One night in March of 2016, two friends sat on a couch in Lunel, France, watching a true crime show on TV. The episode hit close to home – literally – because it was about a missing person who had vanished just miles from where they lived. Suddenly, in the middle of the show, one of the friends stood up and started pacing around the room, muttering to themselves. The other friend asked what was wrong… and they were not ready for the answer.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

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Today's story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 359.

One September afternoon in 2003, a woman in Tucson, Arizona, heard a knock on her front door and answered it. She was surprised to see a Tucson police detective standing on her front steps, and even more surprised when the detective started asking a bunch of questions about her next door neighbor. The woman was a law-abiding citizen, and she didn’t know anything. The detective gave her his business card and asked her to call him if that changed, but as she closed the door, she was pretty sure she would never have any reason to talk to him again. That was until a few days later, when she looked out her front window and saw two sweaty men jump out of a van and walk up the steps into her neighbor’s house. She watched for a few minutes, with her heart racing, realizing that what she was watching might very well be the coverup of a murder. She let the curtain fall and ran to her purse, to dig out the detective’s business card.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that make you realize, not everything is as it seems. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "On The Prowl" -- A local urban legend turns into a nightmare (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNbRksDBLHw)
• #2 -- "Call Your Mother" -- A mother is devastated after her son disappears one day (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwtXGiWSkQY)
• #1 -- "The Red Ghost" -- A horrifying creature terrorized people for years on the Arizona frontier (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7MaT5XFeoU)

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One day in January of 2018, a police officer walked through the woods near the town of Gray, France, following a trail of blood. It led to the body of a person who had been shot in the head. It seemed to be a suicide, but the police officer had some questions. Because this wasn’t the first body they had found here in the past few months.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm back by the fire, and I have an epic survival story to tell you.

Be sure to WATCH this episode on my YouTube channel.

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Both of today's stories are about just how hard it is to really know someone, and the consequences of assuming you do.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On an early morning in December 1991, a woman woke up to pounding on the door of her home in Largo, Florida. She could hear a woman outside screaming for help. She rushed out of bed and opened the door – and saw her neighbor on the doorstep, drenched in blood. Her head was covered in gashes. Her throat had been slit. But before she could say a word about what had happened to her, she fell back and collapsed on the front lawn.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 300.

On a dark fall night in 2010, two detectives stood in the street in an upscale suburban neighborhood outside of Boston, Massachusetts. In the middle of the road – lit by their flashlights – lay the body of a teenage boy. These were two veteran detectives, but neither of them had ever seen the type of brutal violence that had been inflicted on this young man. His legs look shattered, his jeans had been shredded, and his face was bruised and broken. The detectives felt sure this young man had been murdered, but because he had no ID on him, they didn’t know who he was. But when they did finally discover his identity, this case would take a totally bizarre turn. The detectives would find themselves 1,000 miles away from their crime scene, sifting through reported sightings of their victim that defied the laws of physics, and grasping at an insane theory that they hoped could somehow tie it all together.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "What’s Wrong with Mommy?" -- Christmas day becomes a nightmare (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JPEtNglQ4o)
• #2 -- "Stealing a Slice" -- A standoff in a Domino's takes a wild turn (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6bh7mhT1Lk)
• #1 -- "Peak Experience" -- A man wakes up after an avalanche in a life and death situation (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6m1ImVG1MQ)

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Both of today's stories are about people who actually achieved their big career ambitions... but at an extremely high cost.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On June 20th, 2004 a restaurant manager stood at the host stand of a seafood spot in Orange County, California. It was the dinner rush, and he was on take-out duty. So when a customer came in to ask about their to-go order, the manager hurried off to grab it. He found the order, and carried it back out. And as he rang the customer up, he could tell they were in a hurry. They kept looking over their shoulder and tapping their fingers on the counter. So the manager tried to finish up the sale quickly, and ran their credit card. And after everything was done, the customer basically ran out – which was a little strange, but the manager quickly got distracted again with another order coming in, and shoved the signed card receipt into the register like he always did. He had no idea that he’d have to find it again in just a few days… and hand it over to the police.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.