In this episode of Grim & Guilty, we uncover two mysteries separated by centuries.

First, we look into the chilling disappearance of 19-year-old Sydney West, who vanished near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in 2020 without a trace. Then, we travel back to 1518, when hundreds of people in Strasbourg danced uncontrollably for days — a strange phenomenon that ended in exhaustion, madness, and death.

Sources -

https://people.com/crime/family-missing-student-baffled-footage-shows-vanishing-into-fog-near-golden-gate-bridge/

https://findsydneywest.com/faq

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Sydney_West

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220512-the-people-who-danced-themselves-to-death

https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518

In this episode, we dive into two chilling mysteries — one real, one spectral.

First, the disappearance of Bryce Laspisa, a 19-year-old college student who vanished in 2013 after his car was found overturned near Castaic Lake, California. No signs of struggle. No trace of Bryce. Only questions that still haunt more than a decade later.

Then, we drift to the California coast, where the spirit of The Lady in Blue is said to wander the Moss Beach Distillery — forever searching for the love she lost to the sea.

Sources

*Moss Beach Distillery official history archives

* San Mateo County Historical Association

* Haunted Bay Area case files

* Unsolved Mysteries (NBC) paranormal feature

* CBS News – “The disappearance of Bryce Laspisa” – [www.cbsnews.com](http://www.cbsnews.com)

* The Vanished Podcast (Episode 17: Bryce Laspisa) – [www.thevanishedpodcast.com](http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com)

* The Charley Project – “Bryce David Laspisa” – [www.charleyproject.org](http://www.charleyproject.org)

* LA Times archives – “Search at Castaic Lake” – [www.latimes.com](http://www.latimes.com)

In this episode of Grim and Guilty, Diane Kimberly dives into the mysterious case of the Sodder family, whose five children disappeared during a fire on Christmas Eve in 1945. The episode explores the family's relentless search for answers, the theories surrounding the fire, and the haunting legend of La Llorona, a figure in Latin American folklore that reflects deep cultural and societal issues.

Sources -

* Smithsonian Magazine:

[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-sodder-children-siblings-who-went-up-in-smoke-west-virginia-house-fire-172429802/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-sodder-children-siblings-who-went-up-in-smoke-west-virginia-house-fire-172429802/)

* Wikipedia:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder\_children\_disappearance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance)

* The Independent:

[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christmas-house-fire-west-virginia-missing-children-b2040216.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christmas-house-fire-west-virginia-missing-children-b2040216.html)

* Casefile Podcast Ep.192:

[https://casefilepodcast.com/case-192-the-sodder-children/](https://casefilepodcast.com/case-192-the-sodder-children/)

*ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-25/the-mystery-of-the-vanished-sodder-children/103245390

* Smithsonian Magazine: [La Llorona’s Evolution](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/la-llorona-weeping-woman-latin-american-ghost-story-180971092/

* National Geographic: [Day of the Dead Folklore](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/day-of-the-dead

* JSTOR Daily: [Folklore and Feminism in La Llorona](https://daily.jstor.org/the-weeping-woman-la-llorona-and-the-myth-of-the-mad-mother/

* History Channel: [Urban Legends: La Llorona](https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/la-llorona

* NPR: [La Llorona in the American Southwest](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128490848

In this episode of Grim and Guilty, Diane Kimberly dives into two chilling stories: the tragic case of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña, who fell victim to a horrific gang crime in 1993, and the dark history of the Cecil Hotel, known for its connection to numerous deaths and paranormal activity. The episode explores the impact of these events on victims' rights and the ongoing fascination with the supernatural.

Sources

- "Murders of Jennifer Ertman & Elizabeth Peña" – Wikipedia (2025)

- "Pure Murder" (2008) – book by Corey Mitchell

- "The Evidence Room: The Devil in Them" – Click2Houston (June 21, 2023)

- "Pure Evil: Ertman‑Peña Murders" – ABC13/KTRK (June 25, 2025)

- "Peter Anthony Cantu Execution" – CBS News (Aug 17, 2010)

- "José Medellín" – Wikipedia (2025)

- "Prosecuting Evil w/ Kelly Siegler" – Oxygen.com (Dec 30, 2023)

- Wikipedia – Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_violent_incidents_at_the_Cecil_Hotel

- Discovery.com – Most Haunted Reasons

- People.com – Serial Killers and Deaths

Coming October 1, 2025 .

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