As more and more cabins were broken into and more and more visitors were assaulted, or murdered, the town grappled with a sticky moral dilemma.

Who belongs? Who gets to call this place home, and who should be kept away?

The town boiled with debate and turmoil that Saturday. But as residents gathered inside the town hall to discuss these issues, the clown creeper was elsewhere. No longer content to remain at the lake, he moved to downtown at that very moment, sizing up his next murder victim.

This is the story of Allison Barnes.

This is part 11 of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Best-selling author Aitana Ruiz heads to Walloon Lake every September to put the finishing touches on the latest book in her popular series Daggers and Wind. But 2024 was different.

Because on Saturday morning, September 28, she awoke close to daybreak with a man in a clown mask at the foot of her bed. 

This man snapped a length of rope between his hands, whispering, "And now, the fun begins."

This is part ten of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can you get away with murder if someone is forcing you to do it?

This episode looks at crimes of duress and just how far some people force others to go on their behalf. 

Because that is exactly what was happening in Petoskey in 2024, in the lead up to the murders that began in September.

This is part nine of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Someone was following me. At the diner, at the bookstore, the cafe, the town square. Wherever I went that day, the same day the clown struck again, the same man appeared behind me. 

He was watching, waiting.

In the pedestrian tunnel that connects downtown Petoskey to the waterfront, he finally struck.

Get out of town, he said. Now.

Petoskey, Michigan, had been hit by a strange wave of crime since the beginning of 2024, and this man in front of me, threatening me, was just the latest.

Stop the investigation, he warned. Or else.

This is part eight of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you know about those fancy shoes with the red soles? How about that brand with the plaid design crawling over coats and purses? What does a belt with "G" on it denote, or "H"?

In the field of conspicuous consumption, these are what sociologists call loud signals of wealth. 

But there are quiet signals as well, signals so subtle and obscure as to be noticed only by the truly, impossibly rich -- those who don't even need fancy brands to signal their wealth.

So what does this have to do with murder? Or this case?

Everything. Because Sheriff Press and Deputy Swanson found a coat so obscenely expensive in the cramped, studio apartment of their main suspect that they wondered: Could this be the final piece of evidence that nails the clown creeper once and for all?

This is part seven of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

United States Olympic Rugby gold medalist Aubrey Ertz went to Walloon Lake for a short vacation and a team-building retreat. The 2028 Olympics are fast approaching, and Ertz wanted to set the goals for the team.

But on Friday morning, September 27, 2024, she woke to a horrible surprise. Someone was in her room, rubbing her feet. 

And so she did what she normally does in situations like this: Punch first and ask questions later.

It turns out, this punch provided yet another important clue in this case.

This is part six of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Sept. 3, 2024, Realtor Yuki Sugita was hosting an open house in a rural neighborhood on the outskirts of Traverse City.

Sometime between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., someone showed up at this house and discovered Sugita alone. No neighbors. No buyers. Just her and an empty, quiet home.

Sugita was tied up and stabbed to death, only to be discovered by potential buyers out shopping for homes that afternoon. 

While the case looked, on the surface, so different and far away and unrelated to the clown creeper cases on Walloon Lake -- a full 60 miles away -- Sheriff Press soon discovered something that would lead her to a horrifying conclusion. The clown creeper was more than capable of murder.

This is part five of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Beginning in January 2024, the town began experiencing an odd but noticeable rash in crime. 

The high school science teacher suddenly began sending people nudes. The school principal was arrested for embezzlement. The bookstore owner also sent nudes. A cafe worker was charged with felony assault for beating up a high school football player.

The town's biggest problems were bar fights and traffic tickets. But now, everyday citizens suddenly went on unusual crime sprees.

And one person, who moved to town in January, long before the clown creeping even began, appeared on the periphery in each case. Over and over again, this one name in particular popped up.

And it popped up again in the clown creeper cases in September 2024, when he was arrested right outside the cabin of Claire Gasley.

This is part four of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever stayed in a short-term rental while on vacation and wondered: Is that fire alarm real? Or is there a camera in there?

Because that's exactly what happened in this case. And it led to a series of big breaks.

When hidden spy cameras were found inside the cabin, investigators narrowed on a suspect quickly.

This sounded exactly like something one man in particular would do -- a man with a history of peeping and public exposure. It appeared as if this case would be solved in mere hours. 

And then investigators discovered something else about these cameras, something that would turn this case upside down and begin to answer questions about why the small town began experiencing big crimes.

This is part three of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Clowns are supposed to be happy, entertaining figures. And yet, they factor into true crime cases all the time -- from bank robberies to burglaries to serial killers.

As more break ins and foot rubs were tied to this case, we take a look at why clowns have such a fascinating -- and terrifying -- hold on us. 

And we also discover something shocking inside the cabin of one victim.

Someone had recorded the whole thing.

This is part two of the 8th season of Crime Adjacent: the untold story of the Michigan Nightstalker.

What happens if your favorite character jumps off the page and starts a podcast? That’s Crime Adjacent, the never-ending true crime thriller told weekly.

With the help of devoted listeners and true crime fans, the international #1 smash hit Crime Adjacent podcast team has already captured the Bay Area's Rest Stop Killer in 2023, stopped the Mercy Street Butcher in 2019, and exposed the AmaniCorp conspiracy in 2024.

But now, the darkest chapter begins, as host and serial killer survivor Chase Patrick is pulled into the case of the Michigan Nightstalker.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Weekly live BTS videos and our True Crime College profiling group at Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/crimeadjacent 

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/crimeadjacent

Web site -- www.crimeadjacent.com

Crime Adjacent is written and performed by Mike Adamick. 

It is produced & edited by Multitude.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.