Anyone can start a marathon, but not everyone crosses the finish line. Whether you’re competing against other runners or perhaps a horse, while running underwater, or with a glass of wine in hand, it really doesn’t matter as long as you give it your best. Some marathons are serious and proper, while others are complete madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

Andrew Thornton II had everything. He was born into a wealthy family in the bluegrass state of Kentucky, went to the best schools, and had all the opportunities in the world ahead of him. He wanted to serve his country, so he joined the US Army. He wanted to serve his community, so he joined the police force. But when the excitement of busting bad guys became boring, he looked for it elsewhere. Andrew Thornton II found it on the other side of the law. It didn’t end well for him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

During a 3-week period in October 2002, a team of snipers went on a killing spree in and around the Washington DC area. Bizarre clues were left at several crime scenes, including a tarot card with the words “Call Me God”, adding a chilling twist to an already twisted case. With 17 people already dead and almost a dozen more wounded, police were in a race against the clock to capture the DC sniper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

In July 1976, the small town of Chowchilla, California was rocked by the largest mass kidnapping in US history. A school bus carrying 26 students, along with its driver, was ambushed by a group of armed men. They were taken to a remote rock quarry and stripped down to their underwear. Each one was then ordered down a ladder into a container truck that had been buried 15 feet underground. They had no idea where they were, who had taken them, or why they had just been buried alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

When police in the UK received a panicked phone call from a teenage boy in the summer of 2003, it seemed fairly routine. His friend had been stabbed and was in need of medical attention. Authorities were told it was a random, unprovoked attack, but that could not have been farther from the truth. In fact, the attack had been meticulously planned for months. The perpetrator was so unexpected and the whole situation was so strange, authorities almost dismissed the case entirely. England had never seen a crime like this before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

In March 1989, when a 21-year-old student from Texas went missing while on spring break in Mexico, it sparked a federal investigation on both sides of the border. The search led authorities down a bizarre and gruesome rabbit hole of mysticism and the occult that included everything from drug running to human sacrifice. It’s cases like this that make you want to sleep with the light on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

When a man was found dead on a South Australia beach in 1948, it kicked off one of the most bizarre cases that country’s authorities had ever seen. With no identification and all the labels cut out of his clothing, police did find a torn piece of paper with two mysterious words. The words led to an unbreakable code in the back of the book. Had he committed suicide or was it murder? Why had no one come forward to identify him? That was just the beginning of what would become one of Australia’s strangest cold cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

They can be high-tech or unsophisticated, but either way, the purpose of a booby trap is the same, to surprise the target. In 2002, a retired engineer in Belgium thought he would surprise his estranged family with not one, but 19 hidden traps around his house. Each one was lethal and each one was cleverly disguised. Oh yeah, and to find them, you needed to crack a series of codes. In 2018, a man in the US created what authorities would dub the Indiana Jones house. It might have something to do with the massive hot tub turned on its side rigged to roll down the steep driveway. That was just the ..read more

In the Fall of 1982, taking something as simple as a pill for your headache could have been fatal. That’s because someone was tampering with Tylenol capsules and filling them with cyanide. When it comes to risky pain relief treatment, taking an over-the-counter pill usually doesn’t rank at the top of the list. For those living in the Chicago area, however, it was gambling with death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

There are accidents and then there are freak accidents. The difference is that when it comes to freak accidents, the victim will never see it coming. Whether you’re lying in bed, eating a carrot, sitting on the toilet, or out for a quiet day of fishing, it doesn’t matter how many safety precautions are taken or how simple the activity. In the end, there’s no way to predict when or how it will happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more