Malice in the Mitten

Tracy Preston
  • 4.7 (15)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • WEEKLY SERIES

Three Michigan shows, one voice.  Malice in the Mitten - Michigan-focused True Crime. Round Robin - Upbeat round-table talk. F-Bomb - Michigan folklore and frights.   New episodes every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

See All

  1. EPISODE 1

    S11 E1 - I Killed the Devil – The Pichette Case and the Death of Marian Doyle

    In 1938 Dollar Bay, Michigan, Wilfred and Loria Pichette confessed to killing Marian Doyle — claiming she was possessed by devils. After multiple family tragedies, economic hardship during the Great Depression, and a scandal involving a pregnant housekeeper, the brutal murder shocked the Upper Peninsula and drew national headlines. Featuring courtroom testimony from a seven-year-old child, this Michigan true crime case explores delusion, domestic violence, religious extremism, and mental illness inside a small mining town. Story Researched and Written by Rebecca Hiers Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston Sources: https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1930/02-17/page-4 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1938/10-31/page-7 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1938/10-27/page-1 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1938/10-24/page-1 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1938/10-26/page-2 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/ironwood-daily-globe/1939/02-15/page-14 https://access-newspaperarchive-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/us/michigan/ironwood/daily-globe/1938/10-31/page-1 https://uplink.nmu.edu/_flysystem/repo-bin/2022-08/nmu_65931.pdf https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_dfd81815-8f8f-428e-80e5-bbfeef4bddd9/ https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_df64a0fc-86d7-4971-b2b0-ad1dc97d2764/ https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_8738f136-0508-43df-96c5-7ca4c04d64b9/ https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-71963-0_19 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G18M-99HD?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A7T72-3WMM&action=view&cc=1968530&lang=en&groupId= https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_75581e4f-a8a0-4c91-a1a9-970bdff1c808

    36 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    S11 E2 - Round Robin - Gold, Glory & the Almost Olympians

    The Winter Olympics are here — and so are the stories you didn’t know. From Jason Statham’s diving career to Vera Wang’s Olympic figure skating dreams, we explore the surprising celebrities who almost made the Games. We dive into wild Olympic facts, Miracle on Ice nostalgia, dream team drafts, and the psychology behind chasing gold. It’s competitive, chaotic, and classic Round Robin fun. #RoundRobinPodcast #WinterOlympics #AlmostOlympian #JasonStatham #VeraWang #GeenaDavis #SalmaHayek #LiamPayne Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan, Nina Mulligan, Angela Hoefler and of course my husband Todd Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Music created Exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

    47 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    S11 E3 - F-Bomb - The Smeet Frog of Ypisilanti

    The Smeet Frog of Ypsilanti explores one of Michigan’s strangest local legends — a mysterious creature said to lurk along the shadowed bends of the Huron River. Blending folklore, regional storytelling, and eerie atmosphere, this episode of F-Bomb dives into how myths take root, why strange sightings persist, and what happens when community storytelling turns something small into something unforgettable.   #FbombPodcast #MichiganFolklore #UrbanLegends #CryptidStories #MichiganMysteries #LocalLegends #MichiganPodcast   Hosted and produced by Tracy Preston Story written and researched by Todd Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Original music created exclusively for F-bomb by Tracy Preston   Ypsilanti District Library — “Smeet” Ypsi’s Local Legend A community page from YDL about the Smeet Frog and associated programs. https://www.ypsilibrary.org/2025/08/smeet/⁠   Ann Arbor District Library — Smeet Frog (Ypsilanti Gleanings archive) Photo/description of the Smeet Frog as part of local history. https://aadl.org/ypsigleanings/271047⁠   Ann Arbor District Library — The Smeet Frog Marker Details about the “Smeet Frog” marker on the tridge near Frog Island. https://aadl.org/ypsigleanings/271048⁠   LocalWiki — Smeet Frog Conspiracy Entry on the plaque, myth, and link to an old site. https://localwiki.org/ann-arbor/Smeet_Frog_Conspiracy⁠   Ypsilanti Historical Society Publications — Spring 2014 PDF Archived GLS magazine article with early marker lore and historical context. https://ypsihistory.org/publications/spring2014.pdf⁠   Vocal.media — Ypsilanti’s Smeet Frog cryptid overview A general article mentioning the Smeet Frog as local cryptid. https://vocal.media/wander/5-great-things-about-ypsilanti-michigan⁠   Fan wiki entry summarizing the fictional biology and lore. https://creatures-of-myth.fandom.com/wiki/Smeet_Frog⁠   Reddit – Homemade Smeet Frog / community posts Example of community discussion and affection for the Smeet Frog. https://www.reddit.com/r/ypsi/comments/1gjjyiy/⁠   Reddit – Smeet Frog myth explained and old plaque discussion User talk about the plaque on the tridge and local lore. https://www.reddit.com/r/ypsi/comments/zv6pcg/⁠   Reddit – Smeet Fest event at the library Snapshot of the Smeet Frog festival at YDL. https://www.reddit.com/r/ypsi/comments/1n7na9x/⁠

    17 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    S11 E4 - The Boy in the Culvert - How Chester Alfred Brieney Got His Name Back

    In October 1959, a woman searching for autumn flowers in Mequon, Wisconsin made a devastating discovery — the remains of a small child hidden in a roadside culvert. For decades, the child was known only as Case Number 6426. No name. No identity. No justice. This episode of Malice in the Mitten explores the disappearance of Markku Edward Michael Jutila — born Chester Alfred Brieney — the adoption that changed his life, the parents who fled Michigan, the shocking confession in Chicago, and the 1966 court decision that let them walk free. In 2024, modern DNA testing finally identified the child. Sixty-five years later, he got his name back. This is a story about child abuse, cold case investigation, forensic genealogy, and the limits of justice in the 1960s. Written and researched by Rebecca Hiers Hosted and produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan Original artwork by Todd Preston Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #DNAJustice #ForgottenVictim Sources: https://blogs.mtu.edu/archives/2024/11/23/no-justice-but-peace/ https://blogs.mtu.edu/archives/2024/11/15/he-was-someone/ https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/805532/memorial-search?firstname=chester&middlename=&lastname=&cemeteryName=Saint+Marys+Cemetery&birthyear=&birthyearfilter=&deathyear=&deathyearfilter=&bio=&linkedToName=&plot=&memorialid=&mcid=&datefilter=&orderby=r https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/276298738/josephine-a-breiney https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2024/318/276425499_7c832625-c428-419e-add3-2c40d6fbb2a8.jpeg https://www.miningjournal.net/news/local/2013/11/century-of-service-to-kids-at-area-orphanage/ https://www.facebook.com/VisitKeweenaw/posts/potters-fields-poor-farmswho-ended-up-at-poor-farms-people-that-were-injured-on-/10157255931740081/ https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/33646468/chester-alfred-breiney

    38 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    S11 E5 - Round Robin - Runestones to Rumors - How Stories Shape Legacies

    This week on Round Robin, we spin from ancient legends to modern internet myths. The conversation begins with Michigan’s Nordic Fire Festival in Charlotte before diving into Viking culture, including skalds and kennings, the storytellers who shaped Norse legend. Then we pivot to the strange world of celebrity death hoaxes and online conspiracy theories, exploring why misinformation spreads so quickly in the age of social media. Finally, the table gives their Spin Ratings for two recommendations: the Viking adventure classic The 13th Warrior and the documentary Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy. From Norse lore to viral rumors, this episode is all about how stories—old and new—shape what we believe. Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan, Nina Mulligan and of course my husband Todd Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston #RoundRobinPodcast #VikingHistory  #NorseMythology #NordicFireFestival #CelebrityDeathHoax #The13thWarrior #MatthewPerry

    47 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    S11 E6 - F-Bomb - The Not-Deer - When the Deer in the Woods isn't a Deer

    Something moves in the woods… and at first glance it looks like a deer. But its legs bend wrong. Its eyes face forward. And sometimes… it walks on two legs. In this episode of F-Bomb Friday, we explore the eerie folklore of the Not-Deer — a creature reported across Appalachia that looks like a deer but behaves like something far more unsettling. #FBombFriday #Folklore #UrbanLegends #Cryptids #NotDeer Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preson Story Researched & Written by Todd Preston Original Artwork by Todd Preston Original music created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston Sources: https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Not_Deer https://howlietzer.com/2026/01/28/not-deer/ https://www.mythosjourney.com/encyclopedia/pages/not-deer/index.html https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/not-deer-or-a-deer/ https://haunts.us/cryptids/594/ https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptids/comments/o5goef https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptids/comments/jpgw6w

    18 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    S11 E7 - Deadbolt Silence - The Jeffrey Pyne Case

    On May 27, 2011, Ruth Pyne was found murdered in her Highland Township, Michigan garage—behind a deadbolted door, with no signs of forced entry. Her son, Jeffrey Pyne, was convicted of second-degree murder in a case built largely on circumstantial evidence, disputed timelines, and injuries investigators claimed pointed to a weapon. Years later, the case still sparks debate: was justice served, or did reasonable doubt get buried under inference? In this deep-dive episode, Malice in the Mitten examines what the courts said, what the jury decided, and why some still believe Jeffrey Pyne was wrongfully convicted. Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan Story Researched and Written by Tracy Preston Music Created Exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston Original Artwork by Todd Preston #MaliceInTheMitten #TrueCrimePodcast #MichiganTrueCrime #OaklandCounty Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akCAlGABltY People of the State of Michigan v. Jeffrey Bernard Pyne. Michigan Court of Appeals, No. 314684, 29 Jan. 2015. Justia. Pyne, Jeffrey v. Harry, Shirlee. “Opinion & Order Denying Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.” United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Case No. 2:17-cv-10849, filed 19 Oct. 2018. GovInfo. “Valedictorian Murder Trial: Jeffrey Pyne Found Guilty of Killing His Mother.” ABC News, 18 Dec. 2012. “Mother’s Brutal Murder Reveals Dark Family Secrets.” CBS News (48 Hours), 22 June 2014. “Does the Way Ruth Pyne Was Killed Prove Premeditation?” CBS News, 10 Aug. 2013. "MI v. Jeffrey Pyne: Valedictorian Murder Trial.” Court TV Trial Archives.

    1 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    S11 E8 - Round Robin - Tornado's, Gators, and the Year of the Fire Horse

    A powerful tornado tears through Michigan, sparking a conversation about extreme weather, storm safety, and eyewitness accounts. From there the Round Robin table spins into the unexpected—alligators appearing in unlikely places and the fascinating mythology behind the Chinese Zodiac’s fiery Year of the Fire Horse. #RoundRobinPodcast #TornadoTalk #AlligatorStories #YearOfTheHorse Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan, Nina Mulligan and of course my husband Todd Preston. Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston Original artwork by Todd Preston

    33 min
See All Season 11 (22)

Trailers

4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Three Michigan shows, one voice.  Malice in the Mitten - Michigan-focused True Crime. Round Robin - Upbeat round-table talk. F-Bomb - Michigan folklore and frights.   New episodes every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Information

  • Creator
    Tracy Preston
  • Episodes
    282
  • Seasons
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Malice in the Mitten