Hello cryptic friends! We hope you are enjoying the summer and finding ways to stay cool during these crazy heat waves. This week Kelsey covers an almost unheard of case, the murder of Ricky McCroskey, where evidence collected by honeybees ends up being the break in the case that investigators need. Then find out how bees are being used  to help future forensic students at body farms. 

Alanna shares the story of Abraham Shakespeare, a kind and generous man who spent his last few dollars on a lottery ticket that ended up changing his life. Things take a dark turn a few years later when he dissapears after a family member receives a strange phone call. Find out who is to blame, and why does the motive so often come down to money?

Tune in and hear about our latest movie recs, car troubles, cat tangents and what we have been up to lately. Happy listening and catch up with you all next time!



Darkcast Network spotlight this week is Stop, Who Does That? 



218: Unusual Suspects & Unusual Detectives

Jambo Cryptic Crew, we missed you! Sorry there was no new show last week, we were dealing with things and thank you for your patience while we took that time. With much love but no further ado, let's talk folklore from Africa! 

The intro chat has some smattering of summer wedding tea, a peek into the Patreon tech problems like almost losing half of one host's audio, plus the bonus episode's topic of mystical places like lightning-prone lakes and ley lines so check that out now! Stories start around minute 19 so that no one has to add that in the comments! lol

Kelsey hits us with some Kenyan customs and rich cultural background,  cities and craftworks, even a show and tell of her own collection! The Show part will be on our site and socials. Storytime #1 : How Zebras got their Striped Skin

Second segment starts out commenting on Kelsey's Paws shirt, sorry but it stayed in so there. Then we can't help but talk about food in general, as most podcasters are fond of doing, why are we always starving on mic?? Food does feature in the folklore of course, so we chat about that to kick things off. Then on to two quick stories, The Leopard Famine and The Midnight Goat  Thief. Just what the hell is up with those hares, anyhow?

Thank you so much for listening, supporting, and most of all, make sure to Keep it Cryptic!

Darkcast Promos: Pod of Terror and Book of the Dead





217: African Folktales: Animals, Food + Stories

We are back and not even technical difficulties could keep us away! Buckle up for a fun tangent filled ep, featuring interruptions by Gordo, many movie and tv show discussions as well as out usual shenanigans. Kelsey kicks things off with a listicle featuring many short tales of revenge and pranks, you may even find some inspiration. 

Next up Alanna takes a deep dive into the tale of the Bottle Conjuror, where a once in a lifetime performance promising to amaze, turns out to be an elaborate hoax that leaves the public baffled for decades. Closing out with the Riot That Never Was, a radio broadcast that caused a huge reaction and shocked a nation. 

We hope you enjoy this lighthearted ep, let us know what your favourite story was, Did you know that smelly usb sticks existed? Let us know! Until next time keep it cryptic!

Darkcast spotlight Psychology of the Strange

If you like the ep thumbnail check out redbubble.com/people/thomassciacca/shop they have tons of cool prints available!

216. Petty Pranks & Phony Performances

EDIT: the audio was fixed from first publish, sorry! way too long lol

We are back, baby! Back and not taking a break for a bit so buckle up, it's monster hunting time!  

If Bigfoot is the best at hide-and-seek, who or what else is out there, unseen and secreted away, underground, in a cave, out of sight? Tons of things, it turns out!

Intro chat includes horror movies portraying podcasters, why passkeys/passwords are the worst and technology sucks, and other random thoughts, then we dive into Greek Myth! Ever heard of the Minotaur? And are mazes like labyrinths, could you have a corn labyrinth??

Next it's on to some Norse lore, and the landvaettir land spirits that live in Iceland mostly. They guard the land and live in it too. To top it off, the Tatzelwurm! this mountain dragon dude has many names but only 2 little legs and big eyes! Like a Toothless, he kinda sounds cute, no? You can catch a peek if you are in the Alps, so bring your skis to see this mystical cryptid! 

Thanks for listening and tune in next time for true crime-pranks and petty hoaxes!

Darkcast Promo of the Week: Conspiring to Argue

215: Shh! Secret Creatures

Welcome back for part 2 of our Peruvian true crime episode, this weeks segment features a complex case involving the deaths of 2 people, each of their stories cannot be told without the other.

Sebastian Woodroffe had spent much of his life searching for spiritualism before he found deep connection with Indigenous culture and their plant based medicines. He spent years watching Indigenous healers and learning more about himself by ingesting ayahuasca, he now hoped to help his family members as well.

Maestro Olivia Arevalo Lomas was loved by her community, a highly respected and recognized shaman in the Peruvian Amazon, her family hosted many ayahuasca retreats in Peru and had been helping Sebastian on his journey.

Things take a drastic turn after their relationship turns sour and a public confrontation leads to both of their deaths. Follow along as we discuss what happens when mob mentality takes over, and what does it truly mean to get justice for the murder of a loved one?

The world is a very complex place, not everything, and especially not true crime, is always black or white, or as simple as good guy and bad guy. As we said in the ep, our hearts are with both of the victims families.

Thanks for listening, we love you all and please take care of yourselves. Until next time keep it cryptic!

214: Double Murder in Peru

Hey cryptic crew, we return with Kelsey's Peru true crime case pick, the case of Ruth Thalia and the game show The Value of the Truth. Should have probably called it, the truth hurts and yes, it's a rough one. 

A popular game show had just premiered in Peru for the first time, having been successful in many other countries already. The nature of the game is asking the contestant many questions before the show, picking some of the most gotcha questions in the show. Designed to embarrass the person, or at least cause some drama, it sparked anger in some until her very life was taken. 

This tragic story is the first of our 2-part Peru double-feature, it ran long and so did Alanna's so that will be dropping within the week for you beautiful people! As always more bonus episodes available on Patreon.com for the low price of 2$ at our starting tier. We just put out a Missing Persons May bonus. 

Keep it Cryptic!

213: The Contestant: The Murder of Ruth Thalia Sayas Sanchez

It's gonna be May! Okay, okay, we shall cease and desist with the boy band GIFs and on to the show! All over Europe and other areas we celebrate May Day, Beltane, Walpurgis night, whatever you call it it's all about fire, coming together, and making babies! Or new life, shall we say, new beginnings. First spring has sprung. 

So we dive into some celebrations and traditions from Bavaria, Germany, Scandinavia, which mostly call it Walpurgis night or some variation, and celebrate a Saint, a She-saint in fact! Then we get into Beltane, the Celtic pagan holy day, and have some fun, fire and feasts with Goddesses and Green Men. Put on your flower crowns and grab a maypole for this festive, fertile, fire-filled episode! No Fire Fest Fiasco here my friends, just good times and good intentions! Happy May-ing!

Sorry for the late posting, we are doing our best and putting up a new Patreon ep as well so watch out for that! Happy Listening!





212: Beltane and Walpurgisnacht Fire Festivals

The Story of the Pot Princess of Beverly Hills and Other Weed Stories

It’s the WEED-kend, my hot, high cannabis crew! Happy 420, in honor of all who celebrate we brought a collection of cannabis-related capers this time!

Kelsey kicks us off with some anecdotes about people who took or toked or ate too many pot brownies, and hey, we’ve all been there! Everyone seems to have a story about edibles gone wild, and we have some other embarrassing revelations that people admit to. Think using your phone flashlight to look for your phone. Relatable, right?

Covering Lisette Lee gets the gals giggling about stupid con artists and what you should never call your BFF, and big Justin Timberlake energy. This lady was a messy mean girl who inspired her former friend/assistant/drug mule to write a memoir with the longest subtitle we’ve ever seen! Bust out your brownies, it’s time to blaze it up with Cannabis Cons!

PS. Enjoy Pat’s cackle caught on the outtakes and excuse any messiness by the end of the ep! We had fun and hope you do too!

Darkcast Network Promo of the Week: The Final Trace podcast

211: 420 Cannabis Cons + Pot Princesses

This episode is just extra, sorry, not sorry! It’s extra-long, extra-cursed, and took us extra-long to get out on this long weekend, so a bit sorry ‘bout that part, to be fair!

Kelsey covers a curse on US Presidents with many names caused by a long-ago battle with Shawnee people. The Curse of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh’s Curse and the Zero-year Curse are some of them, and the list of incidents and deaths is certainly one that’s going to need to simmer for sec. The assassination count alone is a lot, and George W and that grenade thing? Shocking stuff.

From possible curse or conspiracy to the wonderful world of the honeybee! Through history they have loved to have us spill them all the tea. Or the booze, bees LOVE booze. The vibes of the hive are chatty and silly in this segment but people have been mad for honey for ages we learned.

Some Saints did some weird stuff; honey was the remedy for every ailment from eyestrain to erectile dysfunction, and it makes great mead too. Side stories include cats who drool, are surprised by owls, ridiculously expensive scented candles, and rampant accusations of people and things being AI. Do you love bees too? Let us know and hope you enjoy this very buzzed episode! I got one bee pun!

Darkcast Promo: Stop! Who Does That podcast

210: The Curse of Tippecanoe + Spill the Bee Tea, too!

So clearly this is a very sensitive topic, like most true crime, so please be aware this will contain mentions of child death,  child sexual abuse and other very violent topics. No explicit details are included but be forewarned it's a rough one. "we observe, but we must not need absorb" about bearing witness to trauma survivors in crime cases. 

So first we learn about a William Cook from Kelsey, and he was born to a big family and grew up to be a man who made very poor choices. He had a terrible temper, a penchant for kidnapping instead of just carjacking, and had too many children, who surely hated their father. To make a semi-Minecraft reference, no his children did not, in fact, yearn for the mines. Who wants to live underground but worms, anyway?

Alanna covers the Dunblane Massacre, a school massacre in 1990's Scotland that sent the small  town and nation into grief. What causes such impulses, we discuss, and what effects must it have on a vulnerable section of people? our kids are prepped for everything from drunk driving to school shooting these days, and we wonder what the consequences on our mental health must be. 

But then also, we find the light that shines through the cracks sometimes, when Alanna messes up musical numbers NOT from Hamilton, etc. So tune in and clutch a stress toy if you can, such is the joy of life, and we love you for being here with us!

Happy Listening and Keep it Cryptic!

Darkcast Promos of the Week!: Murder Unscripted, Psychology of the Strange



209: Mass Murders + Killings sprees

Welcome to Castles & Cryptids,  a paranormal podcast hosted by a couple of Canadian chickies! Follow Alanna and Kelsey  down the rabbit hole as we explore lore and legends, murder and mysteries, the unsolved and the unexplained.  Where the castles are haunted and the cryptids are cryptic AF! 