Twisted Travel and True Crime

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Insane Asylum Killer. Andre Rand, aka Cropsey Mar 24, 2021

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The Cropsey Urban legend is a staple on Staten Island in New York. Most of the children who grow up in the area have heard of the escaped mental patient who lives in the tunnels under the abandoned hospital. This version or similar stories tell of a crazy man who has an affinity for naughty children and would come out at night and snatch them. They would disappear forever. This well known tale unfortunately, like many tall tales and spooky nursery rhymes, has some basis in reality. Cropsey may be based on a real life serial killer named Andre Rand who preyed on some of the weakest people, children and even worse, mentally disabled children. Resources: https://classicnewyorkhistory.com/history-of-willowbrook-and-the-terrifying-legend-of-cropsey/ Wikipedia https://allthatsinteresting.com/andre-rand-cropsey You tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpUCLbTqABI Social Media Links:

Ghost Ship in the Bloody Bahamas, the murder of Bill and Patty Kamerer on their sailboat. Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Did they fight to save their boat and their lives? Did they look into the faces of their attackers or was it an ambush? Did the killers approach them silently or did they betray the couple acting like friends to gain their trust? Who died first and did the other have to bear witness? These are just a few of the many questions left behind in the wake of the ghost ship, the Kalia 3. The only witness, a domestic boat cat named Gypsy, was unable to tell the story of Bill and Patty Kamerer. They were killed aboard their home, the Kalia 3 while cruising in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas. Resources: A special thanks to Tim and Arie for the suggestion. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/04/28/The-New-PiratesUPI-NewsFeatures-Special-Report-Death-on-the-deep-and-phantom-vesselsThis-area-is-completely-inundated-with-sea-criminals/5221515044800. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-01-17-9301040261-story,amp.html

Survivor Rachael Moore is saved by her own 5 children, all under 14ys. Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Today’s story involves five child heroes. Their heroic acts saved their mother from being murdered. These five children all under the age of 14 protected their mother who had been shot, from their very own father. The man who is supposed to love and take care of them. I don’t cry very often when researching cases but this one definitely put a tear in my eyes. Unfortunately domestic violence is all too common and we don’t hear the true nature of the violence perpetrated inside someone’s home until there is a survivor in a story like this one. Even more rare is hearing about the violence from children who are often the silent witnesses. Four of these five children were rewarded with medals of bravery after the residents of Australia heard about their courageous acts. This is the survivor story of Rachael Moore. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_domestic_violence_hotlines https://amp-brisbanetimes-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-children-save-mum-from-domestic-violence-attack-20170324-gv668r.html?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16151293406132&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brisbanetimes.com.au%2Fnational%2Fqueensland%2Fi-thought-i-was-going-to-die-children-save-mum-from-domestic-violence-attack-20170324-gv668r.html https://amp-smh-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-bitter-truth-behind-jaydens-medal-of-courage-20170331-gvat3m.html?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16151293406132&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Flifestyle%2Fthe-bitter-truth-behind-jaydens-medal-of-courage-20170331-gvat3m.html https://youtu.be/fgkQndArUXE

Evil at Birth - Serial Killer Charlie Brandt Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

The debate over nature versus nurture is a hot topic among true crime listeners. It’s the question of whether our biological makeup, or what is in our DNA makes us who we are, or whether the environment we are raised in contributes more to who we become. This is often debated when it comes to murderers. Certainly, mental, emotional and physical abuse or being subjected to evil on a regular basis as a child would make it seem normal or acceptable to a child and that may transition with some of them to adulthood, but what if a murderer is raised in a home where none of these bad things happened . What if the child came from a larger family, where the other children are completely normal? What if despicable acts are committed by someone who is only a child themselves? Today’s case seems to argue for nature, or a biological disposition to commit evil. This case is pretty gruesome and definitely not for young ears. This is the case of Charlie Brandt.

Resources:

Wikipedia, Murderpedia, The Invisible Killer: The Monster Behind the Mask, Dark Topic Podcast, and Serial Killers Podcast

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The Dyatlov Pass Mystery. A group of 9 experienced hikers are dead due to very mysterious circumstances. Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Sixty two years ago an intrepid group of young men and women were determined to hike and ski through a mountain range in Russia. After they failed to return home rescuers were sent to find them. What they found stumped everyone. They had all died, some from hypothermia, Some were severely injured, but they wore no shoes and were nearly a mile from their tent. What happened to these young, healthy, experienced people. This is one of Russia’s greatest mysteries. This is the story of the Dyatlov pass incident. Resources: Wikipedia https://thecloakedhedgehog.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/the-dyatlov-pass-incident-part-1/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/SoLiOdJyCK/mystery_of_dyatlov_pass

Wells Grey Park Camping Murders Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

Camping, I love it. Many people hate it and cases like this one sometimes make me question why I enjoy it so much. A heartless killer staled his prey while they are innocently camping and enjoying the natural beauty found in one of Canada’s gorgeous parks. This man killed 6 innocent fun loving campers just to satisfy himself and to get what he felt like he was entitled too. The search for this man ended up being one of the most expensive and well known cases in Canada’s history. The killer is up for parole this year. https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/wells-gray-park-camping-murders Wikipedia Murderpedia

Cruise Ship Murder or Not? The unsolved case of George Smith Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

A huge cruise ship named the Brilliance of the Seas weighed anchor and eased out of Harbor at the Greene island of Mykonos in the Aegean Sea. It was America’s Independence day in 2005. It was also the sixth night of the trip for the passengers. There were 2300 of them on board and most of them were Americans. George Smith and his newlywed wife Jennifer were enjoying their honeymoon. They spent the day exploring Florence, eating and drinking exotic drinks. They partied into the early morning of the 5th and then within what was only minutes, George would disappear from the cruise ship, leaving behind his forgetful wife and an unruly group of young men who may have murdered him. This case has more questions than answers, and has not yet been solved.

Surviving a Tsunami, the story of 3 survivors of the 2004 Christmas Tsunami Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

Dwayne Meadows, a marine biologist and seasoned diver had spent Christmas day of 2004 in the world-renowned Similan Islands Marine National Park. He Had made plans to go on a snorkeling trip with a friend. right after breakfast, he went to his Bungalow to start Gathering his snorkeling gear when a scream shattered the morning air. He turned to see the harbor emptying and a thick white line of foam on horizon racing towards him. He saw the boats bobbing wildly in Khao Lak Bay. He immediately recognized the signs of a tsunami but was one of very few people who did so. This is his story and the stories of two other survivors of this deadly Tsunami.https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/26/-sp-boxing-day-indian-ocean-tsunami-readers-memories http://www.kerrytremain.net/survivor

Murder and Cannibalism in the Marquesas - The Rape and murder of Heike Dorsch and Stefan Ramin Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Stefan Ramon and Heike Dorsch decided to leave the trappings of their traditional life in order to explore the world and to delve into the cultures they would come across in their travels. They were nearing the end of a 3 year sailing trip which had nearly taken them around the world, when they decided to stop at the inviting Marquesas island of Nuku Hiva. They enjoyed their time there and had made a mental list of things they wanted to complete while visiting the island. It was one of the items on this simple list that ultimately led to Stefan’s death, Heike's rape and allegations of cannibalism. Thank you for listening.

RESOURCES:

https://www-gq-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.gq.com/story/arihano-haiti-stefan-ramin-murder-french-polynesia/amp?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16110156359229&amp_ct=1611015686138&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gq.com%2Fstory%2Farihano-haiti-stefan-ramin-murder-french-polynesia

https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/French-Polynesia-Cruising-sailors-alleged-murderer-turns-himself-in/-91456?source=google

https://www-express-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/278077/The-truth-about-cannibalism/amp?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16110852280421&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.express.co.uk%2Fexpressyourself%2F278077%2FThe-truth-about-cannibalism

Head shrinking is still happening and Enno Lolling-Nazi Doctor and experiments on bodies. Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Off with their heads! We have all heard that quote from the queen of hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Maybe you remember the scary story of the headless horseman from childhood? Beheading is how people were put to death in France via the guillotine and even in current times we have heard of beheadings within terrorist organizations. What is the fasciation behind "losing our heads". There seems to be some inherent power placed in our heads, as there should be after all it’s where we speak, hear, taste, feel and smell. All the senses in one place. Its what makes us, us. So is it hard to believe that there are people who believe that their enemies souls leave through their mouths when they die? Would it be beyond our scope of comprehension to think that if our enemies souls escape their bodies, they might do harm to us in the afterlife? If they could do that, our next thought would be how do we do keep the souls in the head. This is the belief of the Shuar. The most popular of the headshrinkers. This is a brief history of head shrinking, and the story of Enno Lolling, a NaziGerman doctor who allowed the abuse of the dead bodies of human beings. Not only that but he experimented with head shrinking, himself. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enno_Lolling https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-does-one-actually-shrink-a-head-5994665 https://www.allatsea.net/the-head-keepers-of-modern-day-indonesia/ http://holocaustcontroversies.blogspot.com/2017/11/nazi-shrunken-heads-human-skin.html?m=1

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