At the time of his final flight, Frederick was an ambitious, healthy, hardworking, and optimistic young person. On the evening of Saturday October 21st, 1978, at 6:15 Fred Valentich left Moorabbin airport and headed west, crossing Port Philip Bay on the way to King Island. Fred’s flight started without incident. 

After about 6 minutes over the open water, just after 7pm, Fred called Steve on the radio and asked if there was “any known traffic below 5000 feet?”

The reply was “no known traffic.”

Fred confirmed that he was in an altitude of 4500 feet and crossing Bass Strait. Only 7 seconds after confirming he could not identify the “thing” Fred reported, “Melbourne, Delta Sierra Juliet, it is not an aircraft…it is…”

Almost immediately after stating his intentions Fred radioed, “Ah, Melbourne, that's strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again, it is hovering, and it's not an aircraft!” Steve, with all his experience, now had to try to help a junior pilot try to navigate through engine trouble over a body of water while avoiding an unknown aircraft as the sun is setting. I don't envy him. Before Steve had time to process all the data points and provide guidance, Fred radioed and said, “Delta Sierra Juliet, Melbourne…” but then stop talking mid-sentence.

All that can be heard is a chattering rattling metallic sound. It lasts for 17 seconds and then stops. Steve never heard anything quite like it in all his years of aviation. Steve tried repeatedly to reach Fred, but he was gone. Fred was never heard from again.

What happened to Fred Valentich?

We explore his case and that of the 2017 US Pentagon report citing unexplained flying objects over the US.

Sources:

Nothing On Radar: The Valentich Mystery: Simpson, George: 9798826817315: Amazon.com: Books. (n.d.). 

60 Minutes. (2021, May 17). Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtMbBPzqHY

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

When single mother, Geneva Adams, doesn't come home after a rare night out, her family immediately jumps into action, but finds few clues. After almost 40 years of searching a tip leads them to believe their mother may be buried under the name of Jane Doe in a cemetery about an hour away from where she disappeared. The day of exhumation, everyone is shocked to find the body of Jane Doe, believed to possibly be Geneva Adams has disappeared into thin air. Were Jane Doe and Geneva Adams the same person? And where are they now?

Sources:

Suburbansherlock. (n.d.). The Disappearance of Geneva Verneal Adams : r/UnresolvedMysteries. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/jkjwdr/the_disappearance_of_geneva_verneal_adams/

Geneva Verneal Adams – The Charley Project. (n.d.). https://charleyproject.org/case/geneva-verneal-adams

Disappearance of woman from Herculaneum, Missouri bar in 1976 remains unsolved. (2020, July 25). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/son-refuses-give-search-answers-disappearance-mother-geneva-adams-who-n1234935

Cohen, R. (2011, May 8). Geneva Adams. STLtoday.com. https://www.stltoday.com/geneva-adams/image_0799045c-79e4-11e0-89de-0019bb30f31a.html

Geneva Adams vanished after a night at the Artesian Lounge in Herculaneum in the summer of 1976. (2006, August 1). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-geneva-adams-van/26302486/

No-Bite. (n.d.). Disappearance of woman from Herculaneum, Missouri bar in 1976 remains unsolved : r/Disappeared. https://www.reddit.com/r/Disappeared/comments/16yb9i1/disappearance_of_woman_from_herculaneum_missouri/

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg became the most hated woman in Australia when she was convicted of murdering her four children ranging from only 19 days old to two years old. 

The most damning evidence against her were her journals or what she called her "babble books." These journals detailed her daily life with her children and husband and became a critical piece of the prosecution's case. We will read several excerpts and you can decide - are they the ramblings of a stressed-out mother or the confessions of a killer?

Kathleen's case is made even more strange when in 2023, 20 years after her conviction, it was revealed that the children had rare genetic diseases that could have contributed toward their deaths. As a result, Kathleen was pardoned and exonerated of all of her crimes. But was this simply because of reasonable doubt or is she really an innocent woman?

You have to listen to believe this one.

Sources:

McDermott, Q. (2019, April 27). Kathleen Folbigg to give her version of what diary entries about her dead children meant. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-28/kathleen-folbigg-to-speak-to-inquiry-about-diary-entries/11051128

Baker, J. (2023, June 5). Brutal father, tragic children: Folbigg was doomed to trauma. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/brutal-father-tragic-children-folbigg-was-doomed-to-trauma-20230502-p5d4yn.html

De Vinuesa, C. G. (n.d.). Kathleen Folbigg’s children likely died of natural causes, not murder. Here’s the evidence my team found. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/kathleen-folbiggs-children-likely-died-of-natural-causes-not-murder-heres-the-evidence-my-team-found-156487

ABC News. (2023, June 5). Kathleen Folbigg’s tragic life started long before her babies died — now she is a free woman. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-05/kathleen-folbigg-free-but-tragic-life-started-before-baby-deaths/102440834

Bellamy, P. (n.d.). Damning Evidence — The Kathleen Folbigg Story - Australian woman who murdered her children — Crime Library. https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/women/folbigg/2.html

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

On March 9, 2024, less than four weeks ago, Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead of a suspected self- inflicted gunshot wound to the head. But many are calling for a full investigation into his death as Boeing's involvement in his death are examined.

The state of the great American manufacturing giant, Boeing, has continual come under fire the last decade, with trouble escalating over the last few months.  Accusations of poor quality control, a crumbling company culture, deception, fraud, and possibly even murder make their list.

In this breaking news report, we cover the history of Boeing, where things went wrong and why a full on cover up may be in the works.

Join us in this unbelievable real time examination.

Sources:

Riess, R., & Alonso, M. (2024, March 13). Former Boeing whistleblower found dead from apparent ‘self-inflicted’ gunshot wound. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/business/former-boeing-whistleblower-dies/index.html

Gollom, M., Shprintsen, A., & Zalac, F. (2019, March 26). 737 Max flight manual may have left MCAS information on “cutting room floor.” CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boeing-737-manual-mcas-system-plane-crash-1.5065842

HT News Desk. (2024, March 13). Police claim John Barnett’s death was ’self-inflict, but his lawyer cries foul. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/john-barnett-was-found-dead-with-a-gun-suicide-note-found-101710301641013.html

James, E. (2024, March 12). Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead with a gun in his hand and left note on the. . . Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13188153/Boeing-whistleblower-John-Barnett-dead-gun-hand-note-passenger-seat-truck-outside-South-Carolina-hotel-police-report-reveals.html

Jalopnik, E. B. /. (2024, March 15). 'If anything happens to me, it’s not suicide,’ friend of dead Boeing whistleblower says he told her. Quartz. https://qz.com/dead-boeing-whistleblower-john-barnett-suicide-friend-1851339005

Palin, M. (2024, March 17). Inside Boeing’s shocking personnel scandals: Drug dealing, love triangle and murder-suicide. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/03/17/us-news/boeings-shocking-personnel-scandals-drugs-affairs-suicide/

Topham, G. (2020, January 10). “Designed by clowns”: Boeing messages raise serious questions about 737 Max. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/09/boeing-737-max-internal-messages

Sodhi, M. S. (n.d.). Boeing needs to get real: the 737 Max should probably be scrapped. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/boeing-needs-to-get-real-the-737-max-should-probably-be-scrapped-221023

FRONTLINE PBS, Official. (2021, September 15). Boeing’s Fatal Flaw (full documentary) | FRONTLINE [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXMO0bhPhCw

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

In 1930, Alfred Rouse, finding himself in financial trouble, faked his own death by purposefully setting his car, a Morris Minor, ablaze. To make the grizzly scene more believable, he murdered a man and placed him at the scene. The victim's identity has been a mystery for almost 100 years in what would come to be called The Burning Car Murder.

But, in 2015, DNA from the victim was found preserved in an archival slide. Now, the search is on to match his DNA using an ancestorial search and find his identity. Could you hold a clue?

Sources:

Brief Case. (2020, May 4). The dark & horrifying case of Alfred Rouse | The blazing car murderer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-MFLZECkP8

Time Capsule Tales on X: “In 1930, Alfred Rouse planned to fake his own death . . . https://t.co/czK7DrnjZ3” / X. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://twitter.com/timecaptales/status/1767350914992455725

BBC News. (2022, August 3). New cross marks grave of unidentified Alfred Rouse victim. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-62392081

BBC News. (2017, November 11). Alfred Rouse “blazing car murder”: Dozen missing people ruled out. Bbc. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-41886193

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Sources:

kenneka jenkins. (n.d.). npr.org.

Kenneka Jenkins. (n.d.). [Video]. That Chapter. Youtube

kenneka jenkins. (n.d.-b). True Crime Garage Podcast.

kenneka jenkins. (n.d.-c). [Video]. Stephanie Harlowe Channel Youtube.

kenneka jenkins. (n.d.-d). [Video]. Dr Oz Show.

kenneka jenkins. (n.d.-e). change.org.

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Join us as we reveal the secrets of the United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known as Alcatraz or simply, The Rock, which was a maximum-security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles off the coast of San Francisco, California.

We take a look at famous inmates, including the Birdman of Alcatraz and two of the most famous prison escape attempts: The Battle of Alcatraz and the 1962 escape of 3 unrecovered inmates.

We overturn every lead we can find to determine if it was possible for 3 inmates would pull off what would be the most ingenious prison break of all time – if it was successful. Did Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin make it to freedom of did they drown in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay?

Sources:

Michallon, C. (2022, July 6). Alcatraz escape: Their families insist they survived. Investigators doubt it. The enduring mystery of the three missing men. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alcatraz-escape-island-prison-missing-inmates-b2116860.html

Carylsue. (2018, February 1). Escape from Alcatraz? National Geographic Education Blog. https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2018/01/25/escape-from-alcatraz/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, January 15). Alcatraz | Prison, Island, History & facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alcatraz

Alcatraz Escape. (2022, June 24). Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/alcatraz-escape

Company, O. V. P. (n.d.). Robert Stroud - The Birdman of Alcatraz. Alcatraz History. https://www.alcatrazhistory.com/stroud.htm

MGM. (2024, January 29). BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962) | Official Trailer | MGM [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j-U4REl0yE

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

The Branch of Hope Foundation:

Sources:

Sherman, Z. (n.d.). Murder on the island. capital daily. 

Lawsuit accuses Lindsay Buziak’s father of defamation over comments on website about her murder. (2022, May 11). Vancouver Island. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/lawsuit-accuses-lindsay-buziak-s-father-of-defamation-over-comments-on-website-about-her-murder-1.5899120

Miller, Z. S. a. J. (n.d.). The case the internet got wrong. Capital Daily. https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong

CTV News Vancouver Island. (n.d.). New details in Lindsay Buziak murder case revealed. Vancouver Island. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/report-reveals-new-details-in-lindsay-buziak-murder-case-1.5135211

May 21/2023 Updated timeline & clues to who murdered Lindsay Buziak. (2024, February 19). The Murder of Lindsay Buziak. https://murderondesousa.com/7928-2/

crime junkie lindsay buziak. (n.d.).

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Hugues de la Plaza's death is quite the compelling mystery... a dead body, stabbed multiple times, behind a locked door with no evidence of an assailant and no potential suicide weapon.  Security cameras did not pick up anyone other Hugues near his home on the early morning of his death. After being stabbed, why did 36-year-old Hugues de la Plaza walk around his apartment bleeding out instead of reaching for his nearby cell phone and calling for help? 

This case is full of questions and contradictions. Listen to this episode and let us know what you think happened. 

Sources:

Hugues de la Plaza. (n.d.). www.sfgate.com.

forensictales.com. (n.d.). forensictales.com Hugues De La Plaza.

Cbsnews.com Hugues de la Plaza. (n.d.). cbsnews.com.

48 Hours Mystery A case for murder. (n.d.). 48 Hours Mystery.

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Holmes and Music by Ryan Creep

We cover details of DB Cooper’s 1971 plane hijacking and go into some of the more compelling theories and suspects including Richar Floyd McCoy, Dick Briggs, Robert Rackstraw, Sheridan Peterson, Vince Petersen and William Gossett.

This episode will be a great way to get caught up to speed on the latest and greatest in the land of the Cooperites.

**Correction to the episode: The amount of money requested and stolen by DB Cooper was mistakenly said to be $20,000, but it was in fact $200,000.

Source:

Oregonian/OregonLive, D. P. |. (2024, February 20). Favorite D.B. Cooper suspect resurfaces, leading to claim that FBI is reopening case. Oregonlive. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2024/02/favorite-db-cooper-suspect-resurfaces-leading-to-claim-that-fbi-is-reopening-case.html

D.B. Cooper hijacking. (2022, May 10). Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking

Aitken, P. (2021, January 30). Longtime DB Cooper suspect dies at 94, once admitted FBI “had good reason to suspect me.” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/db-cooper-suspect-dies-at-94

Mitchell, M. (2022, July 20). Who were the D.B. Cooper suspects? From Rob Rackstraw to Dick Briggs. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/db-cooper-suspects-identity-hijacking-rob-rackstraw-dick-briggs-1726313

Oregonian/OregonLive, D. P. |. (2021, September 3). ‘Charming’ D.B. Cooper suspect Sheridan Peterson dies at 94, spent years dedicated to political causes. Oregonlive. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2021/01/charming-db-cooper-suspect-sheridan-peterson-dies-at-94-spent-years-dedicated-to-political-causes.html

Pearce, T. (2022, July 13). DB Cooper: Where Are You? The full list of suspects in the legendary airplane hijacking. Digital Spy. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40597759/db-cooper-suspects-true-story/

DB Cooper: Where are you? Netflix.  Zenovich, Marina (Director), 2022. netflix.com

The Cooper Vortex | Darren Schaefer and Russell Colbert. PodBean. https://thecoopervortex.podbean.com/

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Holmes and Music by Ryan Creep