Category Archives: True Crime

The Papin Sisters

This episode of Strange Matters presents a particularly disturbing crime that took place in the early 20th century, in France.   The story involves two sisters who worked as maids for an upper class family.  The Papin Sisters had been employed by the family for seven years, and had been described as idyllic workers.   Things weren’t as perfect as it seemed, however.   A sudden and gruesome act by the sisters would shock the country of France, and would be regarded as one of the worst crimes committed in the century.  This episode will go over the history and background of the Papin Sisters, the details of their terrible crime, and the aftermath of the event that would quickly become the top story of its time.

Click here to check out Strange Matter’s episode on the condition known as Shared Psychosis.

The Fox

Fate.  Death.  The Fox.   The various nicknames signed by a man who sent out ransom notes regarding the kidnapping of a twelve year old girl named Marion Parker.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the terrifying and disturbing events surrounding an infamous kidnapping case that took place in Los Angeles in 1927.   A young girl named Marion Parker was abducted by a smooth talking man, right from her own school.  Meanwhile, her father would be contacted by the same man demanding ransom money.  This individual would become commonly known as The Fox.  This disturbing case would ultimately be referred to at the time as the “Crime of the Century.”  This episode goes over all the details of the kidnapping, the investigation of the police trying to figure out who the Fox was, and the tragic outcome of this dark crime.

The Gregory Affair

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the infamous murder case known as the Gregory Affair, which details the disturbing murder of a young French boy, Grégory Villemin.  In this unsolved case that continues to intrigue the French public to this day, a family would be taunted with threats of vengeance from a mysterious individual who was only known as “The Crow.”  This person would seemingly carry out his revenge by abducting and murdering the family’s four year old son, Grégory.  After this grisly crime, a web of accusations and suspects would spin out of control, causing even more deaths in the chaotic aftermath.  This episode will detail the history of the case, the strange investigation that followed, and the suspects of who could have carried out the terrible crime.

The Toy-Box Killer

This episode discusses one of the most sadistic and cruel killers in American History. David Parker Ray, commonly known by his nickname of the Toy Box Killer, was a suspected serial killer, rapist, and torturer of women. His crimes are believed to have spanned several decades. David Parker Ray earned his notorious nickname because of the personal torture house he built, a customized truck trailer that was filled with dozens of weapons and tools used to inflict harm. This sound proof trailer, the place where he would imprison women for days and weeks at a time, was referred to by David Parker Ray as his “Toy Box.”

This episode goes over the history of David Parker Ray and details of his crimes, as well as the events and investigation that would eventually bring about his downfall.

Halloween Mysteries & Murders Part I

In this special two-part episode of Strange Matters several cases of mystery and murder are discussed, with each  disturbing story taking place on Halloween!  In the two parts of this episode four dark cases are presented, including the story of a man vanishing into the desert leaving behind only cryptic clues, a toddler stolen from her crib, an unidentified Jane Doe murdered, and even a deadly instance of Trick or Treat.   Enjoy listening to these disturbing and unusual Halloween cases of Mystery & Murder!

Part II of this episode can be heard on Patreon for all of the supporters of Strange Matters!

American Sicko

Albert Fish is one of the most horrific serial killers of all time. Despite an alleged lower kill-count than other notorious killers, the brutality of his crimes takes him to an all new level. He is most famous for his quote: “I like children, they are tasty”. However as a boy, Fish was set up for failure. With a family history of psychiatric illness, significant childhood trauma and even physical trauma to his central nervous system, he would go on to develop a sadomasochistic desire for pain. His numerous paraphilias developed over the years along with his bizarre religious delusions. This could be the darkest episode we have ever done at Strange Matters Podcast.