h 03WILDCIDEMark Hopkinson (Part 1): Killer by ProxyIn Part 1 of our two-part deep dive into the Hopkinson case, we trace the origins of one of Wyoming’s most shocking criminal sagas. Beginning in the quiet, rural Bridger Valley—where authority flows through family networks and reputation—we follow the early life of Mark Hopkinson, a charismatic local favorite whose charm masked a growing pattern of manipulation, violence, and unchecked entitlement.
What starts as a simple water-and-sewer dispute soon spirals into intimidation, threats, and the deadly bombing that kills attorney Vincent Vehar and his family. At the same time, investigators uncover another hidden crime: the murder...
2025-12-031h 07WILDCIDEThanksgiving Shortcide: That's Just How the Fruitcake CrumblesThis Thanksgiving, we’re serving up something sweeter than Aunt Carol’s mystery casserole. When a beloved Texas fruitcake company started bleeding money, nobody expected the sticky fingers behind the mess to belong to the accountant who made the dough.
Join us as we unwrap the embezzlement scandal that turned corporate holiday cheer into a true crime feast- complete with shady spreadsheets, fancy cars and one heck of a fruitcake crumble.
It’s a slice of crime that’s nutty, rich and perfect for the holidays.
2025-11-2638 minWILDCIDEDr. Daryl Davis: Confronting Racism One Klansman at a Time (Part 2)Last week in Part 1, we sat down with musician, author, and racial bridge-builder Dr. Daryl Davis—a man who has spent decades sitting across from members of the Ku Klux Klan and asking the world’s most disarming question: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” Daryl shared how simple human curiosity opened doors that fear had sealed shut, and how that first conversation led to dozens of Klansmen walking away from hate.
In Part 2, we go deeper.
Daryl brings us inside the psychology of extremism, the anatomy of white supremacy, and the pe...
2025-11-2150 minWILDCIDEThe Charrette: Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis (Part 2)In Part 2, we pick up inside Durham’s 1971 school charrette — the collision point where a civil rights legend and a Klan leader are forced to sit face-to-face for ten days and decide the fate of the city’s schools. What begins as shouting, sabotage, and years of rage finally cracks open into something neither of them saw coming: recognition.
Across long days and brutal night sessions, Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis stop fighting at each other and start fighting to be heard. Their defenses crumble, their fears surface, and the truth slips out — their children are sufferin...
2025-11-191h 11WILDCIDEDr. Daryl Davis: Confronting Racism One Klansman at a Time (Part 1)Dr. Daryl Davis is an international recording artist who has performed and toured all 50 States and around the world. He has performed extensively with Chuck Berry, The Legendary Blues Band (formerly The Muddy Waters Blues Band), Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, and many others.
He is also a man who has sat across from members of the Ku Klux Klan—by choice. In this powerful first half of our conversation, Daryl Davis takes us back to the experiences that shaped his extraordinary journey into the heart of hate.
From a childhood spent overseas surrounded by diversity to a...
2025-11-1458 minWILDCIDEThe Charrette: Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis (Part 1)In 1971 Durham, North Carolina, a civil rights activist and a Ku Klux Klan leader are forced to share a table—and a title. Before that moment, though, their collision was decades in the making.
In this first half of our two-part series, we trace Ann Atwater’s rise from public housing organizer to unshakable community force, and C.P. Ellis’s descent from working-class humiliation to Klan leadership—two lives sculpted by poverty, power, and the machinery of racial division. When a burned school and federal desegregation orders push the city into crisis, officials choose an unlikely fix: a “...
2025-11-1259 minWILDCIDEShortcide: She's a Bad Mama JamaThis Shortcide is all glitter, salt rims, and felony-level delusion.
First up — Rita Crundwell: the beloved small-town comptroller who quietly drained an entire Illinois city for 22 years to fund her rhinestone horse empire. She stole $53.7 million from Dixon — the biggest municipal fraud in U.S. history — all while winning world championships and convincing everyone she was basically the financial Mother Teresa of the Midwest.
Then — Gina Champion-Cain: San Diego’s self-proclaimed “Queen of Hospitality” who turned liquor license lending into the largest female-run Ponzi scheme in American history. Nearly $400 million moved through her fake escrow world of marga...
2025-11-0554 minWILDCIDEProfiling and Victimology: A Conversation with Pioneer Dr. Ann Wolbert BurgessIn this episode of Wildcide, we sit down with one of the most influential figures in modern criminal profiling — Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, the real-life inspiration behind Dr. Wendy Carr from Netflix’s Mindhunter.
Long before Mindhunter brought behavioral analysis into pop culture, Burgess was already inside the real FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, decoding the minds of serial offenders and changing how investigators understood trauma, violence, and victim behavior.
From her pioneering research in victimology to her groundbreaking interviews that helped shape the FBI’s approach to behavioral profiling, Burgess reveals what it really takes to...
2025-10-311h 08WILDCIDEJon Barry Simonis: The Ski Mask RapistBetween 1978 and 1981, a quiet terror crept through the southern United States.
Women and couples were attacked in their own homes—bound, blindfolded, and violated by a man wearing a ski mask who seemed to appear and vanish like a ghost.
His name was Jon Barry Simonis, and by the time he was caught, he’d confessed to more than 80 rapes across 12 states. Investigators now believe the real number was closer to 130.
But this isn’t just another case of brutality, it's a case about the science that emerged from it.
When the FBI’s Behavi...
2025-10-2959 minWILDCIDEShortcide: 'Pick Me' Criminals are the WORSTSome people will do anything to be noticed — post, pose, or even escape from jail.
This week, Bailey and Chelsea dive into the wild world of “Pick Me” criminals — THE MOST obnoxious types of criminals where their egos outweighed any rational thought.
First up, Bailey unpacks the bizarre case of Antoine Massey, the New Orleans fugitive who escaped jail, then went full influencer-on-the-run — livestreaming his manhunt and turning his capture into a clout-chasing spectacle.
Then Chelsea heads to Colombia- where 'Pick Me' Pablo aka Pablo Escobar- where his ego outlived him — literally — through a herd of illeg...
2025-10-2243 minWILDCIDETreatment for Adolescent Offenders with Samantha Ammann, RN, LCSW, CSAT, RYTTrigger Warning: This interview discusses sexual compulsive behaviors, juvenile sexual offending, trauma, and family dysfunction. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode, Bailey and Chelsea sit down with Samantha, a Licensed Therapist and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), who specializes in treating individuals struggling with sexual compulsive behaviors, pornography addiction, and partners affected by sexual offenses. Drawing on her background in nursing, addiction recovery, and trauma therapy, Samantha offers both clinical insight and personal compassion for clients facing shame, secrecy, and recovery challenges.
Samantha discusses her time working with juvenile sex offenders in a Florida...
2025-10-171h 06WILDCIDEAdolescent Offender: The Hunter Heckel CaseTrigger Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of sexual assault involving minors and may be distressing to some listeners.
In 2021, two assaults inside Loudoun County schools ignited one of the most divisive moral panics in modern America. The perpetrator—a sixteen-year-old named Hunter Heckel—became the face of a national storm that fused crime, politics, and gender identity into a single explosive narrative. Parents demanded answers. News outlets circled like vultures. And in the chaos, one crucial truth disappeared: Hunter Heckel was still a child—both culpable and still developing, guilty and yet unfinished.
Through psycho...
2025-10-151h 02WILDCIDEThe West Nickel Mines Amish School Shooting⚠ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses violence against children, trauma, and death. Listener discretion is advised.
On October 2, 2006, the quiet farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, were shattered when a local milk truck driver, Charles Carl Roberts IV, stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse and took ten young girls hostage. By the time police broke through the doors, five were dead, five were clinging to life — and Roberts had turned the gun on himself.
What followed stunned the world: instead of anger or vengeance, the Amish community responded with forgiveness. They comforted the killer’s widow, attended his funera...
2025-10-081h 05WILDCIDETrafficked: The Incredible Survival of Iasia SweetingThe most devastating crimes don’t always start with violence — sometimes, they begin with a promise. A voice that sounds enlightened. Someone who claims to see something special in you… and then, piece by piece, rewrites what love means. What truth means. What safety means.
This is the story of Iasia Sweeting, a gifted teenage artist who vanished in 2010 — and was found years later weighing just fifty-nine pounds in a Gwinnett County hotel room. Her captor, Calvin McIntosh, a self-proclaimed prophet tied to the Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, ruled through doctrine and deprivation. Alongside his daughter, Najlaa McIntosh...
2025-10-0156 minWILDCIDEPreventing P*dophilic Offending: With Dr. Christoffer Rahm and Allison McMahanSome crimes don’t begin in the shadows — they start in silence. In this groundbreaking conversation, we sit down with Dr. Christoffer Rahm, psychiatrist and lead researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and Allison McMahan, psychologist and doctoral candidate specializing in early intervention for individuals with pedophilic disorder. Together, they’re part of a pioneering movement asking one of society’s hardest questions: What if we could stop child sexual abuse before it ever happens?
From clinical trials to darknet outreach, their team at Karolinska is reshaping what prevention looks like — through neuroscience, psychotherapy, and empathy. Their prog...
2025-09-2959 minWILDCIDEShortcide: Deathbed ConfessionsSome secrets are buried forever. Others come spilling out in the final moments of life — whispered to a nurse, a prison guard, or an investigator when there’s no more time left to lie. In this Shortcide, Bailey and Chelsea dive into the unsettling world of deathbed confessions. Sometimes they come from guilt too heavy to carry. Sometimes from fear of judgment in the afterlife. And sometimes, from the simple fact that when you’re about to die, there’s nothing left to lose.
Together, Bailey and Chelsea unravel two extraordinary stories where these last words cracked open col...
2025-09-2438 minWILDCIDEJoël Le Scouarnec: France’s Most Prolific Predator“I acted without any qualms and with a single objective — to commit sexual assaults as often as I could.” Those weren’t the words of a man caught in a single moment of weakness. They were the written confession of Joël Le Scouarnec, a French surgeon who spent more than 25 years preying on children under the cover of his white coat. Behind the image of a trusted doctor lay meticulous diaries, thousands of images, and the names of nearly 300 victims — many assaulted while unconscious on his operating tables.
But the horror of this case isn’t only about on...
2025-09-171h 09WILDCIDEBlood Ties: The Murders of Danielle Marzejka and Seren BryanWhen 18-year-old Danielle Marzejka and 19-year-old Seren Bryan vanished from their Clinton Township home in August 2018, friends expected them to pop back up with a laugh and a message. Instead, their belongings remained untouched—their phones, insulin, and treasured keepsakes left behind. Days later, a horrific discovery in a backyard shed shattered the illusion of safety in suburban Michigan.
As investigators unraveled the case, evidence pointed inward. What looked like a spotless bedroom glowed with blood under luminol. Hidden duct tape carried fingerprints. And the suspect’s trail stretched from Michigan to Ohio—ending in a Cincinnati public...
2025-09-1050 minWILDCIDEKenneth McDuff: The Broomstick Killer**CORRECTED/UPDATED 9/3: Audio Issues with this episode**
Kenneth McDuff was supposed to die in prison. Instead, a broken justice system set him free—and unleashed one of the most sadistic serial killers Texas has ever known. Nicknamed The Broomstick Killer for the brutality of his first murders in 1966, McDuff’s first death sentence was commuted, and he walked out of prison decades later into a society unprepared for the monster it had released. What followed was a trail of women abducted, strangled, and discarded across county lines, while law enforcement scrambled to connect the dots.
Bene...
2025-09-031h 01WILDCIDEThe Heart that Lived Twice: The Case of Sonny Graham and Terry CottleIn April 2008, neighbors in Vidalia, Georgia, were jolted awake by the sound of a shotgun blast. The man who died that morning was no stranger — Sonny Graham was a beloved golf director, a husband, a father. But Sonny also carried a secret: the transplanted heart of another man who had died by suicide more than a decade earlier. That man’s widow, Cheryl, had since become Sonny’s wife. What unfolded was a story so eerie it captured headlines across the world: two suicides, one heart, one wife. But behind the sensational coverage was something far more
complicated — a collis...
2025-08-2748 minWILDCIDEThe Upper West Side Cult: Therapy, Sex, and ControlIn this episode, Bailey and Chelsea peel back the layers of a New York story most people never knew was happening right under their noses. At the height of the city’s cultural revolution—where art, politics, and therapy collided—a radical psychotherapy collective promised liberation from tradition, family, and fear. But what began as an experiment in freedom grew into something far more controlling, and far more dangerous.
With Bailey unpacking the psychological traps that rewired minds, and Chelsea exploring the social forces that made so many intelligent New Yorkers vulnerable, this episode asks: how does a grou...
2025-08-2052 minWILDCIDEShortcide: Conmen and the Audacity They Rode in OnSome criminals steal for money. These two stole for sport.
Chelsea takes on Victor Lustig, the smooth-talking con artist who “sold” the Eiffel Tower — twice — and even conned Al Capone. From fake government papers to counterfeit money presses, Lustig’s schemes left a trail of humiliated victims from Paris to New York.
Bailey dives into Ferdinand Waldo Demara, the master impostor who bluffed his way through careers he had no business holding — including performing actual surgeries in the Royal Canadian Navy after skimming a medical textbook.
Both men built empires on charm, lies, and sheer au...
2025-08-1347 minWILDCIDEConspiracy: Who Bombed Judi Bari?A car bomb. A forest war. And an activist caught in the middle. When Earth First! organizer Judi Bari was nearly killed by a bomb planted beneath the driver’s seat of her Subaru, the FBI didn’t hunt for the bomber—they arrested her. What followed was a decades-long battle between environmentalists, the logging industry, and law enforcement, marked by conspiracy, smear campaigns, and civil rights violations.
In this episode, we dig into the unsolved car bombing that silenced a voice—but only briefly. We explore the psychological toll of being framed, the sociopolitical war over Californ...
2025-06-1157 minWILDCIDEThe Art World’s Greatest Fraud with Filmmaker Barry AvrichWhat happens when one of America’s most prestigious art galleries falls for an $80 million lie?
From the acclaimed filmmaker behind Netflix’s Made You Look, Barry Avrich returns with The Devil Wears Rothko: Inside the Art Scandal That Rocked the World. This gripping true crime exposé pulls back the curtain on the now-infamous Knoedler Gallery fraud—complete with a mysterious dealer, a brilliant forger, and a web of deception that reached the highest tiers of the art world.
With exclusive interviews and deep investigative reporting, Avrich uncovers:
How Glafira Rosales passed off dozens of forg...
2025-06-0659 minWILDCIDEThe Art of Deception: Wolfgang BeltracchiFor years, the name Wolfgang Beltracchi meant nothing to the art world. And yet, his fingerprints were everywhere—on canvases attributed to long-dead masters, hanging in prestigious galleries, and sitting in private collections worth millions. He didn’t just forge art—he forged history itself.
But this isn’t your typical forgery tale. This is the story of a man who studied the flaws of the elite and turned them into his canvas. Alongside his wife Helene, Wolfgang created an empire of lies so seductive, it didn’t just fool the experts—it made them complicit. With charm, chemi...
2025-06-041h 12WILDCIDEShortcide: Wild, Wild WillsIn today's Shortcide, we explore two outrageous real-life cases where the last wills and testaments caused chaos. First up is T.M. Zink, an Iowa attorney who left his fortune to build a women-free library, complete with “NO WOMAN ADMITTED” signs. His daughter fought back, and what unfolded was a courtroom showdown filled with legal twists and personal pettiness. Then, we head to 1920s Toronto for the bizarre Great Stork Derby, where eccentric millionaire Charles Vance Millar promised his fortune to the woman who had the most babies in ten years. What began as a prank turned into a decade...
2025-05-2845 minWILDCIDEBetrayal Trauma with Dr. Jessica LamarLast interview, we sat down with Tamara Cooper to discuss compulsive sexual behavior. The question remained: what happens to the partners after betrayal? So this week, we sit down with Jessica Lamar, CPTT (Certified Partner Trauma Therapist) for an eye-opening conversation on betrayal trauma—the profound impact of infidelity and sex addiction on partners. Jessica brings years of clinical expertise to the table as we unpack the difference between sex addiction and infidelity, explore the trauma responses that often follow discovery, and discuss what healing actually looks like. If you've ever wondered how to support someone reeling from betrayal—or h...
2025-05-231h 06WILDCIDEAnatomy of Betrayal: The Case of Dr. Jean-Claude DominiqueWhen Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique was struck in a late-night hit-and-run, his Queens community mourned the loss of a respected OB-GYN, devoted father, and loving husband. His wife, Eliette, stood by as he lay in a coma—unaware that the real impact of that night was only just beginning.
What first appeared to be a tragic accident quickly unraveled into a web of forged documents, double lives, and competing claims of marriage. As the investigation deepened, Eliette found herself blindsided by a betrayal no one could’ve predicted—one that would shatter families and ultimately end in violence.
...
2025-05-2153 minWILDCIDEHow a Crime Novel Solved a Murder: The Case of Dariusz JaniszewskiIt began with a body. In December 2000, the remains of a missing man surfaced in the Oder River in southwestern Poland. Dariusz Janiszewski—a young entrepreneur who had vanished weeks earlier—was found floating in the river by three fishermen. He was bound by rope in a ‘reverse hog tie’ position with evidence that he’d been starved, tortured and then dumped in the icy river while he was still alive. The brutality of the murder left investigators stunned. But despite the shocking nature of the crime, the case quickly went cold. For three years, there were no suspects, no motive...
2025-05-141h 05WILDCIDESex Addiction vs. Sex Offending with Tamara Cooper, CSATSex addiction is often misunderstood, sensationalized, or dismissed altogether—but what’s the truth behind it? In this episode, we sit down with Tamara Cooper, a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), to unpack the often-misunderstood world of sex addiction. Together, we draw a clear line between compulsive sexual behavior and criminal sexual offending—emphasizing the critical roles of consent, legality, and boundaries. Tamara explains how sex addiction is not about desire or impulse alone; it’s a complex intimacy disorder deeply rooted in unresolved trauma, particularly childhood attachment trauma. We discuss how shame, secrecy, and distorted coping mechanisms can entrench...
2025-05-091h 05WILDCIDEFall of a Titan: The Murder of Steve "Air" McNairOn July 4, 2009, the world woke up to shocking headlines: beloved NFL quarterback Steve McNair had been found dead in a Nashville condo, alongside 20-year-old Sahel “Jenni” Kazemi. What first looked like a mystery quickly unraveled into a tragic tale of obsession, secrecy, and emotional unraveling.
To fans, McNair was the embodiment of grit—a decorated athlete, a husband, and a father of four. But beneath the surface, his life was divided between the roles he played and the impulses he couldn’t seem to outrun. Lavish gifts, secret properties, and multiple women—all carefully tucked away from his public...
2025-05-071h 05WILDCIDEShortcide: Freakshows—What a Weird FlexStep right up, folks—today’s Shortcide takes you on a journey through the wonderfully weird (and slightly horrifying) world of historic freak shows! 🎪 We dig into the strange afterlife of Elmer McCurdy, the outlaw who somehow spent more time touring as a mummy than he ever did causing trouble alive. Then, we honor the story of Julia Pastrana, the incredible performer who deserved so much more than the circus life she was given. Expect a mix of history, absurdity, and the occasional “Wait…WHAT?!” moment as we unravel the bizarre ways society used to treat the extraordinary.
Thanks for...
2025-04-3049 minWILDCIDEHonor Killings and Honor Based Violence - A Conversation with SabIn this powerful conversation, Sab sheds light on the hidden dangers of honor-based violence, detailing how it continues to affect countless lives across the world. Through her advocacy, she works to raise awareness, support survivors, and fight for a future where no one has to fear violence in the name of family honor.
Sab's courage to speak out is a reminder that honor killings are not just tragic stories but real, preventable crimes that need urgent attention. This interview is a call to action to stand up against honor-based violence and to ensure the voices of the...
2025-04-251h 43WILDCIDEHonor Killing: The Case of Shafilea AhmedIn 2003, Shafilea Ahmed, a 17-year-old British-Pakistani girl, was killed in a brutal act that shocked the world. Behind the walls of a seemingly ordinary family home, Shafilea's desire for independence clashed with her parents' rigid expectations, leading to a tragic and deadly end.
Raised in a family where cultural traditions were enforced without question, Shafilea's growing desire to live life on her own terms set her on a dangerous path. Her defiance of arranged marriage plans and rejection of traditional roles would come at an unimaginable cost.
When Shafilea went missing, her parents quickly reported...
2025-04-2359 minWILDCIDEA Love Quadrangle: The Murder of Bruce SaundersWhat happens when love turns deadly? Sharon Graham found herself at the center of a tangled web of emotions, caught between not one, but three men—each unknowingly playing a role in a twisted and dangerous plot. At the heart of this tragic story is Bruce Saunders, a well-liked butcher whose life would be taken by those he trusted most.
As Sharon’s desires and emotions ran wild, her relationship with Greg Roser and Peter Koenig, two men she called lovers, escalated into something far darker than any of them could have predicted. What seemed like a comp...
2025-04-1650 minWILDCIDEPantera & Family Ties: Michael 'Doc' Holt on Dimebag, Vinnie Paul, and Their LegacyIt's all about Pantera today! In this special episode, we sit down with Michael "Doc" Holt, the cousin of the legendary Abbott Brothers, Darrell "Dimebag" and Vinnie Paul, for an exclusive interview. As one of the few remaining close family members to the Abbott brothers, Doc shares intimate, never-before-heard stories about their childhood, their rise to fame with Pantera, and the deep personal loss he still feels from Dimebag's tragic death.
Doc opens up about the bond he shared with the brothers, their early days in the music scene, and what it was like watching Pantera transform...
2025-04-111h 05WILDCIDEWhen Metal Mourns: The Alrosa Villa MassacreIn this intense episode, we cover one of the most shocking and heartbreaking events in rock music history: the murder of Dimebag Darrell, guitarist of the iconic band Pantera, during a live performance in 2004. The episode delves into the tragic shooting at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, where Darrell and three others—tour manager Chris Paluska, security guard Jeff Thompson, and fan Nathan Bray—lost their lives in an act of brutal violence that would leave the music world reeling.
Bailey and Chelsea explore the motive behind the horrific attack, the chilling background of the shooter, Nath...
2025-04-091h 07WILDCIDEKiller Genes: The Murder of Rhonda "Chantay" BlankinshipIn this episode, we dive into the haunting murder of Rhonda “Chantay” Blankinship, whose tragic fate would remain a mystery for over a year. Chantay’s disappearance seemed like an ordinary missing persons case, but what unfolded would leave the small town of Brownwood, Texas, reeling. Her body was found in an abandoned house, brutally beaten and left for dead, but the question remained: Who would do this to someone so loved by all?
What initially appeared to be a case of a random abduction quickly turned into a complex investigation with twists and turns, including an unlike...
2025-04-021h 07WILDCIDEShortcide: Death Played DirtyIn this Shortcide, it's almost as if death itself is playing dirty, pulling off Final Destination-style tricks, taking lives in the most unexpected and bizarre ways. Bailey and Chelsea dive into two of the most perplexing and bizarre cases in recent memory. Bailey covers the eerie deaths of Lucien Perot and Olivier Boudin, two men found dead under mysterious circumstances at a French bistro, their meal left unfinished and their deaths seemingly simultaneous. Was it a tragic accident, a botched meal, or something more sinister? Bailey unpacks the chilling details, from the discovery of their bodies to the postmortem...
2025-03-2650 minWILDCIDEThe Murders at Snowden HouseIn September of 1996, tragedy shattered the peace at the historic Snowden House, a grand estate resting in the heart of the Arkansas Delta. It was there that 75-year-old Sally Snowden McKay and her nephew, 52-year-old Joseph Lee Baker, were brutally murdered—a brutal act of violence that stained a home that had stood for generations. The killer? A teenage burglar, Travis Lewis, who had crept onto the property that day with intentions that turned deadly. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to life behind bars. Justice, it seemed, had prevailed. But some stories don’t end where we expect them...
2025-03-1951 minWILDCIDEBeyond the Exam Room: Marie McKenzie on Forensic Nursing After Sexual AssaultIn this gripping episode of Wildcide, we sit down with Marie McKenzie, a seasoned Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), to uncover the critical role forensic nurses play in the justice system. Marie shares firsthand experiences from the field, explaining how she conducts forensic exams, supports survivors, and helps build cases against perpetrators. We discuss the emotional toll of the job, the misconceptions about sexual assault investigations, and the changes needed to improve survivor advocacy. This is an eye-opening conversation you don’t want to miss.
About our Honored Guest:
Once silenced by the aftermath of se...
2025-03-141h 13WILDCIDEZhenhao Zou: The UK's Most Prolific Serial RapistContent Warning: This episode discusses sexual violence and drug-facilitated assault. Listener discretion is advised.
Zhenhao Zou appeared to be just another PhD student at University College London—until investigators exposed him as one of the most prolific sexual predators in British history. But beneath the surface, he was hiding a horrifying secret. Between 2019 and 2023, Zou preyed on women—primarily Chinese and East Asian—through social media and dating apps, luring them in under false pretenses. Behind the glow of his academic achievements and even post-plastic surgery, he was a deeply disturbed predator.
Zou’s obsession with ‘st...
2025-03-1251 minWILDCIDEThe Zizians: A Murderous Transgender Vegan Cult?Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, suicide, and other sensitive or controversial topics.
Ooof. This one is a full-blown inferno, and it is STILL DEVELOPING.
Meet the Zizians—who refer to themselves as—wait for it—the Vegan Siths. *Cue "The Imperial March"* This case unravels the shocking layers of a radical faction of rationalists who, despite preaching altruism, have left a trail of brutality in their wake. With at least four brutal murders and two additional deaths linked to the group, their ideology has mutated from intellectual posturing into a twisted labyrinth of suicide, faked dea...
2025-03-051h 25WILDCIDEShortcide: Death Took an LSome call it luck, some call it fate—but one thing’s for sure, Death took a serious L on this one. In this Shortcide, we’re bringing you two cases of two different people who repeatedly dodged death like it was their full-time job. Chelsea covers the outrageous tale of a man named Frane Selak, who seemed to have a VIP pass to disaster—but somehow always walked away. And Bailey tells the unbelievable story of Violet Jessop, a woman who kept finding herself in the middle of history’s most infamous maritime catastrophes… and lived to tell the tale....
2025-02-2551 minWILDCIDE'Welcome to Video' (Part 2): The Fall of a Dark Web EmpireCONTENT WARNING: This episode contains content around child sexual abuse material and child exploitation. Listener discretion is advised.
After authorities dismantled Welcome to Video, the largest known child exploitation marketplace on the dark web, the real battle began—tracking down its users. What followed was a sprawling global manhunt as law enforcement agencies across multiple countries worked to identify and arrest the perpetrators hiding behind encrypted screens.
This episode uncovers the shocking scale of the network, the high-profile arrests that followed, and the devastating impact on both victims and investigators. We examine how international cooperation br...
2025-02-211h 02WILDCIDE'Welcome to Video' (Part 1): The Dark Web’s Most Vile EmpireCONTENT WARNING: This episode contains content around child sexual abuse material and child exploitation. Listener discretion is advised.
This case makes Dark Web Diaries look tame. This week, we dive into the horrifying Welcome to Video case—one of the darkest and most expansive child exploitation networks ever uncovered. Operating in the shadows of the internet, Welcome to Video was a marketplace of unimaginable crimes, where thousands of users exchanged Bitcoin for access to child abuse material.
At the center of it all was Son Jong-Woo, an unassuming South Korean student who built and maintained th...
2025-02-191h 00WILDCIDEThe Crimes of Robert Sparks: A Firsthand Account from Dallas PD’s Joe KingA horrific crime, a high-stakes manhunt, and the inside story from the officer who lived it. In this episode, we sit down with Dallas PD Officer Joe King, a key player in the investigation and capture of Robert Sparks, the man responsible for one of Dallas’ most shocking family murders. Joe takes us behind the scenes of the case, sharing firsthand what it was like to track down Sparks and the reality of working major crimes in law enforcement.
But this episode isn’t just about true crime—it’s also about bridging the divide between law enforceme...
2025-02-141h 07WILDCIDEFamilicide: The Crimes of Robert SparksContent Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault, violence, and human suffering. Listener discretion is advised.
Alright, let’s rewind to September of 2007 where a man by the name of Robert Sparks was living a relatively normal life—at least, that’s how it looked from the outside. But inside his home, it was a different story. Robert Sparks had a reputation for being controlling and paranoid, especially about his wife, Chare Agnew. By September 2007, Sparks’ paranoia hit its breaking point, and a Dallas neighborhood would become the backdrop for an unthinkable crime.
When police a...
2025-02-1257 minWILDCIDEGod's Misfits: The Murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian KelleyA routine custody exchange. A deserted highway. Two women vanish without a trace.
On March 30, 2024, Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler set off on what should have been a simple trip to pick up Veronica’s children. But when they never returned home, their loved ones knew something was terribly wrong. Their vehicle was later found abandoned near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, but there was no sign of the women. The unsettling clues left behind hinted at something far more sinister.
As law enforcement launched an investigation, they began to uncover a dark and twisted conspiracy—one fuel...
2025-02-051h 12WILDCIDEResilience and Hope: My Parents' Survival Through the Holocaust with Tom Glaser⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of the Holocaust, including themes of genocide, suicide, violence, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, we sit down with Tom Glaser as he shares the extraordinary and harrowing journey of his parents' survival through the Holocaust. Through Tom’s vivid storytelling, we uncover the resilience, heartbreak, and unimaginable strength that defined his parents' experience during one of history’s darkest chapters.
Tom takes us beyond the statistics, giving voice to the intimate struggles and triumphs that shaped his family’s legacy. Fro...
2025-01-291h 24WILDCIDEJosef Mengele: Auschwitz's Angel of DeathContent Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence, genocide, and human suffering. Listener discretion is advised.
In this compelling and deeply introspective episode, we delve into one of humanity’s darkest chapters: the Holocaust. Beginning with a look at the state of Germany in the 1930s, we explore the political and economic collapse that created the fertile ground for Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and the horrifying events that followed. We discuss the establishment of Auschwitz, the largest and most infamous Nazi concentration and extermination camp, and examine the systemic and meticulous organization of genocide carr...
2025-01-271h 02WILDCIDELethal Curiosity: The Murder of Amie GrayIn this gripping episode, we uncover the shocking case of Nasen Saadi, a criminology student who crossed the line from studying crime to committing it. Amie Gray and her friend Leanne Miles were enjoying a fire at the beach before tragedy struck. Amie Gray, a mother, wife and coach, was a vibrant young woman whose life was brutally cut short. We explore Saadi’s background, his twisted fascination with criminal behavior, and the chilling events leading up to the murder. Through an in-depth look at the investigation, we reveal how Saadi’s actions betrayed the very field he claimed to s...
2025-01-2244 minWILDCIDEBob Crane: Behind the Scenes with His Official BiographersWas Bob Crane a victim of fame’s shadowy underbelly, or did his lifestyle lead him down a dangerous path? What clues were left behind at the crime scene, and why has his murder remained unsolved for over four decades? Join us for an exclusive deep dive into murder, mystery, and scandals as we delve into the life and shocking death of beloved actor Bob Crane, star of Hogan’s Heroes.
In this gripping interview, we sit down with Bob Crane’s official biographers, Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater, whose years of exhaustive research and unparalleled access to Cra...
2025-01-171h 26WILDCIDEBob Crane: Hollywood’s Infamous Unsolved MurderStep into the glamorous yet shadowy world of 1970s Hollywood as we unravel the unsolved murder of Bob Crane, the charismatic star of Hogan's Heroes. Found bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale, Arizona apartment in 1978, Crane’s murder shocked the entertainment world and left behind a tangled web of suspects and motives. From his double life of scandalous videotapes and troubled relationships to the cloud of suspicion surrounding his close friend John Carpenter, this case has all the elements of a true-crime classic. In this episode, we dive deep into the salacious rumors of Bob Crane's sexual fetishes, the gru...
2025-01-1550 minWILDCIDEShortcide: The Bizarre Case of Vaidas JucevičiusIn this episode, we dive into the enigmatic and chilling case of Vaidas Jucevičius, a man whose life took a turn so strange it left investigators and the public stunned. What started as a routine inquiry soon unraveled into a labyrinth of unanswered questions, cryptic clues, and unsettling twists. Vaidas wasn’t just any ordinary figure—his actions and the circumstances surrounding his case suggested a story far more intricate and unnerving.
As investigators peeled back the layers of his life, they were met with peculiar behavior, an unexpected trail of events, and discoveries that only deepe...
2025-01-0835 minWILDCIDEHexed (Part 1): The Dark Doctrine of the Witch's Hammer
In the first part of this witchy two-part episode, Chelsea delves into the dark origins of the Salem Witch Trials, unraveling the sinister influence of the Malleus Maleficarum, also known as the Witch's Hammer. This infamous 15th-century treatise fueled witch hunts across Europe and the American colonies, laying the groundwork for the hysteria that gripped Salem. Chelsea explores how the Malleus Maleficarum's doctrines were used to justify the persecution and execution of countless individuals accused of witchcraft. Join us as we uncover the chilling history behind one of the most notorious periods of mass hysteria and injustice.
**The interview t...
2025-01-031h 07WILDCIDEWildcide 2025: New Year UpdatesIt’s a new year, but don’t worry – we’re still here, digging into the darkest corners of true crime! In this special update episode, Bailey and Chelsea kick off 2025 with a recap of Wildcide’s 2024 year, listener shoutouts, and a sneak peek at what’s coming next. From unsolved mysteries to cases that left us scratching our heads (and locking our doors), we reflect on the stories that haunted us most.
Tune in to hear what’s in store for Wildcide!
Happy New Year, Wildciders! 🔪✨
2025-01-0120 minWILDCIDEChristmas Mourning: The Murder of Kashmier JamesIt was Christmas night in 2010, a time for joy, family, and celebration—but for 25-year-old Kashmier James, the holiday ended in an unthinkable tragedy. After spending the day with loved ones, Kashmier stopped to visit a friend in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Just moments later, gunfire shattered the quiet night. Kashmier, a nurse and young mother with aspirations of building a brighter future for her three-year-old daughter, was gunned down in a hail of bullets. Her child witnessed the entire ordeal, left to endure a trauma that would haunt her forever.
When investigators ar...
2024-12-181h 18WILDCIDEDr. Satan: The Crimes of Marcel PetiotIn this Chelstacular episode, Chelsea dives into the story of Dr. Marcel Petiot, a man whose sinister charm and calculated brutality earned him the infamous nicknames "Doctor Satan" and “The Butcher of Paris.” Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot, a seemingly charming and enigmatic figure in wartime Paris, was widely trusted as a physician and community leader. To those desperate to flee the Nazi regime, he presented himself as a savior, offering promises of escape during one of history’s darkest periods. Refugees, resistance fighters, and ordinary citizens placed their faith in him, unaware of the horrific fate that awaited...
2024-12-111h 27WILDCIDEThe Angel's Landing Cult (Part 2)In part two of this two-part case, we are back to the manipulation, crime, and charisma of Daniel Perez, AKA Lou Castro. In part one, we explored Perez’s control over his followers led to a series of suspicious deaths, each conveniently linked to large life insurance payouts that supported the cult's luxurious lifestyle. For part two, we begin to really dig into how Perez's control extended beyond financial exploitation. In the spring of 2011, the 'nail in the coffin' for bringing down Daniel Perez was a recovered hard drive full of incriminating information. We begin to get into the te...
2024-12-061h 01WILDCIDEThe Angel's Landing Cult (Part 1)In part one of this two-part case, Bailey takes us through the investigation into the Angel’s Landing cult. It is a chilling tale of manipulation, crime, and a charismatic leader who preyed on the vulnerable. At the heart of the case is Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who presented himself as a clairvoyant and prophet. Claiming to have supernatural powers and the ability to foresee the future, Perez lured followers to a secluded compound in Kansas, promising them protection and prosperity. However, behind the façade of spiritual guidance lay a sinister operation. The group was fin...
2024-12-041h 12WILDCIDEFatal Vow: The Murder of Dr. W.D. BroadhurstIn the remote reaches of eastern Oregon in 1946, the respected chiropractor and rancher Dr. W.D. Broadhurst met his violent end on a desolate road near Jordan Valley. Ambushed and slain, his death left behind a widow, a trail of dark secrets and twisted motives. His widow, Gladys, was a woman with too many aliases to count, had a labyrinthine past and a talent for manipulation. Her secretive and tangled history included bigamy and a pattern of calculated relationships. What followed was a story almost stranger than fiction. Gladys, attempting to deflect suspicion, fabricated threats and scattered lies, but...
2024-11-271h 12WILDCIDEDeadly Secrets: The Caldwell Ranch MurdersIn June 2017, a horrifying discovery on the Caldwell Ranch, a secluded Idaho property, unraveled a chilling web of deception, infidelity, and murder. Three bodies—Cheryl Baker, Nadja Medley, and her teenage daughter, Payton—were found under a tarp in an abandoned shed, along with three lifeless dogs. All were killed execution-style. The connection between the victims? A man by the name Mike Bullinger. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered the tangled threads of Mike's history: a pattern of manipulation, domestic violence, and betrayal. What ensued next was an all-out manhunt stretched across three states, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, involving the...
2024-11-201h 08WILDCIDE'The Dark Side of the Mind' with Melissa Kim CorterFor decades, Melissa Kim Corter has studied various forms of darkness. She speaks, writes, and teaches about fascinating subjects such as:
* Death
* Narcissism and Psychopathy
* Shadow Work
* Dreams & Nightmares
* Psychology of shadow in fairytales
* The benefit of horror and psychological thrillers for mental health
* Hauntingly beautiful things
* Jungian perspectives on death
* Parallels between true crime and personal development
Bailey and Chelsea sit down with the fabulous Melissa and pick her brain about Depth Psychology. What is it? Do we...
2024-11-151h 24WILDCIDEBody of Evidence: The Case of William "Bill" McGuireIn this episode, we unravel the chilling tale of William “Bill” McGuire’s murder in what became known as the infamous “Suitcase Murder.” Bill, a U.S. Navy veteran and father of two, was last seen on April 28, 2004. Days later, his dismembered body was discovered stuffed in three separate suitcases that had washed ashore in Chesapeake Bay. Suspicion quickly centered on his wife, Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey fertility nurse, after investigators uncovered a trail of damning evidence. Through questionable forensics, scandalous secrets, and courtroom drama, we explore the chilling twists of a seemingly normal middle-class couple that unraveled into a nig...
2024-11-131h 27WILDCIDEDisappeared: The Case of Leila CavettIn the morning on Sunday, July 26, 2020, A 911 call was placed by a resident of the Edge Apartments in Miramar, Florida. The resident was calling because she found a two-year-old little boy wandering around the parking lot of the apartment complex unaccompanied by an adult. She had no idea where he came from and couldn’t find anyone around responsible for the toddler. She told the operator that she had seen him between 8:00 and 8:30 that morning and that the little boy was barefoot and wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt. It wasn’t until almost 48 hours later that a fami...
2024-11-0652 minWILDCIDEPsycho: The Halloween Killer and the Murder of Robert WilkieIn this chilling episode, we uncover the disturbing story of Heather Stephenson-Snell, a licensed psychotherapist turned ruthless stalker, who spiraled into an obsessive, 18-month campaign of harassment and terror. Dubbed the “Halloween Killer,” her fixation on her ex-lover and his new partner evolved from subtle psychological manipulation into overt, violent threats that left her victims in constant fear. As Halloween night drifted into the early hours of November 1, 2003, a red car pulled onto Holland Street in Radcliff. The driver stepped out, cloaked in an eerie white sheet and a Scream mask, blending her real-life horror with the chilling fiction of H...
2024-10-311h 01WILDCIDEThe Salem Witch Trials: Interview with Historian Richard TraskIn this captivating episode, we sit down with renowned Salem Witch Trials historian and expert Richard Trask to explore the complex social, political, and religious factors that fueled one of history's most infamous events. Richard delves into the underlying causes of the witch hysteria that gripped 17th-century Salem, shedding light on how fear, superstition, and the Puritanical worldview created a perfect storm for the tragic trials. We’ll discuss the fascinating insights into key figures of the trials, including the accusers and the accused, and the role of gender, power struggles, and local rivalries in driving the deadly frenzy. Th...
2024-10-291h 14WILDCIDEHexed (Part 2): The Deadly Hysteria of the Salem Witch TrialsIn the second part of this witchy two-part episode, we connect the dots between Europe’s medieval witch hunts and the blood-soaked soil of Salem. Hang with us as Chelsea unravels the dark tale of the Salem Witch Trials, one of the most infamous episodes in American history. Journey back to 1692, where fear and suspicion gripped the Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts, leading to a wave of accusations, hysteria, and brutal executions. We explore how mass paranoia, religious zealotry, and local politics set the stage for the persecution of dozens of innocent people. We take a look into the li...
2024-10-2550 minWILDCIDENorwegian Black Metal (Part 2): Chaos, Arson and MurderIn part two of this wild two-parter episode, we are right back into the shadowy world of Norwegian black metal. In part one, we delved into the notorious and influential history of Mayhem, the band that laid the foundation for Norway’s black metal scene. We talked about how after Dead’s suicide, Mayhem’s popularity soared. Arguably, this tragedy was the first domino to fall in the chain reactions in Norway that included violence, arson, murder, and a further tumble into black metal chaos. In part two, we will focus on the notorious beef between Euronymous (the ‘Godfather’ of Black M...
2024-10-1852 minWILDCIDENorwegian Black Metal (Part 1): Darkness, Mayhem and TragedyIn part one of this wild two-parter episode, we dive into the shadowy world of Norwegian black metal- a music scene that transcended mere sound to become a notorious subculture known for its aggressive music with dark, philosophical, and anti-religious ideologies. This chaotic story begins with the notorious and influential history of Mayhem, the band that laid the foundation for Norway’s black metal scene. The band members comprised of aliases like ‘Euronymous’, ‘Hellhammer’, and ‘Necrobutcher’, ‘Count Grishnackh’, along with others, together became a symbol of extreme ideology, shocking events, and underground rebellion. Most notably, is the tragic and disturbing death o...
2024-10-1653 minWILDCIDEThe Electrocution of Baby Lawrence: Interview with Author James E. OvermyerIn this episode, Bailey and Chelsea dive into a captivating piece of true crime history with author James "Jim" Overmyer, who explores a tragic and mysterious case from the early 20th century in his book, The Electrocution of Baby Lawrence: A Murder That Shook a New England Town. Learn about the harrowing murder of Baby Lawrence, a toddler whose shocking death by electrocution rattled a peaceful New England town. We delve into the social and historical context of the era and the initial reactions from the community. Jim shares insights into how he uncovered and pieced together details of...
2024-10-111h 04WILDCIDE“A Mercy Killing”: The Electrocution of Baby Lawrence
In the mid-1940s, a small New England town was devastated by the mysterious death of an infant named Lawrence Noxon. Initially thought to be a horrible accident, suspicions quickly rose surrounding the six-month old’s death sparking an investigation into Lawrence’s father John Noxon, Jr. As local tensions rose, dark dynamics of the town came to light, and a sensationalized murder trial gripped the community. Some say baby Lawrence’s death was a terrible accident and tragedy. Others, well, they think that if John did kill his son, it was an act of mercy. An act dri...
2024-10-0959 minWILDCIDEBlack Klansman: The Case of Ron StallworthIn the late 1970s, one of the most improbable and audacious undercover investigations in American history took place. Ron Stallworth's story, Black Klansman, is a gripping and almost surreal tale of infiltration and deception. Ron Stallworth, the first black detective in Colorado Springs, Colorado, undertook a dangerous and audacious mission—to pose as a white supremacist to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Through phone calls and written correspondence, he gained the trust of local Klan members and even the Grand Wizard, David Duke. His story, later recounted in his 2014 memoir Black Klansman: A Memoir, inspired both the 2018 Spike Lee fi...
2024-10-0253 minWILDCIDEInside the Walls: Life as a Correctional OfficerIn this episode of the Wildcide Podcast, Bailey and Chelsea sit down with a seasoned correctional officer, Angie, to gain firsthand insights into the challenges and realities of working in a correctional facility. Our guest shares her experiences managing inmate populations, maintaining safety, and navigating the emotional and psychological demands of the job. We discuss the evolving role of correctional officers, the impact of staff shortages, and the importance of mental health support within the correctional system. This candid conversation provides a behind-the-scenes look at a profession that plays a critical, yet often unseen, role in the criminal justice...
2024-09-2754 minWILDCIDEEnd of Watch: Officer Marianne JohnsonIn the eerie pre-dawn hours of July 16, 2016, the French Robertson Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was on lockdown. Most inmates were confined, but Dillion Gage Compton, a convicted criminal, was one of twenty inmates working in the kitchen under the supervision of correctional officers, including Officer Mariann Johnson. Hours later, a routine count revealed a chilling reality: Officer Marianne Johnson was missing. Suspicion quickly turned to Dillion Gage Compton, whose earlier suspicious behavior and fresh scratches on his face and neck raised alarms. Forensic evidence would soon give some answers to the heartbreaking reality of Officer...
2024-09-251h 00WILDCIDESex on the Moon: The Infamous NASA Moon Rock HeistIn the summer of 2002, a quiet but audacious plot unfolded within NASA’s Johnson Space Center. A group of interns, led by Thad Roberts, became infamous for orchestrating one of the most audacious crimes in the history of space exploration—the theft of moon rocks. Under the cover of night, they navigated through the heart of NASA’s high-security vaults, making off with hundreds of pounds of lunar material. The heist involved stealing moon rocks that had been brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts, a crime that shocked both the scientific community and the general public. Their motivations remain...
2024-09-181h 15WILDCIDEThe Voice Behind 911: Interview with Lindzee RotenIn today's interview, Chelsea and Bailey get to do a deep dive into the world of 911 operators, the unsung heroes who are the first point of contact during some of the most critical moments in people's lives. These operators are the calm voice on the other end of the line, guiding individuals through emergencies ranging from medical crises to natural disasters, offering a lifeline when every second counts. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Lindzee Roten, a seasoned 911 operator with over 12 years of experience, to gain insight into the challenges, rewards, and intense realities of this vital...
2024-09-1358 minWILDCIDE911 Call: Catching a Serial KillerOn September 13, 2016, at 6:47am, Ohio's Ashland Police received a 911 call from a woman identified only as Jane Doe who whispered that she’d been kidnapped and was tied up mere feet away from her sleeping abductor. She tried to describe the man who was holding her captive and the house she was in but the best she could manage was that it was next to the Fourth Street laundromat. She spoke as quietly as she could to avoid waking her abductor: Shawn Grate. Little did Jane Doe know, Shawn Grate was a serial killer, and she was close to be...
2024-09-111h 19WILDCIDEWicked Woman: The Crimes of Leigh Ann SabineLeigh Ann and John Sabine were an enigmatic couple whose lives were cloaked in mystery, and whose story ultimately unraveled in the most chilling of ways. John and Leigh Ann sought fame and financial successes over caring for their children; often up and moving on a whim and leaving a wake of destruction behind them wherever they went. Leigh Ann, an unsuccessful cabaret singer with a charismatic demeanor, seemed to weave a web of stories around her life. After his disappearance, Leigh Ann often spoke of her husband, John, but these tales were inconsistent, filled with peculiar details that...
2024-09-041h 02WILDCIDEFalse Memories: Interview with Dr. Elizabeth LoftusY'all! Today is a special interview because Bailey gets to sit down with her professional crush Dr. Elizabeth Loftus. Dr. Loftus shares about her extensive research in the field of memory particularly around the misinformation effect, false memory and criticism of recovered memory therapies. Dr. Loftus is an instrumental figure in cognitive psychology. Her work has made a huge contribution to psychology and opened a unique and controversial aspect of psychology and memory. She has been an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of cases, including the McMartin preschool molestation case, the trial of Oliver North, the trial of...
2024-08-3051 minWILDCIDEThe Beatrice Six and the Murder of Helen Wilson (Part 2)In the heart of Nebraska, the serene town of Beatrice is shattered when Helen Wilson, a local woman wholly loved by her community, is brutally murdered in her own home, leaving the community in a state of terror. The suspect pool was very small and early leads lead to a promising arrest. However, DNA would prove the Beatrice Police Department had the wrong guy. Following Helen's murder, and the gruesome nature of the crime sets off a frenzy of suspicion and paranoia, eventually culminating in the arrest and conviction of six locals- Joseph White, Thomas Winslow, Ada JoAnn Taylor...
2024-08-291h 24WILDCIDEThe Beatrice Six and the Murder of Helen Wilson (Part 1)In the heart of Nebraska, the serene town of Beatrice is shattered when Helen Wilson, a local wholly loved by her community, is brutally murdered in her own home, leaving the community in a state of terror. The suspect pool was very small and early leads lead to a promising arrest. However, DNA would prove the Beatrice Police Department had the wrong guy. Following Helen's murder, and the gruesome nature of the crime sets off a frenzy of suspicion and paranoia, eventually culminating in the arrest and conviction of six locals- Joseph White, Thomas Winslow, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Debra...
2024-08-281h 09WILDCIDEThe Sterilization of Leilani MuirThe sterilization of Leilani Muir is a stark example of the human rights violations that can occur when governments adopt policies based on discriminatory ideologies. Muir's successful legal battle against the Alberta government not only brought her personal justice but also exposed the broader injustices of the eugenics movement in Canada. Her case serves as a powerful reminder of the need to protect individual rights, ensure informed consent, and confront the legacy of eugenics in modern society. The story of Leilani Muir continues to resonate as a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing prejudice and pseudoscience to dictate...
2024-08-211h 08WILDCIDEWildcide Husbands React: The Case of Agneta WestlundHigh school sweethearts Agneta and Ingemar Westlund decided to retire to a life of retirement piddling around the house, walking down to the lakes, and enjoying their dog Yocke in the town of Loftahammar, Sweden. Their two daughters were grown and living in Stockholm and the two were anticipating many more years together on their little farm. However, on September 8, 2008 life would come crashing down for the Westlunds. Join Chelsea with special guests Lucas and Zach, aka “The Husbands” and we theorize how Agneta would end up in a pool of her own blood brutally beaten beside a serene lake...
2024-08-1432 min