How can a boat and five men vanish from the Hawaiian coast, eluding a massive Coast Guard search, only for the boat to be found ten years later on a deserted atoll 2,000 miles away? And the most chilling part: next to the boat, a single, handmade grave.

Welcome to "Cold on the Coast." In this episode, we investigate the haunting, unsolved mystery of the Sarah Joe. We'll combine the detective work of a heartbroken father with the hard science of maritime forensics. You'll learn how oceanographers mapped the boat's impossible decade-long journey, how forensic dentists identified the lone victim, and how the initial 1979 search failed. This is a story of a perfect storm, the brutal odds of survival at sea, and a set of questions that remain unanswered. What happened to the other four men? And who dug that grave?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

How does a revolutionary self-help group, promising to unlock human potential, devolve into a secret society where women are branded and treated as slaves? This is the story of NXIVM, a supposed executive coaching program that hid a dark and destructive cult at its core, led by a charismatic and manipulative guru named Keith Raniere.


Welcome to "Unraveling a Cult," a serialized deep dive into one of the most shocking criminal enterprises of the 21st century. Over this series, we'll trace the entire arc of NXIVM, from its slick recruitment seminars that drew in Hollywood actors and successful entrepreneurs, to the inner workings of its secret master-slave sorority, and finally, to its dramatic collapse under the weight of an FBI investigation. Using court files and harrowing accounts from former members, we will unpack the psychology of coercive control. Where is the line between devotion and delusion?


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What if your memory was a lie? In 1984, Jennifer Thompson was attacked and confidently identified Ronald Cotton as her assailant. Her testimony was powerful, certain, and completely wrong. Cotton was sentenced to life in prison, marking the start of a decade-long fight to prove his innocence while the real perpetrator remained free.



Welcome to "Wrongful: The Long Road Back." This series explores the devastating reality of wrongful convictions. Using case files from the Innocence Project, we'll reconstruct the fight of Ronald Cotton, a man who battled a broken system from a prison cell. You'll learn how flawed eyewitness memory—the most trusted form of evidence in court—can become a weapon, and hear the almost unbelievable story of what happens after the prison gates finally open. This isn't just a story about a failed investigation; it's a story of survival, forgiveness, and the unimaginable journey of rebuilding a stolen life.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

Every tap of your credit card, every call you make, every street corner you pass under a camera – you're leaving behind a trail of digital breadcrumbs. Most nights, this data trail is meaningless. But what if it was the only way to piece together a critical sequence of events? What story does your digital ghost tell when you're not looking?

Welcome to "The Night Shift." In this episode, we embark on a unique thought experiment: reconstructing one hypothetical night using only the digital footprints left behind. We'll explore how investigators use CCTV footage, credit card swipes, and unseen phone metadata to build a second-by-second timeline of someone's movements and actions. You'll learn the surprising power and limitations of these technologies and confront the reality of the data shadow we all cast. How accurately can a night be rebuilt from whispers in the cloud?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What happens when a serial killer's greatest weakness is his own ego? For thirty years, the city of Wichita, Kansas, was haunted by the BTK killer, a murderer who bound, tortured, and killed his victims, then vanished without a trace. The case went ice cold, a ghost story whispered in the community. Then, in 2004, a letter arrived at a local newspaper, asking a chilling question: "Can I communicate with you and not be traced?"

Welcome to "When Tip Lines Save a Case." In this series, we reconstruct the incredible story of how the BTK killer himself reopened his own cold case. You'll follow the trail of cryptic packages, dolls, and letters he sent to the media, and learn how a single, arrogant question about a floppy disk gave police the digital breadcrumb they needed to unmask him. This is a masterclass in how a killer's narcissism can become the ultimate tip. How did one detective's clever bluff turn a taunt into a takedown?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What happens when a secret foreign policy operation goes rogue? In the mid-1980s, the Reagan administration became embroiled in a scandal that involved selling arms to Iran in exchange for hostages and illegally diverting the profits to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua. The Iran-Contra Affair wasn't just about secret deals; it became a crisis of credibility, filled with shredded documents, destroyed evidence, and congressional testimony that captivated the nation.

Welcome to "Political Cover-Up?" In this series, we unravel the complex threads of the Iran-Contra Affair. We'll follow the money, decode the secret operations, and examine the evidence that suggests a concerted effort to conceal the truth from Congress and the American people. Using declassified documents and investigative reports, we ask: How high did the cover-up go, and what are the lasting consequences when government operates in the shadows? Was it just a few rogue actors, or a conspiracy reaching the very top?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What happens when the evidence in a shocking murder points in two completely different directions? The 1996 killing of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey remains one of America's most haunting unsolved mysteries, largely because the clues seem to contradict each other, fueling two persistent theories: was it a family member who staged a crime scene, or was it a mysterious intruder who broke in?

In this episode, we step into the role of detective. We'll reconstruct the two dominant suspect profiles and meticulously test each theory against the primary evidence: the bizarre ransom note, the unidentified DNA, the chaotic crime scene, and the conflicting witness accounts. You'll hear the arguments that support each side and the crucial facts that undermine them. This isn't about solving the case; it's about understanding the anatomy of an investigation where every clue seems to create more questions than answers. Which theory holds up under scrutiny?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What if the "smoking gun" in a murder case was left in the trunk of a hot car? What if a bloody glove was carried around for hours before being logged? A criminal case is only as strong as its evidence, and the system for protecting that evidence—the chain of custody—is shockingly fragile. When it breaks, justice can break with it.

In this multi-episode series, we investigate the lifeblood of the legal system: the chain of custody. Using the infamous O.J. Simpson trial as our central case study, we'll expose how simple mistakes, sloppy procedures, and broken trust can allow a defense team to dismantle a mountain of evidence piece by piece. You'll learn what the chain of custody is, hear the real-world stories of when it fails, and discover how a broken link can mean the difference between a guilty verdict and walking free. How certain can we be that the evidence tells the whole story?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What does it take for an entire town to watch a man be shot to death in broad daylight and then, in unison, say they saw nothing? In 1981, in the small farming town of Skidmore, Missouri, a man named Ken Rex McElroy was shot and killed on the main street. He was a bully, a thief, and a terror who had tormented the community for years, always evading justice—until the day justice, or something like it, found him.

There were up to 60 witnesses, but when the FBI arrived to investigate, they were met with a wall of silence. In this episode, we unpack the story of the town that got away with murder. We'll explore the decades of fear McElroy inflicted, the final confrontation that led to his death, and the unwritten code of silence that has protected the shooters for over 40 years. Is this a story of cold-blooded murder, or is it a story of justified vigilantism?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.

What if the key to solving a 40-year-old murder mystery was hidden in the DNA of a killer's third cousin, who simply wanted to build a family tree? For decades, the Golden State Killer terrorized California, leaving a trail of cold cases that stumped investigators. Then, in 2018, a revolutionary new technique blew the case wide open, leading them right to his door.

This is the story of forensic genealogy—a powerful and controversial tool that turns public ancestry websites into a vast genetic lineup. In this episode, we break down the exact science of how investigators build a suspect's family tree from a single drop of blood or saliva. We'll explore the incredible detective work that solved an "unsolvable" case, but we'll also ask the tough questions: Did you and your relatives consent to this? And in our quest for justice, how much genetic privacy are we willing to give up?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-s-so-zen--6743499/support.