166: Three of the world's craziest cults

Aileen Wuornos is one of the most polarising figures in American true crime; a woman whose life story is as tragic as the crimes that made her infamous. In the early 1990s, Wuornos claimed the lives of several men along Florida’s highways, becoming one of the nation’s most widely known female serial offenders. But behind the headlines was a life marked by trauma, instability, and a desperate struggle to survive.

In 1935, a quiet English town was rocked by one of the most notorious forensic cases in British history. When dismembered remains were discovered in a ravine near the Scottish border, investigators confronted a mystery that seemed impossible to untangle - until groundbreaking science changed everything. In this episode, we delve into the story of Dr. Buck Ruxton, the respected physician whose carefully maintained façade hid a violent undercurrent. Through innovative detective work, early forensic anthropology, and a nationwide investigation, the truth behind the Ruxton murders reshaped criminal science to this day.

In 1989, Patty Stallings rushed her sick infant son to the hospital, unaware that this desperate act would ignite one of the most shocking wrongful conviction cases in American history. What doctors believed was poisoning was actually a rare genetic disorder. But before the truth could surface, Patty was arrested, charged with murder, and forced to grieve the loss of her child from behind bars. Join us as we examine the heartbreaking story of Patty Stallings - a mother fighting to clear her name - and the lesson her case still teaches about justice, science, and the devastating cost of getting it wrong.

In 17th-century Italy, whispers spread of a mysterious woman whose 'beauty' potions promised freedom. Her name was Giulia Tofana, and she turned the art of poison into a quiet rebellion against the oppressive world women lived in. 

A few times a year, I like to take a look back at old cases I've covered and give you the latest updates: new evidence, solves, identifications, big news. Today we're going to be taking a look at how the Yogurt Shop Murders have finally been solved, the identification of Rea Rasmussen (Bear Brook Murders), the latest updates in the LISK trial and more. 

In the 1980s, Japan was terrorized by an invisible enemy. A shadowy group calling itself The Monster with 21 Faces taunted police, blackmailed corporations like Glico and Morinaga, and brought an entire nation to its knees - all without ever being caught. They sent letters to the media, poisoned candy, and turned the country's trust in public safety into fear.

Rabies is one of the deadliest viruses on Earth, almost always fatal once symptoms appear. But in 2004, a teenage girl in Wisconsin did the impossible: she survived. This episode unravels the extraordinary story of Jeanna Giese, the first known person to beat rabies without receiving the vaccine in time. 

In 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service launched what they claimed was a study on “bad blood” in rural Alabama. In reality, it was a 40-year-long lie: hundreds of Black men with syphilis were deliberately left untreated, even after penicillin became the standard cure. Known today as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, this shocking violation of trust exposed deep systemic racism and reshaped the way medical research is conducted.

FROM THE VAULT | In the late 1980s and early 90s, Melbourne, Australia, was gripped by fear as a masked predator known only as Mr. Cruel stalked the suburbs. He was cunning, calculated, and terrifyingly methodical, breaking into homes, abducting young girls, and vanishing without a trace. Despite massive police investigations and public outcry, his true identity remains one of Australia’s biggest unsolved mysteries.

In 1966, two Brazilian electronics technicians were found dead on a hill outside Rio de Janeiro, wearing strange lead masks and formal suits, with a cryptic note at their side. Known as the Lead Mask Case this chilling mystery has baffled investigators for decades. Were they victims of a bizarre scientific experiment, a secret ritual, or something far stranger?