THE MARY CELESTE MYSTERY: Empty Decks And Endless Questions
What really happened aboard the Mary Celeste — the ghost ship found drifting at sea with no crew, no lifeboat, and no answers?
EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MaryCeleste
READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mxz7xmku
FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: The Mary Celeste was discovered abandoned near the Azores Islands on December 5, 1872 — and to this day, experts are unsure about what happened to its crew. (The Mystery of the Mary Celeste) *** On April 29, 2022, a female corrections officer snuck a convicted felon out of Lauderdale County Jail, kicking off an 11-day manhunt that would end in the prisoner’s re-arrest and the death of the woman he loved and who broke him out. (A Match Made In Prison) *** The Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest believed to hold the original Ten Commandments. In the 1980s, Ron Wyatt claimed to have found this legendary relic beneath Jerusalem. Did he truly find it? We’ll some of the theories that captivate believers and skeptics alike. (Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?) *** A young girl's fishing trip turns into a tragic mystery when she vanishes without a trace. As the community searches for answers, a shocking confession leads to a murder trial that left many questioning the truth. (Disappearance at Duck River) *** The Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious creature that terrorized a small French province in the 1760s with gruesome attacks. Believed by many to be an actual werewolf, it resulted in a frantic hunt for the monster – and even now, over two centuries later, the story still captivates us. But is there any truth to the tale? (The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction) *** Frederick Fisher, an English shopkeeper, vanished in 1826 – only to reappear as a ghost to help solve the mystery of his disappearance and death. (The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder) *** The puzzling case of Sherri Papini’s 2016 kidnapping shocked northern California and led to years of speculation. After her sudden return and subsequent arrest in 2022 for faking the incident, many questions remain unanswered. (The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing Of Sherri Papini)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:01:34.943 = Show Open
00:04:33.644 = The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
00:22:47.637 = The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing of Sherri Papini
00:30:34.570 = The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder
00:38:37.169 = A Match Made In Prison
00:46:18.862 = Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?
00:53:50.235 = Disappearance at Duck River
01:03:12.671 = The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction
= Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*
SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“The Mystery of the Mary Celeste” source: Austin Harvey, All That’s Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/44ax8rzt
“The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing Of Sherri Papini” source: Jacob Shelton, Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycku4txj
“The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder” source: Kaushik Patowary, Amusing Planet: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p842mvn
“A Match Made In Prison” source: Hannah Reilly Holtz, All That’s Interesting: https://weirdda
THE FOREBODING===== The Mary Celeste, an American brigantine, set sail from New York Harbor on November 7, 1872, carrying a cargo of denatured alcohol and a crew of ten, including the captain's wife and young daughter. The journey was expected to take six weeks, but after battling rough seas and heavy storms for two weeks, the ship was found adrift and abandoned on December 5, 1872, between Portugal and the Azores Islands. When the crew of the Dei Gratia boarded the Mary Celeste, they were shocked to find the ship in near-perfect condition, with ample provisions and no signs of struggle. The crew's personal belongings were neatly stowed away, and the cargo was untouched. The only things missing were the ship's lifeboat, the crew, and the captain and his family. What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? Did they fall victim to pirates, sea monsters, or even extraterrestrials? Or was there a more plausible explanation, such as a faulty chronometer, clogged pumps, and a desperate attempt to reach land? Tonight we’ll delve into the enduring mystery of the Mary Celeste and explore the theories and investigations that have attempted to solve this puzzling case over the past 150 years. I’m Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.
SHOW OPEN===== Welcome, Weirdos – (I’m Darren Marlar and) this is Weird Darkness. Here you’ll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained.
Coming up in this episode…
On April 29, 2022, a female corrections officer snuck a convicted felon out of Lauderdale County Jail, kicking off an 11-day manhunt that would end in the prisoner’s re-arrest and the death of the woman he loved and who broke him out. (A Match Made In Prison)
The Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest believed to hold the original Ten Commandments. In the 1980s, Ron Wyatt claimed to have found this legendary relic beneath Jerusalem. Did he truly find it? We’ll look at some of the theories that captivate believers and skeptics alike. (Did This Adventurer Locate The Ark of the Covenant?)
A young girl's fishing trip turns into a tragic mystery when she vanishes without a trace. As the community searches for answers, a shocking confession leads to a murder trial that left many questioning the truth. (Disappearance at Duck River)
The Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious creature that terrorized a small French province in the 1760s with gruesome attacks. Believed by many to be an actual werewolf, it resulted in a frantic hunt for the monster – and even now, over two centuries later, the story still captivates us. But is there any truth to the tale? (The Beast of Gévaudan – Fact or Fiction)
Frederick Fisher, an English shopkeeper, vanished in 1826 – only to reappear as a ghost to help solve the mystery of his disappearance and death. (The Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder)
The puzzling case of Sherri Papini’s 2016 kidnapping shocked northern California and led to years of speculation. After her sudden return and subsequent arrest in 2022 for faking the incident, many questions remain unanswered. (The Mysterious Vanishing And Reappearing Of Sherri Papini)
The Mary Celeste was discovered abandoned near the Azores Islands on December 5, 1872 — and to this day, experts are unsure about what happened to its crew. (The Mystery of the Mary Celeste)
Now.. bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness!
STORY: THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE===== The open sea has always been a source of wonder, adventure, and mystery. Throughout history, countless ships have sailed across vast oceans, facing the challenges of nature and the unknown. Some of these ships have become legends, their stories passed down through generations. One such ship is the Mary Celeste, an American brigantine that was found abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872, with no sign of its crew. This is the story of the Mary Celeste and the enduring mystery that surrounds it. On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail from New York Harbor, bound for Genoa, Italy. The ship was loaded with a cargo of 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol, a type of alcohol used for industrial purposes. The ship was commanded by Captain Benjamin Briggs, a 37-year-old experienced seaman from Massachusetts. Accompanying him were his wife, Sarah, and their two-year-old daughter, Sophia. The crew consisted of seven experienced sailors, all of whom had good reputations. The journey was expected to take around six weeks, but the Mary Celeste encountered rough weather almost immediately after setting sail. For two weeks, the ship battled heavy storms and high seas as it made its way across the Atlantic towards the Azores Islands. Captain Briggs documented the difficult conditions in his journal, noting the challenges the ship and crew faced. Despite the harsh weather, the Mary Celeste remained on course, and by November 25, 1872, the island of Santa Maria was in sight. Captain Briggs made his final log entry at 5 a.m. that day, indicating that the ship had faced rough seas and strong winds the night before, but that everything seemed fine now. Little did he know that this would be his last entry in the ship's log. On December 5, 1872, the Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia was sailing through the Atlantic Ocean when it spotted a ship drifting aimlessly between Portugal and the Azores Islands. As the Dei Gratia approached, its crew realized that the ship was the Mary Celeste, and that something was amiss. Captain David Morehouse of the Dei Gratia, a friend of Captain Briggs, sent a boarding party to investigate. What they found left them utterly puzzled. The Mary Celeste was in near-perfect condition, with ample provisions and no signs of struggle or violence. The crew's personal belongings were neatly stowed away, and the cargo of alcohol was untouched. The only things missing were the ship's lifeboat, the crew, and the captain and his family. The boarding party also noted that the ship's chronometer, a vital navigational instrument, was not functioning properly. This meant that the Mary Celeste had been sailing off course for some time. Additionally, the ship's pumps had been disassembled, and there was a small amount of water in the bilge, the lowest part of the ship. The crew of the Dei Gratia decided to tow the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar, where a thorough investigation could be conducted. However, despite the efforts of the authorities, no conclusive evidence was found to explain the disappearance of the crew. The mystery of the Mary Celeste quickly captured the public's imagination, and numerous theories and speculations emerged to explain what might have happened. Some suggested that the crew had mutinied and killed the captain and his family, then escaped in the lifeboat. Others believed that pirates had raided the ship, murdered the crew, and stolen the lifeboat. More outlandish theories included attacks by sea monsters, giant squid, or even extraterrestrial abductions. Some even suggested that the crew had been taken by the Bermuda Triangle, despite the fact that the ship was nowhere near that region. One theory that gained traction was that of insurance fraud. Some speculated that Captain Briggs and Captain Morehouse had conspired to abandon the ship and split the insurance money. However, this theory was quickly debunked, as Captain Briggs had no motive to abandon his own ship, and there was no evidence of any such conspiracy. The mystery of the Mary Celeste even inspired fiction, most notably Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement," published in 1884. While the story was fictional, it added to the intrigue surrounding the real-life event. In 2002, nearly 130 years after the Mary Celeste was discovered abandoned, documentarian Anne MacGregor set out to solve the mystery once and for all. Using modern technology and a team of experts, MacGregor conducted a thorough investigation into the case. One of the key findings of MacGregor's investigation was that the Mary Celeste's chronometer was faulty, causing the ship to be significantly off course. This, combined with the evidence that the ship had changed course several days before the final log entry, suggested that Captain Briggs may have been seeking shelter from the bad weather. MacGregor also discovered that the Mary Celeste had previously carried a cargo of coal, and that coal dust may have clogged the ship's pumps, making it difficult to remove any water that entered the ship. This, coupled with the fact that the pumps had been disassembled when the ship was found, led MacGregor to propose a new theory. According to MacGregor, Captain Briggs, realizing that the ship was off course and that the pumps were not working properly, may have decided to abandon the ship and head for the nearest land, Santa Maria Island. The crew would have used the lifeboat to make their escape, but in the rough seas, the small boat may have capsized, causing all ten people on board to drown. While MacGregor's theory is not universally accepted, it does provide a plausible explanation for many of the puzzling aspects of the case. It explains why the ship was found in good condition, why the crew's belongings were left behind, and why the lifeboat was missing. The mystery of the Mary Celeste has endured for over 150 years, and while numerous theories have been put forth to explain the disappearance of the crew, none have been conclusively proven. Whether the true fate of the Mary Celeste's crew will ever be known remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the ship and its story will likely continue to intrigue us for years to come – as we all love a good mystery.
BREAK===== Coming up… the puzzling case of Sherri Papini’s 2016 kidnapping shocked northern California and led to years of speculation. After her sudden return and subsequent arrest in 2022 for faking the incident, many questions remain unanswered. And… Frederick Fisher, an English shopkeeper, vanished in 1826 – only to reappear as a ghost to help solve the mystery of his disappearance and death. These stories and more when Weird Darkness returns.
STORY: THE MYSTERIOUS VANISHING AND REAPPEARING OF SHERRI PAPINI===== In 2016, the kidnapping of Sherri Papini shocked northern California. The terrifying story of her abduction in the Shasta County suburbs left people stunned. For three weeks, Sherri's family worked tirelessly to bring her back while the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department quietly investigated. Then, out of nowhere, Sherri returned home, but she wasn’t eager to share details about her ordeal. Because of this, many believed the whole thing was a fake kidnapping. In 2022, Sherri was arrested for faking her own kidnapping and received a prison sentence nearly six years after she claimed she was abducted. Here is everything we know about the mysterious disappearance, return, and arrest of Sherri Papini. On November 2, 2016, Sherri Papini was out jogging near her home in Redding, CA when she was allegedly abducted. Her husband Keith Papini knew something was wrong when he returned home from work and Sherri wasn’t there. After locating her phone using GPS, he found it, along with a pair of earbuds and some strands of her hair, near their neighborhood’s mailboxes, about a mile from their home. Initially, law enforcement suspected Keith might be involved in Sherri’s disappearance. While Keith hasn’t been entirely ruled out, he did pass a polygraph test, and law enforcement officials have said he has been very cooperative since the investigation began. Immediately after Sherri disappeared, Keith grew dissatisfied with what he felt was a slow-moving case, so he started a GoFundMe page to help finance an independent investigation. The money was supposed to pay for two private investigators who Keith believed would work tirelessly to find his wife. Local law enforcement disapproved of this plan but continued their investigation. The GoFundMe page remained active for a year, even though Sherri was found three weeks after it was launched, and it raised nearly $50,000. The Papini family never disclosed what they did with the money, despite concerns from donors. Cameron Gamble, a government security contractor, was one of many people who worked with the Papini family to help find Sherri. He believed Sherri had been taken by a sex-trafficking ring traveling down Interstate 5 to Mexico. Gamble offered his services for free and acted as a liaison with an anonymous donor, much to the frustration of local law enforcement. Gamble even made two commercials about Sherri’s disappearance, leading some to believe he was using the case to advertise his skills as a hostage negotiator. An anonymous donor offered the Papini family an additional $50,000 to help bring Sherri back. Gamble and the donor believed offering money would make the kidnappers release Sherri. Shasta County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Anthony Bertain was unhappy about the donor's involvement, fearing that offering a large sum of money would attract scam artists instead of bringing Sherri back. After the initial amount of ransom money went unclaimed, the anonymous donor released another YouTube video offering six figures to anyone who found the kidnappers. On Thanksgiving Day, 2016, Sherri was pushed out of a car in Yolo County, 150 miles from her home, though no one ever came forward to claim the money. When Keith reunited with his wife in the hospital, he described her as "covered in bruises ranging from yellow to black because of repeated beatings, [and] the bridge of her nose [was] broken." Additionally, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko revealed that her skin was branded with a "message," the meaning of which has not been explained. Sherri told a harrowing story: she claimed two Latina women had captured her while she was jogging and kept her blindfolded for the entire three weeks she was missing. In some accounts, she said they wore masks, which is why she never saw their faces. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Department remained silent, but Gamble believed Sherri was taken by traffickers who tormented her to break her will. Following Sherri’s return, the family became reclusive, avoiding the media. Neighbors noted that the Papinis holed up in their Shasta Lake home and were rarely seen. Many online sleuths questioned why the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation seemed so slow. Police said they didn’t release many details because they were investigating a link between Sherri’s disappearance and that of another woman, Tera Smith, who vanished in 1998 under similar circumstances while jogging near Redding, CA. Unlike Sherri, Tera was never found. Almost a year after Sherri returned, police discovered "male DNA" on the clothing she was wearing when she disappeared. Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Brian Jackson said, "The male DNA was compiled from the clothing Sherri was found wearing," and it was put into the CODIS DNA database in mid-2017; however, there have been no matches to known offenders. The male DNA contradicted Sherri’s story that she was taken by two women. The DNA might have been on the clothing before it was given to Sherri. Sgt. Jackson said, "Hopefully down the road, once we get these females identified, we will get the answers for that." After revealing the male DNA, the police also discussed a man in Michigan with whom Sherri had been in contact before her disappearance. They were in an “online/texting relationship,” but the police didn’t state if it was romantic. The man had visited California from Michigan a few days before Sherri went missing, but he was not in Redding on the day she disappeared. This information supported the theory that Sherri might have been trying to start a new life. The media began leaking information about Sherri’s alleged mental illness following her return. A transcript of a 911 call from Sherri’s mother in 2003 revealed that Sherri had allegedly attempted to harm herself. Sherri’s sister claimed that Sherri once kicked in her back door, and Sherri’s father said she vandalized his home. While these stories don’t prove that Sherri fabricated her kidnapping, they did further complicate the case. Police released sketches of the women Sherri claimed took her, but there were no distinguishing marks beyond one woman wearing large hoop earrings and the other having thick eyebrows. The police stated that they no longer believed Sherri was taken by traffickers. Sgt. Jackson said, "Just on the facts that we know it doesn’t seem to be a sex trafficking or a sexual abduction in nature, and that is what we are trying to figure out: What was the purpose?" He added that it is hard to "keep somebody in captivity for 22 days." On March 3, 2022, nearly six years after Sherri’s supposed kidnapping, police arrested her for allegedly faking the entire incident. She was charged with "making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and engaging in mail fraud," according to Rolling Stone. If convicted on both charges, Sherri could face a maximum of 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. In August 2020, authorities questioned Sherri again about the kidnapping, presenting evidence that contradicted her story. She stuck to her original account. Chris Thomas, a family spokesperson, criticized the dramatic nature of her arrest, stating that she would have complied with any police request quietly. He also said the charges were confusing and hoped for clarification. In October 2017, authorities discovered male DNA on Sherri’s clothing, leading them to her ex-boyfriend in Costa Mesa, California. The ex-boyfriend admitted he helped Sherri fake her kidnapping, saying she told him she "needed to get away." He stated that Sherri stayed with him during her three-week disappearance and that she asked him to brand her with a wood-burning tool, which he did. On September 19, 2022, six months after her arrest, Sherri was sentenced to 18 months in prison. She was found guilty of mail fraud and lying to federal agents about her abduction, both occurring after she staged her disappearance. After her prison sentence, Sherri will have three years of supervised release. She will also have to pay $309,902 in restitution to the California Victim Compensation Board, Social Security Administration, Shasta County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI. Sherri’s attorney, William Poranora, said the sentencing was “fair” but noted that Sherri was a much different person now compared to when she faked her abduction in 2016. Poranora had previously called her 2016 plans a "nonsensical fantasy."
STORY: THE GHOST THAT SOLVED ITS OWN MURDER===== Ghost stories have fascinated people for centuries, transcending cultures and time. Despite advances in science and technology, the supernatural still captivates individuals from all backgrounds. Many ghost stories hold cultural and historical significance, rooted in local folklore, legends, and traditional beliefs. They reflect the values, fears, and customs of a community, helping preserve cultural heritage and creating a sense of collective identity. These tales also serve as cautionary lessons, warning against certain behaviors and teaching moral values. One of Australia's most famous ghost stories from the early 19th century is that of Frederick Fisher. Frederick Fisher was an English shopkeeper who got involved in a situation where he either unknowingly or intentionally acquired counterfeit banknotes through his business dealings. As a result, in 1815, Fred received a 14-year sentence of transportation to Australia. His reading and writing skills marked him as an educated individual, allowing him to redeem himself in Australia by acquiring multiple farms and plots of land. He also ventured into the paper-making industry. In 1822, Fred Fisher, having completed half his sentence, applied for a ticket-of-leave and permission to purchase property. Among other properties, Fred secured a farm at Campbelltown, which was a remote rural outpost at the time. In 1825, Fisher had an argument with a local carpenter and was sent to prison. Worried about his farm, Fisher entrusted his neighbor, George Worrall, with the responsibility of looking after it and gave him the power of attorney for the duration of his imprisonment. However, when Fisher returned from prison six months later, he found that Worrall had been claiming the farm as his own. On June 17, 1826, Fisher mysteriously disappeared. George Worrall announced he had sailed for England, and three weeks later, he sold Fisher's horse and personal belongings, claiming Fred Fisher had sold them to him before he set sail. Four months after Fisher’s disappearance, a local man named John Farley came forward with a peculiar story. Farley claimed that he had seen the ghost of Fred Fisher sitting on the rail of a nearby bridge. The ghostly figure did not speak but simply gestured towards a paddock located beyond the creek before vanishing from sight. Initially, Farley’s tale was dismissed, but the circumstances surrounding Fisher’s disappearance eventually aroused enough suspicion for the police to search the paddock to which the ghost had pointed. Surprisingly, the remains of the murdered Fisher were discovered buried by the side of a creek. Based on circumstantial evidence, George Worrall was arrested and charged with Fred’s murder. Although George initially denied the charge, he later confessed to the crime and was subsequently hanged. It’s important to note that the story of Fisher’s ghost didn’t play a part in the conviction, as such evidence is inadmissible in court. Did Farley really see Fisher’s ghost? Some suggest that Farley invented the ghost tale to conceal the actual source of his knowledge about the whereabouts of Fisher's body. Perhaps Farley witnessed the murder and saw the body being buried. He wanted to inform the authorities without implicating himself, so he invented the ghost story. Another theory is that the actual witness of the murder, to protect himself, disguised himself as the ghost and sat on the bridge waiting for a traveler. When Farley passed by, he pretended to be Fisher’s ghost, moaned, and pointed to the burial site in the swamp. Yet another likely theory is that the ghost story was a hoax—a journalist invention by a Sydney-based magazine. Indeed, there is no mention of a ghost in the trial records of the case. According to the records, the body was discovered not because Fisher’s ghost pointed at it, but because the police found several spots of blood on the fence that led them to search the area. The search was assisted by two Aboriginal trackers who reported traces they thought were “the fat of a white man” (presumably human tissue) floating on the creek. Proceeding further, they came to a spot which had been recently disturbed. Acting on intuition, they dug up the spot and discovered Fisher’s body. Regardless of how the story of Fisher’s ghost originated, it has since entered popular folklore. Every year, in November, the town of Campbelltown holds the Festival of Fisher's Ghost to commemorate one of Australia's most famous ghosts. The creek beside which the body was discovered was named Fisher's Ghost Creek, although it has now been converted into mostly a stormwater drain. The story of Frederick Fisher and his ghost continues to be a significant part of Australian folklore. It reflects the fears and beliefs of the time and serves as a cautionary tale about trust and betrayal. Whether or not the ghost actually appeared, the tale has been passed down through generations, preserving a piece of cultural heritage and keeping the legend alive.
BREAK===== When Weird Darkness returns… The Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest believed to hold the original Ten Commandments. In the 1980s, Ron Wyatt claimed to have found this legendary relic beneath Jerusalem. Did he truly find it? We’ll look at some of the theories that captivate believers and skeptics alike. Plus… a young girl's fishing trip turns into a tragic mystery when she vanishes without a trace. As the community searches for answers, a shocking confession leads to a murder trial that left many questioning the truth. But first… on April 29, 2022, a female corrections officer snuck a convicted felon out of Lauderdale County Jail, kicking off an 11-day manhunt that would end in the prisoner’s re-arrest and the death of the woman he loved and who broke him out. That story is up next.
STORY: A MATCH MADE IN PRISON===== On April 29, 2022, the nation’s attention was captured by news of a manhunt for 38-year-old Casey White, a convict serving a 75-year-sentence for a slew of felonies, who had escaped from an Alabama detention center. But the most shocking detail — his partner-in-crime was a highly-respected career corrections officer. Vicky White — no relation to Casey — had just turned in her retirement papers. April 29 was supposed to be her last day with the Lauderdale County jail in Alabama. Instead, she helped Casey escape, and the pair went on the run together for 11 days. Casey was arrested, and Vicky shot herself. “I never would have thought that in a million years,” Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly told CNN. He said Vicky White was “the most solid person at the jail.” “I would have trusted her with my life.” Vicky White had worked for the Lauderdale County jail for nearly two decades. At the time of the escape, she was Lauderdale County’s assistant director of corrections — the second-in-command at the jail. “She was a model employee,” said Rick Singleton, the sheriff in Lauderdale County. “All of her co-workers, all the employees in the sheriff’s office, the judges, all [had] the… utmost respect for her,” he said. “Some of the older [prisoners] looked up to her as a mother figure.” Vicky had just turned in her retirement papers and talked about moving to the beach. No one ever suspected she would help a dangerous prisoner escape — let alone plan the whole thing. Vicky White “was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan,” according to Singleton. “[Casey White] was behind bars. He really couldn’t plan too much behind bars. Personally, I think she was the one to put the plan together,” he said. But why would a highly-respected and well-liked employee help someone like Casey White? According to Singleton, the pair had a “special relationship.” Vicky was giving Casey special privileges, and they carried on a romantic relationship outside of her work hours. “This is not terribly unusual, that you have this guard falling in love with a prisoner who’s probably groomed her over a period of time,” Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said. Swecker believes Casey likely manipulated Vicky. “He obviously needed her [to escape]. You would think someone with law enforcement experience – an assistant director of corrections in that county – would have thought a little bit farther down the line,” Swecker said. “She obviously lost all judgment over the last few months or so.” Casey White was no stranger to the prison system. He had already spent three years in prison between 2012 and 2015 for beating his brother in the face and head with an axe handle. Within months of his release in 2015, Casey went on a crime spree involving a home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. Casey was indicted on 15 felony charges and was eventually convicted on 7 of those, including attempted murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison. Casey was serving out his sentence at the Donaldson Correctional Facility, a maximum-security state prison. But in 2020, he confessed to the 2015 stabbing of Connie Ridgeway in Lauderdale County. He was charged with two counts of capital murder and was taken to the Lauderdale County jail for his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. That’s where he met Vicky White. After the arraignment, he was returned to the state prison, but he and Vicky kept in contact. According to WHNT, the pair exchanged 949 phone calls while Casey was at Donaldson. Casey returned to the Lauderdale County jail on Feb. 25 while he awaited trial for the murder of Connie Ridgeway, to which he pleaded not guilty. In the weeks leading up to the escape, Vicky White sold her house for well under market value — she sold it for just over $95,000, and it was valued at $235,600. She also purchased a 2007 Ford Edge, one of several vehicles they used to flee. On April 29, Vicky said she was taking Casey to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation, and then she would be going to the doctor because she wasn’t feeling well. Vicky was able to take Casey by herself, even though jail policy stated someone with a record like Casey’s needed to be escorted by at least two guards. “She really exploited her good reputation at the jail,” Connolly said. “‘Cause you can have all the policies in the world, yes she broke them. She knew where to exploit ’em too, using what she knew about those policies and her trustworthiness.” Vicky was seen on surveillance cameras leading Casey in handcuffs and shackles out of the prison and into her patrol car, which was later found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot less than a mile from the prison. Prison officials found out later there was no evaluation scheduled for Casey that day. And Vicky never arrived at the doctor. The escape set off an 11-day manhunt for the pair. An arrest warrant was issued for Vicky White on May 2, and the governor announced a $5,000 reward for each of the pair. “Both Casey White and Vicky White pose a major threat to the public, and they must be apprehended. I am pleased to offer this support as law enforcement works diligently to get these dangerous criminals behind bars,” said Governor Kay Ivey. On May 9, the pair was spotted abandoning a car at a car wash in Evansville, Illinois. A chase ensued, involving U.S. Marshals, FBI agents, and Vanderburgh County deputies. Law enforcement officials collided with Casey and Vicky White’s car, causing it to overturn. After the crash, Vicky White shot herself, according to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding. Casey White was apprehended and taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Vicky’s friends and coworkers couldn’t believe what she had done. At first, they thought she may have been coerced or forced to help Casey escape, but it became clear she had chosen to do it. “Vicky White was a member of our family. That’s why it was so hard in the first few days to grasp that she could actually do something like this because it was so out of character for her,” Singleton said. “In spite of what she’s done, Vicky was a friend to every one of us. It has been an emotional roller coaster for our employees.” Casey White was charged with first-degree escape and felony murder for the death of Vicky White. Casey pleaded guilty to the escape charges in exchange for dropping the felony murder charge. He was sentenced to life in prison in June 2023. “I feel like the most hated man in the world. I loved Vicky and I wouldn’t drag her name through the mud for anyone in this courtroom,” Casey White told the court. “Vicky took me out because she said, ‘Right was right. Wrong is wrong.’ First person to show me affection. First person to give me a hug in six years.” The capital murder case against Casey for the murder of Connie Ridgeway was also dropped. Connolly said there was no need to pursue the capital murder case since he was already spending the rest of his life in prison, and it would be a waste of state resources. Connolly also said the investigation into Ridgeway’s murder is still ongoing, and Ridgeway’s family supported not moving forward with the trial. The families of Connie Ridgeway and Vicky White were in attendance for Casey White’s sentencing. While they may not have justice for their deaths, they at least have closure. “I trust that Casey White’s behind bars and that’s the main thing,” said Austin Williams, Ridgeway’s son. “We may not get justice in this life, but we’ll get it in the next life. While we’re here, we’re gonna keep fighting for it.”
STORY: DID THIS ADVENTURER LOCATE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?===== One of the greatest mysteries for believers of Judeo-Christian religions is the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, a chest said to contain the two stone tablets of the original Ten Commandments. According to ancient lore, gazing upon this sacred relic can bring serious consequences. Despite many theories about its location, in the 1980s, one man claimed to have not only found the Ark of the Covenant but to have seen it with his own eyes. The Bible says the Commandments were kept by the Israelites in a wooden chest covered with gold, known as the Ark of the Covenant. This chest might also contain the rod of Aaron, which famously turned into a snake before the Pharaoh, and a pot of manna, believed to be food provided by heaven for the Israelites while they wandered in the desert. One of the strongest claims to possessing the Ark of the Covenant comes from the Ethiopian Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. They believe the Ark was brought to Axum by the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon for safekeeping. Many other churches also claim to have the Ark. Possible locations include Jordan, Egypt, Israel, South Africa, France, Italy, Ireland, and the United States. On January 6, 1982, Ron Wyatt, an amateur researcher, adventurer, and Seventh Day Adventist, claimed he had found the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments buried under the remains of old Jerusalem. He believed the Ark was situated directly beneath the spot where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, as foretold by prophecy. The Ark of the Covenant was supposedly kept in the Holy Temple, also known as Solomon’s Temple, after the Israelites settled in the promised land. Six hundred years before Jesus’ death, the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar, invaded and destroyed much of Jerusalem, including the Temple. It was then that the Ark of the Covenant became lost to history. During the Babylonian attack, they built a huge siege wall around the city so nobody could enter or leave. In response, the Israelites built many tunnels to move around the city without being seen. Many of these tunnels still exist today, and ancient artifacts have been found in them before. Wyatt argued that the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred Jewish artifact, was hidden in an underground chamber, which was then sealed and forgotten. In 1901, a woman named Ellen G. White made the following prophecy: “And He [Christ] gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. Nothing written on those tablets could be blotted out. The precious record of the law was placed in the ark of the testament and is still there, safely hidden from the human family. But in God’s appointed time He will bring forth these tablets of stone to be a testimony to all the world against the disregard of His commandments and against the idolatrous worship of a counterfeit Sabbath” (White quoted in Covenant Keepers, 2016). Students of the Bible, like Mr. Wyatt, believe that “the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Ms. White’s prophecy, made 81 years before Wyatt’s alleged discovery in 1982, was seen by Wyatt as a foretelling of the miraculous unearthing of the Ark of the Covenant. Ron Wyatt reported that the first find of the excavation was an altar stone protruding from the cliff face, believed to be the remnants of an early Christian church, possibly from the first century AD. Wyatt said this suggested that “the early Christians knew that this was a place of significance” (Covenant Keepers, 2016). Further exploration of the area revealed four holes cut out of the stone, believed to be the posts for the wooden crosses used for Roman crucifixions. The site where Jesus was crucified witnessed many other deaths, both before and after his. One hole was slightly more elevated than the others. This would be the location of the day’s featured criminal, an honor most certainly given to Jesus on the day of his crucifixion beside two common robbers. “A square cut stone had been placed in the cross hole, acting as a plug. It had finger grips on each side, and when Ron Wyatt removed it he noticed a large crack in the bedrock, extending from the cross hole” (Covenant Keepers, 2016). According to Wyatt, this was the exact spot Matthew spoke of when he said the rocks split with sorrow over Jesus’ death. Wyatt and his team continued digging and eventually found a network of ancient caves. In one of these, he claimed to have discovered the Ark of the Covenant. He described his discovery in a 1999 interview with AnchorStone International, made shortly before his death from cancer: “Once we found that place, I knew that I needed to get inside that escarpment, because there were several indications that it was just a system of tunnels and chambers. I needed to go chamber by chamber, tunnel by tunnel, until I found the Ark of the Covenant, or until I didn’t find it. We found it on January 6th, 1982 at approximately 2 o’clock in the afternoon. When I found it, it was in a situation I had not anticipated or expected. It was in a chamber totally filled with what appeared to be debris. What turned out to be materials of furnishings of the first temple, covered first by animal skins, then boards, then stone, just whatever they could get their hands on. It looked like it had been done in a hurry” (Wyatt Interview, 1999). While examining the cavern, Wyatt noticed a strange black substance dried in a crack in the chamber’s ceiling. The crack was situated right above the Ark of the Covenant and it seemed like some of the black substance had even dripped onto the chest’s outer stone casing. “When Christ died, the earth quaked. The rock split right below His cross and this crevice extended right down into the hidden chamber which contained the undefiled ‘earthly’ Throne of God — the Ark with its Mercy Seat,” wrote Wyatt in one of his research letters. “After He was dead, when the centurion stuck his spear into Christ’s side and pierced His spleen, the blood and water came out, falling down through that crack and was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat” (The Pulpit, 2008). If this was true, the act of dripping blood and water onto the Ark of the Covenant would have paralleled the blood and water sprinkled onto the Commandments by Moses to sanctify God’s covenant with the Israelites (Hebrews 9:19). Wyatt claimed that divine interference prevented any of the pictures or videos he took of the Ark of the Covenant from showing. Upon returning to the site to gather further evidence, it is said that, “Four angels stood before him and he was told that the time is not yet for the world to see this discovery with their own eyes, but the time is coming when the inhabitants of the world will have a universal, religious law enforced upon them” (Covenant Keepers, 2016). The Ark of the Covenant is not the only startling discovery that Ron Wyatt claimed to have made. Among more than 100 Biblical-related discoveries, Wyatt said he found Noah’s Ark, anchor stones used by Noah, his post-flood house, tombs of Noah and his wife, the Tower of Babel site, the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus in an earthquake crack, which he said had 24 chromosomes instead of 46. His discoveries have been dismissed by scientists, historians, biblical scholars, other Creationists, and by leaders in his own Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nevertheless, his work continues to have a following and has been preserved by Wyatt Archaeological Research (W.A.R.).
STORY: DISAPPEARANCE AT DUCK RIVER===== The disappearance of a loved one is a nightmare that no family should ever have to endure. For the Kelnhofer family, this nightmare became a reality on April 16, 1960, when seventeen-year-old Anna Kelnhofer vanished while on a fishing trip in middle Tennessee. Her disappearance and the subsequent events that unfolded left a lasting impact on the community and raised many questions that remain unanswered to this day. On that mild spring day, Anna decided to go fishing at the Duck River, a popular spot for anglers in the area. She had planned to go with her brother, but when their car wouldn't start, she decided to make the four-mile trek to the river on her own. With a fishing rod in hand and a can of worms for bait, the shy country girl set off, hoping to catch some bass, perch, catfish, or even a rainbow trout. However, her real motive, as she had told friends, was to get a suntan. Anna's family became worried when she didn't return home later that afternoon. Her mother reported her missing, and three residents who knew Anna came forward, saying they had seen her walking toward the river, wearing red shorts and carrying a rod and reel. This was the last known sighting of Anna before she disappeared without a trace. As soon as Anna was reported missing, a massive search effort was launched. The Nashville Tennessean reported, "Searchers beat through miles of rugged backwoods near here yesterday, without finding a trace of a pretty blonde teenage girl who vanished Wednesday." More than 50 people, including National Guardsmen, searched on the ground and from the air. They checked an empty house at Devil's Backbone, a ridge along the Duck River, and a burned house in a small field spotted by a Civil Air Patrol plane. Coffee County Sheriff Dan Daniel was perplexed by the case, stating, "You can't help but think there was foul play. You look at it any way you want to, and you come up with the same thing." The Tennessee Bureau of Criminal Identification joined the search, but despite their efforts, no trace of Anna was found. The area where Anna had been walking was sparsely populated, with only a few scattered houses along the road. As the road neared the river, the terrain became more heavily forested, with craggy outcrops appearing. Friends described Anna as someone who seemed happy one day and depressed the next, which they attributed to normal teenage moodiness. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend and decided to quit school. Two days into the search, a man named Fred Hickerson came forward with a crucial piece of information. He told police that Arthur Roger Ivey, a local insurance salesman, had given him a rod and reel—the same one Anna had been carrying. Ivey had apparently tried to sell it at a pawn shop for $2.00 but was unsuccessful. The police quickly brought Ivey in for questioning, and he soon confessed to his involvement in Anna's disappearance. According to the Tennessean, "Ivey said he hit the girl accidentally, then panicked, piled her body into the trunk of his car, and drove to the old military reservation." He led investigators to Camp Forrest, an abandoned World War II military base, where he had buried Anna in a shallow grave, covering her body with brush and trash. Despite Ivey's confession, some aspects of his story didn't add up. When investigators went to the location where Ivey claimed to have hit Anna with his car, they found no skid marks or disturbances on or near the road. Additionally, there was no damage to Ivey's vehicle. Dr. W. J. Core, who performed the autopsy on Anna's body, determined that she had died from a fractured skull caused by repeated blows to the head with a heavy, jagged instrument. He also noted brush and thorn marks on her legs, indicating that she had been running through heavy brush just prior to her death. Due to decomposition, Dr. Core couldn't determine if Anna had been sexually assaulted. At Ivey's trial, Special Prosecutor Walter "Pete" Haynes told the jury that only two people knew for sure what had happened to Anna—Ivey and Anna herself, who now "sleeps in the silent city of the dead." The prosecution theorized that Ivey had seen Anna walking toward the Duck River and offered her a ride, which she accepted. They believed he then drove her to Camp Forrest, where he likely made sexual advances toward her. When she resisted, he chased her through the woods and struck her with a tire iron or a rock, killing her before hastily burying her body. The jury convicted Ivey of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 99 years in prison. However, in 1963, the State Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that the judge had allowed improper testimony about Ivey's moral character. In the second trial, Ivey's attorneys successfully argued that he had accidentally hit Anna with his car and hidden her body in a panic. This time, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to one-to-five years in prison. Ivey was released in 1966 and died in 2001, a free man. The tragic story of Anna Kelnhofer's disappearance and murder continues to haunt the middle Tennessee community. While the case was officially closed with Ivey's conviction, many questions remain unanswered. Did Ivey really kill Anna by accident, or was there more to the story? The truth may never be fully known.
BREAK===== Up next… the Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious creature that terrorized a small French province in the 1760s with gruesome attacks. Believed by many to be an actual werewolf, it resulted in a frantic hunt for the monster – and even now, over two centuries later, the story still captivates us. But is there any truth to the tale?
STORY: THE BEAST OF GEVAUDAN, FACT OR FICTION===== For centuries, stories of werewolves have haunted Europe, and these tales go back even further in world mythology. But no story is as terrifyingly real as that of the Beast of Gévaudan. The Beast of Gévaudan was an animal that attacked humans between June 30, 1764, and June 19, 1767. These attacks, mostly fatal, ranged from 88 to 124 according to different sources, and took place mainly in the northern part of Gévaudan, now called Lozère in France. This area was known for breeding livestock, making the attacks even more shocking. The number of victims varies by source. A 1987 study estimated there had been 210 attacks, resulting in 113 deaths and 49 injuries; 98 of the victims were partly eaten. Other sources claim the animal or animals killed between 60 and 100 adults and children and injured more than 30. The creature, which has never been fully identified, began a campaign of terror on the people of Gévaudan, a small province in southern France. The mysterious and gruesome killings became the deadliest series of wolf attacks in the history of the country. The attacks created mass hysteria and eventually caught the attention of the highest levels of government, even the king himself. The first reported attack by the Beast took place in 1764. A young woman was tending to her livestock when the creature attacked. It made several attempts before being driven away by the cattle she was watching. She said the creature looked like a large, wolf-like animal with reddish fur, small ears, a dog-like head, and a long tail. The attack seemed like a one-time event until a few days later when 14-year-old Janne Boulet was killed by the Beast near the site of the first attack. All that was found at the scene were her bonnet and clogs. Boulet’s body had vanished, devoured by the Beast. Throughout the summer, attacks continued, mostly targeting lone men, women, and children working in the countryside. Villagers felt a growing sense of dread about what lurked in the wilderness around their homes. They began to arm themselves and wage war on the local wolf population, hoping to end the carnage. The brutal nature of the attacks was terrifying. Several reports indicated the head and neck of the victims were often the most damaged parts of the body, suggesting that the Beast targeted these regions with unsettling intelligence and purpose. People began to wonder if the Beast hunted for pleasure rather than hunger. The frequency of the attacks increased during the winter of 1764. As public hysteria grew, some believed it was a werewolf, a half-man, half-beast that preyed upon them. Others thought the creature was an oversized wolf or perhaps a pack of wolves. The Beast of Gévaudan quickly became more than just news, mobilizing royal troops and sparking all kinds of rumors. Some people saw the Beast as a wolf or an exotic animal, while others believed it was a werewolf or even a serial killer. The reasons for its attacks ranged from divine punishment to theories of an animal trained to kill. King Louis XV became aware of the attacks after Jacques Portefaix and a group of armed men survived an attack from the Beast and reported it to the government. The King, horrified by the stories, awarded the survivors several hundred livres and offered Portefaix a fully funded state education. He then announced that the government would personally see to it that the Beast was hunted down and killed. True to his word, the King sent two professional wolf hunters to the region in February 1765 to track down and kill the Beast. They believed the animal to be a Eurasian grey wolf and set out to capture it. After several months of hunting and hundreds of wolves killed, reports of attacks still continued. In June of that year, the professional hunters were replaced by François Antoine, the King’s own Lieutenant of the Hunt. Antoine killed several wolves during his hunt, culminating in the capture and killing of three large grey wolves in the fall of 1765. The largest wolf, weighing 130 pounds and measuring over five and a half feet long, was thought to be the Beast. Antoine returned to the King and received several titles and monetary awards for his services. The wolf was stuffed and displayed in the royal court, and life for the people of Gévaudan returned to normal. However, just three months later the attacks began once more. The Beast, it seemed, had returned to continue its bloody rampage. The creature continued killing well into 1767 until local innkeeper Jean Chastel and a party of over 300 hunters finally tracked it down. Rumors later spread that Chastel used a silver bullet to end the Beast’s reign of terror, giving rise to the famous legend. Most eyewitness accounts agree that the creature was some type of wolf, though they all claimed it was far larger than any normal wolf. Some even said it was as large as a small horse. It was also said that the animal’s skin was so tough it was resistant to bullets, contributing to modern-day beliefs about werewolves and silver bullets. During the three years, over 100 attacks were attributed to the Beast, with other estimates claiming close to 200 victims. Several victims were reported to have been partially eaten, and when the creature killed by Chastel was examined, human remains were found in its stomach. Historians, scientists, and conspiracy theorists have all proposed theories about what the Beast was. Among the suspects are a Eurasian wolf, an armored war dog, a striped hyena, a lion, some kind of prehistoric predator, a werewolf, a dog-wolf hybrid, and a human. Of the candidates, the most fanciful is the werewolf. The idea of an extinct prehistoric predator such as a Bear-dog, Dire Wolf, or Hyaenodon is also unrealistic. The notion that such a large animal could evade detection for thousands or millions of years is implausible. Others have suggested that a human serial killer may be responsible for the attacks. Many of the Beast’s victims were reported to be decapitated, something few animals could do. While it is unlikely that a killer would roam around in daylight wearing a beast costume, those who support this theory believe that the human killer used an animal to carry out the crimes. Some have speculated that it was an armored war dog, explaining its strange appearance and why it shrugged off musket shots. Karl-Hans Taake, a biologist and author of "The Gévaudan Tragedy: The Disastrous Campaign of a Deported ‘Beast,’" argues the Beast may have been an immature male lion. Like the hyena, it is possible that a lion escaped from captivity. The Beast was reportedly an ambush hunter that seized prey by the neck and could possibly decapitate a victim. A lion, Taake argues, could exhibit these predatory behaviors. Among the most credible theories is that wolves perpetrated the attacks. As some experts suggest, “Gévaudan had a serious wolf infestation.” They believe that large lone wolves were attacking individual communities across the region, or that it was a wolf pack. Wolves are native to the region and had attacked humans before—some statistics show that wolves attacked humans 9,000 times in France between the 17th and 19th centuries. In most cases, these types of attacks were by rabid wolves. There are some potential flaws to the wolf theory, including the frequency of the Beast’s deadly attacks, suggesting it was not a single rabid wolf. Also, none of its victims seemed to have contracted rabies, indicating that their attacker did not carry rabies. Although many theories exist about the identity of the Beast of Gévaudan, all admit that the truth will never be fully known. Now, almost 250 years later, the Beast has become a famous figure in werewolf lore. It made its literary debut in gothic novels like "La Bête du Gévaudan" and "Wolves: An Old Story Retold." Since then, it has been featured in contemporary media, such as the feature film "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and the TV drama "Teen Wolf." There is even a local museum in Saugues, France, dedicated to the story of the Beast of Gévaudan, retelling the legend for future generations.
SHOW CLOSE===== Thanks for listening – if you like what you heard be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!
***All stories used in Weird Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find links to the authors, stories, and sources I used in the episode description as well as on the website at WeirdDarkness.com.
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Now that we’re coming out of the dark, I’ll leave you with a little light… Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
And a final thought… “We model God’s grace when we refuse to hold grudges against those who hurt us. After all, God did that for us.” – Chuck Swindoll
I’m Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.