On the morning of October 30th, 1928, Elfrieda Knaak was found with her head, hands, and feet burned down to the bone in the furnace room of the Lake Bluff, Illinois police station. She survived her ordeal with fire, but not for long. Before her death she claimed she did it herself, but then made contradicting statements that seemed to implicate others being involved. The evidence in this case is perplexing and it remains a fascinating mystery to this day.

Join Alyson as we jump back to the 1920's and look into the revival of the spiritualist movement during that decade. Welcome to our first Murder Mystery Minisode!

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I Wanna Be Loved By You: Murder Mystery | Ep 2

The unknown. It lies at the root of all fear, and has inspired legends, superstition, folklore, customs, hysteria, and even murder throughout history. Still today we feel the shadowy presence of our ancestors' struggles to explain the mysterious in almost every facet of our lives. Whether it be in the form of religion, urban legends, pop culture, ghost stories, superstitious rituals, and so much more we are still just fighting to keep our monsters in the dark. Welcome to The Strange and Unusual Podcast.

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On this week's episode we delve into the superstition of the evil eye and a case of witchcraft murder in Kalamazoo in 1929

The Evil Eye and Witchcraft Murder in Kalamazoo | Ep 87

This week's headline comes from St. Louis Post Dispatch, published on December 23, 1900

RE-RELEASE: Strange and Unusual Headlines | Kept Dead Child In Their Home | Ep 86

Barbara Newhall Follett was considered a child prodigy when her first novel "The House Without Windows" was published at age 12 in 1927, and then she had vanished forever when she was 25 in 1939. What happened to Barbara? And what does her disappearance possibly have to do with another woman who vanished in New Hampshire in 1936, Elsie Whittemore?

Nymph of the Woods, The Vanishing of a Child Prodigy | Ep 85

This week's headline was published by Escanaba Morning Press on July 6, 1911. In this episode, we get into Jersey Devil lore, a trolling Benjamin Franklin, a mysterious Irish creature, frozen hoof prints, a Philadelphia Dime Museum, a doctored kangaroo, and more!

Strange & Unusual Headlines |Catch Jersey Devil | Ep 84

Beginning in June, 1947, when a news article reached millions about a UFO sighting over Mt Rainier, flying saucer mania began, and lasted through the 1950s. Intensified by an alleged invasion of saucers over Washington DC, nuclear war, and the newly began Cold War, it was a time when the world feared that we may be overtaken by little, green men.

I Wanna Be Loved By You: Murder Mystery | Ep 2

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