This week, we venture deep into the mist-shrouded Pacific Northwest to unearth one of the region’s most haunting legends in Kwakwaka’wakw folklore — the story of Baxbakwalanuksiwe’, the Man-Eater at the North End of the World.

Once banned by colonial authorities and nearly lost to time, the Hamat’sa, or “Cannibal Dance,” is a ceremonial initiation that confronts humanity’s darkest impulses and the mythic hunger embodied by Baxbakwalanuksiwe’. Covered in gaping mouths and crying out “hap, hap, hap” — “eat, eat, eat” — this monstrous figure stalked not just the imagination of his people, but the very limits of what it means to be human.

Baxbakwalanuksiwe’ stands as both a monster and a mirror — a figure embodying survival, hunger, and the uneasy boundary between the spiritual and the human. Join us as we explore how this story survived suppression, what it reveals about cultural resilience, why it remains so powerful today, and what the “Ever-More-Perfect-Manifestation-of-the-Essence-of-Humanity” might truly mean.

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

Happy Halloween! We have a trick AND a treat for you with this Truly Twisted bonus!

On the evening of July 3rd, 1929 the Evangelista family was brutally murdered, but by who? This week we delve into the strange beliefs of Benny Evangelista, the baffling details of the crime, and the lasting fear and legend that the St. Aubin Street Massacre left behind. This story is more widely known as the Detroit Occult Murders. Was this the work of a rival religious fanatic, a swindled follower in Benny's work, or something even more sinister?

Join me on social media @itstrulytwisted on Instagram and @trulytwisted on TikTok.  You can follow me personally @littleleesha

For more information about the show or Fire Eyes Media you can visit our website at https://www.fireeyesmedia.com & don't forget to check out our other incredible shows while you are there.

Recourses used in todays episode:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-st-aubin-street-massa/116854832/
https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/evangelista
https://husheduphistory.com/post/728229027017588736/mystic-murder-and-mystery-the-detroit-tragedy
Haunted Road Atlas by Em Schultz and Christine Schiefer

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

We’re kicking off Hallo-week with an extra creepy bonus for episode 204: The Bizarre Tale of Jake the Alligator Man. We’ll see you later this week for another spooky episode! 🎃
 
Back at Marsh’s Free Museum in Long Beach, Washington, we dive into more of the odd treasures this roadside attraction has to offer. We’ll also explore the history behind their most chilling artifact — an authentic tsantsa, or shrunken head. Once sacred symbols of power and protection, these relics have a dark history of fascination and exploitation. Turning ancient tribal rituals into grotesque souvenirs…
 
Finally, we’ll uncover the full story of the SS Admiral Benson shipwreck!
 
Strange artifacts, lost history, and coastal legends — it’s all waiting for you in this week’s deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of Marsh’s Free Museum.
 
GET TICKETS to Ghosts of the Grand! (Use code: CULTMEMBER for $5 off). You're invited into the shadowed halls of Salem’s historic, 125-year-old Grand Theatre for an unforgettable haunted experience. Step beyond the stage and into the darkness, where immersive storytelling, chilling performances, and eerie surprises await around every corner.  
 
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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

Salem, Oregon has always been a city of secrets—but few run as deep as those hidden within the Delaney-Edwards House. Before this graceful landmark hosted seances and afternoon tea, it was the stage for greed, betrayal, and one of the most shocking crimes in Oregon’s early history.

When wealthy settler Daniel Delaney Sr. was gunned down just outside his front door in 1865, the investigation pulled back the curtain on a frontier community built on contradictions—prosperity and prejudice, freedom and bondage.

The killing set off one of Salem’s first sensational murder trials, culminating in Oregon’s first double hanging. But behind the spectacle lay a deeper story—one that exposes the uneasy truths of race, power, and “justice” in a young state still defining its conscience.

At its heart is Rachel Belden Brooks, the woman Delaney once enslaved and brought to Oregon in defiance of the territory’s laws. Years later, she would take his estate to court, demanding wages for decades of unpaid labor and claiming her own measure of justice. And there was Jack DeWolf, the young Black boy whose brave eyewitness testimony helped bring two killers to the gallows—though the memory would haunt him, and the city itself, for life.

From whispered fortunes and back-room confessions to the gallows built beneath Salem’s oak trees, this story unearths the complicated legacy of a place where law and morality often diverged. If the walls of the Delaney-Edwards House could talk, they’d have plenty to say about gold, guilt, and ghosts—and the many lives intertwined within its walls that refused to be forgotten.

GET TICKETS to Ghosts of the Grand! (Use code: CULTMEMBER for $5 off). You're invited into the shadowed halls of Salem’s historic, 125-year-old Grand Theatre for an unforgettable haunted experience. Step beyond the stage and into the darkness, where immersive storytelling, chilling performances, and eerie surprises await around every corner.  

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On this episode of PNW Haunts and Homicides, we explore the creepy world of the paranormal and true crime in the Pacific Northwest. Join us as we share listener tales, including a mysterious message received by mediums at the Delaney House. Then a Ghosts of the Grand paranormal investigator reveals a mischievous spirit known for manipulating temperatures and behaving provocatively. We end our spooky journey with a story sent in by "VICP" (Very Important Creepy Person), Judi, from the Nightmare Factory in Salem, Oregon. Don't miss our tarot reading at the end, seeking deeper insights into these haunting stories!

GET TICKETS to Ghosts of the Grand! You're invited into the shadowed halls of Salem’s historic, 125-year-old Grand Theatre for an unforgettable haunted experience. Step beyond the stage and into the darkness, where immersive storytelling, chilling performances, and eerie surprises await around every corner. 👻 

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

We’re kicking off spooky season by visiting the haunted halls of the Delaney House in Salem, Oregon. In this episode, we meet Vikki, the current owner of this beautifully restored Airbnb, who shares its captivating history. Listen in as we delve into the lives (and deaths) of former residents, whose spirits are said to linger in the house.

We’re also joined by Zoey, a paranormal investigator & scare actor at Ghosts of the Grand, who shares her insights into the other side! 

GET TICKETS to Ghosts of the Grand! You're invited into the shadowed halls of Salem’s historic, 125-year-old Grand Theatre for an unforgettable haunted experience. Step beyond the stage and into the darkness, where immersive storytelling, chilling performances, and eerie surprises await around every corner. 👻 

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

This episode is about aftermath — the people left behind, the communities left reeling, grief compounded, and resilience tested. The story of Normandale Park didn’t end when the shots stopped. In Part 2, we trace Benjamin Jeffrey Smith’s arrest, eventual guilty plea, and sentencing — alongside the devastating loss of Deg, whose death was later ruled a homicide linked to that night.

For some, the Portland Police Bureau’s framing in early statements was enraging, a painful distortion of what had truly happened. For others, those same words confirmed the stereotypes and suspicions they already held about demonstrators, the BLM movement, even Portland as a city. Layered onto this divide was the revelation that the FBI had been aware of Smith beforehand, a fact that unsettled many and deepened mistrust.

This isn’t just the second half of a crime story; it’s the ongoing fight to hold institutions accountable while honoring those whose lives were forever changed. It’s about Portland, but it’s also about much more: the way stories like this echo across the country, and the lessons we can’t afford to ignore.

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you probably remember the headlines: a night of activism in Portland’s Normandale Park ended in gunfire. On February 19, 2022, the Normandale Park shooting shocked Portland and the nation. Benjamin Jeffrey Smith opened fire on racial justice demonstrators, killing June “T-Rex” Knightly and leaving another known as Deg, gravely injured. In this episode, we take you through the timeline of events that night, the background of the man responsible, and the grassroots work of organizers who were there to keep people safe. 

Portland has seen its share of protest, resilience, and tragedy but this isn’t just a crime story — it’s a story about neighbors, about people stepping up when institutions fall short, and about how tragedy can strike even in spaces meant to protect and empower.

From Forensic Architecture’s powerful reconstructions to the behind-the-scenes support teams who show up for Portland’s movements, Part 1 unpacks the early pieces of a story that continues to haunt the city. This is not just about a shooting — it’s about the systems, tensions, and resilience that defined that night – but not the community.  

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

We're back from summer break this week to explore near-death experiences and the intriguing commonalities people have during these moments. From overwhelming peace to moving towards a light, we consider how these experiences might be linked to the brain's chemical responses. 

Through stories of personal anecdotes and scientific insights, we delve into the stages of these experiences. Inviting listeners to ponder the mysteries of life and death with a touch of humor and curiosity. 

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

NEW EPISODE TOMORROW! But here is this previous Patreon exclusive bonus, that we constantly reference. From episode 147 Clairvoyant Tarot-reader Cons Timber Tycoon: Explore the saga of the Raines family, a shockingly sinister tale about the elaborate deception that led to the downfall of their Pacific Northwest timber empire.

I think we'll just let this one speak for itself. I really can't come up with a way to write up "show notes" for this one but this was hilarious and so much fun. Cassie's faces were priceless. Without further ado - feast your creepy little ear holes on this bizarre old timey time capsule. Don't ever let a Boomer convince you that the good old days were a simpler, more wholesome time. 

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 [email protected] or use this link. There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.