This episode of Strange Matters presents a particularly disturbing crime that took place in the early 20th century, in France.   The story involves two sisters who worked as maids for an upper class family.  The Papin Sisters had been employed by the family for seven years, and had been described as idyllic workers.   Things weren’t as perfect as it seemed, however.   A sudden and gruesome act by the sisters would shock the country of France, and would be regarded as one of the worst crimes committed in the century.  This episode will go over the history and background of the Papin Sisters, the details of their terrible crime, and the aftermath of the event that would quickly become the top story of its time.
Click here to check out Strange Matter’s episode on the condition known as Shared Psychosis.

This episode of Strange Matters details an area of Lake Michigan that has become quite infamous for a number of strange and deadly incidents.  For more than a century, there have been cases of unexplained shipwrecks, disappearances, plane crashes, and mysterious lights in the sky, all over Lake Michigan.   As the strange stories and legends of unanswered mysteries of the lake grew, the region where all these incidents occurred would be nicknamed the “Lake Michigan Triangle.”  This episode will present a number of the mysterious and dark events that have all occurred over the waters of Lake Michigan.

This episode of Strange Matters talks about a weird weather phenomenon that happened in 1994.  In a small city in the state of Washington, the people were surprised by what happened during some rainstorms.  Instead of seeing the familiar regular rain, the folks of Oakville had to deal with the sky opening up and dropping “blobs” on them.  What these blobs were has remained a mystery for decades now.  This episode presents the details of what happened when the blobs starting to rain down, and the possible theories that have been put forth by the Oakville citizens to try and make some sense of this strange event.

Fate.  Death.  The Fox.   The various nicknames signed by a man who sent out ransom notes regarding the kidnapping of a twelve year old girl named Marion Parker.
This episode of Strange Matters discusses the terrifying and disturbing events surrounding an infamous kidnapping case that took place in Los Angeles in 1927.   A young girl named Marion Parker was abducted by a smooth talking man, right from her own school.  Meanwhile, her father would be contacted by the same man demanding ransom money.  This individual would become commonly known as The Fox.  This disturbing case would ultimately be referred to at the time as the “Crime of the Century.”  This episode goes over all the details of the kidnapping, the investigation of the police trying to figure out who the Fox was, and the tragic outcome of this dark crime.

This episode of Strange Matters talks about the phenomenon known as Time Slips.   Time Slips refer to events in which a person supposedly either leaves their own timeline to get a glimpse of something in the past or future, or sees something in the present of a person or object from another time era.  This episode goes over details of these so called “Time Slips,” as well as presents various stories of people who have said to experienced such things.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the strange events surrounding the death of a man named Hugues de la Plaza, who would die under mysterious and controversial circumstances. Hugues would be found alone in his locked apartment having died from several fatal knife wounds. Despite there being a number of unusual facts surrounding his death, such as no bloody knife ever being found at his apartment, the police would rule his death a likely suicide. The investigation and resulting backlash of Hugues’ death would spark controversy and debate over how the police conducted themselves, and over what exactly happened the night that Hugues de la Plaza died. This episode covers the details of the night of his death, the police and medical investigation that followed, and the different sides of the story that have been put forth to attempt to solve this strange case.

In an isolated region of Siberia known as the Valley of Death, there are stories of strange metal objects buried in the ground.  The nomadic tribes of the area who first encountered them centuries ago called these metallic structures “cauldrons.”   The exact nature and purpose of these cauldrons are a mystery.  Some stories say that they were caused by frequent meteorites of the area, some believe that the objects are alien in nature.  Could these objects be parts of space ships, or part of some underground base or structure?  Or are they all just a folk story, and the cauldrons don’t actually exist at all?  This episode will detail possible answers to these questions, as well as detailing the history of these mysterious cauldrons buried in the Valley of Death.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the odd and unexplained events surrounding the death of a woman named Cindy James.  Cindy was a Canadian woman who had been experiencing harassment, stalking, and physical attacks for years leading up to her death.  Despite what would look like to an outsider as a serious threat, the authorities found some inconsistencies in Cindy’s story that made them question whether all of it was real, or some kind of set up by the woman herself.  The bizarre nature of the scene of her death has left open the question whether Cindy was murdered, or took her own life.  This episode will detail Cindy’s backstory, the timeline of events leading up to her death, and the possibilities and theories surrounding this strange story.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the infamous murder case known as the Gregory Affair, which details the disturbing murder of a young French boy, Grégory Villemin.  In this unsolved case that continues to intrigue the French public to this day, a family would be taunted with threats of vengeance from a mysterious individual who was only known as “The Crow.”  This person would seemingly carry out his revenge by abducting and murdering the family’s four year old son, Grégory.  After this grisly crime, a web of accusations and suspects would spin out of control, causing even more deaths in the chaotic aftermath.  This episode will detail the history of the case, the strange investigation that followed, and the suspects of who could have carried out the terrible crime.

This episode discusses one of the most sadistic and cruel killers in American History. David Parker Ray, commonly known by his nickname of the Toy Box Killer, was a suspected serial killer, rapist, and torturer of women. His crimes are believed to have spanned several decades. David Parker Ray earned his notorious nickname because of the personal torture house he built, a customized truck trailer that was filled with dozens of weapons and tools used to inflict harm. This sound proof trailer, the place where he would imprison women for days and weeks at a time, was referred to by David Parker Ray as his “Toy Box.”
This episode goes over the history of David Parker Ray and details of his crimes, as well as the events and investigation that would eventually bring about his downfall.

This episode of Strange Matters presents a number of legendary monsters found in various cultures and folklore from around the world. Some of these monsters date back hundreds of years, while others have more recent origins. This episode discusses the history and legacy behind these monsters, as well as some of their cultural impact on the locals.
The monsters discussed within the episode includes the Aswang from the Philippines, The Orang Minyak of Malaysia, the Popobawa of Tanzania, and the Grootslang of South Africa.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the mystery behind the unidentified remains of a woman who is only known by her nickname, the Lady of the Dunes. This body would be found in 1974 in the sand dunes of Massachusetts, and would start an investigation that would go on for decades. Over the years there have been several different ideas and leads to go on, but unfortunately both the identities of the woman and the person responsible for her death is still a mystery to this day. This episode discusses the details of the case, as well as the possible suspects and leads in the investigation that have been covered up to this point.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the strange and disturbing trend of cow mutilations. For years, dead cows have been discovered in unnatural and unexplained ways. These cattle remains are often found with body parts removed, their internal organs missing, and their blood completely drained. What is causing this has been plaguing ranchers for decades, as no clear answer has been brought forth that can make any sense of this mystery. This episode covers the history of these cow mutilations, as well as presenting the many different theories concerning just exactly what is behind it all.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the sudden and mystifying disappearance of two Dutch girls, Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, who went missing in Panama after they had set out on a hike. A long and exhaustive search of the area where the girls should have been turned up empty for weeks, as teams from both Panama and the Netherlands searched the trails for any signs of the missing hikers. As the investigation continued, clues would be found that revealed a slight amount of information about the lost girls, but at the same time brought up even more unanswered questions as to what had actually happened. As this case caught international interest, ideas and theories surrounding this mystery arose in an attempt to give some any of explanation behind this case. This episode covers the events that lead up to and followed the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, as well as presenting the multitude of possible theories that have been brought forth by both investigators and mystery lovers alike around the world.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the discovery of the unidentified remains of a woman found in Norway.  This body would come to be known as the Isdal Woman.  The circumstances behind her death were quite strange, as her burnt body was found in a remote location in a region known as Death Valley.  However, the mystery behind this woman would only grow as the police attempted to piece together the puzzle behind the unknown stranger.  This episode includes the unusual details surrounding the death of the Isdal Woman, along with the intensive investigation that followed.

This episode of Strange Matters presents the disappearance of Lars Mittank, and the strange series of events that lead up to the man’s sudden vanishing.  Lars was a young German man who was on a holiday vacation with some friends.  Though described as the average, normal person, Lars would exhibit a few instances of strange behavior during this trip that was quite uncharacteristic of him.  Lars would ultimately last be seen sprinting frantically out of an airport in Bulgaria right before his flight home, and no trace of him has ever surfaced since.  In this episode the backstory leading up to this bizarre disappearance is discussed, along with any possible ideas as to what in the world happened that could cause such a strange mystery.

This episode of Strange Matters presents a historical mystery known as the Persian Princess.  In November of 2000, an amazing discovery was made when a police raid in Pakistan turned up a mummy.  Though already highly unusual, what made this case even more astounding was the fact that this new mummy appeared to be unique from every other mummy ever found before.  This new found mummy was claimed not to be an Egyptian, but instead an ancient Persian princess who lived 2,600 years ago.
At first appearances, It looked as if this was the find of a lifetime.
However, after an investigation was launched to determine the legitimacy of this so called Persian Princess, the story on this historic marvel suddenly would take a dark turn.

In this episode of Strange Matters a number of legends and myths that all come from various Native American cultures are presented and discussed.



The Thunderbird was a mighty bird which was said to have the power to create thunderstorms.  Depending on the particular tribe’s version of this mythical creature, the Thunderbird could either be a protective force or a deadly menace.  Even more interesting about this legendary creature is that there are still sightings and encounters with mysterious giant birds across America to this day, leading some to believe in the existence of the Thunderbird.



Much like the Thunderbird, the legend of the Little People is one that is seen across a wide range of Native American societies. Though extremely short in stature, the Little People would prove to be a big problem to many tribes, with their antics ranging all the way from simple pranks… to murder.



Finally, two creepy legendary creatures of the night are discussed. The Keelut was a skinless dog which possessed an evil spirit.  This dark beast would stalk its prey through the snow, paralyzing and attacking anyone who was unfortunate to see it.  The Baykok were once warriors and hunters of the Ojibwa who died in disgrace.  Now, their restless spirits continue to roam the lands, hunting their living tribesman in the night and devouring them alive.



Enjoy this episode all about the legends and myths of the Native American people!

This episode of Strange Matters covers the unique case of a missing Polish woman named Katarzyna Zowada.  Katarzyna was a young college student who would suddenly go missing without a trace or clue in 1998.  For years her disappearance puzzled law enforcement, until a gruesome discovery was made that transformed this story from a simple disappearance, into one of the strangest and most disturbing crime cases of the country.  For decades, the fate of Katarzyna Zowada has remained perhaps the biggest criminal mystery in Poland’s history.  In this episode the dark tale of Katarzyna’s mystery is discussed, as well as the mystifying aftermath and the current fairs of the ongoing investigation.

Strange Matters is back! In our return episode the mysterious disappearance case of Yuba City is discussed, one of the strangest group vanishings in modern history.
On a cold winter night in 1978, a group of five men known by their families as “The Boys” left a basketball game and presumably traveled back home.  Instead, for reasons unknown, they inexplicably drove into the mountains and would seemingly vanish into the snowy wilderness of the Sierra Nevada.  When the five friends remained missing, their concerned families alerted the police.  At this point law enforcement would launch an investigation that would provide more questions than answers, as everyone involved was left clueless the closer they got to solving this strange disappearance.