Last episode, we talked about the fear of death. The big, final, unavoidable question mark at the end of life. Today, we’re picking up that thread and tugging it somewhere colder, quieter… and much less final.

In this episode of Spirits with Crime, we dive into the fear of the afterlife and why ghosts have haunted human imagination for centuries. Using An Illustrated History of Ghosts, we explore a deceptively simple question: what even is a ghost?

We’ll walk through how the idea of ghosts has evolved across eras. Along the way, we talk about why ghosts scare us so deeply, what they reveal about our fear of dying, and maybe more unsettling, our fear of not being done.

As a little cherry on top of the headstone, this episode also marks the end of Season 3. Next week, we kick open the crypt doors for Season 4, and I'm so excited to get to do another terrifying season with all of you.

Give this one a listen, leave a review if you’re enjoying the journey, and come chat with me. Do you believe ghosts are spirits, symbols, or something else entirely? And if ghosts are real… would you want to become one?

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Sources: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/701/ancient-mesopotamian-beliefs-in-the-afterlife/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Mesopotamian_underworld

https://grokipedia.com/page/Ghosts_in_Mesopotamian_religions

Boardman, Adam Allsuch. An Illustrated History of Ghosts. London: Nobrow Press, 2022.

In today’s episode of Spirits with Crime, we’re talking about Andrea Yates, a case that sits at the uncomfortable crossroads of fear, faith, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of untreated psychological distress. This is not a sensational story, but a sobering one. We unpack what happened, how fear of death and damnation shaped Andrea’s actions, and how belief systems can become distorted when someone is drowning in untreated mental illness.

Beyond the case itself, this episode takes a step back and asks a bigger question: how does our fear of death influence the choices we make while we’re still alive? From desperation and control to denial and moral panic, fear can quietly rewrite someone’s reality long before tragedy strikes.

This conversation is heavy, but it’s an important one. And while this episode focuses on fear in life, we’re not done yet. In the next episode, we’ll follow that fear beyond the grave and explore how it transforms into stories of the afterlife, unfinished business, and ghosts that refuse to stay silent.

Listen with care, share your thoughts respectfully, and if this episode resonated with you, leaving a review helps more spooky souls find these conversations. I’d also love to hear your take: do you think fear protects us, or does it sometimes become the most dangerous force of all?

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Socials: @spiritswithcrimepodcast

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates

https://people.com/why-did-andrea-yates-drown-her-children-11882267

https://www.wral.com/story/andrea-yates-fast-facts/17644737/

https://abc13.com/post/andrea-yates-rusty-george-parnham-clear-lake-texas/10802560/

https://abc13.com/andrea-yates-houston-mother-kills-children-clear-lake/10802560/

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/06/20/andrea-yates-timeline-a-look-back-at-the-clear-lake-mothers-case-after-she-drowned-her-5-children-in-homes-bathtub/

https://www.biography.com/crime/andrea-yates

https://people.com/andrea-yates-ex-husband-rusty-says-didnt-blame-her-wonderful-person-exclusive-11884936

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109493/

https://www.txcourts.gov/cca/opinions/05-0024.htm

https://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/06/yates.retrial/

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5539061

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Rusty-Yates-speaks-about-wife-s-case-2028455.php

If deep water makes your palms sweat and your imagination run wild, welcome home. This week on Spirits with Crime, we’re leaning into Thalassophobia, that primal fear that something enormous is cruising beneath you… and it knows you’re there.

I kick things off with the unsettling story of High Aim 6, a Taiwanese fishing vessel found drifting at sea with no crew aboard. Was it piracy, an accident, or something far more unsettling tied to the unpredictability of the sea?

Then we dive deeper into the abyss with deep sea cryptids. From the eerily humanoid Ningen, to the serpentine Lusco, and other nightmare fuel allegedly spotted where sunlight gives up, I explore the creatures people swear they’ve seen lurking in the dark below.

Listen now, leave a review, and tell me this: what do you think is scarier, the things we know live in the ocean… or the things we haven’t even seen yet?

Send Me a Story! @ [email protected]

Find me @spiritswithcrimepodcast

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Aim_6

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2003/01/16/191173

https://www.atuna.com/archive/?article=357

https://graham64.wordpress.com/tag/high-aim-6/

https://www.tvi.show/vanished/the-disappearance-of-the-crew-of-the-high-aim-6-taiwanese-ship-unraveling-the-mystery-at-sea

This week on Spirits with Crime, we’re diving straight into the uncanny valley.

First up: Anatoly Moskvin, the Russian historian with a dark hobby; exhuming the bodies of little girls and turning them into eerily lifelike dolls. Then, we’re heading into the metaphysical with the Tulpa, a being said to be born entirely from human thought. Could our fears, obsessions, and darkest imaginings actually take form in the real world?

Don’t forget to drop your thoughts and theories in the comments or reviews! I want to know: do you think the idea of the Tulpa is real? Cheers!

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://cocktailpartyapp.com/drinks/rattle-skull/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoly_Moskvin

https://allthatsinteresting.com/anatoly-moskvin

https://vocal.media/criminal/eccentric-professor-mummified-26-dead-girls-and-turned-them-into-dolls

https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/thoughtforms

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa

Hold onto your cocktail glasses, spooky souls, because today’s episode takes fear to new heights. This episode’s all about acrophobia.

We’re diving headfirst (pun absolutely intended) into the chilling case of Phoebe Handsjuk, a story that still leaves investigators asking one question: Did she fall… or was she pushed? Then we scale things even higher with the eerie legends of Devil’s Tower, a place so otherworldly it’s sparked everything from alien theories to Native American folklore about spirits that guard the skies.

So grab your drink and join me as we look up, look down, and try not to lose our balance. Cheers!

Don’t forget to leave a review or comment to tell me which story had your stomach dropping faster — Phoebe’s mysterious fall, or the legends surrounding Devil’s Tower. 

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://cocktailpartyapp.com/drinks/biscotti-spritz/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/phoebe-handsjuk

https://www.phoebehandsjuk.com

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-10/woman-who-fell-down-garbage-chute-was-sleepwalking-coroner-says/5956852

https://www.mamamia.com.au/phoebe-handsjuk-death/

https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/devils-tower-national-monument

https://www.usgs.gov/publications/geology-devils-tower-national-monument-wyoming

https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/nature/tower-formation.htm

https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/historyculture/first-stories.htm

https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/historyculture/reverence.htm

https://www.visitrapidcity.com/blog/post/the-story-of-devils-tower-national-monument/

https://www.iaa.uni-rostock.de/forschung/laufende-forschungsprojekte/american-antiquities-prof-mackenthun/landmark-stories/devils-tower-1/

Creepy crawly alert! This week on Spirits with Crime, yes, bugs are involved.

First up, meet Theodore Coneys, the Denver Spider-Man, a man who literally lived in the shadows… and in the ceiling of his victims’ homes. Then, we swarm over to The Plague of Flies, exploring how swarms of insects have long been tied to demonic forces, curses, and the supernatural.

If you’ve ever been creeped out by a spider crawling across the ceiling—or wondered why flies are the unofficial mascots of doom—this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to leave a comment or review to let me know which story freaked you out the most, or if you’ve got any bug-related legends I should cover next! Cheers!

Sign up for the newsletter @ ⁠⁠https://spiritswithcrime.wixsite.com/swcpodcast⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/4952/white-spider

https://cocktailpartyapp.com/drinks/white-spider/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Edward_Coneys

https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/coneys-theodore.htm

https://www.cpr.org/show-episode/denver-spider-man/

https://morbidology.com/theodore-edward-coneys-the-denver-spiderman/

https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/denver/tale-denver-spider-man

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Egypt

https://abookofcreatures.com/2020/05/04/musca-macedda/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasu_%28Zoroastrianism%29

https://aleph.humanities.ucla.edu/2015/10/06/a-new-relationship-with-death-a-synthesized-experiential-portrait-and-analysis-of-mid-fourteenth-century-medieval-european-societys-reception-of-responses-to-and-reflections-on-the-black-d/

https://www.catholic365.com/article/40509/the-strange-religious-meaning-of-flies.html

Hey, spooky souls! Welcome back to another episode– today’s stories will take us to some dark and traumatic places. 

First, we’re heading underground to Tokyo in 1995, where the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo unleashed a deadly sarin gas attack on the subway. It’s one of the most shocking acts of domestic terrorism in history, with a mix of apocalyptic prophecy, twisted science, and cult control. Then, we head south to the folklore of South Africa to meet the Tokoloshe: a mischievous, terrifying creature blamed for everything from bad luck to sudden deaths. 

So grab your drink, keep your feet off the floor, and settle in for this dark, twisted, and spooky double feature. Cheers!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, hot takes, or theories on today’s stories. Drop a comment, leave a review, or share your own cult or cryptid encounters.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoko_Asahara

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/shoko-asahara

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jii/4750978.0010.301/--reconsidering-japanese-religious-history-the-aum-incident

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/aum-shinrikyo

https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/revisiting-aum-shinrikyo-new-insights-most-extensive-non-state-biological-weapons-program-date-1/

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/aum-shinrikyo

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/5/8/99-0409_article

https://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/1995_r/aum/part05.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsumoto_sarin_attack

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_family_murder

https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokyo-subway-attack-of-1995

https://www.wired.com/2007/06/murderous-japan/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokoloshe

https://journals.co.za/doi/10.10520/ejc-linga_v21_n1_a10

https://symbolsage.com/tokoloshe-zulu-mythology-mischief-maker/

https://mythical-creatures.com/glossary/s-africa/tokoloshe/

Hey spooky souls- Happy Saturday! Get ready to dive into some double disappearances today.

First, we visit Springfield, Missouri, 1992, where Sherrill, Suzanne, and Stacy vanished without a trace, leaving a community (and the nation) stunned. Then, we’re jetting off to Brazil for the Hoer Verde Disappearance, an equally baffling story of an entire village gone missing under eerie circumstances. What really happened? 

I’d love to hear your theories, thoughts, or just your spine-tingling reactions, so don’t forget to leave a comment or review! Cheers!

Sign up for the newsletter @ ⁠⁠https://spiritswithcrime.wixsite.com/swcpodcast⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Three

https://www.springfieldmo.gov/2498/Three-Missing-Women

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/the-springfield-three---springfield-missouri

https://medium.com/@byhannahoneill/the-crazy-case-of-the-springfield-three-where-are-they-491cc3cf946a

https://explorersweb.com/exploration-mysteries-hoer-verde/

https://medium.com/curiosity-chronicles-extended/the-vanished-village-of-hoer-verde-50cfcf6be7ba

https://pleasant-green.fandom.com/wiki/Hoer_Verde

Hey, spooky souls! We’re getting into some monkey business today, with two stories that really make you question your own mind.

First up, we’re heading to Halifax, England, in 1938, where the town was gripped by fear of a shadowy attacker known as the Halifax Slasher. Panic spread like wildfire, witnesses swore they were attacked, and yet… was there really someone lurking in the shadows, or was it all the power of suggestion?

Then, we’re traveling to Delhi in 2001, where residents claimed they were being terrorized by the Monkey Man, a bizarre creature that leapt through the night, scratched at its victims, and caused full-on chaos in the city. Was it a cryptid? Or another case where fear itself became the true monster?

Have you ever fallen down a mass hysteria rabbit hole? Or do you think there really was something in Halifax and Delhi? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a review or drop a comment with your theories! Cheers!

Sign up for the newsletter @ ⁠⁠https://spiritswithcrime.wixsite.com/swcpodcast⁠⁠

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Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Slasher

https://caldertales.wordpress.com/the-halifax-slasher/

https://crimesthroughtime.co.uk/the-halifax-slasher-1938/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey-man_of_Delhi

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/18/lukeharding

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-monkey-man-panic-20-years-later/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10591905_A_study_on_mass_hysteria_monkey_men_victims_in_East_Delhi

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10591905_A_study_on_mass_hysteria_monkey_men_victims_in_East_Delhi

Hey spooky souls! Today’s episode is a wild ride. First, we’re diving into the chilling story of The Order of the Solar Temple, a secretive cult that ended in tragedy and mystery, leaving questions about loyalty, faith, and control that still haunt investigators today. Then, we get into the eerie coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, to explore the Black Flash: a shadowy figure that has terrified locals for decades. Grab a drink, get cozy, and let’s talk cults, ghosts, and the kind of stories that make you double-check the locks at night. Cheers!

Have you seen something strange or read about a mysterious group or ghostly figure? Don’t forget to leave a review or comment! I want to hear it!

Sign up for the newsletter @ ⁠⁠https://spiritswithcrime.wixsite.com/swcpodcast⁠⁠

Send Me a Story! @ [email protected]

Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Shaker & Spoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources: https://www.gothichorrorstories.com/gothic-travel/by-location/new-england/cape-cod/the-black-flash-of-provincetown-ma-folk-horror-and-hysteria-from-new-england-echoes-in-the-midwestern-countryside/

https://ptownie.com/history/a-black-flash-in-the-pan-provincetowns-boogeyman/

https://provincetownindependent.org/local-journalism-project/next-generation/2024/10/30/beware-the-black-flash/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-the-Solar-Temple

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Solar_Temple_massacres

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Vercors_massacre

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/foreign-affairs/video-the-1994-solar-temple-cult-deaths-in-switzerland/40878686

https://www.the-sun.com/news/13016321/cult-order-of-the-solar-temple-sirius-bbc/

https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1686/rising-sun

https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/635/cocktails/paloma-cocktail-history-origin