Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Summer 1948. In the scenic, remote river town of Oregon, Illinois, a young couple visiting the local lovers’ lane is murdered. The shocking crime garners headlines from Portland, Maine, to Long Beach, California. But after a sweeping manhunt, no one is arrested and the violent deaths of Mary Jane Reed and Stanley Skridla fade into time’s indifference.

Fast forward fifty years. Eccentric entrepreneur Michael Arians moves to Oregon, opens a roadhouse, gets elected mayor, and becomes obsessed with the crime. He comes up with a scandalous conspiracy theory and starts to believe that Mary Jane’s ghost is haunting his establishment. He also reaches out to the Chicago Tribune for help.

My guest, Ted Gregory, is the Chicago Tribune reporter who responds to Michael Arians' letter. He is the author of "Mary Jane's Ghost: The Legacy of a Murder in Small Town America".

More about the author and his work here: https://tedcgregory.com/

Sergio Mendes and Brasil '77 perform the haunting song "After Sunrise": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-4WAh9Kjk0

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In early 1900s Indiana, John Terrell was the wealthiest man in Wells County, thanks to oil discovered on his farm. But when his youngest daughter, Lucy, became pregnant and entered into a forced marriage to abusive Melvin Wolfe, Terrell’s life and fortune unraveled in a tumultuous spiral of murder, a dramatic trial, and a descent into madness.

My guest is Stephen Terrell, who has a very personal connection to this story (as you might guess from his last name). His book is called "The Madness of John Terrell: Revenge and Insanity on Trial in the Heartland".

The author's website: https://www.terrellwrites.com/

Kent State Press interview: https://kentstatebooks.wordpress.com/2024/09/03/true-crime-from-kent-state-author-stephen-terrell-discusses-the-madness-of-john-terrell/

Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Madness-John-Terrell-Insanity-Heartland/dp/1606354876

Buy the book on Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-madness-of-john-terrell-stephen-terrell/1144858369

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In December of 1883 Peter Lazier, a traveling farm implement salesman, was shot in the heart during the botched robbery of a farmer and his wife in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Two men would be arrested and tried for the murder, but would the sparse evidence against them lead to freedom, prison or the gallows?

My guest is Robert J. Sharpe, author of "The Lazier Murder: Prince Edward County, 1884". As a Canadian lawyer and judge, he offers unique insight into a controversial case that is still remembered in Prince Edward County today.

The author's publisher page: https://utorontopress.com/9781442644212/the-lazier-murder

The book is available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Lazier-Murder-Osgoode-Society-Canadian/dp/1442644214

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Absinthe is a drink that has been both romanticized and demonized over the centuries. While the spirit was a favorite of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Baudelaire, it was also thought to be hallucinogenic and the catalyst for violent crime.

My guest is Evan Rail, author of "The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit". He tells us about the history of the infamous drink and his investigation into a modern-day counterfeiter who imploded the secretive pre-ban absinthe market with his fakeries.

More about the author here: http://www.evanrail.com/

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We revisit an interview from February 2020 in this Most Notorious Encore episode.

In late October of 1928, authorities in the small town of Lake Bluff, Illinois discovered a grisly scene in the village hall basement. They found a young woman named Elfreida Knaak, naked, horribly burned and barely clinging to life, next to a furnace. From that point on, investigators would uncover a bizarre story, including a secret affair, mystical Christian rituals, and contradictory deathbed confessions. My guest is historian Kraig Moreland, who has researched this hometown mystery for years. His book is called "Furnace Girl: The Mysterious Case of Elfrieda Knaak".

The author's website: https://www.thefurnacegirl.com/

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Troy Taylor, host of the American Hauntings Podcast, returns to the show - this time for an interview with a bit of a Halloween theme. He's here to talk about the ill-fated Donner Party, which was was traveling by wagon to California when it became stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter of 1846-47.  There, some of its members infamously turned to cannibalism to survive. And in the spirit of the season, he shares some of the ghost stories associated with this incredible American tragedy. 

Troy's book is called "Forlorn Hope: A Haunted History of the Donner Party." 

Visit his website for information on his podcast, museum, tours and books: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/

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In 1931, San Diego was left reeling from the brutal murders of ten-year-old Virginia Brooks, seventeen-year-old Louise Teuber, and twenty-two-year-old Hazel Bradshaw. The murders left period investigators flummoxed - and the cases remain unresolved to this day.

My guest is award-winning author Richard L. Carrico. He has meticulously reconstructed their stories in his book, "MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: The True Story of Three Unsolved Murders in Prohibition Era San Diego" and shares details on his remarkable research into all three of the cases.

More about the author (including his full bio) here: https://wildbluepress.com/richard-l-carrico-author-bio/

The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-L.-Carrico/author/B001JS4XNM

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My guest this week is Simon Read, author of "Scotland Yard: A History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases". He walks us through a number of the notorious murder cases that helped transform London's Metropolitan Police into one of the world's premiere crime-fighting organizations.

More about the author and his work here: https://simonreadwriting.com/

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While on a search for more information on her great-grandmother, my guest Michelle Graff uncovered a fascinating mystery involving the very suspicious 1899 death of a fifteen-year-old girl named Sarah Mumford, whose body had been hit by a train, assumably to cover up a murder. The following investigation, led by the local coroner, would reveal some very dark details about Sarah's relationship to her adoptive family, the Tripps.

Michelle Graff is the author of "Hidden: The Unsolved Mystery of Sarah Mumford."

The author's website: https://whokilledsarahmumford.com/

Purchase on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJQ7PGLT

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On this Most Notorious episode, we revisit a fan favorite interview, originally released on 12/9/2021.

In November of 1971 a man who would come to be known as D.B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, ultimately parachuting out of the Boeing 727 in spectacular fashion, along with $200,000 in ransom money, presumably somewhere in Washington State. Who he was and what happened to him after he jumped is one of the most enduring true crime mysteries in American history.

My guests are Darren Schaefer, creator and host of "The Cooper Vortex" podcast, and George McKeon, author of "The Mystery of D.B. Cooper: A True Crime Adult Coloring Book". They tell the story of the hijacking, discuss some of the tantalizing clues left behind, and ruminate about possible suspects.

Subscribe to The Cooper Vortex on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooper-vortex/id1439712498

and Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YRiVfMZX7hfVDSezq1aNo

George McKeon's book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-D-B-Cooper-Crime-Coloring/dp/1737712709

Support the show and ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile’s deal and get 3 months of premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month! https://www.mintmobile.com/notorious

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