Beyond the Ferns

In this week's episode, we are headed to New Orleans, LA!

In the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans was still struggling to find its footing, a volatile love story was quietly unraveling behind the doors of a French Quarter apartment. Addie Hall — a free-spirited bartender known for her magnetic personality and fiercely independent nature — had fallen into a passionate, often turbulent relationship with Iraq War veteran Zack Bowen. Together, they drifted through the strange, lawless days that followed the storm, forming a bond shaped by trauma, excess, and emotional instability.

But by October 2006, what had once felt like survival-driven connection turned into something far more sinister. When police were called to the couple’s apartment on Governor Nicholls Street, they uncovered a crime scene so disturbing it would shock even seasoned investigators. Spray-painted messages, chilling notes, and the gruesome treatment of Addie’s body revealed a descent into psychological darkness that few could comprehend.

The murder of Addie Hall remains one of New Orleans’ most haunting modern crimes — a case that raises unsettling questions about love, war, mental health, and the fragile line between devotion and destruction.

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This week we are headed to Mississippi!

On a quiet December evening in rural Mississippi, a stretch of backroad became the center of a tragedy that would shake an entire community. Nineteen-year-old Jessica Chambers was found severely burned near her vehicle — alive, and barely able to speak. To the first responder's surprise, she was able to respond to who had done this to her. The man's name was "Eric".

In the hours that followed, investigators, loved ones, and a small town desperate for answers were left trying to piece together what had happened in the moments leading up to the fire.

What unfolded was a case marked by confusion, conflicting accounts, and emotional courtroom battles. Rumors spread quickly, fear took hold, and the search for truth became as complicated as the circumstances surrounding Jessica’s final hours. Years later, questions still linger about who was responsible and whether justice has truly been served.

In this episode, we do a deep dive into this cold case. We explore potential suspects, review the details, and the evidence. Join along as we try to understand what exactly happened to Jessica Chambers.

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In this week's episode, we are headed to Maine!

We're stepping back into the late 1800s to explore the unsettling story of a woman who would eventually earn one of the most chilling nicknames in New England true crime — the “Borgia of Maine.” Drawing comparisons to the infamous poison-wielding Borgia family of Renaissance Italy, this case centers around Mary Cowan, a woman whose life became surrounded by a troubling pattern of illness and sudden deaths within her household. What initially appeared to be misfortune and sickness — common explanations in an era with limited medical knowledge — slowly began to raise suspicions as multiple family members died under eerily similar circumstances. As whispers spread through the small Maine community and investigators began looking closer, the quiet domestic tragedies started to resemble something far more sinister. In this episode, we’ll unravel the life of Mary Cowan, the string of mysterious deaths that followed her, and how she ultimately came to be remembered as the “Borgia of Maine.”

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In this week's episode #60, we are headed to Oklahoma!

On a cold December morning in 1996, 21-year-old dance student Juli Busken was preparing to leave Norman, Oklahoma behind for the holidays. She had just finished her final semester at the University of Oklahoma and was looking ahead to a future of dance. But before she could return home to her family in Arkansas, something happened in the quiet hours before sunrise in her apartment parking lot.

Her car was found abandoned. Hours later, her body was discovered near the shoreline of Lake Stanley Draper.

What followed was a case that would stretch across years — marked by unanswered questions, evolving forensic technology, and a relentless pursuit of justice. For nearly a decade, the mystery of what happened to Juli haunted her family and the community she left behind.

We will walk through Juli’s final known movements, the early investigative missteps, and the long road toward answers — while keeping the focus where it belongs: on a young woman whose life was filled with promise and who's presence is missed.
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In this week's episode, we are headed to North Carolina - Lake Norman, NC.

Lake Norman looks peaceful at first glance — miles of open water stretching across North Carolina’s Piedmont, dotted with quiet coves, sailboats, and lakeside homes. But beneath that calm surface lies a drowned valley. Entire communities once stood where boats now drift. Roads end abruptly underwater. Foundations, churches, and forgotten farmland remain frozen in time beneath the depths of the Catawba River.

For decades, witnesses have reported sightings of something moving through the water. Known locally as “Normie,” the Lake Norman Monster.

But Normie isn’t the only legend tied to the lake. Boaters have long whispered about the Lady of the Lake — a pale figure said to appear along the shoreline or drifting near submerged roads.

Blending local history, eyewitness accounts, folklore, and the unexplained, this episode explores whether Lake Norman’s mysteries are simply stories born from imagination… or echoes of something still waiting beneath the surface.

Listen along wherever you get your podcast! Happy to have you here!

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