Mysterious Pacific Northwest

NEW SERIES LAUNCH!!We’re opening the first case in our new monthly series, The Infamous Files — stories that linger, mysteries that refuse to be solved, and cases that continue to haunt.Our first file: the disappearance of Bryce Laspisa.In August 2013, 19-year-old Bryce set out to drive home to his parents in Southern California. What should have been a seven-hour trip turned into a twenty-hour odyssey of strange phone calls, roadside stops, a wrecked SUV near Castaic Lake…and then nothing.More than a decade later, Bryce has never been found. His case remains one of the most unsettling mysteries of the West Coast. Listen now everywhere you stream podcasts! Follow along as we open The Infamous Files once a month, each time diving into a case that refuses to rest.Sources:https://allthatsinteresting.com/bryce-laspisahttps://allthatsinteresting.com/history-uncovered/bryce-laspisahttps://themorbidlibrary.com/the-missing-bryce-laspisa/https://disappearedblog.com/bryce-laspisa/https://uncovered.com/cases/bryce-laspisahttps://crimejunkiepodcast.com/missing-bryce-laspisa/https://medium.com/chameleon/the-bizzare-48-hours-leading-up-to-bryce-laspisas-disappearance-81e299e1c1f7https://vocal.media/criminal/the-vanishing-of-bryce-laspisahttps://www.websleuths.com/threads/ca-bryce-laspisa-19-castaic-timeline-and-media-thread-no-discussion.223162/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-sep-05-la-me-ln-bryce-laspisa-missing-20130905-story.htmlhttps://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/missing-19-year-old-bryce-laspisas-car-found-but-no-sign-of-him/https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/search-for-missing-college-student-bryce-laspisa/1919726/https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/missing-bryce-laspisa-family-plea/1922283/https://www.kcra.com/article/missing-sierra-college-student-bryce-laspisa/6413446

29 Sep 1h 6min

Helena, Montana may call itself the Queen City of the Rockies… but behind the marble banks and gold-rush mansions, another empire was thriving. A world of cribs and parlor houses, velvet curtains, and infamous women like Chicago Joe, Crazy Belle, and Big Dorothy.For more than a century, Helena’s red-light district pulsed just a block away from respectability — fueled by miners, politicians, and secrets too scandalous for daylight. There were fortunes, feuds, masquerade balls… and murders the city never solved.Step back in time with us as we pull back the velvet curtain on Helena’s hidden past. This one is haunting, scandalous, and unforgettable.#HelenaHistory #RedLightDistrict #MysteriousPNW #TrueCrimePodcast #MontanaHistory #PodcastReleaseSources:https://mhs.mt.govhttps://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=45236https://www.treasurestatelifestyles.comhttps://montanawomenshistory.orghttps://historicmt.org/items/show/249https://mhs.mt.gov/Shpohttps://ellenbaumler.blogspot.comhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Aireyhttps://helenahistory.orhttps://mtoutlaw.comhttps://npgallery.nps.govhttps://apiahip.orghttps://distinctlymontana.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-record-bobby-kelly-murde/4722642/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-record-bobby-kelly-murde/4722617/  https://www.montanawomenshistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/https://www.helenahistory.org/red_light_district.htm

26 Sep 16min

In early 2002, Oregon City was rocked by the disappearances of two young friends, Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis. As fear gripped the community, investigators searched desperately for answers, never realizing that the key to the mystery stood right at the edge of the girls’ apartment complex. This is a story of betrayal, tragedy, and justice delayed but not denied.Episode Sources:https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Miranda_Gaddis_and_Ashley_Pondhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/step-by-step-in-oregon-killer-case/https://kval.com/news/local/10-years-later-woman-sheds-light-on-why-sister-killed-by-ward-weaverhttps://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91283&page=1https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11065622https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Weaver_IIIhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6wFzKOCwU1Ihttps://www.thoughtco.com/the-ward-weaver-case-971098

25 Sep 45min

This week we dive into one of the Pacific Northwest’s darkest stories — the tale of Dr. Linda Hazzard, the so-called “Starvation Doctor.”From her rise as a self-styled healer to the horrors of Starvation Heights in Olalla, WA, we follow the patients who suffered under her deadly cure, the shocking death of Claire Williamson, the role of E.R. Butterworth’s mortuary, and the sensational trial that exposed it all.It’s a chilling blend of history, true crime, and ghost story — and a reminder of how desperation can be exploited in the name of healing.Sources:https://www.historylink.org/File/7955https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/hazzard-linda-burfield-perry-1867-1938https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Hazzardhttps://digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/2508https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/state-v-hazzard-893667610https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-times-linda-hazzard/2466993/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-times-linda-hazzard/2467316/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10252215https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/doctor-who-starved-her-patients-death-180953158/https://www.thestranger.com/features/2019/10/23/41755951/ivars-and-the-serial-killerhttps://www.agoodnightforamurder.com/episodes/0449-starvation-doctor-linda-hazzardhttps://people.com/linda-hazzard-doctor-starvation-williamson-sisters-british-heiresses-8768984https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-times-9-aug-1911-lindas-hazz/1740677/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10252215https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/state-v-hazzard-893667610

18 Sep 55min

On a quiet September night in 2015, 51-year-old Kirk Morin offered a ride to a young woman he’d never met. Hours later, his body was found in a ditch near the Alaska Highway, brutally struck more than 50 times with a machete. The killer, 24-year-old Lisa Miel, claimed she acted out of fear—but evidence revealed a far darker story of paranoia, preparation, and relentless violence. In this episode, we unravel the chilling events of that night, the investigation that followed, and the trial that exposed Lisa’s disturbing descent into delusion and murder.Episode Sources:https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2017/2017bcsc1446/2017bcsc1446.pdfhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jury-convicts-lisa-miel-of-second-degree-murder-1.4007166https://energeticcity.ca/2017/08/22/lisa-miel-sentenced-for-second-degree-murder-of-man-in-taylor/https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/woman-convicted-in-machete-murder-case-3727159

11 Sep 54min

In January 2025, a contractor renovating a Mountlake Terrace home discovered a human skull hidden in a basement bucket. No other remains. No identification. Just one of Snohomish County’s newest mysteries.In this episode, we take you through the investigation — the forensic reconstruction, the search for her identity, and the missing women who have been compared and ruled out, including Sharon “Shari” Christine Anderson, Tracey Elizabeth Brazzel, Laynee Danielle Westbrook, and Susan Walker. Each of their cases is still unsolved.We’ll also share the story of another unidentified case from March 2024 — a man’s skull found in Lynnwood’s Scriber Lake Park. There is no known connection between the two, but together they highlight how many names remain missing in our region.You’ll see both reconstructions in our episode notes and on our social media. Someone knows who they are. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. Tips: Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office – 425-438-6200Sources:Snohomish County Medical Examiner – Unidentified RemainsMy Edmonds News – Facial Reconstruction of Mountlake Terrace SkullKIRO 7 – Skull Found in Mountlake Terrace Home, Facial Reconstruction ReleasedHeraldNet – Unidentified Remains: Names Ruled Out Over the YearsLynnwood Times – Scriber Lake Park Skull Discovery OverviewLynnwood Times – Additional Details on Lynnwood Park CaseHeraldNet – Authorities Seek Help Identifying Partial Skull Found in Lynnwood ParkLynnwood Today – Partial Skull Found at Scriber Lake ParkThe Charley Project – Sharon Christine Anderson CaseThe Charley Project – Tracey Elizabeth Brazzel CaseThe Charley Project – Laynee Danielle Westbrook Case

4 Sep 27min

In 1992, Gladys Wakabayashi — daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire — was found brutally murdered in her Vancouver home. The case went cold for 15 years… until a controversial RCMP “Mr. Big” sting led to a jaw-dropping confession from her friend, 69-year-old Jean Ann James. But was it real — or coerced?Jealousy, betrayal, and a confession caught on tape… but with no forensic evidence, this case tests the limits of truth and justice.Episode Sources:https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/update-accused-richmond-woman-sought-details-of-victims-death-court-told-2948044https://dlalaw.ca/defence-cites-flaws-in-mr-big-sting-at-murder-trial-of-jean-james/https://theprovince.com/news/woman-confessed-to-killing-husbands-mistress-with-box-cutters-court-toldhttps://globalnews.ca/news/173954/jean-ann-james-found-guilty-of-1992-vancouver-murder/https://vancouversun.com/news/woman-convicted-of-slitting-friends-throat-under-investigation-againhttps://mail.murderpedia.org/female.J/j/james-jean-ann.htmhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/elderly-killer-jean-ann-james-loses-bid-for-private-visits-with-unfaithful-husband-1.3198433

21 Juli 18min

Something strange fell from the sky over Oakville, Washington in 1994—not rain, but a warm, gelatinous substance that made people and animals violently ill. It happened six times. The blobs were tested, found to contain living cells… and then quietly disappeared from official records. No answers. No explanations. Just silence.What really fell from the sky?#MysteriousPacificNorthwest #OakvilleBlobs #UnsolvedMystery #StrangeRain #GovernmentSecrets #ParanormalPodcast #TrueMystery #PNWWeird #PodcastEpisode #RainOfBlobsSources:https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/oakville-blob-remains-a-mystery/281-85c86992-ce23-4343-95a4-462384c4101dhttps://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-were-the-oakville-blobs/https://www.kxro.com/20-years-later-the-oakville-blob/https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/what-were-the-oakville-blobs-and-what-caused-them/https://www.iflscience.com/oakville-blobs-in-1994-mysterious-gelatinous-goo-rained-down-on-washington-73717https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/oakville-blobs-mysteryhttps://www.chronline.com/stories/the-day-blobs-rained-down-on-oakville,81399https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakville,_Washingtonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_jellyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zBeSYyk0vUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT73Xs5KWlg

11 Juli 29min