Olympia Oddities

By Olympia OdditiesTrue Crime

Olympia Oddities episodes

March 02, 2023 The Alien Encounter of Dr. Johnathan Reed
In today's episode, we're paying a visit to one of our favorite things to talk about: Aliens! We're talking about the alleged alien encounter of Dr Johnathan Reed, in which an alien killed his dog in Washington's Cascade Mountains while they were on a hike. He claims to have hit the alien over the head, taken it home, and captured photos and videos as evidence. We break down the encounter, including the photos he captured of the alleged alien and it's craft, discuss the chaos that bringing the alien home caused, and try to uncover the real identity of Dr Johnathan Reed and figure out if he really is who he claims he is.
CW: animal harm, animal death
Sources:
Youtube: shockingmysteries - Dr Johnathon Reed Alien Encounter 15 Oct 1996 Full Coverage
Art Bell’s Dark Matter - Jonathan Reed - Alien in The Freezer, September 18th, 2013
UFOWatchdog
Mirror.co.uk - Man probes alien he claims to have caught while walking his dog - but there's bad news as now says it has ESCAPED, August 25th, 2016
Yahoo News - Man Claims He Killed Alien After It ‘Vapourised His Dog’, August 26, 2016
48 min
February 07, 2023 The Disappearance of Gilbert Gilman
In today's episode, we cover the extremely bizarre disappearance of Gilbert Gilman. When 47 year old Gilman disappeared off the short and well marked Staircase Rapid Loops Trail in Olympic National Park on June 24th, 2006, his disappearance left investigators, and his family, puzzled. How did this man with an extensive military training, including time as an interrogator in Iraq. Investigators were left wondering: could Gilbert Gilman have faked his disappearance and taken up a career as a spy? We cover the details of his disappearance, the discovery of his car, and run down a few theories on what could've happened to Gilbert Gilman.
Sources:
Charley Project - Gilbert Mark Gilman
Strange Outdoors - The puzzling disappearance of ex-paratrooper Gilbert Gilman from Olympic National Park
13 min
January 22, 2023 Harstine Island John Doe
In today's episode, we cover our first ever John Doe case. In this listener submitted episode, we cover the mysterious Harstine Island John Doe. The unidentified man was discovered dead on the beach of Harstine Island in January 2022, and at the time of this recording, his identity is still unknown. Investigators tested a DNA sample, but no matches were found. Dental records and fingerprints are unavailable for this John Doe, so we hope that we can help spread the word and help this man reclaim his identity, and help his loved ones get some closure too.
Sources:
Shelton-Mason County Journal - Body found on Harstine Island Jan. 16 still unidentified, Feb 10th, 2022
KIRO 7 - Officials asking for help in identifying man found dead on beach, Jan 22, 2022
Facebook: Coroner Mason County, Washington - Dec 22nd, 2022
9 min
January 15, 2023 Oregon's Exploding Whale
In November of 1970, a 45 foot long whale washed up on the beaches of Florence. When all local rendering plants turned down the carcass, ODOT got creative with their solution: explosives. The resulting exploding whale, complete with video, went viral across the world. We examine what led up to the events, a warning that wasn't heeded, and laugh so damn much.
Sources:
Wikipedia - Exploding Whale
The Oregonian - Exploding-whale engineer George Thornton has died at age 84, 2013
Offbeat Oregon - Exploding whale? It's a true Oregon tale
17 min
January 02, 2023 Side Show: Year End Holiday Special
Delayed by some tech issues but not forgotten, our Year End Holiday special is finally here! In this Side Show episode we discuss our feelings on Dragula Titans, share some of our favorite holiday season tropes, Trista shares her strong feelings on A Christmas Story, chat about the National Finals Rodeo, have a few chair malfunctions, and discuss our favorite holiday songs, including how Dean Martin sounds like he's about to fall down your staircase and take our your lamp in his rendition of Silver Bells. We wrap up with a few holiday crimes courtesy of Steven! Happy New Year!
1 hr 12 min
December 26, 2022 The Disappearance of Cora Christmas McGuirk
In today's episode we discuss the 1991 disappearance of Cora Christmas McGuirk from Seattle, Washington. Cora was just 22 years old when she disappeared from her Seattle residence for a day, then returned home and asked a family member a question that was very alarming to them. Cora left, and she was never seen or heard from again. We explore the circumstances leading up to Cora's mysterious disappearance, and a possible connection this case may have to a very well known, very much hated serial killer of ours.

Sources:
Charley Project - Cora Christmas McGuirk
The Doe Network - Cora Christmas McGuirk
Seattle P.I - Martell's Story: Sophomore's path to stardom anything but smooth

10 min
December 06, 2022 Nashville Bombing 2020
Steven takes the reins in today's episode and tells us all about a case near and dear to his heart, the Christmas Day 2020 bombing in Nashville, Tennessee. In this solo dive Steven covers the timeline of events, the man responsible and his possible motivations for the bombing, and how the community of Nashville came together after the attacks & and several natural disasters, to prove that they really do deserve the title, "the volunteer state". You're not gonna miss this one! A special thank you to Steven for researching, writing, and recording this episode while Trista takes some time off and works on her new podcast, Outlaw Women, which launches in early 2023. Trista will be back for our next recording, later this month, for our holiday special and final episode of 2022.
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15 min
November 19, 2022 Artis the Spoonman
Today we tell you all about a Seattle legend that became a worldwide legend, with the help of a few musicians. That's right, we're talking about THE Spoonman. Now a Port Townsend resident, you used to be able to catch Artis at Pike Place, with his mat of assorted tools laid out in front of him while he slapped and smacked the spoons across his body to make his music. Part performance art, part musical performance, it was really something to see. We talk about Artis's childhood and how he discovered his special spoon playing talent, how his path crossed ways with Frank Zappa, and later Soundgarden, discuss how the song Spoonman came to be, Trista geeks out really hard over everything, and we wrap it up by talking about where Artis is now, and what he's up to.

TW: brief suicide attempt mention
Sources:
Wikipedia - Artis the Spoonman
Wikipedia - Spoonman
Seattle PI - 'Spoonman' stunned by death of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell
Port Townsend Leader - PT's Spoonman tied to Seattle

20 min
October 31, 2022 The Murder of Nicole Hutchings
Today we're telling you about the murder of Nicole Hutchings. Nicole Hutchings was lured to a fake Halloween party that was part of a ruse created by two men with plans to murder her. They drugged her and left her in a shallow grave on Forest Service land near Sunriver, Oregon. The case was cold for years until one woman approached the police with information that cracked the entire thing open: the incredibly sad motive. We discuss the circumstances around Nicole Hutchings murder, the investigation and how police were able to find the two men who were responsible, and share the fate of these callous killers.
TW: CSA mention, rough episode

Find a Grave - Nicole Marie Hutchings
Bend Bulletin - Man gets life in prison for Hutchings murder
Bend Bulletin - Murder plot detailed at sentencing

10 min
October 30, 2022 Side Show: Ooky Spooky Kooky Halloween Special
In today's special Halloween episode of Side Show we cover a little bit of everything. From books and movies we've enjoyed lately, to that Rugrats episode with the Quaker Oats man, rooting for The Boys, selling towels out of a trench coat, our Halloween plan, Fat Heads, that worm from Labyrinth, and wrap the whole thing up by telling you about one of the most compelling possible paranormal encounters we had earlier this year at the Mossyrock Dam.
1 hr 14 min