We Would Be Dead

On November 19th 2011 Williamsburg West Virginia police got a series of disturbing 911 calls. There has been as terrible accident, and all that remained were a body in the middle of the road and a car idling against the guard rail 3/10 if a mile down the highway. Upon arrival authorities discovered the remains of 20 year old Jaleayah Davis, naked from the waist up, decapitated in the middle on interstate 77. Her bloodied jacket, shirt and bra were neatly hung on the guard rail, and her 2006 Silver Kia Optima was 3/10 of a mile away, idling in the shoulder of the road pressed against the guardrail, doors still locked, keys in the ignition. When her family arrived on the scene they revealed that Jaleayah had been out with friends that night, and just moments before she was discovered, had made a series of disturbing phone calls to her sister, asking through tears to be picked up first from one location and then another. What Happened to Jaleayah Davis? Officially the Williamsburg police say she died in a single driver drunk driving accident, but there is so much more to this story. In this episode we discuss a truly senseless, tragic and mysterious death. We hope that some day the Davis family finds the answers they are looking for. PLEASE visit the Justice for Jaleayah Facebook page (link below) to learn more, and if you have any information about this case please message the facebook page immediately. Click to Learn More Justice for Jaleayah Facebook page Kim Davis on The Bread Lab Live How to watch Jaleayah's case on ID WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

In late March of 1996 a box containing the mutilated remains of an unidentified man washed up on the shores of Miller Field in Staten Island. Little did authorities know that this discovery was indelibly linked to the who's who of New York City Nightlife, and the king of the club kids himself, Michael Alig. Join WWBD as we take an ultra deep dive into the world in 1980's and 90's New York City night life. We trace the road to the concept of being famous for being famous and explore the rise of the elusive, colorful, living works of art and influence that were known simply as the club kids. This counter cultural phenomenon would change the landscape of art, music, and night life in a way no one knew was possible, and sadly, it culminated in one of the most shocking and grizzly murders of it's time. *There were a great many sources this week, most of which you can find below, but we will post more of the talk show appearances in our social media this week. As always, we encourage you to read more if you can. Also Glory Daze will be available on Netflix soon, it is an incredible watch :) Click to Learn More Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig Party Monster on Tubi Limelight on Tubi Michael Musto's Village Voice article, originally published in 1996 More recent coverage by Michael Musto Party Monster (originally titled "Disco Bloodbath" by James St. James Clubland By Frank Owen The Club Kids on Joan Rivers DragCon 2017 NYC panel featuring Michael Musto, James St. James, Amanda Lepore and photographer John Simone New York City Club Kids by WaltPaper. WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Gather 'round the fire fiends and let's bring back a time honored tradition: Christmastime ghost stories. This episode is perfect for a chilly and festive evening. Holly is reading you the classic chiller The Kit Bag by Algernon Blackwood, Leslie is reading the festive hide and seek scare fest 'Smee by A.M. Burrage, and finally, Holly offers an original ghost story in the traditional style called Mrs. Grove. We hope you enjoy, and maybe if all of us get on board, we can bring this fantastic tradition back to life. Merry Christmas, fiends! WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Step right up fiends, we're taking a trip to the sideshow! Join us as we explore the fascinating history of this uniquely American art form. Holly explores the roots of the side show and some of it's most famous human exhibits, Leslie recounts the haunting story of the Lobster Boy murders, and we have our first guest! Join WWBD as we explore the world of the modern sideshow from the perspective someone who lives it. Show organizer and performer Jason Lutz, AKA Mister E The Clown Prince of darkness, takes us behind the curtain for a unique look at the art, the magic and the reality of a working sideshow performer. Click to Learn More Mister E on Instagram Dead Flowers on Instagram Dead Flowers on Facebook WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

It was Christmas Eve 2008, and the Ortega family of West Covina, California, were enjoying the tail end of their annual Christmas Eve bash. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It appeared that Santa Clause had come to town, only this time he didn't bring presents, he brought a small arsenal. As you may have guessed, the Santa in question hadn't come down from the North Pole. No, Bruce Pardo, the man behind the beard, had driven a rental car from his Montrose home to the Ortega's house with one goal and one goal only, and that was to annihilate them all. Hang on to your jingle bells fiends, because this week we tell the story of the baddest Santa there ever was. WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Every year on Thanksgiving eve, they descend from the heavens to delight children and frustrate parents the world over. Elves. Whether on shelves, at the north pole, on Santa's sleigh, or at Macy's snapping a keepsake photo, elves are usually distinctly bonded to Christmas. Surprisingly enough, though, our diminutive misfit friends only made their way into the big man's employment in the late 1800s; their dark and mysterious history, however, goes back so much further. Join WWBD as we explore a time when elves were sickness-causing, blindingly attractive, kidnapping, forest dwellers. It's time for a lesson in dark history fiends, let's talk elves! WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

On August 13th, 2018, Shanann Watts and her two daughters. Bella and Celeste went missing from their Fredrick, Colorado, home. When young, healthy, and well-liked people go missing, we never want to assume the unthinkable has happened, but in this case, it had. The truth that unfurled over the next three days would shock the entire country and create a new landmark in this history of American crime. In this heavily requested and sometimes difficult to process episode, WWBD explores the unthinkable actions of Chris Watts. Click to Learn More Netflix documentary Vice MLM exposé WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

On February 8th, 1983, the residents of number 23 Cranley Gardens, located in a small North London suburb eagerly awaited the arrival of drain cleaning company Dyno-rod. The clogged drains had been a nuisance for a while and resolving this situation would surely be a huge relief; when the drain cleaner arrived, however, he would discover one of the most horrifying scenes in British true crime history. This discovery would launch investigators down the bizarre and sadistic trail of narcissist and serial killer, Dennis Nilsen. In part two of our investigation we explore Dennis's confession, conviction, trial and incarceration. In typical WWBD fashion we also dive deep into Dennis's psychological evaluations and tell the stories of three of his surviving victims. Click to Learn More The Real Des Documentary WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

On February 8th, 1983, the residents of number 23 Cranley Gardens, located in a small North London suburb eagerly awaited the arrival of drain cleaning company Dyno-rod. The clogged drains had been a nuisance for a while and resolving this situation would surely be a huge relief; when the drain cleaner arrived, however, he would discover one of the most horrifying scenes in British true crime history. This discovery would launch investigators down the bizarre and sadistic trail of narcissist and serial killer, Dennis Nilsen. In part one of our two-part investigation, we explore where Dennis came from and lay out the details of the crimes he committed. Next week we will discuss his confession, legal case and ultimately what makes a man like Dennis tick. Click to Learn More The Real Des Documentary WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Surprise! You didn't think we'd leave you hanging on Halloween did you? NEVER! Only the best for our Hallofiends! As our gift to you, please enjoy another free 30 minute horror movie to celebrate the end of an excellent spooky season, though, it's always spooky season for us. We hope you enjoy 30 minute Halloween!

10 years and 4,500 miles apart, two entire families had their lives tragically cut short with the blunt side of an axe. Though the families had nothing in common, the crimes were shockingly the same. This week, WWBD closes out "Axetober" with the stories of the Moore family murders in Villisca Iowa in 1912, and The Gruber family murders in Hinterkaifeck, Germany, in 1922. Both family murders were never solved. Click to Learn More Villisca axe murder house website WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

On October 25th 1829 Eastern State Penitentiary opened it's imposing Gothic doors. Touted as "the first Penitentiary" Eastern State claimed to revolutionize incarceration by doing away with physical punishment and keeping every prisoner in solitary confinement, but as we all know "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Join WWBD for a deep dive into Eastern's State's incredibly dark history from it's strict religious beginnings to it's current life as a museum and haunted attraction. This episode has just about everything you could possibly want from a spooky podcast so buckle up, you're in for quite a ride! WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Holly and Leslie are recapping horror movies in just thirty minutes. With a ticking timer the girls pass the story back and forth and see if they can cram in all the spooky, hilarious, goodness before time runs out! This new mini podcast (soon to be available monthly to our patrons) is a high energy, raucous, good rime. It's a lot like combining a roller coaster and a haunted house. Please enjoy our first installment, the iconic and insane 1983 horror fever dream, Sleepaway Camp! WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother 40 whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.... Or did she? Join WWBD for a deep dive into on of the most famous cases in American true crime history. Perhaps we'll change your mind about Lizzie and the grizzly murders that happened in Fall River so long ago. WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

On the morning of November 16th, 1957, Waushara County Wisconsin police officers responded to the report of missing local hardware store owner, Bernice Worden. Berince lived and worked in the nearby village of Plainfield. The investigation that followed lead authorities to an old farm on the outskirts of town. They were in search of a local man who had been the last reported customer Bernice served before the hardware store went mysteriously dark for the rest of the day. What the police would soon discover in that house however, would put sleepy Plainfield on the map, and change the face of horror movies forever. This episode takes a look at the deeply twisted story of Ed Gein, a quiet and unassuming man who did things beyond the realms of most human imaginations. Hang on to your hats this week fiends, because things get graphic! WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Hey fiends! We have a special treat for you! This track is designed as a viewing companion to the movie Tusk! Instructions will be provided at the beginning of the track with a moment for you to pause and start the movie, then a specific landmark wherein you unpause, and BAM! We're with you. Happy viewing! Included is a link to Kevin Smith's inspiration Tusk origin story animation Rent or Buy Tusk the Movie on Amazon

4:00 in the evening, on November 10th 2010 came and went and Tina Herrmann never showed up for her shift at the Mt. Vernon, Ohio Dairy Queen. After their shifts had ended, her coworkers set out to find what had held Tina up. Little did they know that they would uncover one of the strangest and most terrifying events in recent history, an event that would lead the police to the strange, leaf filled home of one Matthew Hoffman. Pull up a rake fiends, and join us for this dark and twisted journey. Click to Learn More Sarah Maynard interview WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Barbara Daly Baekland had it all. Money, power, timeless beauty, a handsome husband and a loving son. This gorgeous socialite was American royalty who lived an untouchable life. How then, did she wind up dead on her kitchen floor at just 51 years old? A single knife wound and a horrifying secret would come to reveal that Barbara Daly Baekeland's life was not all that it appeared to be. Join WWBD for this sordid tale of love, sex, betrayal, manipulation and old Hollywood glamour that's sure to leave you gobsmacked and breathless! Click to Learn More Samuel Addams Green piece WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

WWBD is heating up this week! Leslie takes the reins and tells a story about America’s most prolific serial arsonist. In 2005, arson investigators arrested Thomas Sweatt, a 50 year old KFC Fry Cook, for a slew of arsons in and around the Washington, DC area. They were arresting him for only a handful of recent arsons, but he would go on to confess to 353 fires dating back almost 30 years and killing at least 4 people. Click to Learn More Read the book my research was based on: Thomas Sweat: Inside the Mind of DC's Most Notorious Arsonist by Jonathan Riffe Washington City Paper: Letters From an Arsonist WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation

Nothing is more mysterious and poetic than poison. But, have you ever stopped to consider why? There is poetry in poison and this week we explore the ins and outs of how it works, who uses it and why. Join us for a deep dive into poisons and poisoners from the historic and infamous, to the modern and obscure. Click to Learn More A Psychological Profile of a Poisoner WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here! Join the Conversation UbdcU8af1yz48qu7adXI

On the morning of September 7, 2012, Karena Rosario found her roommate Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old third-year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), bludgeoned to death in her off-campus apartment. Despite finding DNA evidence and a note possibly left by her killer among other compelling pieces of evidence, not a single person has been charged with her murder. The police are still trying to figure out who killed her and why. This is a frustrating one, fiends. While there are no answers to this unsolved mystery, WWBD dives deep into the case study and explores every possible angle. Police Documents Crime Watch Daily Episode Click to Learn More Join the Conversation

On February 1, 1959, nine experienced hiker/skiers trekked up the remote Ural mountains, the made camp after a day of journeying, by morning all nine were dead. What happened to this intrepid group has puzzled sleuths both amateur and professional since. In this episode WWBD explores many of the wild theories surrounding this unfortunate incident, and dives into why, after so may years, we still don't know for sure which one is correct. Strap in fiends, because this one is a wild ride! Click to Learn More Join the Conversation

Welcome back for part 2 of Jeffrey Dahmer, WWBD's examination of one of the world's most notorious serial killers ! This week we dive into Jeff's crimes and confessions, it's the all murder and courtroom edition. Hang on to your hats fiends because this is a graphic one. Last week we brought you the man inside the monster, and this week we truly see the monster in the man. *All sound clips are taken from Stone Phillips' 1994 interview with Jeffrey Dahmer, which originally aired on NBC, and can be found in full in the link below. Click to Learn More Dahmer Interview with Stone Phillips (YouTube) Lionel and Shari Dahmer Interview with Larry King (YouTube) Joyce Flint (Dahmer) Interview in Hard Copy (YouTube) Join the Conversation

On July 22, 1991, two Milwaukee police officers entered the apartment of a tall blond man they thought had gotten a little overzealous with a lover. The house of horrors they would go on to discover would forever change the landscape of crime in American, and ensure that the name Jeffrey Dahmer would live forever in infamy the world over. In this the first of two episodes covering the infamous Milwaukee cannibal, we take a deep diver into Jeffrey Dahmer's childhood and adolescence. We here at WWBD are always trying to figure out where the man ends and the monster begins. Where do criminals this heinous come from, and are there red flags we can look for on the way? Let's find out! Click to Learn More Dahmer Interview with Stone Phillips (YouTube) Lionel and Shari Dahmer Interview with Larry King (YouTube) Joyce Flint (Dahmer) Interview in Hard Copy (YouTube) Join the Conversation

When it comes to the people we love, we truly see what we want to see. After all, it's hard to accept that we may love someone and not truly know them. The human brain is designed to fill in the blanks in the most efficient way, so we assume that if a person seems happy, well, then, they are. Sooner or later however, if there are cracks in the connections we have made, they begin to show, and then we have to make a choice: do we want to see the truth, or not? On the morning of December 2nd, 2011, Toni Ingram walked into her daughter Morgan's room to let out her puppy, but she never could have imagined what was waiting for her on the other side of that door. What follows is a tale of weighing what we know, what we believe, and what the evidence tells us is true. Was Morgan murdered? We may never truly know. Click to Learn More Police Records, Lab Report and Autopsy Stalking Reports Stalker Video Join the Conversation

It's hard to wrap our head around a complete stranger wanting to invade our safe space and do us bodily harm for no reason. Violent home invasions that occur completely at random are among everyone's worst fear. They seem terrifyingly possible, and yet impossible at the same time. This week, WWBD takes a look into one of the most horrific home invasions the United States has ever seen. On July 23, 2007, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes invaded the home of the Petit family in idyllic Cheshire, Connecticut. The events that followed are so terrifying that it leaves us to wonder if and when we are ever really safe. Linked below is the full poem used in this week's opening, all the charges against Joshua Komisarjevsky and Stephen Hayes, and a YouTube link to the documentary mentioned for those of us who do not have HBO... and it does, in fact, start with trees. Click to Learn More Joshua Komisarjevsky journal (Humanity's Social Hypocrisy) Court Documents (Scribd) The Cheshire Murders (YouTube) Join the Conversation

This week the girls dig into the chilling world of cursed objects. Holly exploits everyone's inexplainable (well kind of explainable) fear of creepy dolls with the tales of Annabelle, the doll that launched a thousand nightmares with her series of films, and Robert the Doll. Leslie dips into the weirder side of cursed object with the Dibbuk Box and the painting that haunted Ebay "The hands Resist Him". This is a fun one, fiends; we hope you enjoy! Special guest appearance by Post Malone! (Well, he's mentioned; the girls don't actually speak to him.) * WWBD regrets to inform you that Warren's Occult Museum is currently closed due to structural issues with the building, which would seem to be the price of doing business with roughly 200 demons. Owners of the estate are looking for a new building to house all of their cursed objects. We hope none of them escape in the intrim. Sleep tight fiends. Click to Learn More Post Malone Cursed! Dibbuk Box by Jason-Haxton on Amazon Join the Conversation

On April 22 2020, PFC Vanessa Guillen disappeared. She was last seen in the parking lot of her unit, The Regimental Engineer Squadron headquarters of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Killeen Texas. The investigation, or lack there of, that followed would expose the seedy underbelly of military sexual harassment, sexual abuse, rape and murder. Vanessa Guillen's disappearance and ultimately, her murder, raise the questions "How much do we really know?" and "who can we trust". In the wake of Vanessa's Murder many military women have come forward with their own stories of sexual harassment, sharing them with the world under the twitter hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen. We encourage you to bear witness to these women, their bravery and all that they have been through in an effort to serve their country. We also encourage you to click the link below to hear Vanessa's sister speak. Click to Learn More Jhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E503ZeIuRAg oin 2019 Military Service Gender Relations Focus Groups: Active Duty

This week WWBD revisits Urban Legends with a full length deep dive into two bizarre legendary stories that hve surprising roots in true events. Holly tells us about "Cropsey" the child snatching asylum escapee who snatches children in the Staten Island woods. Leslie ventures a little farther out into the woods with the story of the Melon Heads, large headed, diminutive, clan of people, who dwell deeply off the grid and are known to terrorize anyone they encounter. *We have included a link to Geraldo Rivera's piece on the Willowbrook State School, it is extremely hard to watch and includes nudity. Viewer Discretion is more than advised. Click to Learn More Cropsey Documentary Willowbrook State School documentary Join the Conversation

Society spends a lot of time talking about the mind of a killer, about the ways their brains are different, about the mental illness that can manifest in a violent explosion if left unchecked, but that's not the only factor driving people to kill. Sometimes the killing is just a means to a different end. This week WWBD examines internet killer Luka Magnotta and how an obsession with fame can evolve into desperation more quickly than any of us would like to admit. If you haven't seen the groundbreaking Netflix Documentary "Don't F*ck with Cats", it is very highly recommended viewing in concert with this week's podcast; we can't add a link in the show notes, but we're going to go ahead and assume that most of you have Netflix at this point. Join the Conversation

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On August 28th, 2008, at 11:50 am, Kanika Powell was shot to death in a hail of bullets, right outside her own front door. Kanika's killer remains at large to this day. This episodes explores the bizarre events that lead up to this completely senseless tragedy, and how it is that a person can do everything right, and still end up dead. Are we ever truly safe? It's hard to say. Click to Learn More Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory - for those who would like to further explore. Join the Conversation

Dr. Henry Howard Holmes was one of America's most prolific serial killers. Amidst the festivities of The Chicago World's Fair, he erected a three story hotel, that was perfectly designed for undetectable murder. This week WWBD explores the life and crimes of the infamous H.H. Holmes. and it is a wild ride. This is a story so sensational, that discerning fact from fiction became a bigger task than simply telling the story. "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing — I was born with the 'Evil One' standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since." – H. H. Holmes Click to Learn More The Devil In the White City on Amazon - Not completely factual but great further reading: Join the Conversation

On February 19th, 2013 the body of 21 year old Elisa Lam was found floating in a water tank on top of Los Angeles infamous Cecil Hotel. To this day authorities are not sure how she got there or what the events were that led to her death. There are breadcrumbs spread all over the internet that reveal Elisa to be a complex woman who suffered profoundly, in her last hours CCTV captured a bizarre video of Elisa riding the elevator in the Cecil Hotel. This week WWBD tries to shed some light on the life and death of the woman who's last hours captured the minds of so many. Below we have linked the video of Elisa as well as her blog, tumblr, autopsy report and an extremely informative video explaining Elisa's brain chemistry and the medications she took. If you feel so inclined, please explore these additional sources and let us know what you think! “You’re always haunted by the idea you’re wasting your life.” — Chuck Palahniuk Click to Learn More Elevator Video on YouTube Elisa's Autopsy Report Etherfields (Elisa's Blogspot) Nouvelle-Nouveau (Elisa's Tumblr) Student Doctor's Answer to Elisa Lam's Unexplained Death on YouTube Join the Conversation