Ominous Origins

So, let's pretend the last five months didn't happen (god, how I wish that were true...), and that this episode went up directly after the last :). Anyway, I'm back with an episode that is sort of a shout out to the origins of this podcast: Ancient Myths! Specifically Mesopotamia. I really do love this era, and it's sort of like the origins of all modern cultural lore. Today we're talking about the Wonder Woman of ancient history: Ishtar. She was the goddess of love, but also war! How cool is that. She's both a lover and a fighter, which is super badass. Anyway, listen to the episode for all the goodies! Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

It's about a big ol' finger. You just have to listen to believe it, really. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

The case that inspired a few different movies and shows, the case of Anneliese Michel is one of the most important exorcism cases in history. Not only was in controversial in within the church, but also within the justice system. It went to court, and charges were indeed laid. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

What the title says! Give it a listen to hear all the excuses as to why I disappeared off the face of the planet!

When a body washed ashore near San Diego, it was a mystery as to what happened. Missing limbs and pieces of flesh torn from the body, many assumed it was a vicious shark attack. But upon closer inspection, that may not have been the case. Many Autopsies, and a few reexaminations later. shark attack was ruled out. So what happened to Michelle Von Emster that fateful day in April of '94? Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

I got nothing for a witty title here. Operation Midnight Climax was an off-shoot of sorts of MKUltra, so you know it's got some terrible stuff associated with it. From LSD and other mind-altering drugs, to blackmail and mind control, Midnight Climax had it all when it comes to shady government experiments on its unknowing, and non-consenting public! Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Ghost ships are fun stories. They're often great stories. But what happens when the story may or may not be real? Well, we get the mystery of the Ourang Medan. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

While maybe not as known as say Ted Bundy, Richard Speck was still a notorious criminal who slipped through the cracks of the justice system one too many times. One night in 1966, Speck broke into a boarding house for nurses at a local hospital, and murdered 8 women. This is Specks story in part. Spoiler: He's a piece of crap. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Yes, my apartment went up in a blaze. Thankfully the fire department was quick and nobody was injured, but much of the complex got damaged. The unit that caught was below me, and I had my windows open at the time (wasn't home when it started), so sadly my microphone got damaged by a mixture of smoke and heat. There will be a donation link below if you care to help fund a new one. But today's episode is about a fire as well. One that claimed far too many lives in New Orleans in 1973. Listen for the whole story surrounding the 1973 UpStairs lounge fire. Fire relief donation Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Sorry for the lateness of this, but you should expect that by now... The Shark Arm Murders refer to a notorious criminal case that took place in Sydney, Australia, in 1935. The case gained significant media attention due to its bizarre and macabre nature. In April 1935, a large tiger shark was caught in the waters near Coogee Beach. When the shark was displayed at the Coogee Aquarium Baths, it vomited out a human arm with a rope tied around its wrist. The arm was promptly identified as belonging to James Smith, a missing ex-boxer and small-time criminal. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

So, I'm back after a bit of a surprise break again. My bad! Anyway, we're back with another true crime case this week, and it's the mystery surrounding the Jamison Family and their strange disappearance. It happened back in 2009 when the family, Bobby, Sherilynn, and daughter Madyson, packed everything up and went in search of some land to build a home upon. Only they never found the land, and they never returned. It wasn't overly surprising to friends that they vanished as the parents, Bobby and Sherilynn, had issues with substance abuse and drugs. They were also into the occult, which, of course is the actual reason for their vanishing. I hope you picked up the sarcasm there... Anywhoo, the theories about their disappearance are vast and varied. And I'll go over all that in the episode! Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Okay, not really. But it did help me write this script! This is a topic I've been wanting to touch base on, but everybody has covered it much better than I could ever have. So I tested out Chat GPT to see if it could lend any more insight on the topic. It... It did not. But it did write me a nice summery of events that was condensed down to a nice ten minutes. I'm not going to give you much info about it here as, well, the episode is short enough that if I type anything here, I'll give away everything! So listen! Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Let's take a break from the dreary true crime stuff for a sec and look at some fun ancient history and mythology for a change! Today we're talking about Theia, who is sort of a forgotten God now-a-days, but in ancient Greece, she was super important. She is responsible for basically all the light around us, and out ability to see... period. She's the Goddess of the sun, light, sight, and wisdom, among other things. Her role became a little less important as time went on, but through her kids, Helios, Eos, and Selene, her legacy lived on. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Back in '05 a man did the unthinkable. After what can only be assumed to be a pretty bad family squabble, George Arsoniadis decided he needed to kill his sister in the very condo they had just moved into together. It wasn't even a week after they moved that neighbors complained about a foul smell coming from the unit. Police got involved, and not long after, George was arrested and sat in jail. The police found something out of a horror movie in the dwelling - body parts stashed in freezers and all sorts of gruesome pieces of evidence. George faced trial, and the outcome might just cause your blood to boil. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Back in the early 60's, a guy wanted to take his family on a private cruise. That's all. He chartered a ketch out of Florida and spent a week at sea with his family, the ship's captain, the captain's wife. What they didn't expect was to never be heard from again, except for one touch as nails little girl. She was known as the Sea Orphan, but her real name was Terry-Job Duperrault. Upon hearing of her survival, the other survivor, who was thought the be the lone one, Julian Harvey asked to be excused from talking to the police. He then went to a motel and slashed various parts of his body, killing himself. In what was believed to be an insurance fraud situation gone awry, Harvey killed his wife, then what he thought was the entirety of the Duperrault family, before escaping a sinking ship. It's a fascinating tale with a lot of crazy details, so you'll just have to listen! Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Back in 1981, an incredibly talented actress supposedly fell overboard and drown by complete accident. That is if you believe the original reports on Natalie Wood. However, if you believe the updates from around 2011 and beyond, the actress's death was no mere accident. Married to Robert Wagner, and on a boat with Christopher Walken, Wood apparently got into an argument with her husband before everything went silent. This is according to the boat captain. He went to check on the couple when he discovered that Natalie was nowhere to be seen, and only a calm Wagner in his cabin saying that Natalie took the dingy and fled the boat. Other reports from a nearby boat say they heard a woman calling for help for about half an hour before the cries ceased. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Death is a weird thing. It's really one of the few things in the universe we know about, but know almost nothing about. What really happens when we die? Do we go in the clouds, does everything turn black, or do we maybe come back as another person; almost like a respawn in a video game. Well, if you believe what happened to the Pollocks, then its certainly the latter. The Pollocks were a young family in the mid 1950's, they had two daughters and lived a small, peaceful town in England. Everything was great until it wasn't. Thanks to a distraught woman who downed a few too many pills, the two Pollock girls were run down at ages 11 and 6. The tragedy was brutal, and took it's toll on the parents - that is until they unexpectedly gave birth two identical twins a year later. Twins who had shockingly similar characteristics to their late sisters, even down to birthmarks and scars. It's a bizarre story, and one you'll have to listen to all the way through. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Yes, you read that wordy title right. in late 2010 a man by the name of Matthew Hoffman entered the home of the Herrmann's, killed Tina (Mom), Kody (Son), and Stephanie (mom's friend), dismembered them and stashed them away. On top of that, he kidnapped 13-year-old Sarah and kept her captive for four long days. He did unspeakable things to poor Sarah who, when found, was just worried about her school attendance. Hoffman was dubbed the leaf killer not just because he was profession tree trimmer, but more so due to the fact his home was filled floor to ceiling with leaves. Just thousand and thousands of leaves. Learn more about this strange guy and his heinous crimes in the episode. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

A region I have neglected for far too long has been Asian, and Japan more specifically. The culture in the east is so rich and depthy that I feel bad for not covering more of it. So today I bring you the Oni! The Oni is a monster of sorts that has a varied origin story. Some say it's a demon, others a spirit of some kind. To some, they are protectors, others; tormentors. One thing most can agree on though is that they are scary AF. They generally have the same description throughout time, and the mask is one that is famous the world over. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots

Yes, today we're looking at the conclusion of the Dardeen Family Murders. Sadly there isn't much of a conclusion to the case, but we had to close it out by looking at the main suspect, and how he may or may not have been involved. Tommy Lynn Sells was sitting on death row in Texas for another murder when he confessed to killing the Dardeens. While he knew some of the details of the case, he had a hard time keeping his story straight, and he didn't really reveal many details outside of what was publicly known, and when he did, they were vague guesses, or so some thought. Also, I meant to get this up yesterday, on the big ol' V-Day. So excuse the references to that in there. Let's just pretend I have my crap together and it went up when it was supposed to. Our sponsor: www.morbidlybeautiful.com Merch: www.redbubble.com/people/horrorshots Youtube Website: Horror Shots Instagram: ominousoriginspod Twitter: @horrorshotsprod Facebook: Horrorshots Patreon: www.patreon.com/horrorshots