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In this episode of Chambers of the Occult, J is joined by guest Sam to explore the haunting disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley, a 23-year-old woman who vanished from a cruise ship in 1998 without her shoes, passport, or ID just as the ship docked in Curaçao.

The conversation breaks down the final known timeline, the ship’s delayed response, and the many theories surrounding Amy’s disappearance, including accident, foul play, human trafficking, and the possibility of an inside job. J and Sam also examine how maritime law, eyewitness sightings, and cruise industry accountability complicate missing-person cases at sea and how families are often retraumatized by scammers offering false hope.

The episode then shifts into the paranormal as Sam shares personal experiences tied to her time attending college on a campus that once served as the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. Built over the grounds of the former psychiatric institution, the school still carries traces of its past, leading to unsettling encounters, shadowy figures, and moments that blur the line between memory, place, and presence.

Together, these stories reflect two kinds of disappearance, one unresolved and physical, the other lingering and spectral. This episode asks difficult questions about safety, accountability, grief, and how the past, whether through unsolved cases or abandoned institutions, continues to shape the present.

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In this episode of Chambers of the Occult, we travel from the wilderness of Idaho to a quiet bungalow in San Pedro, uncovering two stories where something goes terribly wrong and those asking for help are left unprotected.

Milo begins with a recent true crime case out of Twin Falls, Idaho, where a routine traffic stop exposed a sprawling wildlife poaching ring. What started with a few untagged deer unraveled into a years long investigation involving dozens of illegally killed animals, revoked hunting licenses, steep fines, and jail time. It is a case that raises uncomfortable questions about thrill seeking, power, and how easily conservation laws are ignored when no one thinks they are being watched.

Then, J takes us into one of California’s most disturbing paranormal cases, the San Pedro Poltergeist. In the late 1980s, a single mother named Jacqueline Hernandez began experiencing escalating activity inside her home. Objects moved, lights appeared, a violent apparition emerged, and a presence followed her even after she fled the house. When she sought help, she was blamed, dismissed, and investigated herself, while the haunting grew increasingly aggressive.

Together, these cases explore what happens when rules are broken, warnings are ignored, and the systems meant to protect people and animals fail them entirely.

From poaching rings to violent hauntings, this episode asks one simple question.
What happens when you are hunted, haunted, and left to face it alone?

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Hold onto your spaghetti, folks. J and Kai are back with another chaotic crawl through the weirdest corners of old newspaper archives.

We kick things off with a headline that makes Kai’s smile vanish in real time: A Bat in Her Stomach. Yes, you read that right. A woman allegedly carried a bat in her belly for seven years before emitting it... and that’s just the start of the body horror buffet.

Then, it's a family food feud for the ages as a furious Italian shares her real meatball and spaghetti recipe after Rudolph Valentino’s version made her blood boil. J and Kai not only dish on the recipe, they consider cooking it up themselves. (Measure with your heart, they say but what if your heart is dramatic?)

From there, things get... chewy. We head to a nursing home where participants built and raced fully edible cars made of cucumbers, meatballs, and bread loaves. Who needs Mario Kart when you've got macaroni mufflers?

Redneck culture takes the spotlight with a colorful deep dive into the chaos of the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp. Gator bites, frog torsos, airboat rides, and a taxidermied Bigfoot head all await. Yes, there’s a fashion critique too. 

But that’s not all! We meet:

• A goat arrested for butting doors in search of sandwiches
• A lost racing turtle who sparked an adorable investigation
• A parrot held for profanity, who beat the charges by singing a hymn
• And a Canadian UFO club who found... a porcupine (close enough)

Whether you're cleaning the house, chilling on the toilet, or deep in a frog leg-induced food coma, this episode is your perfect dose of weird history. It’s weird, it’s warm, and it’s 100% Old News Nonsense.

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This week on Chambers of the Occult, we’re joined by special guests Brent and Talia from Chillworthy for a crossover unlike any other where they take the wheel and guide us through one of the most chilling and controversial cases in recent true crime history: the death of Tamla Horsford.

What was meant to be a casual adult slumber party with wine, football moms, and laughter ended in tragedy, and left a trail of questions no one seems eager to answer. Tamla, the only Black woman at the party, was found dead in the backyard the following morning. It was ruled an accident, but too many details refuse to fall in line. 

Together we peel back the layers:

• The eerie 911 call that felt far too calm.
• The autopsy inconsistencies, including unexplained injuries.
• The social dynamics of the party—how race, privilege, and silence may have played a role.
• The Xanax and alcohol mix, and whether that tells the whole story.
• And the family’s continued fight for answers and justice.

Brent and Talia help us dive deep into the murky waters of this case bringing empathy, sharp insight, and their signature Chillworthy tone. This episode isn’t just about true crime it’s about how justice can be delayed, distorted, and denied.

It started as a night of fun, but ended in a nightmare. Light a candle, stay curious, and prepare to dive into a case where every answer leads to more questions… and justice remains just out of reach.

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This week on Chambers of the Occult, we bring the curtain down on a killer's final act and light the fuse on one of the strangest cryptid encounters you’ve never heard of.

J returns to center ring with Part Two of the chilling saga of Grady Stiles Jr., the infamous Lobster Boy. Now charged with murder, Grady’s life twists even further into spectacle and scandal. From courtroom manipulation to carnival revenge, this true crime tale takes its darkest turn yet. Abuse, betrayal, and a murder-for-hire plot all collide in a finale that proves karma doesn’t need claws, it just needs patience. Justice may not have worn a badge, but it came armed and vengeful.

Then, Kai lifts us out of the darkness and into the skies, sort of. In Van Meter, Iowa, in 1903, townsfolk reported something bizarre: a nine-foot bat-winged creature with a blinding beam of light shooting from its forehead. It left strange footprints, reeked of decay, and shrugged off shotgun blasts like dust. Was it a dinosaur? A demon? A misunderstood cryptid parent on a stroll? Known only as The Van Meter Visitor, this case is strange, sweet, and slightly smelly.

One tale ends with a killer in a recliner.
The other begins with a beam in the sky.
And both will leave you wondering what really hides in plain sight.

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This week on Chambers of the Occult, we unravel two stories soaked in terror, one beneath the dazzling glow of carnival lights, and the other behind a child's bedroom door.

J takes us deep into the twisted origin of Grady Stiles Jr., better known as Lobster Boy. From his 1937 birth in Pittsburgh to a family legacy steeped in ectrodactyly, abuse, and sideshow fame, Part One of this true crime chronicle is a haunting look at a boy raised for the stage but forged by violence. Behind the freak show smiles and applause was a child hardened by pain, destined to become both a performer and a predator. You’ll hear how his legacy began, not with murder but with manipulation, trauma, and a growing thirst for control.

Then Kai pulls back the covers on the Tallman Family Haunting, a terrifying 1980s case from Wisconsin where a secondhand bunk bed became the centerpiece of a supernatural nightmare. With glowing red eyes, disembodied voices, and shadowy figures creeping through the walls. As the terror escalated, the Tallman's did the unthinkable, fled their home, leaving everything behind. Because when evil moves in… sometimes the only way to survive is to run. 

One tale begins under the big top.
Another ends under the bed.
And both will leave you questioning how close terror really sleeps.

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In this episode of Chambers of the Occult, two stories from opposite sides of the world reveal haunting parallels in the search for truth, closure, and something beyond this life.

Kai unravels the unsettling case of Blair Adams, a man who believed someone was after him. His erratic journey from Canada to Tennessee ended in a tragic and unexplained death. Why did he change his travel plans so drastically? Was he truly being followed—or was it a descent into psychological unraveling? And why was his body found, barefoot, surrounded by his own scattered belongings?

Meanwhile, J explores the extraordinary and controversial case of Shanti Devi, a young girl in India who, at just four years old, began recalling vivid memories of a past life. Her detailed knowledge of a previous family, a home in Mathura, and even names of relatives led to an official investigation endorsed by Mahatma Gandhi himself. What happens when the soul remembers what the body forgets?

From the eerie roads of Tennessee to the spiritual streets of Delhi, this episode weaves true crime and paranormal phenomena into a compelling narrative that asks: What does it mean to be lost… and what if we find ourselves again?

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In this episode of Chambers of the Occult, J dives into Death in the Tropics—the terrifying true crime case of the Honolulu Strangler, Hawaii’s first known serial killer. Between 1985 and 1986, the island paradise of Oahu was rocked by the disappearances and murders of five women, beginning with Vicky Gale Purdy. The case remains unsolved, leaving behind a legacy of fear and mystery.

Then, Kai takes us deep into Dread in the Trees, exploring some of the most haunted forests in the world. Discover the eerie legends of Pluckley Screaming Woods in England, the cursed forests of Massachusetts, and Japan’s infamous Aokigahara Suicide Forest. Kai unpacks the ghost stories, chilling encounters, and psychological phenomena that make these locations so infamous.

True crime meets the paranormal in an episode that proves some places are beautiful by day—and horrifying by night.

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Kai and J are back with more Old News Nonsense—and this volume is serving everything from shaggy dogs to sneaky clowns. 

To kick things off: the World's Ugliest Dog Contest—a heartwarming (and slightly hairy) celebration of pet adoption that proves beauty is in the eye of the bone-holder.

From there, we zoom into Zimbabwe to talk about rhino dehorning—not as shady as it sounds, we promise. It’s all about conservation, not crime. Then, just when things get too serious, someone steals a Santa suit and the holidays take a nosedive. Cue the sad jingle bells.

But don't worry—ice cream-loving delinquents swoop in to lighten the mood, leading us to the most unexpected plot twist yet: a schoolteacher trading the chalkboard for clown shoes. This launches a deep dive into the misunderstood world of clowns, the greasepaint grind, and why society can't decide if they're funny or terrifying.

Things get even stranger with tales of horned humans and witchy women, because what’s an episode without a little historical bizarrerie? And to wrap it all up, we salute the cunning ladies of wartime propaganda—using lipstick and lies for the greater good.

It’s chaotic, it’s curious, and it’s classic Old News Nonsense. Tune in and get weird with us.

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For this special episode of Chambers of the Occult, we’re honored to be part of Podcasthon 2025, a powerful event bringing together over a thousand podcasts to support charities making a real impact. This year, we’re shining a light on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)—an organization dedicated to finding missing children, fighting child exploitation, and supporting families in their darkest moments.

In this episode, Kai covers the case of Etan Patz, the six-year-old boy whose disappearance in 1979 forever changed the way missing children cases are handled in the U.S. His case led to groundbreaking changes, including the establishment of National Missing Children's Day.

Then, J takes on the tragic case of Adam Walsh, whose 1981 abduction and murder shocked the nation and led his father, John Walsh, to become a relentless advocate for missing children—ultimately leading to the creation of NCMEC itself.

Together, we discuss the lasting impact of these cases, the life-saving work of NCMEC, and how we can all help protect the most vulnerable.

Listen now, stay informed, and support the cause at missingkids.org

Plus, check out more incredible podcasts supporting meaningful causes at podcasthon.org