Ep. 2.6. Host It or Toast It

When the police fail to turn up leads in missing persons cases, families sometimes get desperate and ask psychic detectives to “help.”  In the case of Jim Thompson, his sister, Eleanor, hired the world’s most famous psychic celebrity at the time – Peter Hurkos – to locate her brother when the police could not. But psychic detectives are rarely helpful, and we sit down with professional skeptic and former psychic entertainer, D.J. Grothe, to discuss the dangers of  psychic detectives and the tactics they employ to convince grieving people to depart with their money.Information for this series was taken from William Warren's book, Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery (1999); Joshua Kurlantzick's book, The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War  (2012);  and a variety of popular newspaper and magazine articles about the Thompson case. Have little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests!

In this brief introduction to season  two of Worldwide, host Tricia Jenkins and guest Glynn Washington (host of the  Snap Judgement podcast)  explain how travel helped lead them out of the Worldwide Church of God. Tricia also  shares how her travels led her to the subject of our next series – a multi-layered mystery that she can't put to rest. Welcome to season two of Worldwide: The Disappearance of the Thai Silk King.Have little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests!

Want to support Worldwide?Visit buymeacoffee.com/worldwidepod and tell us whether you'd rather "host it or toast it" - or both!  You can also support the show by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or other directories, and sharing it with your friends, family and followers. 

In 1967, well-known fashion tycoon Jim Thompson went on vacation in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia and  vanished without a trace. His disappearance resulted in the largest manhunt ever conducted on land in Southeast Asian history. But who exactly was Jim Thompson? In this episode, we will walk you through the life and legacy of this charismatic millionaire, adventurous intelligence officer, and founder of a renowned fashion empire that still exists today.Information for this series was taken from William Warren's book, Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery  (1999); Joshua Kurlantzick's book, The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War (2012);  a variety of popular newspaper and magazine articles, and Lew Toulmin's extensive report on the Thompson case, which can be found here:  http://www.themosttraveled.com/The%20Disappearance%20of%20Jim%20Thompson%20FINAL%20redacted.pdf Have little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests!

In this last episode, we examine the story of Jim’s associate, who swears he spotted Thompson in a hotel lobby in Tahiti weeks after he disappeared, as well as the still unsolved murder of Jim Thompson’s sister, Katharine, five months after Jim vanished.   We'll also explore the  legacy of Jim Thompson and how it continues today.  Join us for the final twists and turns in the Thompson tale.Information for this series was taken from William Warren's book, Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery  (1999); Joshua Kurlantzick's book, The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War (2012);  a variety of popular newspaper and magazine articles, and Lew Toulmin's extensive report on the Thompson case, which can be found here:  http://www.themosttraveled.com/The%20Disappearance%20of%20Jim%20Thompson%20FINAL%20redacted.pdfHave little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests!

In 2013, former CIA officer Barry Broman received a phone call from someone claiming to know who killed Jim Thompson. Join us as we follow that lead from Thailand to Singapore and evaluate whether Jim was killed by a communist plot to eliminate him.To watch Broman's short film, Who Killed Jim Thompson The Thai Silk King?, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cic9Wh-MSwInformation for this series was taken from William Warren's book, Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery  (1999); Joshua Kurlantzick's book, The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War (2012);  a variety of popular newspaper and magazine articles, and Lew Toulmin's extensive report on the Thompson case, which can be found here:  http://www.themosttraveled.com/The%20Disappearance%20of%20Jim%20Thompson%20FINAL%20redacted.pdf Have little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests! 

In the mid-2010s, Dr. Lew Toulmin, a search and rescue operations specialist, went to Malaysia and Thailand to research the Jim Thompson case extensively and to evaluate the possible causes of his death. Was Jim Thompson the victim of foul play?  Was he attacked and eaten by a tiger?  Was he caught up in a communist conspiracy?  Or did he simply stumble upon something in the jungle that sealed his fate? Listen and make your own conclusions.Information for this series was taken from William Warren's book, Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery  (1999); Joshua Kurlantzick's book, The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War (2012);  a variety of popular newspaper and magazine articles, and Lew Toulmin's extensive report on the Thompson case, which can be found here:  http://www.themosttraveled.com/The%20Disappearance%20of%20Jim%20Thompson%20FINAL%20redacted.pdf Have little podcast listeners and want to discover another podcast from Thirteen Media?  Check out ABC Story Sisters, a story time podcast bringing classic children's literature to life for kids, and kids at heart! Worldwide listeners will recognize a familiar voice as one of season five's special guests!

In this series finale, we hear from listeners about their own WCG experiences, what listeners took away from the series, and how listeners can share their own stories through www.igotout.org.Worldwide: The Unchosen Church is hosted, written and produced by Dr. Tricia Jenkins; sound design and editing is done by Thirteen Media; and music is licensed by SoundStripe.Instagram @worldwidepodFacebook and Twitter: @worldwidepod11Email: [email protected] you would like to support Worldwide: The Unchosen Church, you can visitwww.buymeacoffee.com/worldwidepod and tell us to host it or toast it.  Support will go to either hosting this show on Buzzsprout so that you and others can find it for years to come (host it), or if you just want to say thank you for the show, tell us to toast it and our team will gladly drink a beer and cheers to you.Thanks to everyone who contributed to this episode, including Dr. Steven Hassan whose Tik Tok video is heard in this episode. He can be found on TikTok @cultexpert. 

Cults almost never admit error or de-radicalize themselves, but that is exactly what happened in the Worldwide Church of God.  Hear our interview with Joseph Tkach Jr - the last pastor general of the WCG - who helped take this doomsday cult from "the fringe to the fold" at great economic, emotional and personal costs. Worldwide: The Unchosen Church is hosted, written and produced by Dr. Tricia Jenkins; sound design and editing is done by Thirteen Media; and music is licensed by SoundStripe.Instagram @worldwidepodFacebook and Twitter: @worldwidepod11Email: [email protected] you would like to support Worldwide: The Unchosen Church, you can visitwww.buymeacoffee.com/worldwidepod and tell us to host it or toast it.  Support will go to either hosting this show on Buzzsprout so that you and others can find it for years to come (host it), or if you just want to say thank you for the show, tell us to toast it and our team will gladly drink a beer and cheers to you.Audio clips from the documentary Called to be Free used with permission. 

Want to support Worldwide: The Unchosen Church? Visit buymeacoffee.com/worldwidepod and tell us whether you'd rather "host it or toast it" - or both!  You can also support the show by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or other directories, and sharing it with your friends, family and followers. Tune in August 3 for the two part finale episode!