We Would Be Dead

Icarus (The Disappearance of Bryce Laspisa, Part One)

On August 28, 2013, Bryce David Laspisa, a 19‑year‑old student attending Sierra College in Rocklin California started out on the 6-7 hour drive back to his parents home in Laguna Niguel CA for an impromptu visit. Over the next 30 hours Bryce would spend hours sitting in his parked car at rest areas and on the side of country roads before disappearing all together. He spoke to his parents several times over the course of his trip, providing vague reassurances but never an explanation.
On the morning of August 30th, Bryce's 2003 Toyota Highlander was found overturned at the bottom of an embankment. There was evidence at the scene indicating that Bryce had survived the crash, and yet he was nowhere to be found. Extensive searches of the surrounding area produced no evidence of his whereabouts, no trace of Bryce has been discovered to this day. We all know that people don't just vanish into thin air, but the question remains, Where is Bryce?
 
Click to learn more (sources)
*Links to come in part 2, no spoilers!
 
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 

Not A Runaway (The Disappearance of Katelin Akens) [REBROADCAST EP 117 WITH UPDATE!!]

***THIS EPISODES IS A REBROADCAST OF EPISODE 117 WITH AN UPDATED ADDED TO THE BEGINNING!***
This week, we decided to rebroadcast our coverage of Katelin Aken's disappearance after learning that James Branton, Katelin's step-father and the last person to have seen Katelin, was arrested for multiple sex crimes. This arrest brings investigators one step closer to uncovering what happened to Katelin 10 years ago. 
-------
In this, the first installment in our “Not a Runaway” series we discuss the mysterious disappearance of 19 year old Katelin Akens. 
“Katelin Michelle Akens was last seen on December 5, 2015, in the vicinity of Oak Crest Drive in Partlow, Virginia.  She was visiting family in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and was scheduled to fly home to Arizona on December 5, 2015.  However, she did not board her flight and has not been seen since.  On December 7, 2015, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recovered a piece of blue luggage from a roadside ditch, unzipped, empty, and with a missing wheel.  A wallet was located inside the luggage with Arizona identification belonging to Akens.“ 
Right now, In the United States there are 194,673 reported missing girls and women under 21, and that only accounts for the time that has elapsed since January first, according to national statistics by the end of the year there will be twice as many.
 91% of these women and girls are classified as Runaways. It's comforting to assume these women and girls just decided to go somewhere else, but ask their families how many of them actually did that, and I think you'll get a vastly lower percentage.
We need to believe these families, we need to give these girls the importance they deserve, we need to find them. All of them.
Anyone with information about Katelin or her disappearance should call the Spotsylvania county sheriff's office at (540) 582-7115 or Spotsylvania's Crime Solvers at (540) 582-5822 or 1 (800) 928-5822
 
 
Click to learn more 
James Branton Arrested For Sex Crimes 10 Years After 19 Year Old Katelin Akens Goes Missing
FBI official listing for Katelin
Help Find Katelin Akens Facebook Group
 
 
*Affiliate Link
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
    
 

Still Life (Murder on Ireland's Eye)

In September of 1852, Maria Kirwan and her husband took a small ferry boat from the seaside town of Howth to a little island called Ireland's Eye.  Both Kirwan' stepped off the ferry boat, full of excitement for the pleasant day ahead. The Kirwan's planned to swim and sketch and eat a delicious picnic lunch. What they didn't plan though, was that by the end of that day, only one of them would be getting back on that ferryboat....alive. 
Join us for our 6th St. Paddy's day episode as we discuss the ancient but fascinating cold case that shocked an entire community among the beautiful Irish landscape.
Click to learn more (sources)
https://ragingfluff.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/the-irelands-eye-murder-case-1852/
https://crowehistory.com/2018/11/09/the-irelands-eye-murder-case/
https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kirwan-william.htm#google_vignette
https://www.nli.ie/news-stories/stories/irelands-eye-murder
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/death-on-ireland-s-eye-tragedy-and-mystery-on-a-lonely-patch-of-rocky-shore-1.4792036
 
Briggs, Katharine – An Encyclopedia of Fairies (1976)
Croker, Thomas Crofton – Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1825)
Wilde, Lady Jane – Ancient Legends of Ireland (1887)
Campbell, John Francis – Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860)
Keightley, Thomas – The Fairy Mythology (1850)
McGowan, Joseph – Irish Monsters (2009)
Duchas.ie – The Irish Folklore Commission Collection
 
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 

Hurricane (Addie Hall & Zach Bowen)

 In the fall of 2006, the city of New Orleans was still wading through the immense wreckage of Hurricane Katrina. Local author Chris Rose calls it "The storm that keeps killing" and it was. 
So, on October 17th 2006, when a man was found dead of apparent suicide, laid out on the lower rooftop of the Omni Royal Gardens Hotel, the police thought at first, that the storm had struck again. In some ways it had, but this case was is much more than meets the eye.
The victim had, in his pocket, US Army issued dog tags, a key and a note. The dog tags bore his name: Zachary Bowen. The note said that he had taken his own life as payment for taking the life of another, his girlfriend Addie Hall. The key was to the apartment where the police would find her body, and that is just the beginning of the story of Addie and Zach. It's the story of a love that ripped through their lives...like a hurricane.
Click to learn more (sources)
 
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15338473
 
https://www.weremember.com/zackery-bowen/4x5v/memories?utm_campaign=findagrave&utm_source=findagrave
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/books/27maslin.html
 
https://www.ranker.com/list/zack-and-addie-new-orleans/patrick-thornton?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=creepy&pgid=1011190218967434&utm_campaign=zack-and-addie-new-orleans-comment&utm_content=zscmyrogkwxlpvxp&fbclid=IwY2xjawQDLYdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJNa200cjJKMnVDekFkbEQwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpvwEdXqakKjI73YR7X3NItwsL-gUbKRqb-n_mIcCQxpNTKbw4lkTYp0_vmW_aem_jQm30W6behD6TGP4TiWJcA
 
https://www.ksla.com/story/5560421/suicide-leads-police-to-gruesome-murder-scene/
 
https://ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans/ghost-stories/zack-addie/
 
https://www.risk-show.com/podcast/raw/
 
http://www.blather.net/theblather/2006/11/the_war_at_home_the_story_of_zachary_bow/
 
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 

Copycat (The Friday The 13th Killer with Jon Katity) [Rebroadcast Episode 167]

Hey we know we have rebroadcasted this before, but with Valentines Day coming up, I wanted to highlight the man I love! No not Jason, but our Editor/Composer and my Husband, Jon Katity!! It's always a great episode to celebrate today with. We really should have Jon back on for another episode!
________
 
Hey there fiends, Leslie is taking a little time off to be the cutest and spookiest new mom in all the land, which means...(imagine a drum roll) guest hosts!
Happy Friday the 13th! This week in honor of this the luckiest unlucky of all days we brought our editor and composer Jon Katity on to help tell the story of the horrific murder of Sharon Gregory by a man named Mark Branch. Mark was obsessed with horror films, and aren't we all? Mark however took the concept of life imitating art to a new level when  he decided to act out his own horror movie in real life. Knock on wood and cross your fingers because this is the story of the Friday the 13th killer. 
Click to learn more
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Lake-Memories-Complete-History/dp/B00ETHN9L2
https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/sharon-gregory-murder/
 
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
 
Validate Us:
WWBD Merch Shop
Buy us a cup of validation
WWBD Official Soundtrack, Vol. 1
WWBD Official Soundtrack, Vol. 2
Shadows of Christmas (WWBD Christmas Album)
Sponsors
Try Audible Plus
Give the Gift of Audible!
Kindle Unlimited Membership
Amazon Prime Free Trial
Join the Conversation
    
 

Mind Matters (Based on a true story: Stranger Things, Part 2)

Did the Netflix series Stranger Things take over your life this holiday season? Do you like conspiracy theories, government secrets, magic and monsters? Have you ever wondered how much the United States Government would pay for a psychic division? Then boy do we have a good news for you! This episode is the second in a series of the true, and not true stories that inspired the world of Stranger Things. 
In this episode we'll cover:
Project Stargate and The Men Who Stare at Goats
FYI: If you didn't watch the show, don't worry. The stories we are going to explore in this series exist on their own, you don't need to have seen the show to understand or appreciate them. We just love a theme! If you are curious though, any images we think may be relevant, or are interesting points of comparison, will be included in the corresponding week's photo suite. 
 
Click to learn more (sources)
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights
https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R002800180001-2.pdf
https://lifeoutofbounds.com/2015/06/01/jim-channon-intergalactic-shaman/
https://www.reddit.com/r/RBI/comments/1hvio2n/gate_the_nefarious_gifted_and_talented_programme/
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5e1ede584653d00964acbb49
 
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 

Heroes and Monsters (Based on a true story: Stranger Things, Part 1)

Did the Netflix series Stranger Things take over your life this holiday season? Do you like conspiracy theories, government secrets, magic and monsters? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Holly struggle to explain quantum physics? Then boy do we have a good news for you! This episode is the first in a series of the true, and not true stories that inspired the world of Stranger Things. 
In this episode we'll cover:
The Montauk Monster, Camp Hero, The Philadelphia Experiment/ Project Rainbow, The Montauk Project, and Nina Kulagina the Russian Woman with telekinetic powers.
FYI: If you didn't watch the show, don't worry. The stories we are going to explore in this series exist on their own, you don't need to have seen the show to understand or appreciate them. We just love a theme! If you are curious though, any images we think may be relevant, or are interesting points of comparison, will be included in the corresponding week's photo suite. 
 
Click to learn more (sources)
https://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/29/montauk.monster/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/montauk-monster-dead-racco_b_116550
https://nypost.com/2008/07/29/montauk-monster/
https://www.livescience.com/2772-montauk-monster-likely-raccoon.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-happens-when-a-body-decomposes-in-water-180963994/
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/06/06/history-plum-island-animal-disease-center
https://parks.ny.gov/parks/fortterry/details.aspx
https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/HistoricalVignettes/Fort-Terry/
https://www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/related-records/paperclip
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/operation-paperclip-167222690/
https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/plum-island
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Kulagina
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom
https://web.randi.org
https://archive.org/details/archive-search-report-camp-hero-2000/page/n75/mode/2up
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparetimeradio/2587438677
https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/camp-hero-montauk-conspiracy-theories/
https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Camp-Hero-FUDS-Montauk-New-York/
https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/bp--the-story-of-camp-hero-in-montauk
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/p/philadelphia-experiment.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7984451/
https://www.amazon.com/Montauk-Project-Experiments-Time-ebook/dp/B004OEKH5Q
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 
 

Which Side Is Which (Leongatha Mushroom Murders, Part 2)

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined. 
In this installment we will examine how this horrible event was able to occur and what lead up to it. 
Click to learn more (sources)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-28/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-wednesday-may-28/105348612
 
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Ferin-patterson-trial-death-cap-mushrooms-seen-near-accuseds-home-months-before-fatal-lunch%2Fnews-story%2Fb9a4b965adbe1070edcf03b430484abc&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE&V21spcbehaviour=append
 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-08/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-jury-evidence/105476940
 
https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-guilty-the-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-verdicts/8af7134e-ea24-41e2-a55c-46d114949195
 
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/australia/australia-mushroom-murderer-left-half-alive-lone-surviving-victim-says-rcna226920
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74zwevy181o
 
https://www.sgst.com.au/news/timeline-of-erin-pattersons-mushroom-murders
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/07/erin-patterson-hospital-visit-beef-wellingtons-mushroom-exhibits-revealed-ntwnfb
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8zr16y21o
 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-evidence-timeline/105245152
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce82lj7g1g7o
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m8glx2zleo
 
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/28/erin-patterson-computer-text-messages-mushroom-lunch-trial-australia-ntwnfb
 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-08/mushroom-murder-erin-patterson-legacy-analysis/105745284?fbclid=IwY2xjawOIi_VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyCGNhbGxzaXRlAjMwAAEe9mUhuPckO6bqE0lX5CHydZajfAcGS0emygIXlUEj-mt_T8EXhBsQEtEnNIc_aem_hIds4nARmeVO7kJnq5fBLQ
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
   
 
 

Dear Diary (Joel Michael Guy Jr.) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 93]

Happy Thanksgiving Fiends! We took a little break this week to enjoy family and get ready for the Christmas season but we didn't want to leave you hanging entirely! Next week we will be back with part 2 of the Mushroom Murders saga, but for today we are rebroadcasting our episode on Joel Michael Guy, Jr. One of our fiends posted about this becoming their unintentional yearly thanksgiving re-listen, so we thought we would all get onboard. 
------------------------
For most of us, our childhood home is a sacred place; it holds our memories, our daydreams, our secrets. It's a place where we learned and grew and discovered who we were. Your childhood home should radiate safety especially, around the holidays. It should be a place that appears in your dreams and photographs for the rest of your life. It should never be the scene of your worst nightmare come to life. That is, unfortunately, exactly what the Guy family of Knoxville, Tennessee, had to face. Just after spending a wonderful thanksgiving together, Joel and Lisa were brutally murdered in their home. 
On Monday November 28th, 2016, The Knox County sheriff's department was called in to do a wellness check on 55 year old Lisa Guy and her husband Joel, but what they found has gone down in history as one of the worst crime scenes imaginable. The officer's who found Joel and Lisa could only describe it as "A diabolical stew of human remains". What kind of monster could do this you might ask? Only one who was very close to home, a monster that one could say, hid under the bed... A monster that Joel and Lisa spent 28 years caring for... their son.
Click to learn more
Helpful hints for holiday family stress
 
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation
    
 

The Mushroom of Course! (Leongatha Mushroom Murders, Part 1)

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined. 
In part one we'll examine the "who", "what" and "where" of this case, but you'll have to wait until part 2 for the "how" and "why"!
Click to learn more (sources)
All sources will be provided in the show notes for Part 2 of this case. We don't want to give anything away!
Episode Credits:
Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel
Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity
WWBD Merch
Buy your WWBD swag here! 
Join the Conversation