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Hello there fiends, its Holly and Leslie, back from the dead (for real this time). There's nothing like a good old fashioned campfire story swap to kick off our spooky season! This week Holly will tell us all about the strange world of doppelgängers featuring the bewildering bilocation tale of Émilie Sagée. And Leslie will dive into the mysterious occurrences in piece of American wilderness called The Devil's Den. * We recorded this episode back in August when we were prematurely trying to make a full comeback, but life had other plans. We're here now though, and we're so excited to get back to work full time! Happy October!    Click to learn more (sources) Terry Lovelace Clinton & Cristen Brink Rodney Letterman Katerine Van Alst Devil's Den State Park in West Fork, AR  Link to the book containing the original retelling of Emélie Sagée's story. Begin on page 348     Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

After the sudden death of her husband Eric, Kouri Richins struggled to help their three young sons cope with the immense grief and unimaginable loss they felt. Eric's death was shocking and incomprehensible. In the early morning hours of March 4th, 2022, Kouri curled up in bed next to Eric only to discover he was not breathing and "cold".  To comfort her boys in the months that followed Kouri found herself telling them over and over, that their father was still with them. They talked about it so much that eventually she was able to turn their narrative into a book designed to help other children cope with grief and loss. Three months after she published the book, Kouri Richins was arrested for Eric's Murder.    Click to learn more (sources) Kouri's 911 call Body cam footage https://www.parkrecord.com/2026/02/26/kouri-richins-former-housekeeper-testifies-to-purchasing-her-pills/ https://www.parkrecord.com/2026/03/04/kouri-richins-paramour-testifies-about-their-affair-before-after-husbands-death/ https://www.parkrecord.com/2026/03/09/private-investigator-says-independent-probe-sought-truth-in-eric-richins-death/ https://www.biography.com/crime/a70499053/who-is-kouri-richins-case-and-murder-trial https://people.com/crime/kouri-richins-husband-suspected-she-was-having-affair/     Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

After the sudden death of her husband Eric, Kouri Richins struggled to help their three young sons cope with the immense grief and unimaginable loss they felt. Eric's death was shocking and incomprehensible. In the early morning hours of March 4th, 2022, Kouri curled up in bed next to Eric only to discover he was not breathing and "cold".  To comfort her boys in the months that followed Kouri found herself telling them over and over, that their father was still with them. They talked about it so much that eventually she was able to turn their narrative into a book designed to help other children cope with grief and loss. Three months after she published the book, Kouri Richins was arrested for Eric's Murder.    Click to learn more (sources) Kouri's 911 call Body cam footage *More two come next week in part 2.   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

On August 28, 2013, Bryce David Laspisa, a 19‑year‑old student attending Sierra College in Rocklin California started out on the 6-7 hour drive back to his parents home in Laguna Niguel CA for an impromptu visit. Over the next 30 hours Bryce would spend hours sitting in his parked car at rest areas and on the side of country roads before disappearing all together. He spoke to his parents several times over the course of his trip, providing vague reassurances but never an explanation. On the morning of August 30th, Bryce's 2003 Toyota Highlander was found overturned at the bottom of an embankment. There was evidence at the scene indicating that Bryce had survived the crash, and yet he was nowhere to be found. Extensive searches of the surrounding area produced no evidence of his whereabouts, no trace of Bryce has been discovered to this day. We all know that people don't just vanish into thin air, but the question remains, Where is Bryce?   Click to learn more (sources) https://websleuths.com/threads/ca-bryce-laspisa-19-castaic-30-aug-2013-1.220961/ https://www.facebook.com/FINDBRYCELASPISA/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/bryce-laspisa https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/bryce-laspisa-california-missing-person-rcna229928 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1hKUQAhmSg https://www.kcra.com/article/site-being-searched-for-missing-sierra-college-student-turns-up-body/6407433   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

On August 28, 2013, Bryce David Laspisa, a 19‑year‑old student attending Sierra College in Rocklin California started out on the 6-7 hour drive back to his parents home in Laguna Niguel CA for an impromptu visit. Over the next 30 hours Bryce would spend hours sitting in his parked car at rest areas and on the side of country roads before disappearing all together. He spoke to his parents several times over the course of his trip, providing vague reassurances but never an explanation. On the morning of August 30th, Bryce's 2003 Toyota Highlander was found overturned at the bottom of an embankment. There was evidence at the scene indicating that Bryce had survived the crash, and yet he was nowhere to be found. Extensive searches of the surrounding area produced no evidence of his whereabouts, no trace of Bryce has been discovered to this day. We all know that people don't just vanish into thin air, but the question remains, Where is Bryce?   Click to learn more (sources) *Links to come in part 2, no spoilers!   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

***THIS EPISODES IS A REBROADCAST OF EPISODE 117 WITH AN UPDATED ADDED TO THE BEGINNING!*** This week, we decided to rebroadcast our coverage of Katelin Aken's disappearance after learning that James Branton, Katelin's step-father and the last person to have seen Katelin, was arrested for multiple sex crimes. This arrest brings investigators one step closer to uncovering what happened to Katelin 10 years ago.  ------- In this, the first installment in our “Not a Runaway” series we discuss the mysterious disappearance of 19 year old Katelin Akens.  “Katelin Michelle Akens was last seen on December 5, 2015, in the vicinity of Oak Crest Drive in Partlow, Virginia.  She was visiting family in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and was scheduled to fly home to Arizona on December 5, 2015.  However, she did not board her flight and has not been seen since.  On December 7, 2015, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recovered a piece of blue luggage from a roadside ditch, unzipped, empty, and with a missing wheel.  A wallet was located inside the luggage with Arizona identification belonging to Akens.“  Right now, In the United States there are 194,673 reported missing girls and women under 21, and that only accounts for the time that has elapsed since January first, according to national statistics by the end of the year there will be twice as many.  91% of these women and girls are classified as Runaways. It's comforting to assume these women and girls just decided to go somewhere else, but ask their families how many of them actually did that, and I think you'll get a vastly lower percentage. We need to believe these families, we need to give these girls the importance they deserve, we need to find them. All of them. Anyone with information about Katelin or her disappearance should call the Spotsylvania county sheriff's office at (540) 582-7115 or Spotsylvania's Crime Solvers at (540) 582-5822 or 1 (800) 928-5822     Click to learn more  James Branton Arrested For Sex Crimes 10 Years After 19 Year Old Katelin Akens Goes Missing FBI official listing for Katelin Help Find Katelin Akens Facebook Group     *Affiliate Link WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

In September of 1852, Maria Kirwan and her husband took a small ferry boat from the seaside town of Howth to a little island called Ireland's Eye.  Both Kirwan' stepped off the ferry boat, full of excitement for the pleasant day ahead. The Kirwan's planned to swim and sketch and eat a delicious picnic lunch. What they didn't plan though, was that by the end of that day, only one of them would be getting back on that ferryboat....alive.  Join us for our 6th St. Paddy's day episode as we discuss the ancient but fascinating cold case that shocked an entire community among the beautiful Irish landscape. Click to learn more (sources) https://ragingfluff.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/the-irelands-eye-murder-case-1852/ https://crowehistory.com/2018/11/09/the-irelands-eye-murder-case/ https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kirwan-william.htm#google_vignette https://www.nli.ie/news-stories/stories/irelands-eye-murder https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/death-on-ireland-s-eye-tragedy-and-mystery-on-a-lonely-patch-of-rocky-shore-1.4792036   Briggs, Katharine – An Encyclopedia of Fairies (1976) Croker, Thomas Crofton – Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1825) Wilde, Lady Jane – Ancient Legends of Ireland (1887) Campbell, John Francis – Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860) Keightley, Thomas – The Fairy Mythology (1850) McGowan, Joseph – Irish Monsters (2009) Duchas.ie – The Irish Folklore Commission Collection   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

In the fall of 2006, the city of New Orleans was still wading through the immense wreckage of Hurricane Katrina. Local author Chris Rose calls it "The storm that keeps killing" and it was.  So, on October 17th 2006, when a man was found dead of apparent suicide, laid out on the lower rooftop of the Omni Royal Gardens Hotel, the police thought at first, that the storm had struck again. In some ways it had, but this case was is much more than meets the eye. The victim had, in his pocket, US Army issued dog tags, a key and a note. The dog tags bore his name: Zachary Bowen. The note said that he had taken his own life as payment for taking the life of another, his girlfriend Addie Hall. The key was to the apartment where the police would find her body, and that is just the beginning of the story of Addie and Zach. It's the story of a love that ripped through their lives...like a hurricane. Click to learn more (sources)   https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15338473   https://www.weremember.com/zackery-bowen/4x5v/memories?utm_campaign=findagrave&utm_source=findagrave   https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/books/27maslin.html   https://www.ranker.com/list/zack-and-addie-new-orleans/patrick-thornton?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=creepy&pgid=1011190218967434&utm_campaign=zack-and-addie-new-orleans-comment&utm_content=zscmyrogkwxlpvxp&fbclid=IwY2xjawQDLYdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJNa200cjJKMnVDekFkbEQwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpvwEdXqakKjI73YR7X3NItwsL-gUbKRqb-n_mIcCQxpNTKbw4lkTYp0_vmW_aem_jQm30W6behD6TGP4TiWJcA   https://www.ksla.com/story/5560421/suicide-leads-police-to-gruesome-murder-scene/   https://ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans/ghost-stories/zack-addie/   https://www.risk-show.com/podcast/raw/   http://www.blather.net/theblather/2006/11/the_war_at_home_the_story_of_zachary_bow/   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

Did the Netflix series Stranger Things take over your life this holiday season? Do you like conspiracy theories, government secrets, magic and monsters? Have you ever wondered how much the United States Government would pay for a psychic division? Then boy do we have a good news for you! This episode is the second in a series of the true, and not true stories that inspired the world of Stranger Things.  In this episode we'll cover: Project Stargate and The Men Who Stare at Goats FYI: If you didn't watch the show, don't worry. The stories we are going to explore in this series exist on their own, you don't need to have seen the show to understand or appreciate them. We just love a theme! If you are curious though, any images we think may be relevant, or are interesting points of comparison, will be included in the corresponding week's photo suite.    Click to learn more (sources) https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R002800180001-2.pdf https://lifeoutofbounds.com/2015/06/01/jim-channon-intergalactic-shaman/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RBI/comments/1hvio2n/gate_the_nefarious_gifted_and_talented_programme/ https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5e1ede584653d00964acbb49   Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

Did the Netflix series Stranger Things take over your life this holiday season? Do you like conspiracy theories, government secrets, magic and monsters? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Holly struggle to explain quantum physics? Then boy do we have a good news for you! This episode is the first in a series of the true, and not true stories that inspired the world of Stranger Things.  In this episode we'll cover: The Montauk Monster, Camp Hero, The Philadelphia Experiment/ Project Rainbow, The Montauk Project, and Nina Kulagina the Russian Woman with telekinetic powers. FYI: If you didn't watch the show, don't worry. The stories we are going to explore in this series exist on their own, you don't need to have seen the show to understand or appreciate them. We just love a theme! If you are curious though, any images we think may be relevant, or are interesting points of comparison, will be included in the corresponding week's photo suite.    Click to learn more (sources) https://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/29/montauk.monster/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/montauk-monster-dead-racco_b_116550 https://nypost.com/2008/07/29/montauk-monster/ https://www.livescience.com/2772-montauk-monster-likely-raccoon.html https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-happens-when-a-body-decomposes-in-water-180963994/ https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/06/06/history-plum-island-animal-disease-center https://parks.ny.gov/parks/fortterry/details.aspx https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/HistoricalVignettes/Fort-Terry/ https://www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/related-records/paperclip https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/operation-paperclip-167222690/ https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/plum-island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Kulagina https://www.cia.gov/readingroom https://web.randi.org https://archive.org/details/archive-search-report-camp-hero-2000/page/n75/mode/2up https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparetimeradio/2587438677 https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/camp-hero-montauk-conspiracy-theories/ https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Camp-Hero-FUDS-Montauk-New-York/ https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/bp--the-story-of-camp-hero-in-montauk https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/p/philadelphia-experiment.html https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7984451/ https://www.amazon.com/Montauk-Project-Experiments-Time-ebook/dp/B004OEKH5Q Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined.  In this installment we will examine how this horrible event was able to occur and what lead up to it.  Click to learn more (sources) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-28/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-wednesday-may-28/105348612   https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Ferin-patterson-trial-death-cap-mushrooms-seen-near-accuseds-home-months-before-fatal-lunch%2Fnews-story%2Fb9a4b965adbe1070edcf03b430484abc&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE&V21spcbehaviour=append   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-08/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-jury-evidence/105476940   https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-guilty-the-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-verdicts/8af7134e-ea24-41e2-a55c-46d114949195   https://www.nbcnews.com/world/australia/australia-mushroom-murderer-left-half-alive-lone-surviving-victim-says-rcna226920   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74zwevy181o   https://www.sgst.com.au/news/timeline-of-erin-pattersons-mushroom-murders https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/07/erin-patterson-hospital-visit-beef-wellingtons-mushroom-exhibits-revealed-ntwnfb   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8zr16y21o   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-evidence-timeline/105245152   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce82lj7g1g7o   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m8glx2zleo   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/28/erin-patterson-computer-text-messages-mushroom-lunch-trial-australia-ntwnfb   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-08/mushroom-murder-erin-patterson-legacy-analysis/105745284?fbclid=IwY2xjawOIi_VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyCGNhbGxzaXRlAjMwAAEe9mUhuPckO6bqE0lX5CHydZajfAcGS0emygIXlUEj-mt_T8EXhBsQEtEnNIc_aem_hIds4nARmeVO7kJnq5fBLQ Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined.  In part one we'll examine the "who", "what" and "where" of this case, but you'll have to wait until part 2 for the "how" and "why"! Click to learn more (sources) All sources will be provided in the show notes for Part 2 of this case. We don't want to give anything away! Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

When the darkness reaches its Zenith And the moon floats high and white When the spirits scream And knife blades gleam It’s…. Shortly After Midnight Hello fiends, and welcome to the darkest time of day.  In this week's original story, we bring you, Engulfed, a dark, slow-burn story about a glance that turns into an obsession. What starts as a spark of connection becomes something dangerous, something that smolders beneath the surface until it can't be contained. Desire, loneliness, and fire. They all have one thing in common: once they start they're hard to control.    Engulfed is a We Would Be Dead Production, written by Leslie Weidel and read by Jon Katity.  Sound and score by Jon Katity, and sparkling prologue / epilogue commentary by cohosts Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel.   WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

Happy Halloween Fiends! Join us for a deep dive into the world of Victor Frankenstein, his monstrous creations, and all the tortured poets and mad scientists who inspired OG goth girl Mary Shelley to write this torrid tale.   Click to learn more (sources) https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history-quirky-science-science-science-everywhere/professor-aldinis-strange-antics https://www.grahamhenderson.ca/percy-bysshe-shelley-blog/shelleys-mighty-heart https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luigi-Galvani https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alessandro-Volta https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/things-to-do-gernsheim-frankenstein-castle     WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation

When the darkness reaches its Zenith And the moon floats high and white When the spirits scream And knife blades gleam It’s…. Shortly After Midnight Hello fiends, and welcome to the darkest time of day.  This week's original story, Polly Pocket, is a spellbinding blend of nostalgia and nightmares told through the eyes of the scariest creatures known to man, Middle school girls. Set In the not so distant past, this terrifying tale takes us on a trip to a charming little hideaway deep in the woods, filled with dappled sunlight, singing birds and terrifying secrets.     Polly Pocket is a We Would Be Dead Production, written and read by Holly Knapp, with sound and score by Jon Katity, and sparkling prologue / epilogue commentary by cohosts Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel.   WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation