All around the world, there are forests just waiting to be explored—but you might not be alone out there. In the forest, there is death, and the dead don’t always leave. Do you ever wonder what terrible secrets your favorite forest holds?

In this episode, we are taking a look at some of the more famous monsters in lore–and why human beings are actually the bad guys in these stories.Our crimes?Stalking, hunting, slander, and slaying!

In the 1660s, Hartford, Connecticut flew into a frenzy when witch accusations started to be made.11 were accused, 4 were killed for it, and some escaped.Accusations continued to fly until a group of neighbors took things a little too far.If only Salem had learned from these stories.

The Hammersmith Ghost was a legend that plagued a village outside of London. When a villager committed suicide and was buried on consecrated ground, people began to report sightings of the local specter. Some ran. Some died. Some picked up guns and decided to fight. One man stumbled across the ghost and shot it in the face. There was just one problem—it wasn’t a ghost at all.

Roy Norris and Lawrence Bittaker were two men who met in prison and bonded over their twisted fantasies of hurting women. When they were both released, they made a plan to turn California into their own personal hunting grounds. They had five known murder victims, but most believe that there are more that remain undiscovered. Their victims met terrible, gruesome ends.

Mary Rogers was an unofficial local celebrity known for enchanting men with her smile while she sold them cigars. Not-so-subtly referred to as the “beautiful cigar girl” around town, men would visit her place of work just to share a passing glance with her. One day, she left to visit family. Three days later, she was dead in the Hudson River. Her devastating beauty was woven into stories and poems from famous writers—but no one knows what truly happened to this young beauty.Her story remains a mystery to this day.

James MacKenzie. James McKenzie. John MacKenzie. John Douglass. Seumas MacCoinnich.Let’s just say he was a man of many names. Call him what you will, but this famed outlaw and traveling sheep whisperer was one committed criminal.With his canine companion, he managed to run off with an absolutely ridiculous number of sheep. Even after his capture, police couldn’t manage to keep him in custody.Find out the most obscure way to get a region of New Zealand named after you.

When a preschool child disappears from his family’s yard while playing with their dog, panic sets in.Where did he go? Was he alone? Did someone take him?A storm moves in that impedes the search efforts—but don’t lose hope just yet. Even the smallest child can do what it takes to survive.***SPOILER BELOW***Heya, folks!In this episode, I hold off from saying the victim’s name until the end—but it certainly still deserves its place in the show bio, so…The victim in this case is Ryker Webb.

Vincent Viafore went out kayaking with his future wife, Angelika Graswald.When Vincent made his way into some particularly tumultuous water without a life jacket, things took a dark turn. Vincent drowned when his kayak took on too much water.Ten days later, Angelika was arrested for his murder.Police would go on to paint a scene of a woman near her breaking point who intentionally tampered with her lover’s kayak—and she was found guilty for it—but is their accusation really true?**NOTE FROM BREEANN***This is a case that has a lot of surprising and disturbing information and claims. Among them is the fact that Angelika had a known history of violence and Vincent started to pressure her to consent to sexual situations that she did not want to participate in—leading her to write a diary entry where she said that she wished he was dead.Violence, threats, and other acts of aggression are domestic violence.Sexual coercion is rape and domestic violence. All of these actions are wrong and should not be tolerated under any circumstances.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can help.You can call, text, or instant message a representative today at 1.800.799.7233 or by visiting https://www.thehotline.org.

Fariba Amani was experiencing difficulties in her relationship. She suspected her boyfriend, Ramiz Golshani, was cheating on her, and she consulted a private investigator to get to the bottom of it. At the last second, she backed out, afraid of what her boyfriend would think—afraid he would get mad. They went on a cruise together, where Fariba was committed to deciding if she would stay with Golshani or end it for good. When she disappeared during the cruise, there was one clear suspect. Her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.