midwretched

Bloomington is a city with a split identity: one part idyllic college town, another part gateway to Indiana's meth country. Each half hides the secret of what happened to two women: missing Indiana University sophomore Lauren Spierer and murdered mother of two Crystal Grubb. In part one of this two parter, Tommy lays out these mysterious disappearances and the disparities in local and national media coverage of each. 

In the late 1980’s, Kansas City, MO, young men are going missing. One man terrorizes and takes advantage of a marginalized community for his own twisted fantasies.  Robert Berdella drugs and tortures 6 young men, before one finally escapes his house of horrors. When police finally discover the extent of Berdella’s crimes, the notes, the photographs, the evidence is unbelievable.  Mick and Tommy explore what drove Robert Berdella, his pathology, his personality, and his crimes.

In April 2022, genetic genealogy solved the 30 year mystery of the I-65 killer, a lesser known but prolific and ruthless murderer. But who was this man, what were his crimes, and is it possible that his death toll is higher than we know? Join Tommy as she regales Mick with the shockingly brazen case of the I-65 Killer. 

To many, it is known as “The Day the 60s Died.”  On May 4, 1970, 4 Kent State University students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard during a protest against the expanding War in Vietnam.  Mick tells the story of a defining cultural moment and what, if anything, we’ve learned from these events.  

In Season 1's episodes 2 and 3, Tommy took a two-part look at the infamous Ypsilanti Ripper murders that gripped southwestern Michigan's college towns in terror in the late 1960's. Out of the many murders in the series, one always stood out as not quite fitting into the profile of the series: the death of Jane Mixer. Some 40 years later, Mixer's case took a surprising turn–one that perhaps raises as many questions as it answers, and one that warrants an in-depth revisiting. 

This week we’ll be traveling slightly outside of the Midwest for a listener request.  1939, Canon City Colorado, a 23 year-old man is put to death for the murder of a young girl. But the story behind this young man’s trial and imprisonment is not what you might expect. The story of how Joe Arridy arrived in his cell, the story of his life and his death is nothing more than a grave injustice.  

In this short mini-sode, we, Tommy and Mick get honest about the shows hiatus. Most of all, we discuss how excited we are to be back. This Episode does not cover any particular crimes.

 Middle school life in so many ways is timeless--struggles with identity and belonging, relational drama, and extreme emotions. Most of us get to grow up and move on, but for 12 year old Shanda Sharer in 1992 suburban Indiana, all of those issues would culminate in the night of her horrific torture and murder. Join Tommy as she walks Mick through a case much more complex and nuanced than it appears on the surface.

Taking a break from some tragedy to chat about one of our favorite non-true crime topics: UFOs!  Mick takes us back to her hometown to chat about a long-standing myth: that Wright-Patt Air Force Base is secretly hiding UFOs and Alien creatures!  Mick and Tommy talk history, conspiracies, and pancakes.  And Mick gets to play debunking killjoy.  Join us for this special edition episode and we’ll be back for more traditional true crime next week.