Ep 27: H.H. Holmes Murder Castle: Kidnapping, Fraud, and Bad Santa’s Acid Baths

Ep 27: H.H. Holmes Murder Castle: Kidnapping, Fraud, and Bad Santa’s Acid Baths

Hide your kids, lock up your insurance policies, and guard your skeletons, because this week our true crime podcast is doing a welfare check on the absolute worst businessman of the 19th century. We are unleashing a massive H.H. Holmes serial killer deep dive to look inside the absolute architectural fever dream that was the Chicago Murder Castle. Most comedy true crime podcasts will tell you he was a criminal genius, but we are exposing him as a wildly chaotic serial fraudster who desperately needed a hobby. We break down the construction of his hotel, his custom gas chamber vaults, and his horrific business plan of hiring builders to construct a secret maze and firing them before payday just so he wouldn't have to fork over any cash. Talk about a toxic boss. It gets even more unhinged as we dive into his multi-state life insurance scams. We unpack how his entire empire of lies collapsed alongside his side hustle as a weird entrepreneur—specifically his macro-economy strategy of bleaching bodies in acid baths to sell clean bones directly to local medical schools. To top it all off, we officially crown him the ultimate Bad Santa because he apparently decided December was the prime month for a festive holiday homicide spree. Grab a drink, lock your doors, and join us for a wildly chaotic roast of America's first con-artist monster! Share your stories with us so we can read them during Listener Week!   @thecoldspotconfessions@gmail.com Instagram - The_Cold_Spot_Confessions  https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv [https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv] Tiktok - The Cols Spot Confessions Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@the.cold.spot.con.pod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  Facebook - The Cold Spot Confessions Podcast  https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/]

Ep 26: The False Prophet Samuel Bateman (Pt. 2) & Spilling the Pol-Tea-Geist!

The traps are set, the cameras are rolling, and the mouse is about to snap. Welcome back to Part 2 of our massive deep-dive into the wild world of Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet. Last week, we set the stage with the origins of FLDS splinter cult leader Samuel Bateman and the accidental undercover sting operation cooked up by Christine Marie and Tolga Katas. This week, it’s time for the grand finale. We are breaking down exactly how Bateman’s massive ego completely blinded him to the fact that his "Hollywood documentary crew" was actually building an airtight federal case right under his nose. We go over the chaotic raids, the dramatic FBI takedown, and the incredible bravery of the survivors who broke free from Short Creek. But stick around after the cult collapse, because we are pulling up a chair and brewing a fresh pot for a highly classified Pol-tea-geist session. We have been sitting on a massive, secret for weeks, and it is finally time to spill the tea with the class. Grab a drink, brace yourselves, and let's close the book on a false prophet! Share your stories with us so we can read them during Listener Week!   @thecoldspotconfessions@gmail.com Instagram - The_Cold_Spot_Confessions  https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv [https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv] Tiktok - The Cols Spot Confessions Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@the.cold.spot.con.pod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  Facebook - The Cold Spot Confessions Podcast  https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/]

Ep 25: The False Prophet Samuel Bateman (Pt. 1): Warren Jeffs and the Accidental Spy Sub

Put on your oversized sunglasses and blend into the background, because this week we are kicking off a massive two-part deep-dive into one of the most wild true crime docuseries on television: Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet. In Part 1, we are looking at the origins of self-proclaimed FLDS cult leader Samuel Bateman. We unpack his childhood, his history within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the massive leadership vacuum left behind when the notorious Warren Jeffs went to prison.  But the real stars of this episode are cult psychology expert Christine Marie and her filmmaker husband Tolga Katas. We break down how this dynamic duo originally moved to Short Creek just to help out with a local flood, but ended up pulling off the ultimate undercover operation—using Bateman's own massive ego against him by filming a "documentary" that was secretly building a federal case. Grab a drink, lock your doors, and get ready for part one of a masterclass in how to accidentally spy on a cult. Share your stories with us so we can read them during Listener Week!   @thecoldspotconfessions@gmail.com Instagram - The_Cold_Spot_Confessions  https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv [https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv] Tiktok - The Cols Spot Confessions Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@the.cold.spot.con.pod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  Facebook - The Cold Spot Confessions Podcast  https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/]

Ep 24: Black Eyed Kids, Lighthouse Ghosts, and It’s Hot as Balls in this Paddling Pool

British summer has officially broken us. It is a sweltering 24 degrees at 8 PM, we are recording outside with our feet submerged in a plastic paddling pool, and our brains are currently 90% liquid. But heatwave or not, the ghosts aren’t going to talk about themselves! Despite the heat, we are trying not to splash the recording equipment while tackling three freezing paranormal mysteries. First, we unpack the terrifying urban legend of the Black Eyed Children (BEKs)—who are these creepy, pale kids knocking on doors, and why do they ask to come inside? Next, we cool down with Scotland's ultimate maritime unsolved mystery: the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers disappearance of 1900, where three men vanished from an island without a trace. Finally, we look at the real-life Poltergeist case, The Black Hope Horror, a Texas suburb built directly on top of an old cemetery that triggered a nightmare of hauntings, sinkholes, and active spirits.  Grab an ice lolly, stick your feet in the water, and join us for a true crime and paranormal comedy sit-down that is 10% research and 90% severe dehydration. Share your stories with us so we can read them during Listener Week!   @thecoldspotconfessions@gmail.com Instagram - The_Cold_Spot_Confessions  https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv [https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv] Tiktok - The Cols Spot Confessions Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@the.cold.spot.con.pod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  Facebook - The Cold Spot Confessions Podcast  https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/]

Ep 23: Appalachian Folklore, Monster Rules, and Getting the Fuck Out of Dodge

Lock your doors, pull down the blinds, and whatever you do, do not look into the trees. This week, we are traveling to the oldest, most haunted peaks on Earth: the Appalachian Mountains. While the hiking trails are beautiful, the local cryptids have absolutely zero boundaries. We are deep-diving into the ancient mystery of the Moon-Eyed People and the terrifyingly stealthy Hidebehind (who is currently practicing negative social distancing right behind you). More importantly, we are breaking down the official, unwritten Appalachian survival rules that keep the locals alive. We're talking about the universal laws of the holler: If you hear a baby crying in the dark? No you didn't. If a disembodied voice calls your name from the woods? Mind your business. And if the entire forest suddenly goes dead silent? It's time to pack your things and get the absolute fuck out of dodge. Grab a drink, turn on every light in your house, and let's learn how not to get abducted by a mountain entity. Share your stories with us so we can read them during Listener Week!   @thecoldspotconfessions@gmail.com Instagram - The_Cold_Spot_Confessions  https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv [https://www.instagram.com/the_cold_spot_confessions?utm_source=qr&igsh=aTBsejd2b3k2Ynpv] Tiktok - The Cols Spot Confessions Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@the.cold.spot.con.pod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  Facebook - The Cold Spot Confessions Podcast  https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/1KjTVh7t51/]