Olympia Oddities

By Olympia OdditiesTrue Crime

Olympia Oddities episodes

October 22, 2022 The Sinking of The Andelana
In today's Spooky Season episode, we tell you all about the tragic sinking of the ship The Andelana, which caused the deaths of 17 crew members who were trapped on board as the ship sank to the ocean's floors in just minutes on January 14th, 1899. We get into the details of how the ship sank and the attempts to raise the ship from the ocean's depths, which caused another unbelievably tragic death during some efforts to raise the ship. And of course, because it is spooky season after all, we discuss some reported paranormal activity going on in the area of Tacoma, Washington where the Andelana sank and some mythology surrounding the eerie last photo of the crew.

Sources:

History Link - The bark Andelana disappears while lying at anchor at Tacoma on January 14, 1899.
SouthSoundTalk - Few Relics Remain of The Andelana – Tacoma’s Largest Maritime Disaster

22 min
October 17, 2022 Side Show: PNW True Crime Fest Recap
Side Show has risen from the grave and this time it's in the form of a Very Special Episode where we recap our PNW True Crime Fest Experience! Stay tuned at the end of this episode for an exciting announcement about a local mini live show we're doing right here in Olympia.
35 min
October 15, 2022 The Disappearance & Unexplained Death of David Glen Lewis
In today's episode, we try to wrap our minds around one of the most baffling disappearances and unexplained deaths we have ever heard of in the True Crime world. David Glen Lewis was a Texas based judge and attorney, well respected and incredibly active in his community. That's why it was so shocking when his wife and daughter returned from an out of town shopping trip to find him missing, their VCR still recording a football game, and freshly made turkey sandwiches in the fridge. Shockingly, on the same day that David Lewis was reported missing by his wife in Texas, his unidentified body was discovered on the side of a lonely stretch of highway near Yakima Washington. We'll get into the strange details leading up to his disappearance, the detective's outside the box thinking that helped the family get some closure, and discuss our theories and some questions we're left with from this case.
Sources:
Seattle PI - 1993 hit-run victim is finally identified, 2004
Find A Grave - David Glen Lewis
CBS News - Google Helps Solve John Doe Case
Del Rio News Herald - Baffling trail stumps police searching for missing attorney, 1993
21 min
October 10, 2022 PNW True Crime Fest Live Show: The Disappearance of Matthew Anfeldt
Here's our recording of our first ever live show, recorded at the first ever PNW True Crime Fest. Matthew Anfeldt was just 20 years old when he disappeared from his family's home in Grand Mound, Washington under incredibly bizarre circumstances. After telling his sister he was going to grab his phone, he ended up in a nearby roadway in a panic, yelling at cars that his family had been killed and that someone was after him. He was last seen at the Speedway Grocery before fleeing out the side door, and police discovered that his family was perfectly fine. Matthew has never been seen since. We explore the details of the case and explore some possible theories behind his disappearance. Thank you to everyone who came out to make this live show possible!

Sources:
Records Request with Thurston County Sheriff's Office
Charley Project - Matthew Anfeldt
Q13 Fox - Detectives investigating whether young man's disappearance is linked to previous attack in Lacey, February 23rd, 2020
KOMO News - 'They're after me!' Thurston County man disappears after bizarre rampage, March 7th, 2019

44 min
September 27, 2022 Grunge Speak
Today's episode is about a story that sounds like a never aired episode of Daria: the time The New York Times published an article of completely fake, made up grunge slang words that were given to them by a recently laid off Sub Pop Records employee as the real deal. We'll discuss how the hoax came to be, who the creator of these amazingly hilarious words was, and the mess that resulted. It's a fun one!
Sources:
Wikipedia - Grunge Speak
The Ringer - When Grunge Was Fake News
16 min
August 27, 2022 The Disappearance of Darwin K Vest
Today we're telling you about the disappearance of a world-renowned, self taught expert on spiders, Darwin Vest. Darwin Vest was 48 years old hen he disappeared after attending his weekly bar trivia game with friends on June 2nd, 1999 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He set off towards the home he shared with his mother, but was never seen from again. We discuss some of Darwin's accomplishments within the world of arachnids, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, and cover some theories that Darwin's loved ones and the investigators have explored.
Sources:
Charley Project - Darwin K Vest
AP News - Spider Expert Disappears in Idaho, 1999
The Lewiston Review - Spiderman’s Fate Remains a mystery, 2002
21 min
August 12, 2022 Michele Dee Gates
Today we're telling you about the life of child-killer Michele Dee Gates, starting with her chaotic childhood. We discuss the tragic murders of Ruth Anne O'Neil and Natyah Ottino that Michele committed when she was just a child herself, her later failed hitman plot, and how her new husband ended up being murdered. By her father. Buckle up for this one.
Ft. the audacity, the nerve, and the Sqweegel episode of CSI
TW: child murder, child abuse, sexual assault mention

Sources:
Oregon Live - The strange case of child-killer Michele Gates and how it changed Oregon forever, 2019
The Spokesman Review - Father of Portland child killer Michele Dee Gates accused of shooting her husband in Stevens County
The Spokesman Review - Man who shot son-in-law near Colville pleads guilty to manslaughter, gets 7 years in prison

36 min
July 23, 2022 McMinnville UFO Photographs
Today we're covering a UFO story for the first time in a long time! In fact, it's Steven's first UFO story as a co-host! In this episode we discussed the 1950 McMinnville UFO photos, which were a series of photos captured by a farming couple, the Trents, near McMinnville, Oregon. We chat about the sighting, discuss some investigations and examinations of the photos, and come to our own conclusions.

Ft. the funniest dialogue I have ever read in a UFO interview, car side mirrors, and the Dean from Community

Sources:

Wikipedia - McMinville UFO Photos
The Oregonian - Past Tense Oregon: UFO photos taken near McMinnville in 1950 still raise questions
The Oregonian - 1997 story: Fifty years of UFO, the truth is still out there

20 min
July 16, 2022 The Disappearance of Christopher Hart Bridgeman Jr.
Today we're covering a bizarre missing person's case from Lacey, Washington from January of 1963. 33 year old Christopher Hart Bridgeman Jr. was a country artist who just had a hit song hit the radio waves when he disappeared from a motel, leaving behind his 6 year old child. We get into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, the mystery of trying to track down his song, and another mystery in this case, caused by a couple of thieves grabbing some suitcases containing important contents.
Sources:
The Doe Network - Christopher Hart Bridgeman Jr.
Charley Project - Christopher Hart Bridgeman Jr.
The Olympian - Burglars make off with Rainier woman’s evidence in the case of her missing dad, October 2017
Whereaboutstillunknown.wordpress.com - Christopher Bridgeman
15 min
June 30, 2022 Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Today we're covering a famous PNW legend, the mythical Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. We dive into the wacky world of the Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus website and learn about the diet, movements, and life-cycle of the tree octopus, then dive into where exactly this legend originated from.
Ft. land sushi, sasquatch as an apex predator, and octopus hood ornaments

Sources:
Library of Congress Web Archive - Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

20 min