Living Statues

A century ago, a mysterious illness swept across the world—and instead of killing quickly, it stole something far stranger: movement, speech, and the ability to wake. Victims of encephalitis lethargica, the so-called “sleeping sickness,” became trapped inside their own bodies—some frozen mid-step, mid-sentence, or mid-bite, aware of everything but unable to respond. Millions were infected and many survivors were left as “living statues” for decades, until one experimental drug in the 1960s briefly awakened them—only for the miracle to fade and the darkness to return. In this episode, we follow the chilling rise and disappearance of the disease, the haunting patients of Beth Abraham Hospital, and the medical mystery that still has no definitive answer. Because the most unsettling part isn’t just what it did—it’s that we still don’t know why, or whether something like it could happen again. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Kimberly Cain has been seeking closure for her sister Sabrina’s murder in 1974. Interestingly, since the discovery of Sabrina’s body, all eyes turned toward one perpetrator; unfortunately, all of the evidence against him was circumstantial.  Between questioned testimonies, missing guns, local rumors, missed opportunities in investigaton, will we ever know the truth? Please consider joining Kimberly’s Facebook group: #JusticeForSabrina Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1979, skeletal remains were discovered along the Alaska Highway near Tok—belonging to a man no one could name. He wore a black eye patch, carried a marble prosthetic eye in his pocket, and had been dead for more than a year before anyone noticed he was gone. Police knew who killed him, but the victim himself disappeared into history, leaving behind only fragments of a life and a question that has lasted nearly fifty years. Who was the man known as One-Eyed Jack—and how does someone vanish so completely that no one comes looking? This episode is about the quiet tragedy of a life lost without a name, and the search to give him one back. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January of 1984, seven-year-old Gary Grant Jr. walked out to play in Atlantic City, New Jersey—and never came home. His parents did everything right… and still, something went terribly wrong. What began as an ordinary day quickly became a nightmare that would fracture a family, a neighborhood, and an investigation for decades. This case is filled with whispered clues, troubling questions, and a justice system that never quite delivered answers. Who betrayed the trust of a child—and why has the truth remained out of reach for so long? Please consider supporting the pod by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content? Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

German Luis Clerici ("Jersey" to his friends) disappeared in January of 2010. Days later, his body was found in a rural Kansas culvert. His shoes were clean. His wallet was still on him. His car was missing. And for more than a decade, no one could explain what happened. In April 2021, Coffee & Cases became the only podcast to ever cover Jersey’s case — just months before new information surfaced and investigators reopened the investigation. That fresh look led to arrests, court proceedings, and finally, long-awaited answers. In this update episode, Allison revisits Jersey’s story to share what has been uncovered since that original episode aired: what happened inside the house where he was last seen, how evidence was concealed, how investigators were misled, and what the court documents now reveal about the choices made after his death. This episode also explores the questions that still remain — and what justice looks like when the truth arrives years late, but at last, arrives. Listeners are encouraged to listen to our April 22nd, 2021 episode on German Luis Clerici (reposted just last week for your convenience) for full context before listening to this update. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Urciuoli, Jr. went out the night of January 24th, 2001 to play pool after receiving a page from someone. He told family that he’d only be out an hour or two before returning home, but Tony, Jr. never returned. Two days after Tony Urciuoli, Jr. disappeared, a relative found his car, which was abandoned, free of fingerprints, and provided no further clues. Today, 25 years later, we are still no closer to answers. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a sunny June afternoon in 1983, four-year-old Nyleen Kay Marshall disappeared during a family picnic in the Elkhorn Mountains of Montana. Other children last saw her talking to an unknown man in a purple jogging suit who told her to “follow the shadow.” What followed was one of the largest search efforts in Montana history—and decades of chilling letters from someone claiming to have kidnapped and raised her. This case would later intersect with the recovery of another missing child, adding a haunting twist no one expected. More than forty years later, Nyleen’s story remains unsolved—and deeply unsettling. Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His wallet. His shoes. His car. The location of his body. These are the clues that keep us wondering who could have killed German Luis Clerici... and why? Please also consider supporting Coffee and Cases by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content?! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to ⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases⁠ to register! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sleepy town of Ina, Illinois was rocked in the aftermath of one of the most heinous family homicides in American history. The Dardeen family murder was gruesome-- brutal beatings, unimaginable crimes, and mutilation. It was a crime claimed to have been the work of serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells, but was his confession of the murders just a sadistic lie? If you would like to join Coffee and Cases Patreon to support the show and listen to bonus content, please go to ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 2000, a single mother named Jodi Foster moved with her young daughter into an apartment on Parmac Road in Chico, California—unaware that the unit had a dark and unfinished past. As unexplained disturbances escalated into terrifying dreams and a child’s repeated visions of a woman called “Myliz,” Jodi would eventually uncover a chilling connection to the 1976 disappearance of Marie Elizabeth Spannhake. Decades earlier, Spannhake vanished after walking home from a flea market. Could the haunting of Apartment 14 be tied to a crime never solved—and a voice that refused to be silenced? This episode explores the intersection of memory, place, and justice in one of California’s cold cases. If you are interested in bonus content for our show or in getting some Coffee and Cases swag, please consider joining Patreon. There are various levels to fit your needs, all of which can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices