Once upon a time, Oregon blew up a whale carcass on the beach near Florence.  The news broadcast of the event has now been viewed millions of times all over the world.  If you needed a palate cleanser, we got you.  

Sources

• Video of the broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale
• https://web.archive.org/web/20220527115433/https://tourism.oregonstate.edu/the-case-of-the-exploding-whale/
• https://www.milb.com/news/emeralds-announce-exploding-whale-alternate-identity
• https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2013/10/george_thornton_the_odot_engin.html
• https://www.offbeatoregon.com/H001_ExplodWhale.html
• https://www.theexplodingwhale.com/evidence/resources/dave-barry-article/
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesman-journal-road-crews-to-blow-up/63143771/
• https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/thar-she-blows/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110717092953/http://tafkac.org/animals/exploding.whale/son_of_blubber.html
• https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KOdVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6114%2C3133152
• https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2020/11/12/fifty-years-later-florence-oregon-embraces-tale-exploding-whale/6259171002/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/exploding-whale-memorial-park.html
• https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1abd0qa/a_whale_carcass_explodes_on_a_beach_in_florence/
• https://emeralds.milbstore.com/collections/exploding-whales/Department_T-Shirts
• https://www.opb.org/artsandlife/series/history/florence-oregon-whale-explosion-history/
• https://katu.com/news/local/exploding-whale-day-54-years-since-whale-infamously-blown-up-on-oregon-beach
• https://katu.com/news/local/florence-locals-celebrate-50th-anniversary-of-exploding-whale-11-15-2020#
• https://www.theexplodingwhale.com/
• https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Whale-Other-Remarkable-Stories/dp/1558687432/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WZMJGBW9ZM3H&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TRp-LQjLHkqwOdOo5q1UTlZ2g6xk_ayAssrLOKY-BCvVZ1Bwd7aYyvy7DLz4U5rzJHK7itIJbj5FMEcKnifeRA.A-jFUoQiUAcIqrD-CdtVscoIDSS7amVZBWa8osHnxW8&dib_tag=se&keywords=exploding+whale+book&qid=1748144103&sprefix=exploding+whale+book%2Caps%2C337&sr=8-1
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/registerguard/name/walter-umenhofer-obituary?id=17951162

What happened to Jeffrey Surtel? 

If you have any information regarding the disappearance or the death of Jeffrey Surtel, please contact the RCMP at 604-826-7161, Police File # 2007-5465.  As always you can also contact CrimeStoppers if you would like to remain anonymous. 

Sources

• https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Jeff_Surtel
• https://people.com/human-remains-found-washington-16-years-ago-identified-teen-disappeared-home-11696435
• https://komonews.com/news/local/missing-teen-identified-18-years-later-through-remains-that-washed-ashore-in-washington-genetic-genealogy-mystery-disappearance-police-investigation-seattle-peninsula-puget-sound
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/2420031495/
• https://globalnews.ca/news/3403717/a-nightmare-b-c-family-struggles-for-answers-after-son-jeff-surtel-vanished-10-years-ago/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKEfPxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFhcW9sbXlMUGFQSWNDVm5VAR5OYbUpl6RvsYH0oIUfaWe8BYc4CeQAK3rc-RXDjmP-gQsQLcNRHV377JQFbw_aem_EuZmlzIhrJXu0A6QDNytwQ
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mission-bc-teen-missing-2007-dna-1.7480713
• https://www.reddit.com/r/MissingPersonsCanada/comments/1j5en1m/located_deceased_the_disappearance_of_jeffrey/?rdt=35228
• https://dnasolves.com/articles/clallam-county-doe-2008-jeff-surtel/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission,_British_Columbia
• https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/news/parents-of-missing-mission-teen-say-remains-found-after-17-year-search-7866253
• https://footprintsattheriversedge.blogspot.com/2010/08/042907-jeffrey-surtel-mission-bc-canada.html
• https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/12/18/16777724/human-feet-beach-pacific-northwest-seattle-vancouver

Rio is described as a white female, 5’6” and 215 lbs, (missing flyer shows 5’5 and 205 lbs) with brown shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She has a scar on her left forearm and a mole above her lip. 

She was last seen wearing blue jeans. Some sources also mention a black Seattle Seahawks jacket, but her family has stated they are unaware of the existence of this jacket. 

If you have any information on this case please contact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office at 253-798-3278. I believe you can also report to CrimeStoppers if you’d like to remain anonymous.

Sources

• https://komonews.com/news/local/where-is-rio-boyd-missing-woman-spanaway-pierce-county-one-year-later-missing-persons-case-investigation-sheriff-deputies-cell-phone-evidence-surveillance-video-clues-tips-cold-case-western-washington
• https://wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Boyd_Rio.pdf
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/468893618413850/
• https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/weve-got-to-move-forward-family-friends-hold-vigil-for-missing-spanaway-woman
• https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/family-finds-smashed-cell-phone-searching-for-missing-spanaway-woman
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/539841651612240
• https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-rio-boyd-home
• https://websleuths.com/threads/wa-rio-boyd-21-last-seen-in-spanaway-on-17-oct-2022-phone-found-smashed-block-from-home.641282/
• https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/spanawaycdpwashington/PST045219

What happened to Giovanna Tyler?  

If you have any information on Giovanna's case, please contact your local FBI (field office phone numbers are all available online - just stay on the line and you’ll get an operator), the Tacoma Police Department at 253-591-5506, or CrimeStoppers.

Sources

• https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/giovanna-tyler
• https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/giovanna-tyler/@@download.pdf - Link to missing persons poster
• https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article289252525.html
• https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/14wc6v2/missing_indigenous_mother_of_4_missing_since_2004/
• https://charleyproject.org/case/giovanna-katie-tyler
• https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeBullshit/comments/1dhjcuu/giovanna_tyler_has_just_been_added_to_the_fbi/
• https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4555dfwa.html
• https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP4305
• https://websleuths.com/threads/wa-giovanna-katie-tyler-29-tacoma-28-mar-2004.378169/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1135507762/?match=1&terms=%22Giovanna%20Tyler%22
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1134519318/?match=1&terms=%22Giovanna%20Tyler%22
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1132553805/?match=1&terms=%22Giovanna%20Tyler%22

The gruesome murder of Mary Ellen Stackhouse rocked her San Jose, CA neighborhood in 1963, and her attacker should have been in some kind of custody years prior to ever meeting her. 

Sources

• Practice to Deceive, Ann Rule
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-mary-ellen-st/36091999/?locale=en-US
• https://www.seattlepi.com/local/sound/article/ONE-WOMAN-TWO-STORIES-Thomas-goes-from-2145215.php
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53882997/mary_ellen-stackhouse
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/281031865/brenda_lee-billingsley_gard
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/281031402/robert_william-stackhouse
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51009957/helme_m-hower
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-mary-ellen-stackhouse-san-jose/36092023/?locale=en-US
• https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/peggy-sue-thomas-drop-dead-gorgeous/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/678743000/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/839492581/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1033178281/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1035207557/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/693801168/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/696435369/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/458423417/?match=1&terms=mary%20ellen%20stackhouse
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practice_to_Deceive

A twenty-minute window holds the answer we still don't have: who killed Sandra Albiani?

Sources

• https://humboldtgov.org/2772/Unsolved-Cases
• https://kymkemp.com/2022/06/09/unguarded-a-security-guards-murder-remains-unsolved-on-the-twenty-fifth-anniversary-of-her-death/
• https://www.northcoastjournal.com/052799/news0527.html
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/627826270/?match=1&terms=Sandra%20Albiani
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/times-standard/name/aaron-albiani-obituary?id=26385433
• https://theava.com/archives/2479

The last in Caro's Tahoe miniseries (but not the last of Tahoe content!) takes us to the Cal-Neva Hotel, a property that has changed hands many times, been host to celebrities, mobsters, politicians, and more over the years, and most recently, inspired a 2018 film featuring some folks you might be familiar with!  

Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe are the most famous of the folk said to occasionally haunt the Cal-Neva and other Lake Tahoe properties, but they aren't alone.  

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahoe_Biltmore#:~:text=The%20casino%20was%20purportedly%20haunted,Club%20casino%20across%20the%20street.
• https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/Tahoe-Biltmore-to-be-demolished-17080738.php
• https://www.sierrasun.com/news/from-haunted-tales-to-eyebrow-raising-myths-tahoe-has-plenty-of-spooky-stories/
• https://cdcgaming.com/commentary/the-tahoe-biltmore-is-going-away-and-so-are-its-ghosts/
• https://gaming-awards.com/NEWS/the-fall-of-tahoe-biltmore-a-legendary-casinos-demise-after-78-years/
• https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/tahoe-biltmore-waldorf-astoria-19394545.php
• https://hauntedtahoe.blogspot.com/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghosts/comments/18lt7z4/paranormal_experiences_or_encounters_in_lake_tahoe/
• https://ccgtcc-ccn.com/Biltmore.pdf
• https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/travel/g2646/most-haunted-hotels-in-the-world/
• https://www.nevadahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/cal-neva-lodge-and-casino.html
• https://www.sierrasun.com/news/tahoe-history-paying-a-spooky-visit-to-a-haunted-casino/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/1kdy3u/haunting_while_at_cal_neva_in_lake_tahoe/
• https://www.laketahoetraveltips.com/the-cursed-casino-of-north-shore/
• https://www.moonshineink.com/tahoe-news/spooked-out-storytellers/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/239f1o/marilyn_monroe_and_frank_sinatra_haunt_the_cal/
• https://www.boat-tahoe.com/best-of-tahoe/lake-tahoes-haunted-history-ghost-stories-and-legends/
• https://renonr.com/2008/10/08/frank-sinatra-and-marilyn-monroe-may-haunt-the-cal-neva-lodge-at-lake-tahoe/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Times_at_the_El_Royale#:~:text=The%20El%20Royale%20was%20influenced,between%20the%20California%E2%80%93Nevada%20border.
• https://exclaim.ca/film/article/four_unsolved_mysteries_from_the_real-life_hotel_that_inspired_bad_times_at_the_el_royale
• https://www.wmagazine.com/story/bad-times-at-the-el-royale-explainer
• https://www.bustle.com/p/the-el-royale-isnt-a-real-hotel-but-bad-times-is-inspired-by-some-shady-haunts-of-the-rich-famous-12238235
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Neva_Lodge_%26_Casino
• https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19630614&id=cpNPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dFIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2802,1568751
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ogden-standard-examiner/3626261/
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-fresno-bee/3626378/
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/delaware-county-daily-times/3627065/
• https://www.sierrasun.com/news/cal-neva-the-tunnels-of-history/
• https://snowbrains.com/the-history-of-the-cal-neva-lodge-on-lake-tahoe/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Bow

Who killed beautiful, joyful art student Euarchol Wanchipan?  Her case has been cold since 2017.

If you have any information, please call the VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211, or if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- TIPS. 

Sources

• https://www.earthsoption.com/obituaries/Euarchol-WANICHPAN?obId=22723963
• https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/victoria-suspicious-death-where-she-was-found-someone-had-to-see-it-4653386
• https://globalnews.ca/news/3697816/euarchol-wanichpan-found-dead-victoria/
• https://saanichpolice.ca/2017/08/04/missing-person-euarchol-wanichpan/
• https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/body-found-buried-and-wrapped-in-tarp-is-missing-vancouver-island-woman
• https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/body-found-at-sj-willis-grounds-identified-as-missing-woman-4653311
• https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/canada-euarchol-wanichpan-25-vancuover-island-30-july-2017.347718/
• https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/major-crime-unit-investigates-remains-found-at-sj-willis-school-4653181
• https://cheknews.ca/euarchol-wanichpan-arts-student-big-heart-remembered-360882/
• https://www.gofundme.com/f/49g9s2o
• https://www.reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comments/cqu5jh/what_ever_happened_with_the_investigation_about/

What happened to Ruthie Fawn Kindness?

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Auburn Police Department at 253-931-3080.

Sources

• https://wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Kindness_Ruthie-1.pdf
• https://charleyproject.org/case/ruthie-fawn-kindness
• https://www.facebook.com/rkindness1
• https://www.facebook.com/wheres.ruthie
• https://www.yakimaherald.com/case-of-missing-washington-native-american-woman-to-be-featured-on-tv-show/article_56b40d33-959b-599a-9b16-acaf1b1f3bf4.html
• https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/wa-ruthie-fawn-kindness-20-parkland-7-feb-2011.157817/
• https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/on-tv0/in-pursuit-with-john-walsh/photo-galleries/in-pursuit-with-john-walsh-season-4-fugitives

Kind of a cryptid + Indigenous legend story time for this one - the Washoe legend of the great bird of Lake Tahoe, The Ong. 

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washoe_people
• https://issuu.com/communityinkinc/docs/northwoodstahoe_novdec_finalproof2/s/27883
• https://nevadamagazine.com/issue/november-december-2019/11677/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ong_(Washoe_folklore)
• https://visitlaketahoe.com/attractions/the-washoe-tribe-and-their-history-around-lake-tahoe/
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5251066.pdf
• https://www.sierrasun.com/news/a-washoe-tale-the-legend-of-tahoe/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/41500870/?match=1&terms=ong