The Vibes Were Off

Kathryn Malley and Meg Irwin

Behind every headline is a human heart that kept beating. Join sisters Kathryn and Meg as we look past the yellow tape to find the stories of those who survived the unimaginable. Based in Texas, where the grit is as real as the heat, we explore the bravery of victims turned victors. This isn't just a podcast about what happened; it's about how they fought back and what it takes to heal.

  1. 6d ago

    The Tragic Life Of Aileen Wuornos

    The Tragic Life of Aileen Wuornos | America's Most Notorious Female Serial Killer Seven men murdered. A lifetime of trauma. And a woman whose story would become one of the most disturbing cases in American true crime history. Before Aileen Wuornos became known as one of America's most infamous female serial killers, she was a little girl growing up in a world filled with abuse, abandonment, and unimaginable hardship. By the late 1980s, Aileen was living along Florida's highways, surviving however she could. But when men began disappearing and their bodies were discovered, investigators uncovered a terrifying pattern that would shock the nation. Aileen claimed she killed in self-defense. Prosecutors told a very different story. Was she a cold-blooded predator, a victim of a lifetime of violence, or something far more complicated? In this episode of The Vibes Were Off, Kathryn and Meg dive into the tragic life of Aileen Wuornos, exploring the childhood that shaped her, the murders that made her infamous, and the chilling final chapter of her life. Because sometimes, the most terrifying stories don't begin with murder. They begin long before it. 🎧 Listen to The Vibes Were Off on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. 💜 Like, subscribe, and tell us your thoughts in the comments! #AileenWuornos #TrueCrime #TheVibesWereOff #TrueCrimePodcast #SerialKiller #TrueCrimeCommunity #CrimeStories Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileen_Wuornos Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) by Nick Broomfield  Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) also by Nick Broomfield  Unmasking a Monster: Aileen Wuornos  https://www.biography.com/crime/aileen-wuornos Produced By: Raymond Malley

  2. Oct 6

    Kim Anh Restaurant Murders

    A trusted police officer. A family-owned restaurant. And a betrayal no one inside could have seen coming. In the early morning hours of March 4, 1995, the employees of the Kim Anh restaurant in New Orleans were finishing up for the night when someone they knew and trusted came through the locked front door. What followed was a robbery that left three people dead. But three people inside the restaurant survived by hiding in a walk-in cooler and what they witnessed would expose an almost unbelievable truth. One of the people responsible was Antoinette Frank, a New Orleans police officer who had worked security at the very restaurant she targeted. Even more chillingly, after leaving the scene, Frank returned in uniform with responding police officers. This week on The Vibes Were Off, we’re telling the horrifying story of the Kim Anh Restaurant Murders a case of trust, betrayal, survival, and a killer hiding behind a badge. Resources: https://www.wdsu.com/article/rogers-lacaze-antoinette-franks-co-conspirator-no-longer-on-death-row-after-resentencing/30222316.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Anh_murders.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoinette_Frank.  https://www.fox8live.com/2026/06/03/former-new-orleans-police-officer-death-row-since-1995-expected-court/.  Snapped: Killer Couples (2015) Season 5, Episode 8.  Picture Credit:  https://www.nola.com/news/courts/attorney-general-death-penalty-louisiana-supreme-court/article_55c1f3fc-1382-44ca-8651-a0a7147ce2a7.html.  https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/tag/kim-anh-restaurant/.  Produced By: Raymond Malley

  3. Sep 22

    Trapped Underground: Elizabeth Shoaf's Escape

    Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Shoaf was walking home from school when a stranger appeared. He told her he was a police officer. He wasn’t. Within minutes, Elizabeth was being led away from the road, deeper and deeper into the woods. Waiting for her beneath the forest floor was something almost impossible to imagine: a hidden underground bunker. For ten days, Elizabeth was held captive in a place no one knew existed. Above her, search parties were desperately looking for any sign of the missing teenager. Below ground, Elizabeth knew that if she wanted to make it home, she couldn’t just wait to be found. She had to find a way to lead them to her. And then, her captor made one tiny mistake. What followed was a terrifying game of patience, deception, survival and a secret message that would begin to unravel everything. This is the story of Elizabeth Shoaf: the girl trapped underground. Resources: https://blurredbylines.com/articles/elizabeth-shoaf-girl-in-the-bunker-kidnapping-text-filyaw/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/elizabeth-shoaf https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23522127

  4. Sep 15

    Surviving Flight 571: Stranded In The Andes

    On Friday, October 13th 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, along with friends and family, disappeared into the Andes Mountains. When the wreckage was finally found, the world would learn that some of the passengers had survived—and what they endured for 72 days in one of the most unforgiving places on Earth was almost impossible to comprehend. Stranded high in the mountains with no way to call for help, surrounded by snow and freezing temperatures, the survivors waited for a rescue that wasn’t coming. Then they heard devastating news: the search for them had been called off. What followed was an extraordinary fight to stay alive—through starvation, an avalanche, impossible decisions, and ultimately a desperate journey across the Andes in search of help. This is the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, often called the Miracle of the Andes—and the people who refused to give up when the rest of the world believed they were already dead. This is Surviving Flight 571. Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_Air_Force_Flight_571 https://www.today.com/popculture/andes-uruguay-plane-crash-1972-survivors-now-rcna133498.  I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash (2010)  https://abcnews.com/US/survivors-1972-uruguay-plane-crash-revisit-tale-extremes/story?id=98405303.  https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/uruguay-andes-plane-crash-1972-photos-society-of-the-snow-rcna133645.  https://arptravels.com/voyages/flight-571-survivors-now.  https://animalia-life.club/qa/pictures/uruguayan-air-force-flight-571-map.  https://simpleflying.com/uruguayan-air-force-flight-571-story/.   Produced By: Raymond Malley

  5. Sep 9

    America's First Abduction: The Betty & Barney Hill Story

    In September 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were driving home through the quiet mountains of New Hampshire when a strange light appeared in the night sky. At first, they thought it might be a satellite or a plane, but as the object seemed to follow them, their drive home became increasingly unsettling. By the time Betty and Barney finally made it home, something felt wrong. Their watches had stopped, there were unexplained marks on their car, and somehow, they had lost nearly two hours of time. What happened during those missing hours would eventually make Betty and Barney Hill the center of one of the most famous alleged alien abduction cases in American history. This is the story that helped define the modern UFO encounter—and more than 60 years later, people are still debating what really happened on that lonely New Hampshire road. Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_and_Betty_Hill_incident https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-abduction-of-betty-and-barney-hill/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/betty-and-barney-hill Alien Abduction: Betty and Barney Hill - HBO Max Produced By: Raymond Malley

  6. Sep 3

    The Butcher Baker of Alaska - The Survival Story of Cindy Paulson

    Cindy Paulson was barefoot, handcuffed, and running for her life. Behind her sat a small plane and the man who had kidnapped her. Seventeen-year-old Cindy knew that if Robert Hansen managed to get her into that plane and out into the remote Alaskan wilderness, she might never come back. So when Hansen turned his attention away, for just a moment, Cindy ran. What she didn't know was that her escape would help expose one of Alaska's most notorious serial killers. For years, Robert Hansen appeared to be an ordinary Anchorage baker and family man. But behind that carefully constructed life was a predator who targeted women, abducting and assaulting them before taking some into the isolated wilderness surrounding Anchorage, where he murdered them and concealed their bodies.In 1983, Hansen abducted Cindy. He held her captive for hours before taking her toward his plane. But Cindy refused to become another name on a missing-person poster. She found her moment, escaped, and made it to a nearby road, where a passing driver stopped to help her. Cindy told police everything she could remember. Hansen denied her story and even had people backing up his alibi, but investigators eventually began taking a much closer look at the quiet local baker. What they discovered inside Hansen's home, and marked on a map of the Alaskan wilderness would finally reveal the truth. Hansen eventually confessed to multiple murders and led investigators to the remains of several of his victims. He was sentenced to 461 years plus life in prison and died behind bars in 2014. This is the terrifying story of the man who became known as the Butcher Baker of Alaska and the incredible survival story of Cindy Paulson, the teenager who got away and helped bring his crimes to an end. Resources: A&E F1rst Blood: Season 1, Episode 2. Mind of a Monster: The Butcher Baker (2024) – Investigation Discovery https://www.aetv.com/articles/alaska-serial-killer-robert-hansen. https://www.violentminds.com/serial-killers/robert-hansen/. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/serial-killer-robert-hansen-victim-identified-robin-pelkey/. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hansen. https://lawandcrime.com/they-walk-among-america/fbi-profilers-helped-track-killer-who-hunted-women-in-1970s-and-1980s-alaska/. https://www.alaska.org/maps. https://people.com/how-was-robert-hansen-serial-killer-caught-11989403. Produced By: Raymond Malley

  7. Aug 25

    Terror on the Tracks: Holly Dunn's Survival

    What began as an ordinary night changed Holly Dunn's life forever. While walking with her boyfriend Chris, the young couple was attacked near a set of railroad tracks. Chris lost his life, and Holly was left to face an unimaginable fight for survival. Against all odds, Holly made it out alive. Years later, investigators identified her attacker as Angel Maturino Reséndiz, the notorious Railway Killer responsible for a series of murders across the United States. In this episode, we follow Holly's incredible journey of survival, the decades-long hunt that finally brought her attacker to justice, and the resilience that allowed her to turn tragedy into a life of hope and healing. Resources: Book: Sole Survivor - Holly K Dunn https://www.hollyshouse.org/ http://www.hollykdunn.com/ I survived a serial killer: S1-E2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ngel_Maturino_Res%C3%A9ndiz

  8. Aug 18

    Man on the Run: The Survival Story of Tyler Montgomery and Carla Wright

    Scott Eizember's desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of law enforcement turned into a deadly rampage. In Part 2, we examine the heartbreaking murders of A.J. and Patsy Cantrell, a couple whose kindness put them directly in the path of one of Oklahoma's most dangerous fugitives. As the search for Scott intensified, his violence didn't stop. Travis and Carla soon found themselves trapped in a terrifying fight for their lives when they unexpectedly crossed paths with the armed fugitive. Against overwhelming odds, they fought back and survived an encounter that very few people could have escaped. Join us as we break down the events that led to these devastating crimes, the incredible courage and resilience of the survivors, and the relentless investigation that finally closed in on Scott Eizember before he could claim another victim. Resources: Johnny Melton’s Statement - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpKrXHY8eG0 (starts around 13 minute mark). https://www.newson6.com/story/5e367ebd2f69d76f62092470/arkansas-couple-talks-about-their-ordeal-with-scott-eizember. https://www.newson6.com/story/5e3687fd2f69d76f6209e101/scott-eizembers-conviction-upheld. https://www.foxnews.com/us/oklahoma-death-row-inmates-last-words-execution-conscience-clear. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scott-eizember-executed-oklahoma/. https://www.yahoo.com/news/death-row-inmates-spiritual-advisor-000900408.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall. https://law.justia.com/cases/oklahoma/court-of-appeals-criminal/2007/450859.html. https://www.newsweek.com/scott-eizemeber-oklahoma-execution-killing-elderly-couple-1773354. https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/galleries/article-11629389/Oklahoma-inmate-executed-2003-murder-elderly-couple.html. Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cy5uzY0KtM&t=180s. TV Series: I Almost Got Away With It: Got to Get Revenge – Season 3, Episode 6 TV Series: I Survived – Season 1, Episode 2 TV Series: House of Horrors: Kidnapped – The End of the Road – Season 1, Episode 9 Produced By: Raymond Malley

See All (50)

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Behind every headline is a human heart that kept beating. Join sisters Kathryn and Meg as we look past the yellow tape to find the stories of those who survived the unimaginable. Based in Texas, where the grit is as real as the heat, we explore the bravery of victims turned victors. This isn't just a podcast about what happened; it's about how they fought back and what it takes to heal.

Information

  • Creator
    Kathryn Malley and Meg Irwin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kathryn Malley and Meg Irwin
  • Show Website
    The Vibes Were Off

You Might Also Like