For more than 2 decades, Dee Dee Blanchard successfully passed off her completely healthy daughter Gypsy as something she was not to her neighbors, community, doctors, and even Gypsy herself. Gypsy grew up not knowing her age for the majority of her first 23 years, only being able to go off of what her mother was telling her which turned out to be several years younger than her actual age. This story is infamous now, and most people who spend any time in researching true crime know that Gypsy would eventually go to prison after convincing her boyfriend to kill her abusive mother. But as of just last month, Gypsy became a free woman. So in today's episode, Misti takes us back to the not so distant past to discuss this truly wild ride of a case.

In our very last episode about the murder of Laci Peterson we all present our final perspectives and alternative theories about what might have happened to Laci and her unborn son.

We wanted to include here the link for something we talk about in today's episode and that is the defense team performing tests with a replica of Scott's boat in the San Francisco Bay so that you can easily find it if you would like to view and weigh in on your thoughts about it:

We are picking up this week with part 2 in the Laci Peterson case. As a refresher, last week we ended with Amber Frye coming forward in the press to reveal her relationship with Scott Peterson.

Ever since we started this podcast this past summer, this is a case that has come up between the 4 of us on multiple occasions and split straight down the middle on whether or not Scott Peterson was rightfully convicted for the murder of his wife Laci. The Petersons looked to be the perfect all-American young couple doing very well for themselves in Modesto, California in 2002. On Christmas Eve, though, everything would turn upside down when Laci, nearly 8 months pregnant with the couple's first child, was reported missing. The case would immediately grip not just the community, but the world over in a matter of just a few short days as massive volunteer and search efforts would be launched in an attempt to bring Laci and her unborn child home to their family.

Because today is December 13th, which for those of you who don't know is Taylor Swift's birthday, I obviously had to do a Taylor-centric episode. And even though I normally can't keep secrets about myself or my plans to save my life, I was able to not reveal this episode topic to my co-hosts for the last few months until it came time to actually record! So in keeping with that spirit, the only thing I'm reviewing to our wonderful listeners today is the title of the episode (which is more than I gave Misti, Mel, and Jim before recording). So sit back and enjoy this TS birthday inspired episode! Even if you're not a fan, I think you'll definitely like, or at least get a kick out of this story.

Jim wanted to get a little away from the usual "murdery" conversations we have on the show, so for this week's episode he brought us a very interesting case that has very much shaped many modern labor laws and movements in the United States. It's pretty well known that radium is an element that was discovered by scientist Madame Curie and her husband. It's also pretty well known that Curie was eventually killed by the poisonous effects of this discovery. But she was not the only one. Turns out, in the 1920s radium was all the rage! It was marketed as basically a cure all for anything and everything. In its usage in the making of wrist watches at the time, the girls who worked directly with the element day in and day out would eventually suffer dire consequences despite their initial enthusiasm for the work because it was such a high paying job.

This week Mel finishes the second part of the Ted Bundy case. And she's got some extra for our Patreons on this one!

Ted Bundy is one of those people that is so infamous that he needs no introduction. I would be willing to bet that anyone familiar at all with modern day popular culture could quote at least one factoid about one of the world's most recognizable names in the world of true crime. People are still continually fascinated by this monster, though. This podcast included...obviously. This week Mel takes us with her into part 1 of her deep dive into the life and crimes of one of history's most notorious serial killers.

For those of us who grew up in a stable home with solid parents, we probably wouldn't think twice to carry out requests or tasks those parents gave us. If your parents are telling you to do something, most of us might not even question it. Children should be able to rely on their parents as protectors who teach and guide them safely. But in the world of true crime especially, we know that is too often just not the case. In this week's case, Misti brings us a story from West Virginia where one young girl unfortunately grew up with a mother who would eventually not just lead her down a "wrong path," but into a much darker scenario than most children could ever even imagine.