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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.

  1. The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why Incompetent People Think They're Experts

    7H AGO

    The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why Incompetent People Think They're Experts

    Have you ever met someone who was terrible at something but thought they were a genius? This week, we explore the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their own competence. We start with the case that inspired the research: McArthur Wheeler, a man who robbed two banks after covering his face in lemon juice, believing it would make him invisible to security cameras. His baffling confidence led psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger to study this strange phenomenon. We then look at how this bias plays out in the world of true crime, from the comically inept “Hillbilly Heist” orchestrated by the Loomis Fargo crew, to the chilling case of Caleb Flynn, a former American Idol contestant accused of murdering his wife and staging a break-in. We also examine the tragic story of Lauren Giddings and the law student who thought he could commit the perfect murder, only to have his plan unravel on live television. Finally, we share the incredible story of Brett Johnson, a cybercriminal who went from the Secret Service's Most Wanted list to a respected FBI consultant, demonstrating the rare journey from the “peak of Mount Stupid” to true self-awareness. Thank you to this week's sponsors: See why more than 3 million families have chosen K12 – find a K12 Powered School near you today! Go to K12.com/MOMS to learn more. Right now, go to Quince.com/moms for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. Now available in Canada, too. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min
  2. SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Neighbors- White Privilege Card

    1D AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Neighbors- White Privilege Card

    First, we head to Nashville, Tennessee, where what seemed like a close bond between a divorced man named Steven and his older neighbors, Jack and Joanne, takes a bizarre and offensive turn. After Steven gifts Joanne a novelty “White Privilege Card” purchased on Amazon, their relationship implodes. The conflict escalates into a battle over a three-foot property line, an expensive fence, and Steven’s decision to launch a lucrative YouTube channel documenting Joanne’s explosive reactions. Despite a half-hearted peace offering involving a case of Corona Light and a barbecue dinner, the feud ends with a tense showdown at a local pub and a threatened hundred-thousand-dollar lawsuit. Then, we travel to a wealthy neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, where former state senator Jeff Wentworth finds himself at war with his new neighbor, Alexa, a self-described "Alchemist of Light." The trouble starts when Alexa begins constructing a massive ten-to-twelve-foot wall around her property, prompting Jeff to compare it to Osama bin Laden's compound. As Jeff rallies the neighborhood and files complaints, Alexa retaliates by adopting a mafia persona, driving a blacked-out Escalade, and blaming her physical ailments on spiritual attacks from her neighbor. With an ongoing battle over city fines and a failed Board of Adjustments hearing, this bizarre dispute proves that sometimes the highest fences make the worst neighbors.

    35 min
  3. The Murder of Angie Resendiz & The Legacy of Vanessa Guillen

    2D AGO

    The Murder of Angie Resendiz & The Legacy of Vanessa Guillen

    At 2:14 AM, Navy sailor Angelina “Angie” Resendiz made a frantic, crying phone call to a friend, begging to be picked up from a fellow sailor’s barracks. Moments later, a man took the phone and insisted she was fine, even as Angie could still be heard saying she wanted to leave. Her friend arrived within minutes, but Angie was nowhere to be found. Less than two weeks later, her body would be discovered inside a duffle bag in the woods behind a Virginia elementary school. This week, we cover the tragic and preventable murder of Angie Resendiz at the hands of Jeremiah Copeland, a fellow sailor with a documented history of violence. We also discuss the heartbreaking parallels to the case of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, whose death sparked national outrage and led to military reform. Angie’s story raises critical questions about whether those reforms go far enough and what happens when the system designed to protect service members fails them. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
  4. The Teenage CEO Who Scammed Wall Street: Barry Minkow

    MAR 19

    The Teenage CEO Who Scammed Wall Street: Barry Minkow

    At 16, Barry Minkow started a carpet cleaning company in his parents' garage. By 21, he was one of the youngest CEOs of a publicly traded company in America, with a business valued at over $200 million. But the entire empire was built on a foundation of lies. This is the story of ZZZZ Best, one of the most audacious corporate frauds of the 1980s, and the story of a charismatic young man who fooled auditors, investors, and the media with staged job sites and forged documents. After serving time in federal prison, Barry reinvented himself as a pastor and a fraud investigator, only to find himself back in court, facing new charges of embezzlement and stock manipulation. It's a wild ride through the mind of a master manipulator who couldn't stop scamming. Thank you to this week's sponsors! See why more than 3 million families have chosen K12 – find a K12 Powered School near you today! Enrollment portals are now open. Go to K12.com/MOMS to learn more. 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

    43 min
  5. The Scott Family Massacre: The Trial of Amy Vilardi

    MAR 17

    The Scott Family Massacre: The Trial of Amy Vilardi

    On Halloween weekend in 2015, a quiet community in Pendleton, South Carolina, was shattered by a brutal quadruple homicide. Four members of the Scott family were found dead in their home, the victims of a savage knife and gun attack. For years, the case remained cold, leaving a family and a town desperate for answers. The initial theory of a robbery gone wrong slowly gave way to a more disturbing possibility: that the killer was someone they knew. Eight years after the murders, investigators finally made an arrest that stunned everyone. The person charged with the killings was not a stranger, but the daughter and step-daughter of two of the victims, Amy Vilardi. This episode follows the long and twisted investigation, the shocking trial, and the dark family secrets that were revealed along the way. Thank you to this week's sponsors! 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. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct deposit and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Text MOMS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Let your hair be one less thing to worry about. See visibly thicker, stronger, faster growing hair in 3–6 months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you visit Nutrafol.com and enter promo code MOMS. 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

    57 min
  6. The Disappearance of Lars Mittank

    MAR 12

    The Disappearance of Lars Mittank

    In July 2014, 28-year-old German tourist Lars Mittank walked into Varna Airport in Bulgaria, preparing to fly home after a vacation. He had suffered a minor ear injury and needed a quick medical check before his flight. But what happened next turned his case into one of the most baffling disappearances in recent history. Surveillance cameras captured Lars suddenly bolting from the doctor’s office, sprinting through the terminal, and climbing an eight-foot perimeter fence before vanishing into the woods. He left his wallet, passport, and all of his luggage behind. In the days leading up to his disappearance, Lars had made a series of increasingly frantic calls to his mother, claiming he felt unsafe and that people were following him. Was he suffering from a medical-induced paranoia, or was a real threat closing in? More than a decade later, the chilling airport footage is the last confirmed trace of him. This episode dives into the timeline, the theories, and the endless search for answers in the case of Lars Mittank. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Right now, go to Quince.com/moms for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lars_Mittank https://people.com/all-about-lars-mittank-mysterious-disappearance-11768067 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31744248 https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/vermisster-lars-mittank-spurensuche-in-bulgarien-a-983857.html https://www.abendblatt.de/region/article131346203/Vermisster-Lars-Mittank-Mutter-hofft-auf-neue-Spuren.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Vermisster-Lars-Mittank-Spurensuche-in-Bulgarien,mittank100.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAfveiD6cWw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  7. SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Neighbors- Patch of Grass

    MAR 11 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Neighbors- Patch of Grass

    First, we’re in Palm Bay, Florida, where a 26-year-long war over a patch of grass has reached a boiling point. We meet Johnny, a former male performer known as the “Italian Stallion” with a penchant for photographing mating lizards, and his neighbor Andy, a Vietnam veteran who drives a car that looks like a mail truck covered in war memorabilia. What starts with a ruined lawn escalates into a saga of constant surveillance, death threats involving acid, and a bizarre court appearance. The feud takes a strange turn when Johnny reveals his strategy for getting on camera at the Ellen show, a confession that is both baffling and deeply unsettling. Then, we head to West Palm Beach, where a dispute over a one-foot-wide strip of land turns two former friends into bitter enemies. Meet Melissa, a notary who splits her time up north, and her neighbor Victoria, a woman who admits to selling her children’s urine to pass drug tests. Their fight over the tiny patch of grass leads to police calls, a failed mediation session run by a gun salesman, and a dramatic showdown involving uprooted plants. With both women now armed and fearing for their lives, this neighborhood feud is a chilling reminder that sometimes the smallest disputes can have the biggest consequences.

    45 min
  8. A Birthday Party in Hocking Hills

    MAR 10

    A Birthday Party in Hocking Hills

    A birthday party at a rental cabin in the scenic Hocking Hills of Ohio should have been a night of celebration. But fueled by alcohol and jealousy, the night spiraled into a violent confrontation that left a young father, Charlie Starner, dead. This episode examines the chaotic moments captured on a cell phone video and the legal battle that followed, asking whether the stabbing was a desperate act of self-defense or a senseless murder. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. Use our exclusive link to save 20% off Honeylove at honeylove.com/moms. To grab your PAKA hoodie, go to pakaapparel.com. Every day they're handling money without guidance is a missed opportunity. Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at Greenlight.com/moms. 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

    51 min
See All (572)

4.6
out of 5
8,541 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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