How many times have we seen it—a rich and/or powerful person gets in some kind of hot water, and all it takes is a quick “Do you know who I AM?” to fix it? I don’t really get why people are so dazzled by money and pedigree, but it seems to be a constant theme throughout history—and it’s as alive today as it’s ever been. So it’s not a big surprise that some people who lack money and connections decide to fake them, and do so with great success. Learn the right way to dress, the right names to drop, the right places to go, and you might just sneak your way into the club. A skilled con artist can rise pretty high if they know what they’re doing. And some of them are so determined to run with the cool kids that they’re willing to murder anybody who gets in their way. Join us for the story of one of the strangest cons in American history—a tale of fraud, murder, kidnapping, and fake identities that spanned more than thirty years.

Sources:
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
Investigation Discovery's "Vanity Fair Confidential," episode "The Sinister Mr. Rockefeller"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Rich," episode "I Am Clark Rockefeller"
Unsolved Mysteries, season 7, episode 11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Gerhartsreiter

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For most of us, it’s kinda hard to grasp the life of a professional criminal. Only a tiny percentage of it is turf wars and whackin’ dudes. Most people who make a living from crime live just like the rest of us do: They go to the grocery store, they take their kids to school, they worry about money being tight. But, unlike most of us, when things get REALLY tight, there’s always the chance of a big, dangerous score that will change their lives forever. That is, if they don’t get caught. Join us for a story of ambitious greed on an epic scale, in which every single person involved--cops and criminals alike--is an absolute goober.

Sources:
Kriss Hollington, “Diamond Geezers”
Kent Online:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/the-old-style-kent-crooks-who-tried-to-raid-the-dome-236957/ https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/millennium-dome-diamond-heist-raider-20222/

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Some of y’all may be too young to remember, but in the days before email, getting a handwritten letter in the mail was fun. Somebody had taken the time to write out a message just for you and sent it through time and space. It could be from an old friend, a lost love, or a secret admirer. You couldn’t wait to get inside and discover what was so important that it needed to be personally drafted for your eyes only. But when school bus driver Mary Gillispie opened an envelope addressed to her in 1976, she had no idea that it would mark the beginning of a bizarre campaign of terror that would dominate her life for decades. One that would include blackmail, obscenity, harassment, threats against her family, attempted murder, and letter after letter, drafted to disturb in the most intimate ways imaginable. And it wouldn’t stop with Mary. The hysteria spread through the sleepy town of Circleville, Ohio like a plague. Secrets were exposed. Threats were made. Sometimes there were toxic powders in the envelopes, too. When the TV show Unsolved Mysteries got involved, they got their very own threatening letter—don’t air the episode, or else. Join us for one of the most twisted tales we’ve ever covered.

Sources:
Paul Freshour’s WordPress: https://circlevilleletters.wordpress.com/
Whatever Remains Podcast: Welcome to Circleville:
https://www.whateverremainspodcast.com/circleville
Invisible Ships Podcast: https://invisibleshipspodcast.wordpress.com/episodes/
Unsolved Mysteries, Season 7, Epiosde 6
ABC6 News: https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/circleville-police-looking-for-tips-in-unsolved-1980-homicide-of-25-year-old-teacher
Mental Floss, Jake Rossen:
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awrii5iBXTBlBYgFqTFEDN04;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzUEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1697697282/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fm.imdb.com%2ftitle%2ftt0737542%2f/RK=2/RS=74RxpCcEm_B1s56K9cWTjMtY0n8-
CBS News: The Circleville Letter Writer: You’ve got Hate Mail:
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/pictures/circleville-letters-mail-gallery/

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It’s Halloween again, time to scare you all into submission. And this year, we’ve decided to bring in some reinforcements to do that. An expert in the art of the scare, with one of the best horror podcasts out there: Nina Jones from Twisted Mirror. We’ve chosen two true stories that will have you sleeping with one eye open, wondering what dark secrets might be lurking in your seemingly friendly neighborhood. Case One: The Watcher. Case Two: The Strange Ritual Murder of LeRoy Carter, Jr.

Sources:
The Cut, Reeves Wiedeman: https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/the-watcher-657-boulevard-update.html
Medium, The Mystique: https://medium.com/the-mystery-reporter/the-haunting-mystery-of-the-watcher-and-a-dream-house-8eead59a0aef
SF Weekly: https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/yesterdays-crimes-chicken-wings-and-bloody-stumps-in-golden-gate-park/article_148021db-d730-5237-9cca-60d05fed31f4.html
Santa Ana Orange County Register:
https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-28-1988-p-211/ https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-09-1981-4123551/ https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-09-1981-4123553/
Wikipedia: Santeria and Palo Mayombe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_(religion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa https://newspaperarchive.com/search/location/us/pa/indiana/indiana-gazette/

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Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home say they have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. It just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving deep into his wife’s family history asking questions no-one wants answered. Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios present Ghost Story — a seven-part podcast series about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things that come back to haunt us. Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Listen now: Wondery.fm/GS_TCC

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In the 1820s, the city of Edinburgh was shaken to its core by a series of callous murders. Behind the killings was a story of death, greed, and willful blindness that provided the coldest possible answer to the question, “What is a human life worth?” Join us for the story of Scotland's most infamous serial killers.

Sources:
Alanna Knight, Burke & Hare: Scotland’s Serial KillersR. Michael Gordon, The Infamous Burke and Hare


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Follow MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge the first 8 episodes, early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold. From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first of its kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death. Listen Now: Wondery.FM/MBMM_TCC

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In July of 1990, the headless, handless body of a young woman named Beverly McGowan was found in a canal near St. Lucie, Florida. As they began their investigation, detectives had no way of knowing that they were embarking on one of the strangest cases of their careers—the twisting, turning story of a consummate con woman, killer, and master of disguise…a criminal so skilled at deception that she would manage to stay one step ahead of the agencies hunting her for more than a decade, even after being named the Most Wanted Woman in the World. And even after they found her, she would still leave a long trail of mysteries behind her.

Sources:
The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1391705/Chameleon-Killer-cheats-the-Florida-police-by-ending-her-many-faced-life.html
Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/a-killer-s-many-faces-1.165231
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1996/12/11/90-murder-trail-leads-to-woman/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/mar/11/features11.g22
TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Parent
Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/female.P/p/parent-elaine.htm

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It’s October, folks. The season of mystery. So this week, to kick off our favorite month of the year, we’ve picked two of the most iconic unsolved cases in American history: both cases where the basic fabric of everyday life was threatened. Where the things we take for granted as safe—over the counter medicine and air travel—suddenly couldn’t be trusted. Both of these cases rocked the country to its core. And both of them remain unsolved to this day. Case 1: The Tylenol Poisonings. Case 2: D.B. Cooper.

Sources:
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/db-cooper-tina-mucklow-untold-story-1111944/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/13/db-cooper-fbi-closes-case-plane-hijacking-washington-oregon
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/11/24/d-b-cooper-50th-anniversary/
The FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking
Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
The Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/tylenolmurders/ct-tylenol-murders-investigation-listicle-20220922-kndriges6zgdpf5pvrxdjatah4-list.html
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1186906874/james-lewis-suspect-tylenol-poisonings-dies#:~:text=In%20a%20span%20of%20three,over%2Dthe%2Dcounter%20medications.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders

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We’ve had a pretty heavy summer on TCC, haven’t we? Nazis and Norwegian black metal murders, and those last two cases were gnarly. So we thought maybe this week, you’d appreciate something a little lighter—something just for fun. So we decided to talk about hoaxes. Sometimes hoaxes are hilarious, like the time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pranked five of his friends by sending them all an anonymous letter saying “We are discovered. Flee at once,” and then watched in amazement as one of ‘em up and left town the next day. Sometimes they’re kind of a public service, reminding us that we can’t believe everything we see on TV or the internet. Sometimes they’re sick burns—humiliating revenge against a stuck-up snob who deserved it. But whatever the motive, and whether anybody ends up in jail or not, pranking the crap out of our fellow humans is almost always entertaining. Join us for a grab bag of hoaxes through history--from Mary Toft and her miraculous "rabbit births" to the infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast that terrified America, to a Canadian woman who faked a pregnancy and abducted a real baby, and more.

Sources:
Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/i-m-not-a-bad-person-says-gta-baby-snatcher-with-guilty-plea/article_928babfb-b457-5942-bbee-7daf500d3eb6.html
CBS's "The Dr. Phil Show," episode "I Abducted a Baby/I am a Psychopath"
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-on-paper-operation-mincemeat
Time Magazine: https://time.com/6174289/operation-mincemeat-netflix-true-story/
The Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2014/03/14/290119435/society-for-indecency-to-naked-animals
The Ringer: https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/8/16615842/grunge-new-york-times-slang
Paris Review: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/07/05/an-extraordinary-delivery-of-rabbits/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/05/21/sneaky-teen-texting-codes-what-they-mean-when-worry/101844248/

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