A nature reserve and popular party place in the middle-of-nowhere becomes the scene of mass murder in the fall of 1973: four teens are killed; a fifth escapes death but is victimized in other ways – by her friends’ killers and, later, by small-town conspiracy theorists who suspect she was in on the crime. In time, though, this survivor gets to tell her own story of escape and finds healing in doing so. The co-hosts travel back more than 50 years – to the place where the “Gitchie Girl” got her name – for this edition of The Escape Pod. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1        8:27 An escape artist with South Dakota ties 

Topic #2     15:20 Setting the scene 

Topic #3     23:03 Bodies found 

Topic #4     32:55 Sandra tells her story 

Topic #5     44:10 Escapism, co-host-style! 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

A familiar face on the streets of Grand Junction, Colorado, goes missing in February 2021. Known as “The Reading Man,” Warren Barnes is described as kind and helpful by those who saw him daily at his favorite place to read. Just days after the man's disappearance, a mom makes a gruesome discovery while cleaning her 19-year-old son’s bedroom. But it makes no sense: her son, diagnosed with autism as a child, had never been violent towards anyone and had no connection to The Reading Man. Is there a plausible explanation for what she finds? Or is this a clear case of murder committed by a very matter-of-fact murderer? The co-hosts explore the possibilities in this edition of The Escape Pod. 

BE ADVISED: You can’t escape the grizzly details of this truly heinous true crime. This episode contains content that listeners may find extremely disturbing. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1        4:30 Secret Service contacts The Escape Pod? (True story!) 

Topic #2     10:18 A mom’s disturbing discovery 

Topic #3     19:52 Confession 

Topic #4     30:37 The Reading Man 

Topic #5     40:42 Escapism, co-host-style! 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

“You can trust your kid all you want, but do you trust the world with your kid?” 

Back by popular demand, Hollie Strand of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force returns to The Escape Pod to help us help our kids escape – or at least better navigate – the very real dangers of the digital world. Hollie offers tips to start these tough conversations with kids of all ages (FYI – if you’re waiting until they’re teens to talk about it, you’re waiting WAY too long), as well as insight into the depth and breadth of our digital footprints. For example, did you know digital “exhaust” is a thing? Neither did the co-hosts, until now! 

This is a must-listen follow-up to our first meeting with Hollie. If you missed Episode 57, check it out at the link below. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1        1:40 A podcast that has one co-host all fired up! 

Topic #2     11:00 (Re)introducing podcast guest Hollie Strand 

Topic #3     20:20 Digital “exhaust” explained 

Topic #4     30:56 “Technology is a tool, not a lifestyle” 

Topic #5    45:18 Co-host gets a high-five from Hollie 

Topic #6     52:08 Hollie’s Rule of Fives 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

In the spring of 2023, police in the U.K. found the most unlikely of overdose victims: a well-liked, well-respected couple in their 60s. Initially, investigators considered that the deaths might be the result of suicide or an accident, but then – as one co-host likes to say – their “Spidey senses” kicked in, turning their attention toward a caregiver who may have been providing the wrong kind of TLC. This week, The Escape Pod goes back more than a decade before the Baxters’ untimely deaths for a cautionary tale about who we choose to trust. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1         :30 MIL saga continues – with a funny twist 

Topic #2     12:28 Meet the Baxters 

Topic #3     19:08 Investigation turns up treasure trove of interesting tidbits 

Topic #4     29:53 Escaping children who mock their mothers 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

In 2022, the “self-help” industry in the U.S. alone raked in more than $13B. (That’s BILLION, with a capital B.) There is no shame in wanting to better oneself – personally, professionally, or both. What is shameful is taking advantage of those people who seek self-improvement. Adherents of such programs often expect (and pay big money) to be challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But self-help gurus operate in a largely unregulated space, and that can – and has – had fatal consequences. The Escape Pod takes an interesting turn this week, as one co-host shares her own experiences with an ungodly guru whose brazen actions pushed his followers much, much too far. 

BE ADVISED: This episode contains mature language and disturbing descriptions of victims in their final moments of a “retreat” gone wrong. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1       7:50 Escaping false gurus 

Topic #2     20:21 What makes a guru a guru? 

Topic #3     34:02 Main event at JAR’s October 2009 retreat ends in tragedy 

Topic #4     42:41 July 2009: Woman dies during different JAR retreat 

Topic #5  1:06:08 Red flags to watch for with self-help gurus/programs 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

It’s not exactly “breaking news.” America has an obesity problem, and we all know it.  But, historically speaking, it is a relatively new problem that dates back only about 50 years. That’s when some of the biggest food companies in the world got very smart about how to keep customers coming back for more ... and more ... and more. How? By using incredibly effective formulas to create “hyper-palatable” foods. Hop into The Escape Pod for an episode that is heavy on food for thought, but also on belly laughs – courtesy of those who failed to escape the lure of some “sugar free” foods and lived to tell about their not-so-savory side effects. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1     9:30 Trying to escape Big Food’s tactics 

Topic #2   24:03 The truth about sugar 

Topic #3   36:37 "Sugar free” food reviews 

Topic #4   47:25 The push for more transparency 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

Even with morning sickness and other side effects, the nine months of anticipating a newborn baby is often an exciting and joyful time for women. But for those in dysfunctional or – worse – abusive relationships, that nine months can be traumatizing and potentially dangerous. Research shows that homicide is among the leading causes of death for pregnant and postpartum women, but some states still have laws that prevent couples from divorcing if the wife is pregnant. Lawmakers may have good intentions in keeping these laws on the books, but the unintended consequences can be serious – even fatal. The co-hosts take a closer look at the scary statistics in this edition of The Escape Pod. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1     5:25 Intro to topic: Escaping pregnancy-related divorce bans 

Topic #2   12:40 States that prevent divorce during pregnancy 

Topic #3   21:31 What a wife (and wanna-be escape artist) can do 

Topic #4   36:12 The unintended consequences of eliminating ‘no-fault’ divorce 

Topic #5   39:10 Destiny’s story 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

A marriage license before a driver’s license? In some states in the U.S. – YES – it's totally legal, even today. And if you think these unions are simply young lovers who can’t wait to “make it official,” think again. Research shows 86% of childhood marriages involve girls married to adult men, and in many of those cases, the age difference is vast. The co-hosts take a closer look at the stats and share true stories of truly criminal marriages in this edition of The Escape Pod. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1     3:21 Intro to topic: escaping childhood/forced marriages 

Topic #2     9:40 Categories of laws that allow for childhood marriages 

Topic #3   24:16 Breakdown of childhood marriage stats 

Topic #4   30:57 Survivors’ stories 

Topic #5   46:14 Escapism, co-host-style! 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

Raped. Stabbed. Disemboweled. Nearly beheaded. How could anyone survive such an attack? The co-hosts take The Escape Pod back to December 1994, when a young woman in South Africa was kidnapped, brutally assaulted, and left for dead on a dirty beach. But when this escape artist decided to live, she went “all in.” Now – more than 30 years later – her story and drive to survive continue to inspire people around the world. 

BE ADVISED: This episode includes discussion of kidnapping, rape, and other violent acts, as well as graphic details of the survivor’s injuries. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1     3:52 Escape artist update 

Topic #2   10:32 Introducing Alison Botha 

Topic #3   24:50 Good Samaritan comes to the rescue 

Topic #4   40:03 The healing journey begins 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected] 

A 2nd grader sends nude photos to a stranger online. How? Why? Who or what could compel a child to do such a thing? It happens, and it happens far more often than most people realize, according to a forensic examiner and veteran member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in South Dakota. Think she’s exaggerating? Consider this: The Internet Watch Foundation reported a 360% increase in “self-generated” sexual imagery of 7- to 10-year-olds from 2020 to 2022. 

As a parent, what you don’t know CAN hurt you, and – worse than that – it can hurt your kids. ICAC’s Hollie Strand joins the co-hosts in The Escape Pod this week for a tough but truthful conversation about the very real dangers children and teens face in the digital world and the steps parents can take to better prepare and protect the people they love. If you’re a parent, hope to be one in the future, or simply care about the health and well-being of children in your community, this is an episode you can’t skip. 

BE ADVISED: This episode contains extremely disturbing discussion about child sexual abuse materials and child exploitation. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1      4:23 Lessons learned from online shopping scams 

Topic #2      8:31 How Hollie got into the ICAC field 

Topic #3    16:53 Digital advertising explained 

Topic #4    33:35 The importance of supervising kids’ communication 

Topic #5    52:31 Hollie shares how she protects her own mental health in her job 

Topic #6 1:08:31 Lightening things up with talk of chickens, hair dye, and free time 

Resources & Links 

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.  

https://www.escapepod.live 

Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?  

General mail: [email protected]  

Submit listener stories: [email protected]