Twisted and Mysterious

Sarah and Faren Bearowitz

A true crime and mystery podcast.

  1. Killer Valentine: Love, Muscle, and Murder

    1D AGO

    Killer Valentine: Love, Muscle, and Murder

    This week on Twisted & Mysterious, we’re diving into the explosive and controversial case of Sally McNeil and Ray McNeil — a bodybuilding power couple whose marriage ended in gunfire on Valentine’s Day. On February 14, 1995, Sally shot and killed her husband, fellow bodybuilder Ray McNeil, inside their Oceanside, California home. She immediately called 911 and claimed self-defense, alleging years of domestic abuse. Prosecutors argued it was intentional murder fueled by jealousy and rage. The jury convicted her of second-degree murder. In a twist that feels almost too on-the-nose, the killing happened on Valentine’s Day. Her trial began on Valentine’s Day. And Sally had even competed in her first bodybuilding competition on Valentine’s Day years earlier. Love, muscle, violence — all colliding on the same date. We break down their volatile relationship, the role of steroids and control in 1990s competitive bodybuilding culture, the courtroom battle over self-defense versus premeditated murder, and the later reexamination of Sally’s conviction decades after the case first made headlines. And because this is Twisted & Mysterious, we also acknowledge the slightly scarring childhood experience of seeing entirely too many flexing, oiled-up bodybuilding photos of relatives — because nothing says Valentine’s Day like unresolved trauma and biceps. This is a story about power, image, domestic violence, and the complicated line between victim and perpetrator. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at twistedandmysteriouspodcast@gmail.com.

    1h 2m
  2. Sweats, Snacks...and a Locked Door

    JAN 28

    Sweats, Snacks...and a Locked Door

    Greg Fleniken lived a quiet, predictable life. During the week, he worked as a landman in Beaumont, Texas, staying at the MCM Elegante hotel. On weekends, he went home to Lafayette, Louisiana, to be with his wife. He didn’t party. He didn’t socialize. His evenings followed the same routine: change into sweats, grab a snack, and watch a movie in bed. On the morning of September 16, 2010, Greg was found dead in Room 348. At first glance, it appeared to be a natural death. No signs of a struggle. No noise. No one had entered the room. And, yes, they checked the room for Acme anvils. In this episode of Twisted & Mysterious, we follow the case that transformed an ordinary, predictable death into a baffling homicide investigation. From the locked hotel room and unexplained injuries to the private investigator who saw what others overlooked, we explore how a quiet life ended in a way that no one could have predicted. What happened to Greg Fleniken inside Room 348? Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at twistedandmysteriouspodcast@gmail.com. The Body in Room 348, Vanity Fair — [https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/true-crime-elegante-hotel-texas-murder?srsltid=AfmBOop6i7a27o3jonnqvJTxmGEUR-MjQjSNwQMoU4GK1Gqe8y8lFueJ] RedHanded Podcast, Episode: “The Body, the P.I., and the Hole in the Wall” — [https://redhandedpodcast.com/episodes/waabr5xk2hsdcj5-g626a-gpax5-4tebp-tss8w-hkfcn-lrslk-wht58-ctzhh-65dds-w8zgg-jaahc-ctgg9-fbdk3-zwfmg-8a6c4-yjeyk-xt4zm-hbxp4-xrkle-d5an6?rq=greg%20fleniken]

    44 min
  3. Five Kids, One Fire, No Bodies: The Sodder Children

    12/25/2025

    Five Kids, One Fire, No Bodies: The Sodder Children

    On Christmas Eve 1945, a house fire in Fayetteville, West Virginia destroyed the Sodder family home. By morning, five of the ten Sodder children were missing — and no bodies were ever found. Officials ruled that the children died in the fire, but almost nothing about the investigation made sense. No remains were recovered from the ashes. A ladder vanished. The family’s trucks mysteriously wouldn’t start. And in one of the strangest moments of the case, the local fire chief secretly buried a beef liver at the scene and later presented it to the family as the supposed heart of one of their children. As years passed, the Sodders received unsettling sightings, warnings, and even a photograph that suggested at least one child may have survived. Their parents spent more than four decades searching for answers — and never stopped believing their children were alive. In this episode of Twisted & Mysterious, we explore the baffling disappearance of Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty Sodder, the deeply flawed investigation, and the theories that continue to haunt this case nearly 80 years later. Audio note: This episode contains occasional background noise. Was it a tragic accident… or something far more sinister? Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at twistedandmysteriouspodcast@gmail.com.

    1h 3m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A true crime and mystery podcast.