It's time for Illinois cryptids people!  

In this episode, we head to the Prairie State to uncover  some of Illinois' most chilling cryptids. From the 1970's encounter with a creature dubbed The Enfield Horror, to the large and smelly Tuttle Bottoms Monster, to the ancient and mysterious Piasa Bird, a massive man eating creature painted on the cliffs along the Mississippi hundreds of years ago, Illinois has many monsters lurking in the shadows, and The Spooky Darlings will try to uncover them! 

Turn the lights down low, and the volume up! It's time to get spooky, darlings. 

sources:

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This week The Spooky Darlings invite you back in time to 1930 to hear the true story of the first and last  woman to be hanged from the gallows in Arizona. Eva Dugan's life didn't start with crime, it started with survival. With her childhood shaped by poverty, and her early marriage shaped by abandonment,  Eva learned to look out for herself. 

She became the prime suspect in the disappearance of her chicken rancher boss, but things got even stranger when Eva also disappeared. She is eventually tracked down and charged with a crime. But does the evidence support the charges, and when all is said and done, does the punishment fit the crime? 

One thing is for certain: This story helped sell a TON of papers back in 1930. Front page news indeed!

 

Sources:

"The Day Eva Dugan Died" by Rob Kackley

Murderpedia.com

Arizona Silver Belt, Feb 21, 1930

Arizona Daily Star, FEb 21, 1930

Time.com archives 3/3/1930

Findagrave.com-AJ Mathis 

Petersburg Press, Feb. 28, 1930

Winslow Daily Mail, Feb. 14, 1930

Galveston Tribune, Feb 21, 1930

 

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The Spooky Darlings are back for our first FUF of 2026! We've got some corrections and clarifications for some past episodes, a listener who emailed us with her personal connection to the Candy Cane Park murder, and some brief reports on current events. And as always with our FUF episodes, we try to keep it light with our usual banter. 

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This episode brings us to a quiet Atlanta suburban development turned crime scene. What should have been an ordinary day inside a Powder Springs, Georgia model home ended in brutal violence when Lori Brown and Cyndi Williams were murdered in a place designed to show welcoming and the promise of new beginnings.

At the center of it all is Stacey Ian Humphreys—a man whose movements sparked a tense, multi-state manhunt. As investigators raced to track him down, the case unraveled into a chilling timeline of betrayal, panic, and unanswered questions.

We break down what happened inside the model home, how the suspect managed to slip away, and the massive search effort that followed—including the clues that brought authorities closer and the details that still haunt those involved. Over 20 years later, the fate of Stacey Ian Humphreys remains in limbo, as his execution date was set and then delayed indefinitely. 

Stay spooky, darlings.

Sources: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/georgia-parole-board-postpones-stacey-humphreys-execution-amid-allegations-of-extreme-juror-misconduct-and-parole-board-conflicts-of-interest

https://www.oxygen.com/the-real-murders-of-atlanta/crime-news/cyndi-williams-lori-brown-shot-death-stacey-humphries

https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-12-03/execution-date-set-stacey-humphreys

Dead silent s 4 e10 “the model home murders”

https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-lori-browns-fiance-now/

YouTube channel death row and executions 

Wikipedia Stacey Ian Humphreys

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Grab your hiking boots! This week, we're headed into Idaho, where the mountains are tall, the lakes are deep, and the canyons are full of secrets. We explore the legend of the Pumwa, Idaho's witch-woman from Nez Perce origin who lures unwitting victims into her lair. We dive deep into the mystery of Sharlie, an unknown creature in Payette Lake that has won the hearts of locals and skeptics alike, and then go full tinfoil hat as we dig into the Idaho Batholith and it's rumored underground secrets of government cover-ups. 

This episode makes us question what is real, what's imagined, and whether Idaho knows more than it's letting on. The Gem State has secrets - and we want in on them!

Sources:

For the Batholith: 

onlyinyourstate.com, boisedev.com, Wikipedia/Underground base

For the Pumwa:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Idaho/comments/1gwo35y/iso_local_cryptids/

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/thedampod/episodes/The-Legend-of-The-Pumwa-59-e2ri6co

For Sharlie:

https://hangar1publishing.com/blogs/cryptids/idaho-cryptids?

https://visitmccall.org/sharlie-payette-lake-monster/

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In this episode, we dive into the disturbing case of Charles Victor Thompson—“Chuck”—the man responsible for the 1998 double-homicide of Denise Hayworth and Darren Cain. And while most stories end at conviction, this one doesn’t. From blaming everyone but himself to orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot and attempting a jailbreak, Chuck’s chaos followed him straight behind bars where he now faces the death penalty, his execution scheduled for January 2026. 

Sources: houstonpress.com, findagrave.com, Unspeakable Podcast

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Happy Boxing Day! It's our first Follow Up Friday since our Holiday Hiatus, and we are keeping things festive. We dive into crimes committed by men in Santa suits, (because apparently eve St. Nick has a dark side), share some background on how holiday traditions were formed, and have a nice chat. So grab a cup of cocoa, stick a candy-cane inside, and join us for a cozy chat around our file place. 

Sources:

wikipedia

Ranker.com

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You better watch out  as we tell you the wild true-crime tale of the 1927 Cisco Santa Claus Bank Robbery. A heist that began with a man in a Santa suit walking into Texas bank... and ended in chaos, shootouts, a statewide manhunt, and one of the most disastrous getaways in Lone Star history. 

Sources:

www.rootswebs.com

Texas State Historical Association

Wikipedia/Santa Claus Bank Robbery

Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dec. 24th, 1927

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Hawaii may be known for its pristine beaches, but its islands are also rich in powerful legends and unsettling encounters. In the 11th episode of our Cryptid Crawl, we explore the ancient Mo'o, the eerie Faceless Woman of O'ahu, and the strange legend of Hog Man. These stories blur the line between folklore, spirit, urban legends, and cryptids. Paradise is beautiful- but sometimes it's haunted. 

These tales are shared with respect for their cultural origins and traditions. Our goal is not to sensationalize, but to explore and understand stories as they have been told. 

Sources:

Mysteries-of-Hawaii.com

monstersherethere.com

Nameahawaii.com

Wikipedia.com - Mo’o

SaintLouisHawaii.org

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This week, we turn our focus close to home with a case that has haunted our community of La Grande, Oregon for decades— the Candy Cane Park murder.

 In 1983, Dana Dumars was brutally attacked in a place most locals once associated with safety, laughter, and childhood memories. Until the murder. The arrest and conviction of Bart Cochran brought relief to this small community, but did the police get the right person? 

The case quickly became marked with questionable investigative methods, which led to an appeal, resulting in Barts release after his conviction was overturned. Central to that appeal were concerns about use of hypnosis, mind control, "Projection Transfer  Technique" trickery, and claims that evidence might have been planted. Questions were also raised about the Cochran's vulnerability during the interrogation, and his requests for representation being ignored. 

While the murder of Dana Dumars remains unsolved, we look ahead to the possibility that modern DNA science could finally give justice in a case that has cast a shadow on this community far too long. 

Sources: 

M.J. Smith, N. R. Smith, N. Witten, A. Rasheed, (Personal communication, Nov. 12, 2025)

Goldberg, Emma. "A Twist in the Candy Cane Park Murder Investigation in Oregon" - The New York Times, Oct 28, 2025.

Appellate Brief "State V. Cochran, Court of Appeals of Oregon, June 25, 1984

Sharpe, Franklin, "The Brunette was Bludgeoned in Candy Cane Park", Front Page Detective, Dec. 1983

Findagrave.com

La Grande, (AP) Observer, Feb 14, 1983 and Feb 15, 1983

 

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