Twisted and Mysterious

We're back, baby! Two weeks in a row! And, we're hitting you hard with the mysterious death of Elisa Lam. Sarah offers up a mini history lesson of Skid Row and the Cecil Hotel before delving into the details and conspiracies surrounding Elisa's death. And, Zach Bagans teaches us that if you're going to play the Elevator Game, make sure you print out the instructions and read all of them BEFORE you start playing.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

In 1988, Tara Calico disappeared during her usual bike ride near Belen, New Mexico. A year later, a disturbing Polaroid found in a Florida parking lot made headlines across the country and turned Tara’s case into one of America’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.This week, we’re covering the disappearance of Tara Calico, the infamous Polaroid, the theories, the rumors, and the details that still don’t make sense all these years later. We also spend an unreasonable amount of time trying to process the fact that Tara casually rode almost 40 miles at a time because both of us would make it halfway around the block, collapse dramatically onto the curb, and demand electrolytes like dehydrated Victorian children.Also, yes…we know it’s been awhile. Life has been life-ing. But it’s summer now, our schedules are slightly less horrifying, and we’re hoping to get back to our regularly scheduled spooky nonsense.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

Aileen Wuornos is often labeled America’s first female serial killer—but her story is far more complicated than that.In this episode of Twisted and Mysterious, we follow Aileen’s life from a traumatic childhood to the murders of seven men along Florida’s highways. She claimed self-defense. Prosecutors called it calculated murder.So what really happened?This is a story about survival, violence, and the uncomfortable space where victim and perpetrator collide.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

You’ve heard “love is blind”… but apparently, love is also nose blind.This week on Twisted & Mysterious, Faren introduces us to “Creepy Carl”—also known as Carl Tanzler—a man whose obsession with a young woman didn’t end with her death… and, disturbingly, didn’t even slow down.In Carl’s mind, her funeral wasn’t a goodbye—it was their wedding.From elaborate delusions to full-on conversations with someone who couldn’t respond, this is one of those cases where you keep thinking, “Okay, this has to be where it stops”… and it absolutely does not.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

We’re back! After a brief, unplanned hiatus (unlike some people, we did not abandon ship), we’re setting sail into one of the most chaotic and talked-about maritime disasters in modern history: the Costa Concordia.On January 13, 2012, what should have been a relaxing Mediterranean cruise took a devastating turn when the ship struck rocks off the coast of Italy. What followed was a slow-moving, surreal disaster—dark hallways, delayed orders, and thousands of passengers trying to figure out what was happening as the situation unraveled.And then…there was the captain.In this episode, we break down the timeline, the chain of decisions that somehow just kept getting worse, and the actions of Francesco Schettino—including the now-infamous explanation that he may have, somehow, “fallen” into a lifeboat.Yes. Really.Because sometimes the most shocking part of a disaster…is how the people in charge respond when everything goes wrong.Sources & Documentaries:Costa Concordia: The Whole Story (Free Documentary) https://youtu.be/z17xqYzURXg?si=MiKmK_z5EfIXbcPkSunken Ship Rescue (NOVA / PBS) https://youtu.be/lM3d_m74B18?si=KGgp-L4ezlzNrrfiCosta Concordia: Why She Sank (Prime Video)Another Night to Remember (Vanity Fair) https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2012/5/another-night-to-rememberThe Costa Concordia Disaster: How Human Error Made It Worse (History) https://www.history.com/articles/costa-concordia-cruise-ship-disaster-sinking-captain

This week on Twisted & Mysterious, we’re heading to Union, Missouri to discuss a house that allegedly did not believe in inside voices.In 2001, single dad Steven LaChance moved into the home with his three kids for a fresh start. They made it 13 days. Thirteen. Days.According to the family, the house didn’t just creak or settle — it screamed. A dark figure reportedly showed up. There were claims of a basement “monster.” An eyeless clown (I beg your finest pardon?). And in the basement, a full butcher’s shower, which is already enough to make us move out on principle.The landlady insisted the home wasn’t haunted — just that some people “aren’t old house people.” Which is one way to describe fleeing from a screaming house.But the story didn’t end when the LaChance family left. Another family reportedly moved in and experienced their own terrifying activity. At one point, the home even operated as a dog kennel — because apparently that’s a totally normal pivot for a house with screaming issues.And then there’s the small detail that the Vatican allegedly compiled a 156-page report about the place. Casual.We break down the timeline, the claims, the skepticism, the interviews, and the lingering questions — while being… admittedly… a little chatty in this one. Think less “polished documentary” and more “come sit with us while we process the existence of eyeless basement clowns.”Also: we are aware the microphone cuts out in a few spots. We are working on it. The house is not interfering with our audio. Probably.If you enjoy haunted house stories that make you question everything — including basements, clowns, and your housing choices — this one’s for you.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

In 1994, recess at Ariel School in Ruwa took a turn from playground chaos to possible alien encounter. Dozens of students reported a strange craft landing nearby — and small beings stepping out to silently watch them.These weren’t your typical smooth “grey” aliens. The children described beings with HAIR(!!!), huge dark eyes, and movements that made no sense — appearing suddenly or running in slow motion like they were stuck in cinematic mode. Several kids said the figures communicated telepathically, warning that humans were destroying the planet with pollution and technology. Nothing says “friendly introduction” quite like cosmic strangers showing up at recess to give a guilt trip about screen time.The story even echoes elements from the famous encounter of Betty Hill and Barney Hill — including aliens with hair and deeply uncomfortable medical procedures. (Yes, including the belly button thing. No, we don’t like it either.)Investigated by Harvard psychiatrist John E. Mack, the children’s accounts remained strikingly consistent.Mass hysteria, misunderstanding…or the most awkward environmental PSA in history?Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

This week on Twisted & Mysterious, we’re diving into the explosive and controversial case of Sally McNeil and Ray McNeil — a bodybuilding power couple whose marriage ended in gunfire on Valentine’s Day.On February 14, 1995, Sally shot and killed her husband, fellow bodybuilder Ray McNeil, inside their Oceanside, California home. She immediately called 911 and claimed self-defense, alleging years of domestic abuse. Prosecutors argued it was intentional murder fueled by jealousy and rage. The jury convicted her of second-degree murder.In a twist that feels almost too on-the-nose, the killing happened on Valentine’s Day. Her trial began on Valentine’s Day. And Sally had even competed in her first bodybuilding competition on Valentine’s Day years earlier. Love, muscle, violence — all colliding on the same date.We break down their volatile relationship, the role of steroids and control in 1990s competitive bodybuilding culture, the courtroom battle over self-defense versus premeditated murder, and the later reexamination of Sally’s conviction decades after the case first made headlines.And because this is Twisted & Mysterious, we also acknowledge the slightly scarring childhood experience of seeing entirely too many flexing, oiled-up bodybuilding photos of relatives — because nothing says Valentine’s Day like unresolved trauma and biceps.This is a story about power, image, domestic violence, and the complicated line between victim and perpetrator.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected].

In November 1970, a woman was found dead in a remote valley near Bergen, Norway. She had no identification, no known past, and no one ever came forward to claim her. What investigators did find was far stranger: suitcases filled with wigs, labels cut from every piece of clothing, multiple aliases, a notebook written in code—and witnesses who remembered one oddly specific detail.She reportedly smelled strongly of garlic.How much garlic are we talking? Culinary preference? Attempted invisibility? Fear of vampires? We may never know—but it’s only one of many bizarre clues in a case that has baffled investigators for more than fifty years.As authorities traced her movements across Europe, a disturbing picture emerged—constant travel, coded notes, questions about military bases, and behavior that raised serious Cold War suspicions. Was she a spy? Or a woman who went to extraordinary lengths to erase herself from history?In this episode, we break down the evidence, the theories, and the unanswered questions surrounding The Isdal Woman—a mystery involving secrecy, identity, and yes…an unreasonable amount of garlic.

Greg Fleniken lived a quiet, predictable life. During the week, he worked as a landman in Beaumont, Texas, staying at the MCM Elegante hotel. On weekends, he went home to Lafayette, Louisiana, to be with his wife. He didn’t party. He didn’t socialize. His evenings followed the same routine: change into sweats, grab a snack, and watch a movie in bed.On the morning of September 16, 2010, Greg was found dead in Room 348. At first glance, it appeared to be a natural death. No signs of a struggle. No noise. No one had entered the room. And, yes, they checked the room for Acme anvils.In this episode of Twisted & Mysterious, we follow the case that transformed an ordinary, predictable death into a baffling homicide investigation. From the locked hotel room and unexplained injuries to the private investigator who saw what others overlooked, we explore how a quiet life ended in a way that no one could have predicted.What happened to Greg Fleniken inside Room 348?Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at [email protected] Body in Room 348, Vanity Fair — [https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/true-crime-elegante-hotel-texas-murder?srsltid=AfmBOop6i7a27o3jonnqvJTxmGEUR-MjQjSNwQMoU4GK1Gqe8y8lFueJ]RedHanded Podcast, Episode: “The Body, the P.I., and the Hole in the Wall” — [https://redhandedpodcast.com/episodes/waabr5xk2hsdcj5-g626a-gpax5-4tebp-tss8w-hkfcn-lrslk-wht58-ctzhh-65dds-w8zgg-jaahc-ctgg9-fbdk3-zwfmg-8a6c4-yjeyk-xt4zm-hbxp4-xrkle-d5an6?rq=greg%20fleniken]