In February 2018, 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka left a house party in Sun Peaks and began the short walk toward home. A route that should have taken just a few minutes. Ryan never made it home. Instead, his final movements remain frozen in time.

Search crews pushed through deep snow and subzero temperatures. Volunteers returned week after week. Helicopters and ground teams covered every direction the terrain allowed. No footprints. No belongings. No confirmed trace. The trail turned cold almost immediately.

Seven years later, the case sits at a standstill — suspended between what is known and what has never surfaced.

Does someone know something… or does nobody know anything at all?

Weeks after the Dyatlov group’s final journal entries, search teams reached the site. The scene didn’t line up with a simple hiking accident: a tent sliced from the inside, barefoot tracks in the snow, and bodies found under injuries and circumstances no single theory could fully explain.

In Part 2 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we break down the search, the recoveries, the injuries, and the theories — from avalanche to military involvement — and examine why none of them fully explain what happened on that mountain.

TW: This episode contains discussion of death, hypothermia, trauma, and graphic forensic details. Listener discretion is advised.

January 1959 — nine hikers set out into the frozen Ural Mountains. Experienced, prepared, and full of life. Days later, their tent was found ripped open from the inside. Their gear abandoned. Their bodies scattered across the snow.

What happened on that mountainside has haunted investigators and historians for more than sixty years.

In Part 1 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we retrace the group’s final days through their recovered journals, photographs, and official reports—following their footsteps into one of the most chilling mysteries of the 20th century.

In the summer of 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff vanished from Nome, Alaska. When her body was discovered days later, the truth that surfaced would devastate the small town and force a reckoning with its own police force.

As investigators closed in, they uncovered a betrayal that went far deeper than anyone imagined — one that exposed years of neglect and mistrust between Nome’s authorities and Alaska Native women, a crisis that still haunts Alaska today.

TW: This episode contains references to violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse against Alaska Native women. It also includes discussion of police misconduct, murder, and the mishandling of criminal investigations. Listener discretion is advised.

Legend has it, if you stand in a dark room with a mirror and say her name three times… she’ll show herself. Maybe she’ll whisper. Maybe she’ll crawl right out and drag you with her.

So go on. Let’s play.

Bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary.

The story has been passed down for generations — a sleepover dare turned ritual, stitched together from fear, history, and something much older than either.

But who — or what — are we really summoning?

Some say she was a witch.

Some say a queen bathed in blood.

Others say she was just a woman — punished, twisted, and remembered as a warning.

In this episode, we step through the mirror to uncover the truth behind the legend — the women who became her, the science that explains her reflection, and the meaning buried beneath the myth.

Because this isn’t just a story about a ghost. It’s about reflection. Transformation. Power. And what happens when we stop running from the things that terrify us — and face them head on.

The vanity. The blood. The becoming. And the moment you realize the mirror was never haunted at all. It was just waiting for you to look back.

TW: This episode contains references to folklore violence, blood, historical execution, and the persecution of women accused of witchcraft. It also includes discussion of body imagery, menstruation symbolism, and psychological horror themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Before The Conjuring Universe, there were the real stories — and the real consequences.

In 1974, the quiet town of Amityville became ground zero for one of the most infamous hauntings in the world. Six members of the DeFeo family were murdered inside their home, and when the Lutz family moved in, they claimed something inhuman remained. Voices whispered. Walls bled. Crosses turned upside down. The Warrens arrived with faith and cameras, determined to prove evil was real. But behind the fame that followed came something else — suspicion, profit, and a growing question about where belief ended and justice began.

Seven years later, another case would push them to the edge. In 1981, 19-year-old Arne Johnson stabbed his landlord to death — and claimed he was possessed by a demon that had once plagued an eleven-year-old boy. It became the first U.S. murder trial to argue demonic possession as a defense. And for the first time in American history… The Devil stood trial.

The Warrens stood by Arne, risking their credibility — and perhaps their conscience — to defend what they called the Devil’s truth. The Church refused to sanction the exorcism. The court refused to acknowledge the supernatural. And the world was left wondering whether the Warrens were fighting for salvation… or selling it.

From the haunted rooms of Amityville to the chaos of Brookfield, this episode exposes not just the stories that made the Warrens famous — but the ones that made them infamous. The moral questions, the contradictions, and the thin line between conviction and corruption.

If you see something… no, you didn’t.

If you hear something… no... you didn’t...

These are just a few of the unspoken rules of the Appalachian Mountains — a place where the forest doesn’t just breathe, it listens. Stretching more than two thousand miles across the eastern United States and beyond, the Appalachian Trail cuts straight through the heart of some of the oldest — and most haunted — land on Earth. These mountains have swallowed more souls than history dares to count, and some say they never let go.

In this episode, we’ll follow the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains — from the mysterious disappearances of Dennis Martin and Trenny Gibson to the chilling legends whispered in their wake. Stories of what might still move beneath the earth… and what feeds above it.

So if you’re curious enough to brave the trail with me, we have to tread carefully. Because if you stray too far from the path, yours might be the next story they tell.

Out here, there are rules:

Respect the land.

Never stray from the marked path.

Never whistle in the woods.

Never look too long into the tree line.

Never stay out past dark.

And whatever you do — don’t answer when something calls your name. 

If you see something… no, you didn’t.

If you hear something… no... you didn’t...

For months, Frank Bowen’s daughters were convinced something was wrong inside their Pepperell, Massachusetts home. They heard footsteps where no one should have been, objects moved on their own, and an uneasiness settled over the house that no amount of logic could shake. Frank dismissed it as imagination — until one winter night in December 1986, the unimaginable happened.

An intruder emerged from the dark and took the Bowen family hostage inside their own home. When police arrived, the truth stunned everyone — the intruder wasn’t a stranger from far away, but a sixteen-year-old local boy named Daniel LaPlante, a resident of Elm Street in nearby Townsend, Massachusetts.

The Bowens survived that night, but the community couldn’t shake the story — the boy who had lived inside someone’s home, watching and tormenting them from the dark. After his arrest, LaPlante was released on bail, and for a brief moment, it seemed like the nightmare had ended. But what no one realized then was that the horrors had only just begun.

Over the following year, Daniel’s behavior would spiral into something far more sinister. His childhood trauma, isolation, and fixation on control would manifest in unthinkable ways. And by the next winter, another family — the Gustafsons — would pay the ultimate price.

TW: This episode includes disturbing content related to child abuse, psychological trauma, home invasion, hostage situations, and the murders of a mother and her two children. It also references stalking, sexual assault, and violent criminal behavior involving minors. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

As October approaches, so does Domestic Violence Awareness Month — a time to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the warning signs too often ignored. Few cases embody that tragedy more than the Powell family.

In December 2009, Susan Powell vanished from her Utah home. Her husband, Josh, claimed she simply disappeared during a midnight camping trip with their two young boys. But as investigators dug deeper, disturbing secrets within the Powell family surfaced: Josh’s controlling behavior, his father Steven’s obsessions, and a home filled with tension and fear.

The nightmare didn’t end with Susan’s disappearance. Three years later, Josh carried out an unthinkable act of violence against their sons, Charlie and Braden, in a horrific ending that shocked the nation.

This episode examines Susan’s disappearance, the devastating loss of her children, and the unanswered questions that still linger. Through it all, her parents — the Cox family — continue to fight for justice, and to ensure Susan, Charlie, and Braden are never forgotten.

TW: This episode includes disturbing content related to domestic violence, child abuse, child pornography, family annihilation, and the murders of Susan Powell and her two sons. It also includes references to stalking, coercive control, and disturbing criminal behavior.Listener discretion is strongly advised.

In August 1995, six-year-old Rosie Tapia was taken from her Salt Lake City home in the middle of the night. By morning, she was found murdered in a nearby canal. This past August marked the 30th anniversary of Rosie’s death — a case that remains one of Utah’s most haunting mysteries, a story of innocence stolen and justice delayed.

Over the years, the investigation has twisted through rumors, overlooked leads, and heartbreaking dead ends. Rosie’s family — especially her mother, Lewine — has never stopped fighting for answers. And now, three decades later, there is renewed hope.

On August 25, 2025 — just two weeks before this episode’s release — Salt Lake City police announced a fresh appeal to the public. Detectives are actively seeking two men who may hold critical information about Rosie’s abduction and death, and advances in forensic genealogy have given the case new direction.

In this episode, I walk through Rosie’s story from the night she vanished to the most recent developments in 2025, examining the investigation’s failures, the resilience of her family, and the community’s ongoing search for the truth.

If you have any information about the kidnapping and murder of Rosie Tapia, please call 801-799-3000 or submit an anonymous tip through the CityProtect App, referencing case number 95-119190.

TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised.

Have you ever heard someone you love call your name… only to realize they couldn’t have? Or seen a familiar figure standing in the room… when you knew they weren’t home? That’s the terror of mimics — entities that steal voices, faces, and movements to pass as the people we trust most.

In this episode, I uncover chilling reports and folklore of the uncanny. Voices luring people into the woods. Loved ones seen in two places at once. Figures that breathe and speak like us — until they vanish. These aren’t just stories; they’re encounters that strike at something universal: the fear that what feels familiar is suddenly wrong.

We’ll explore the different forms of mimicry — from doppelgängers said to foreshadow death, to Appalachian fleshgaits that stalk the living with stolen voices. And we’ll confront the uncanny valley itself — that unsettling space where something looks human… but isn’t, and where the thing wearing your loved one’s face might not have human intentions at all.

Because if it wasn’t really them — then who, or what, was it?

In August 1995, six-year-old Rosie Tapia was taken from her Salt Lake City home in the middle of the night. By morning, she was found murdered in a nearby canal. This past August marked the 30th anniversary of Rosie’s death — a case that remains one of Utah’s most haunting mysteries, a story of innocence stolen and justice delayed.

Over the years, the investigation has twisted through rumors, overlooked leads, and heartbreaking dead ends. Rosie’s family — especially her mother, Lewine — has never stopped fighting for answers. And now, three decades later, there is renewed hope.

On August 25, 2025 — just two weeks before this episode’s release — Salt Lake City police announced a fresh appeal to the public. Detectives are actively seeking two men who may hold critical information about Rosie’s abduction and death, and advances in forensic genealogy have given the case new direction.

In this episode, I walk through Rosie’s story from the night she vanished to the most recent developments in 2025, examining the investigation’s failures, the resilience of her family, and the community’s ongoing search for the truth.

If you have any information about the kidnapping and murder of Rosie Tapia, please call 801-799-3000 or submit an anonymous tip through the CityProtect App, referencing case number 95-119190.

TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised.

San Pedro, California. 1988.

Jackie Hernandez had just left an abusive relationship and was starting over—pregnant Jackie and her young son, moved into a bungalow at 593 W. 11th Street. But almost immediately, something in the house felt… off. The air was thick, the nights heavy. And then things started happening.

It began small—noises in the walls, the feeling of being watched. But it escalated fast. Lights would flicker, objects would move on their own, and Jackie swore she saw figures—shadowy, fast, and wrong—slipping through rooms when no one else was home.

She tried to rationalize it. Stress. Sleep deprivation. Anything. But then came the voices. Male, guttural, disembodied. Sometimes whispering from the walls. Sometimes calling her name.

By the time a team of investigators arrived, the house had already turned hostile. One of them, Barry Conrad, brought a cameraman and a friend named Jeff Wheatcraft. During one session in the attic, Jeff was violently attacked—dragged, then nearly hung by a length of wire. Something unseen had looped it around his neck and pulled. And it wasn’t the last time.

What followed was a series of events that defied every known explanation—blood oozing from the walls, strange orbs caught on camera, and a presence that seemed to follow Jackie even after she moved.

To this day, no one can say for certain what haunted that house—or why it chose her. But the San Pedro case remains one of the most aggressive and unnerving hauntings ever documented. And for those who witnessed it firsthand… it never really ended.

San Pedro, California. 1988.

Jackie Hernandez had just left an abusive relationship and was starting over—pregnant Jackie and her young son, moved into a bungalow at 593 W. 11th Street. But almost immediately, something in the house felt… off. The air was thick, the nights heavy. And then things started happening.

It began small—noises in the walls, the feeling of being watched. But it escalated fast. Lights would flicker, objects would move on their own, and Jackie swore she saw figures—shadowy, fast, and wrong—slipping through rooms when no one else was home.

She tried to rationalize it. Stress. Sleep deprivation. Anything. But then came the voices. Male, guttural, disembodied. Sometimes whispering from the walls. Sometimes calling her name.

By the time a team of investigators arrived, the house had already turned hostile. One of them, Barry Conrad, brought a cameraman and a friend named Jeff Wheatcraft. During one session in the attic, Jeff was violently attacked—dragged, then nearly hung by a length of wire. Something unseen had looped it around his neck and pulled. And it wasn’t the last time.

What followed was a series of events that defied every known explanation—blood oozing from the walls, strange orbs caught on camera, and a presence that seemed to follow Jackie even after she moved.

To this day, no one can say for certain what haunted that house—or why it chose her. But the San Pedro case remains one of the most aggressive and unnerving hauntings ever documented. And for those who witnessed it firsthand… it never really ended.

Washington, D.C., 2006.

Robert Wone arrived at a friend’s townhouse just before 10:30 p.m.—a safe place to crash after a late shift. He was well-liked, grounded, freshly married. Nothing about the night should’ve stood out. But within an hour, he was dead—stabbed three times in the chest with almost surgical precision.

There were no signs of forced entry. No defensive wounds. Barely any blood. The three men inside the house—his hosts—claimed an intruder had slipped in undetected and vanished without a trace. But the scene told a different story.

The investigation uncovered evidence of restraint, possible chemical sedation, and a troubling lack of urgency from those inside the home. Yet no one was ever charged with his murder.

To this day, Robert Wone’s case remains one of the most chilling unsolved crimes in modern D.C. history. A man murdered in a locked house… surrounded by people who insisted they had no idea what really happened.

In the summer of 1977, three young girls went to Camp Scott in rural Oklahoma. It was supposed to be two weeks of hikes, crafts, and campfires. By morning, it became one of the most shocking unsolved child murders in American history.

This episode of Darkly Speaking retraces the haunting details — from the eerie warning note found weeks before the crime, to the flawed investigation, the controversial arrest of Gene Leroy Hart, and the DNA evidence that could still change everything.

Nearly fifty years later, we’re still waiting for the truth. And asking the question: Did they get it right?

They show up without warning. No footsteps. No fanfare. Just a knock at the door... or a quiet tap on the driver’s side window. And when you look—there they are. Children. But something’s wrong. Their eyes are pitch black. No whites. No irises. Just void.

For years, people across the world have reported encounters with these so-called Black-Eyed Children. And it’s never just unsettling—it’s invasive. The air shifts. Fear spikes for no clear reason. And afterward? Things don’t go back to normal. Illness. Bad luck. A sense that something followed you home.

No one knows exactly what they are. But theories swirl—ancient, off-world, demonic. Whatever the truth is, one thing stays consistent: once you’ve seen them… you wish you hadn’t.

In the premiere episode of Darkly Speaking, we’re diving into the mysterious death of Elisa Lam — a case that captivated the internet and continues to raise questions more than a decade later.

In 2013, 21-year-old Elisa checked into the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles — a building with a long, disturbing history of violence, tragedy, and unexplained events. But shortly after arriving, she vanished.

What followed was a chilling sequence of events: unsettling elevator footage that showed Elisa acting strangely, a rooftop water tank, and a discovery that sparked worldwide speculation.

Her death was ruled accidental. But between the contradictions in the timeline, the bizarre behavior caught on tape, and the hotel’s dark reputation — many believe there’s more to the story.

Was it a mental health crisis? A tragic coincidence? Or did something far stranger unfold within the walls of the Cecil Hotel?

We’re breaking down the timeline, the theories, and the disturbing details that still don’t sit right.

TW: This episode includes discussion of mental illness, death, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised.

Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern