What really happened aboard the Mary Celeste — the ghost ship found drifting at sea with no crew, no lifeboat, and no answers?

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IN THIS EPISODE: The Mary Celeste was discovered abandoned near the Azores Islands on December 5, 1872 — and to this day, experts are unsure about what happened to its crew. (The Mystery of the Mary Celeste) *** On April 29, 2022, a female corrections officer snuck a convicted felon out of Lauderdale County Jail, kicking off an 11-day manhunt that would end in the prisoner’s re-arrest and the death of the woman he loved and who broke him out. (A Match Made In Prison) *** The Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest believed to hold the original Ten Commandments. In the 1980s, Ron Wyatt claimed to have found this legendary relic beneath Jerusalem. Did he truly find it? We’ll some of the theories that captivate believers and skeptics alike. (Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?) *** A young girl's fishing trip turns into a tragic mystery when she vanishes without a trace. As the community searches for answers, a shocking confession leads to a murder trial that left many questioning the truth. (Disappearance at Duck River) *** The Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious creature that terrorized a small French province in the 1760s with gruesome attacks. Believed by many to be an actual werewolf, it resulted in a frantic hunt for the monster – and even now, over two centuries later, the story still captivates us. But is there any truth to the tale? (The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction) *** Frederick Fisher, an English shopkeeper, vanished in 1826 – only to reappear as a ghost to help solve the mystery of his disappearance and death. (The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder) *** The puzzling case of Sherri Papini’s 2016 kidnapping shocked northern California and led to years of speculation. After her sudden return and subsequent arrest in 2022 for faking the incident, many questions remain unanswered. (The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing Of Sherri Papini)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate and Only Accurate For the Commercial Version)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:01:34.943 = Show Open
00:04:33.644 = The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
00:14:07.962 = The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing of Sherri Papini
00:23:34.971 = The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder
00:31:39.474 = A Match Made In Prison
00:39:55.122 = Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?
00:47:41.081 = Disappearance at Duck River
00:55:00.215 = The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction
01:04:31.969 = Show Close

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Mystery of the Mary Celeste” source: Austin Harvey, All That’s Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/44ax8rzt
“The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing Of Sherri Papini” source: Jacob Shelton, Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycku4txj
“The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder” source: Kaushik Patowary, Amusing Planet: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p842mvn
“A Match Made In Prison” source: Hannah Reilly Holtz, All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2py46xzu
“Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?” source: Kerry Sullivan, Ancient Origins:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckj9xrf
“The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction” source: Jake Carter, Anomalien: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4f7uhhjk
“Disappearance at Duck River” source: Robert Waters, KidnappingMurderAndMayhem.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/57xwj9n7
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Originally aired: June 18, 2024
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MaryCeleste

TAGS: Mary Celeste, ghost ship, maritime mystery, abandoned ship, sea mystery, ship disappearance, Captain Benjamin Briggs, Atlantic Ocean mystery, historical shipwrecks, unsolved mysteries, maritime legends, Mary Celeste crew, nautical history, famous ship disappearances, true sea stories, mysterious ships, 19th century maritime, ocean mysteries, Mary Celeste theories, nautical ghost stories