Happy Holidays Weirdos! For Alaina's Second Episode Revisit, she wanted to choose an episode that introduced us to a true hero!

OG Notes:  Guys, this Alaina "Mini" Morbid is a doozy. How did we never know about this harrowing tale of 26 children and their heroic bus driver who survived over 24 hours of terror while being buried alive? Seriously, this one if intense but it has a happy ending that will leave you satisfied....at least somewhat satisfied. 

Resources:
https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/us/rewind-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping/index.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hero-bus-driver-ed-ray-saved-kidnapped-children-1976-dies-91-article-1.1081059

https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-the-1976-chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-20190709-htmlstory.html

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ajp.138.1.14?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

 For Alaina’s first EPISODE REVISIT this week, we are hopping into the way back in time machine and transporting ourselves to 2018! In the first MiniMORBID, Ash & Alaina talk about some of the spooky figures of the holiday season!

OG Notes: "It's the holidays, weirdos! Time to get freaky, brutal and murderous. Tonight on our first mini-Morbid episode, we are covering Santa's scary helpers who will beat you, eat you and maybe steal your candles.”

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos! Get ready to welcome the holidays with Krampus and tales brought to you By you FOR  you and ALL ABOUT YOU! This month we're talking holiday related tales,  and Nicholas was so engaged, that it was impossible to edit him out! We're talking near death experiences, phantom hikers and two instances of neighbors being the absolute worst!

LISTEN on all podcast platforms OR WATCH on Youtube!

If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to DEB by emailing us at  [email protected] with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line- and if you share pictures- please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)

Huge shout out to our video editor @aidanmcelman

Music: Www.purple-Planet.com

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

During the second decade of the twentieth century, an unidentified serial killer was believed to have operated in Atlanta, Georgia, brutally killing at least twenty Black woman. Due to the similarities between the Whitechapel victims and the victims in Atlanta, the Georgia press dubbed their killer “the Atlanta Ripper,” an anonymous monster whose presence held the city’s Black population in a grip of fear. For a period of roughly five years, the Atlanta Ripper killed with regularity on the city streets, slashing, mutilating, and otherwise brutalizing the bodies of the women they killed. Despite having at least six viable suspects, investigators were never able to conclusively identify the Atlanta Ripper and the murders remain unsolved.

Atlanta Constitution . 1912. "Negro woman slain; suspect arrested." Atlanta Constitution, January 21: 5.

Atlanta Constitution. 1912. "Jack the Ripper believed to be a modern Bluebeard with 12 wives as victims." Atlanta Constitution , August 11: 1.

Atlanta Journal. 1910. "Deaths." Atlanta Constitution, April 5: 10.

—. 1911. "Antoher negress killed; black butcher at work?" Atlanta Journal, June 16: 14.

—. 1911. "Black 'Jack the Ripper' slays another negress." Atlanta Journal, July 2: 7.

—. 1911. "Has 'Jack the Ripper' fallen into dragnet?" Atlanta Journal, July 13: 4.

—. 1912. "Jack the Ripper caught at last, say detectives." Atlanta Journal, August 10: 1.

—. 1911. "'Jack the Ripper' foiled in 8th attempt Saturday." Atlanta Journal, July 9: 3.

—. 1912. "Negro woman murdered just outside the city." Atlanta Journal, April 8: 20.

—. 1911. "One of the Ripper crimes is no longer a mystery." Atlanta Journal, August 4: 11.

—. 1911. "Rosa Trice foully murdered." Atlanta Journal, January 23: 9.

—. 1911. "Will "Jack the Ripper" claim eight victim this Saturday?" Atlanta Journal, July 8: 8.

—. 1911. "Young negro is held for 'Ripper's' crime." Atlanta Journal, July 12: 17.

Constitution, Atlanta. 1911. "Negro woman killed; no clew to slayer." Atlanta Constitution , May 29: 7.

Franklin Evening Star. 1912. "Nineteenth horrid crime of Atlanta's Jack the Ripper." Franklin Evening Star, April 9: 2.

New York Times. 1911. "Eight victims now of Atlanta Ripper." New York Times, July 3: 3.

—. 1906. "Rioting goes on, despite troops." New York Times, September 24: 1.

Wells, Jeffrey. 2010. 

The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Case of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders. Cheltenham, UK: The History Press.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a paranormal crossover for the ages 👻 In this very special bonus episode, we’re joined by YouTube’s resident ghost-hunters Sam & Colby as we talk about our investigation of one of the most infamous haunted locations in America: the S.K. Pierce Mansion. Known for its dark history, aggressive energy, and “absolutely not” vibes, this house did not come to play. To take things to the next level, Sam & Colby brought in three psychics to independently tap into the mansion’s energy, and what they uncovered was chilling, emotional, and occasionally “we should probably leave right now.” From unsettling validations to shocking overlaps in what each psychic sensed, this investigation got intense fast. Grab your EMF readers, light a protection candle, and join us for a bonus episode where we go behind the scenes of the investigation CURRENTLY AVAILABLE on Sam & Colby's Youtube Channel!

Subscribe to Sam & Colby's Channel here and WATCH the episode!
 

Want to visit the S.K. Pierce Mansion? Click here to experience it firsthand!
 

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Just before midnight on December 6, 1991, an Austin, TX patrol officer called in a fire at a yogurt shop and requested firefighters and additional officers. Once they managed to get the fire under control, firefighters discovered the bodies of four teenage girls in the burned out remains of the building, all having been shot execution style and the building torched to cover up the crime.

Almost immediately, investigators on the case ran into a dead end, as leads were scarce and the fire and efforts to extinguish it destroyed or compromised critical evidence. In short time, the case went cold and the residents of Austin moved on. To their surprise, nearly ten years later, Austin detectives announced they’d arrested for young men for the crime, two of whom confessed, and it seemed like, after a long delay, justice would finally be served; however, in this case, justice was still a long way off and when it finally arrived, it came tainted by police misconduct.

Associated Press. 1992. "Arrests no relief to families of slain teen-agers." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 23: 43.

Austin American-Statesman. 1999. "American digest quotes of the week." Austin American-Statesman, October 10: 1.

CBS News. 2009. "Deadly encounter." 48 Hours, March 9.

Copelin, Laylan, and Leah Quin. 1999. "Police say 2 confessed to killings at yogurt shop." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 1.

Gamboa, Suzanne. 1999. "16-year-old told police in 1991 he had weapon." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 8.

Garcia, Kimberly. 1992. "In the shadow of death." Austin American-Statesman, March 6: 1.

—. 1991. "Profiles of killers released." Austin American-Statesman, December 18: 27.

Haglund, Kerry. 1991. "More than 1 raided shop, police say." Austin American-Statesman, December 10: 1.

—. 1991. "Officials say they have few leads in yogurt shop killings." Austin American-Statesman, December 24: 11.

—. 1991. "Slayings of teens stun friends, families." Austin American-Statesman, December 8: 27.

Hall, Michael. 2001. "Under the Gun." Texas Monthly, Janaury: 94-115.

Lindell, Chuck, and Kerry Haglund. 1991. "The spark of fear." Austin American-Statesman, December 15: 1.

Lowry, Beverly. 2016. Who Killed These Girls: The Unsolved Murders that Rocked a Texas Town. New York, NY: Vintage.

Martinez, Sylvia. 1991. "Teens' violent deaths mourned." Austin American-Statesman, December 9: 1.

Michael Scott v The State of Texas. 2007. PD-0862-05 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, June 6).

Pettaway, Taylor. 2022. Rape, murder of four teen girls in Austin yogurt shop remains unsolved 31 years later. December 12. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Austin-yogurt-shop-killings-17648880.php.

Quin, Leah. 2000. "Video could damage yogurt shop case." Austin American-Statesman, May 31: 1.

Rivera, Dylan. 1999. "'A decent kid' with a new family and a job." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 8.

Stanley, Dick. 1991. "Robbery may be motive in teens' slayings." Austin American-Statesman, December 8: 1.

Vine, Katy. 2025. "How police finally solved Austin's most notorious cold case." Texas Monthly, October 3.

Ward, Pamela. 1991. "Classmates try to cope with slayings." Austin American-Statesman, December 10: 1.

Wilson, Janet. 1999. "For families, excruciating memories reawakened." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the night of March 9, 1963, officers Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell made a traffic stop on the corner of Carlos Avenue and Gower Street and Hollywood. After Campbell instructed both men to step out of the car, the driver, Gregory Powell, pulled out a pistol and held it on Campbell, effectively disarming him, while other man, Jimmy Smith, disarmed Hettinger. The two officers were then forced into Powell’s car and driven more than one hundred miles away, where they executed Ian Campbell, while Hettinger escaped into a nearby onion field and managed to find help at the home of a farmer. 

The murder of Ian Campbell in the onion field shocked residents of California, not only because it was so cold-blooded, but also because of how the incident unfolded. By yielding to the demands of their hostage taker and handing over his gun, many people felt that Hettinger was at least partially responsible for Campbell’s death. Powell and Smith were quickly captured, tried, and convicted for the murder, but the consequences of that night in the onion field would have a profound and lasting effect on police policy all over the country for years to come.

Recommendations in this episode

Follow @themhoffers 

Follow @annaleegrace15  ( YouTube  or Instagram)

Follow @ChefRileyMeehan and Purchase his book A Little Bit Extra

Associated Press. 1963. "2 policemen are kidnapped; 1 is slain." Sacramento Bee, 03 11: 1.

Los Angeles Times. 1963. "Cold-blooded slaying of detective re-enacted." Los Angeles Times, March 12: 1.

—. 1963. "Officer slain by accident, says former convict." Los Angeles Times, August 21: 27.

—. 1963. "Pair guilty of slaying policeman." Los Angeles Times, September 5: 1.

—. 1963. "Partner of murdered officer tells of ordeal." Los Angeles Times, March 20: 29.

Malnic, Eric. 1994. "Karl Hettinger; survived 1963 'Onion Field' attack." Los Angeles Times, May 5: A32.

The People v. Gregory Ulas Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith. 1967. 7739 (Supreme Court of California, July 18).

Turan, Kenneth. 1979. "The Onion Field caper." Washington Post, October 13.

United Press International. 1963. "2 thugs admit kidnap-killing." New York Times, March 12: 4.

Waldie, D.J. 2013. "The Onion Field at 50: 'This is about the tragedy of police work'." PBS SoCal, March 11.

Wambaugh, Joseph. 1973. 

The Onion Field.

 New York, NY: Dell Publishing.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Ron and Nancy Stallings found the old Victorian on Evergreen Street in Baltimore, they thought their dreams had come true. With each bringing three kids from a previous marriage into the relationship, they needed to find a house large enough to accommodate their large family, but their limited income made that seem impossible. So, when they learned that the house was being offered at a bargain price, Ron and Nancy didn’t hesitate to put in an offer—a decision they would soon come to regret.

In the years that the Stallings family occupied the home on Evergreen Street, they encountered a variety of paranormal activity, from the faucets and lights turning themselves on and off to the disembodied voices and apparitions of strangers in the home. Rather than be captives in their home to forces they could neither fight nor understand, Ron and Nancy decided to take action to rid themselves of the other worldly presence, but quickly realized they were woefully unprepared for the battle that lay before them.

References

Amodio, Joe. 2005. Echoes from the Grave. Directed by Stuart Taylor. Produced by New Dominion Pictures.

Constable, Pamela. 1979. "Psychics tell of UFO trips, ghiost hunts." Baltimore Sun, February 4: 201.

Geiselman, A.W. 1968. "Weird home happenings plaguing family of 9." The Evening Sun (Baltimore, MD), August 2: C24.

Stallings, Nancy. 1996. Show Me One Soul: A True Haunting. Baltimore, MD: Noble House.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the morning of January 31, 1857, the body of Dr. Harvey Burdell was discovered in his Manhattan townhouse with fifteen stab wounds, and his killer had also strangled him to guarantee his death. Suspicion quickly fell to one of Burdell’s tenants, thirty-nine-year-old mother of four Emma Cunningham. A few days after Burdell’s death, Emma presented herself as his wife and attempted to collect his estate worth $100,000, but before she could get her hands on the money, Emma was indicted for Burdell’s murder.

The coroner’s inquest and Emma’s subsequent murder trial dominated the front pages—and then some—of nearly every newspaper in and around New York for weeks and was the “trial of the century” long before the term was even coined. Yet as sensational as it all was, there was no physical evidence tying Emma to the crime and the prosecution’s only argument was that the killer was left-handed and so was Emma Cunningham. Despite the lurid details of affairs, multiple abortions, and constant domestic violence, without evidence the jury moved to acquit Emma after deliberating for just two hours.

The story should have ended with the acquittal, but Emma wasn’t content to walk away with just her freedom; she still believed she was entitled to Burdell’s estate, and she intended to get it one way or another. What followed was a protracted battle for Burdell’s money and property that took place in the courts and the press, with a variety of antics that ranged from forging marriage documents to faking a pregnancy and even buying an infant that, when all was said and done, would end up in P.T. Barnum’s sideshow.

Feldman, Benjamin. 2007. Butchery on Bond Street: Sexual Politics and The Burdell-Cunningham Case in Ante-bellum New York. New York, NY: Wanderer Press.

Kappman, Edward W. 1994. Great American Trials. Detroit, MI: Gale.

New York Daily Herald. 1857. "Horrible and Mysterious Murder in Bond Street." New York Daily Herald, February 2: 1.

—. 1857. "The Bond Street tragedy; the close of the investigation." New York Daily Herald, February 16: 1.

New York Daily Times. 1857. "The Burdell murder: Second Day." New York Daily Times, May 6: 1.

—. 1857. "The Burdell murder; Dr. Carnochan's testimony." New York Daily Times, May 8: 1.

New York Times. 1857. "Terrible Tragedy." New York Times, February 2: 1.

—. 1857. "The Bond Street murder still a mystery." New York Times, February 7: 1.

—. 1857. "The Bond-Street murder; John J. Eckel and Mrs. Cunningham indicted." New York Times, February 23: 5.

Serratore, Angela. 2013. 

The Desperate Would-be Housewife of New York.

 June 13. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-desperate-would-be-housewife-of-new-york-140748/.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Ash's second Episode Revisit, we are heading back to the most wonderful time of the year, SPOOKY SEASON back in 2022! Alaina gives us Southern Gothic while Ash confirms that she's a #HannaTruther!

Urban legends for Halloween? YOU BETCHA! Alaina brings us an urban legend straight out of the Louisiana Bayou- she really can’t get enough of that place, eh? Le Feu Follet is a really pretty set of words, but don’t you go following them into the dark. Even if you are listening to Death Cab For Cutie. And while we’re on this path of warning you about things you should and shouldn’t do, let me tell ya don't mess with Queen Hannah Cranna. She’s not noble, but she is a witch and she will fuck with your ability to make a good pie. If that's a little vague press play and Ash will clear it all up for you!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.