midwretched

In the summer of 1965, Sylvia and Jenny Likens were entrusted to the care of Gertrude Banizewski while their parents traveled to earn money for the family.  Over the course of just a few months, Sylvia experienced unimaginable abuse and humiliation. But it wasn’t just Gertrude who was responsible; children from the family and around the neighborhood all participated in her death.  Sylvia’s murder is a dark spot in Indiana history, changing both the culture and the law to ensure that the tragedy of Sylvia’s final months would never happen again.  In this accidental deep dive, Tommy and Mick will explore motives, histories, and bystander effect. 

In the major metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, a brutal attack that leaves a young woman hanging on for dear life is tragic, but perhaps not unremarkable. When another attack happens, this one resulting in death, police are flummoxed by a weeping 911 caller who admits to the ruthless attacks. Over a two year span, the Twin Cities would be collectively captivated and terrified--who was this weeping man who kept attacking and stabbing their women? Why the phone calls? What motivated these crimes? Eventually, a chatty serial killer reveals his shocking secrets…

On the night of July 3, 1929, a man enters the home of a local business man, mystic, and occult leader, Bennie Evangalista.  He is shocked to see Evangalista, beheaded and surrounded by photos of his deceased infant son.  Upstairs, the bodies of his wife and children are found in their beds. The scene mirrors those of Evangalista’s own visions and writings. Investigators are left with little more than a single bloody fingerprint.  Mick shares one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in Detroit history.  Was it a competing cult? An illusive mafia connection?  Or a disillusioned follower’s retaliation?  We may never know, as these supposedly haunted grounds stubbornly keep their secrets.

In May 1995, a house fire in North Dakota claimed the life of five year old Amanda Marie Froistad. A family and a town grieved this tragic accident, until an internet confession three years later changed everything. This confession would catalyze an investigation that uncovered the real truth: a tragic life cut short and marked by bureaucratic failures within every system designed to protect her.

On a cool November afternoon, Sydney Loofe leaves work to prepare for a date, excited for the prospect of a new relationship.  When she doesn’t show up for work the next day, friends and family immediately know something is wrong.  The investigation leaves a community reeling, and confused.  Join Mick as she takes Tommy through this disorienting tale of tragedy. 

On a calm April day in 1991, the small town of Cushing, Wisconsin is shaken when a family of five go missing. When their vehicle is found burnt out next to a trout fishing stream, a community becomes consumed with anxiety, fear, and Satanic panic as investigators uncover a devious plot to destroy this family.

Black women are going missing in Cleveland, OH.  Despite reports and pleas from grieving families the Cleveland Police fail to investigate, costing more and more lives.  Mick tells the story of the Cleveland Strangler and the powerful survivors who helped finally put him behind bars. 

The second half of this two parter takes us through the last two victims of the Ypsilanti Ripper, a final leg of investigation with more twists and turns than a corn maze, and the arrest and arraignment of a perpetrator whose guilt shocks the Ypsilanti community.

In the first half of this two-parter, Tommy takes Mick back to 1967 Ypsilanti, Michigan, when this idyllic college town becomes host to the diabolical serial killings of several young women by a killer dubbed The Ypsilanti Ripper. As the crimes escalate, two university communities wonder when they will next know peace, safety, and justice.