Cascadia Crime & Cryptids

CW: this episode contains descriptions of cannibalism, abuse of a corpse, the murder of children, and animal cruelty; please take care when listening.

The 1970s were a really rough time for Sacramento, CA - not only was the East Area Rapist (later coined the Golden State Killer) terrorizing the community, but a blitz of killings were committed from December 1977 to January 1978 that haunt the community to this day. A killer who only entered homes with unlocked doors because he felt that meant he was "welcome." A killer who literally drank his victims' blood - the Vampire of Sacramento.

Note from Caro: we had a little audio issue at the end of the episode so we had to do some splicing, please forgive us!

Sources

• A Thirst for Blood: The True Story of California's Vampire Killer, Ray Biondi + Walt Hecox
• Worlds Most Evil Killers S4 Ep 8 "Richard Chase"
• Conversations with a Serial Killer S1 Ep 3 "Richard Trenton Chase"
• Serial Killers Podcast (Parcast) "The Vampire of Sacramento" Pt 1 & Pt 2
• https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/chase-richard.htm
• https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17519262/ambrose-griffin/
• https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=ambrose%20griffin&s_place=Sacramento%2C%20CA&dr_year=1977-1977
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/620935164/?terms=ambrose%20griffin&match=1
• https://www.the-sun.com/news/4563217/vampire-sacramento-killer-victim-speaks-pregnant-wife-murder/

Sara takes us to the spooky side of things and details some of the origin stories of Seattle's supposedly haunted Georgetown Morgue, now a haunted house that you can visit today (if you dare).

Sources

• https://seattlehaunts.com/morgue-history/
• https://www.dailyuw.com/features/the-georgetown-morgue-gruesome-true-story-or-fabrication/article_76fc03af-243f-5802-86bc-27e4e3ae2822.html
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/georgetown-morgue-haunted-house-wa/
• https://komonews.com/archive/georgetowns-haunted-history-unearthed
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/georgetown-castle
• https://seattleterrors.com/terrifying-times-at-georgetown-castle/
• https://www.king5.com/article/features/georgetown-morgue-seattle-haunted-house/281-65cc72c4-a66d-4753-98c6-343a162c10a3
• The Ghostly Tales of the Pacific Northwest by Deborah Cuyle - Published 2022
• Haunted Graveyard of the Pacific by Ira Wesley Kitmacher

CW: this episode contains graphic crime scene descriptions, the accidental death of a child, and the violent murder of a pregnant woman

On Halloween night, 1984, police in San Jose, California responded to a scene one would later describe as a "Halloween horror show" in the front hallway of Charles and Doreen Erbert's suburban home. In the corner of the crime scene, near the door, lay a rubber mask in the shape of a cartoon wolf's head. This is a story of tragedy that lead to vengeful murder on Halloween night.

Sources

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/379262016/?terms=doreen%20erbert&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/460524251/?terms=doreen%20erbert&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/460628381/?terms=doreen%20erbert&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/758479889/?terms=doreen%20erbert&match=1
• Snapped, S26 Ep9 "William Dennis"
• https://crimesandconsequences.com/william-dennis/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/461356699/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQ2MTM1NjY5OSwiaWF0IjoxNjYzODE1MDE4LCJleHAiOjE2NjM5MDE0MTh9.zR6FjaLOqQRfNUwhYuI5va4yXcYtKr-7UsPX5uTLNNc
• https://www.record-bee.com/2016/09/30/condemned-inmates-victims-families-speak-out/
• https://medium.com/@crimewaffles/william-michael-dennis-the-murderer-in-the-wolf-mask-4ec6ebeb8f59
• https://kileystruecrime.squarespace.com/kileystruecrimeaddict-blog/the-halloween-murder-of-doreen-erbert
• https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/michael-dennis-kills-ex-wife-doreen-erbert-wolf-mask-halloween

Janet Farris went missing en route to a family wedding in British Columbia, Canada in October of 1992. Decades later, an underwater discovery on a family vacation would help finally give her family answers as to just what happened to Janet.

Sources

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/09/canada-teen-gopro-missing-car-years/
• https://www.today.com/news/teen-gopro-camera-helps-find-body-missing-woman-lake-t162382
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/body-missing-revelstoke-werenka-13-boy-1.5271853
• https://www.revelstokereview.com/news/honoured-for-helping-solve-a-near-30-year-0ld-mystery-of-missing-woman-near-revelstoke/
• https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/island-womans-body-found-in-lake-27-years-after-she-vanished-4675483#:~:text=Next-,The%20discovery%20of%20his%20mother's%20body%20inside%20her%20car%20in,niece's%20wedding%20in%20Innisfail%2C%20Alta.
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/502988544/?terms=%22Janet%20Farris%22&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/325479297/?terms=%22Janet%20Farris%22&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/503126258/?terms=%22Janet%20Farris%22&match=1

A dramatic 1940 bridge collapse, giant tentacles bursting out of the water - is the Pacific Northwest legend of Tacoma's King Octopus based in fact, or are the Seattle Kraken the only reason to "fear the deep" in Washington state's coastal waters?

It's another cryptid episode, folks.

Sources

• https://www.knkx.org/other-news/2017-05-20/world-octopus-wrestling-championships-once-attracted-audience-of-thousands-to-shores-of-tacoma
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_wrestling
• https://www.southsoundmag.com/arts-entertainment/giant-octopus-revealed/article_f40fe8c5-7b71-5b39-b9c8-27fa192d0dd1.html
• https://gritcitymag.com/2018/03/kraken-the-case-behind-one-of-tacomas-most-popular-local-legends/
• https://www.kuow.org/stories/there-really-giant-octopus-under-tacoma-narrows-bridge
• https://patch.com/washington/universityplace/the-octopus-under-the-narrows-bridge-named-one-of-the5f301f767e
• https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/washington/articles/this-washington-town-believes-a-giant-octopus-lurks-in-its-waters/
• https://www.gigharborlivinglocal.com/post/2017/12/18/the-giant-lives
• https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89503436/octopus-drowns-youth/#
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/725375057/?terms=octopus&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/733197391/?terms=octopus&match=1
• https://mission-blue.org/2021/02/new-marine-hospital-opens-in-seattle-in-celebration-of-salish-sea-hope-spot/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0xohjV7Avo
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)
• https://oceana.org/marine-life/giant-pacific-octopus/#:~:text=The%20giant%20Pacific%20octopus%20is,30%20feet%20across%20in%20length.
• https://wgntv.com/news/trending/the-story-behind-the-octopus-escape-at-the-seattle-aquarium/
• https://mynorthwest.com/82176/local-divers-are-furious-about-octopus-hunters-in-the-puget-sound/
• https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/mpa/octopus-preserve
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/giant-pacific-octopus#:~:text=Highly%20intelligent%20creatures%2C%20giant%20Pacific,of%20endangered%20or%20vulnerable%20animals.
• https://tubitv.com/movies/680814/the-giant-pacific-octopus?start=true

Puyallup Tribe member Leona Sharon Kinsey went missing on October 25, 1999 from La Grande, Oregon and still has not been found. Leona's daughter Carolyn still holds out hope, but she is frustrated by lack of law enforcement action on her mother's case. "John," aka Juan Pena-Llamas, likely the last person to see Leona before she disappeared, was deported to Mexico in 2006 and authorities have been unable to find or speak to him about Leona's disappearance. What happened to Leona Kinsey?

Sources

• https://www.npr.org/2021/12/03/1060973297/her-mother-went-missing-22-years-ago-now-she-finds-comfort-in-the-past-and-futur
• https://charleyproject.org/case/leona-sharon-kinsey
• https://www.facebook.com/FindingLeonaKinsey/
• https://nativenewsonline.net/health/we-have-the-knowledge-survivors-of-washington-s-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis-lead-the-fight-for-justice-when-justice-is-often-denied-2
• https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/puyallup-citizen-added-to-washington-state-list-of-missing-indigenous-people/article_02898e10-afab-570a-8853-af91ebf46281.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share
• https://www.cityoflagrande.org/about/faq/what-population-la-grande-how-can-i-get-demographic-information-about-la-grande#:~:text=La%20Grande's%20population%2C%20as%20of%20the%202000%20census%2C%20was%2012%2C327.
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/581678804/?terms=%22Leona%20Kinsey%22&match=1
• https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/or-leona-kinsey-45-la-grande-25-oct-1999.371546/

Apologies for the audio quality in this episode, the incorrect microphone was selected during recording.

On a May afternoon in Tacoma, WA in 1935, nine year old George Weyerhaeuser was snatched off the street in broad daylight - that night, his family received a ransom letter asking for the gigantic sum of $200,000 (~4 million dollars today!) in exchange for the safe return of their son. Only months after the Lindbergh kidnapping trial, the country was absolutely captivated with another high-profile kidnapping, and J. Edgar Hoover himself received multiple updates per day on George's case. This is the survival story of George Weyerhaeuser.

Sources

• Deep in the Woods: The 1935 Kidnapping of Nine-Year-Old George Weyerhaeuser, Heir to America's Mightiest Timber Dynasty by Bryan Johnson
• https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history#:~:text=Photo%20Galleries-,The%20Great%20Depression%20was%20the%20worst%20economic%20downturn%20in%20the,wiped%20out%20millions%20of%20investors.
• https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/dust-bowl#section_3
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover
• https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/lindbergh-kidnapping
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Weyerhaeuser_kidnapping
• https://www.historylink.org/File/7750
• https://www.evidencelockerpodcast.com/transcripts/transcript-161-the-kidnapping-of-george-weyerhaeuser-usa
• https://medium.com/journal-of-precipitation/lets-remember-when-george-weyerhaeuser-s-kidnappers-were-caught-on-this-day-in-1935-june-8-ad768d2db3d5
• https://www.seattletimes.com/business/george-weyerhaeuser-sr-great-grandson-of-timber-company-founder-and-childhood-kidnap-victim-dies-at-95/

Note: Caro called this episode 36 in the recording because she got ahead of herself - this is episode 35!

CW: this episode contains graphic body desciptions and instances of animal cruelty, please take care when listening.

In the summer of 2020, a group of teens made the horrific discovery of human remains in a suitcase that had washed up on Alki Beach in West Seattle, Washington. After uploading the footage of this discovery, it quickly went viral, showing up even momentarily on many, many social media feeds online. This is the story of the TikTok Suitcase Murders and the terrible fate of Jessica Lewis and Austin Wenner.

Sources

• https://nypost.com/2020/08/25/tiktok-video-of-murdered-pair-in-suitcase-axed-after-familys-pleas/
• https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/22/teens-tiktok-video-recorded-moment-found-body-discarded-suitcase-12884091/
• https://www.bustle.com/life/how-does-randonautica-work-the-creepy-tiktok-famous-app-can-help-you-realize-intentions-27624516
• https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2020/08/20/detectives-investigating-after-human-remains-found-in-west-seattle/
• https://www.westsideseattle.com/highline-times/2020/08/24/michael-lee-dudley-charged-two-counts-murder-second-degree
• https://www.westsideseattle.com/highline-times/2021/03/03/double-murder-suspect-michael-dudley-denied-bail-reduction-court-hearing
• https://medium.com/crimebeat/viral-tiktok-case-the-murders-of-jessica-lewis-austin-wenner-39ed190f36fd
• https://www.westsideseattle.com/robinson-papers/2021/06/10/seeking-healing-one-year-after-horrific-murder-families-and-friends
• https://lawandcrime.com/crazy/landlord-allegedly-murdered-couple-found-in-viral-tiktok-suitcase-video-was-angry-about-unpaid-rent/
• https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/tiktok-video-showing-discovery-of-jessica-lewis-austin-wenners-remains-removed
• https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/michael-dudley-suspected-in-murders-of-jessica-lewis-austin-wenner
• https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tumwater-wa/jessica-lewis-9257038
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/family-mourns-couple-who-were-fatally-shot-found-in-bags-on-west-seattle-beach/
• https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/i-was-shocked-says-ex-girlfriend-of-man-arrested-after-bodies-found-in-suitcases-on-west-seattle-beach/281-1bef6aed-0f79-45b4-9543-f80ae66139a3
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/805220524/?terms=%22Michael%20Lee%20Dudley%22&match=1

CW: this episode contains descriptions of dismemberment of a human body, please take care when listening.

Ingrid Lyne went on a date to Mariners' baseball opening night on April 8, 2016, but was reported missing by her mother and ex husband as of 10am the next day. To Seattle's horror, parts of Ingrid's body were found in a recycling bin later that Saturday afternoon. This is the appalling story of the murder of Ingrid Lyne.

Sources

• https://www.tucsonlocalmedia.com/news/article_0e1ff8b6-00f9-11e6-9e60-cb085ac5f0a8.html
• https://www.kold.com/story/31706167/single-mother-found-dead-in-seattle-has-ties-to-tucson-area/
• https://www.seattlepi.com/local/crime/article/When-he-walks-Ingrid-won-t-Man-gets-28-years-12477194.php#taboola-9
• https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/mike-novasio-describes-finding-ingrid-lynes-body-in-recycling-bin
• https://www.chillingcrimes.com/blogs/news/ingrid-lyne
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166042761/ingrid-marie-lyne
• https://www.thestranger.com/news/2016/04/13/23951102/what-we-know-so-far-about-the-murder-of-ingrid-lyne
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ingrid_Lyne
• https://fox59.com/news/mother-of-3-vanishes-after-date-with-man-she-met-online/
• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/more-body-parts-discovered-after-seattle-mom-ingrid-lynes-murder-n557021
• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-dismemberment-washington-mom-ingrid-lyne-charged-murder-n555646
• https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/041216_rounsaville_lyne/dismembered-body-seattle-ided-as-former-tucson-resident/
• https://www.gofundme.com/f/ingridlyne
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/police-treating-slain-nurses-renton-home-as-crime-scene/
• https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/seattle-nurse-dismembered-home-man-dating-article-1.2598470
• https://www.q13fox.com/news/friends-of-slain-dismembered-renton-woman-lash-out-at-killer-in-court
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/john-charlton-disturbing-allegations-surround-173815288.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANb3pgv9dGzwNnoRLgx-HgM31CJn7-cpbn2f33PtaWyevWjVXaZukCA8iH_rvKnMdAHrJSuMiBVJx3dFv4k5FKZeN9i2xAb0Yt3NdJypS3kQqBdD3EXlYm2yJ_A0emPJ2IsXSX65pZC96OEf1zmXMt5ilHe87IZUk3oZRWrju9a2
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/possible-human-remains-found-in-seattle-homeowners-trash-can/
• https://people.com/crime/mother-of-three-assumed-dead-by-seattle-police-suspect-in-custody/
• https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/seattle-mother-of-three-murdered-allegedly-by-man-she-met-online-w202463/
• https://people.com/crime/ingrid-lyne-text-exchange-between-mother-of-seattle-nurse-and-alleged-killer/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ingrid-lyne-killing-suspect-john-charlton-charged-with-murder-seemed-nonchalant-during-police/
• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/body-parts-discovered-third-location-after-washington-mom-ingrid-lyne-n557906
• https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2016/04/john-charlton-pleads-not-guilty-to-murder-of-ingrid-lyne/
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ex-girlfriend-of-john-charlton-accused-of-killing-ingrid-lyne-speaks-out_n_571f0aa8e4b0b49df6a8d3eb
• https://www.q13fox.com/news/man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-and-dismembering-renton-mom-dumping-body-in-recycling-bins
• https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/14/ingrid-lyne-murder-sparks-worry-over-dangers-of-in/
• https://www.thestranger.com/news/2016/04/13/23949369/the-morning-news-new-details-about-renton-womans-murder-and-ethics-investigation-of-transportation-head-scott-kubly
• https://seattlish.com/post/142705113686/this-is-horrible
• https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/new-details-in-murder-case-raise-questions-about-dating-app-dangers/489930421/
• https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/john-charlton-says-he-was-too-drunk-to-remember-going-back-to-ingrid-lynes-house-where-she-was-killed-and-cut-up/news-story/0807ace3615a78d4df5b6404f19558e2
• https://www.q13fox.com/news/family-of-slain-renton-mom-ingrid-lyne-our-hearts-are-broken-and-can-never-be-fully-mended
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNYSA5kA9Yo
• https://people.com/crime/man-who-found-dismembered-remains-of-wash-mom-in-trash-can-recounts-horrific-discovery/
• http://www.martonicklaw.com/sentencing/MURDER%20FIRST%20DEGREE.aspx
• https://www.q13fox.com/news/in-raw-emotional-vigil-friends-neighbors-mourn-pray-for-slain-mom-ingrid-lyne
• https://people.com/crime/ingrid-lyne-ex-girlfriend-of-accused-killer-regrets-not-calling-police/
• HLN's "Sex and Murder," S1 Ep 1 "Date with the Devil"

Teenagers Antoinette Witaker (13) and Joyce Gaunt (17) were both found murdered in the greater Seattle area, about 9 months apart, in 1977 and 1978. Aside from their individual involvement in the foster system and some basic teenage rebellion, there aren't many obvious connections between their cases. A 2010 Seattle Times article brought these cases to Sara's attention and naturally she brought them to the podcast - what happened to Antoinette and Joyce, and are their cases connected?

Sources

• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/california-killer-may-be-linked-to-seattle-slayings-in-1970s/
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/serial-killer-ruled-out-in-washington-case/
• https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/red-haired-man-with-boy-no-photo.99606/
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172146356/antionette-jean-whitaker
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187083157/joyce-francine-gaunt
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/735903830/?terms=%22joyce%20gaunt%22&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/735905889/?terms=%22joyce%20gaunt%22&match=1
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/735777839/?terms=%22joyce%20gaunt%22&match=1
• https://www.historylink.org/file/10574
• https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/24/rodney-alcala-serial-killer-who-murdered-orange-county-girl-dies-on-death-row/
• Excerpt from "Murder in Washington: Notorious Crime Sites: The Topography of Evil" by Marques Vickers
• Excerpt from "Serial Killers Among Us" by Zoe Keys
• Excerpt from "But I Trusted You" by Ann Rule