Down the Crooked Path

A true crime story about an unsolved mystery, identity, amnesia, and a man with a double life in Lake Erie and Omaha. What happens when a man disappears during a storm and reappears years later with a new name, a new life, and no memory of his past? Lawrence Bader vanished from Lake Erie in 1957 and resurfaced as John Fritz Johnson, a charismatic TV personality in Omaha. Was it amnesia, a calculated escape, or something even stranger? The stormy night that sparked his disappearance led to a fingerprint match that revealed his identity, and a story full of deception, psychology, and unanswered questions.

Come for the storm on Lake Erie, stay for the fingerprint match.

In this episode:

• The timeline of Bader's disappearance and reappearance
• The psychological theories behind his identity shift
• Family reactions and media frenzy
• Legal and ethical dilemmas surrounding his double life

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A true crime and paranormal story about an unsolved mystery, a conspiracy, and hikers who never returned from Dead Mountain. The Dyatlov Pass incident has kept investigators guessing for more than six decades. A group of hikers set out on a final journey and never returned. The discovery on Dead Mountain, and the autopsy findings that followed, opened a case with theories from avalanches to military cover-ups. The light photos and the mysterious items found with the hikers are still part of that unsolved case.

Come for Dead Mountain, stay for the light photos.

In this episode:

• The hikers and their final journey
• The discovery and the autopsy findings
• Theories from avalanches to military cover-ups
• The light photos and the mysterious items found
• Why the case is still unsolved

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A paranormal story about haunted technology, electronic hauntings, ghost stories, and supernatural voices through modern technology. Modern technology seems to echo with voices from beyond. Phantom phone calls ring in the dead of night, radio transmissions speak in riddles, and emails arrive from accounts that should be long dormant. These are not stories from textbooks. They were lived. Is it just static, or are we picking up something we were never meant to hear?

Come for the static, stay for the email that should never have arrived.

In this episode:

• The psychology of electronic haunting
• How grief and tech intersect in unexpected ways
• The ethics of preserving digital identities
• Real stories that challenge our understanding of communication

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A true crime story about Hurricane Katrina, psychological collapse, and a tragedy in post Katrina New Orleans. In the heart of post Katrina New Orleans, amid floodwaters and fractured psyches, a love story spiraled into one of the city's most chilling tragedies. This episode follows the haunting tale of Zack Bowen and Addie Hall, two lovers drawn together by chaos, trauma, and a shared sense of rebellion. From rooftop cocktails during the storm to the infamous apartment on Rampart Street, it traces the descent from survival to psychological collapse.

In this episode:

• The backdrop of Hurricane Katrina, and its psychological toll
• Zack and Addie's volatile relationship, and wartime scars
• The eerie significance of the Rampart Street apartment
• PTSD, isolation, and the unraveling of identity
• How New Orleans became both sanctuary and stage for tragedy

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A folklore story about voodoo, paranormal legends, and spiritual power in 19th century New Orleans. In 19th century New Orleans, mysticism, power, and legend converge in the life of Marie Laveau, one of the most enigmatic figures in American history. Was she a healer or a sorceress, a devout Catholic or a master of occult rites, or perhaps all of the above? This episode follows her origins and her rise to prominence in Creole society, her influence over politicians, police, and the public through spiritual power and charisma, and the blending of Catholicism and Voodoo in her rituals. It also includes eyewitness accounts of her ceremonies in Congo Square, the mystery of her death and the rumors that she never truly died, and how her legacy lives on in modern day New Orleans, from her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to the rituals still performed in her name.

Come for the Voodoo Queen, stay for the rituals that never really stopped.

In this episode:

• Origins of Marie Laveau, and her rise in Creole society
• Influence over politicians, police, and the public
• Catholicism and Voodoo, blended in her rituals
• Eyewitness accounts of ceremonies in Congo Square
• The mystery of her death, and rumors she never truly died
• Legacy in modern day New Orleans, from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to rituals still performed in her name

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A true crime story about an unsolved mystery, a hotel murder, and a man found beaten in Kansas City. A man checks into a Kansas City hotel under a false name. Days later, he is found brutally beaten, barely alive, and surrounded by cryptic clues. He dies shortly after, and the trail goes cold. What really happened in Room 1046? Was it a mob hit, a lover's quarrel, or something even darker? This episode digs into the police reports, the strange phone calls, and the eerie silence that followed.

Come for the mystery, stay for the weird phone calls.

In this episode:

• The timeline of events leading up to the discovery
• The mysterious identity of Roland T. Owen
• The bizarre behavior of hotel staff and guests
• Theories that range from the plausible to the paranormal
• Police reports, strange phone calls, and the eerie silence that followed

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A cryptid story about conspiracy theories, folklore, archaeology, and giant skeletons found across the world. This episode explores tales of giant skeletons discovered in forgotten graves and remote landscapes across the world. Were they remnants of ancient civilizations, cryptid hoaxes, or suppressed archaeological finds? Amanda unearths the shadowy history behind these colossal bones, the lore that surrounds them, and the conspiracy theories woven through museums, newspapers, and secret archives. From Appalachian caves to the deserts of Nevada, strange skeletons whisper secrets that challenge everything we thought we knew about human origins.

In this episode:

• Historical accounts and newspaper clippings from the 1800s
• Alleged Smithsonian cover-ups
• Indigenous legends and oral tradition
• Ancient civilizations, cryptid hoaxes, or suppressed archaeological finds
• Appalachian caves, and the deserts of Nevada

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A historical mystery story about an unsolved mystery, identity, conspiracy, and a foundling in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1828. In 1828, a teenage boy appeared out of nowhere in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany, confused, barely able to speak, and carrying a cryptic note. His name was Kaspar Hauser. Who was he, truly? A tragic foundling locked away from birth, or a pawn in a political conspiracy with royal blood? This episode follows the strange circumstances of Kaspar's sudden arrival, the mysterious note that hinted at his imprisonment, the theories tying him to the House of Baden, and his violent death and the eerie events leading up to it. Was Kaspar Hauser a victim, a fraud, or something far more complicated?

In this episode:

• The strange circumstances of Kaspar's sudden arrival
• The mysterious note that hinted at his imprisonment
• The theories tying him to the House of Baden
• His violent death and the eerie events leading up to it
• Identity, deception, and shadowy secrets

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A paranormal story about a maritime mystery, a haunted lighthouse, and missing keepers in the Flannan Isles, Scotland, in December 1900. Three lighthouse keepers vanished from one remote island, with no trace. In December 1900, three men disappeared from Eilean Mor in the Flannan Isles, a cluster of rocks off Scotland's coast. What happened to Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald McArthur? Were they victims of a storm, or something more sinister? This episode follows the eerie final log entries left behind, the timeline from discovery to investigation, speculation from rogue waves to paranormal forces, strange clues like a missing oilskin and an untouched meal, and the folklore, theories, and unsettling poems that followed in the years after.

Explicit content warning: This episode includes discussions of death and disappearance.

In this episode:

• Eerie final log entries left behind
• Timeline from discovery to investigation
• Speculation from rogue waves to paranormal forces
• Strange clues: a missing oilskin and an untouched meal
• Folklore, theories, and unsettling poems from the years after

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad

A paranormal story about an unsolved mystery, a mysterious death, and theories between reality and the unknown in Yorkshire, England, in 1980. When a man disappears from his quiet Yorkshire town in 1980, his reappearance raises more questions than answers. Found under inexplicable circumstances, Zigmund Adamski's death ignites one of Britain's most puzzling mysteries. This episode follows his final days, the strange clues, the official silence, and the theories that blur the lines between reality and the unknown.

In this episode:

• A disappearance from a quiet Yorkshire town in 1980
• A reappearance, and a death under inexplicable circumstances
• Strange clues from his final days
• Official silence, and theories between reality and the unknown
• One of Britain's most puzzling mysteries, never truly closed

Follow the path further on Instagram and TikTok @downthecrookedpath, and explore our behind the scenes content, updates, and more twisted tales. New episodes every Thursday.

I am a part of the Creators Collective. Your next spooky obsession can be found here on Instagram @spookypodsquad