Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

Moms and Mysteries Podcast

Two Florida moms, hundreds of mysteries, and one obsession: 'How did this happen?' Mandy and Melissa bring you twice-a-week deep dives into true crime—from Florida's most bizarre cases to infamous mysteries worldwide—all with the warmth, wit, and dark humor of two friends who've been hooked on mysteries since childhood. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

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  1. 14h ago • Subscribers Only

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Monsters of God: Part One: The Fever

    Today we are kicking off our coverage of Monsters of God, the HBO documentary series from Eric Goode, the filmmaker behind Tiger King and Chimp Crazy. Episode one introduces us to the strange, high stakes world of reptile trafficking, beginning with Florida dealer Tommy Crutchfield and his longtime rival, Hank Molt. These men did not just collect unusual reptiles. They built a business around acquiring rare and endangered animals from across the world, selling them to collectors and zoos, and taking enormous legal risks along the way. We talk venomous snakes smuggled through airports, reptiles worth tens of thousands of dollars, one horrifying discovery involving animals buried alive, and the illegal Fiji Island iguanas that turned two former associates into enemies for life. Between Hank's grievances, Tommy's total lack of discretion, a Malaysian wildlife trader named Anson Wong, and what appears to be a very unnerving clown manager, this docuseries is already completely wild. We are only one episode in, and we need to know where it goes next. From HBO: In the 1970s, an obsession with owning rare and dangerous animals sends the illegal reptile trade increasingly underground – fueling a dark, billion-dollar smuggling industry populated by notorious dealers. As the rivalry between traders Hank Molt and Tommy Crutchfield escalates into a macabre iguana trafficking case, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begins to take notice.

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Monsters of God: Part One: The Fever

  2. 1d ago

    The Sherry Murders: The "Dixie Mafia", a Corrupt Gulf Coast, and the Judge Who Couldn't Be Bought

    In September 1987, Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret were found shot to death inside their Biloxi, Mississippi home. Vincent was a former Air Force colonel, a law professor, and a sitting circuit court judge. Margaret was a prominent local attorney and politician. Neither had any known enemies. The investigation would take years and lead directly into the heart of the Dixie Mafia, a loose network of contract killers, drug smugglers, and corrupt officials who had turned Biloxi's Gulf Coast into one of the most lawless stretches in the American South. What investigators eventually uncovered was that Vincent's own law partner, Peter Hallett, had pointed Dixie Mafia hitman Kirksey Nix toward the Sherrys to protect himself from a money dispute he had no clean way out of. Peter stood at the Sherry family's side at the funeral. He handed out copies of the eulogy to the press. He described Vincent and Margaret as family.Convictions were eventually secured for racketeering, fraud, conspiracy, and murder-for-hire. But no one was ever charged with pulling the trigger inside the Sherry home. The murders technically remain unsolved. We cover the full story, including the Dixie Mafia, the corruption that made Biloxi a criminal safe haven, the Sherry family, and the betrayal that set everything in motion. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Upgrade your everyday. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/moms. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Sherry Murders: The "Dixie Mafia", a Corrupt Gulf Coast, and the Judge Who Couldn't Be Bought

  3. 6d ago

    D.B. Cooper and the 7 Men Who Tried to Copy Him

    On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded a flight in Portland, handed a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb, and walked away with $200,000 in ransom after jumping out of the plane somewhere over the Pacific Northwest. He was never identified. His body was never found. And to this day, most of the money has never turned up.To the public, it looked like he got away with it. That was enough. In the months and years that followed, a string of men tried to copy what Dan (or who the public would know him by) D.B. Cooper had done boarding planes with fake bombs, demanding money and parachutes, and attempting to disappear into the sky. Some lost their nerve. Some were surrounded before they ever got off the ground. One actually knew how to use a parachute, landed successfully in a Colorado wheat field, and then discovered that the U.S. Air Force had been watching him the entire way down. We cover the original D.B. Cooper hijacking and the copycats who followed, and why nearly all of them demonstrated just how unlikely his disappearance really was. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Right now IQ Bars is offering our special podcast listeners including the Ultimate sampler pack, plus FREE shipping. That’s MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/vwn13ren #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card.  Savings provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    D.B. Cooper and the 7 Men Who Tried to Copy Him

  4. Aug 4

    The Murder of Saria Hildabrand: What Zarius Hildabrand Did After the Gunshot

    On the night of his 21st birthday, U.S. Army soldier Zarius Hildabrand came home drunk from the bars in Anchorage, Alaska. His wife Saria, also a soldier and also 21, spent the next hour going through his phone and finding proof he had been cheating. A neighbor heard a single gunshot at 2:46 AM.By the next morning, Zarius was texting her coworkers from her phone, telling her friends she had walked out, and joining the search party that formed to find her. He knew exactly where she was the entire time. Saria Hildabrand was a National Guard combat medic who had moved to Alaska to build a life and a career. She called her mom every single day. On June 25, 2026, a jury found Zarius guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. He faces up to 99 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 2026. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollandBranch.com/moms with code moms. Exclusions apply.  Right now IQ Bars is offering our special podcast listeners including the Ultimate sampler pack, plus FREE shipping. That’s MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Murder of Saria Hildabrand: What Zarius Hildabrand Did After the Gunshot

  5. Jul 30

    [Re-Release + Update] Lindsay Shiver: The "Kill Him" Text and the Case That May Never Go to Trial

    In the summer of 2023, police in the Bahamas were investigating a routine bar burglary when they stumbled onto something shocking . And that was WhatsApp messages on a suspect's phone containing a photo of Robert Shiver, a former Auburn football player and Georgia businessman, alongside a text that read: "Kill him." The messages were allegedly sent by his wife, Lindsay Shiver, a former beauty queen from south Alabama. Three years later, Lindsay has still not gone to trial. The case has been delayed over and over again — and now her U.S. attorney is arguing it should be thrown out entirely, claiming there is a "legally fatal" defect in the prosecution's case. He says the Bahamas may not even have jurisdiction to charge her because she was in the United States, not the Bahamas, on the day the alleged conspiracy took place.We originally covered this case in March 2026. We are re-releasing it today with a new update because this story is still very much unfolding, and the question we keep asking is: will Lindsay Shiver ever actually face a jury? We cover the full story: the marriage, the affair, the hitman, the accidental discovery, and where everything stands right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    [Re-Release + Update] Lindsay Shiver: The "Kill Him" Text and the Case That May Never Go to Trial

  6. Jul 28

    Leon Jacob and Valerie McDaniel: The Murder for Hire Plot

    When successful Houston veterinarian Valerie McDaniel began dating Leon Jacob, they bonded over the problems they believed their former partners were causing them. Leon presented himself as a brilliant surgeon, but the reality was a trail of failed residencies, massive debt, and a history of stalking and abuse. Within weeks of their relationship starting, those private grievances escalated into a shocking murder-for-hire plot. In this episode, we dive into how Leon and Valerie arranged to have both of their exes killed, the undercover sting operation at an Olive Garden that brought them down, and the tragic aftermath of their arrests. Thank you to this week's sponsors! IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. To get yours text MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.  Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to Quince.com/moms for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Support the show: Check out our Patreon for ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content: patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Leon Jacob and Valerie McDaniel: The Murder for Hire Plot

  7. Jul 23

    The Framing of Michelle Hadley: The Full Story Behind Netflix's A Toxic Love Story

    After the release of Netflix's A Toxic Love Story, we knew it was time to bring this one back. We originally covered the case of Michelle Hadley in 2019, but the story has changed dramatically since then, and this week we are telling the whole thing from start to finish. In 2016, Michelle Hadley was accused of terrorizing her ex-fiance's pregnant wife and sending strangers to her home to carry out a violent sexual attack. The evidence appeared so overwhelming that Michelle spent 88 days in jail and faced the possibility of life in prison. But the case was never simply about a jealous ex and the woman who replaced her, and it would take years to uncover the role of the man connecting them. Following a federal investigation and a major 2023 conviction, we now know that US Marshal Ian Diaz was not just an innocent bystander to his new wife's diabolical framing plot. He was an active participant who used his federal position to help send an innocent woman to jail. Thank you to this week's sponsors! For 50% off your order, head to DailyLook.com and use code MOMS50.   Amplify your spring look with Thrive Causemetics. Go to thrivecausemetics.com/MOMS for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order.  Text MOMS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Framing of Michelle Hadley: The Full Story Behind Netflix's A Toxic Love Story

  8. Jul 22 • Subscribers Only

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: A Toxic Love Story: Michelle Hadley & The Netflix Documentary

    The Netflix documentary A Toxic Love Story drops today, and it covers a case we first reported on way back in 2019 — the story of Michelle Hadley. If you remember it, you remember how wild it was. If you don't, buckle up. Michelle was Ian Diaz's ex-fiancée who was arrested, held on $1 million bail, and charged with stalking, harassment, and arranging the attempted rape of Ian's pregnant new wife, Angela. She was facing life in prison. The only problem? She didn't do any of it. What the documentary reveals goes far beyond what was known when we originally covered this case. The threatening emails, the Craigslist ads inviting strangers to attack Angela, the staged home invasion — all of it was orchestrated by Ian himself, a U.S. Marshal who used his position and insider knowledge to frame his ex while his new wife, who had faked a twin pregnancy and a cancer diagnosis, played along. A DOJ investigator eventually cracked the case wide open, and Ian was ultimately convicted and is now serving a 10-year federal prison sentence. Michelle, meanwhile, has rebuilt her life, went back to school, met someone, and had a daughter on the exact day Ian was convicted. We covered this story in 2019 when it ended with Angela's arrest. Now that we have the full picture, we have a brand new, fully updated episode dropping tomorrow, July 23rd, with all the research plus everything we learned from the documentary. Do not miss it.

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: A Toxic Love Story: Michelle Hadley & The Netflix Documentary
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4.6
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8,602 Ratings

About

Two Florida moms, hundreds of mysteries, and one obsession: 'How did this happen?' Mandy and Melissa bring you twice-a-week deep dives into true crime—from Florida's most bizarre cases to infamous mysteries worldwide—all with the warmth, wit, and dark humor of two friends who've been hooked on mysteries since childhood. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

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