94 episodes

Good guys are boring, villains are fascinating! From bizarre events, wars, assassinations and celebrity deaths to cyberattacks, swindlers and spy stories - we cover it all and more, sprinkling a bit of true crime flavor and funny commentary on top.

We bring a fresh take on suspicious events – past and current - and the people who caused them. Because history is stranger than fiction! New episodes come every Wednesday, and ad-free episodes are available to our patrons.

If you’re looking for gripping stories about devious people and questionable happenings, you’re in the right place!

Stay Dubious,
Sandra and Tyler

Dubious Sandra and Tyler

    • History
    • 4.4 • 60 Ratings

Good guys are boring, villains are fascinating! From bizarre events, wars, assassinations and celebrity deaths to cyberattacks, swindlers and spy stories - we cover it all and more, sprinkling a bit of true crime flavor and funny commentary on top.

We bring a fresh take on suspicious events – past and current - and the people who caused them. Because history is stranger than fiction! New episodes come every Wednesday, and ad-free episodes are available to our patrons.

If you’re looking for gripping stories about devious people and questionable happenings, you’re in the right place!

Stay Dubious,
Sandra and Tyler

    Re-Run: A Hero Dog, a Drug-Fueled Search and How Four Children Survived 40 Days in the Jungle

    Re-Run: A Hero Dog, a Drug-Fueled Search and How Four Children Survived 40 Days in the Jungle

    Four indigenous children survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon and spent 40 days alone in the jungle. Wilson, the hero dog who found them, is now missing.

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy.


    The children’s ages range from 11 months old to 12 years old. After their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle, causing the instant death of the pilot and of another passenger, the siblings tried to save their mother who was still alive. She passed away after four days. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.
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    The eldest child, Lesly, is credited with keeping her siblings alive through her knowledge of the jungle. The children survived for 40 days in the Amazon by eating fruit and using large leaves to protect themselves from the rain. 2


    The children were discovered in a forest clearing by rescuers, who were guided to their location by Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd and four-legged hero. The military released drawings made by the children, depicting Wilson in the jungle, highlighting his role in their survival.


    After the rescue of the children, the search for Wilson began as he was separated from the kids, had a “weird reaction” when seeing his handler, and then disappeared. There are reports of a drug-fueled search and rescue operation, suggesting that the military and various groups – including the dog handlers - had been using ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea, as a ritual to help them locate the children. Wilson, the 6-year-old hero dog, is still missing in the jungle.




    1. By Ed Cumming and Mathew Charles, A hero dog, a drug-fuelled hunt, The Telegraph, June 2023. ⇤

    2. By John Otis, How Indigenous kids survived 40 days in Colombia's jungle after a plane crash, NPR, June 2023. ⇤

    Mary Bell, the 10-Year-Old Serial Killer

    Mary Bell, the 10-Year-Old Serial Killer

    Mary Bell was only 10 years old when she killed two toddlers in Newcastle, England, in 1968. Her first victim was 4-year-old Martin Brown. Mary and her friend Norma then murdered and mutilated the body and genitalia of 3-year-old Brian Howe.

    In this episode we discuss the disturbing story of Mary Flora Bell, who tried to kill several children and eventually succeeded in killing two young boys by strangulation. Her friend Norma bell – no relation, just a name coincidence – helped Mary murder her second victim.
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    Mary Bell was sentenced to be imprisoned “at Her Majesty’s pleasure,” a British legal term that denotes an indeterminate sentence. After 12 years, in 1980, she was released on license (probation) and now lioves a quiet, anonymous life with her daughter. 3


    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.




    1. Leah Silverman The Chilling Story Of Mary Bell, The 10-Year-Old Murderer Who Strangled Two Boys All That's Intersting, September 2023 ⇤

    2. Linda Caroll A Judge Called Mary Bell A Monster When She Was Just 10 Years Old Independent, September 2022 ⇤

    3. MICHAEL SEAMARK & PAUL SIMS Child killer Mary Bell becomes a grandmother at 51: But all I have left is grief, says victim's mother Daily Mail, July 2023 ⇤

    The Fake Disappearance of Carlee Russell and the Tik Tok Kidnapping Panic

    The Fake Disappearance of Carlee Russell and the Tik Tok Kidnapping Panic

    A 25 year old Alabama nursing student disappeared after calling 911 and claiming she was stopping to help a toddler in diapers who was walking alone on Interstate 459.

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.


    Carlee Russel returned home two days later and claimed she had been kidnapped and had barely managed to escape. She said the toddler was used as bait. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.


    Carlee described how a man with “orange hair” emerged from the woods and picked her up and forced her into a vehicle. No, it wasn’t Donald Trump. 1


    She said the man then put her into the trailer of a tractor and drove her to an unknown location where he forced her to undress and took photos of her. Carlee also mentioned that the man had a female accomplice who fed her cheese crackers. 2


    Police soon realized her story didn’t add up. Carlee admitted she faked her own abduction. Her motives are unclear, but we suspect she was “inspired” by the kidnapping social media craze, a new “Satanic Panic” type of phenomenon which has been spreading like wildfire online, especially on Tik Tok. 3


    This new trend, started by right-wing evangelicals, aims to terrify women, and convince them they can be abducted at any moment and sex trafficked. The scope is to distract from real social issues like overturning Roe v Wade, the gun violence epidemic, voting rights etc.


    Statistically, a woman in the US is more likely to get hit by lightning than get kidnapped and sex trafficked.




    1. Ariana Baio & Andrea Blanco Carlee Russell smiles in mug shot as she’s charged with false police report in kidnap hoax Independent, July 2023 ⇤

    2. Tiffanie Drayton ‘We will not be dismayed’: What Carlee Russell’s lie means for other missing Black women Daily Dot, July 2023 ⇤

    3. UNODC UNODC report on human trafficking exposes modern form of slavery UNODC, February 2009 ⇤

    The Deadly Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

    The Deadly Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

    Anneliese Michel started exhibiting “strange symptoms” like eating spiders and coal when she was 16. Her devout family believed she’s possessed by Lucifer and Hitler. Anneliese died after she underwent 67 exorcisms at the hands of two Catholic priests.

    In this episode we discuss the infuriating murder of Anneliese Michel by her parents and two catholic priests, in Bavaria, Germany, in 1976. Anneliese was suffering from Grand Mal Epilepsy and Psychosis. Her story inspired the 2005 film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". 1
    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.


    Anneliese underwent 67 exorcisms over a period of about 10 months between 1975 and 1976. She eventually died from starvation and dehydration during the process. Her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide. Her parents do not regret what they’ve done, claiming “god told us to do it”. 2
    At the time of her death, she only weighed 68 pounds.

    We also discuss the exorcism of 23-years-old nun Maricica Irina Cornici, who died during an exorcism at the Tanacu Monastery in Romania. 3




    1. Michael Getle Cries of a Woman Possessed The Washington Post, April 1978 ⇤

    2. Elizabeth Day 'God told us to exorcise my daughter's demons. I don't regret her death' The Telegraph, November 2005 ⇤

    3. Alison Mutler Nun Dies After Convent Exorcism CBS News, June 2005 ⇤

    Anatoly Moskvin: The Human Doll Collector

    Anatoly Moskvin: The Human Doll Collector

    A respected Russian professor dug up and mummified deceased children – only girls and young women - made them into “living dolls” and posed them in his apartment. The bodies of 29 girls between the ages of 3 and 25 were found in his home.

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.


    Anatoly Moskvin is a former Russian university professor, cemetery expert / self-proclaimed “necropolyst”, researcher and necromancer. He was held in very high esteem in academic circles in his native city of Nizhny Novgorod. He taught himself 13 languages and is well-traveled.
    He also had a disturbing unhealthy obsession with death and dead bodies. He dug up deceased girls and young women only, all aged between 3 and 25, and turned them into "living doll”. He then posed them in his apartment. 1


    Despite living with him, his parents claim they never suspected a thing. What caused this macabre behavior and his love of cemeteries? Are his parents lying? We discuss it all in this episode of Dubious. 2




    1. William DeLon Anatoly Moskvin, The Genius Russian Historian Who Collected Dead Girls Like Dolls All That's Interesting, March 2023 ⇤

    2. Anna Nemtsova Russian Historian Anatoly Moskvin Collected Dead Girls at Home Daily Beast, July 2017 ⇤

    The Moms for Liberty Sex Scandal

    The Moms for Liberty Sex Scandal

    Bridget Ziegler is embroiled in a sex scandal that exposes the hypocrisy of the “don’t say gay” extremist education movement she co-founded: she was caught on tape having sex with another woman during a threesome encounter with her husband.

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free.


    Moms for Liberty is a Florida-based organization, with more than 300 chapters in 48 states. It claims to advocate for “parental rights at all levels of government.” 1


    In reality, they push for banning children’s books and literature, fight against diversity, inclusivity, LGBTQ children, and rail against sex education and the teaching of Black history. The Moms for Liberty cult-like following believes there’s a widespread conspiracy in American schools to expose children to “woke “concepts about sexual orientation and gender identity that don’t conform to their idea of traditional family values. Of course, they joined the Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t say gay” campaign. 2


    But as it turned out, Moms for Liberty is right-wing education movement with a huge hypocrisy problem. Co-founder Bridget Ziegler, who’s also a member of the Sarasota County School Board in Florida, and her husband Christian Ziegler have been caught in a sex scandal that threatens to end the organization. Moreover, Christian Ziegler who is also the chair of the Republican Party of Florida and a big Trump fan, was accused of rape. 3




    1. Mary Ellen Klas Moms for Liberty Flunks Its Own Morality Test Bloomberg, December 2023 ⇤

    2. Chris Baynes Most Americans say ‘Arabic numerals’ should not be taught in school, finds survey Independent, May 2019 ⇤

    3. Will Carless, Chris Ullery, & Alia Wong What's behind the national surge in book bans? A low-tech website tied to Moms for Liberty USA Today, October 2023 ⇤

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
60 Ratings

60 Ratings

Maddie Torskopet ,

Pretty good overall

But I wish they’d keep their political opinions to themselves, even though I largely agree. It comes across as a tad self righteous .

️TNR supporter ,

Highly recommend!

Great podcast- they talk politics but also about other things you would least expect. What I like best is Sandra’s enthusiasm, she is not afraid to state her view and she will always stand up for animals. That’s my kind of person. I really enjoy this show and hope they continue.

Didster74 ,

Fabulous

I’m in love with this podcast. Informative, entertaining and refreshingly different.

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