The national parks system is sometimes called the greatest idea in the history of America. But there's a dark side to the parks as well. For hundreds of years, people have mysteriously disappeared in the national parks, something that former police officer David Paulides has catalogued in his Missing 411 books. In this episode we discuss some of the creepiest stories, and the legends and history behind those stories.

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Alcatraz. It's the most infamous prison in American history, and it will forever be tied to the most famous prison escape in history as well. In this episode we tell you the complete history of the Rock, from it's early days as a Civil War era military prison, all the way up to the famous 1962 escape by Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers. Did they drown in San Francisco Bay? Or did they escape until this very day?

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One of the darker aspects of some religions, is ritual human sacrifice. Mexico is one of those countries that is steeped in tradition, but some of those traditions are drenched in blood. Hear the stories of the Aztec empire, which was centered around human sacrifice. And hear about some modern tales of human sacrifice, including a 20th century self-proclaimed high priestess who began her own religious cult, and demanded human blood in return.

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There are thousands of islands scattered across the globe, and many of those islands contain dark and terrifying stories of their own. In this episode we tell you some of these stories, including the tale of an island tomb where the coffins seem to move around on their own, of an island off the coast of Australia that was the location of one of the worst mass murders in history, and of a tiny island near Italy that some people claim is the most haunted place on earth.

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Hollywood caught on long ago that one of the ideal settings for a horror movie is the isolated cabin in the woods. But in real life, many murders have occurred in such cabins far away from prying eyes. Here are two such stories, the tale of a group of fur trappers who met their brutal end, and the story of a single mother of five who left a terrible situation, only to end up in a nightmare beyond imagination.

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Here's a special holiday minisode for all my listeners. It's the true story of the remarkable event that occurred on Christmas 1914, along the western front of World War I.

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In 1873, three women were trapped on a tiny island of the coast of Maine with a vicious axe murderer, in a true story that seems like something straight out of a horror movie.

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England's official laws regarding the prosecution of witches date back to the 1600s. Those laws would be responsible for the persecution and deaths of at least 4,000 people in the Middle Ages. Those very same laws would also remain on the books until well into the 20th century. In 1944, a psychic medium named Helen Duncan would gain notoriety by becoming the last woman to be tried under England's witchcraft laws.

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The city of Florence, Italy is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It's also the birthplace of a terrifying serial killer who helped inspire the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter. The story of the Monster of Florence is a terrifying and twisting tale that went on for more than two decades, destroying countless lives and unearthing dark secrets that many people would rather keep buried.

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As a special Halloween treat, here's a special bonus mini episode, featuring myself and a special guest, my son, Nate Hale, Jr., another entirely fictional identity. In this episode we tell you the stories of several haunted ships throughout history, including the tale of a ship during the Revolutionary War that had a higher body count than every battle of the war combined.

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