In this episode, we examine the rise and tragic end of Heaven’s Gate, one of the most infamous cults in modern American history. Founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, the group fused New Age spirituality, Christian apocalypticism, and science-fiction belief into a rigid worldview centered on ascension to a higher evolutionary level. We trace the group’s origins in the 1970s, its recruitment tactics, isolationist lifestyle, and the psychological mechanisms that reinforced obedience, identity loss, and total devotion to leadership.

The episode culminates in a detailed breakdown of the 1997 mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, carried out in the belief that a spacecraft trailing the Hale-Bopp comet would transport members beyond Earth. We explore how apocalyptic thinking, charismatic authority, fear of the outside world, and technological alienation converged to produce one of the deadliest cult outcomes in U.S. history—and what Heaven’s Gate still teaches us about high-control groups, belief radicalization, and vulnerability in times of uncertainty.

Sources:

Benjamin E. Zeller, Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion (NYU Press, 2014).(JSTOR)

Robert W. Balch, “The Evolution of a New Age Cult: From Total Overcomers Anonymous to Death at Heaven’s Gate,” in Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis, ed. W. W. Zellner & M. Petrowsky (Praeger, 1998).(Dokumen.pub)
James R. Lewis, “Legitimating Suicide: Heaven’s Gate and New Age Ideology,” in UFO Religions, ed. Christopher Partridge (Routledge, 2003).(ResearchGate)

George D. Chryssides (ed.), Heaven’s Gate: Postmodernity and Popular Culture in a Suicide Group (Ashgate/Routledge, 2011/2021).(Better World Books)
John R. Hall, Apocalypse Observed: Religious Movements and Violence in North America, Europe and Japan (Routledge, 2000).(Wikipedia)
Rosamond C. Rodman, “Heaven’s Gate,” in Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, ed. Eugene V. Gallagher & W. Michael Ashcraft (Greenwood, 2006).(Internet Archive)

W. Davis, “Heaven’s Gate: A Study of Religious Obedience,” Nova Religio 3, no. 2 (2000).(JSTOR)

W. G. Robinson, “Heaven’s Gate: The End,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (1997).(OUP Academic)
Various scholarly essays reprinted in Chryssides’ anthology and Zeller’s volume.(Better World Books)
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, “Heaven’s Gate Case” (official case overview and FAQ).(San Diego County Sheriff)
Los Angeles Times, “39 Dead in Apparent Suicide: Bodies Found in Rancho Santa Fe Mansion,” March 27, 1997.(Los Angeles Times)
ABC News, “Heaven’s Gate Investigator Saw Dozens Dead With Their Shoes On,” March 25, 2007.(ABC News)
History.com, “Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead,” This Day in History entry.(HISTORY)
The New York Times’ contemporaneous coverage of the suicides and profiles of Applewhite and members (e.g., Barry Bearak, “Eyes on Glory: Pied Pipers of Heaven’s Gate,” April 28, 1997).(Wikipedia)

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Herman Webster Mudgett — better known as H.H. Holmes — is often regarded as America’s first documented serial killer, but long before the murders came fraud, reinvention, and carefully engineered charm. A medical student with a fascination for cadavers, he began his criminal life forging documents, taking out insurance policies on stolen corpses, and committing small-scale scams that sharpened his skill for deception. In Chicago, using aliases and credit manipulation, he built the infamous "Murder Castle" — a multi-level property designed with secret rooms, gas lines, soundproof spaces, and controlled entryways. While later retellings exaggerated elements of torture, confirmed historical evidence shows Holmes used the building primarily to isolate victims, commit insurance schemes, and dispose of bodies with chilling efficiency.

Holmes is linked directly to several murders, including those of his employee and probable mistress Julia Conner, her young daughter Pearl, and later the children of his business associate Benjamin Pitezel. Although newspapers of the era sensationalized the number of victims into the dozens or even hundreds, historians note that the confirmed count is considerably smaller — perhaps 9, possibly more, but far from the mythical 200. Holmes' trial for the death of Benjamin Pitezel exposed his layered hoaxes and corpse substitutions, ultimately leading to his conviction and execution in 1896. The Holmes story persists because it lives at the intersection of fact and folklore: a man of intelligence, charisma, and absolute moral vacancy, who weaponized trust and opportunity in a rapidly industrializing American city.

Sources

• Erik Larson — The Devil in the White City

• Adam Selzer — H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil

• Harold Schechter — Depraved: The Shocking True Story of America’s First Serial Killer

• David Franke — The Torture Doctor: The Murder, Madness, and Mayhem of H.H. Holmes

• The Philadelphia Inquirer — 1894–1896 Holmes arrest, trial, and Pitezel coverage

• Chicago Tribune — reporting on the Murder Castle, fraud schemes, arrest, execution

• New York Times — trial updates, confession coverage, execution reporting

• Trial Transcripts of United States v. H.H. Holmes (Pitezel case)

• Insurance fraud documentation filed under Holmes/Mudgett aliases

• Philadelphia police arrest reports — Holmes + accomplices (1894)

• Death sentence and execution records — Moyamensing Prison, 1896

• Architectural references & investigation notes regarding the Chicago “Castle” structure

• Recovered correspondence between Holmes, Minnie Williams, and business associates

• Confession documents attributed to Holmes (with known factual inconsistencies)

And here's the Albert Fish episode! Sorry every body I uploaded them out of order on accident. But here we are.

TW: Extreme child abuse and assault

Albert Fish (1870–1936) was an American serial killer, cannibal, and sadomasochist whose crimes in the early 20th century remain some of the most disturbing in U.S. criminal history. Raised in an abusive orphanage and plagued throughout his life by violent sexual compulsions and self-harm, Fish targeted children, abducting, torturing, and murdering several—most infamously twelve-year-old Grace Budd, whose case led to his capture after he sent her family a chilling letter detailing the crime. Known by monikers such as “The Gray Man” and “The Boogeyman,” Fish displayed extreme psychopathy, claiming to have felt moral justification for his actions and reporting pleasure in pain, including driving needles into his own body. He was arrested in 1934, found sane enough to stand trial, convicted, and executed by electric chair in January 1936, leaving behind a legacy of horror that continues to fascinate and appall criminologists, historians, and true-crime researchers.

Sources:

Bardsley, M. (2012). Albert Fish. Crime Library. Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/fish/index.html Constantine, N. (2006). 

A history of cannibalism. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books. Douglas, J. E. (2006).

 Crime classification manual: A standard system for investigating and classifying violent crimes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hickey, E. W. (2013). 

Serial murderers and their victims (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Johnson, G., & Jenks, A. (2008). 

Albert Hamilton Fish. Radford, VA: Radford University. Newton, M. (2006). 

The encyclopedia of serial killers (2nd ed.). 

New York: Facts on File, Inc. Philbin, T., & Philbin, M. (2009). 

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

The killer book of serial killers. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks. Ramsland, K., & McGrain, P. N. (2010). 

Inside the minds of sexual predators. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Mayer, R. (Director). (2009). 

The bogeyman’s gonna eat you – Albert Fish, the vampire of Brooklyn (Motion picture). United States of America: Mill Creek Entertainment. Schechter, H. (2012). Psycho USA. New York: Random House. Schechter, H. (2012, February 24). Cannibal 'Albert Fish' documentary [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJiXNQeScs Schechter, H. (2003). 

The serial killer files. New York: Random House. Schechter, H. (1990). 

Deranged: The shocking true story of America’s most fiendish killer. New York: Simon & Schuster. Smith, D. J. (2003). 

100 most infamous criminals. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. Wilson, C., & Seaman, D. (2004). 

The serial killers: A study in the psychology of violence. London: Virgin Publishing. Vronsky, P. (2004). 

Serial killers: The method and madness of monsters. New York: Penguin

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Between 1976 and 1977, Oakland County, Michigan was gripped by fear as four children—Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich, and Timothy King—were abducted and murdered in what became known as the Oakland County Child Killer case. This episode walks listeners through the verified timelines of each disappearance, the forensic evidence recovered, the emerging pattern investigators identified, and the massive multi-agency task force that formed in response. We discuss the strongest suspects—including Christopher Busch, Gregory Greene, and later persons of interest—while clearly distinguishing confirmed facts from conjecture. The episode examines investigative failures, communication breakdowns, and how the case has evolved with modern DNA testing, as well as the long-lasting psychological impact on Detroit-area families and the true-crime landscape.

We also explore how media coverage, community panic, and later cold-case re-examinations shaped public understanding of the murders. Finally, we look at where the investigation stands today—what has been proven, what remains unresolved, and why this case continues to haunt Michigan nearly fifty years later.

Sources:

Primary Reporting, Case Files, and Investigations:

• Michigan State Police publicly released case files

• FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit summaries (public portions)

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children case summaries

• Detroit Free Press archival reporting

• Detroit News archival reporting

• WDIV (Local 4) investigative reporting

• WXYZ-TV Detroit investigative reports

Books & Long-Form Journalism:

• Marney Keenan, The Snow Killings: Inside the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation

• J. Reuben Appelman, The Kill Jar (for contextual background on the crimes, investigation failures, and suspects)

Additional Verified Sources:

• Helen Dagner correspondence and interviews (verified public segments only)

• Court records and public affidavits related to Christopher Busch, Gregory Greene, and other suspects

• Public statements, interviews, and advocacy from surviving family members (e.g., the King and Robinson families)

Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles’ Skid Row, the Cecil Hotel was meant to be a beacon of glamour when it opened its doors in 1927. Instead, it became one of America’s most infamous landmarks—a towering witness to tragedy, violence, and urban decay. This episode dives deep into the history of the Cecil: from its grand opening during the Roaring Twenties to its rapid decline during the Great Depression and its decades-long association with death, crime, and despair.

We’ll explore the building’s eerie transformation into a haven for the lost, the desperate, and the dangerous. From the chilling stories of serial killers like Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger, to the mysterious death of Elisa Lam that reignited public fascination, the Cecil’s legacy is a mirror reflecting Los Angeles’ darkest corners.

Through archival research, police reports, and first-hand accounts, this episode examines how a single building became the epicenter of so many real-life horrors—and why its legend still haunts pop culture today.

Sources

• Chandler, Nathan. “The Story of the Cecil, One of the Creepiest Hotels in the World”, HowStuffWorks (Feb 1, 2021). (HowStuffWorks)

• “’The Suicide’: The Hotel Cecil and the Mean Streets of L.A.’s Notorious Skid Row”, PBS SoCal History Society (Sept 29, 2015). (PBS SoCal)

  “The Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles)” — Wikipedia summary with many linked references. (⁠Wikipedia⁠)

• “7 Facts About Los Angeles’s Notorious Cecil Hotel”, Mental Floss (Feb 3, 2021). (Mental Floss)

• “Photos: the Cecil Hotel’s Eerie History and What It’s Like Today”, Business Insider (Mar 9, 2022). (Business Insider)

• “The Creepy History of Los Angeles’ Cecil Hotel”, Country Living (Oct 13, 2017). (Country Living)

• “The Cecil Hotel and the Mystery of Elisa Lam”, Slaycation (recent article) — note: less traditional academic source, good for recent context. (Slaycation)

• “Cecil Hotel’s once-homeless tenants say it’s crawling with…”, Los Angeles Times (Aug 24, 2023) — covers its conversion to housing and current issues. (Los Angeles Times)

• “’Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ and the problem with internet sleuths”, ABA Journal (Mar 25, 2021). (abajournal.com)

In this episode, we delve into the life of Ed Gein — the isolated Wisconsin boy whose descent into necrophilia, murder and grave-robbing would ripple through popular culture to become the blueprint for some of horror’s most iconic monsters. We trace his roots: a domineering, religious mother whose moral fanaticism and isolation of her two sons planted the seeds of psychosis; a father whose abusiveness and alcoholism darkened the home; the death of his brother under mysterious circumstances; and the passing of his mother that left him alone and unmoored.
We follow his transformation — from sweet boy to corpse-collector — uncovering the macabre crime scene of November 1957, when authorities found human skin lampshades, skull bowls, a “woman-suit” stitched from corpse flesh, and the bodies of his victims. We explore the psychological fissures: his obsession with his mother, his attempt to become her, his exhumations of female corpses who reminded him of her.
Then, we pivot to his chilling cultural legacy: the way his crimes inspired the likes of Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs — how his warped psyche became fuel for Hollywood’s darkest nightmares. We ask: What about Gein’s story continues to haunt us? Why do we feel drawn to the horror that he spawned? And what does his case teach us about the thin boundary between the human and the monstrous?
Join us for a harrowing journey into rural horror, psychopathy, and legacy.

What you’ll learn:

• How Gein’s family dynamics (mother, father, brother) shaped his descent.

• The exact nature of his crimes — grave-robbery, body-mutilation, the two murders.

• How investigators uncovered the scene and the legal outcome.

• How Gein’s story echoed into pop culture, influencing cinematic villains and horror tropes.

• Why his case still fascinates true-crime and horror communities today.
  

Ed Gein: Sources, Legacy & The Anatomy of Horror 

This comprehensive source list compiles all references used throughout Monte Mader’s research and podcast scripting sessions on Ed Gein. It includes both the sources used for previous questions and the five key additional recommendations. Together, these represent the most authoritative foundation for understanding Ed Gein’s family, crimes, psychological background, and his lasting influence on horror and American culture. 

Sources Referenced

1. Wikipedia – Ed Gein (birth, family background, crimes, legal outcomes). 

2. Biography.com – “7 Horror Movies Inspired by Body Snatcher Ed Gein.”

3. Time.com – “Monster: Horror Movies Inspired by the Ed Gein Story.”

4. A&E; True Crime – “Ed Gein’s Dark Legacy.”

5. Deadline.com – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”

6. Netflix Tudum – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story Unmasks the Origins of Modern Horror.”

7. Rolling Stone (2024) – “What Monster Gets Right and Wrong About Ed Gein.”

8. Life Magazine (Dec 1957) – “The Mad Butcher of Plainfield.”

Further Reading & Primary Investigative Sources 

1. Harold Schechter, Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho (Pocket Books, 1989).

2. Robert H. Gollmar, Edward Gein: America’s Most Bizarre Murderer (Prairie Oak Press, 1981).

3. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – “Ed Gein’s Farm: The Fire, the Trial, and the Town That Never Recovered.”

4. Wisconsin State Archives – Plainfield Police Reports and Court Transcripts (1957–1968).

5. Life Magazine (December 1957) – “The Mad Butcher of Plainfield.”

We are back! Welcome to the second season and total revamp of Highway to Hell where we take you all across the country and the world telling the craziest true crime, the scariest paranormal stories and if you are a true crime fan like us, we give you the best places in the area to see, eat and drink. Who doesn't love a little spooky in their travels.

SO happy to welcome my cohost Andy Jones, my dear friend and the guitar player of my band for 4.5 YEARS. Today, we are talking about the Amityville horror.

The Amityville Horror story begins with a gruesome crime on November 13, 1974, when 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings in their sleep at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. Using a .35 caliber Marlin rifle, DeFeo shot each family member in their beds, later claiming that demonic voices urged him to commit the murders. He was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The shocking crime sent waves through the quiet Long Island community and set the stage for one of America’s most infamous paranormal legends.

In December 1975, just over a year later, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeo home at a discounted price, moving in with their three children. Within 28 days, they fled the house, claiming to have been terrorized by intense supernatural phenomena. According to their accounts, they experienced mysterious cold spots, foul odors, green slime oozing from walls, strange voices, and a pig-like demonic creature named “Jodie.” George Lutz reportedly woke up every night at 3:15 a.m.—the time of the DeFeo murders—while doors slammed, crucifixes turned upside down, and unseen forces moved objects throughout the home.

Their terrifying story became the basis for Jay Anson’s 1977 best-selling book The Amityville Horror, which launched a franchise of films, documentaries, and debates about the line between fact and fiction. However, the haunting claims quickly came under scrutiny. William Weber, Ronald DeFeo’s defense attorney, later admitted that he and the Lutzes concocted much of the story during a night of drinking, seeing it as a way to profit from the house’s dark past. Paranormal investigators found no credible evidence of supernatural activity, and subsequent residents reported no unusual experiences. Despite the skepticism and accusations of fabrication, the Amityville Horror endures as a chilling blend of true crime and American folklore—a haunting tale that continues to captivate believers and skeptics alike.

29 missing children and young people

29 bodies

Was Wayne Williams guilty? Or a scapegoat?

I wanted to do something lighter this week! a collection of some of the funniest "Florida Man" true crime ending with a "Florida Man Mayor"

VERY DISTURBING CONTENT.

The "Toy Box Killer," David Parker Ray, was an American criminal who is believed to have tortured and killed numerous women in the mid-1990s. Ray lived in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, and worked as a mechanic for the New Mexico Parks Department. His crimes came to light in 1999 when a woman named Cynthia Vigil escaped from his trailer, where she had been held captive and subjected to horrific torture.

Ray's trailer, referred to as his "Toy Box," was equipped with a variety of devices and tools designed for torture. He would often record his interactions with his victims, many of whom were drugged and had no memory of the events. The exact number of his victims is unknown, but it is believed to be in the dozens.

Ray was arrested and, despite the lack of bodies or direct evidence of murder, was convicted of several offenses, including kidnapping and sexual torture. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison. Ray died of a heart attack in 2002 while serving his sentence. The case remains infamous for the sheer brutality and sadism involved.