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In 2010, the body of 55 year-old Greg Fleniken was found inside a hotel room in Beaumont, Texas. It was initially assumed that he died of a heart attack. After all, he tended to enjoy life to the fullest, and there was no sign of foul play. When the medical examiner started the autopsy, he expected no surprises. So, it came as a shock that the body’s internal damage was so severe that it had to be from blunt force trauma. It wasn’t. A private investigator and the lead detective teamed up to uncover what really happened in the curious murder of Greg Fleniken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Olympic games have always been the ultimate competition. It showcases the very best of human athletic achievement. But what happens when scandal overshadows epic performances? From a marathon runner who rode as a passenger in a car for most of the race to a skier who made the Olympics by switching countries 3 times. Usually, legends are forged in the heat of competition, but not in these cases! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1974, police in Iceland were dealing with two separate disappearances in just the span of months. In a country where violent crime was almost unheard of, the pressure was on to solve both cases. With no bodies, eyewitnesses, or forensic evidence, authorities were getting desperate for a lead. When a suspect in an unrelated case said she had a nightmare about one of the missing people, police seized the opportunity. That nightmare turned into confessions from six people. The only problem was, none of them had any idea what they were talking about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Agent is the remarkable true story of Jack Barsky, the longest-surviving known member of the KGB illegals program operated during the height of the Cold War. Barsky hid in plain sight in America for 10 years, all the while leading dual lives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. On one fateful day, he was confronted with an impossible choice. Narrated by Alden Ehrenreich.Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/theagent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was one of the largest manhunts in the history of French law enforcement. In 2011, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes vanished after murdering his wife and four children and burying them in the backyard. Authorities were confident he hadn’t left the country, but after years of searching, he was nowhere to be found. When a body hanging from a tree was found in the woods, police thought they had their suspect. When human remains were found inside a cave, they were sure it was him. Each time, it turned out to be someone else. So, where could France’s most infamous fugitive be hiding? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a family of 6 and their 2 dogs went missing from their home in France in April 2011, authorities were stumped. When they checked the house, there was no sign of a disturbance and everything was neat and orderly. Police thought the family had simply gone on vacation. That was until a letter arrived stating they were suddenly in the US federal witness protection program and further communication would be dangerous. Seemed odd to family. When investigators returned to the empty home and scoured for clues, they found a lot more than they expected. What followed became one of the most intriguing and infamous cases in French history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 2012, over 4,000 passengers and crew boarded the Costa Concordia cruise ship for a week of fun off the coast of Italy. The luxury ship was called “the Ferrari of the seas” and like any sport vehicle, you have to see what it can do every now and then. That is, of course, unless it’s a 1,000 ft long, 150 ft tall floating city on water. In that case, maybe don’t steer too far off course? Solid advice that, unfortunately, was not taken by the captain. The result was a disaster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like everyone else, even nuns just want to have fun. After devoting their lives to helping those in need, it’s hard to blame them for wanting to let loose every now and then. Some sisters find peace along the Las Vegas strip, trading Rosary beads for casino chips. But their holy connection doesn’t always pay off. To fund her gambling addiction, one nun in California is currently facing up to 40 years in prison after stealing close to $1 million from the grade school where she was principal. Across the ocean, a woman in Italy has avoided police for over 2 years by moving from convent to convent posing as a holy sister. There are tons of stories about nuns doing amazing work, but this episode is not about them. This one is all about when good nuns go bad! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to air travel, no one enjoys long layovers or flight delays. Now imagine being stuck inside an airport terminal not just for a few hours, but for years. That’s exactly what happened to a traveler who ended up stuck in France’s busiest airport for an incredible 18 years. Even more amazing, that’s not the only person this has happened to, nor is it even close to the longest! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind the innocent jingles and delicious frozen treats, the beloved ice cream truck isn't always what it appears. In the 1980s, criminal organizations in Scotland used the friendly neighborhood vehicles to conduct drug deals and sell stolen merchandise. Like any typical gang, protecting your turf often meant resorting to violence. It’s not always sunshine and smiles when it comes to serving up cones. Sometimes it can be sprinkled with arson, robbery, baseball bats, and even murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Carlina White was a child, she was kidnapped from a hospital by a woman disguised as a nurse. It was 1987 and the case would make history, becoming the first infant abduction from a hospital in New York. It took over 20 years to solve the mystery of her disappearance and it wasn’t police or the FBI that figured it out. Carlina White is part of a rare group of people who were fortunate enough to solve their own kidnapping. These are some of their stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coal mining is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Explosions, collapses, and flooding are just some of the ways a miner could lose their life on the job. But in the early 1900s, not being a member of the coal miner’s union could get you killed just as easily. The Coal Wars, as they were called, saw striking union members carry out some of the most violent protests in the history of labor relations in the United States. Over the course of 2 days in June 1922, the town of Herrin, Illinois became the scene of a real-life horror movie as hundreds of armed strikers brutally murdered dozens of their replacements. The media quickly dubbed the killing spree the Herrin Mine Massacre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 lost power to both engines half way through its flight. The Boeing 767 with 69 passengers and crew onboard was flying at over 40,000 feet when the incident occurred and the chances of survival were not looking good. Without power, the flight crew would have to fly the 315,000 lb commercial airplane like a glider. It was a seemingly unwinnable situation with zero margin for error, and that’s when things got worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the motto "Money, Sex, and Joy", you could be fooled into thinking that being part of The Order of the Solar Temple sounds fun. Their motto might have sounded attractive, but the strict rules, complete loyalty, and oh yeah, dying at the whim of your leader might be a turn off. In October 1994, the world watched as the bodies started to pile up in Europe and Canada. Members and their families were ritualistically murdered before being ceremonially set on fire. This club is not for everyone! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the new homeowners arrived at their dream house, they were touched to find a welcome letter in the mailbox. It was such a thoughtful and old-fashioned custom for 2014. But what they read was terrifying and marked the beginning of a nightmare that lasted for years. "Allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood. My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know what lies within the walls? You have children. I have seen them. Once I know their names, I will call to them and draw them to me. Welcome my friends, welcome. Let the party begin.” It was signed The Watcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s all fun and games … until you get caught. In the 1950s, game shows were all the rage. Producers were under immense pressure to make the shows entertaining to keep audiences tuning in. They quickly realized the guaranteed way to create drama was to rig the outcome. But when a disgruntled “loser“ blew the whistle, the hoax was revealed and the genre almost disappeared forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a boy growing up in Germany in the late 1880s, Hans Schmidt enjoyed some pretty disturbing past-times. If he wasn’t hanging out at the town’s slaughterhouse mesmerized by the carnage, he was slicing the heads off animals just to watch the blood flow. Years later, as a priest within the ranks of the Catholic church, he would go on to do far worse. By the time he was arrested in 1913, Father Schmidt had committed a long list of crimes, but it’s what he did to a young woman in New York City that sent him to the electric chair. To this day, he is the only Catholic priest in US history to be executed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since the invention of the freezer, people have been using it for imaginative ways to store stuff. Why not? Why would you expect to find anything other than frozen dinners and stale ice cubes in there? But if you need safe and secure storage for things you don’t want people to find, there’s no better place. From the congressman who stashed almost $100k in frozen pie crust boxes to the 97-year-old woman whose granddaughter wanted to continue to collect government assistance, the freezer is the one place people don’t look. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When two police officers arrived at the side entrance of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the early hours of March 18th, 1990, the night guard buzzed them in. They said they were responding to a disturbance call and had a few questions. Before he had time to react, the officers had him in handcuffs. Just over an hour later, the two men dressed in police uniforms exited the side door, loaded their car, and drove off with over half a billion dollars in artwork. Over 30 years later, the stolen items have never been found and no one has ever been charged. To this day, it’s the most valuable property theft of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s incredibly rare for astronauts to make headlines for anything other than their epic space adventures. But in 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak changed that when she drove 900 miles across the country to threaten her astronaut ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend. With a successful career in the US Navy and NASA’s elite space program, she wasn’t one to take rejection lightly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices