The millionaire who orchestrated his own murder: The ritualistic homicide of Mark Foster

A rural road in Wisconsin. A body dressed in white with a hole in the chest and a note in the shoe naming his "murderers." The impossible: Mark Foster, a millionaire from Minneapolis, meticulously orchestrated his own death as a soul transfer ritual, and no one knew until it was too late.

In this episode, we explore how a cult leader turned a follower into an executor, why the attic of his house contained an altar with detective cards, and how a handwritten note planted as evidence incriminated innocent rivals while hiding the most disturbing truth: that the victim was the true architect of the crime. Forensic investigation reveals ritual documents, cult pornography, and a confession from Greg Frner so consistent that it raises a legally unanswered question: can homicide exist when the victim designs and orders it?

Victim: Mark Foster
Date: July 18, 1997
Location: Douglas County, Wisconsin
Status: Case closed; Greg Frner sentenced to 10 years

- Handwritten note planted by the victim in his own shoe to incriminate innocent romantic rivals.
- Completely black attic with altar, detective business cards, and voodoo doll placed by followers after the crime.
- Greg Frner drove in total silence for three hours from Minneapolis, rifle in the trunk, waiting for a nod.
- Rifle never recovered from the river, leaving all physical evidence dependent on a single confession.

Mark Foster, Douglas County Wisconsin 1997 homicide, religious cult, serial killer, satanic ritual, criminal investigation, unsolved mystery, soul transfer, true crime Spanish

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OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

The 115 Disappeared of Roanoke: The Mystery Beneath the Painting: The oldest mass disappearance case in America.

In August 1590, John White returned to his colony in Roanoke and found 115 people vanished with no bodies, no blood, no trace of violence. Only two words carved in wood. Four centuries later, no one has found a single bone. How does an entire colony disappear without leaving forensic evidence?

In this episode, we explore the contradictions that defy all logic: a fortified colony in just a few weeks, inscriptions pointing in opposite directions, and a Dare stone found 80 kilometers from where it should be. In 2011, a discovery beneath a layer of paint on a 16th-century map revealed a symbol of a fort deliberately hidden, reopening the greatest mystery of historical investigation.

Victim: 115 colonists, including Virginia Dare (first English child born in America)
Date: 1587-1590
Location: Roanoke, North Carolina (Outer Banks) and Site X
Status: Unresolved; ongoing excavations

- John White returned three years later to find the colony completely empty but heavily fortified, something impossible without months of work.
- The inscriptions "CROATOAN" and "CRO" point to an island to the south, but White's documents prove that the original plan was to move 80 kilometers north to the mainland.
- A patch of cloth on White's map deliberately concealed a fort symbol exactly where the Dare stone was found 400 years later.
- Metal and ceramics of possible English origin appeared in excavations at Site X, but no human skeleton has been found in 434 years.

Roanoke, Virginia Dare, mass disappearance, 1590, forensic, unsolved mystery, historical investigation, archaeology, hidden evidence, suspense, Spanish true crime

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected].

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Three impossible deaths, completely real: The murder and deaths of Anand, John Parin, and the 521 victims of the Monte Cassino tunnel

A man dies suffocated by a live chick he swallowed during a secret ritual. An elderly recluse jumps off a cliff to save a stranger, achieving his goal through his own death. 521 people perish in a tunnel without being attacked, simply for being in the wrong place. Three completely documented cases where causal logic is inverted.

In this episode, we explore the irreconcilable contradictions of three murders by circumstance: the marital secret that kills, the inverted intention that saves lives, and the compassionate decision that generates massive catastrophe. How do three independent events defy all predictable explanation?

Victim: Anand (India, 2024)
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: India; East London, South Africa; Monte Cassino tunnel, Italy (1944)
Status: Closed cases with forensic findings; involuntary manslaughter, death by negligence, documented catastrophe

- Autopsy revealed a live chick lodged in Anand's throat, the cause of suffocation during a secret tantric ritual.
- John Parin, a recluse with no prior suicidal ideation, jumped off a cliff saying "I'll show you how it's done," saving exactly the person who was contemplating suicide.
- The Italian freight train was carrying over 500 stowaways; the crew massively burned coal inside a closed tunnel, generating carbon monoxide that killed 521 people.
- Michelle Paulo, the engineer of the last carriage, was the only survivor because her carriage was outside the tunnel by pure position, not by active decision.

Anand India 2024, chick suffocation tantric ritual, John Parin cliff South Africa 1979, Monte Cassino tunnel 1944 carbon monoxide catastrophe, mystery, investigation, involuntary manslaughter, forensic, true crime Spanish

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OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Four photos, four steps, four victims live: The crime of Menhaz Khan

One night in July, a player announced on Discord that he would execute a "four-step plan" that would change his life. His virtual peers watched it unfold in real time: photos posted one after another, each more terrible than the last. Hundreds of people observed as it happened, but no one could stop him.

In this episode, we explore how a community of gamers tracked an ongoing homicide before the police did, how reverse searches and chat logs revealed a name and a location, and why the response came exactly 24 hours late. We also unravel the real cause: four years of living a double life, a faked college graduation, and an inevitable collision between the virtual world and physical reality that triggered a methodical execution in northern Toronto.

Victim: Mother, grandmother, sister, father
Date: July 27-28, 2019
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Status: Sentenced to life in prison

- Menhaz Khan left university after the first year without telling anyone, pretending to attend classes for four years.
- The photo of the first step was posted without results in reverse search, which pointed to immediate authenticity.
- The Discord server contacted Toronto police without sufficient data; the citizen investigation obtained location and IP before the authorities.
- Menhaz completed the four steps in less than eight hours, refusing to stop even when hundreds pleaded with him in the chat.

Menhaz Khan, Toronto true crime, July 2019, homicide, serial murder, citizen investigation, digital forensics, double life, true crime Spanish

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OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

The hour that no one saw: the panic of Lars Mittank: The disappearance of a young German in Bulgaria

June 2014. A healthy tourist leaves his luggage at an airport, screams "I don't want to die," climbs a barbed-wire fence into a dense forest, and disappears forever. In the hours leading up to this, security cameras recorded increasingly erratic behavior: wandering around at dawn, hiding in elevators, panicked calls to his mother in whispers. What transformed a young man on vacation into a man fleeing from something only he could see?

In this episode, we explore the contradictions that defy all explanation: a perforated eardrum from an attack that doesn't fit in time or logic, dilated pupils with no drugs in his system, and a full hour of disappearance between midnight and dawn covered by cameras that recorded everything but that journey. The forensic evidence and recordings are on the table. And yet, no one knows what really happened.

Victim: Lars Mittank
Date: July 8, 2014
Location: Burgas Airport, Bulgaria
Case status: Open, unresolved

- Lars left the hotel between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. with no known destination, leaving a trail recorded on CCTV of erratic behavior.
- His perforated eardrum was diagnosed by a verifiable doctor, but the duration of his initial disappearance contradicts the account of the alleged attack.
- Mydriasis (extremely dilated pupils) was observed by an independent taxi driver hours before his flight, with no drugs supplied or recorded in his history.
- He asked his mother to cancel all his bank cards at midnight without a logical explanation, a sign of panic that was never clarified.

Lars Mittank, Bulgaria, 2014, disappearance, unsolved mystery, forensic investigation, open case, inexplicable panic, imperfect crimes, true crime Spanish

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected].

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Four impossible disappearances: the Missing 411 phenomenon: the real cases of Aaron Hedges, Terence Woods, Connie Johnson, and William Pilkington

Boots neatly arranged next to a campfire in the midst of a snowstorm. An experienced hunter walking six miles barefoot toward a visible house, without asking for help. A radio abandoned on a cliff while its owner runs away without saying a word. The Missing 411 phenomenon documents disappearances in national parks with patterns that defy rational explanation: experts getting lost in familiar terrain, resources abandoned for no reason, behaviors that contradict all survival instincts.

In this episode, we explore four real cases investigated by former detective David Paulides: how Aaron Hedges, a competent hunter, veered off for hours in the opposite direction with GPS tracking him; how Terence Woods and Connie Johnson disappeared simultaneously 56 miles apart on the same day; how William Pilkington, a seven-year-old boy, vanished in less than a minute in a town with twenty streets. Each case reveals inexplicable deviations, abandonment of vital resources, and absence of documented cause of death. What force compels competent individuals to abandon visible safety and die without resistance?

Victims: Aaron Hedges, Terence Woods, Connie Johnson, William Pilkington
Date: September 3, 2014 - February 2, 2008
Location: Crazy Mountains Montana, Idaho, Tofino Vancouver Island
Status: Unsolved

- Aaron Hedges was tracked by GPS heading in the opposite direction from his cache, next to a creek that should have guided him, yet he continued to stray for hours.
- Nine days later, boots neatly arranged next to a campfire with burned straps appeared in an area already searched, with no prior evidence.
- A backpack with a loaded gun, food, and water was found six miles away with a visible house a mile away, with no sign that Aaron had asked for help.
- Terence Woods abandoned his radio on the ground and ran away from the cliff without saying a word; Connie Johnson disappeared from the same campsite on the same day 56 miles away.

Aaron Hedges, Terence Woods, Connie Johnson, William Pilkington, Crazy Mountains Montana, Idaho, Tofino, disappearances, Missing 411, serial killer, mystery, investigation, forensic, homicide, true crime, inexplicable phenomenon, true crime Spanish

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Photographs that condemn: three crimes revealed by the camera: The homicides of Jodi Arias, Omayra Sánchez, and Ed Gein

A camera recovered from the washing machine contains photographs of Jodi Arias inside Travis Alexander's house seconds before his death. The most disturbing evidence is not the crime itself, but what was recorded afterward: the act captured, the plan exposed, the impossibility of escape. How does someone plan a homicide with such coldness and believe they will disappear?

In this episode, we explore how visual evidence dismantles alibis: the photographs placing Jodi in Arizona when she denied being there, the pattern of prior harassment documented by friends, and the tension between premeditation and emotional impulse that persisted in appeals. Alongside this, we analyze cases where the camera also testified to the crime: the World Press Photo-winning photograph of Omayra Sánchez trapped for 60 hours under volcanic debris, and the human remains turned into household objects on Ed Gein's farm, discovered after the disappearance of Bernice Worden.

Victim: Travis Alexander, Jodi Arias
Date: June 2008
Location: Mesa, Arizona
Status: Sentenced to life in prison without parole (May 2013)

- Jodi photographed Travis in the shower moments before the crime; the camera was found intact in the washing machine with direct evidence of her presence.
- Friends documented prior harassment: flat tires, spying through windows, moving to Arizona after the breakup, unannounced appearances.
- Omayra Sánchez was trapped for 60 hours under a brick door with her aunt's corpse holding her ankle, rescue physically impossible.
- Ed Gein turned human remains into household utensils, lamp shades, and upholstery; only convicted of one homicide despite dozens of bodies found.

Travis Alexander, Mesa Arizona homicide 2008, Jodi Arias, Armero volcano 1985, Omayra Sánchez, Ed Gein crime, serial killer, forensic evidence, investigation, mystery, intrigue, true crime Spanish

If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected].

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Three children, remote woods, disappearances without a trace: The disappearances of Bobby Pankman, James McCormack Jr., and Geraldine Huggin

August 1963: Bobby Pankman disappears in two minutes. Witnesses less than ten meters away. No noise. No blood. No explanation. The central contradiction: a bloodhound tracks his scent for almost two miles, but the four-year-old boy was barefoot on hostile terrain. Who - or what - took him so far without leaving evidence?

In this episode, we explore three forensic investigations without closure: the impossible kidnapping of Bobby in Washington, the synchronized disappearance of James Jr. when mysterious lights appear on Larch Mountain, and the giant footprints found alongside Geraldine's remains in Ontario. Each case presents a core of evidence that challenges both animal predators and conventional human abductors. What links these three cases across decades and borders?

Victims: Bobby Pankman, James McCormack Jr., Geraldine Huggin
Date: August 1963, December 1961, July 1953
Location: Deep Lake, Washington; Larch Mountain, Oregon; Wade, Ontario
Status: Unsolved cases

- Bobby disappears in less than two minutes; trackers find his scent almost two miles away at a crossing with no visible evidence.
- James Jr., unable to walk due to hypothermia, disappears only when his father investigates lights in the woods.
- Boots, socks, and glasses case of James Jr. found separated from the body; removal of footwear in freezing conditions without documented medical cause.
- Geraldine's clothing intact, no blood, but alongside giant footprints never identified and a large body drag mark in the meadow.

Bobby Pankman, James McCormack Jr., Geraldine Huggin, Washington, Oregon, Ontario, 1953, 1961, 1963, disappearances, investigation, mystery, remote woods, forensic, imperfect crimes, true crime Spanish

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OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

The woman who returned with another name: The reincarnation case of Sumitra Singh

July 1985, northern India. A woman remained without pulse or breath for 45 minutes. The healer declared her dead. She sat up on her own, but the person who awakened was not the one who had faded away. She rejected her husband, her son, her own name. She demanded to be called Shiva Devi.

In this episode, we explore the contradictions that defy all medical explanation: a woman who correctly identified 15 strangers in photographs, who revealed the exact weapon of a crime committed 100 kilometers away, who spoke with a different accent and wrote letters to people she had never met. How did Sumitra acquire the specific knowledge of Shiva Devi's death?

Victim: Sumitra Singh / Shiva Devi
Date: July 19, 1985
Location: Rural village in the southern Himalayas, northern India
Status: Officially unsolved case

- Sumitra Singh was declared clinically dead for 45 minutes with multiple witnesses verifying the absence of pulse and breath.
- Three days before her clinical death, Sumitra predicted in a trance the exact day of her collapse.
- She correctly identified 15 people in a photo album without prior access, including relatives of Shiva Devi 100 kilometers away.
- She revealed that she was struck on the head with a brick, the exact weapon not disclosed outside of Shiva's inner circle, a fact that convinced the father of the original victim.

Sumitra Singh, Shiva Devi, reincarnation, possession, India 1985, paranormal investigation, hidden homicide, University of Virginia, unsolved mystery, imperfect murder, impossible truth, true crime Spanish

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.

The Soldier Who Chose a Girl Over Himself: Ephraim Mattos’s Impossible Rescue in Mosul

Mosul, June 1, 2017. Under ISIS fire, a civilian former Navy SEAL discovers a four-year-old girl hidden beneath her mother’s body, buried among twenty corpses. The impossible part: Ephraim Mattos had no guaranteed evacuation, no military support, no diplomatic cover. How much can it cost a man to act when no one else will?

In this episode, we explore the tension between the will to rescue and operational collapse: a humvee driver who refuses to take part forces the operation on foot behind a tank without vehicle protection; Ephraim is shot in the leg but makes a devastating decision, leaving a severely wounded man exposed in order to save the girl. Forensic investigation into the documented act of heroism that defined a war, but what was the real cost?

Victim: Ephraim Mattos
Date: June 1, 2017
Location: Mosul, Iraq
Status: Operation documented on video; Demoa reunited with family; Stronghold Rescue and Relief foundation created

- Ephraim sold his house, refused to reenlist in 2017, and flew to Iraq as a civilian without an economic or military safety net.
- In Afghanistan, 2012-2016, Ephraim applied real pressure to the trigger against two girls with backpacks similar to explosives defused hours earlier; both stopped and ran away.
- A humvee driver refused to take part in the rescue, forcing the operation to move on foot behind a tank, under direct ISIS fire.
- Ephraim made eye contact with a severely wounded man, said "I'm sorry," left him exposed, and was executed minutes later while rescuing Demoa.

Ephraim Mattos, Mosul Iraq 2017, civilian rescue, criminal minds, forensic investigation, impossible decision, documented heroism, moral contradiction, ISIS serial killer, humanitarian justice, Spanish true crime

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.

Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.

We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.

From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.

© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie

This episode includes AI-generated content.