Darkcast Network Presents: CRUEL SUMMER - Part II

Welcome back to Rogue Darkness!

Several of the podcasts within the Darkcast Network worked together to bring you this amazing collaboration of dark tales and horrifying crimes, all that have occurred or have been said to take place during the scorching summer months...

This is the second part of "Cruel Summer" where we cover even more grim tales!

Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts on the Darkcast Network by visiting us over at: https://darkcastnetwork.com

And until next time…

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Dark Cast Network indie pods with adark Side. Hello, I'm Jackie Moranti,
host of Cause of Death one hundredSeconds to Midnight, and I'm your
guide for this second part of theDarkcast Network's Cruel Summer. Did you know

(00:22):
that in the summer months, statisticallycrime rises and while the paranormal doesn't seem
to be affected by summer, thereis proof that lunar cycles and the changing
of seasons does increase activity. Keepingthis in mind, sit back and try
to relax as we present part twoof our Cruel Summer tour. Hello everyone,

(00:49):
my name is Raven and I'm thehost of Rogue Darkness, the podcast
it uncovers how the misinterpretations and misinformationsurrounding witchcraft, the occult, and other
beliefs have led many to do unthinkablecrimes. If you're interested in hearing about
cases involving the true darkness of humanity, from ritualistic killings and the demons that

(01:10):
live in all of us, toexpiration of the macabre and delving deep into
the unknown, I invite you tojoin me over on my show so we
can explore the darkness of mankind,one crime at a time. As part
of the Darkcast Network. I'm honoredto bring you an eerie campfire tale that
is sure to send shivers down thespines of anyone whom you choose to tell

(01:30):
it to this summer. This isthe tale of the enigmatic Dear Lady,
other times referred to as the DearWoman, a well known and often confrontational
spirit with the Native American mythology.Legend has it that the Dear Lady has
different meanings to different people. Accordingto the myth, to women, children,

(01:53):
and men who are respectful of otherwomen and children, the spirit is
generally associated with fertility and love.On the other side of the coin,
though, to those who have harmedwomen and children, she is vengeful and
murderous and is said to lure theharmful perpetrators to their untimely death. So

(02:15):
that is where the tale begins.So grab a blanket or two and stay
close to those you love, becausethis chilling tale might just make you wish
you weren't in the middle of thewoods at a secluded campsite with only a
fire and some dimly lit flashlights togive you comfort. Legend has it that
a man and his friends were outcamping one warm summer weekend. It was

(02:38):
a boy's night out type of gettogether, and the man was eager to
spend some time with his friends despitehis wife being home with their newborn son.
The man had been unfaithful to hiswife for quite some time, as
well as being condescending and even downrightcruel to her, thinking he could ultimately
get away with his actions. Butlittle did the man know something was watching

(03:02):
him, knowing his dark secret andtracking his movements from within the forest depths.
The camp fire began to burn out, withering to mere embers, so
the man and his friends decided tocall it a night. They each retreated
to their tents, ready to sleepand excited for the next day's planned activities

(03:23):
in the great outdoors. In themiddle of the night, the man awoke
his bladder, forcing him up.He crept quietly out of his tent,
trying not to make much noise toprevent waking his friends. As he hid
in the darkness relieving himself, theman heard a distant rustling sound coming from
deeper within the woods. The rustlingquickly evolved into twigs snapping, and then

(03:49):
the sounds of hoofs stampeding angrily throughthe otherwise silent forest. The man was
startled and without hesitation, ran asfast as he could back to his tent.
But he wasn't fast enough. Yousee, the noises the man heard
was the dear Lady tracking him downto punish him for his mistreatment to his

(04:10):
family. The man was knocked tothe ground and with a few heavy stomps,
he was crushed to death under thehoofs of the dear lady. Ah.
It's a truly terrifying tale told bymany to warn of the dangers of

(04:33):
harming women and children, especially thosewe are close to. Remember that although
a story may seem unbelievable and maybeeven a mere legend, it's still a
reminder of the harsh reality that everysingle one of our actions will be met
with an equal or, in thisstory, an even more crude reaction.

(04:57):
If you enjoyed this story, thenbe sure to check out my pot cast
Rogue Darkness wherever you listen to podcaststo get a heavy dose of true crime
with an occultist twist. And withthat said, until next time, Hello,
I'm Ashley from Fuck That, andtoday I'm going to tell you a
story about how, amidst the heatof summer, darkness descended upon a small

(05:21):
town. It is June nineteen eightynine in Stamford, New York, a
small village nestled in the northern edgeof the Catskills. Coined as the Queen
of the Catskills. Stamford was aquaint small village with just over a thousand
residents. But as idyllic as Stamfordmay have seemed, the summer of nineteen

(05:44):
eighty nine unleashed a darkness that foreverstained its history. This seemingly ordinary village,
where life was meant to be simple, was about to experience a tale
of terror, forever etching its markupon the collective memory of this tight knit
unity. This is the story ofthe McDowell family murders. Robert Bob McDowell

(06:05):
was born on February fifteenth, nineteenthirty and was a well respected attorney in
Scoharry County, New York. Bobwas known by almost everyone within the community,
and his presence commanded respect and admiration. Elizabeth Kleptar McDowell was born on
December twenty first, nineteen forty inRio de Janeedo, Brazil. She married

(06:29):
Bob on December fourteenth, nineteen sixtyfour. Elizabeth was very involved in the
community, and she belonged to avillage improvement club, carefully weaving herself into
the fabric of their idyllic existence together. Bob and Elizabeth had two sons,
e Ben known as Ben, bornon June twenty second, nineteen sixty six,

(06:51):
and his younger brother, Daniel,a promising student at Washington and Lee
University. Daniel was set to bein his senior year in the fall of
nineteen eighty nine, brimming with hopefor a bright future. Doctor Charles Clepitar,
Elizabeth's father, was born on Augustfirst, nineteen ten in Paris,

(07:12):
France. At seventy eight years old, he had long retired from the medical
field, but he still had avery resounding presence within the community. While
the McDowell family appeared close knit,often gathering for dinners multiple times each week
and spending time together at doctor Clepitar'shunting cabin, the family had secrets,

(07:33):
and within these walls of togetherness,these secrets brewed, threatening to tear apart
their very foundation they each built theirlives upon. At the center of the
family were Ben's parents. His father, Bob, a respected local attorney,
who held the community in his sway, his influence extending far and wide,

(07:56):
and his mother, Elizabeth, whodanced through social circles gracefully in an attempt
to conceal the shadows that stained theirpicture perfect household. However, as hard
as Bob and Elizabeth tried to maintainthe facade of a perfect family, they
were slowly losing control, and inthe summer of nineteen eighty eight, Ben's

(08:18):
mental health began to decline drastically andhe began to get into trouble. One
night in Oneonto, New York,a neighboring town just twenty five miles away
from Stamford, a family was disruptedlate in the evening after Ben had broken
into their home. When confronted bythe homeowner, Ben insisted that he knew

(08:39):
someone who lived there, but thatwas untrue. Law enforcement was called and
Ben was arrested on minor charges relatedto unlawful entry. Interestingly, nothing was
taken from the home during the incident. It was at this point that Ben's
father, utilizing his legal connections,stepped in to ensure not only a quiet

(09:00):
resolution, but to secure minimal consequencesfor his son. The following year,
in January of nineteen eighty nine,an ordinary day at the hunting cabin took
a sinister turn for the McDowell familyyet again. Doctor Kleppitar, who was
suffering from a pre existing shoulder injury, was in the midst of splitting logs

(09:22):
when his shoulder began to act up. Concerned for his father in law's well
being, Bob offered to take overthe task. His son Ben, however,
insisted that he needed to do it. Ben grabbed the axe from his
father and began chopping wood, hyperfixated on the task and completely unaware of
the passing time. After more thanenough time had passed, and after more

(09:46):
than enough wood had been chopped,Ben's father, Bob came to get him
and to call him back to thefamily gathering. Ben, however, refused
his father's requests, determined to continueto chop would even though there was more
than enough at that point, Tensionsbegan to escalate quickly between Ben and his

(10:07):
father, and in a moment ofunimaginable horror, Ben struck his own father
in the face with the axe.Miraculously, his father survived, his voice
filled with anguish as Ben pulled theaxe up over his shoulder ready to swing
again. He screamed and pleaded forBen to drop the axe. The family

(10:28):
heard Bob's please and rushed to hisaid. Struggling to make sense of the
situation, Bob insisted that it wasan accident, reassuring his family that Ben
did not do it on purpose,yet again shielding Ben from the full weight
of the consequences. However, Benwas arrested and charged with reckless endangerment,

(10:52):
but according to local law enforcement,his father, Ben insisted that he did
not want them to pursue charges,protecting Ben once again. As time went
on, Ben's behavior grew increasingly irrational, raising even more concerns about his mental
wellbeing. In a desperate attempt tofind him help, Ben was committed to

(11:15):
the Binghamton Psychiatric Center in nineteen eightynine, located about an hour and a
half away from the family's home.Isolated from his family and thrust into the
care of psychiatric professionals, Ben's journeyinto the depths of his own mind had
only just begun. While at Binghamton, Ben was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a

(11:37):
complex mental disorder, and this diagnosiscarried profound implications for Ben's future. Schizophrenia
is characterized by psychotic symptoms and oftenis accompanied by a decline in social and
occupational functioning, and this obviously presentedformidable challenges for Ben. To recovery proved

(12:01):
to be arduous, as many individualswho developed this disorder do not experience a
complete restoration of their former selves.The impact of schizophrenia reverberates throughout every aspect
of one's life, leaving lasting consequencesfor those affected, including Ben. Social
isolation becomes a pervasive presence as thesymptoms of the disorder can create barriers informing

(12:26):
and maintaining relationships. The life changingconsequences of a schizophrenia diagnoses permeate every facet
of one's existence, and this wasBen's new reality. His struggle to regain
stability, manage symptoms, and navigatethe world with a condition that alters perception
would be lonely and it would bea challenging path. After Ben was discharged,

(12:52):
his eagerness to escape the confines ofhis home led him to seek solace
at his grandfather's hunting cabin, Butunbeknown ounce to anyone, this decision would
have dire consequences, as it meanthis medication intake would go unmonitored and he
would cease taking his medication. ThroughoutBen's life, he and his grandfather shared

(13:13):
a close bond, making the cabinan appealing retreat. However, what Ben's
family didn't know was that this retreatwas planned, and just a few days
prior, on June sixteenth, Benpurchased a shotgun from a local gun store.
In order to purchase the shotgun,the required form asked if Ben had

(13:33):
previously been treated for mental health issues. Ben answered no. On June twenty
first, nineteen eighty nine, aftera long day of fishing with his grandfather,
doctor Klepatar, went to take anap. While he was asleep,
Ben approached his grandfather with chilling intent. At close range. He fired the

(13:56):
shotgun, killing his grandfather, Butaccording to Ben's plan, he still had
work to do. As evening approachedand the dinner hour loomed, Ben called
his mother, his voice laced withurgency and distress. Ben spoke to his
mother informing her that something was wrongwith his grandfather and that he couldn't wake

(14:18):
him up. Ben pleaded with hismother, urging her to have his family
come to the cabin to help himout with his grandfather. Her father.
Ben's mother quickly called her husband,relaying the unsettling information. Recognizing the gravity
of the situation, Elizabeth's instinct wasto involve the authorities. However, Bob

(14:41):
had a completely different perspective. Asusual, he insisted on keeping this under
wraps, concealing their family issues frompublic scrutiny. Reluctantly, they agreed to
make the journey to the cabin togetherwith their younger son, Daniel, insistent
on coming as well the following day. Shortly after nine to fifteen am on

(15:03):
June twenty second, authorities arrived atthe Hunting cabin after a social worker found
a note written by Ben on thefront door of his father's law office in
Stamford. Upon arrival, authorities founddoctor Klepatar shot in his bed. He
was seventy eight. Ben's father,Bob, who was fifty nine, was

(15:26):
found at the edge of a pondnear the cabin, alongside his son Daniel,
who was only twenty two. Ben'smother, Elizabeth, was found in
the pond. According to sheriff's shewas trying to flee from her son.
Elizabeth was forty eight. State andlocal police began searching frantically for Ben and

(15:48):
cornered him around eleven am near thepond, which was just under a half
mile from the cabin. Authorities triedto talk Ben into surrendering in a six
hour standoff. However, after Benbegan shooting at authorities, he was shot
and killed. Authorities on scene havesince spoken out, expressing their wish that

(16:11):
there was more that they could do, even though they believed they did all
they could. One officer recounted thateven though he tried to plead with Ben
to surrender and expressed that they didn'twant to hurt him, Ben kept reiterating
that he wanted them to please shoothim. During the scorching summer of nineteen

(16:33):
eighty nine, a chilling tail unfolded, leaving Stamford, New York, forever
changed. The McDowell family tragedy servesas a haunting reminder that the heat can
bear witness to the darkest depths ofhuman nature and the profound impact that untreated
mental health disorders can have on everyonearound. Even amidst the carefree laughter and

(16:56):
fun of summer, the heat canbecome an unwilling accomplice to heinous crimes.
Thank you for listening. You canfind more episodes and content from Fuck That
a true crime podcast wherever you listento podcasts. My name is DJ and
I'm the host of the Mythical TrueCrime podcast, where we uncover the true

(17:18):
crimes of modern legends with our spokennarratives that blend history, prime and the
supernatural. Today's story is one ofthe most infamous unsolved homicide cases in Finnish
criminal history, and it went onto inspire the successful film franchise Friday the
Thirteenth. In the early morning hourson Saturday, June fourth, nineteen sixty

(17:45):
four, Finnish teenagers decided to gocamping along the shore of Lake Bodom Mail
and Anya, we're both fifteen yearsof age at the time. Accompanying them
were their boyfriends Seppo and Niles,both aged eighteen now. Sometime between four
to six am during the early morninghours that Sunday, June fifth, myel,

(18:10):
Anna, and Seppo were all stabbedand blundeoned to death by an unknown
assailant. Niles, the only survivorof the massacre, had fractured facial bones
and stab wounds to his torso.He stated after several interviews that he had
had a glimpse of the attacker,clothed in all black with bright red eyes

(18:33):
coming from them. At about sixam, a group of boys birdwatching some
distance away had reported seeing a tentcollapsed and a blonde man walking away from
the site. The bodies of thevictims were discovered at around eleven am by
a carpenter named Esco Johanssen. Healerted the police, who arrived at the

(18:57):
scene at noon that day. Thekiller had not injured the victims from inside
the tent, investigators found, butinstead had been attacking the occupants from the
outside with a knife in an unidentifiedblunt instrument, possibly a rock, through
the sides of the tent. Themurder weapons were also never located. The

(19:18):
killer had taken several items which detectivesfound puzzling, including the keys to the
victims motorcycles, which themselves had beenleft behind. Niles's shoes were partially hidden
approximately five hundred meters away from themurder site. The police did not corner
off the site nor record the detailsof the scene, later seen as a

(19:41):
major error, and almost immediately alloweda crowd of police officers and other people
to trample around and disturb the evidence. The mistake was further exacerbated by calling
in soldiers to assist with the searcharound the lake for the missing items,
several of which were never found.Miel, who was Niles's girlfriend, was

(20:04):
found undressed from the waist down andlying on top of the tent, and
also had suffered most of the injuriesout of all the other victims. She
was stabbed multiple times after her death, whilst the other two teenagers were slain
with less brutality. Niles was alsofound lying on top of the tent as

(20:25):
well. There were two notable suspectsin the course of the investigations of the
lake Boat of murders, which arethe following Vladimir Galstrom. Many local people
suspected Farrell Vladimir Galstrom, which isa kiosk keeper in the nearby city known
to have been hostile towards campers.Police found no hard evidence to link him

(20:48):
to the actual murders. They wereskeptical a sort of supposed confessions that he
had said who have made them considerhim to be just disturbed. He drowned
in Lake Bodom in nineteen sixty nine, most likely due to suicide. The
people in the town knew Gelstrom wasviolent, put down tens through rocks at

(21:11):
people who came to his street,and some have even said that it was
Gelstrom they saw coming back from themurder scene, but were too afraid to
call the police about him. Thepolice never recovered DNA from Gelstrom. A
book released in two thousand and sixbrings up the theory in detail. The
book also claims that the police almostimmediately ignored most much of the evidence that

(21:34):
was previously unknown to the public becausethe language barriers, among other things.
Now the other person was Hans Assman, most public suspicion focused on Hans,
who lived several kilometers away from theshore of Lake Bodem. A series of
popular books propagated the theory that Hanscommitted the Bodom killings and also other murders.

(22:00):
It was not taken seriously by police, as Hans had already an alibi
for the night the boat of murdersoccurred and was said to have been in
Germany during that time. Of anothermurder. On the morning of June sixth,
nineteen sixty, however, he hadshown up at the hospital in the
nearby city Helsinki with bloody clothes.After forty years later, in late March

(22:23):
two thousand and four, Niles,not suspected in the case as far as
the public knew, was arrested,and in early two thousand and five the
Finnish National Bureau of Investigation declared thecase solved based on new forensic evidence.
According to the prosecution's interpretation of thebloodstains, Niles had been drunk and excluded

(22:48):
from the tent when he attacked theother boy, getting his jaw broken in
a fight which escalated into him committingthe three murders. The trial started August
fourth, two thousand five, withNiles's defense lawyer arguing that the murders themselves
were the work of one or moreoutsiders, and that Niles had been incapable

(23:11):
of killing three people given the extentof his injuries. It had been also
known that his shoes were worn bythe killer and hidden by him five hundred
yards away from the tent belonged toNiles, who was also found barefoot on
top. Modern DNA analysis was significantfor this prosecution, as it showed that

(23:33):
the three murdered victims blood was onNiles's shoes. Niles was completely his absence.
The prosecution said it followed from thelack of Niles's blood on the shoes,
that his injuries had occurred at adifferent time of the attack from the
murdered victims, and that the onlyexplanation was that Niles had committed the murders

(23:55):
himself, then faked the theft ofthe items by hiding them, further injuring
himself, and then went back tothe tent, where at that time Barefoot
pretended to be unconscious. The prosecutionattempt to bolster their case by allegedly saying
an identification by the two bird watchersthat Niles was a tall, blond man

(24:18):
at the scene of the crime,an assertation that had also been overheard making
an incriminating remark, and also thata decade after the event, he had
been boasted to another woman about hisguilt. Now, on October seventh,
two thousand and five, Niles wasacquitted of all charges. The court explained

(24:41):
the verdict due to the prosecution's evidencebeing inconclusive, also failure to show Niles
had a motive appropriate to the crimeof such extreme seriousness, and certainty about
the facts now being impossibble to begiven about the time that had been elapsed.
It ended with the State of Finlandpaying him forty four thousand, nine

(25:03):
hundred euros for mental suffering because ofthe long remain time, but he was
refused permission to sue Finnish newspapers fordefamation. There were several films made about
this case, including the most recenttwo sixteen Finnish slasher film Lake Bodom,
which is based on the murder case, but more importantly, it inadvertently inspired

(25:29):
the Friday the Thirteenth film franchise thatstarted back in nineteen eighty. I do
hope you enjoyed tonight's show. Ifyou enjoyed this story, I have many
more on my podcast, Mythical TrueCrime, available wherever you listen to your
podcasts. You can also follow meon every social media Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram at Mythical True Crime. Hello, it's a MANA one half of the

(25:56):
Canadian podcast Castles and Encryptids, andhere is my story for the Cruel Summer
special. Robert Irving Vaine married MargaretArawa Cullen in New Zealand in nineteen sixty
nine. They had four children,starting with son David in nineteen seventy two,
daughter Arawa in nineteen seventy four.Daughter Lanniett in nineteen seventy six and

(26:19):
sons Stephen in nineteen eighty. Theybriefly lived in Papua New Guinea, where
Robin worked as a missionary teacher,before they moved back to New Zealand.
On the twentieth of June nineteen ninetyfour, the whole family, minus David,
were found shot to death in theirhome. Robin, Margaret, Arawa,

(26:40):
Lanniette, and Stephen were discovered intheir Dunedin, New Zealand home,
and David, at the time wasonly twenty two, the only remaining son.
At the time of their death,the parents, Robin and Margaret were
somewhat estranged. Robin either stayed incaravan at the back of the property or

(27:02):
at his place at the school wherehe worked. The house was also in
absolute shambles, with things piled everywhereand not cleaned. Robin had been struggling
with depression and his colleagues had begunto notice and remark on his decline prior
to his death. Margaret had herissues also and was not known to be

(27:25):
shy about her problems with her marriage. Was often overheard to have called her
husband a son of Belisle One ofthe four crown Princes of Hell. She
was also known to say things likeI'd shoot him if I could. Their
daughter, Lanniette, was living inan apartment but also sometimes stayed with her
father at his apartment at the school. She had also been summoned back to

(27:49):
the Dunadin home for the family meeting. She came home on the nineteenth of
June and they were supposed to havethe meeting the very next day, But
the next morning, when David returnedhome from his part time paper route,
he found his entire family dead.He then called the emergency line one on

(28:10):
one at seven o nine am.He told the dispatcher, they're all dead.
They're all dead. A rifle wasfound lyne next to Robin's body.
Police also found a haunting message onthe family computer that read sorry, you
were the only one who deserved tostay. There appeared to be a gap

(28:33):
between David arriving home and calling theemergency line, and also they saw he
had some injuries on his arms.So four days later, David is charged
with the deaths of his family members, but just two short weeks later,
the house was burned down by remainingfamily member's request. Before the trial had
even started. Unfortunately, the policeinvestigator failed to retain the carpet that had

(29:00):
the bloody footprints on it, theones that would be used to help convict
David Bain. As the prosecution anddefense teams prepared for the trial, a
possible motive for the murders came tolight. A possible motive for the father,
Robin, However, he had apparentlybeen having an incestuous relationship with his

(29:22):
daughter Lanniette. She had confided ina male friend who told police she was
planning to confront her father and exposehim. This was just before the family
meeting was called. The witness thatwas supposed to be called to testify to
the relationship between Robin and his daughtersimply never showed up. However, despite

(29:44):
a lack of clear motive and basedon the circumstantial evidence and bloody footprints,
David was found guilty. In fact, the only real motive ever suggested that
I found was a minor and longrunning argument with his father about the use
of a chainsaw. Other than,of course, the prosecution's rather weak argument
that he wanted his inheritance the familywere not wealthy. He was sentenced to

(30:10):
life imprisonment with a minimum sixteen yearnon parole period. Joe Karam, a
former All Black rugby player in NewZealand, became interested in the case after
he heard that people were selling jamto raise money to aid David in an
appeal. He studied the trial andbecame convinced of David's innocence. He plunged

(30:33):
his considerable wealth into his efforts toget David a retrial. He spent all
his free time on the case,working on a full time and losing an
estimated four million dollars in time,loss of earnings, and costs of legal
and forensic experts. Prior to this, he had been a millionaire with over
twenty properties. David was granted anappeal in nineteen ninety five, but a

(30:57):
retrial would not take place until twothousand and nine. Robin, David's father,
remained a focus of the case ashe was still the best and most
likely suspect other than David. Ashis mental health was called into question,
his depression was brought up, andthe incest story and his work suffering were

(31:19):
all brought up by David's team.The trial lasted three months and it took
the jury less than a day tofind him not guilty. In March of
twenty and ten, Bain launched anapplication for compensation for wrongful imprisonment, but
it was complicated. His case felloutside cabinet rules on compensation, meaning the

(31:42):
government was not obliged to pay himanything, but may do so if he
was able to establish his innocence onthe balance of probabilities and was also the
victim of exceptional circumstances. A Canadianjudge was brought in due to the high
pro file nature of the case toreview this application. Judge Minister Simon Power

(32:06):
of New Zealand appointed retired Canadian SupremeCourt Justice Ian Binney. Retired Canadian Supreme
Court Justice Ian Binney. He sidedwith David. He concluded his review in
September of twenty twelve, finding thatthe Dunadin Police made a number of egregious
errors that led directly to the wrongfulconviction. After a lengthy battle amidst a

(32:30):
scandal that was later dubbed dirty politics, finally David was offered nine hundred and
twenty five thousand dollars in payment ifhe would agree to drop all legal challenges.
He agreed. The payment was deemedex gratia, meaning it was made
for moral rather than legal reasons andhad no bearing on Baine's innocence or guilt.

(32:54):
As for David and where he isnow, he married Liz Davies in
a small ceremony outside Christchurch. Thefamily is very private and when a teledrama
called Black Hearts came out in twentytwenty about the Baine family case, David
said he was not going to bewatching it. Indeed, his friend called

(33:16):
it ghoulish. And that is thecontroversial case of the Baine family murders.
We hope you enjoyed by cryptocuties.This is Kelsey from Castles and Cryptids.
Today I will be sharing the OklahomaGirl Scout murders. The case starts on

(33:37):
the morning of June thirteenth, nineteenseventy seven, at Camp Scott in May's
County, Oklahoma, located just twomiles from town. Camp Scott had been
operated by Girl Scouts since nineteen twentyeight and was where they held their annual
two week getaway every summer. Thecamp used platform town and camping in these

(34:00):
platform tents was described as intimidating bymany of the young campers. It was
also said to be extremely dark atthe camp due to the dense forests surrounding
them. Just two months before thecamp was set to open for the summer,
there was on site training happening withsome of the counselors. During this

(34:22):
training, a camp counselor discovered thather belongings had been ransacked and thrown around,
and that a box of donuts thatshe had brought to the camp the
donuts had been stolen. Discovered insidethe now empty donut box was a handwritten
warning from a stenopad. The firstfew pages simply read kill over and over

(34:45):
again, then written in all capitalletters on the last page was we are
on a mission to kill three girlsin Tent one. The camp counselor took
the pages to the director of thistraining session, who simply believed that the
note was probably just a prank byone of the other girls and threw the

(35:06):
note away. Sadly, less thantwo months later, this ominous warning would
come true. At about seven pmon Sunday, June twelfth, nineteen seventy
seven, three young girls were sittingin their platform Tent number seven during a
severe thunderstorm. Laurie Lee Farmer eight, Doris Denise Milner ten and Michelle Heather

(35:32):
Goose nine. Their tent was partof the camp's Koiwa unit, which was
located the farthest from the counselor's tentand was partially obscured by the camp showers.
Other campers that night later described thestorm and the darkness, saying quote,
it was the darkest dark I hadever known. I couldn't tell if

(35:54):
my eyes were open or shut.But no one would have imagined what would
be found come morning. At aroundsix am the next day, a girl
walking to the showers saw something justoff the path. It appeared to be
the body of a young girl stickingout from the top of a sleeping bag.

(36:14):
She alerted camp counselors and the director, and soon all three bodies were
discovered on the trail leading to thatcampsite's showers, about one hundred and fifty
yards or one hundred and forty metersfrom their tent. All three of them
had been shoved into just one sleepingbag, with two shoved down to the
bottom and the other one sticking outfrom the top. All three girls had

(36:39):
been raped before being bludgeoned and eventuallystrangled to death. Investigators determined that their
brutal attacks had actually happened inside oftent number seven, and that later the
bodies were moved to the shower areaand stuffed inside that sleeping bag. A
large red flashlight was also found ontop of the girl's bodies. A fingerprint

(37:04):
was able to be lifted from thelens, but it was too smudged for
any positive ID. A size nineand a half shoeprint was found in blood
inside of the tent during the believedtime of the murders. Between two thirty
and three am on June thirteenth,a nearby landowner reported hearing quite a bit
of traffic on a remote road nearthe camp, and other girl scouts reported

(37:29):
hearing strange sounds, moaning, andpeople moving around outside that night, which
was weird because of the severe thunderstorm. Camp Scott was promptly evacuated and eventually
shut down. A huge manhunt wasundertaken looking for the suspect or suspects,

(37:50):
and after ten months on the run, police were able to get their man.
The case was declared closed and solvedwhen Jean le Roy Hart, a
local jail escapee, was arrested.Hart had a history of violence and a
rape, including the kidnap and rapeof two pregnant women just ten years earlier.

(38:13):
Now Hart maintained his innocence for theGirl Scout murders, but items found
near the scene hidden inside of acave that he might have been staying at
while on the run, linked himto some of the items found at the
scene of the murders. However,DNA at the time was inconclusive and all
it could do was not rule himout while also ruling out some of the

(38:36):
other suspects at the time. Hartwas later acquitted in March of nineteen seventy
nine after a jury unanimously found himnot guilty. However, since he was
caught, he did end up continuingto serve the remaining over three hundred year
prior sentence he had. In Juneof nineteen seventy nine, two years after

(38:59):
the murders, heart collapsed and diedof a heart attack at the age of
thirty five after jogging and lifting weightsin the prison exercise yard. Two of
the families of the victims later suedthe Magic Empire Council and its insurer for
five million dollars. They were allalleging negligence they discussed the threatening note that

(39:22):
had been discarded, and then thelarge distance between the setup of ten number
seven and the counselor's tents. Innineteen eighty five, the jurors sided with
Magic Empire Council and the families losttheir suit. Richard Goose, the father
of one of the victims, wenton to help the state legislature passed the

(39:45):
Oklahoma Victim's Bill of Rights. Healso helped found the Oklahoma Crime Victim's Compensation
Board. Another parent of one ofthe victims, Sherry Farmer, founded a
support group called the Oklahoma Chapter ofParents of Murdered Children. In twenty twenty
two, it was announced that DNAtesting had been resubmitted multiple times, though

(40:08):
it had always come back inconclusive.It is still believed that Hard was involved
in the murders due to some ofthe markers in his blood and the samples
matching those from this scene. Unfortunately, the samples are now far too degraded
to get proper profiles, and investigatorsare now just waiting for advancements in technology

(40:30):
to help them be able to obtainthat DNA profile. A four part ABC
News documentary series titled Keeper of theAshes the Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders was released
in twenty twenty two, close tothe forty fifth anniversary of the murders.
It was hosted by actress and singerKristin Chenowith, who revealed that she was

(40:52):
just eight years old at the timeof the murders and she herself was a
girl Scout who had been planning ongoing on that camping trip that summer to
Camp Scott, but she had becomeill and decided not to go. According
to investigators. The case of theOklahoma Girl Scout murders remains officially on Hello

(41:14):
Spookleans. I'm Kathy and I amJason, and we are all Hello's Eve
podcast. We are bringing you thestory of Richard Speck in the nineteen sixty
six Chicago massacre, which introduced anew word into the American life, mass
murderer. It is an unusually coolsummer night for July thirteenth, nineteen sixty

(41:35):
six, in South Deering, Chicago. Merlita Gargoulio, aged twenty three,
who was known to have a beautifulsinging voice. Valentina Passion, age twenty
three, was known as a verygood cook. Patricia Mattusik, aged twenty,
had nursed her dying cousin when shewas younger. Pamelo Wickening, age

(41:59):
twenty, had been a studious andfocused student, and Nina Schmel, aged
twenty four, was remembered as lovingElvus cats and the color pink. And
Corzon Amorrow, aged twenty three.We're all at twenty three nineteen East one
hundredth Street, a modest two storytown house that now defunct South Chicago Community

(42:22):
Hospital was using to house their studentnurses. They shared the place with three
other student nurses. Mary Anne Jordan, aged twenty she was very close with
her younger brother who had down syndrome, Suzanne Ferris, aged twenty one,
who had been planning her wedding tomary Anne's older brother, and Gloria Jean

(42:45):
Davy, aged twenty two, shewas the president of the Student Nurses Association,
who all returned at later times.Later that night, at a round
eleven PM, armed with a huntingknife and a twenty two caliber pistol,
Richard Speck broke into the townhouse througha window. He had no idea who

(43:07):
lived in the townhouse, nor didhe care. His intentions were to rob
the place. He made his wayupstairs to the bedrooms. At the first
room, he encountered two of thegirls, pointing the gun at them in
a low tone. He ordered theminto the adjoining room, where four of
the other nurses were awakened. Usingstrips of torn bedsheets and nautical knots,

(43:32):
speck bound the wrists of his captivesbehind their backs. He assured them that
he only intended to rob them.The other nurses told Corizone, maybe if
we are calm and quiet, hewill be too. He has been talking
to us all and he seems calmenough, and that's a good sign.

(43:53):
He then removed the ladies one ata time from the room, each quietly
leaving with him. He would begone for approximately thirty to forty five minutes
at a time. The ladies leftbehind in the room could hear muffled cries
from deep within the house, buthad no idea what was going on.

(44:14):
During one of these periods of time, Corazone managed to roll under one of
the bunk beds, spec never noticedthe missing nurse. Corazone laid under the
bed for hours, listening to herfriend's muffled cries. She finally came out
of hiding around six am seven hoursafter this nightmare began, only to find

(44:37):
her friends all dead, even thethree ladies that hadn't originally been home.
Suzanne, who had not been homeat the time of the initial break in,
was stabbed to death in the upstairshallway as she was walking to her
room. She had wounds to herchest and chin. In the east bedroom

(44:58):
where Patricia, Mama and mary Anne, Patricia had been strangled with a strip
of bedsheet, Pamela had been strangledand stabbed, mary Anne had been stabbed
in the chest, neck, andi the west bedroom, Nina was found
gagged with a bedsheet, strangled andknife wounds to her neck. Valentino was

(45:20):
strangled and Merlita's throat had been slashed. After finding seven of her friends murdered,
Corazone climbed out onto the ledge ofthe second floor window and began to
scream, they are all dead.My friends are all dead. Oh God,
I'm the only one alive. Oncehelp arrived, Gloria's body was discovered

(45:45):
downstairs, naked on the sofa.She had been dropped off by her boyfriend
and when she entered the house hadbeen raped, sexually, brutalized and strangled.
Corazone was able to give a descriptionto the police of a pot faced
man and a tattoo that read bornto raise Hell. His likeness was splashed

(46:07):
all over the front of every localnewspaper. On July nineteenth, nineteen sixty
six, Speck attempted suicide by slashinghis wrist up to his elbow. At
the last moment, he changed hismind and summoned for help. He was
taken to cook Coney Hospital, wherean ear doctor recognized Speck's tattoo and notified

(46:29):
the police. Richard Speck's trial beganApril third, nineteen sixty seven, after
a panel of psychiatrists judged him competentto stand trial. He claimed to have
no recollition of the murders and showedno emotions during the trial. His fingerprints
were found all over the crime scene, but the final nail in his coffin

(46:52):
was during the trial. When Corazonewas asked if she could identify the killer.
She rose from her in the witnessbox, walked directly in front of
Speck, pointed at him, andstated, this is the man. On
April fifteenth, nineteen sixty seven,after forty nine minutes of deliberation, the

(47:14):
jury phone Spec guilty and recommended thedeath penalty. On June fifth, Judge
Herbert Passion sentenced Spec to death byelectric chair. Speck never made it to
the electric chair. The Supreme Courtin nineteen seventy one upheld his conviction but
reversed the death sentence. Instead,Speck was dispatched to the Stateville Correctional Center

(47:39):
to serve a four hundred years sentence. He died on December fifth, nineteen
ninety one, of a heart attack. He was forty nine years old.
If you would like to hear moreabout Richard Speck or other spooky topics,
find us on your favorite podcast platform, and don't forget stay spooky my friends.

(48:02):
A teenage girl leads a troubled life. She lives in a dangerous neighborhood.
She's been rebelling, She's been havingfamily problems. Then she disappears.
So what caused it? Did sherun away voluntarily to escape her problems?
Did she fall victim to a criminalroaming her streets or our family members not

(48:23):
telling the whole story about the lastday she was seen. These are the
questions that have been swirling around thedisappearance of Ashley Summers, A fourteen year
old girl from Cleveland, Ohio,who was last seen in July of two
thousand and seven. What appeared atfirst to be a relatively straightforward runaway case

(48:44):
has morphed over the years into arat's nest of terrifying possibilities. Ashley Nicole
Summers was born on June sixteenth,nineteen ninety three, in Cleveland, Ohio.
She was the oldest of six childrenborn to Jennifer Summers. Ashley's father
took off after she was born,but Jennifer met somebody new and gave birth
to Ashley's five half siblings. Jenniferherself came from a big family and they

(49:07):
all lived nearby in Cleveland. Thefamily was made up of ten aunts and
uncles, cousins, great aunts andgreat uncles, and grandparents. Though she
had this close knit family, asAshley approached her fourteenth birthday, boys also
started entering the picture and things startedto change. Right before Ashley turned fourteen,

(49:28):
she met an older boy in herneighborhood named Jean. Jean was sixteen,
and you know, two years isn'treally that big of an age difference,
but at the time, Ashley wasin middle school and Jean was already
in high school, so her momwas not a fan of this relationship.
But as these things tend to go, the more Jennifer disapproved of her daughter's

(49:49):
boyfriend, the more Ashley was drawnto him, and this led to other
acts of rebellion. Jennifer suspected thatAshley had been taking money out of her
purse here and there, but oneday, Ashley took Jennifer's entire paycheck out
of a drawer. Soon Jennifer foundout why Ashley had done that. One
day, her oldest daughter came homewith a giant tattoo of a heart on

(50:13):
her arm that said Jean in themiddle. Jennifer of course hit the roof
and really was at the end ofher rope with Ashley. But luckily,
like I said, she had thislarge family around her to offer support.
So Jennifer went to her own mother, who you know, had a little
experience in dealing with rebellious teenagers,and she asked her what to do.

(50:35):
Jennifer's mother agreed that since it wassummertime and Ashley was out of school,
that she should move in with herfor a while. Jennifer hoped that the
change of scenery would help and youknow, Jennifer's mother also lived on the
other side of town away from Jean, so at first after this move things
do seem to get a little bitbetter. But as you may imagine,

(50:57):
living with her grandmother did prove tobe a little boring for the fourteen year
old. But luckily for Ashley,a ton of family lived nearby, so
she just kind of started bouncing around. Her great uncle Kevin's house apparently was
a big hangout for the cousins becausehe spoiled them and let them do whatever
they wanted. Ashley'sianne Danielle, hadalso just moved into a place in the
Cleveland suburbs, and Ashley talked aboutmoving in with her, which, again,

(51:21):
getting out of this city maybe intoa better area, I think was
something that everybody thought would be goodfor Ashley at that point. July fourth,
two thousand and seven, was Ashley'sgreat uncle Keith's birthday. He had
a pool party at his house,like he did every year. Ashley came,
but Jennifer and her other kids didn'tfor some reason. However, there
were plenty of other family members thereapparently, though according to them, Ashley

(51:45):
seemed a little depressed when she gotthere, but eventually got in the pool
and started playing with her cousins andseemed to cheer up. She stayed there
for around three or four hours andthen told them she was going to go
to her aunt, Christina's house,who at the time of just a few
blocks away. She left Keith's housearound six pm and seemingly disappeared. The

(52:06):
problem was because Ashley bounced around betweenher family's houses so much it took a
while before anyone actually realized she wasmissing. Luckily, Ashley's mother, Jennifer,
said that she talked to her daughtereither every day or every other day,
so when a few days went bywithout being able to get in touch
with her, she knew something waswrong, and Ashley's family did report her

(52:27):
missing. Now, due to Ashley'srecent rebellion and the fact that she had
already been bouncing around between houses,police classified Ashley as a runaway, and
honestly, her family pretty much agreedwith them, but that doesn't mean that
they just wrote her off. They'dbe ended together and searched the area hoping
to bring her home. While theydidn't turn up any sign of Ashley,

(52:49):
neither did police, although that couldbe because it didn't seem as though police
were putting much effort into the caseat all. Basically, what it came
down to is what we hear sooften, Ashley came from a bad part
of town, and even though shewas only fourteen, they seemed to shrug
her shoulders and just accept that sheran away. According to an article published

(53:10):
in the Lakewood Observer in two thousandand nine, nearly two years after Ashley's
disappearance, the local media wasn't veryinterested either. Quote. The local media
put out the family's press release,but hasn't bothered to speak with a family,
nor have any of the outlets broadcastedany follow up stories. End quote.
So, getting back to the ideathat Ashley decided to just run away

(53:34):
after this pool party, one ofthe issues is that she lost her phone
that day. On the morning ofJuly fourth, two thousand and seven,
Ashley was at her other great uncle, Kevin Donathan's house. Donathan and Ashley
got into an argument allegedly over Ashleytexting quote family gossip. The argument got
so heated that Donathan grabbed Ashley's phoneand broke it. And again, this

(53:59):
is two thousand and seven, andthose things were pretty heavy duty, so
breaking a phone was not an easytask like it is today. So when
Ashley showed up to that pool partylater in the day and was seemingly down
in the dumps, as her familymembers put it, that could be a
big reason why. So you canlook at this incident in one of two
ways. Maybe Ashley was just fedup with her family and upset about the

(54:21):
fight and ditch just decide to takeoff, Or you can look at the
fact that she didn't have a phoneas a reason. She wouldn't have left
right then, as she was fourteenwith very few resources and now no method
of communicating with friends or anyone elsewho may help her get what she needed
to run away. As time wenton and Ashley didn't show back up,

(54:44):
her family held out hope that shewas still out there and safe and just
really taking the rebellious teen thing tothe next level. And a month after
her disappearance, Ashley's mother received evidencethat seemed to support us. Jennifer Summers
received phone call. The voice onthe other end of the line was rushed,
but she did believe that it wasAshley. The person on the end

(55:07):
of the line said, quote,it's me Mom, I'm okay quote,
and that was it. The callwas never traced, and though Jennifer does
believe it was her daughter, noone has been able to definitively prove that.
But at this point it does appearthat Ashley did take off. But
interestingly, her boyfriend, Jean,the one that she was so in love

(55:30):
with, says that he never heardfrom her after July fourth, two thousand
and seven, and his story hasn'tchanged since then, So if she did
take off voluntarily, she didn't contacther boyfriend. Now. For the next
two years, Ashley's case languished.Investigators and media weren't really interested, but

(55:50):
her family didn't give up hope.They were just stuck waking up every day
looking for answers that never came.But in March of two thousand and nine,
that changed with Twitter. Now,that year, Twitter was still pretty
new and only a handful of celebritieshad a presence on the social media platform.
One of the biggest, if notthe biggest, at the time,
was Ashton Kutcher. He was anearly adopter and had a huge following.

(56:15):
On March seventh, two thousand andnine, he sent out a simple tweet
quote, can you please rtie missingfifteen year old girl Cleveland area end quote,
and he had a link with that. All of a sudden, Ashley's
case went national. Now since peoplewere paying attention, some important questions started
being asked and connections were made.And as it turns out, Ashley wasn't

(56:38):
the only young girl to go missingfrom that Cleveland neighborhood. On April twenty
third, two thousand and three,sixteen year old Amanda Barry finished her shift
at Burger King and started the shortwalk home, but she never made it.
The next year, in April second, two thousand and four, fourteen
year old Jeannae de Jeseus was walkinghome from school the end they parted ways

(57:01):
and Gina never made it home.In two thousand and nine, after people
started taking notice of Ashley's case,some started to wonder if the three missing
girls, who all vanished within blocksof each other, were connected. According
to an article on the Anderson Cooperthree sixty blog, the FBI was looking
into the three cases as possible abductions, potentially by the same person. While

(57:23):
there were now people looking into Ashley'scase, there were no answers, nor
were there answers in Amanda or Gina'scases. That is until a shocking nine
one one call on May six,twenty thirteen. A terrified woman called and
said, quote, I'm Amanda Barry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing
for ten years, and I'm here. I'm free now end quote. Amanda

(57:49):
Barry was alive, so was Ginade Jesus. They had been held captive
for the last decade by Ariel Castroin his Cleveland basement. When they were
rescued, there were a third womanwith them, but it wasn't Ashley.
Michelle Knight had been kidnapped by Castrofrom a family dollar store in two thousand
and two. The three women hadbeen beaten and repeatedly raped, and when

(58:10):
they were freed, Barry escaped withher six year old daughter, to whom
she had given birth in captivity.When the three women were rescued, no
one really knew what was going onor how many women were down there.
The entire city, along with Ashley'sfamily, held their breath and prayed for
a miracle, but the miracle didn'tcome for Ashley. Castro later told investigators

(58:31):
that the three kidnappings were unplanned crimesof opportunity, despite the small geographical area
and the similarity in the disappearances.Castro was never tied to Ashley's disappearance.
He died by suicide in prison intwenty thirteen, so at this point no
one knew what to think. Ashleyhad been heard from in six years,

(58:52):
and there were really no clues inher disappearance. Though her case seemingly wasn't
lada to Castor's victims, the FBIdid still believe that Ashley met with foul
play, simply due to the lengthof time that she had been gone without
making contact. Then in twenty fifteen, Ashley's family thought they might have an

(59:12):
answer, so sent her disappearance.Ashley's stepgrandmother spent a lot of time on
the Internet getting Ashley's story out thereand searching for any clues. In January
of twenty fifteen, Linda was onthe Internet and came across the photo of
a woman who looked eerily like Ashley. The photo that Linda saw was from
an ATM in Warwick, Rhode Island. In the photo was a woman and

(59:34):
a male accomplice who were being accusedof identity theft, fraud, and other
related crimes. Linda and the restof Ashley's family thought it looked so much
like her that they contacted Warwick police, who agreed. Warwick Peede publicized the
case in hopes of identifying the mysterywoman, but received no leads. The
FBI got involved and launched a searchfor the woman that lasted several months.

(59:57):
In July of that year, theFBI I did come out and say that
the woman in the ATM photo wasnot Ashley. In an effort to find
the mystery woman, billboards had beenerected around Warwick with her photo, and
apparently the woman's parents contacted the FBIto let them know that it was their
daughter and she was known to commitpetty crimes. Three years later, in

(01:00:20):
November of twenty eighteen, Cleveland policeand the FBI announced that they had new
information in Ashley's case that put herlast known whereabouts into question. Not only
that the day and time at whichshe was last seen was also up in
the air. Police said that theybelieved there were two additional areas of interest
where she was last seen. Itwas at this point that they believed Ashley

(01:00:40):
had been seen on July ninth,near the intersection of West ninety sixth Street
at Madison Avenue. This information alsoled to new search. Remember Ashley's great
uncle, Kevin Donathan, the onewho broke Ashley's phone after an argument.
One of the areas of interest wasthe house he lived in back in two
thousand seven. Now he would nolonger lived there, but the current residence

(01:01:04):
cooperated with law enforcement and let themdig in the backyard. Unfortunately, they
didn't find anything related to Ashley's disappearance, but a month later, something interesting
did happen. In December of twentyeighteen, Kevin Donathan was arrested and charged
with multiple crimes, including rape,attempted rape in gross sexual imposition. Police

(01:01:28):
didn't name him as a suspect inAshley's disappearance at that time, but a
relative told WKYC news that the familyhad recently been reinterviewed about Ashley, and
Donathan's name came up. On Februarytwenty fifth, twenty twenty, Donathan was
sentenced to thirty five years in prison. After Donathan's sentencing, Ashley's case when

(01:01:49):
cold once again, But in twentytwenty one, the FBI received new information
regarding when Ashley was last seen.Now, instead of the July ninth date,
they believe that Ashley was actually lastseen on July eighth, in the
area of West forty fourth Street andTroubridge. A new search was also performed
on a parcel of land on TrainAvenue. Investigators dug and recovered what turned

(01:02:15):
out to be animal bones, butno sign of Ashley. The FBI continues
to look for new information in thiscase, and I released four locations that
Ashley had been known to frequent priorto her disappearance, the twenty one hundred
block of West ninety six, thethirty eight hundred block of West twenty third,
the eleven hundred block of Holmden Avenue, and the thirty four hundred block

(01:02:37):
of West forty fourth as the Stairs. It has been sixteen years since Ashley
Summers has been seen. Her familyis still actively searching for answers, and
authorities still firmly believed that there arepeople who have information about Ashley's disappearance who
have yet to come forward. AshleyNicole Summers has been missing since July eighth,

(01:02:58):
two thousand and seven, fourteen.At the time, she would be
thirty years old today. Anyone whohas had an interaction with Ashley or is
possible knowledge of what may have happenedto her is asked to contact the Cleveland
FBI at two one six five twotwo one four zero zero. You can
also make a tip at crime Stoppersat twenty five crime dot com. There

(01:03:22):
is a reward for information in herdisappearance. Thank you for listening. If
you want to hear more stories ofunsolved missing persons cases, make sure you
tune into and Then They Were Gone, hosted by Coney Gallagher and Ethan Flick,
and in the meantime, enjoy therest of these cruel summer stories.

(01:03:44):
We all hope that you enjoyed thistwo parter of cruel summertime stories, researched
and recorded just for you by thedark minded folks at the dark Cast Network.
Be sure to check out all thefantastic shows at Dartcast Network by going
to www. Darkcast network dot com. Then please subscribe, rate, and

(01:04:09):
favorably review our shows. Thanks somuch for joining us. Be careful out
there, life,