PNW Haunts & Homicides
Join Caitlyn and Cassie as they chat about true crime, the paranormal, and all kinds of spooky sh*t in the Pacific Northwest. Just two "normal-ish" friends who wanted more local, creepy stories so they never sleep or leave their houses again.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pnw-haunts-homicides--5955451/support.
Dark History of the Ouija Board: Murders, Madness & Mysterious Communication
The Ouija board started as a popular parlor game, but how did it become one of the most feared tools for contacting the dead? This episode explores the creepy history of the Ouija board, from its origins and mysterious name to the paranormal encounters, alleged possessions, and true crime cases that helped give it a sinister reputation.
We’re diving into haunted locations across the Pacific Northwest, including Heceta Head Lighthouse, Southern Oregon University, and a reportedly haunted coffee shop in Battle Ground. We’ll also explore Portland’s 1920s Ouija board obsession, a disturbing Arizona murder case allege...
A Killer in the Family Tree | Mark Dribin & Kenneth Griffin, Portland, OR
In July 1999, 42-year-old Mark Dribin disappeared from his Portland home. Investigators found blood, signs that someone had tried to clean it up, and DNA that they couldn’t produce a match for. For years, Mark’s family and investigators waited for answers.
Then another man went missing. On February 1, 2020, Kenneth Griffin was last seen in Portland. His mother reported him missing the next day.
Two men, twenty years apart, with no known connection to each other or to their killer. In this episode, we tell both of their stories, explain how forensic genetic genealogy broke open a de...
Portals to Hell: Devil’s Gate, A Haunted Road & Creepy Real Estate
Are there really portals to Hell hidden in the United States? In this episode, we explore the creepy legends surrounding Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena, California, the haunted Riverdale Road in Colorado, and a Salem, Oregon, house that sparked rumors of a gateway to the underworld. From occult rituals and curses, to phantom cars and ghostly joggers, we’re diving into paranormal encounters, haunted places, and terrifying urban legends. Are these places truly supernatural, or is there a more earthly explanation?
Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Insta...
Women in Black: Ghosts Stories & Dark Urban Legends
This episode dives into the eerie legends of the Women in Black. We start in Yakima, Washington, where a mysterious woman in a black dress was reported in 1897. Witnesses described a tall, silent figure racing through the streets who could supposedly shapeshift into a massive black hog, earning her the terrifying nickname Hog Devil. But was Yakima’s first ghost actually a supernatural entity, a woman sneaking out to meet her lover, or an elaborate prank?
Then we travel to Sleepy Hollow, New York, where a mysterious veiled Woman in Black haunted th...
Look For Me If I Don't Come Back: The Jack Family | Prince George, British Columbia
On the night of August 1, 1989, Ronnie Jack met a stranger at a Prince George pub who offered him and his wife Doreen jobs at a logging camp near Cluculz Lake. By 1:30 the next morning, Ronnie, Doreen, and their two sons, 9-year-old Russell and 4-year-old Ryan, had climbed into the man's dark pickup truck and driven off into the night. They were never seen again.
More than three decades later, the disappearance of the Jack family remains one of British Columbia's most haunting unsolved cases. In this episode, we walk through the timeline of that night, the RCMP composite...
A Documentary, a Dog, and a House With Rules
A woman gets a 3 a.m. email from a documentary producer who says he's spent a year developing a project about her life. What starts as flattering turns unsettling fast, and she can't seem to stop what's already in motion. Then a dog who's never shown a hunting instinct in his life starts locking onto something in the corner of a cabin near Mt. St. Helens — frozen, tail up, eyes fixed on nothing. He won't play his favorite game. He keeps getting up to follow it, checking corners like something's actually there. And then, just as suddenly and strangely, it st...
Haunted Filming Locations of Practical Magic 2 | English Ghost Stories
This episode explores the haunted filming locations of Practical Magic 2, from a nearly 900-year-old English pub to the ruins of a medieval castle. While the original Practical Magic was filmed in Washington’s San Juan Islands, the sequel was primarily filmed in England, including recreated sets of the iconic Owens family dream house.
At The Royal Standard, England’s oldest-claimed pub, reported paranormal activity includes candles mysteriously going out, laughter from an empty cellar, apparitions, and unexplained singing. Nearby Hag Pit adds even more witchy folklore!
At Old...
Fall Adventures: Practical Magic & Cemetery Tours
In celebration of Practical Magic 2 coming out this week, we’re returning to an episode where we visit the bewitching Pacific Northwest seaside town where Practical Magic was filmed!
The enchantment doesn't stop there—while chatting with Margaret from Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery, we delve into her passion for preserving historic sites and the engaging tours that breathe life into forgotten stories.
Our conversations even traverse through enormous pumpkin growing competitions, tea leaf readings, and Samhain celebrations! As spooky season unfolds, our tarot reading advises caution and strategy, ensuring you're well-prepared for whatever may come. Wheth...
The Search and the Silence | Besalynn James, Lummi Nation / Bellingham, WA
Besalynn Mary James was 62 years old when she disappeared from her home on the Lummi Nation reservation in January 2025. Her boyfriend told police she left at 2 AM to go for a walk in freezing temperatures. After she didn’t return, it took four days for him to report her missing.
What her sister found when she went to check on Besalynn's dogs didn't match his story. The clothes he said Besalynn was wearing were still inside the trailer.
In this episode, we walk through the timeline of Besalynn's disappearance, the contradictions in her boyfriend's account, the com...
Wolf Creek Inn: Oregon Ghost Stories & Haunted History
In Southern Oregon, the historic Wolf Creek Inn has welcomed travelers, celebrities, and curious guests since the 1800s. Originally built along the Applegate Trail, it became a popular stop for settlers, miners, stagecoach passengers, and later railroad and highway travelers. The inn has hosted famous guests including Jack London, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Orson Welles, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Jack London especially loved the inn, spending a summer writing there, and his former room is now preserved in his honor. Today, Wolf Creek Inn is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Pacific Northwest and a historic Oregon...
The Dark Strangler, Every Landlady's Nightmare | Part 2: Earle Nelson | Portland, Oregon
Picking up where we left off in Part 1, Earle Leonard Nelson — the man newspapers called the 'Dark Strangler,' the 'Gorilla Man,' and the 'Gorilla Killer' — unbeknownst to the public or authorities had left the Pacific Northwest and was heading east. Behind him: a trail of victims across California, Oregon, and Washington, including four in Portland alone. Ahead of him: a killing spree that would accelerate across the Midwest and Eastern United States before finally being brought to a halt in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Part 2 follows Nelson to Iowa, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Buff...
The Dark Strangler, Every Landlady's Nightmare | Part 1: Earle Nelson | Portland, Oregon
From San Francisco to Winnipeg, he carried a worn Bible and a strange but seemingly polite smile. He answered ads about homes for sale and rooms for rent where he was invited in by unsuspecting, vulnerable women. Between February 1926 and June 1927, twenty-two women and one eight-month-old baby lost their lives to Earle Leonard Nelson – the man newspapers of the day called the 'Dark Strangler,' the 'Gorilla Man,' and the 'Gorilla Killer.' Four of those killings took place in Portland, with three occurring in a single week.
Earle Leonard Nelson was alm...
Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus & Tacoma's King Octopus: Washington Cryptid Legends
Dive into the weird world of Pacific Northwest cryptids as we separate fact from fiction. This week, we're climbing into the forests of Washington to investigate the legendary Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, one of the internet's most famous hoaxes that became a surprisingly convincing lesson in online misinformation.
Then we head beneath the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to uncover the legend of the terrifying King Octopus, a cryptid inspired by real giant Pacific octopuses. Is there really a monster lurking under the Tacoma Narrows, or is the truth just as fascinating?
Tune i...
Two Girls, Two Parks, Two Killers: Michella Welch & Jennifer Bastian | Tacoma, Washington
In 1986 the North and West End neighborhoods of Tacoma trusted their parks. That was, until two girls disappeared from public parks in Tacoma, Washington within a few miles and a few months of each other, both stories ending in tragedy. Twelve-year-old Michella Welch disappeared from Puget Park on a bright Wednesday afternoon in March. Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Bastian vanished from Point Defiance Park while riding her brand-new Schwinn bike that same year in August.
For nearly three decades, investigators believed the girls had been killed by the same man. The circumstances were too similar to imagine otherwise. As Jennifer's mo...
Leah Roberts: The Crash That Wasn't an Accident | Unsolved, Bellingham, Washington
On March 9, 2000, Leah Roberts left her home in Durham, North Carolina, on a Kerouac-inspired cross-country road trip in search of something she couldn’t quite name, telling no one exactly where she was going. At 23, in the wake of multiple personal tragedies she had recently dropped out of college just as graduation was nearly in sight. Days later, she reached Bellingham, Washington.
Five days later her Jeep was found wrecked at the bottom of an embankment, where many important and prized possessions remained but there was no sign of Leah. What investigators would eventually uncover about that crash sit...
Pacific Northwest Reddit Stories: Hiking Horrors
In this episode, we dive into chilling Reddit true stories from across the Pacific Northwest, featuring creepy encounters, unexplained mysteries, and possible paranormal activity in Oregon and Washington. First, a couple hiking Hobbit Beach on the Oregon Coast discovers a disturbing forest altar made of candles, feathers, eggs, and animal bones before crossing paths with two suspicious strangers. Then, we explore a terrifying encounter on the Pacific Crest Trail near White Pass, Washington, where a solo female thru-hiker is stalked by a man obsessed with missing hikers and bodies disappearing in the surrounding bogs. Next, we examine a sighting of...
Two Deaths, One Date: Patience Boston & the Purrinton Family | York & Augusta, Maine
On July 9, 1734, a Native woman named Patience Boston confessed to drowning an eight-year-old boy in a well — then walked two miles to turn herself in. Seventy-two years later, to the day, a respected Maine farmer spent an evening sharpening an axe and reading his Bible by candlelight before murdering nearly his entire family.
Two tragedies. Same calendar date. Both set in colonial Maine, centuries ago.
Two documents, centuries-old that survive only because someone who knew the people involved decided to write down what happened — a pair of Puritan ministers shaping one woman's last words into a less...
Ghost of the Gold Dredge
Deep in eastern Oregon, the historic town of Sumpter is home to one of the Pacific Northwest's most fascinating Gold Rush landmarks: the Sumpter Valley Dredge. Built to recover gold flakes from the Powder River, these massive gold dredges operated around the clock, reshaping the landscape and leaving behind towering tailings that are still visible today. Now preserved as the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area, visitors can tour one of the largest surviving gold dredges in the United States, explore its mining history, and even try gold panning.
But the dredge isn't just famous for its gold...
Kristil Krug: She Did Everything Right | Broomfield, Colorado
In October 2023, Kristil Krug began receiving threatening messages she believed were coming from an ex-boyfriend she hadn't spoken to in years. She filed police reports, kept a detailed log, installed cameras, obtained a concealed carry permit, and ran home defense drills with her children. She told her father: "Someone's going to die. It's either me or him."
She was right. She just didn't know the threat was already inside her house.
On December 14, 2023, eleven days before Christmas, Kristil's husband Daniel was waiting for her when she came...
Loni Kai Okaruru: Washington County's Unsolved Hate Crime
In honor of Pride Month, we're resharing this very important unsolved murder. 🌈 We'll see you next Thursday!
Loni Kai was a vibrant, friendly, well-liked young woman. She has also graced the 5 of Hearts in a cold case deck of cards. Loni was born Lorenzo Okoruru in the Mariana islands, but by 2001 she was living in the Hillsboro/Aloha area of Oregon with some of her extended family that lovingly supported her whole heartedly. This one hits close to home, quite literally. On August 26th as she tried to make her way home in...
Deborah "Debe" Atrops: If Anything Happens to Me | Beaverton, Oregon
In November 1988, Deborah "Debe" Atrops left a hair appointment in Tigard, Oregon and never came home. When she was found — what investigators discovered would haunt Washington County for decades.
Debe was 30 years old. She was a mother to an eight-month-old daughter. She had told a friend: "If anything happens to me, Bob did it."
It would take decades, a new cold case unit, and a trial that raised as many questions as it answered to bring this case into a courtroom.
But the Washington County Sheriff's Office st...
The Most Haunted House in Washington
Step into haunted Port Gamble, Washington, a historic mill town founded in 1851 and home to the infamous Walker-Ames House, known as the most haunted house in Washington. From ghostly women in the windows and children's voices in the attic to mysterious EVPs, shadow figures, and unexplained apparitions, this abandoned home has become a legendary paranormal hotspot.
In this episode, we explore the haunted history of Port Gamble, chilling ghost tour encounters, paranormal investigations, and firsthand accounts from former residents. We also uncover eerie stories from the town's other haunted landmarks, making this a must-listen for fans of ghost...
Logan Schiendelman - I Hope to Survive This Week | Tumwater, WA
On May 20, 2016, multiple 911 calls reported a black Chrysler Sebring drifting across multiple lanes of Interstate 5 south of Tumwater, Washington — with no one at the wheel. When authorities searched the car, they found a wallet, phone, keys, cash, and curiously a bag of snacks still sitting upright in the center console. What they didn't find was 19-year-old Logan Schiendelman. Ten years later, no one knows what happened to him.
The week he disappeared, Logan sent a text to a young woman he'd met on a dating app. It read: "I hope to survive this week." Those six haunting words are...
The Ghost That Saved A Lighthouse
Explore the haunted history of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse on the Oregon coast. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was abandoned after only three years and nearly demolished before locals fought to save it. Today, it’s famous for chilling ghost stories, including the legend of Muriel, a teenage girl who mysteriously vanished inside the lighthouse in the tale The Haunted Lighthouse. Along with eerie legends of a phantom lighthouse keeper and unexplained hauntings at Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
We also uncover sightings of a Captain’s ghost wandering near the lighthouse after his fatal shipwreck at the Devil's Punchbowl, also known as “...
Nancy Moyer: Two Wine Glasses on the Table | Tenino, WA
On the evening of March 6, 2009, Nancy Moyer stopped at a grocery store in Tenino, Washington, paid by check, and drove home. After that night, she was never seen again. She left behind her purse, her keys, her car, and two wine glasses on the coffee table.
When Bill, her husband from whom she had separated, brought their daughters back two days later, he found the front door ajar, the lights still on – and no Nancy. Her purse was inside. Her keys were inside. Her car was in the driveway. She was not the kind of woman who walked away.
Lindsey Baum: Unsolved | McCleary, WA
On the evening of June 26, 2009, ten-year-old Lindsey Baum left a friend's house in McCleary, Washington for the short walk home, but she never arrived.
McCleary is the kind of town where everyone knows each other - fewer than 2,000 residents, two dozen streets, one major employer. It was exactly the kind of place Melissa Baum thought was perfect for a fresh start with her two kids after relocating post-divorce from Tennessee. It felt safe. It felt quiet. And then it didn't.
What followed was a massive, multi-agency investigation - hundreds of law enforcement personnel, dozens of FBI...
Portland’s Titanic Exhibit: A Haunting Tragedy
This episode dives into the immersive Titanic Artifact Exhibit at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), blending haunting history, real-life tragedy, and eerie modern-day coincidences. The exhibit’s emotional weight builds through authentic artifacts, heartbreaking survivor and victim stories.
The episode also explores Pacific Northwest connections, including Herman Klaber and the Warrens of Portland, alongside modern tragedy with Paul-Henri Nargeolet and the Titan submersible implosion. Paranormal elements surface with reports of haunted exhibits and a mysterious flood at the Volo Museum on the anniversary of the sinking, blending history, ghost stories, and maritime mystery into on...
America’s Only Emperor: The Strange, True Story of Emperor Norton
What happens when a city decides kindness is better than cruelty?
In this special crossover episode, we're teaming up with the wonderful folks over at Rainy Day Rabbit Holes to explore one of the strangest — and most unexpectedly heartwarming — stories in American history: Joshua Abraham Norton, the self-declared Emperor of the United States.
Born into loss, shaped by fortune, and broken by ruin, Norton vanished into obscurity — only to reemerge in 1859 with a proclamation that probably should have ended badly. But San Francisco, being San Francisco, leaned in. What followed was a twenty-year "reign" that was equal...
He Never Made It to the Funeral: The Murder of George Cecil David
George Cecil David’s journey from Neah Bay to Port Angeles along Washington’s rugged coastline should have ended in a somber gathering just days later—family and friends coming together in remembrance. Instead, it became the beginning of a mystery that would remain unsolved for years.
In March of 2016, renowned Indigenous artist and master carver George Cecil David was on his way to Vancouver Island to attend a funeral, stopping in Port Angeles along the way—but he never made it to his final destination.
What followed was a complex investigation involving surveillance footage, missing evidence...
Creepy People Chronicles: Shadow Figures & Ghost Sex
This episode features stories of real-life paranormal encounters, blending eerie roadside sightings with deeply personal ghost experiences that blur the line between reality and perception. One listener recounts a terrifying shadow figure sighting on a dark, snowy country road. Describing a human-like silhouette illuminated briefly in oncoming headlights before vanishing without a trace. The unexplained encounter leaves lingering questions about shadow people and other supernatural phenomena, especially after repeated visits to the same location yield nothing.
The second story takes a spicy turn into ghostly apparitions and possible entity attachm...
The Fenn Treasure: A Real-Life Hunt That Turned Deadly
A hidden treasure. A cryptic 24-line poem. The hunt that followed blurred the line between adventure and obsession—and in some cases, turned deadly.
In this collaborative episode with the Rainy Day Rabbit Holes podcast, we dig into the story of Forrest Fenn and the decade-long mystery that sent thousands into the Rocky Mountains searching for gold.
What begins as a story about curiosity and exploration quickly turns darker—with dangerous terrain, mounting controversy, and lives lost along the way. We break down the infamous poem, the clues that captivated a generation, and the question that stil...
Tylenol Murders
We’re taking a break this week and using the time to amplify the voices of other creators we love in the true crime space. This week we’re bringing you a fabulous story from the Rainy Day Rabbit Holes podcast hosted by our friends Shea & Jody.
This episode delves into the chilling events surrounding the Tylenol murders of 1982 and the subsequent Excedrin poisonings in 1986. It explores the tragic deaths caused by cyanide-laced capsules, the investigations that followed, and the impact these events had on product safety regulations in the United States. The discussion highlights the key figures invo...
Not an Accident: The Cheryl Keeton Murder
On a dark September night in 1986, a van sat abandoned on the Sunset Highway outside Portland—with the engine running. Upon closer inspection there was a purse on the gas pedal, and blood everywhere.
What first appeared to be a tragic accident quickly unraveled into something far more disturbing.
Cheryl Keeton was a successful attorney, a mother of three, and a woman in the middle of a bitter divorce. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a story of control, fear, and a staged accident that quickly began to fall apart —revealing a murder.
In this...
Superstitions From Around the World
This week we dive into the strange, fascinating world of superstitions, starting with a few well-known ones before venturing into some truly bizarre beliefs from around the globe. The episode explores classic superstitions like unlucky black cats, knocking on wood, the taboo of walking under ladders, the bad luck of breaking mirrors, and why you shouldn’t open an umbrella indoors.
From there, we travel through a collection of unusual cultural superstitions. In parts of South America and Spain, sweeping someone’s feet with a broom is said to doom them to a lifetime of being single, while in th...
The Nesbitt Homestead Murders | Hood River, Oregon
In the early 1900s, the Hood River Valley was still frontier country. Homesteads were scattered across rugged land, neighbors lived miles apart, and life revolved around routine and survival.
When that routine suddenly stopped - others took notice.
Louisa Nesbitt and her daughter Alma vanished from their rural homestead without warning. At first, neighbors assumed the women had simply left the valley. But as time passed with no word from either of them, suspicion began to grow.
What followed would become one of Oregon’s most unusual early murder cases—one that tested the limits...
Ghouls of Grays Harbor
Pack your raincoat and your flannel, we’re heading to Grays Harbor in Washington, the salty gateway to the Pacific and the misty doorstep of the Olympic Peninsula. The most notable town on Grays Harbor is Aberdeen, hometown of Kurt Cobain. The town leans into its legacy with a welcome sign that reads “Come As You Are,” a nod to the iconic Nirvana anthem. Nearby, a humble highway sign became rock folklore and was eventually relocated due to its popularity with fans.
But Grays Harbor is more than grunge nostalgia. The st...
Mel's Hole of Mysteries
This episode originally aired in three parts - now conveniently edited down to one for your listening pleasure!
Today we’re going to talk about a very mysterious hole, known as Mel’s Hole. Who is Mel, and what is so special about his hole? On Feb 21st 1997, a self described Willie Nelson Doppelgänger named Mel Waters, contacted radio talk show “Coast to Coast with Art Bell.” Five phone interviews over the course of 5 years detailed a bewildering tale with many peaks and pits!
Extended versions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Visit our website! Find us on Facebo...
Friday the 13th: Paraskevidekatriaphobia & A History of Bad Luck
In this episode we examine the history behind one of the world’s most persistent superstitions. Friday the 13th has long been associated with fear and bad luck—but where did that reputation come from, and why does it keep resurfacing across the centuries?
Join us as we delve into the fear of Friday the 13th – known as paraskevidekatriaphobia – tracing the date’s uneasy legacy from medieval power plays to modern financial panic and how it became embedded in culture. Along the way, we explore how superstition, greed, and human behavior have repeatedly collided on the same allegedly cursed cal...
What Lies Beneath the Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo might seem like an unlikely setting for true crime and paranormal history, but beneath its family friendly surface lies a past with some unsettling chapters. In 2013, construction crews working on a new elephant habitat unearthed human remains. These undocumented burials trace back to Hillside Farm — a poor farm and sanatorium for the mentally ill and those with infectious diseases. The identities of those found remain unknown, their presence lingering as a quiet reminder of Portland’s forgotten dead.
The episode also explores two modern tragedies that unfolded at the zoo. In 1970, a late night break-in led...
The Columbia Edgewater Country Club Car Bombing
On April 21st 1955, a deadly act of violence shattered the quiet grounds of Portland’s Columbia Edgewater Country Club on Marine Drive. After an evening at the club attending a stag party, attorney and WWII veteran Oliver Kermit Smith returned to his car and started the engine. A bomb hidden beneath the driver’s seat detonated, killing him instantly.
Investigators quickly determined the explosion was deliberate. The device had been wired directly into the ignition system, ensuring detonation the moment the car was started. With no evidence of business disputes or outside enemies, attention soon turned to Smith’s pers...
