We Would Be Dead

The Lost Hikers of Panama (Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon)

On April 1st 2014, Dutch Students Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon hiked into the Panamanian cloud forest and never returned. Months later all that authorities would find of were a few scattered bones, a pair of shorts, and a backpack containing their cell phones and a digital camera. The story that camera told was nothing short of an ambiguous nightmare. To this day, no one knows exactly what happened to Kris and Lisanne. Theories are plentiful in this case, but simple facts are elusive and hard to uncover. Keep your wits about your fiends, because this episode is a real journey, one that I hope we all return from.
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https://imperfectplan.com/2021/11/21/panama-expedition-2021-complete-overview/
 
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-lost-girls-of-panama-the-full-story
 
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Let's Talk Docs (Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God)

This episode is a special one fiends, We decided to give you a little peek inside something new we're doing! Welcome to the first meeting of Let's Talk Docs, our patrons only true crime documentary discussion club! 
Once a month we'll be discussing a true crime documentary via live stream and our patrons will be invited to participate. We'd like these events to have a book club vibe where we can all deep dive, and share opinions together. It's going to be really fun, so if you liked this episode or found yourself screaming opinions at your phone, or hopefully both, you're definitely going to want to become a patron ASAP.
We decided to start off with the new Max documentary, Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God so that we could give all our listeners a sneak peak, AND update the case at the same time. Remember this is all about conversation so don't be shy, for this episode's discussion, join our facebook group and let us know what you think, then hop on over to patreon so you don't miss out on the next one!
Click to learn more
5d Full Disclosure official website
Original Love Has Won website (archived)
Personal account from "Commander Buddha's" pre cult friend
Reddit Feed, Michael and Faith
Referenced article in The Independant
Reddit Feed, Jason
 
The following three articles contain all pulled quotes from Hannah Olson.
https://people.com/love-has-won-hbo-docuseries-amy-carlson-love-has-won-8407664
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-11-28/love-has-won-amy-carlson-hbo-director
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/love-has-won-mother-god-cult-amy-carlson
click for support if you or someone you know has been affected by Love Has Won
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Mother May I? (Love Has Won Cult) [REBROADCAST OF EPISODE 67]

This week, we are releasing a special episode where we discuss the new Max documentary, Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. In preparation for that episode, we are rebroadcasting our coverage of the Love Has Won cult for you all to catch up on! And if you haven't already, go watch the documentary, and then listen to Holly and Leslie have some feelings about it. 
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On April 28th 2021, Miguel Lamboy walked into the Saguache county police department and told officers that he had returned from spending a night out of town to discover a dead body in his home. The body was on and bed, it appeared to have been dead for quite some time, it was wrapped in sleeping bags and Christmas lights and covered in glitter. Miguel said that he expected the body was that of a 45 year old woman named Lia Carlson, also known as Amy Carlson, but better known as Mother God, the leader of a group he belonged to known simply as "Love Has Won".
In the investigation that followed authorities uncovered a bizarre new age cult who's beliefs combined homeopathic healing, faith healing, astrology, reincarnation theories Christianity, Buddhism, new age mysticism and every conspiracy the internet has to offer. The cult, then called "Love Had Won" used dangerous tactics to keep their members loyal, and daily YouTube live streams to recruit new followers / customers. 
This week we go down the extreme internet rabbit hole that is a modern cult, and introduce you to a frightening woman many knew only as "Mother God". 
Click to learn more
5d Full Disclosure official website
Original Love Has Won website (archived)
5D Full Disclosure official YouTube
Love Has Won Vice Documentary
Amy Carlson and family on Dr. Phil
click for support if you or someone you know has been affected by Love Has Won
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Melted (Snowmen)

Whether they’re singing of Silver and Gold, Holding the ghost of your dead father, dreaming of summer or running here and there all around the square saying catch me if you can, The snowman has become an enduring symbol of wintertime holidays. But, as you might have guessed, snowmen weren't always the jolly happy souls we know and love today. The humble snowman started out his life his life as something much more shocking. We hope you enjoy our yearly mythical holiday offering, it took us to some very weird places to be sure! 
Click to learn more
The Illustrated History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein
 
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Anomalies (The Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard Part 2)

*This is a part 2, so if you haven't listened to part one, do so now*
In this Part of the strange saga of the Blanchard women we take a in depth look at the copious medical disorders Dee Dee claimed Gypsy had, and the treatments she suffered because of them. We follow the thin pathway of logic Dee Dee used to convince doctors of Gypsy's imaginary ailments, and attempt to demonstrate how she arrived at the illnesses she chose. Most importantly we will explore just how a case like Gypsy's could have slipped through the cracks for as long as it did and reveal what became of Gypsy and Nick in the aftermath of the crime. This is the good stuff fiends, there's a lot to learn in this one and we hope you enjoy it.
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Websleuths feed 1
Websleuths feed 2
How to investigate medical child abuse
Original Buzzfeed article
Crime Scene photos (NSFW)
Mommy Dead and Dearest (Documentary)
Research and Resources from Dr. Feldman
 
 
 
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Mother Knows Best (The murder of Dee Dee Blanchard Part 1)

Community darling Dee Dee Blanchard had been through it all, divorce, abuse, poverty and a medically complicated child who required too many procedures to count. To top it all off Dee Dee and her young daughter Gypsy Rose lost their home and all their belongings during hurricane Katrina, so when habitat for humanity built them a beautiful little home in Springfield Missouri it seemed like heaven on earth. Poor little gypsy was unable to walk and eat by mouth. She had compromised hearing and vision and was developmentally and intellectually disabled. Gypsy was slight from years of liquid nutrition only, bald from chemotherapy, missing many of her adult teeth and yet through it all she was always able to greet the world with a smile. Everyone in Springfield and beyond looked out for the Blanchards, it was the least they could do, so when both women went missing on June 14, 2015 it seemed clear that something was very wrong. Little did their friends and neighbors know that for this little family, things were most definitely not always as they seemed. The investigation that followed their disappearance uncovered one of the strangest cases the American Public has ever seen. 
This case has been heavily requested for a long time so we took our time, and two episodes, to cover it!
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This case might be new to some of you so we're saving the links for next week. Don't want to spoil anything for anyone!
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Everlasting Faint (The Greenbrier Ghost)

A whirlwind romance, a handsome stranger, a mysterious death, and a ghost that solves her own murder? It's no wonder the legend of the Greenbrier Ghost is one of America's most beloved ghost stories. This week we explore the many things in this time honored tale that have been lost in translation for over a century. If you think you know this story, think again. The story of Zona Heaster Shue the Greenbrier Ghost,  is the most thrilling example of a woman who will stop at nothing to find justice that we've ever heard. We hope you enjoy! 
Click to learn more
The death, resurrection and retribution of Zona Heaster Shue, The Greenbrier Ghost
Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue
Greenbrier Ghost (Newspaper article)
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True or False Crime (Charlie McCarthy’s Ghost / Kidney Heist)

Leslie's Back! Just under the wire we bring you a game of true or false crime! See if you can guess if these two compelling and widely told stories are truly true crime or false felonies. Happy Halloween!
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Grow for me (Botanical poisoners with John Rattacasa)

Leslie is still on Maternity Leave so this week we bring you an episode on Holly's favorite topic, poison, with one of her favorite people, frequent campfire guest and all around friend of WWBD; John Rattacasa! John has his very own poison garden with all of the rarest and deadliest plants in the world. 
Holly and John talk all things botanical poison and then explore some cases where these rare and beautiful killers were actually used for sinister purposes. Holly tells the stories of Cangrande Della Scala Lord of Verona, who's mysterious death in 1329 was not untangled  until scientists happened upon his perfectly preserved mummy in 2015, and David Wayne Sconce the world's most diabolical mortician. John brings us a tale of the world's deadliest and least talked about poison flower, Wolfsbane. This is a fun one fiends!
Click to learn more
Article on the Digitalis Mummy
casefile on David Wayne Sconce
Follow John on Tiktok
John's Etsy shop
 
 
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Copycat (The Friday the 13th Killer with Jon Katity)

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/
 
 
 
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