Strange Matters Podcast

This episode of Strange Matters details an area of Lake Michigan that has become quite infamous for a number of strange and deadly incidents.  For more than a century, there have been cases of unexplained shipwrecks, disappearances, plane crashes, and mysterious lights in the sky, all over Lake Michigan.   As the strange stories and legends of unanswered mysteries of the lake grew, the region where all these incidents occurred would be nicknamed the “Lake Michigan Triangle.”  This episode will present a number of the mysterious and dark events that have all occurred over the waters of Lake Michigan.

This episode of Strange Matters talks about a weird weather phenomenon that happened in 1994.  In a small city in the state of Washington, the people were surprised by what happened during some rainstorms.  Instead of seeing the familiar regular rain, the folks of Oakville had to deal with the sky opening up and dropping “blobs” on them.  What these blobs were has remained a mystery for decades now.  This episode presents the details of what happened when the blobs starting to rain down, and the possible theories that have been put forth by the Oakville citizens to try and make some sense of this strange event.

Fate.  Death.  The Fox.   The various nicknames signed by a man who sent out ransom notes regarding the kidnapping of a twelve year old girl named Marion Parker. This episode of Strange Matters discusses the terrifying and disturbing events surrounding an infamous kidnapping case that took place in Los Angeles in 1927.   A young girl named Marion Parker was abducted by a smooth talking man, right from her own school.  Meanwhile, her father would be contacted by the same man demanding ransom money.  This individual would become commonly known as The Fox.  This disturbing case would ultimately be referred to at the time as the “Crime of the Century.”  This episode goes over all the details of the kidnapping, the investigation of the police trying to figure out who the Fox was, and the tragic outcome of this dark crime.

This episode of Strange Matters talks about the phenomenon known as Time Slips.   Time Slips refer to events in which a person supposedly either leaves their own timeline to get a glimpse of something in the past or future, or sees something in the present of a person or object from another time era.  This episode goes over details of these so called “Time Slips,” as well as presents various stories of people who have said to experienced such things.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the strange events surrounding the death of a man named Hugues de la Plaza, who would die under mysterious and controversial circumstances. Hugues would be found alone in his locked apartment having died from several fatal knife wounds. Despite there being a number of unusual facts surrounding his death, such as no bloody knife ever being found at his apartment, the police would rule his death a likely suicide. The investigation and resulting backlash of Hugues’ death would spark controversy and debate over how the police conducted themselves, and over what exactly happened the night that Hugues de la Plaza died. This episode covers the details of the night of his death, the police and medical investigation that followed, and the different sides of the story that have been put forth to attempt to solve this strange case.

In an isolated region of Siberia known as the Valley of Death, there are stories of strange metal objects buried in the ground.  The nomadic tribes of the area who first encountered them centuries ago called these metallic structures “cauldrons.”   The exact nature and purpose of these cauldrons are a mystery.  Some stories say that they were caused by frequent meteorites of the area, some believe that the objects are alien in nature.  Could these objects be parts of space ships, or part of some underground base or structure?  Or are they all just a folk story, and the cauldrons don’t actually exist at all?  This episode will detail possible answers to these questions, as well as detailing the history of these mysterious cauldrons buried in the Valley of Death.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the odd and unexplained events surrounding the death of a woman named Cindy James.  Cindy was a Canadian woman who had been experiencing harassment, stalking, and physical attacks for years leading up to her death.  Despite what would look like to an outsider as a serious threat, the authorities found some inconsistencies in Cindy’s story that made them question whether all of it was real, or some kind of set up by the woman herself.  The bizarre nature of the scene of her death has left open the question whether Cindy was murdered, or took her own life.  This episode will detail Cindy’s backstory, the timeline of events leading up to her death, and the possibilities and theories surrounding this strange story.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the infamous murder case known as the Gregory Affair, which details the disturbing murder of a young French boy, Grégory Villemin.  In this unsolved case that continues to intrigue the French public to this day, a family would be taunted with threats of vengeance from a mysterious individual who was only known as “The Crow.”  This person would seemingly carry out his revenge by abducting and murdering the family’s four year old son, Grégory.  After this grisly crime, a web of accusations and suspects would spin out of control, causing even more deaths in the chaotic aftermath.  This episode will detail the history of the case, the strange investigation that followed, and the suspects of who could have carried out the terrible crime.

This episode discusses one of the most sadistic and cruel killers in American History. David Parker Ray, commonly known by his nickname of the Toy Box Killer, was a suspected serial killer, rapist, and torturer of women. His crimes are believed to have spanned several decades. David Parker Ray earned his notorious nickname because of the personal torture house he built, a customized truck trailer that was filled with dozens of weapons and tools used to inflict harm. This sound proof trailer, the place where he would imprison women for days and weeks at a time, was referred to by David Parker Ray as his “Toy Box.” This episode goes over the history of David Parker Ray and details of his crimes, as well as the events and investigation that would eventually bring about his downfall.

This episode of Strange Matters presents a number of legendary monsters found in various cultures and folklore from around the world. Some of these monsters date back hundreds of years, while others have more recent origins. This episode discusses the history and legacy behind these monsters, as well as some of their cultural impact on the locals. The monsters discussed within the episode includes the Aswang from the Philippines, The Orang Minyak of Malaysia, the Popobawa of Tanzania, and the Grootslang of South Africa.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the mystery behind the unidentified remains of a woman who is only known by her nickname, the Lady of the Dunes. This body would be found in 1974 in the sand dunes of Massachusetts, and would start an investigation that would go on for decades. Over the years there have been several different ideas and leads to go on, but unfortunately both the identities of the woman and the person responsible for her death is still a mystery to this day. This episode discusses the details of the case, as well as the possible suspects and leads in the investigation that have been covered up to this point.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the strange and disturbing trend of cow mutilations. For years, dead cows have been discovered in unnatural and unexplained ways. These cattle remains are often found with body parts removed, their internal organs missing, and their blood completely drained. What is causing this has been plaguing ranchers for decades, as no clear answer has been brought forth that can make any sense of this mystery. This episode covers the history of these cow mutilations, as well as presenting the many different theories concerning just exactly what is behind it all.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the sudden and mystifying disappearance of two Dutch girls, Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, who went missing in Panama after they had set out on a hike. A long and exhaustive search of the area where the girls should have been turned up empty for weeks, as teams from both Panama and the Netherlands searched the trails for any signs of the missing hikers. As the investigation continued, clues would be found that revealed a slight amount of information about the lost girls, but at the same time brought up even more unanswered questions as to what had actually happened. As this case caught international interest, ideas and theories surrounding this mystery arose in an attempt to give some any of explanation behind this case. This episode covers the events that lead up to and followed the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, as well as presenting the multitude of possible theories that have been brought forth by both investigators and mystery lovers alike around the world.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the discovery of the unidentified remains of a woman found in Norway.  This body would come to be known as the Isdal Woman.  The circumstances behind her death were quite strange, as her burnt body was found in a remote location in a region known as Death Valley.  However, the mystery behind this woman would only grow as the police attempted to piece together the puzzle behind the unknown stranger.  This episode includes the unusual details surrounding the death of the Isdal Woman, along with the intensive investigation that followed.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the disappearance of Lars Mittank, and the strange series of events that lead up to the man’s sudden vanishing.  Lars was a young German man who was on a holiday vacation with some friends.  Though described as the average, normal person, Lars would exhibit a few instances of strange behavior during this trip that was quite uncharacteristic of him.  Lars would ultimately last be seen sprinting frantically out of an airport in Bulgaria right before his flight home, and no trace of him has ever surfaced since.  In this episode the backstory leading up to this bizarre disappearance is discussed, along with any possible ideas as to what in the world happened that could cause such a strange mystery.