Unexplained America The Podcast
Unexplained America is a weekly podcast, hosted by Lisa Ponson. I discuss true crime, paranormal, cryptid, legend, and anything unexplained connected with America. Join me for episodes rich in researching the history, background and nuance of the story perhaps a bit quirky. If possible, I love to explore the places myself and discuss the story from a personal perspective. The more creepy and unexplained the better!!!
Episodes
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the gruesome and tragic cases of the Green River Killer AKA Gary Ridgway and an in-depth look at the 20 year investigation that finally caught him.
In August of 1982, Dave Reichert was called to a double homicide...this call was very chilling because he had just worked a case in the exact location 3 days before.
The location was a rural area at the time close t...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the Titan Missile Fire of 1965 with author Gage Fears--Gage's book on the subject comes out Janaury 26, 2026--"Silent Sentinels: The 308th Strategic Missile Wing".
The episode opens with a conversation between President Lyndon B. Johnson and William Fulbright.
Gage goes over the events surrounding the tragedy that unfolded on August 9, 1965, when a...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the 1974 Christmas horror movie "Black Christmas".
To end the year off, I wanted to review and watch a Christmas horror film--one that I had never seen. So first, I found a list of the top 25 BEST Christmas movies ever.
On the list was like "Gremlins" (IMO NOT a horror film) and also "The Nightmare Before Christmas" --equally not a...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses "The Licked Hand" folklore story.
I was thinking about this awful story I heard at a slumber party one time when I was a kid--and it was about a girl who had friends over for a slumber party and there was a killer on the loose. So this girl and her friends went to bed and they were in their sleeping bags and the girl had a dog sleeping with her.
Durin...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses tragic and sad case of Laken Riley.
Listener Discretion advised--this episode contains all the heinous acts. Please be advised.
In February 2024, Laken was living her best life. She had roommates, she had completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia and was now in the Augusta University Nursing Program in Athens, Georgia.
On February 22, 2024, Laken l...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the gruesome case of Omaima Nelson.
Listener Discretion advised--this episode contains all the heinous acts. Please be advised.
In 1991, Omaima met William Edwin Nelson -"Bill" at the beginning of October of 1991-they immediately move in together and by the first of November they were married...not withstanding the fact that bill was double Omaima's age an...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the life and crimes of Henry Lee Lucas: The Confession Killer (Part 2) from the time frame of June 1983 to his passing in 2001. Then an interview with J. R. Howard - who met and interviewed Henry Lee Lucas for some pending cases in Arkansas in 1985. Henry Lee Lucas met and gave J.R. a signed copy of the "Hand of Death"--which I now have.
Listener Discreti...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the life and crimes of Henry Lee Lucas from the perspective of Henry Lee Lucas along with a dive into true documentation in a search of the truth.
Listener Discretion advised--this episode contains all the heinous acts Henry Lee Lucas confesses to in addition to assaults in sexual natures and crimes against children. Additionally suicuide is mentioned as well. Please b...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the most famous, the GOAT cryptid in America--Bigfoot.
This episode we begin by discussing the early stories of large, hairy creatures, running around on two-legs with a terrible odor and the how the indigenous tribes spoke about these creatures like any other creature here in the America's.
Then in 1812, reports come out when David Thompson (explorer, surv...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa has special guest host Amber on the show for this very creepy special Halloween episode on Bloody Mary the Legend and not the drink.
In this episode, we go back to the early 1700-1800's to discuss the different origin stories of Bloody Mary.
One particular story discusses how Mary is an old witch woman living in the woods. The townspeople do not like her or trust her...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will share spooky stories submitted by listeners.
Stories included discuss; a creepy experience in an abandoned church, a wild horse experience on the side of a dark highway, a ghostly apparition appearing to a relative after a horrible death of a family member, a tale that caused the listener to go ashen one night driving home late and a ghost boy crosses his path, a tale o...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the Haunted History of The Queen Mary.
In 1929, the Cunard Ship line envisioned a mega ship. The wanted to be in competition with France, and Germany: they wanted the largest and fastest ocean liner. So they began planning for this ship that would be christened the Queen Mary.
The RMS Queen Mary set sail on her maiden voyal in May of 1936. She was the largest,...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the famous and beautiful Stanley Hotel located in Estes Park, Colorado.
The Stanley Hotel is built by famous manufacturer Freelan O. Stanley in 1907--the hotel opens it's doors in 1909 to great success.
This episode will outline the early history of Estes Park and then the background of Freelan Stanley and how he came to be the owner/designer of The Stanley...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa discusses the missing persons case of Martha and Flora Helmick and John "Ed" Keyton.
Martha, Flora and Ed left out around noon on Friday August 3, 1973, They lived in Bridgewater, Virginia, and were driving to Kentucky to pick up Ed's brother for a family reunion. The three would never make it.
They are reported missing and days turn into weeks, weeks i...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa has special guest host Amber delight us with the lore of the Yazoo City Witch of Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Amber begins with a little background of Yazoo City, Mississippi; then lets us know the story of the town--that in 1884, there was an alleged woman that was found to have killed some men and the men were found in her shack down in the swamps of the Yazoo River. Then allegedl...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will discuss cases and origin of Spontaneous Human Combustion.
We will begin way back in the 1400's discussing an origin and then in the 1700's a case that would bring a poet to coin the actual term Spontaneous Human Combustion.
Then we will get into 3 cases, Mathilda Rooney of 1885 in Illinois, Mary Hardy Reeser case in 1951 Florida, and then a case in Ireland in 2010 of Michae...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will discuss the murder of Dr. Andrew Bagby-this is part 2 of a 2 part episode.
Listener Discretion: Discussion of Murder, Suicide Attempts, and Small touch of Alleged Child Abuse.
On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby tells his supervisor that his on again/off again girlfriend whom he had ended things with just a couple of days ago had shown up at his doorstep that morning. She ...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will discuss the murder of Dr. Andrew Bagby-this is part 1 of a 2 part episode.
Listener Discretion: Discussion of Murder, Suicide Attempts, and Small touch of Alleged Child Abuse.
On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby tells his supervisor that his on again/off again girlfriend whom he had ended things with just a couple of days ago had shown up at his doorstep that morning. She ...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will discuss the Faith Hedgepeth Case--requested by listener Parker.
****Warning--listener discretion--the episode contains murder, SA, and rape.
On September 7, 2012, Faith Hedgepeth is found brutally killed in her friends apartment in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Faith was a 19 year old student at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. She had begun her college caree...
In this episode of Unexplained America, your host Lisa will discuss the life, achievements, and then the mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
On July 2, 1937, world renowned lady aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were in communications with the US Coast Guard ship the Itasca. The Itasca was anchored right close to Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean awaiting the arrival of Amelia and Fred who were on their ...
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