For 6 years, families in the Colorado Springs area trusted the Return to Nature Funeral Home with the final disposition of their loved ones. But on October 4th, 2023, police acting on a report of an “abhorrent” smell entered Return to Nature’s Penrose property and found 189 improperly stored bodies. On today’s episode, we discuss the unspeakable acts of Return to Nature’s owners and the families that have been left traumatized in their wake.

275: From Funeral Director To Felon? The Return To Nature Funeral Home Disaster

Crime. Conspiracy. Cognizance. Welcome to Mile Higher hosted by husband & wife duo Josh Thomas and Kendall Rae! Our show focuses on True Crime but we delve into many other topics including conspiracy theories, unexplained phenomena, metaphysics, futurism, ancient civilizations and news stories the mainstream media doesn't cover. Our guests include experts in these topics as well as like-minded individuals who share our passion for uncovering the truth and exploring the mysteries of our universe. Come chill with us every Thursday and prepare to take your mind a mile higher! Watch the show on YouTube every Thursday!

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

True crime

On May 19th, 1996, a young couple went to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia for a camping trip. 26-year-old Lollie Winans and her 24-year-old girlfriend Julie Williams had made the trek with their golden retriever, Taj, in celebration of Julie’s new job in Lake Champlain, Vermont. However, Julie would never get to start her new career, and the budding dreams of the enamored couple would come to an end in the Shenandoah backcountry as someone entered the women’s campground and brutally attacked the pair, leaving both to bleed out just feet from their camp. Now, nearly 28 years later, police still don’t know who killed Lollie and Julie. Today, we will find out what happened to these women, learn about the man who was nearly implicated in their deaths, and hear how some people involved believe the FBI themselves have prevented the case from being solved.

295: Couple Found Murdered In Their Sleeping Bags Their Killer Never Caught:The Unsolved Shenandoah Park Murders

Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has been a music industry fixture for over 30 years, working with everyone from Mariah Carey to Biggie Smalls, Usher to Justin Bieber. Known for his outrageous parties and larger-than-life persona, Diddy has been the blueprint for those looking to get their start in the music industry since he founded “Bad Boy,” records in 1993. But there is a darker side to Diddy’s wealth and fame, being named in several lawsuits since November 2023 accusing him of physical abuse, sex and drug trafficking, the purchase and distribution of illegal firearms, consorting with and giving laced alcohol to minors, and multiple instances of rape and sexual assault. Although not formally charged, these lawsuits led to an investigation into Diddy’s crimes by the Southern District of New York, which culminated in massive raids of his LA and Miami homes’. But accusations against Diddy have existed since his career began, marring his rise to fame with connections to assaults, pedophilia, and

294: Deep Diving the P. Diddy Trafficking Investigation & His Highly Questionable Past

On December 13th, 1973, French Journalist Claude Vorilhon claimed to have met extraterrestrials named Elohim while walking along the Puy Lassolas mountain. The Elohim took him on his craft for 6 consecutive days and told him the truth about humanity: that there is no god, the Elohim created humankind in their image, and they wanted Claude to build an embassy for them when they arrived. He attracted a small following of sci-fi fans interested in joining his budding religious movement. Then, on October 7th 1975, the Elohim took him to their planet where they revealed that humanity was in the age of Apocalypse, that all previous prophets were alive through cloning on their planet, and that not only was Claude the brother of Jesus, but that he was the Messiah and was given a new name: Rael. What followed was nearly 40 years of growth, legal issues, jumping countries, and international hoaxes that kept the Raelian movement in the limelight.

293: Raëlism: An Eccentric UFO Religion Or a Dangerous Cult Led By a Self-Righteous Madman?

Everybody who watched the news in 2005 knew about Natalee Holloway, the 18-year-old American girl who went to Aruba during a high school graduation trip. But few know about Max Devries, who went missing a year earlier while on a jet ski with a man the Devries family met on vacation. A quick investigation by the Aruban police found that Max was Lost at Sea in a tragic accident, but the family still believes there’s something more to his disappearance. In the years following, the Devries family made shocking discoveries into the pasts of the men who befriended them in Aruba, learning things that have made them consider if Max was targeted while on vacation, groomed, and eventually murdered. Was the Aruban government pressured to devise a quick answer to protect tourism, missing and were these strange men really who they said they were?

292: 14 Year Old Max DeVries Vanished While Jet Skiing with Sketchy Man He Met On Vacation: Lost at Sea or Murder?

On April 15th, 1994, a group of young surfers discovered a gruesome sight – a young woman’s body had washed up near the San Diego shoreline. At first, it seemed clear that the mystery woman had been attacked and killed by a Great White Shark, but as time went on, the true nature of the woman’s death became less clear. Now, 30 years after she passed, we may finally have an answer to the question – “What happened to Michelle Von Emster?”

275: From Funeral Director To Felon? The Return To Nature Funeral Home Disaster

Download our free app to listen on your phone