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This week we're discussing some truly terrifying reddit stories both criminal and paranormal! Prepared to be unsettled!

On October 31, 1984, 31-year-old Doreen Erbert, who was eight months pregnant, was brutally murdered in her San Jose home by a masked intruder. Doreen's 4-year-old daughter Deanna was the only witness and survivor of the crime, telling investigators the "big bad wolf" had come into her home and hurt her mother. Investigators were at first skeptical of the statement of a child so young, however they would soon find out that Deanna's account wasn't just a product of her imagination. This crime quickly became one of the most shocking and gruesome in California’s history.

In Part 2 we'll discuss each of the cult members' breaking points, how they got away, and how Larry Ray was his own undoing.

After their freshman year of college, a friend group decided they'd all live together for their sophomore year. Early into the year, one of their roommates, Talia Ray, informed the house that her father was getting out of prison and she was so excited for him to finally visit. When Larry Ray first arrived, it seemed like he made a real positive change in some of their lives with his advice and guidance. However what followed was a decade-long web of conspiracy, emotional turmoil, psychological and physical abuse.

In May 2023, a small plane carrying a mother, her four children (ages 13, 9, 4, and 11 months), and two other adults crashed into the dense Amazon rainforest. The adult passengers didn’t survive the impact, however the children walked away from the crash and survived 40 days in the jungle. An unprecedented rescue mission was launched for the children which combined every tool at the Colombian Military’s disposal and the invaluable tracking skills and ancient knowledge of Indigenous volunteers.

In August of 1981, Tami Ennis believed she’d be spending a relaxing afternoon on a sailboat with friends, however after a few seemingly minor setbacks, Tami and the group were left stranded in the ocean clinging to a sinking boat. After a tense night out on the water, Tami told the group they needed to attempt to swim to shore. Tami not only successfully swam multiple miles back to shore, but also witnessed the terrifying moment her friend was attacked and killed by a shark.

Daniel Perez, who went by the alias "Lou Castro", claimed to be an immortal, centuries-old angel with supernatural powers. He could predict the future, raise the dead, change the weather and more. His followers believed “Lou” had these supernatural abilities because on more than one occasion, he correctly predicted when a member would pass away. But in reality, the only reason he knew when certain people were going to die was because he was the one responsible.

In this listener episode we discuss a few terrifying uber rides, an attempted abduction, a haunted daycare, and more!

On April 21st 2001, a woman who was covered in blood, burst through the doors of a Kentucky Fried Chicken screaming for someone to call 911. Through her hysterical pleas, employees at the KFC managed to figure out that her name was Melissa Latham and that she was claiming a man and woman had tried to kill her. As paramedics and police arrived and tended to Melissa, a well dressed woman named Tonica Jenkins walked in, urging police to stop Melissa. Tonica claimed Melissa had just stolen $1,000 from her however she had nothing to do with her assault. With both women coming across as believable and many unanswered questions, police needed to figure out which one was telling the truth.

In 2006, Karen Kummerer was stepping back into the dating scene after divorcing her husband of 17 years. On a night out with her sister, she met Joseph Scott Freeman and the two began quickly dating. Not long into their relationship, things took a dark turn and after only 7 months with Scott, Karen called things off. Despite the emergency restraining order Karen got, Scott continued stalking Karen until he ambushed and abducted her while she was on her way to work. What followed was a multi-state chase with the police and FBI in pursuit.

For 6 years, FBI Special Agent Joeseph Pistone, worked undercover as a jewel thief named Donnie Brasco in order to infiltrate the biggest mafia families in New York City. Slowly but surely Pistone worked his way up the ranks of primarily the Bonanno Crime family until they asked him to join their family as a “made” man shortly before the FBI ended his assignment. Thanks to the evidence he collected, over 200 mobsters would be convicted and one of the biggest mafia families would be brought down. It was the most successful undercover operation in FBI history.

In 2000, 15-year-old Heather Robinson learned that her adopted parents were not legally her parents – and her real name wasn't even Heather. The man who facilitated her adoption when she was only 4 months old had actually murdered her biological mother, and that man was still very much a part of her life. Heather’s life was turned upside down when she learned that her Uncle John was a serial killer and had taken the lives of at least 8 women, her mother included.

On October 11th 2016, Washington detectives received a bizarre call from a man claiming he wanted to report a murder, however it hadn’t happened yet. An old friend from high school had contacted him over facebook and asked him to kill someone. Detectives quickly determined that the threat was real and used the caller as their informant.

While Bernadette Hyde was on a walk in 1996 with her then boyfriend, Besham Sugrim, she learned he had killed someone. Although Bernadette heard what he said, she didn't believe her boyfriend was capable of such a thing and had the strong urge to fix him. After years of abuse, Besham once again shared with Bernadette that he had murdered someone. Even after learning about the second brutal murder it would be years before her husband would face justice. Besham made it clear that if she went to the police, she and her family would be next.

We'll be discussing more Reddit Creepy Encounters, including someone who got cornered at an abandoned gas station in the middle of the night, a woman who was almost murdered by her boyfriend, a terrifying delivery job, and more!