New York's Dark Side

Venus Xtravaganza was an up and coming performer in New York City's underground ballroom community. She had landed a spotlight in Jennie Livingston's Documentary 'Paris is Burning' highlighting New York City's drag scene and some of the challenges members of the community faced. On December 21, 1988, Venus' life would be cut short when she was strangled and left under a bed in room 113 of New York City's...

In 1920’s Harlem, a young woman of color would make the fateful decision to take the world of organized crime by storm. She would build an empire that was unheard of for women, let alone a woman of color. This badass woman would rise to withstand not only the pressure from the corrupt New York City Police department, but also withstand the pressure of Manhattan’s white mafia bosses. In this episode, we deep dive into the life and t...

On a stormy Thursday in December of 1986, Nancy Hyer received a phone call from her new friend Billy Fischer. He had been visiting with his father, whom he had been estranged from for over a year, and was looking for a ride home. Nancy's family would watch head out into the terrible New York winter weather to help him, unknowing that this would be the last time they would see her alive. William Peter Fischer is still wanted for...

On October 16, 1869, two men digging a well for a farmer in Cardiff, New York would make a shocking discovery when their shovels hit something hard in the in dirt. They would uncover what appeared to be a giant petrified man, lying naked in the ground. News of the discovery would enthrall the nation, bringing visitors from all around to see the spectacle, but experts would soon uncover the truth of the giant. This is the tale of ho...

On Tuesday, May 13, 1997, 11-year-old Quin Rong Wu was walking to Public School No. 2 in Brooklyn, New York with her mother. They split ways about 100 yards from the doors to the building, and unfortunately, Quin-Rong would never make it to the school that day, disappearing in broad daylight never to be seen by her family again… What happened to Quin-Rong Wu? Was it the bearded man that a woman would report seeing twice on the subw...

Thursday October 10, 1991, was just normal fall day in New York City for most people and started out that way for Tiffany Dixon. After dropping her eight-year-old cousin Israel off at Carroll Elementary School, 12-year-old Tiffany began the four blocks walk through Brooklyn towards her junior high school… She would never make it, vanishing without a trace and leading to a mystery that has yet to be solved decades later… What happen...

On the evening of April 1st 2008, in a small hamlet of Killowag, New York, 18-year-old Logan Dougherty was winding down for the night after a long day. He hugged and kissed his mother goodnight and went to bed. When Logan awoke on Wednesday April 2nd, 2008 at 6:00 AM, he found the house empty. The clothing that his mother had set out to wear for her early morning shift at the  Xtra-mart was still set out. It's been almost 16 ye...

Monday, October 30, 1967, was a normal day for two young girls who had returned from school and gone up to a bedroom to play. A while later, while peering out of one of the upstairs windows they saw what they would later recount appeared to them a waxy mannequin lying in a car parked on the street below. Curious, they went outside to investigate but when they got closer, to their horror they realized it was a woman lying naked in t...

On December 2, 1979, firefighters were responding to the Travel Inn Motor Lodge on 42nd Street in Manhattan, two blocks from Times Square where it had been reported that there was a fire in Room 417. A member of the squad, Jim Rogers, entered the smoke-filled room and saw a person lying on one of the rooms double beds. Acting quickly, he pulled the motionless figure from the room to the hallway and prepared to start administering C...

On May 22, 1980, around 9 AM a housekeeper named Eleanor at the Quality Inn Hotel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey was making her usual rounds checking the rooms when she heard screams coming from room 117. Inside, eighteen-year-old Leslie Ann O’Dell had been enduring hours of torture at the hands of one of New York and New Jersey’s most prolific serial killers. The quick actions of the hotel staff at the Quality Inn likely saved t...

On February 26, 1931, the body of vivacious red head Vivian Gordon was found by an oil worker on his way to work in Van Cortland Park. News of her death would dominate the press, catching the attention of Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt who had already been investigating rumors of corruption in New York City's government. He would urge the commission investigating the government to also look into the murder of Vivian Gordon,...

On October 28, 1999, Susan Fassett was gunned down as she was entering her jeep to head home from choir practice. Investigators would get more than they bargained for as they searched for answers as to who killed Susan. This is a tale of love, betrayal, corruption, extortion, political scandal, and a twisted love triangle that shattered multiple families.

Episode Transcript: https://www.nydarksidepodcast.com/episodes-16-20/ep...

In the 1690's neighboring colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut were plagued with a hysteria regarding concerns that they were besieged with witches. This is the era of the dark history of the Salem Witch Trials. New York had its own problems, as it fought alone to try to maintain its borders from destruction in the King Williams War. This is the story of Philip and Mary English, Nathanial and Elizabeth Cary, and Goodwife M...

Don Bolles had a meeting with a potential informant on June 2nd, 1976 at the Clarendon House Hotel in downtown Phoenix. When his informant didn't arrive and he was going to leave the parking lot, his car exploded, leaving him mangled in the parking lot. There would be a lot of questions raised regarding his homicide, some that are still unanswered to this day. One of those questions was if there was a connection to a Buffalo, N...

It's another road trip edition episode! This one is definitely perplexing, as we explore the 1976 homicide of Arizona Republic journalist Don Bolles. Don Bolles had a meeting with a potential informant on June 2nd, 1976 at the Clarendon House Hotel in downtown Phoenix. When his informant didn't arrive and he was going to leave the parking lot, his car exploded, leaving him mangled in the parking lot. There would be a lot of...

This episode is a special road trip edition! I promised I was going on a road trip and bringing you all with me. In this episode, we travel to Tonopah, Nevada where I tell you the story of Bina Verrault. Bina created a persona of a wealthy widow looking for love. Working with some rather colorful characters, she and her accomplice Izella Pemberton Brown managed to swindle an amount of almost $3.4 million from wealthy men from all o...

In East Bethany, New York lies one of the most haunted historical locations in the world- Rolling Hills Asylum. Established in 1827, the building housed the mentally and physically disabled, destitute, orphans, alcoholics, widows, and others deemed to be "unworthy" of aide within their communities. In this episode, we discuss the foundation of New York's State's Poor Houses and Farms, as well as the paranormal occ...

This episode brings you to one of the world's biggest tourist destinations for honeymooners- the Niagara Falls Region of New York. We cover both natural and dark history of the falls, as well as some Native American Folklore, the Underground Railroad, and some of the fantastic exploits of people like Annie Edson Taylor and Monsieur Charles Blondin trying to tame the falls in barrels and on tightropes. We cover one of the first ...

I had the honor to visit and record this episode from Binghamton New York's historical Phelps Mansion! Sherman David Phelps was a prominent Binghamton business man, he held the office of mayor and was also a judge. Museum educator Joe Shuerch talks with us about the mansion's history, some of the paranormal events that have been reported, and when you can book a tour of the mansion. We also interview the paranormal investig...