Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries

Heart Starts Pounding

  • 40 minutes 19 seconds
    170. The Mysterious Disappearance of Leah Roberts

    Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your first order.

    In March 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts left a note for her roommate and took off on a solo cross-country trip. Nine days later, her wrecked Jeep was found by hikers at the bottom of a ravine in upstate Washington and Leah was not inside. What initially looked like a crash started to feel more sinister as the investigation continued.  More than 25 years later the questions surrounding what happened only grow darker.

    TW: Mention of suicide

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

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    2 April 2026, 12:00 am
  • 7 minutes 4 seconds
    Presenting True Crime News: The Podcast

    True Crime News: The Podcast is your weekly dose of real-time updates on the most gripping true crime stories, current cases, investigations, scams, and schemes. Host Ana Garcia is joined by crime experts, police officers, defense attorneys, and other leading authorities in their fields as they cover murders, scams, investigations, and unsolved crimes from across the country. Join us each week as we take you inside the biggest, most shocking, and most bizarre true crime cases.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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    27 March 2026, 7:01 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    169. Real Scary Stories: A Cursed Church Camp, An Eerie Ranch, and The Deep Woods (Feat. Morgan Absher)

    Your terrifying stories are back, and they did not disappoint! From deep inside the Michigan woods, to a haunted church camp, to the backroads of Argentina, and a 2am parking lot encounter. Morgan from Two Hot Takes is joining us to read through tales that range from something inhuman in the trees to a dream that may have saved someone's life, as we try to figure out what is going on with you guys!!

    Our Small Business Spotlight this week is Rescued to support them head to: https://www.shoprescued.com/

    Mentioned Episodes:

    Reddit Scary Stories: Djinn, Doppelgängers, and Imaginary Friends (feat. Two Girls One Ghost)

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UhNHFDDhXrKO8TeXFzL6y

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-starts-pounding-horrors-hauntings-and-mysteries/id1618084297?i=1000749006441

    Backwoods Horror: Creepy Encounters, Cryptids, and more // Dark Summer Series

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hvbTc9vbf7SXF2m0j8Ekh?si=NwLnd4s7QAa6Ry4zSV9qvg

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-starts-pounding-horrors-hauntings-and-mysteries/id1618084297?i=1000660368212

    Unsolved Mysteries of The Great Lakes: Ghost Ships, Lost Crews & Ancient Curses

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jNTQQuwArYg0bSEKdo81F?si=GuB1YagiT5G4uQffgKtq0A

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-starts-pounding-horrors-hauntings-and-mysteries/id1618084297?i=1000718719244

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    26 March 2026, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    168. The Scariest Reddit Stories We’ve Heard (feat. Kris & Celina from Can't Sleep)

    Today, we’re reading Reddit's scariest stories with KallMeKris and CelinaSpookyBoo. From glitches in the Matrix that defy all sense of logic, haunted houses full of vengeful ghosts, and a man showing up at someone’s door at 2am knowing way too many intimate details about them. Some of these have explanations. Some of them don't. And honestly? The ones with answers are scarier.

    Find Kris and Celina Here! 

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CantSleepChannel

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7d7IFyuNrSof7vv2kEd6wy?si=f9b68b5dbc294c13
    Our Small Business Spotlight this week is Welcome to the Club! Shop their store here: http://wttcclothing.comIf you use code HSP10 you can get a 10% off!

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    19 March 2026, 12:00 am
  • 37 minutes 45 seconds
    167. Something’s Lurking In The Woods: Terrifying Tales of Crawlers

    Why have so many people described seeing the same scary entity in the backwoods of Appalachia? Something that looks human, but not quite? Today, we’re talking about the terrifying entity people have been seeing in the woods for generations.  “Crawlers”
    Our Small Business Spotlight this week is Coco and Duckie! Shop their store here: https://cocoandduckie.com/

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    12 March 2026, 12:00 am
  • 39 minutes 30 seconds
    166. Feral Children: The Wolf Girl of Devils River, The Ukrainian Dog Girl, and The Kellogg Experiment

    Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your first order.

    Feral Children used to be the stuff of legends, but their stories are shocking, devastating, and real. Today, we're diving into multiple stories of feral children: the girl who was raised by her dog when her parents forgot about her, the legend of the wolf girl of Devils River, and the human experiment where a scientist tried to raise his son alongside a chimpanzee to unforeseen consequences. 

    TW: Child Abuse, Animal Abuse, and Mention of Suicide

    Our Small Business Spotlight this week is Wicked Wick Candle Co! Shop their products here! https://shopwickedwickcandleco.com/

    After Dark Collection: https://shopwickedwickcandleco.com/collections/after-dark-collection


    https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/feralchildren
    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    5 March 2026, 1:00 am
  • 38 minutes 11 seconds
    165. Terrifying True Urban Legends: A Haunted Forest, The Elevator Game, Britain’s Hannibal Lecter

    When villagers in a remote Thai forest heard screams echoing from the woods every hour for three straight days, they were convinced the legends of ancient spirits haunting those trees had come to life. In Taiwan, a woman and her young daughter walked into an elevator, rode to the top floor of an 11-story building, and seemingly vanished, feeding into the internet's most haunting urban legends, “The Elevator Game”. And in England, a prisoner they call "Hannibal the Cannibal" has been locked in a glass cell underground for over 40 years, but how much of his legend is actually true?

    TW: Suicide

    Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/theelevatorgame

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    26 February 2026, 1:00 am
  • 42 minutes 58 seconds
    164. Backwoods Horror: The Mysterious Disappearances of Amy Bechtel & Polly Melton

    Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your first order.

    One summer, a 24-year-old runner parked her car on a remote Wyoming road, left behind a to-do list with one uncrossed item "run" and was never seen again. Across the country, another woman was walking with friends on a well-traveled trail in the Great Smoky Mountains, went off ahead of her friends, and vanished without a trace. Today, we're diving into two backwoods disappearances, where the search parties found almost nothing, and the questions still go unanswered. 

    These are the cases of Amy Wroe Bechtel and Polly Melton. 

    Both of the cases in today’s episode are open and unsolved. If you have any information please contact the below: 

    Amy Wroe Bechtel: Please Contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-442-8477. or the Fremont County Sheriff at 307-332-5611

    Pauline Melton: Please Contact Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 615-744-4000 or the National Parks Service  https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/cold-cases.html

    Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/amybechtel

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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    19 February 2026, 1:00 am
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    163. Reddit Scary Stories: Djinn, Doppelgängers, and Imaginary Friends (feat. Two Girls One Ghost)

    Our listeners get 15% off plus free shipping when they buy two or more pairs of prescription glasses at WarbyParker.com/HSP —

    Using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #ad

    A face drawn in the fog of a bathroom mirror that looks exactly like you. A husband standing in the doorway who doesn't speak, doesn't move — and swears he was never there. From djinn that fall in love through reflections to entities that mimic the people you trust most, these Reddit stories blur the line between what's familiar and what's something else entirely.

    Find Two Girls One Ghost Here!

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtIdIQPeFulME3T_28ipIYw

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aFNuODLKP1NvhQb7P3Kbn

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    12 February 2026, 12:53 am
  • 39 minutes 21 seconds
    162. How Reddit Solved a Cold Case // Lyle Stevik

    Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your first order.

    In September 2001, a housekeeper discovered an unidentified man's body in a remote Washington motel room, no ID, no belongings, and a fake name scrawled in the guest book. For 17 years, detectives hit dead ends while an obsessive online community became consumed by one haunting question: who was the man in room five? This is the story of how thousands of strangers refused to let him be forgotten. TW: Suicide If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. If you’re outside the U.S., you can visit an international helpline directory such as ‘Find a Helpline’ at findahelpline.com, where you can search for free, confidential support in your country.

    Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/redditcoldcase

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    5 February 2026, 1:00 am
  • 41 minutes 21 seconds
    161. The Mysterious Murder of An Aspen Socialite

    Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP. New customers get twenty dollars off an order of two bags or more, January 1st through 31st!

    In February 2014, Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister was discovered murdered in the closet of her mountainside home, sending shockwaves through one of America's most exclusive communities. This is a case of wealth, betrayal, a shocking confession, and lingering questions that remain unanswered to this day. Three people were arrested, but were any of them telling the truth about what happened that night?

    TW: Suicide
    If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK  to 741741.
    If you’re outside the U.S., you can visit an international helpline directory such as ‘Find a Helpline’ at findahelpline.com, where you can search for free, confidential support in your country.

    Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/aspenmurder

    Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt.

    You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts .

    Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror.

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    29 January 2026, 1:00 am
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