Dark City: Touring the Hidden History, Crimes, & Hauntings of Famous & Forgotten Places

Phoenix, AZ | Three bold, trailblazing women share a quiet Phoenix duplex, until one boards a train to Los Angeles with the other two dead and hidden in her luggage. In 1931, Phoenix was a little-known desert town of 50,000, but this brutal, baffling case put it on the map and continues to raise questions nearly a century later.

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Carver, AZ | It wasn’t on the map. Then it was. This desert mystery begins in 1983 with a park ranger’s call that was quietly buried. The story only gets weirder from there.

Audio Attribution:
Mysterious flute.mp3 by Almusic34 is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License
Record scratch sound by kwahmah_02, via Freesound.org.
The Witch and the Snitch by Dor Ben Lulu, Amitai Mann

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Before we hit the heat of Phoenix….

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Background Music: The Witch and the...

Alhambra, CA | Famed music producer Phil Spector‘s enraged reaction stunned police when they showed up to his castle to find actress Lana Clarkson dead in his foyer. But even more shocking was the story Phil Spector and his defense team told at his murder trial, especially when compared to the forensic evidence.

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Alhambra, CA | What’s the story behind Alhambra’s castle on the hill? Wrensmoor Castle stands like a stately gift from the past, modeled after the grand châteaus of the Pyrenees, the homeland of its original builder, Sylvester Dupuy. Behind its stately facade is a layered history shaped by opulence, challenges, and moments of dark intrigue. From hidden passages to a séance room, the castle has seen it all—including the downfall of ...

Wood Island, Maine | Wood Island is so haunted, even bestselling horror writer J.D. Barker won’t stay the night - and he’s here to share how its chilling history inspired his upcoming book, Something I Keep Upstairs.  Just as the Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King’s The Shining (and J.D. shares a terrifying story from his own stay there!), Wood Island’s dark past—plagued by disease, starvation, vanished bodies, and eerie paranorma...

Los Angeles, CA | What did Christa Helm know that got her killed? Or was she the victim of a jealous rage? On February 12, 1977, Christa was brutally stabbed to death in a quiet West Hollywood neighborhood. The night she was murdered, she carried a personal diary filled with high-profile names, secrets, and scandals—one that mysteriously vanished and has never been found. Decades later, her killer remains unknown. The eerie coincid...

Los Angeles, CA | How does a cafeteria owner in 1930s Los Angeles, dedicated to providing affordable meals for all, become the driving force behind exposing and dismantling corruption? Today we are joined by Robert Petersen, host of the podcast The Hidden History of Los Angeles, to talk about Clifford Clinton—a man who took on the city’s power structure and won, but whose own personal life tells a far more complicated story.

You can...

Los Angeles, CA | Was Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle a scapegoat or a villain? Did George Reeves take his own life, or was there something more sinister at play? In this episode, we dive into two of Hollywood’s most infamous tragedies—Arbuckle’s scandalous trial that destroyed his career and Reeves’ mysterious death that still fuels conspiracy theories. Decades apart, both cases captivated the public and left behind more questions than an...

Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles is burning, and the impact is personal.  We delve into the current status of the devastating fires, discuss the factors that made them so catastrophic, and explore what they mean for the city's future.

Linked Resources/How to Help:
California Wildfires: Palisades and Eaton Fires (AP)
L.A. Wildfires: Help and Resources List (KCRW)
Mental Health Support for Fire Victims (LAist)...

Los Angeles, CA | Former LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel once asked himself the unthinkable: Could his own father have killed Elizabeth Short? In this episode, we conclude the tragic story of Short’s 1947 murder with Steve Hodel, now a New York Times bestselling author, as he shares the chilling evidence that turned suspicion into conviction. Steve's investigation reveals a complex web of connections linking Dr. Hodel to t...

Los Angeles, CA | Join us for an audio tour of Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles’ most haunted locations and infamous crime scenes with James T. Bartlett, journalist and author of Gourmet Ghosts Volumes 1 & 2. From the lingering spirit of Marilyn Monroe to the poetic capture of a murderer, this journey will give you a new perspective on these iconic locations. 

To read more about James’ work and order Gourmet Ghosts ...

Los Angeles, CA | Elizabeth Short’s 1947 murder (also known as the Black Dahlia) still haunts Los Angeles. We press closer to the truth, tearing into the most gripping theories about who claimed Elizabeth Short’s life.

*Note: Since the troubled teen industry came up at the beginning of the episode, we wanted to take the opportunity to share a few links on how you can help stop the abuses in this system:  stopinstitutional...

Los, Angeles, CA | In the shadowy landscape of 1940s Los Angeles, one murder would captivate and horrify a nation. Elizabeth Short—forever immortalized as the Black Dahlia—represents more than just a gruesome crime. She was a young woman whose tragic end became a dark legend, a mystery that has haunted investigators and true crime enthusiasts for generations. We’re peeling back the layers of sensationalism and diving deep into the ...

Bridgeport, CT | With a remarkable range of witnesses—police, firefighters, religious leaders, and neighbors—reporting impossible events, this might be one of the most convincing cases of poltergeist activity.  We are breaking from our current season on Los Angeles and taking a trip to 1974 Bridgeport, Connecticut to tell the story of the Goodin family haunting on Lindley Street.

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Long Beach, CA | This week, we’re back aboard the Queen Mary, diving into firsthand accounts of its paranormal activity with Nicole Strickland, author of Haunted Queen of the Seas: The Living Legend of the RMS Queen Mary. From her first visit, Nicole was captivated by the ship’s blend of rich history and paranormal intrigue. Despite its wartime tragedies and mysterious incidents, you may be pleasantly surprised—these spirits are mo...

Whittier, CA | Whittier, California is a charming city with an intriguing blend of Quaker roots and a haunting past.  Join us as Jacob Caputo, founder of Haunted Whittier Ghost Tours, uncovers the city's dark history through documented hauntings, disturbing true crimes, and the eerie legends of Turnbull Canyon. From its humble beginnings to its connection with the most sinister serial killer you have probably never heard of, W...

Tomales Bay, CA | What if the very institutions meant to rehabilitate and guide are the ones causing the most harm? Amidst egregious human rights abuses - mass sterilizations, institutionalized child abuse, violent threats and assaults on its critics - Synanon continues to get recognition from community leaders and tax dollars throughout most of the 1970s.  What’s more shocking than that?  Its many abusive practices are still very ...

Santa Monica, CA | How does a group once celebrated for its success treating heroin addicts become a violent cult?  Founded in 1958 by Charles "Chuck" Diederich, Synanon initially presented itself as an innovative and promising program for those struggling with addiction. However, beneath its acclaimed exterior lay a deeply flawed foundation. Despite praise from the media and endorsements from prominent figures - includin...