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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

Like any small community, it's hard to keep anything secret. But in the late 1970s, the quiet town of Circleville, Ohio found out just how deadly secrets could be. In a series of anonymous letters that brings new meaning to the old saying, the pen is mightier than the sword, a mystery writer used whatever information they could find to terrorize their targets. The letters, which number in the hundreds, have ruined lives, destroyed families, and left the people of Circleville terrified of skeletons in the closet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the only known case where a ghost helped police solve her own murder, the Greenbrier Ghost is not the only time the deceased have spoken from beyond to identify their killer. In their online blog, a victim documented the minutes leading up to his murder. And when a Russian spy was poisoned by a radioactive substance, he was able to tell officials where, how and when he was killed. Just when they thought they got away with murder, the dead had more to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1968, while most of the world was looking toward space as the new frontier, a group of adventurers back on earth was embarking on an intrepid voyage of their own. The goal was to be the first person in history to sail around the world solo…. non-stop! It was called the Golden Globe Race and would test even the most experienced sailor, both physically and mentally. No assistance, total isolation, and mother nature constantly trying to sink them, racers risked it all for the excitement and glory. Some would die trying. Nine boats entered that year. Only one crossed the finished line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people have watched a high-speed police chase on television. There’s excitement and drama, but most of all, it’s the anticipation of how and when it will end that captures our attention. While most pursuits conclude with the driver pulling over and surrendering, some end in such spectacular fashion that even the police are left shocked. From driving straight off the edge of a cliff into the ocean to trying to get away backwards in a limo, some people will do anything to escape a hot pursuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be a zoo out there, especially in the world of crime. Just when authorities think they’ve seen it all, they’re reminded that, no, they really haven’t. In 2018, a man was kidnapped and held for ransom in a hotel room… by an alligator. Not weird enough? How about a parrot that helped put a murderer behind bars? Or the Florida Gators fan that used an actual Florida gator as a weapon? So yeah…that happened. You know it’s a jungle out there when animals get involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices