This episode of Strange Matters presents a particularly disturbing crime that took place in the early 20th century, in France. The story involves two sisters who worked as maids for an upper class family. The Papin Sisters had been employed by the family for seven years, and had been described as idyllic workers. Things weren’t as perfect as it seemed, however. A sudden and gruesome act by the sisters would shock the country of France, and would be regarded as one of the worst crimes committed in the century. This episode will go over the history and background of the Papin Sisters, the details of their terrible crime, and the aftermath of the event that would quickly become the top story of its time.
Fate. Death. The Fox. The various nicknames signed by a man who sent out ransom notes regarding the kidnapping of a twelve year old girl named Marion Parker.
This episode of Strange Matters discusses the terrifying and disturbing events surrounding an infamous kidnapping case that took place in Los Angeles in 1927. A young girl named Marion Parker was abducted by a smooth talking man, right from her own school. Meanwhile, her father would be contacted by the same man demanding ransom money. This individual would become commonly known as The Fox. This disturbing case would ultimately be referred to at the time as the “Crime of the Century.” This episode goes over all the details of the kidnapping, the investigation of the police trying to figure out who the Fox was, and the tragic outcome of this dark crime.
This episode of Strange Matters presents the strange events surrounding the death of a man named Hugues de la Plaza, who would die under mysterious and controversial circumstances. Hugues would be found alone in his locked apartment having died from several fatal knife wounds. Despite there being a number of unusual facts surrounding his death, such as no bloody knife ever being found at his apartment, the police would rule his death a likely suicide. The investigation and resulting backlash of Hugues’ death would spark controversy and debate over how the police conducted themselves, and over what exactly happened the night that Hugues de la Plaza died. This episode covers the details of the night of his death, the police and medical investigation that followed, and the different sides of the story that have been put forth to attempt to solve this strange case.
This episode of Strange Matters discusses the odd and unexplained events surrounding the death of a woman named Cindy James. Cindy was a Canadian woman who had been experiencing harassment, stalking, and physical attacks for years leading up to her death. Despite what would look like to an outsider as a serious threat, the authorities found some inconsistencies in Cindy’s story that made them question whether all of it was real, or some kind of set up by the woman herself. The bizarre nature of the scene of her death has left open the question whether Cindy was murdered, or took her own life. This episode will detail Cindy’s backstory, the timeline of events leading up to her death, and the possibilities and theories surrounding this strange story.
This episode of Strange Matters discusses the infamous murder case known as the Gregory Affair, which details the disturbing murder of a young French boy, Grégory Villemin. In this unsolved case that continues to intrigue the French public to this day, a family would be taunted with threats of vengeance from a mysterious individual who was only known as “The Crow.” This person would seemingly carry out his revenge by abducting and murdering the family’s four year old son, Grégory. After this grisly crime, a web of accusations and suspects would spin out of control, causing even more deaths in the chaotic aftermath. This episode will detail the history of the case, the strange investigation that followed, and the suspects of who could have carried out the terrible crime.
This episode discusses one of the most sadistic and cruel killers in American History. David Parker Ray, commonly known by his nickname of the Toy Box Killer, was a suspected serial killer, rapist, and torturer of women. His crimes are believed to have spanned several decades. David Parker Ray earned his notorious nickname because of the personal torture house he built, a customized truck trailer that was filled with dozens of weapons and tools used to inflict harm. This sound proof trailer, the place where he would imprison women for days and weeks at a time, was referred to by David Parker Ray as his “Toy Box.”
This episode goes over the history of David Parker Ray and details of his crimes, as well as the events and investigation that would eventually bring about his downfall.
