Tales of the Twisted: True Crime Stories of the Strange

Rebecca Zahau: The Coronado Mansion Death Ruled Suicide

The death of Rebecca Zahau remains one of the most controversial cases in modern true crime. In July 2011, the 32-year-old was found naked, bound, and hanging from a balcony at her boyfriend’s oceanfront mansion in Coronado, California. Authorities ruled her death a suicide — but the details of the scene immediately raised disturbing questions. This Tales of the Twisted episode delivers a cinematic, story-driven investigation into the evidence, timelines, and unanswered contradictions surrounding Zahau’s death. From the cryptic message painted on the door, to the bindings, to the people inside the mansion that night, we examine why so many believe the scene may have been staged — and why the case continues to divide experts, investigators, and the public more than a decade later. If you’re drawn to cases involving questionable suicide rulings, elite power dynamics, and crimes that defy logic, this story refuses to fade into silence. Related Episodes: • The West Mesa Bone Collector — Albuquerque’s Buried Secrets [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com/episodes/the-west-mesa-bone-collector-albuquerque-s-buried-secrets] • The Springfield Three — Vanished Without a Trace [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com/episodes/the-springfield-three-vanished-without-a-trace] • The Yuba County Five — The Boys Who Vanished [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com/episodes/the-yuba-county-five-the-boys-who-vanished] • The Sodder Children — The Christmas Eve Mystery [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com/episodes/the-sodder-children-the-christmas-eve-mystery] Follow for new unsettling true stories every week.   Get more info at talesofthetwisted.com [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com]

The West Mesa Bone Collector: Albuquerque's Buried Secrets

The West Mesa Bone Collector is one of the most haunting unsolved cases in American true crime. Between 2001 and 2005, eleven women—and one unborn child—vanished from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their remains were discovered in 2009, buried across a remote stretch of desert now known as the West Mesa mass grave. This Tales of the Twisted episode delivers a cinematic, investigative deep-dive into the timeline, suspects, satellite imagery discoveries, trafficking theories, and the work of Detective Ida Lopez, whose missing-women list predicted the victims years before the graves were found. We explore the chilling possibility of a serial killer, a multi-state trafficking ring, and the still-missing women who may remain buried beneath the shifting sands of the mesa. If you follow cases like the Gilgo Beach murders, Jeffrey Dahmer, or the Cleveland Strangler, this episode exposes a case just as disturbing—and still unsolved. Related Episodes: • Dean Corll — The Candyman Killer [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-candyman-killer-the-true-story-of-dean-corll--68556107] • The Springfield Three — Vanished Without a Trace [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-springfield-three-the-true-story-of-a-vanishing-that-haunts-missouri--68526030] • The Sodder Children — The Christmas Eve Disappearance [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sodder-children-the-true-story-of-the-christmas-eve-fire-that-erased-a-family--68535045] • The Yuba County Five — America’s Strangest Missing Persons Case [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yuba-county-five-the-boys-who-vanished-into-the-sierra-nevada--68461671] Follow for new unsettling true stories every week.   Get more info at talesofthetwisted.com [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com]

Twisted Short: The Boy in the Chimney

A young man vanishes during a simple walk… and seven years later, demolition crews uncover his mummified body wedged head-first inside an abandoned cabin’s chimney. Who put him there? How did he get inside a chimney sealed with wire mesh? And why were his clothes folded neatly inside the house? In this Tales of the Twisted Twisted Short, we explore the chilling, real-life mystery of Joshua Maddux known worldwide as “The Boy in the Chimney.” This haunting case blends true crime, unsolved mystery, bizarre circumstances, and deeply unsettling questions investigators still cannot explain. If you love dark true crime, unexplained deaths, bizarre disappearances, and cases with impossible forensic details, this episode will pull you straight into the shadows. More Tales of the Twisted episodes you’ll want to hear next: • The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson — The 47-Minute Phone Call That Ends in Silence [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-disappearance-of-brandon-swanson-the-47-minute-phone-call-that-ends-in-silence--68807104] • The Ripper Crew of Chicago — Inside the Ritualistic Cult Behind the City’s Most Disturbing Murders [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ripper-crew-of-chicago-inside-the-ritualistic-cult-behind-the-city-s-most-disturbing-murders--68802235] • The Hex Hollow Murder — Curse, Powwow Magic & the Hauntings of Rehmeyer’s Hill [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hex-hollow-murder-curse-powwow-magic-and-the-hauntings-of-rehmeyer-s-hill--68786115] • The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula — The Midnight Intruder Who Terrorized a Town [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-phantom-barber-of-pascagoula-the-midnight-intruder-who-terrorized-a-town-twisted-short--68756668] • Amelia Dyer — Britain’s Baby Farmer Serial Killer [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/amelia-dyer-britain-s-baby-farmer-serial-killer-victorian-infanticide-murders-true-crime-documentary--68745669] Follow for new unsettling true stories every week.   Get more info at talesofthetwisted.com [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com]

Brandon Swanson (Minnesota) — The 47-Minute Call to Nowhere

Brandon Swanson’s 2008 disappearance in rural Minnesota remains one of the most haunting unsolved true-crime mysteries in modern history. After crashing his car, he called his parents—and vanished mid-sentence. He was calm. He was walking. He believed he was heading toward the lights of town. But he was miles from where he thought he was — and miles from the parents frantically searching for him. What happened after that final moment remains one of the most baffling unsolved disappearances in American true crime. In this extended episode of Tales of the Twisted, we explore Brandon’s last known steps, the massive search that followed, the landscape capable of swallowing a person whole, and the heartbreaking legacy his disappearance left behind — including Brandon’s Law, which forever changed how missing adults are investigated. If you’re drawn to stories of eerie vanishings, real-world mysteries, and cases where the answers remain just out of reach, this is an episode you won’t forget. Listeners who enjoyed this case may also like: 📝 The Circleville Letters: The Poison Pen Who Terrorized an Entire Town https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-circleville-letters-the-poison-pen-who-terrorized-an-entire-town--6786657 🧬 The Yuba County Five — The Boys Who Vanished Into the Sierra Nevada https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yuba-county-five-the-boys-who-vanished-into-the-sierra-nevada--6786657 🕯️ The Springfield Three — Three Women, One Vanishing Act https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-springfield-three-three-women-one-vanishing-act--6786657 🔪 The Butcher of Kansas City: The Shocking Crimes of Robert Berdella https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-butcher-of-kansas-city-the-shocking-crimes-of-robert-berdella--6786657 👶 Amelia Dyer — The Baby Killer Who Haunted Victorian Britain https://www.spreaker.com/episode/amelia-dyer-the-baby-killer-who-haunted-victorian-britain--6786657 Follow for new unsettling true stories every week.   Get more info at talesofthetwisted.com [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com]

The Ripper Crew: Chicago’s Ritualistic Killers

Chicago’s Ripper Crew carried out one of the most disturbing series of satanic-influenced murders in American true-crime history. Between 1981 and 1982, women were abducted, tortured, and killed in rituals that horrified investigators. Operating under the control of self-proclaimed leader Robin Gecht, the crew carried out attacks marked by ritual, ideology, and horrifying precision. In a city still haunted by the shadow of John Wayne Gacy, these crimes defied every expectation of what investigators thought they were dealing with. Tales of the Twisted uncovers the full story: the attic “ritual room,” the red van that stalked the streets, the survivors whose bravery broke the case open, and the shocking trials that led to the downfall of the Ripper Crew. This episode explores how a seemingly ordinary group of men formed one of the most sadistic murder teams in modern true-crime history — and what questions still remain unsolved today. If you’re drawn to eerie true stories, dark psychology, and the cases that leave a stain on history, this is one you won’t forget. If you liked this episode, check out these other Tales of the Twisted stories: The Butcher of Kansas City: The Shocking Crimes of Robert Berdella https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-butcher-of-kansas-city-the-shocking-crimes-of-robert-berdella--6786657 👁️ The Circleville Letters: The Poison Pen Who Terrorized an Entire Town https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-circleville-letters-the-poison-pen-who-terrorized-an-entire-town--6786657 🕯️ The Springfield Three – Three Women, One Vanishing Act https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-springfield-three-three-women-one-vanishing-act--6786657 👶 Amelia Dyer – The Baby Killer Who Haunted Britain https://www.spreaker.com/episode/amelia-dyer-the-baby-killer-who-haunted-victorian-britain--6786657 🧠 The Boy Who Remembered His Past Life https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boy-who-remembered-his-past-life--6786657 🔪 The Yuba County Five – The Boys Who Vanished Into the Sierra Nevada https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yuba-county-five-the-boys-who-vanished-into-the-sierra-nevada--6786657 Follow for new unsettling true stories every week.   Get more info at talesofthetwisted.com [https://www.talesofthetwisted.com]