Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More

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In 1990, 21 year old UCLA student Ronald Steven Baker's body was found in a train tunnel near the Manson Family's infamous Spahn Ranch near Los Angeles. His murder was initially believed to be occult related, but investigators would soon discover Ron's death was the result of a botched kidnapping plan carried out by his own roommates. (Subject Matter Begins @ 7:05) 

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From 1976 to 1986, three women were found murdered and dismembered in Oklahoma City. To this day, no one knows exactly who their killer was, but he has since become known as the Oklahoma City Butcher. 

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In this episode we cover the mystery of the 1-70 Killer- an unidentified man who murdered half a dozen people across several states during a 2 month period in 1992. 

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In this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary "The Crash", and also do a brief synopsis of the case for those not familiar. 

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In this episode we examine the 1995 disappearance of 62 year wealthy socialite Jackie Levitz, who vanished from Vicksburg, Mississippi just weeks after moving there. 

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In this episode, we cover a few amazing events that have happened during passenger flights, from a boy stowing away in the plane's wheel well, to a passenger quite literally coming back from the dead. 

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When it comes to mobsters and organized crime in the 1920s and 30s, you probably think of cities like New York and Chicago, and gangsters like Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Lucky Luciano. But what if I told you that during that same period there was also an expansive criminal network made up of mobsters every bit as cunning and ruthless, not in the American Midwest or northeast, but in Sydney, Australia. Based on their affinity for carving each other up, this became known as the “razor gang” era. And within this deadly Down...

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In this episode, Paul and Cody from the "Haunted Ozark Theater" podcast stop by to talk about all things horror. 

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In February of 1985, in Yonkers, New York, Alex Mengel quickly escalated a routine traffic stop to the murder of a police officer. Followin that, he engaged in a short lived crime spree that took the life of an innocent woman, and didn't end until he himself was finally killed. (Subject Matter Begins @ 5:37)

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In the summer of 1991, 14 year old Trey Cooley attended a shooting competition with his father at a shooting range in Dallas, Texas. Before the day was over, a freakish series of one in a million incidents would lead to Trey's death. 

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In this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary on the unsolved disappearance of Amy Bradley.  

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In July of 1984, after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, Wayne Lee Crossley suddenly pulled a gun and shot the police officer multiple times. Following that, he fled to a nearby Hotel bar called "The Other Place", where began firing indiscriminately at the people inside and in the parking lot. After he believed everyone was dead, Crossley turned the gun on himself and ended his own life. To this day, no one is sure why Crossley snapped that day. (Subject Matter Begins @ 13:18)

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In this episode, we discuss the tragic double homicide that occurred at Devil's Den State Park, in Northwest Arkansas in July on 2025. Clinton and Cristen Brink, who'd just moved to the area, were attacked on the trail by a lunatic named Andrew McGann, who had also just moved to Northwest Arkansas. Thanks to eye witness tips and swift police work, McGann was captured within four days of the incident. 

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On the night of June 15th, 1839, three strangers showed up at the Wright family cabin in Cane Hill, Arkansas. When William Wright opened the door, he was killed where he stood. What followed was a senseless and horrific massacre that resulted in the deaths of five members of the Wright family. In the following months, four men were hanged for the crime, but in the months and years that followed, many began to fear they'd killed the wrong men.

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Its hard to imagine, but there have been several cases in which a person went missing for years, only to discovered to have never left their home. These are two of those cases.

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In this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart".

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In this episode, we continue following the investigation, including eliminating several people of interest, and finally, we cover the DNA evidence that "linked" her abductor to the crime decades later. 

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In this episode, we cover Morgan's life, the details of her disappearance,  and the beginning of the investigation. 

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In this episode we bring you a mixed bag of bizarre stories so outlandish that they are hard to believe.  

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In November of 1982, Don Kemp left his fast paced life in the New York advertisement business to take a solo trip across America and work on a book about history he'd deamt of writing for years. Instead, his 1979 Chevy Blazer was found abandoned off highway 80 in Wyoming. It was still running, had half a tank of gas, and there was one set of footprints leading into the frozen prairie. Don was never seen alive again. 

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Teresa Williams, Crystal Parton, Cynthia Mabry, and Julianne Helton were real people with families, futures, and lives abruptly cut short by an inhuman monster. In December 1976, 13-year-olds Teresa and Cynthia and 14-year-old Crystal vanished in rural Arkansas. Years later in Missouri, 25-year-old Julianne Helton’s promising life ended in similarly horrific fashion. It would soon be discovered that all four girls were killed by the same man- James B Grinder. 

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In early December of 1958, Kenneth and Barbara Martin gathered their three children into their Ford station wagon and drove from their Portland home to the Columbia River Gorge to collect greenery for Christmas decorations. At some point during the short trip, the family and their car vanished in the Oregon wilderness, and it would be close to 70 years before the Martin Family Mystery would solved.... at least, partially. 

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On the afternoon of October 5th, 2018, 27 year old television producer Terrence Woods Jr was filming a reality show with a dozen other crew members in the remote Idaho wilderness when he suddenly threw down his equipment and sprinted into the woods. That was the last time he was ever seen. In the years since, many people have put forth their own theories as to what may have happened, including Terrence's parents. Was it a case of someone snapping and running away, or did something nefarious happen?

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In this episode, we cover the curious case of "The Bodies in the Bayou". In September of 2025, a cluster of bodies was found in Houston's waterways within a two week span. This has caused many to suggest a serial killer may be at large. Law enforcement insists that is not the case, but could there be? 

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In 1977, a young Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson vanished in Surrey, England, only to later reappear with a story that shocked both sides of the Atlantic. He alleged that Joyce McKinney, his ex girlfriend, and an accomplice had abducted him at gunpoint, transported him to a secluded cottage, and held him captive as a sex slave for days. This episode examines the known facts, the investigation, and why the so-called “Manacled Mormon” case remains one of the most controversial crimes of the 1970s.

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Merry Christmas! In this episode, we examine three tragic events that have occurred on Christmas Day throughout the years, along with one mystery that has endured for over a hundred years. And of course, we do our best to sprinkle in a little comedy and holiday cheer amongst the mystery and mayhem. So, pour yourself a glass of eggnog, throw another log on the fire, put in those earbuds to drown out the in-laws, and have yourself a very “Mantis” Christmas!

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In this episode, we discuss the I-44 Tri-State Truck Explosion. In September of 1970, the Tri-State trucking company and the Teamsters Local 823 Union were locked in a heated battle. Union truckers had been on strike for weeks, but their demands were being ignored. Instead, Tri-State had simply hired more non-union workers to fill the void. In retaliation, a few union drivers decided to set up along Interstate 44 near Springfield, Missouri to shoot and disable passing Tri-State rigs. However, one of those trucks was carrying 21 tons of dynamite, and what resulted was a catastrophic explosion...

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In this episode, we dive into the story of Karen Silkwood — a lab technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who stumbled into a nightmare. After raising alarms about contaminated equipment, falsified inspection records, and dangerous working conditions, Karen found herself the target of intimidation, mysterious exposures to plutonium, and escalating pressure. On November 13th, 1974, she set out to deliver documents to a reporter — evidence she believed would expose the truth. She never made it. Karen was found dead in her car, crashed off a rural highway, the documents missing, and...

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In this episode, we cover the origins of “The Highway Serial Killings Initiative”- an FBI program that identifies and links unsolved murder cases that have occurred along interstate highways to support law enforcement agencies. We also talk about one of the most notorious killers the program has helped capture- Bruce Delane Mendenhall, a long haul trucker/murderer also known as “The Truck Stop Killer”. 

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In this episode, we cover the extraordinary disappearance, and RE-appearance, of Brenda Heist. On an ordinary morning in February of 2002, the 43-year-old mother dropped her two children off at school near her home in Lititz, Pennsylvania. After returning home briefly- Brenda vanished. Her laundry was left in the dryer. Dinner was thawing in the sink. Her car was soon found abandoned. Her family believed she had been taken—or worse. But they never could’ve guessed what would happen next- After missing for eleven years, Brenda walked into a sheriff’s office in Key La...

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J Paul Getty III was the grandson of J Paul Getty, the richest and as well as the cheapest man alive. When he was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1973, his famously frugal grandfather refused to pay. That is, until pieces of J Paul III began arriving in the mail....

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This episode is about a New Age cult and it’s strange leader, a middle aged woman named Linda Good McGillis. Linda claims to be the equivalent of every religious deity combined, and says     she is the leader of an intergalactic space force that she communicates with via a holographic computer that only she can see. Believe it or not, Linda has a few thousand followers online, and several in person as well. 

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In July of 1983, actress, beauty queen and model Tammy Lynn Leppert vanished without a trace. In the preceding weeks her mental state had diminished,  and she had insisted someone was out to kill her. Were her fears justified, or another product of a psychotic break? 

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In this episode, we cover the life of legendary radio host Art Bell, as well as the origin story of his unconventional but incredible radio show, “Coast to Coast AM”. We’ll also cover the show’s evolution throughout the years and where it is today, talk about one of the show’s most infamous guests, and finish the episode by playing some of the crazier interviews that show has produced. 

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Episode 350 concludes our two part series on the Clutter Family murders. We'll follow killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, as they made their 45 day run around the U.S. and Mexico. We'll also cover the investigation, their capture, and finally - their executions.

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Episode 349 is part one of our two part series on one of the most infamous cases in all of true crime, and the basis for Truman Capote's legendary book "In Cold Blood" - the Clutter family murders. The Clutters were a prominent farm family in rural Kansas and were respected and revered by everyone in their tiny community.  Then, on a chilly November night in 1959, someone broke into the Clutter's home and murdered everyone inside. Barely anything was taken, so robbery wasn't thought to be a motive. But if not, who killed the C...

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In 1912, Floyd Allen was put on trial for intercepting deputies and "wrongfully freeing prisoners"- prisoners who happened to be his family. He was pronounced guilty, and sentenced to a year in prison. However, as soon as the verdict was announced, shots rang out, and within 90 seconds, seven people lay wounded and 3 were dead, with a 4th passing away from their wounds the following day. In this episode, we cover the rowdy history of the Allen family, and the series of events that led to the deadly courtroom shootout..

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In this episode, we cover the life of Buford Pusser, the man who inspired the hit 1973 film "Walking Tall". 

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April Dawn Andrews was 15 years old when she was last seen speaking with an unknown male in an old truck in front of her apartment complex in Pea Ridge, Arkansas on November 18th, 2006. The investigation into her disappearance was inadequate to say the least, and her own mother kept April's disappearance a secret from the rest of her family for a year. 

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