Tea Time Crimes

Join us as we travel through the life of America’s first female serial killer. By the late 1800’s, “Jolly” Jane Toppan was considered the best private nurse in the Boston area. Of course, no one knew what Jane was up to in the early hours of the morning as she cared for her patients. By the time Jane was done with her “experiments,” nearly 30 people had died under her watchful eye. Tune in to find out how Jane Toppan was finally stopped and what kind of life led to such devastation.

Tea of the Day: White Lemon Ginger

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Source Notes:

• Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer by Harold Schecter
• America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster by Mary Kay McBrayer
• https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/video/deadly-women-investigation-discovery/the-disturbed
• https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/jolly-jane-toppan-killer-nurse-obsessed-death/
• https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jane-toppan-20874.php
• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/23/120289495.html?pageNumber=32
• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1901/10/31/101085076.html?pageNumber=1
• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/06/25/101274466.html
• https://www.capecod.com/cape-wide-news/cold-cape-cape-cods-jolly-jane-toppan/

Today, we’d like to bring awareness about the frequent violence Native American women face through the story of Savanna Greywind. A beautiful, young mother-to-be goes missing from her parent’s home in Fargo, North Dakota.

(For listeners who want to jump right to Savanna's story, head to minute 14)

Support Line: https://www.sovereign-bodies.org/contact

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: https://mmiwusa.org/

Tea of the Day: Dandelion & Elderflower Black Tea

Sources:

• Killer Motives - Season 1 : Episode 5 : 2019
• Lies, Crimes and Video - Season 2, Episode 4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN-eGm2Rs_U
• https://www.nativehope.org/en-us/understanding-the-issue-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women
• https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw
• https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-women-pregnancy-issues-family-0225-20160225-story.html
• https://people.com/crime/savanna-greywind-baby-cut-out-box-cutter/
• https://www.kvrr.com/2018/09/19/second-day-of-william-hoehns-murder-trial-reveals-details-about-savanna-greywinds-final-moments/
• https://apnews.com/article/c844d2bea609402ba3f1087ac3a18c70
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/227
• https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw/

Join us as we go over the infamous Lizzie Borden case. Was Lizzie truly responsible for the death of her father and step-mother, or is it possible she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Tea of the Day: Duke & Duchess Honey Breakfast Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6VKFYdUrfg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU5Hk-mFi9Y
• https://youtu.be/3vz6Ybl2uvU
• https://web.archive.org/web/20130603145803/http://www.thelizziebordencollection.com/lizzie-andrew-borden.php
• https://famous-trials.com/lizzieborden/1441-chronology
• https://famous-trials.com/lizzieborden/1442-evidence
• https://historybyday.com/pop-culture/the-notorious-lizzie-borden-case-was-she-really-guilty/

On an ordinary fall day in 1961, dependable mother of two, Joan Risch, vanished from her home. All that was left behind was a kitchen smeared in blood. Sit with us as we go through the details of this unsolved case and try to make sense of what happened to a sweet soul with an unkind past. 

Tea of the Day: Lapsang Souchong - Gong Fu Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://wickedhorror.com/features/february-2022-missing-person-of-the-month-joan-carolyn-risch/
• https://icestationpoetry.medium.com/into-thin-air-what-is-the-likeliest-explanation-for-the-disappearance-of-joan-risch-1bdd4953b4e
• Book: A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch by Stephen H. Ahern

If you have any information on the case of Joan Risch, please contact the Lincoln Police Department (781-259-8111).

Get ready for a gnarly episode, but maybe not in the way you think. Meet Candace Mossler, a once small-town girl who became the socialite jewel of Texas. There’s nobody who doesn’t adore her, doesn’t rave about her generosity, and doesn’t love her parties. But a dark secret might unravel it all…

Tea of the Day: Pu Erh Imperial by Palais Des Thes

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://www.itexasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-notorious-mrs-mossler/
• https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/candace-mossier-and-melvin-lane-powers-trial-1966
• No One is Perfect: The True Story of Candace Mossler and America’s Strangest Murder Trial by Ron Smith
• A Crime to Remember (Season 2, Episode 3)
• Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege and Justice : The Candy Scandal 

Meet Stephanie St. Clair, also known as Madame Queen, most likely the coolest woman we’ve covered yet. She had the grit to build an empire in Harlem that garnered the attention of mob bosses all over New York City. Yet, she also had the empathy and compassion to give back to her community, even when her life was at risk. Grab a fun drink for this one as we take you along for a wild ride. 

Tea of the Day: Hibiscus Cocktail Tea by Tealyra

Sources: 

Book: Sex Workers, Psychics and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy by LaShawn Harris

Show: Celebrity Crime Files: Lady Gangsters

• https://allthatsinteresting.com/stephanie-st-clair
• https://www.theroot.com/black-history-month-rebels-the-life-and-legend-of-mada-1841662116
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-stephanie-st-clair-immigrant-turned-millionaire-who-dominated-harlems-gambling-underground-180977759/
• https://www.aaihs.org/all-of-us-had-a-taste-outlaw-women-and-stephanie-st-clair-madame-queen-of-policy/
• https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/the-queen-of-numbers-stephanie-st-clair-and-harlems-gambling-racket
• https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/dutch-schultz
• https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/bumpy-johnson

Bonjour! Join us for a tale of what not to do when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place. Marie de Roux, a domestic servant during the reign of Queen Victoria, finds out firsthand what happens when you marry the wrong man. 

Tea of the Day: l’Herboriste

Sources:

• https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/manning-maria-c-1821-1849
• https://headstuff.org/culture/history/terrible-people-from-history/fred-maria-manning-victorian-murderers/
• https://crimereads.com/a-victorian-era-guide-to-oppressing-women/
• https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Crimes.jsp
• https://youtu.be/tkv8LbzmAyU

Summary:

Join us for a chilling missing person's case as reliable Tanya Rider suddenly disappears. Much to her husband’s dismay, nobody’s willing to do much about it, but he refuses to stop looking for her. This is a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival.  

Tea of the Day: Brazilian Detox 

Theme Music: Brad Frank

Sources:

• Disappeared Season 2, Episode 4 “No Exit”
• Missing Without A Trace: 8 Days of Horror by Tanya Rider, Tracy Ertl, and Dr. Carole Lieberman
• Tanya Rider timeline | The Seattle Times
• Woman Trapped in Car for Eight Days Writes Book to Cope - ABC News
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/09/experience-trapped-in-ravine
• Compartment Syndrome - OrthoInfo - AAOS
• Tanya Rider's long, winding road to health and healing | Covington-Maple Valley Reporter

Meet Anne Bonny and Mary Read–two women whose stories couldn’t be more similar and personalities couldn’t be more different. We follow their paths separately until they clash together in exciting swashbuckling adventures upon the sea. Grab a tropical tea today and settle in for a wild ride. 

Tea of the Day: Jardin Tropical 

Theme Music: Brad Frank

Sources:

• Anne Bonny | Biography & Facts | Britannica
• If There's a Man Among Ye: The Tale of Pirate Queens Anne Bonny and Mary Read | History| Smithsonian Magazine
• Famous Pirate: Anne Bonny
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/anne-bonny
• https://www.worldhistory.org/Anne_Bonny/
• https://www.nps.gov/people/anne-bonny-pirate.htm
• https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/international-crimes/anne-bonny/
• https://www.postandcourier.com/news/a-22-year-old-youtuber-may-have-solved-anne-bonny-pirate-mystery-300-years-after/article_78fc0a2e-2914-11eb-a5f5-03b65f4d281a.html
• https://youtu.be/YSEnj2XDnWE
• https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/international-crimes/calico-jack/
• http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/types-of-pirates/pirates/
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/grim-life-cursed-real-pirates-of-caribbean
• https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1847/pirate-punishments-in-the-golden-age-of-piracy/

Today, we explore three eerily similar stories spanning 100 years. Meet Mary Ann Cotton, Tillie Klimek, and Roberta Elder: female serial killers with a hefty body count. You’re going to need a strong-bodied tea for this one! 

Content warning: This episode references the killing of children. 

Tea of the Day: English Breakfast

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Black Widow by Cara Davidson
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/mary-ann-cotton
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/typhoid-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20378661
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Ann-Cotton
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mary-ann-cotton-englands_b_8339314
• https://youtu.be/Gjc-U0dt6bg
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201906/why-female-psychopaths-are-different-breed
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201810/7-characteristics-the-modern-psychopath
• https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/chicagos-mrs-bluebeard-tillie-klimek
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/surviving-the-female-psychopath/202107/how-does-female-psychopath-behave
• https://anchor.fm/blacktruecrimepodcast/episodes/17-Roberta-Elder-eqoqpi
• https://blacktruecrime.com
• http://unknownmisandry.blogspot.com/2011/09/roberta-elder-georgia-serial-killer-1952.html
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201610/psychopathy-clinical-diagnosis
• https://www.aaihs.org/roberta-elder-the-case-of-a-black-woman-serial-killer/
• https://medium.com/@AlexisLyons/roberta-elder-black-widow-e0a86b5cdb41
• https://murderpedia.org/female.K/k/klimek-tillie.htm
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/surviving-the-female-psychopath/202201/the-female-psychopath-s-use-devaluation