Michigan Monsters
Forgotten tales of true crime, dark history, and the paranormal. Host Jenn Carpenter takes the cases she covers seriously. Herself? Not so much. Formerly known as So Dead/Violent Ends.
Episodes
S6 Ep117: Animal
On June 23, 2001, Bernita White was killed by a single shot from a high-powered sniper rifle while at the zoo with her 5-year-old daughter. What at first seemed like an open-shut case subsequently became Lansing's most notorious unsolved crime. As the 25th anniversary approaches, we revisit Bernita's story while her family continues to fight for justice.Case: Bernita WhiteAudio production by Bill
S6 Ep116: Copy, Moon Joy.
When a Michigander becomes the first woman in history to fly to the moon, you break protocol so you can feature her. No ghosts or gore, just magic and moon joy. This week's episode about Christina Koch and the Artemis II mission is unlike any other. Some might say it's out of this world.Case: Christina Koch, Artemis IIAudio production by Bill Bee.
S6 Ep115: The Circle
When 18-year-old Amanda Davies returned from a cross-country spring break road trip in April of 1992, her parents breathed a huge sigh of relief. What no one could have predicted was that the real danger was waiting for Amanda at home, and that before she could even unpack her suitcase, she'd be gone forever. As authorities searched frantically for Amanda, and then for her murderer, her tight-kni
S6 Ep114: Redux
Updates on some of the biggest cases covered over 100+ episodes, including serial killers on the loose, missing persons found, and more.Audio production by Bill Bee.
S6 Ep113: Cultish
The 1970s saw a surge in the prominence of religious cults with groups like the Manson Family, Peoples Temple, and Heaven's Gate making headlines around the world. But smaller cults began popping up in rural communities all over the country, including right here in Michigan. In this episodes, we'll talk about two such cults- the House of Judah and the Theocratic Commune Natural Health Service- wh
S6 Ep112: Mommy Dearest
A mother who didn't bother to look for her daughter after she was abducted by a violent stranger. A mother who spent years stalking and cyberbullying her own teenage daughter. A mother who stood by silently while her daughter was tormented by a monster. What do these three women have in common (besides being awful)? They're all featured in viral Netflix documentaries, and they're all from Michiga
S6 Ep111: The Widow Hunter
His name isn't likely one you've heard before, but his story should feel eerily familiar. Matthew Emmanuel Macon is well-known as Lansing, Michigan's first (and only) serial killer, a young Black man who targeted elderly women living alone in the Capital City- quite a deviation from the standard serial killer trope. But two decades before Macon, there was Michael Darnell Harris- a young Black man
S6: We're baaaaaack!
A new era begins 2/1/26. But things are going to look a bit different. How so? Listen in for more! Audio production by Bill Bertschinger.
S5 Ep110: The Cabin
For nearly a month, a picturesque cabin on northern Lake Michigan hid a ghastly secret. The bodies of wealthy ad executive Dick Robison, his wife Shirley, and their four children lay waiting for someone to find them following a brutal attack on a summer afternoon. From the moment a caretaker stumbled upon the murder scene while investigating reports of a foul odor coming from the property, nothing
S5 Ep109: Ghosted 5.0
From haunted neighborhoods built atop cemeteries to sweet afterlife connections and more, our Halloween episode once again features listener stories.Violent Ends is sponsored by BetterHelp. To learn more about microdosing THC, visit microdose.com and enter code violentends for free shipping and 30% off your first order.
S5 Ep108: Black Widow
In 1903 Chicago, a peculiar murder unfolded on the city's south side. Despite her insistence that a burglar broke in and shot her husband in bed, authorities immediately suspected Jane Quinn, who was covered from head to toe in blood. And that was BEFORE they found out about the pile of dead bodies Jane left behind when she fled Michigan years earlier.Violent Ends is sponsored by BetterHelp.
S5 Ep107: Invisible Strings
In 1981, a 23-year-old woman was dragged kicking and screaming from her East Lansing apartment in front of an entire building full of onlookers. In 1982, a rebellious teen vanished while hitchhiking in a Detroit suburb. In 1983, almost exactly one year later, another pretty brunette teenager disappeared while hitchhiking in the same neighborhood. Three years, three murdered women, three cold cases
S5 Ep106: The Four
On a Monday afternoon in May of 1930, the world's first set of identical quadruplets were born in Lansing, Michigan- even though nobody knew they were coming. Instant celebrities, the Morlok quads were treated like a sideshow attraction by the community that insisted on naming them and claiming them as their own. While the girls were paraded around the country in matching dresses performing adorab
S5 Ep105: The Clown
When a young boy vanished from a small Northern Michigan town, authorities believed he'd run away with the circus. As outlandish as that sounded, it was more plausible than the awful truth- that he'd fallen victim to a killer clown hiding in plain sight.
S5 Ep104: Manor of Death
It's been 100 years since a Lansing socialite was murdered inside the brand new manor her politician husband built for her. Was she the victim of a traveling carnival run by outlaws? Targeted by an enemy of her husband's? Or was the police department's wide-reaching witch hunt an attempt to cover up something much more diabolical?
S5 Ep103: Ice Princess
The only thing they had in common was their love of the ice. One was from the east coast, the other from the west coast. One was blonde haired and blue eyed, while the other resembled Snow White with her fair skin and dark features. One came from a loving family, while the other suffered horrors no child should have to endure. When their paths collided on the road to Olympic Gold, the result was o
S5 Ep102: Ripper
Since opening its doors in 1850, The University of Michigan's School of Medicine has been one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. But not all of its pupils perfected the art of saving lives. Some of them went on to do the exact opposite. In 1882, two men with similar names and matching handlebar mustaches entered the program. One went on to become America's first serial killer,
S5 Ep101: Starships
On March 8, 1994, residents in 42 of Michigan's 82 counties reported seeing an unidentified flying object in the night sky. One of the best-documented UFO sightings in history, a lighted chrome aircraft with capabilities beyond any technology known to man was spotted hovering over the Great Lakes by law enforcement agencies, pilots, government officials, scientists, and hundreds of frightened civi
S5 Ep100: The Hundredth
In honor of 100 episodes, we celebrated with a live show at The Robin Theatre. Special guests included Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice, author Rod Sadler, and the co-host with the most, our old friend Dani Fairman.
S5 Ep99: Roar
What do America's original aviatrix, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, a seductive government spy, and an unorthodox civil rights icon have in common? They were all trailblazing women from Michigan whose lives ended tragically. Their stories deserve to be remembered.
S5 Ep98: Bamba
It was 35 below, the wind was howling, and the snow was waist-deep when three young men burst through the door of Hotel St. James in the remote town of Ironwood, Michigan during the early morning hours of Feb 1, 1959. They were inadequately dressed for the dangerous weather, disheveled, and visibly shaken from a near-death experience. Even still…there was something about them. They were handsome.
S5 Ep97: Run. Hide. Fight.
An episode I never fathomed I'd have to record, but I suppose was inevitable. Because when it comes to mass shootings, it's no longer a question of "if," but "when." This is what it's like when it happens at home.Donate to the Spartan Strong Fund HERE. Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code VIOLENT to save $50 at lomi.com/VIOLENT. Read more about what foo
S5 Ep96: Fugitive
With a blood lust so strong no prison could hold him, a Michigan man preyed on a coastal California town still reeling from the Bundy murders. And even with the world's most infamous serial killer behind bars, pretty young girls with long, brown hair parted down the middle still weren't safe.Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code VIOLENT to save $50 at lo
Season Five Trailer
Season five begins February 7th! Listen in for a big announcement.
Wondery Presents: The Vanished
The Vanished is a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. The Vanished goes beyond conventional news reports to take a deep dive into the story of a different missing person each week. Host Marissa Jones brings you exclusive interviews with family members, friends, law enforcement and experts on mainstream cases, as well as little known ones.Listen in to hear w
S4 Ep95: Holy
The news was shocking. Occult obsessed cult leader Benny Evangelist, his wife, and their four young children had been murdered in their lavish Detroit home by an ax-wielding maniac. Beheaded. Dismembered. As police ran down the long list of suspects, an unfathomable possibility emerged. Was Benny himself behind the murders? The 1929 St. Aubin Street Massacre is one of Detroit’s oldest and most not
S4 Ep94: Ghosted 4.0
Listener ghost stories, including the haunting of a town with a tragic past.
S4 Ep93: The Tower
As the Great Depression sunk its teeth into America, a Lansing man's fortune was on the rise- literally. Auto magnate R.E. Olds built a decadent sky scraper, the tallest building in Michigan's capital city, to house his bank. But less than a year after the Olds Tower opened its doors, blood and bullets tarnished its immaculate reputation. What drove a pillar of the community to a shooting rampage?
S4 Ep92: Photograph
When a young woman was found lying gravely injured on the side of the road, a mystery that would take nearly two decades to solve began to unfold. Who was she, really? And who was the strange older man claiming to be her husband?This episode's sponsor is Magic Mind. Visit magicmind.co/sodead and use code SoDead20 to save 20% off a single purchase, or 40% off a subscription!
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Eight
In Depression-era Cleveland, a madman stalked the streets of the Kingsbury Run neighborhood, leaving body parts in his wake.
S4 Ep91: Scrappers
In the late 1970s, an FBI task force targeted a massive interstate auto theft ring headquartered in Mid-Michigan. Building their case proved difficult, though, because their key witnesses kept meeting grim fates.
S4 Ep90: Riot
The summer of 1967 was an especially violent one in the United States. Known as "the long, hot summer," there were 159 race riots in America over the course of just a few months, the deadliest of which occurred in Detroit in late July. What led to the deaths of nearly fifty citizens, mostly at the hands of law enforcement officials called in to quell the violence? And what really happened inside T
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Seven
When a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother suddenly fell ill and died, her family was shocked to learn she'd been intentionally poisoned. Even more shocking was the identity of her murderer.
S4 Ep89: You Go
A charismatic waitress in a Yugo headed north to visit the man she hoped to marry. A young father in a Bronco driving south, back toward home. Though their paths did not cross in life, their fates are forever linked by the tragedy that befell them both on the Mackinac Bridge, one of the world's longest (and most treacherous) suspension bridges.
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Six
A sideshow performer, an unknown serial killer, and an ice skating chimpanzee. Luke Karamazov seems like outlandish fiction at times, but is the true story of the Ranes brothers from Kalamazoo, Michigan, the only serial killer siblings in American history, And soon, it will be a movie starring Zachary Quinto and Jacob Elordi.
S4 Ep88: Delicate Conditions
A disgraced Lansing doctor out to make a quick buck by performing "illegal oprations" left countless bodies in his wake. A socialite unable to live with the shame of being an unwed mother took her own life in a Charlotte hotel room. A Benton Harbor farmboy felt murder was the only way out when his flapper girlfriend wound up pregnant. This was the harsh (but not uncommon) reality of the early 1900
S4 Ep87: Creeper
When a leisurely Sunday drive near the Michigan/Indiana border turned into a scene out of a horror movie for Ray and Marie Thornton, their lives were changed forever. Their experience, quite literally, inspired a horror movie. But the true story was so much more terrifying than anything Hollywood could conjure up.
S4 Ep86: The Box
In 1998, the body of a young boy was found beneath a billboard along a North Carolina highway. With very little to go on, authorities were not able to determine who the boy was, or who killed him. But one investigator was determined to solve the case no matter how long it took. So he kept the case file in a box beneath his desk, right in his way, so that he bumped his leg on it every time he turne
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Five
Promising wellness and everlasting youth, Dr. Linda Hazzard lured wealthy patients to her "health retreat" in Washington state. Once she'd captured her prey, she held patients hostage and bled them dry- literally and figuratively.
S4 Ep85: Bad Apples
In the early 1900s, the auto industry reigned supreme in Lansing. But another, more deadly industry was making moves in the shadows. Fruit. When two rival fruit companies owned by Italian immigrants with strong ties to La Cosa Nostra went to war, no one was safe. Using fruit stands as a front throughout the city, a secret battle raged for years- contract killings, bombings, murder, extortion. Lans
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Four
What led two young brothers from Chechnya to commit one of the most shocking terrorist attacks in American history? Acclaimed journalist Masha Gessen aims to answer that question.
S4 Ep84: The Call
The young caller's voice waivered only slightly as she detailed a ghastly scene to the 911 operator. It almost sounded like a prank, too wild to believe. But what happened in the house on Sunnydale Street was very real, and ultimately worse than anyone could have imagined.
True Crime Story Time: Chapter Three
When a young couple was attacked on a Lover's Lane one stormy Halloween night, the pressure was on police to arrest someone. So they did.
S4 Ep83: Lawman
The name Tom Toaz was well-known in Mid-Michigan at the turn of the 20th century. He was a celebrated lawman, infamous for throwing more citizens behind bars than all of the other constables combined. He had a hand in all of the scandalous, headline-making cases in Eaton County in the late 18 and early 1900s, but no case he was involved in was quite as scandalous as his own.
S4: True Crime Story Time: Chapter Two
When a young woman is found dead in her Tijuana hotel room, authorities have more questions than answers. Mainly- why doesn't the photo on the driver's license match the body on the floor?
S4 Ep82: The Triangle
Out on the open water, there is a hotspot of unusual activity- ships disappearing in broad daylight, planes vanishing into thin air, unexplainable weather phenomena. Not the infamous Bermuda Triangle, but a similar danger much closer to home- the Lake Michigan Triangle.
S4: True Crime Story Time: Chapter One
When a serial killer was sent to the gallows in Victorian-era London, his infamous last words were, "I am Jack the..." before the noose snapped his neck. Were the Lambeth Poisoner and Jack the Ripper one in the same?
S4 Ep81: Maneater
Born just outside Detroit to a single teenage mother and a violent criminal, Aileen Wuornos had the cards stacked against her from birth. She was raised in a house of horrors, amidst rumors of incest and unspeakable abuse. A child sex worker who gave birth at the age of 15, Aileen lived in the woods behind her family home after she was kicked out by her sadistic grandfather. And that was just the
Bonus: Ghostface
In celebration of the new Scream movie coming to theaters this week, here is a Patreon bonus episode from a couple years back exploring the true story behind the inspiration for the Scream movies.
S3 Ep80: Rampage
On February 20, 2016, the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan found itself under siege. From a father/son duo out car shopping to a group of friends meeting for dinner, a madman was methodically gunning down unsuspecting citizens with no rhyme or reason. When the family man responsible for the rampage was apprehended, authorities were not prepare for the story he told them. Did Jason Dalton simply snap on
S3 Ep79: Frozen
A real estate mogul gunned down in cold blood. A young girl brutally slain in a cornfield. A secret serial killer. And the wildest twist a So Dead story has seen yet. This episode explores the oldest cold cases in Michigan’s capital city.
S3 Ep78: Ghosted 3.0
Ghost stories sent in by listeners, and the tragic truth behind the haunting of a Downtown Lansing business.
Wondery Presents- Over My Dead Body: Fox Lake
Season three of Wondery's Over My Dead Body is live NOW! Listen to Over My Dead Body: Fox Lake wherever you get your podcasts, or at the link below: wondery.fm/FL_SoDead
S3 Ep77: Stolen
When the Detroit Police Department returned Helen Kaminski's three-year-old son to her just days after he was kidnapped by a disturbed young woman, Helen thought her troubles were over. But they were only just beginning. Because three days later, the same woman kidnapped the little boy again, leading to a decade-long nightmare involving corruption, con men, and murder.
S3 Ep76: Joyride
As the 1920s came to a close, 22-year-old Bugs Morehouse and 21-year-old Hawthorn Sutton were poised to conquer the world. They were dashing, charming, and whip smart. They both came from well-to-do families and had beautiful young brides. The two friends truly had it all. But they wanted more. What started as a small-town crime spree quickly turned into a nationwide manhunt and a sensational tria
S3 Ep75: The King
Only once in history has a monarch been crowned on American soil. And of course it happened in Michigan. From pirates to polygamy and kings to killers, the tale of the King of Beaver Island is almost too strange to be believed.
Sony Presents Witnessed: Borderlands
A new podcast about the war on drugs, beginning 9/7/21.
S3 Ep74: Starstruck
When Detroit native Robert Wagner moved out to California as a child, he had dreams of making it big. But his obsession with a Hollywood starlet turned those dreams into a nightmare. Named an official person of interest in his wife's tragic death decades after she drowned in the Pacific Ocean, will the 91-year-old face charges (or be exonerated) before time runs out? Or will the ghost of Natalie W
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Eight
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!Ghosts of the past haunt the streets of Cereal City, and the Kellogg legacy lives on. A look at Battle Creek today.
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Seven
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!The streets of Cereal City were never more dangerous than in the early 1980s, when three young women were raped and murdered over the span of six months. Locals fear
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Six
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!1986 was on track to be a stellar year for musician Ricky Goddard. He'd just gone into business for himself, was building a new house, and most importantly, was expe
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Five
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!When a beautiful wife and mother is savagely murdered in her own home, the investigation into her death reveals the seedy underbelly of life at the Kellogg factory.
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Four
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!Throughout Dr. Kellogg's rise to fame and the success of his sanitarium, one man stood in the shadows doing much of the work but getting none of the credit- his youn
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Three
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!When Dr. Kellogg stole the Battle Creek Sanitarium out from under Mother White and the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the scorned prophet swore there would be hell to
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part Two
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!At the age of 24, Dr. Kellogg took over as director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, also known as "The San." In his quest to provide his famous guests with top-notch
The Cereal Killer Chronicles: Part One
In anticipation of Jenn's latest book, "The Cereal Killer Chronicles," all episodes of the So Dead miniseries that inspired it will be released in the main feed this week. Enjoy this deep dive into some of Michigan's strangest history!John Harvey Kellogg was a walking contradiction. A religious fanatic and a man of science. A racist and a philanthropist. A man so obsessed with wellness, he paid no
S3 Ep73: Shooter
When the final bell rang on February 22, 1978, over a thousand teenagers filled the halls of Everett High School, ready to head home for the day. Among them was a 15-year-old Nazi enthusiast with a kill list and a loaded revolver. Listen in for more on the shocking tale of one of modern America's first school shootings.
S3 Ep72: Michigan Monsters
A creature with the face of a dog and the body of a man that only appears once every ten years and scares its victims to death. Feral, cannibalistic humanoids that lurk in the woods surrounding the asylum they were forced to leave when it shuttered its doors. A sharp-toothed harbinger of doom that reigns over the Motor City. These are just some of the monsters said to hide in Michigan's dark corne
S3 Ep71: Salesman
In the summer of 1966, Michigan housewife Betty Reynolds had it all- a loving husband, two beautiful children, a cute little cottage in the woods. But a visit from a stranger one sunny afternoon would change everything- not just for the Reynolds family, but for the entire town.
S3 Ep70: Eleven Seconds
It took only a moment for a birthday celebration to turn into a nightmare. When 22-year-old Brandon Mitchner drowned during a night out with friends, a surveillance system caught nearly the entire incident on camera. Everything but the eleven seconds it took for Brandon to plunge from the safety of a neighborhood sidewalk to the raging waters of the Grand River, some thirty feet below. Was it a tr
S3 Ep69: Killing Season
The Lincoln assassination. Titanic. Waco. Columbine. What common thread do these tragic historical events share? And what does any of it have to do with Michigan? The answer may shock you.Sponsors: Magic Spoon and EveryPlate
S3 Ep68: Party Girl
Life in Northern Michigan was rough at the turn of the 20th century, and death was not uncommon. But when the family and friends of Mary McKnight began dying at an alarming rate, authorities took notice. And what they found shocked not only a small lumber town, but the entire nation.
S3 Ep67: The X Factor
In the 1920s and 30s, an ultra-violent sect of the KKK called the Black Legion ran rampant in the Midwest. When a proud black man and activist moved his family to Lansing, Michigan to escape death threats from white supremacists, he had no idea he was walking into a snake pit. The violence that ensued destroyed a family and shaped the life of a man who went on to shake the world.
S3 Ep66: The Witness
Over a year after a Michigan man's brutal murder, a surprise witness comes forward with a shocking retelling of events, in what is easily one of the strangest cases in true crime history.Case: The Murder of Marty DuramTheme song and audio by SuZen MariePromo: Crimes and ClosetsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/sodeadpodcast)
S3 Ep65: False God
Born in 1902 Detroit to a prominent family , Charles Lindbergh was handsome, talented, and charismatic. When he made aviation history in 1927, he instantaneously became the most famous man in the world. But when his young son was kidnapped from the family home in 1932, Lindbergh's secret life began to unravel, leaving the world wondering just what kind of man they'd been worshipping for so long.Ca
S3 Ep64: Lost Boy
Twenty years ago, 12-year-old Stevie Kraft disappeared from his Benton Harbor neighborhood while out walking his dogs. Could a tip from true crime aficionado Michelle McNamara finally lead to answers?Case: Steven Earl Kraft, Jr.Theme song and audio by SuZen MariePromo: Obsessed With DisappearedSupport the show (http://patreon.com/sodeadpodcast)
S3 Ep63: Brotherhood
Only once in recorded history have two individual serial killers hailed from the same household. Brothers Danny and Larry Ranes did not kill together. Their murder sprees occurred in different decades, their MOs were different, and their victim demographic was vastly different. But their motive was the same- to win. Raised in an abusive home, conditioned to compete against one another in all aspec
Season Three Trailer
A first listen of So Dead's new theme song, and a sneak peek at some of the cases that will be covered in 2021.
S2 Ep62: Massacre
On a dark and stormy night in 1883, there was a massacre in Jackson County. Unknown assailants murdered wealthy land owner Jacob Crouch and his entire family as they slept in their beds. While authorities raced against the clock to find the killers, bodies continued to pile up, and the case became more twisted and scandalous than anyone could have imagined.Case: The Crouch MurdersTheme Song: "Crow
S2 Ep61: A Family Matter
When a young wife and mother disappeared from her Hartford, Michigan home in the middle of the day, suspicion fell upon her high school sweetheart and husband of 12 years almost immediately. But the truth of what happened to Amy Henslee was much more complicated, and more sinister, than anyone could have imagined. Case: Amy Henslee, Tonya HowarthTheme Song: "Crowd Hammer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompe
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