The Dark Oak

Just Us Gals Productions
  • 4.5 (68)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

Attention all shiver-seekers! The Dark Oak is a weekly thrill and chill inducing mystery podcast. Every Wednesday, Stefanie and Cynthia will present to you a true tale of the supernatural, the macabre, historical crimes, cryptids, the unexplained and the downright spooky. To help ease your fears, we also include The Branch of Hope Foundation, which connects you to the human side of our cases by giving back to non-profit organizations related to the first episode of the month. If you enjoy guilt free listening and your interest falls somewhere between Bigfoot and Jack the Ripper, The Dark Oak has you covered. Throw in some real time reactions including gasps and laughs and you’ve got the perfect podcast. So grab your coffee, sweet tea or tall glass of wine and settle in for your shadowy adventure. The Dark Oak is waiting!

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 164: Kent Jacobs - A Well-Worn Path

    Kent Jacobs, a 41-year-old Lumbee man with an intellectual disability who functioned at about a nine-year-old level, disappeared on March 10, 2002, while taking his usual Sunday walk through his childhood neighborhood in Hope Mills, North Carolina, after a weekend at his mother Martha’s home; he was last seen around 5 p.m. wearing a distinctive Harley-Davidson hoodie and carrying about $200 in cash. A massive search involving helicopters, dogs, boats, and hundreds of volunteers found no trace of him. Authorities later classified the case as a presumed homicide based on an informant tip that he may have been robbed and killed in a planned attack, possibly by people who knew him, though no arrests were made and his body was never found. A later lead involving felon Clifton Jones, who allegedly said Jacobs was buried in a refrigerator on his property, produced an incomplete 2010 search that recovered nothing; Jones had already died and much of the land went unexamined. Jacobs was declared legally dead in 2012, but the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office still lists the case as an open homicide. His family, especially sister Jackie, who left her life in Seattle to search for him, has never stopped seeking answers, and his mother kept his bedroom unchanged with a candle in the window hoping he would find his way home.   Sources: Dateline: Missing in America. (n.d.). Via Fyyd: Podcast, Search, Engine. https://fyyd.de/podcast/dateline-missing-in-america/3 Buczek, K. (2025, February 13). He left for a routine walk in 2002 but missed curfew, never made it home, and has remained missing ever since. Chip Chick. https://www.chipchick.com/2025/02/he-left-for-a-routine-walk-in-2002-but-missed-curfew-never-made-it-home-and-has-remained-missing-ever-since Sederstrom, J. (2023, December 20). Family still searching for answers after man vanishes during routine Sunday walk. Oxygen. https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/kent-jacobs-missing-in-north-carolina-dateline-recap Kent Jacobs – The Charley Project. (n.d.). https://charleyproject.org/case/kent-jacobs   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  2. Sep 2

    Episode 163: Where is Mary Agnes Gross?

    In June 1962, 20-year-old Marlys Gross gave birth to a daughter named Mary Agnes at Worthington Regional Hospital in Minnesota after a difficult, heavily sedated labor; she later recalled seeing the infant’s feet move and briefly viewing a baby who did not look dead—not cyanotic, with dark hair and forceps marks—before being told the child had lived only about an hour. She was too ill to attend the funeral, but her friend Judy Voges saw a different-looking infant at the funeral home, her mother Clara photographed a closed casket and noticed an unknown family mourning at the gravesite, and only one fresh grave was visible despite reports that another baby, Pamela Rae Dickey, had also died and been buried the same day. Official records later proved contradictory—a birth certificate describing a healthy live birth at 6:23 p.m. versus a death certificate calling the infant stillborn at 6:20 p.m.—the cemetery had no burial record for Mary Agnes, an anonymous photo of a family with a newborn arrived three months later, and a 1996 exhumation found remains that DNA showed belonged to neither Mary Agnes nor Pamela. The case remains unsolved: whether Mary Agnes died and the records and burial were simply mishandled, or whether a living infant was taken and another child’s body placed in the grave, has never been resolved.   Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/19990222082412/http:/unsolved.com/magross.html https://groups.google.com/g/alt.crime/c/GGrerrScq1Y https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Mary_Agnes_Gross https://open.spotify.com/episode/2u6PQBzRUwzE1BfMe3rjwA   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  3. Aug 26

    Episode 162: Jelani Day

    When 25-year-old graduate student failed to come home on a routine August day, his family immediately knew something was wrong. His family filed a missing persons report and Jelani's vehicle was found an hour away from where he was last seen, abandoned on a dead-end street. More than a week went by before a badly decomposed body was found in a nearby river, but it took nearly three weeks for the remains to be identified as Jelani Day. Investigators immediately believed that Jelani took his own life but his friends and family have never believed that to be the case and instead believe Jelani to be the victim of foul play.   Five years after his death, Jelani's family created the Jelani Day Foundation which offers support to the families of missing persons of color and honors Jelani's life and legacy while continuing to keep his case in the public eye.    Sources: https://www.kcra.com/article/help-me-find-justice-questions-outweigh-answers-in-the-case-of-jelani-day/38081079 https://www.wandtv.com/news/illinois/5-years-later-jelani-day-s-family-continues-fight-for-answers/article_4727c96f-ffe8-470f-ad91-3ca7a2ccf684.html   https://will.illinois.edu/21stshow/story/turning-pain-into-purpose-jelani-days-family-talks-foundation-four-years-after-his-death   jelanidayfoundation.org     Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  4. Aug 5

    Episode 161: The Abduction of Kevin Verville Jr.

    On July 1, 1980, a woman calling herself "Sheila" approached Kevin's parents, Angelina and Kevin Verville Sr. at their off-base military apartment complex. Posing as a social worker from a military family assistance program, she gained their trust by offering free support for young families.  The woman offered to drive Angelina and baby Kevin to her office to enroll in the program. Under the guise of picking up another family, the abductor asked Angelina to step out of the car to knock on a door, but when Angelina complied, sped away with baby Kevin inside.  Authorities believe that baby Kevin is still alive and has probably been living under a false identity for the last 46 years.    Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  5. Jul 30

    Episode 160: Black Eyed Children

    In the dead of night, pale figures that look like children—yet somehow are not—appear at car windows and doorways, their eyes pure voids of black that swallow the light. They speak in flat, too-adult voices, asking only to be invited inside, for the ancient rule binds them: without permission they cannot cross the threshold. First whispered into the world by a Texas journalist’s chilling 1996 encounter and then carried on the early internet’s currents, these Black-Eyed Children leave witnesses frozen in primal dread; refuse them and they simply vanish, accept them and misfortune is said to follow. Whether demons wearing the faces of the innocent, travelers from some other realm, or a collective nightmare given form, they continue to surface across the globe, their true nature still hidden in the dark.   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  6. Jul 23

    Episode 159: The Circleville Letters

    In the mid-to-late 1970s, the quiet Ohio town of Circleville was gripped by a wave of anonymous letters that transformed a close-knit community into one of fear and suspicion. Most postmarked from Columbus, the letters were handwritten in stark block capitals, unsigned, and filled with disturbingly precise details and accusations. The most prominent target was Mary Gillispie, a school bus driver accused of having an affair with school superintendent Gordon Massie. The writer claimed to have been “observing” her house, noted that she had children, ordered her to “stay away from Massie,” and warned of dire consequences if she failed to comply. Mary’s husband, Ron Gillispie, also received letters, some urging him to confront the alleged affair and others suggesting violence. On August 19, 1977, after answering a phone call that left him agitated, Ron left the house armed and died in a single-vehicle crash. Officially ruled accidental, the incident fueled lingering suspicions of foul play. As the campaign intensified, the letters threatened to expose secrets through media, posters, and billboards. Spanning roughly 18 years—from about 1976 to 1994—the ordeal deeply eroded trust within the community. The investigation was hampered by scant physical evidence and the strong possibility that the writer was a local resident. In 1983, Paul Freshour was convicted of attempted murder in connection with a booby-trapped sign placed on Mary’s bus route, though he was never charged with authoring the letters. His conviction rested on a disputed handwriting analysis later questioned by forensic experts. Letters continued to arrive even while he was imprisoned, leaving the case steeped in controversy. The Circleville Letters stand as a chilling reminder of how intimate knowledge, anonymous threats, and communal suspicion can intertwine, leaving behind a legacy of unresolved questions and a town forever changed.   Sources:  https://www.thevintagenews.com/2024/03/01/circleville-letters/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/circleville-letters-author-unmask/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEDYK5veqwg&t=3s   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  7. Jul 15

    Episode 158: The Disappearance of Lynette Hooker - Overboard in Paradise

    Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old Michigan woman and avid sailor, disappeared on the night of April 4, 2026, while in the Bahamas with her husband of about 25 years, Brian Hooker. According to Brian’s account, the couple had dinner at the Abaco Inn in Hope Town and were returning to their anchored sailboat, the Soulmate, in an 8-foot dinghy near Elbow Cay when rough weather caused Lynette to fall overboard; he said she was holding the keys (stopping the engine), strong currents swept her away, and he paddled the powerless dinghy to shore, arriving in Marsh Harbour around 4 a.m. on April 5 before reporting her missing. No body has been recovered despite initial and later resumed searches by Bahamian authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard. The case has raised significant questions due to inconsistencies and this case is still being actively investigated.     Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

  8. Jul 8

    Episode 157: The Great Kentucky Meat Shower

    On March 3, 1876, chunks of raw animal meat fell from a clear sky over a farm near Olympia Springs in Bath County, Kentucky, for several minutes while Mrs. Crouch was making soap outside. The pieces, mostly two to four inches across, resembled fresh beef, were tasted by locals as mutton or venison, and carried a foul odor like a dead body, with no wind, clouds, or birds observed. Multiple witnesses confirmed the event, which made national headlines. Microscopic analysis proved the material was real animal tissue—mainly lung, muscle, and cartilage—while the leading theory suggests vultures regurgitated partially digested carrion mid-flight. However, this explanation remains unproven due to the lack of visible birds, the gentle localized fall, and other inconsistencies. A preserved sample still exists at Transylvania University, but DNA testing was inconclusive, leaving the exact origin and cause of this bizarre incident a lasting mystery more than 150 years later.   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

See All (100)

4.5
out of 5
68 Ratings

About

Attention all shiver-seekers! The Dark Oak is a weekly thrill and chill inducing mystery podcast. Every Wednesday, Stefanie and Cynthia will present to you a true tale of the supernatural, the macabre, historical crimes, cryptids, the unexplained and the downright spooky. To help ease your fears, we also include The Branch of Hope Foundation, which connects you to the human side of our cases by giving back to non-profit organizations related to the first episode of the month. If you enjoy guilt free listening and your interest falls somewhere between Bigfoot and Jack the Ripper, The Dark Oak has you covered. Throw in some real time reactions including gasps and laughs and you’ve got the perfect podcast. So grab your coffee, sweet tea or tall glass of wine and settle in for your shadowy adventure. The Dark Oak is waiting!

Information

  • Creator
    Just Us Gals Productions
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Dark Oak

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