This episode originally aired in three parts - now conveniently edited down to one for your listening pleasure!

Today we’re going to talk about a very mysterious hole, known as Mel’s Hole. Who is Mel, and what is so special about his hole? On Feb 21st 1997, a self described Willie Nelson Doppelgänger named Mel Waters, contacted radio talk show “Coast to Coast with Art Bell.” Five phone interviews over the course of 5 years detailed a bewildering tale with many peaks and pits!
 
Extended versions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
 
Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

In this episode we examine the history behind one of the world’s most persistent superstitions. Friday the 13th has long been associated with fear and bad luck—but where did that reputation come from, and why does it keep resurfacing across the centuries?

Join us as we delve into the fear of Friday the 13th – known as paraskevidekatriaphobia – tracing the date’s uneasy legacy from medieval power plays to modern financial panic and how it became embedded in culture. Along the way, we explore how superstition, greed, and human behavior have repeatedly collided on the same allegedly cursed calendar date.

Then, we shift from history to storytelling with a narrated account from one of the scariest corners of Reddit, r/nosleep, shared with permission from its author, RoséBlack2222.  Sometimes Friday the 13th horror doesn’t arrive with curses or disasters — sometimes it starts with something much smaller, and spirals from there.

If you enjoyed the story please check out and support RoséBlack2222 on Patreon & Substack!

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

The Oregon Zoo might seem like an unlikely setting for true crime and paranormal history, but beneath its family friendly surface lies a past with some unsettling chapters. In 2013, construction crews working on a new elephant habitat unearthed human remains. These undocumented burials trace back to Hillside Farm — a poor farm and sanatorium for the mentally ill and those with infectious diseases. The identities of those found remain unknown, their presence lingering as a quiet reminder of Portland’s forgotten dead.

The episode also explores two modern tragedies that unfolded at the zoo. In 1970, a late night break-in led to the death of 19-year-old Roger Adams after he fell into a lion enclosure, followed by the controversial shooting of the lions involved. Decades later, in 2019, concertgoer Carl Stanley Ross Sr. was found dead in an uninhabited rhino exhibit days after being reported missing. Though investigators found no evidence of foul play, a lawsuit and court ruling concluded that negligence on both sides contributed to his death. Together, these stories reveal the Oregon Zoo as a place where history, tragedy, and unanswered questions quietly coexist, long after the crowds have gone home.

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On April 21st 1955, a deadly act of violence shattered the quiet grounds of Portland’s Columbia Edgewater Country Club on Marine Drive. After an evening at the club attending a stag party, attorney and WWII veteran Oliver Kermit Smith returned to his car and started the engine. A bomb hidden beneath the driver’s seat detonated, killing him instantly.

Investigators quickly determined the explosion was deliberate. The device had been wired directly into the ignition system, ensuring detonation the moment the car was started. With no evidence of business disputes or outside enemies, attention soon turned to Smith’s personal life — including a recent remarriage and an affair involving Victor Laurence Wolf, a local electrician living in the boarding house owned by Smith’s wife.

Dubbed the “Sex Slave” murder case by papers of the day, the story became a salacious tale of infidelity and betrayal that ended in murder. Wolf ultimately confessed to constructing and installing the bomb and was convicted of first-degree murder. Smith’s wife, Marjorie, was also charged but later acquitted, with the jury finding insufficient evidence that she met Oregon’s legal threshold for criminal responsibility. The Columbia Edgewater car bombing was a calculated murder carried out in silence — long after the party had ended.

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Due to the content guidelines of the platform we are unable to publish our source list via Pastebin for this week's episode.  If you are interested in learning more about the case you may contact us to request the complete list of sources.

Join Caitlyn & Cassie as they chat about Reddit AITA stories featuring paranormal nonbelievers! How do you go about telling someone you don't believe in their ghost story? Or that there might be more physical evidence for Bigfoot than Jesus? Tune in for a fun discussion and let us know your verdicts! 

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

This week we're showcasing our friend Alecia of Truly Twisted. On Christmas Eve 1945, in the rural outskirts of Fayetteville, West Virginia, George and Jennie Sodder tucked their children into bed for the night with the anticipation of spending Christmas together the next morning.  Tragically a fire quickly engulfed the home forcing the family to leave, but 5 of the children were still inside.  What would unfold that evening is still one of the greatest mysteries in the true crime world today, leaving us to wonder, what happened to the Sodder Children?

Join Alecia on social media @itstrulytwisted on Instagram and @trulytwisted on TikTok, and personally @littleleesha.

Recourses used in todays episode:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-sodder-children-siblings-who-went-up-in-smoke-west-virginia-house-fire-172429802/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance
https://allthatsinteresting.com/sodder-children?utm_campaign=fbpdgg1&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! If you have any true crime, paranormal, or witchy stories you'd like to share with us & possibly have them read (out loud) on an episode, email us at [email protected] or submit a Google Form. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

This week we're showcasing our friends Trevin & Amanda - the hosts of Live, Laugh, Larceny.  

Two petty crimes. Zero chill. And reactions so bad, they’d make Coldplay blush.

This week, Amanda drops by before her second vacation in two weeks—and Trevin has his own vacation drama to share. His first time riding a bike as an adult turns into a near panic attack in a quaint ocean community, while Amanda faces a Beaver Lake, Arkansas dilemma when her husband’s massive truck can’t conquer the rocky terrain of a pebble beach.

In Killer Facts, Amanda digs up a bizarre audio mystery from 1997: “The Bloop.” This ultra-low-frequency, high-amplitude underwater sound had scientists speculating about a giant sea creature… but the real answer is far less thrilling—and way more depressing. Trevin, meanwhile, finds fashion trends in the most unexpected place: captive chimps. From grass-in-ear accessories to sticking a blade somewhere it definitely shouldn’t go, these primates are setting wild new style standards.

Amanda also retells a viral scandal you think you know—the Coldplay kiss-cam controversy at Gillette Stadium. Astronomer CEO Andy Byron’s very public moment with Kristen Cabot sent shockwaves through social media, and Amanda serves up the drama with her own twist.

Trevin closes the episode with the poetic (and chaotic) saga of Florida woman Cynthia Sosa, a chicken in the road, road rage, and a can of bear mace. When Sosa crosses paths with Perla DeMiller, bad decisions are inevitable.

Both stories are tied together by unexpected reactions, petty crimes, and a flair for the dramatic. So underthink, overreact, and join us for two tales where making it worse is half the fun.

Today’s petty crime stories:

Caught with Your Pants Down
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Join our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/livelaughlarcenydoomedcrew⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have a crime you'd like to hear on our show OR have a personal petty story, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or send us a DM on any of our socials!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pnw-haunts-homicides--5955451/support.

The Chateau still needs your help to preserve this incredible site and protect the bats - DONATE to this charming and eerie National Historic Landmark here! 

This New Year's Day, we're venturing back into the mysterious Oregon Caves National Monument, a spelunking paradise in Southern Oregon. Discovered in 1874 by a hunter named Elijah and his brave canine companion, Bruce. The cave's first recorded encounter is a gripping tale of survival, complete with a bear encounter and a miraculous escape. With its stunning Marble Halls formed from metamorphosed limestone, this natural wonder's intrigue doesn't stop underground. The Chateau, an adjacent lodge, is undergoing renovations to restore its former glory. 

Speaking of eerie, the Chateau is known for its ghostly resident, Elizabeth. Heartbroken and tragic, Elizabeth haunts the lodge after a honeymoon gone wrong. Guests have reported hearing footsteps, crying, and witnessing her apparition, particularly in room 310. We also touch on a recorded Bigfoot sighting in the area, adding another layer of mystery to this already fascinating location. Whether you're a history buff, a paranormal enthusiast, or just love a good adventure, this episode has something for everyone.

Meet our pod bestie over at, A Little Bit de Todo - podcast about a little bit of everything, for curious minds of all ages!

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! If you have any true crime, paranormal, or witchy stories you'd like to share with us & possibly have them read (out loud) on an episode, email us at [email protected] or submit a Google Form. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On December 5, 1998, eight-year-old Derrick Joe Engebretson vanished from the snowy slopes of Pelican Butte near Klamath Falls, Oregon.  His heart-breaking disappearance took place while cutting a Christmas tree with his father and grandfather, shaking the surrounding community. 

Derrick’s footprints led into the forest… and then simply stopped. No struggle. No trail. No remains. Despite massive search efforts involving local deputies, state police, search-and-rescue teams, dogs, helicopters, and decades of follow-up investigations, Derrick has never been found.

In this episode, we walk through the timeline of Derrick’s disappearance, the eerie details and the baffling, even divisive theories. More than 25 years later, Pelican Butte still holds its secrets—and Derrick’s absence remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most unsettling unsolved mysteries.

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

🎄 In this in(tree)guing episode, we explore an abandoned Christmas tree farm in Oregon that found new life thanks to Mark Rohlfs, of Santa and Sons. What began as an overgrown, forgotten land became a source of “Natural Noble Firs”, prized for their rustic, unshaped look. Customers embraced the wild aesthetic, while unused boughs were turned into wreaths, garlands, and regrowth materials, proving nothing was wasted. 

🔥 The conversation also touches on devastation and resilience after the 2020 Oregon wildfires, which destroyed large portions of the farm, including thousands of seedlings. Instead of giving up, the land was cleared and replanted, beginning yet another new life for the Christmas tree farm. 

🎁 Wrapping up this chat, we diving into Cassie's childhood working on her grandparent's Christmas tree farm. Happy holidays & stay warm, Creepy People! 

Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources