American Hauntings Podcast

In 1997, 13-year-old John Ushman was found dead inside Room Five of the Southern View Motel in Springfield, Illinois. Authorities ruled that he died while playing Russian roulette with a stolen revolver.

But newly obtained police records reveal changing statements, hidden guns, a motel room reportedly wiped for fingerprints, and days of silence before John was finally found.

In this episode, American Dread reconstructs John’s f...

On August 5, 1994, Decatur Realtor Sherry Lewis left to show a home. She never came home. More than three decades later, her murder remains unsolved. In this special anniversary episode, American Dread revisits one of Central Illinois' most haunting cold cases and the ongoing search for justice. 

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On the same day that the corpses of the last of the men who tried to revive the “Terrible Genna’s” operation was found, the Vice President of the United States, Charles Dawes, demanded that the U.S. Congress begin a federal investigation into the lawlessness that was occurring in the streets of Chicago...

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When it comes to music curses – and the Devil’s Music itself – there is no musician more closely linked to the supernatural than Robert Johnson, the legendary bluesman who allegedly sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads in the Mississippi Delta for magical playing skills and a handful of tunes. Robert would go on to become the founding member of the sinister “27 Club” but that’s not th...

On April 27, 1968, five children from the Cox family were murdered near their rural home outside Mattoon, Illinois. The killer was someone they knew and trusted: 18-year-old Thomas Charles Fuller II, who was dating their older sister. This is Five Little Birds: The Cox Family Murders. 

In May 1925, Angelo and Lucille found a home they liked in suburban Oak Park and began planning to move. On the morning of May 25, Angelo set out in his Roadster coupe to pay for the new house in cash. He drove south from Belmont Harbor on Sheridan Road and then turned southwest onto Ogden Avenue, which at that time extended to Lincoln Park. 

As he approached Hudson Avenue, a large black touring car carrying four unknown assail...

In July of 1977, G. Ray Timmons left his Bloomington, Illinois home for a walk and never returned. Hours later, he was found murdered in a downtown alley off East Market Street, a cinder block had been placed on his neck and head. Nearly fifty years later, the most important hours of that night remain missing.

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The murder of Dean O’Banion – followed by the near-miss on John Torrio – became the opening battles in what would become the longest and bloodiest gang war in Chicago history. This wasn’t just gangland maneuvering, Hymie Weiss’ thirst for revenge – it went beyond all that. The control of the entire Chicago underworld was at stake. 

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Two days before Halloween in 1987, 13-year-old Billie Lee Boyce was found behind a garage in Springfield, Illinois.

She had left home two nights earlier and said she would be back in about an hour. She never returned. Her body was discovered near East Melrose Avenue, and her clothing was later recovered under a bridge along Fox Road.

Police investigated. A suspect was arrested and charged. DNA testing was expected to help move the ca...

Ghost stories recorded from friends and vendors at the 2026 Haunted America Conference.

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Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859

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An update from Troy Taylor about the status of AMERICAN NIGHTMARES and an explanation about why it hasn’t been in your feed lately. In mid-June suffered a series of strokes and has been on the mend ever since. But new episodes will be coming in July, so thanks for all your support and good wishes.

If you’re feeling generous and would be willing to donate to the GO FUND ME for Troy’s medical recovery, you can follow...

Just as the door closed behind Capone, a long black car cruised slowly by. Inside the black car were North Siders Hymie Weiss, Vincent Drucci, and George Moran, all clutching shotguns and automatics. As they rolled up next to Capone’s car, the windows came down and they opened fire on Capone’s car. Bullets slammed into metal and windows shattered in the assault. 

A policeman was later quoted as saying: “They l...

In 1976, a quiet farm home outside Lincoln, Illinois became the scene of one of Logan County’s most horrifying crimes.

Lloyd, Phyllis, and Terri Schneider were murdered inside their own home, while two young survivors escaped into the darkness to get help. What followed was a disturbing case built around wealth, obsession, warning signs, courtroom testimony, and decades of fear every time Michael Drabing came up for parole.

Thi...

The Day the Music Died happened February 3, 1959, when a plane crash in Iowa claimed the lives of rock-n-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson.

But the plane crash didn’t affect just those who died on that terrible morning. In the wake of their deaths, a story began about a curse that was connected to Buddy Holly and his music. Legend has it that one of those mu...

On a cold December morning in 1969, a motorist pulled into an all-night Shell station near Glenarm, Illinois, along old Route 66. Inside, the counter was empty. In the storeroom, 18-year-old David Burch Jr. was found dead.

What began as a late-night robbery became one of Sangamon County’s most haunting murder cases: a young attendant killed on the graveyard shift, a father and son accused of the crime, a death sentence, and an...

In the 1960s, Satanic Cinema took on a life of its own. Mostly left behind were the humorous portrayals and worn old tales that had already been told over and over again. New filmmakers were bringing the Devil to life onscreen through the works of Poe and H.P. Lovecraft and by way of both old curses and modern versions of witchcraft. But it would take Hammer Films – that bastion of gothic horror and vampires – to ...

“To hell with them Sicilians!”

It was just an off-hand comment – a remark that was usually delivered with a smirk. Dean O’Banion and his North Siders were quick to say it. They didn’t care. The South Side mob, run by John Torrio and Al Capone, were tolerated – they weren’t pals. They were business associates and if it wasn’t for the money they made for O’Banion and his crew, they...

In July of 1983, 17-year-old Kimberly McClaskey vanished while hitchhiking along Route 116 near London Mills, Illinois. The next day, her clothing and personal belongings were found floating in the Spoon River — but Kimberly was gone. Decades later, her remains would finally be identified, and her death ruled a homicide. This is the story of a small-town nightmare that never truly ended.  

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Based on the episodes that you’ve heard in this series, then you’re likely aware there are many stories of curses, superstitions, and creepy coincidences that have been interwoven into the fabric of the “Devil’s Music.” Some are silly and a bit of a stretch, some are eerie, and some – like the most famous music curse of the “27 Club” – are downright unnerving.

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