Santa Claus, AZ | In the 1930s, a holiday fantasy rose from the Arizona desert, promising Christmas every day of the year. This is the story of what happens when we try to make permanent what is seasonal by design. Follow for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcitypod 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod ✉️ Email: info@darkcitypodcast.com 🔎 Sources: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/santa-claus-arizona https://www.azcent...

Phoenix, Arizona | Case note on unexplained moments that surfaced during the Zombie Hunter investigation. I highly recommend Troy Hillman’s book Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter if you want to go even deeper into this case. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Down-Zombie-Hunter-Small-Town/dp/1639369678/ To learn more about Troy Hillman’s work, check out his website at https://troyhillmancoldcase.com/ and follow him on social media at https://www.instagram.com/troyhillmancoldc...

Phoenix, AZ | The DNA match finally gave the canal murderer a name: Bryan Patrick Miller. But what followed raised more questions than answers. In Part 2, with retired Cold Case Sergeant Troy Hillman guiding the investigation, we trace how a man with a long history of violence managed to live an ordinary life while cultivating a public persona that mocked the very system hunting him. I highly recommend Troy Hillman’s book Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter if you want to go even deeper into this...

Phoenix, AZ | Two brutal attacks along the city’s canal bike paths left residents terrified, investigators overwhelmed, and a serial predator hiding in plain sight. This episode unravels the cases of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas, two young women assaulted while out on routine bike rides, and the decades-long effort to uncover who was responsible. With retired Cold Case Sergeant Troy Hillman guiding us through the investigation and the pivotal DNA breakthrough, we follow how a tangle of sc...

Phoenix, Arizona | Phoenix is known for cactus and heat, not pumpkins. But in the 1860s, wild gourds grew in the valley, and an early settlement here actually went by Pumpkinville. This episode uncovers how an astonishing canal-building civilization, a chaotic frontiersman, and one dramatic Brit all collided to shape the unlikely pumpkin-soaked origins of America’s fifth-largest city. Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads: threads.ne...

Phoenix, AZ | Long before a car bomb ended his life, Don Bolles was already circling danger. For years, he’d been chasing a story about mob money and a greyhound dog racing empire whose ties ran far darker than anyone realized. As he dug deeper, files vanished, witnesses flipped, and suspicious deaths emerged. These questions remain: Was Don Bolles murdered for a story he wrote, or for a story he was about to write? And who ordered the hit? Special thanks to Jarrod Riddle of Spirit of Arizon...

On June 2, 1976, investigative reporter Don Bolles arrived at the Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix expecting to meet a source about land fraud. The meeting never happened. Moments later, a bomb exploded beneath his car, leaving him mortally wounded. As he lay barely conscious, Don uttered several words that still echo through Arizona’s history. Was he the target of a mob hit? And was it for a story he wrote, or one he was still working on? Special thanks to Jarrod Riddle of Spirit of Arizo...

While you’re waiting for the next episode, check out Leah's conversation with forensic psychologists Dr. Shiloh and Dr. Scott on their podcast L.A. Not So Confidential. We talk about the origins of Dark City, the importance of research in historical true crime storytelling, and revisit classic cases like Lizzie Borden and Winnie Ruth Judd. You can listen to Episode 215 Behind the Couch: Getting the Story Right with Dark City Podcast here. L.A. Not So Confidential is a true crime and forensic...

This is a rebroadcast of our Griffith Park episode, highlighted during the live show with L.A. Not So Confidential, dropping on their feed on September 17th! Link: https://www.la-not-so-confidential.com/episodes. A wild mountain lion, the disembodied roar of a tiger, and a serial killer bear, oh my! And that’s just the wildlife of Griffith Park. It’s known for the Hollywood sign, its world-class observatory, countless places to hike or relax. Not so much for its long shady histor...

Fall River, MA | Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their own home. The weapon was never found, no one saw it happen, and suspicion quickly centered on Andrew’s daughter, Lizzie. Here, the threads of resentment, money, a burned dress, and a failed attempt to buy prussic acid point suspicion at Lizzie. More than a century later, the question still lingers: was she guilty, or did history get it wrong? Special thanks to Megan Alves, staff at the Lizzie Borden House, for sharing her expertis...

Phoenix, AZ | The Orpheum Theatre has endured every challenge history put in its path, and so have the spirits of those who once filled its halls. From vaudeville spectacles and Hollywood premieres to decades of neglect and a $14.5 million restoration, the Orpheum has been the stage for both Phoenix’s triumphs and its growing pains. Today it dazzles with cutting-edge technology, but its most unforgettable performances may come from the ghosts who never left. Special Note: Jarrod Riddle of Spi...

Fall River, MA | We stayed overnight in the Lizzie Borden House to see for ourselves if the many accounts of paranormal activity were real. We’ll just say it wasn’t exactly uneventful. In this haunted detour from Phoenix, we dive into the ghost stories surrounding the infamous ax murders and uncover a relatively unknown tragedy in the Borden family that happened right next door, and is likely fueling the paranormal activity at the Borden house. Lipton soup, phantom bells, and child spir...

Phoenix, AZ | We dive into conflicting confessions, courtroom chaos, and the question that won’t die: Did Winnie Ruth Judd act alone? Or was “Happy Jack” Halloran neck-deep in the horror? From drainpipe letters to marionette films, this story only gets weirder. Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcitypod 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod 🦋 Bluesky: darkcitypodcast.bsky.social 🎥 TikTok: tiktok.com/@darkci...

Phoenix, AZ | Three bold, trailblazing women share a quiet Phoenix duplex, until one boards a train to Los Angeles with the other two dead and hidden in her luggage. In 1931, Phoenix was a little-known desert town of 50,000, but this brutal, baffling case put it on the map and continues to raise questions nearly a century later. Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcitypod 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod...

Carver, Arizona | It wasn’t on the map. Then it was. This desert mystery begins in 1983 with a park ranger’s call that was quietly buried. The story only gets weirder from there. Audio Attribution: Mysterious flute.mp3 by Almusic34 is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License Record scratch sound by kwahmah_02, via Freesound.org. The Witch and the Snitch by Dor Ben Lulu, Amitai Mann Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads...

Before we hit the heat of Phoenix…. Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcity.podcast 🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcity.podcast 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod 🦋 Bluesky: darkcitypodcast.bsky.social 🎥 TikTok: tiktok.com/@darkcitypod 🌎 Website: www.darkcitypodcast.com ✉️ Email: info@darkcitypodcast.com Background Music: The Witch and the Snitch by Dor Ben Lulu, Amitai Mann Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear f...

Alhambra, CA | Famed music producer Phil Spector‘s enraged reaction stunned police when they showed up to his castle to find actress Lana Clarkson dead in his foyer. But even more shocking was the story Phil Spector and his defense team told at his murder trial, especially when compared to the forensic evidence. Follow us for episode photos and more at: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcitypod 🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcitypod 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod 🦋 Bluesky: darkc...

Alhambra, CA | What’s the story behind Alhambra’s castle on the hill? Wrensmoor Castle stands like a stately gift from the past, modeled after the grand châteaus of the Pyrenees, the homeland of its original builder, Sylvester Dupuy. Behind its stately facade is a layered history shaped by opulence, challenges, and moments of dark intrigue. From hidden passages to a séance room, the castle has seen it all—including the downfall of legendary music producer Phil Spector, who once called it home...

Wood Island, Maine | Wood Island is so haunted, even bestselling horror writer J.D. Barker won’t stay the night - and he’s here to share how its chilling history inspired his upcoming book, Something I Keep Upstairs. Just as the Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King’s The Shining (and J.D. shares a terrifying story from his own stay there!), Wood Island’s dark past—plagued by disease, starvation, vanished bodies, and eerie paranormal activity—laid the foundation for his latest novel. ...

Los Angeles, CA | What did Christa Helm know that got her killed? Or was she the victim of a jealous rage? On February 12, 1977, Christa was brutally stabbed to death in a quiet West Hollywood neighborhood. The night she was murdered, she carried a personal diary filled with high-profile names, secrets, and scandals—one that mysteriously vanished and has never been found. Decades later, her killer remains unknown. The eerie coincidences surrounding her death are just as numerous as the people...