Parcast Presents

Today, we take a rapid-fire tour through the psychological factors that make us susceptible to misinformation. And ask: How would a New World Order take advantage? This episode is part of a series from Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How would a New World Order covertly seize control? We don’t have to look far to find precedents. This episode is Part 3 of a miniseries from Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For two centuries, secret societies, elite families and wealthy individuals have worked to consolidate power and wield their influence in and over the U.S. government. Has it become the perfect front for a New World Order? This episode is Part 2 of a miniseries from Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are secret groups of elites working in the shadows to take over the world? Over the next few weeks, Unexplained Mysteries is exploring the most likely candidates for global dominion. Up first: the Illuminati, and how this private club in Bavaria became a catch-all for totalitarian conspiracies. If you like this episode and want to hear more of history’s greatest unknowns, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For decades, family members and sleuths have tried to determine what really happened the night of the fire. As of yet, they have been unsuccessful. But the clues remain, the questions linger, and the case unofficially stays open… This is the final episode of our Sodder Family special. If you enjoyed it, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the aftermath of the fire, a startling number of tips, twists, and witnesses came forward regarding the fate of the Sodder children. Their father, George, followed the clues for decades, driven by a suspicion of the “official” story and a belief that the blaze was no accident. If you enjoy this episode, follow Unexplained Mysteries for more of history’s most puzzling events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Early Christmas day in 1945, Jennie Sodder woke up to her house on fire. The blaze consumed her home, and five of her young children. Or did it? Strange events, prescient remarks, and a lack of human remains hinted at more nefarious — though no less tragic — outcomes. If you enjoy this episode, follow Unexplained Mysteries for more of history’s most puzzling events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final episode of our crossover special, Molly and Carter from Conspiracy Theories investigate what exactly the U.S. government knew ahead of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the hours, days and weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan’s forces coordinated a vast takeover of the Pacific. Back at home, Hideki Tojo’s reign as Prime Minister oversaw brutal wartime atrocities. Kate and Richard from Dictators detail the Japanese war effort, the experiments of Unit 731, and the battles that changed the course of the war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1941, as hostilities between the two nations escalated, wartime negotiations officially broke down. Combat was imminent — but where? This is the second part of our crossover special with Conspiracy Theories and Dictators, two Spotify Originals from Parcast, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eighty years ago, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese fighter planes devastated the U.S. and spurred the nation into war. Join us for a special crossover between Dictators and Conspiracy Theories where we’ll analyze the event from all sides, starting with the life of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo — a career militarist whose devotion to Japan thrust him into power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Japan, a yoga teacher named Shoko Asahara claimed he had special DNA, developed the battery-powered “Perfect Salvation System,” and directed his cult, Aum Shinrikyo, to carry out chemical attacks in Tokyo. This is the final episode in the three-part series — if you enjoyed it, search and follow Cults to hear what really happens behind the closed doors of covert societies. New episodes Tuesdays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosts Vanessa Richardson and Lanie Hobbs explore the story of Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally — the so-called king and queen of Diamond Mountain who used tantric yoga to lure hundreds to their Arizona desert retreat. This episode is a collaboration between Cults and Crimes of Passion, two Spotify Originals from Parcast. Every week, Cults analyzes the minds and movements of notorious cult leaders, and Crimes of Passion follows love stories that turn into crime stories. Search and follow to catch new episodes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do quests for enlightenment get so sinister? In this three-part special from Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast, we’re looking at three stories of yoga gurus who were loved — then loathed — for their practices. We start in Romania, charting the rise of Gregorian Bivolaru: an allegedly all-powerful mystic who remixed religions for an ever-expanding cache of followers across Europe. But the price of following him was more than devotion… If you like this episode, search and follow Cults to delve into the minds of more notorious cult leaders every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once a promising intelligence officer, Ray Fernandez transformed into a career conman, swindling lonely women out of their savings. When he met Martha Beck in 1947, his Lonely Hearts con became a deadly scheme of spiralling jealousies and stolen fortunes. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If love makes you do something evil, does that make you evil, too? In the late 1970s, Gerald Gallego twisted himself around Charlene’s heart and didn’t let go. The couple, later known as “The Sex Slave Killers,” worked in tandem to kidnap and murder ten women. Was Charlene also a victim? For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following a whirlwind romance, Alton Coleman and Debra Brown embarked on a violent rampage that turned the summer of 1984 bloody. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They say love is a many-splendored thing. But for Ray and Faye Copeland, it was a thing of violence. The couple’s murderous crimes made them two of the oldest people ever sentenced to death in the United States. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As babysitters became horror movie tropes, the real-life terror didn't slow down. In 1981, 15-year-old babysitter Kelly Cook was murdered by a man who called himself "Bill Christensen." To this day, his true identity remains a mystery. For more episodes like this one, follow Unsolved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1953, 15-year-old Evelyn Hartley left to babysit a neighbor's child – but she never came home. Following a trail of bloodstains and clothing scraps, police led a fruitless search for her killer. Today, some believe Evelyn might've been the victim of one of the most terrifying serial killers in American history. For more episodes like this one, follow Unsolved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A 1950 crime in Missouri may have inspired the urban legend about the babysitter and the man upstairs. When the Romacks returned from a night out, they found their 13-year-old babysitter, Janett Christman, dead in their living room — and police had reason to believe it was an “inside job.” For more episodes like this one, follow Unsolved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Occasionally, a presence comes along that is so wicked, it can infest entire groups of people — even nuns. But getting rid of demonic power will take more than a sprinkling of holy water. Today we explore infamous cases of exorcisms, including the real-life example observed by the director of The Exorcist, and investigate why exorcisms are still on the rise. For more episodes like this one, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does a house become haunted? It could be because a gruesome murder occurred there. Maybe it sits on an ancient burial ground. Or perhaps it has to do with the perspective of the people who are calling it haunted. For more episodes like this one, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Photographs and ouija boards. Tape recorders and EMF detectors. Ghost hunters have long tried using technology to prove the existence of spirits. With new instruments on the horizon, will spiritualists finally be able to show proof of the supernatural? For more episodes like this one, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From shamans to mystics to medical marvels, people have been experiencing out of body experiences for centuries. Some think they can give us a glimpse into the afterlife, while military experiments suggest they can give us healing powers and time-travel capabilities. For more episodes like this one, follow Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2017, news of Keith Raniere’s predatory sorority finally hit the airwaves. After disavowing any connection to the group, the 57-year-old cult leader read the writing on the wall and fled to Mexico. But he wouldn’t be allowed to avoid consequences that easily... For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By 2006, 46-year-old Keith Raniere had made NXIVM alluring enough to attract billionaire heiresses and Hollywood actresses. But as women began defecting, he feared he was losing control — and in a bid to reassert dominance, created a predatory group known as DOS. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1999, after the collapse of Consumers Buyline, 39-year-old Keith embarked on a new business venture. But while the product he was selling changed, his approach remained the same. And soon, he began to prey upon the very students he had promised to help. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After acing an IQ test in 1988, 28-year-old Keith Raniere was able to brand himself “The Smartest Man in the World.” The moniker allowed him to seduce unappreciated businesswoman Toni Natalie, who would go on to help Keith grow the first of his predatory companies. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this chilling conclusion to our Working Late series, we're diving into the frightening world of medical professionals who killed again and again. And this wasn't just malpractice — these healers from hell delighted in their power, and got away with it for years. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our continuing exploration of the most popular jobs for serial killers, we're taking a deep dive into those murderers who spent time in the military. It's a job that literally taught these men to kill, and they wielded that skill with alarming ferocity. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The number of psychopaths who hold positions with "CEO" in the title would alarm you — even if it wouldn't surprise you. Today, we're turning our attention to the business world, where a termination doesn't just mean you're losing your job... For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the halfway point of this Working Late series, we want to look at the people whose work is often overlooked, but that keeps society running. Laborers possess the skills to repair our homes, build roads, and keep us safe. But these skills can also help them get away with murder. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You pass them every day in the car — truck drivers hauling things from one end of the country to the other. But do you ever think about how that transient lifestyle makes truckers the perfect serial killers? Well, if you haven't yet, you will now. Welcome to episode two of our Working Late series on the most popular jobs for serial killers. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the most popular jobs among serial killers? In this six-part series, we explore the professions that were twisted to suit the darkest after-hours pursuits. For more episodes like this one, follow Serial Killers, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final episode of our 9/11 series, we take a look at the legacy of 9/11 and how the memory of that day impacted the world in unexpected ways. For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How much did the U.S. government actually know about the 9/11 attacks before they happened? Was President George W. Bush angling for war since his first day in office? For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries, Spotify Originals from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the 1990s, a private equity firm called the Carlyle Group began purchasing and investing in a multitude of private defense contracting and weapons companies. In the months after 9/11, they made millions as the U.S. prepared for war. Some of Carlyle's most prominent investors and associates included the Saudi royal family, the bin Laden family, and the Bush family. Did they profit off 9/11? And did George W. Bush help cover up for the Saudis? For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries, Spotify Originals from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We trace the path through history to 9/11, then examine how the official 9/11 Commission Report gave conspiracy theorists a foothold. For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries, Spotify Originals from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The horrific attacks of September 11th come to an end. In the aftermath, rescuers and volunteers clean up while military and government leaders decide how to respond. For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries, Spotify Originals from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The morning of September 11, 2001 changed the world. Twenty years later, questions still linger about the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. In this six-part crossover special, we’re taking a look back at what we do and don’t know about the tragedy that unfolded, starting with a moment-by-moment account of the attacks. For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries, Spotify Originals from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1977, a couple built a Satanically-inspired mansion in rural Georgia. They called their abode Corpsewood Manor. Five years later, a gruesome double-murder made the home true to its name. For more episodes like this one, follow Solved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August 1969, eight-and-a-half-months-pregnant actress Sharon Tate was on top of the world, living the Hollywood dream. That is, until it turned into the bloodiest kind of Hollywood nightmare. For more episodes like this one, follow Solved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2011, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley threw a wild house party in Port St. Lucie, Florida. What his guests didn’t know was that on the other side of a locked door, dead bodies lay hidden. A jarring confession ignited a race against time to end the revelry for good. For more episodes like this one, follow Solved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1990s, the Club Kids ruled the New York City party scene. They represented fun, freedom, and self-expression — until a grisly murder rocked their tight-knit community. For more episodes like this one, follow Solved Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the years since the Satanic Panic, it's become obvious that the crimes people were accused of never really happened. But while none of the nightmarish stories of ritual abuse in Satan’s name were true, it doesn’t mean there weren’t real victims… For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emboldened by power- and money-hungry conmen, Evangelical doomsdayers set the stage for an epic showdown of biblical proportions. The fight for the souls of every last American was beginning, they claimed, and Satan was coming to drag us all to hell. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Adolfo Costanzo and the Narcosatanists to the gruesome Chicago Rippers, these horrific groups showed that fears of murderous devil-worshipping cults weren't entirely unfounded. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The terrifying crimes of three serial killers helped feed fears of a growing satanic influence in the U.S. In part two, we’re covering the occult influences and media coverage of “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz, “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez, and “Devil Child” Sean Sellers. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1980s, Satanic Panic was a mass hysteria that consumed communities and ruined lives — all over things that never happened. In this five-part series, we’re examining the origins of the panic, tracing back through the decades to see how the fear of Satan’s influence in society swept across North America. For more episodes like this one, follow Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices