All posts by Strange Matters Podcast

True Crime, Unsolved Crime, Unsolved Mystery

The Original Night Stalker – Unsolved Serial Criminal

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In this Strange Matters Short, Sean presents the case of the Original Night Stalker, one of America’s most infamous and prolific unsolved serial criminals.  The Original Night Stalker (ONS) was a serial killer in Southern California who targeted lone women and couples, breaking into their homes at night and sexually assaulting and killing those inside.  Later DNA evidence proved that the ONS was also the East Area Rapist, a criminal responsible for over 50 rapes in Northern California.  After linking these two series of crimes, police discovered that this one man was responsible for dozens of rapes, attacks, and deaths, making him the worst unsolved criminal in California history.

The Original Night Stalker was one of the most brutal and terrifying killers in recent times.  Hundreds of police investigators and neighborhood watch patrols had no luck in finding or stopping this man, as he continued his attacks at will for several years.  The ONS was cunning and meticulous in his planning, he was known to prowl his target’s neighborhoods for weeks beforehand, and on several times even sneaked into his victims home’s and unloaded any guns, leaving them defenseless against him.

Original_Night_Stalker_Composite

Who the Original Night Stalker was is still unknown, no leads or suspects have ever been found that could be responsible for these crimes. It is not even known if the man behind these attacks is currently alive or not.  Whether the identity of this criminal will ever be found, remains a complete mystery to this day.

Cryptozoology, History, Unsolved Mystery

The Beast of Gevaudan

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In this Strange Matters Short, Sean discusses the man-eating creature known as the Beast of Gevaudan.   This violent animal terrorized a region in France for several years as it killed as many as a hundred men, women, and children.   During this time the local populace was nearly hysterical with fear, forced to venture outside to make a living knowing all along that there was a huge beast roaming the area attacking anyone it can across.   In an attempt to take down this violent creature, a French officer organized large hunting parties of thousands of soldiers to patrol the area.  Professional wolf hunters were hired to track down and kill the Beast.  Despite all this, the Beast of Gevaudan evaded any attempt to kill it and continued its reign of terror.

Gevaudan Statue

After three years of setbacks, embarrassments, and dozens of deaths, the Beast was reportedly finally brought down by a local farmer when he shot and killed a large wolf near his village.  Through the years there have been multiple accounts and theories as to what the Beast of Gevaudan really was.  Most think it was a pack of large and man-hungry wolves, while others believe it could have been an exotic or imported predator introduced into the region.  There has been more outlandish claims of a werewolf or an ancient species still roaming the land. Whatever the true identity of the animal actually was, the Beast of Gevaudan is one of the most unique and unusual cases in history of a creature that specifically enjoyed hunting and slaying humans.

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Cryptozoology, History

Legendary Humanoid Creatures

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For this episode we continue our series of cryptozoology by discussing a number of legendary and mythical humanoid creatures.  Though there are a large number of alleged sightings and encounters of such human-like beings all over the world, no actual concrete proof has ever been found that can prove of their existence. Sean and Eric present the backgrounds, encounters, and any possibly evidence or theories of each of these mysterious beasts.

The infamous Yeti, or “Abominable Snowman,”  supposedly hides in the Himalayan Mountains and has been seen by local tribes for centuries. Mountaineers and adventurers claim to have seen this creature from a distance, and many times in the snowy mountains bipedal tracks have been discovered that can be linked to no known animal.

The Almas is a legend of the Caucasus mountains in central Asia.  These man sized creatures supposedly share facial features with the Neanderthal people. Could these creatures be leftovers from some ancient population, or are the sightings of the Almas merely exaggerations and folklore?

Next up is the Skunk Ape, a bizarre creature that was allegedly spotting many times in the state of Florida in the 60’s and 70’s.  This animal was described as being similar to an orangutan, but was always associated with a horrible smell that followed it.  Whether the Skunk Ape that caused a frenzy in the state was simply an escaped primate, or a strange humanoid creature that has been hiding in the swamps for decades, is still unknown to this day.

Finally we discuss the Orang Pendek, a smaller cryptid that reportedly lives in the remote forests of Sumatra.  These creatures have supposedly been spotted by locals and foreigners alike for over a century, but as yet there is still no legitimate evidence of its existence.

Is there any reasonable explanations of these humanoid creatures? Are these beasts all just myths and legends created by locals, or could there actually be something to the phenomenon of different groups of people allegedly seeing these lone creatures all over the world? Tune in and found out all about these strange and mysterious humanoid creatures!

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Strange Matters Joins the Dark Myths Collective

Happy to announce Strange Matters is now part of the Dark Myths collective of podcasts! Dark Myths is a group of podcasters dedicated to producing high quality and emotionally power-packed listening experiences. From mystery based podcasts like our own, to great historical shows, and also a few creepy fictional programs, take the time to check out some of the other excellent podcasts of Dark Myths!

Check out all the shows at Dark Myths here!

History, True Crime

Killers Around the World: European Serial Killers

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This episode of the Strange Matters Podcast starts a new series, highlighting brutal and psychotic serial killers from around the world.  The purpose of this series is to dispel the common conception that the United States has both the highest number along with the worst serial killers in the world, while at the same time presenting and educating listeners of murderers that aren’t quite as well known as the popular and infamous American killers.

In this entry episode to the series, Sean presents and discusses four serial killers from different countries in Europe.  Each of these men carried out terrible crimes without showing any remorse or guilt.  Ranging from a reclusive potential cannibal, to a hammer wielding maniac, to a cold blooded ‘Terminator’ known for wiping out entire families, these men are some of the most horrific and notorious serial killers of all time.

During this episode Sean discusses the lives, crimes, and lasting legacies of each of these terrible killers.

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