The darkest secret kept for the holidays... In December 1987, Ronald Gene Simmons, a decorated former U.S. military serviceman, enacted the deadliest case of familicide in American history—a horrific rampage spanning a week in rural Arkansas that claimed the lives of 16 people, including 14 members of his own immediate family. Join us as we trace the footsteps of a monster who turned the holiday season into an unimaginable scene of horror. References: Ronald Gene Simmons | Murderpedia, the en...

Christmas in Texas was supposed to be peaceful in 1927… until Santa walked into a bank and everything went to hell. What started as a harmless holiday costume turned into gunfire, chaos, and the biggest manhunt the state had ever seen. In this episode, we dig into the unbelievable true story of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery—where a gang of ex-cons, a stolen car, and one very un-jolly Santa turned a small-town Christmas into pure pandemonium. References ⁠https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entr...

He killed more men than Dahmer or Gacy — yet most people have never heard his name. In this episode, we uncover the chilling true story of Herb Baumeister, the seemingly ordinary Indiana businessman, husband, and father whose idyllic suburban life hid a nightmare. While his wife Julie raised their children on an 18-acre estate straight out of Leave It to Beaver, bones were scattered just beyond the tree line — and young men were disappearing across the Midwest. We trace Herb’s life from his d...

In the final chapter of our FLDS deep-dive, we uncover what happened after Warren Jeffs seized power — the moment faith turned into fear, and a community became a controlled kingdom of silence. We break down the suffocating rules, the destruction of individuality, and the psychological warfare used to keep followers obedient and terrified. This is a story of control, manipulation, and survival — but ultimately, it’s about courage. If you’ve ever wondered how something like this co...

Part Two is Here!! The Making of Warren Jeffs Content warning: discussion of abuse, child abuse, and spiritual coercion. Before he became the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS and one of America’s most notorious cult leaders, Warren Jeffs was just a boy born into chaos — the “golden child” of a sprawling polygamist family and the son of the church’s future prophet. In this episode, we trace how a quiet, awkward teacher turned into the architect of absolute control. From the turmoil of the ...

Imagine being born into a dynasty where faith is law, obedience is survival, and a man’s word determines your destiny. In this episode, we follow the gripping true story of Carolyn Jessop, a sixth-generation member of the FLDS who defied her husband, her prophet, and her entire community to save her eight children. From her grandmother’s fairytales to the night she fled in secret with a van running on fumes, Carolyn’s story of courage and conviction mirrors the dark evolution of the Fundament...

Beneath Gatlinburg’s neon lights, pancake houses, and souvenir shops lies a chilling true story that most visitors will never hear. In 1986, a confession letter left in a phone booth in Maggie Valley unraveled one of Tennessee’s most brutal crimes — the murders of Melissa “Missy” Hill and Troy Valentine at the Rocky Top Village Inn. What began as an ordinary night for a young dispatcher and his wife became a nightmare that would haunt the Smoky Mountains for decades. Join Courtney and Teresa ...

Grab your marshmallows and settle in by the fire—because this week on Storyteller, we’re taking you deep into the haunted woods of Ohio to uncover one of Appalachia’s creepiest legends: Red Eyes, The Mad Man of Camp Manatoc. But this episode isn’t your average campfire ghost story… we’ve got special guests—our husbands—joining us around the fire as we swap spooky tales, suspicious noises, and more laughter than we expected. Courtney digs into the bizarre "history" and chilling folklore surrou...

In the latest installment of our Spooky Season series, we’re headed to southwest Virginia, once again recording from the deck...at night...in rural Appalachia—to dig into the story behind America’s loudest founding father… and his darkest secret. Everyone knows Patrick Henry as the man who shouted “Give me liberty, or give me death!” But few know the story of Sarah Shelton Henry, his wife who was locked away in the cellar of their home, Scotchtown, as her mind unraveled after childbirth. What...

Welcome to Storyteller, where every episode is a new chapter of mystery, wonder, and the unexpected. In this spine-tingling kickoff to our Appalachian spooky series, Courtney and Teresa trade mountain mist for moonlight as they record from deep in the Blue Ridge—where legends breathe through the fog and the past never really rests. This week, we check into one of Virginia’s most haunted and storied places: The Martha Washington Inn in historic Abingdon. Once a family mansion, then a college, ...

Love is in the air… or maybe that’s just the flapping of enormous wings. 👀 In this episode of Storyteller, Courtney and Teresa step onto the Cryptid Connection Dating Game stage to uncover the truth about West Virginia’s most infamous legend—the mysterious, red-eyed heartthrob known as Mothman. Is he a harbinger of doom or just a misunderstood romantic with a killer wingspan and a bad reputation? From 1960s Point Pleasant sightings to bridge collapses, Chernobyl conspiracies, and beyond, ...

In this episode of Storyteller, Courtney and Teresa dive into the daring true story of Nellie Bly—the 23-year-old journalist who faked insanity to go undercover inside New York City’s notorious Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum in 1887. What began as whispers of abuse, neglect, and overcrowding turned into one of the most groundbreaking investigations in American journalism. Listeners will follow Nellie’s bold decision to shed her identity, her harrowing experiences inside the asylum, and the ...

On Christmas Eve, 1985, a Nebraska farmer stumbled upon a heartbreaking mystery: the frozen body of a little boy in blue pajamas, forever known as Little Boy Blue. But who was he—and how did he end up abandoned in a roadside ditch? This episode unravels the shocking story of Eli Stutzman, a former Amishman whose charm hid a dark and violent truth. From a troubled childhood in Ohio to a string of suspicious deaths and, ultimately, the betrayal of his own son, Stutzman’s story is one of manipul...

In our very first episode of the Storyteller Podcast, we’re taking you to Twin Bridges, Montana—home of the Montana State Orphanage, also known as the Montana Children’s Center. For decades, thousands of children passed through its doors, many carrying stories of hardship, resilience, and heartbreak. But behind the institution’s well-meaning beginnings were darker practices and a haunting legacy that still lingers today. We’ll explore the history of the orphanage, share firsthand accounts fro...