MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: Desperate Measures
Date: February 4, 2026
Host: John Allen (MrBallen)

Episode Overview

In this episode, MrBallen tells two riveting, true stories where people took desperate—and unthinkable—measures to reach their dreams. Each tale highlights harrowing risks taken during journeys to new frontiers: one story ends in tragedy on a transcontinental flight, and the other recounts an astonishing feat of survival in one of the planet’s most unforgiving places. Both explore how ordinary people—motivated by love, hope, or duty—can make extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking choices.

Story 1: "Baggage Claim"

(Starts ~02:06)

Summary

MrBallen recounts the case of a mysterious suitcase that arrives at LAX with a terrible secret inside: the body of a young woman. What begins as a classic whodunnit—complete with international intrigue and desperate immigrants—slowly unravels into a haunting story about the lengths one man will go for love, and the tragic consequences of a plan gone horribly wrong.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• A Nervous Traveler and the Heavy Suitcase

  • January 7, 1985: A 31-year-old man, visibly anxious, checks an unusually heavy tan suitcase at an international airport, bound for California.
  • He's conflicted: while this trip signals the beginning of a new life in the US with the one he loves, he's weighed down by a dangerous secret.
  • The suitcase, too bulky to carry on, must be checked despite his worst fears.

• Discovery at LAX

  • 12 hours later, a Lufthansa employee at LAX notices the suitcase, both extremely heavy and without identification tags.

  • Upon inspection, he discovers the body of a young woman inside, prompting immediate involvement from LAPD and the FBI.

  • Detective Don Ravens arrives, baffled by how a suitcase with a corpse avoided customs and why anyone would risk this.

    "Whoever checked this bag through Customs had taken a huge risk...suggesting a certain level of desperation." — MrBallen (07:58)

• Investigation: A Fugue of Nationalities and Clues

  • The deceased is a Jane Doe—no identification, no visible wounds, no clear origin.
  • The case gains national and international media coverage. Initial clues suggest the woman may be from Peru, as a man there suspects the victim is his missing wife.
  • This lead evaporates when no flights from Peru correspond to the suitcase’s journey, deepening the mystery.
  • A crucial breakthrough: clothing labels indicate a Middle Eastern origin—specifically Iran.

• Break in the Case

  • Detective Ravens, frustrated, appeals via the Los Angeles Times for public help.
  • In a twist, a Sacramento police officer calls: they’ve found a man who died by suicide, with two Iranian passports and a Lufthansa ticket—linking him directly to the LAX woman.

• The Truth Revealed

  • The man is identified as Mahmoud Ayazi; the woman, his 20-year-old wife, Katan Safawi.

  • Piecing together documents, authorities learn Mahmoud and Katan had attempted to start a life together in America. When Katan’s visa fell through, desperate for a solution, they decided to smuggle her in via Mahmoud’s suitcase.

  • Katan willingly entered the suitcase in Germany, intending to hide in the cargo hold. Unbeknownst to Mahmoud, during transit other luggage crushed and suffocated her.

  • Mahmoud, discovering her death at LAX, panicked, removed identifying tags, abandoned the suitcase, and fled. Overcome with guilt and sorrow, he died by suicide days later.

    "Katan willingly got into that suitcase...together they decided they would smuggle her in the cargo hold of the plane...But other luggage had fallen and piled on top of her and slowly crushed her to death." — MrBallen (39:15)

  • The couple’s wedding photos in a bound book—found among Mahmoud’s belongings—underscore the heartbreak of their doomed journey.

    "Those photos were of his and Katan's wedding." — MrBallen (44:08)

• Aftermath

  • Their bodies are returned to Iran, retracing the tragic route they took to LAX—together, at last.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He almost panicked because it was just so obviously heavy…he realized the employee might make him open it right there…But instead, the employee just dragged the heavy suitcase over...” (04:36)
• “Ravens knew she could really be from anywhere in the world, despite, you know, his snap judgment...” (07:08)
• “Don’t be too surprised if you never find out where she came from or who she is.” — Detective Ravens to the LA Times reporter (32:21)
• “Katan had not been trafficked or anything. She chose to get in that suitcase.” (39:27)
• “They say time waits for no one, and neither should pay day…” (Ad transition; disregard)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:06 — Story begins: “Baggage Claim”
• 04:36 — Suitcase checked at airport, tension over its weight
• 08:46 — Discovery at LAX and initial investigation
• 13:35 — Juan Espinoza reports missing wife from Peru
• 17:55 — Discovery of Middle Eastern clothing labels
• 32:21 — Detective Ravens’ discouraging interview with the Times
• 34:47 — Sacramento police report discovery of related man
• 39:15 — The full story of Mahmoud and Katan's tragic plan
• 44:08 — Revelation of their wedding photographs

Story 2: "Cold and Calculating"

(Begins ~23:50)

Summary

MrBallen recounts the unbelievable true story of a Soviet doctor in Antarctica who, facing a deadly medical crisis—and with zero outside help—performs surgery on himself. It’s a testament to grit, medical skill, and the will to survive.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• The Antarctic Mission

  • December 1960: Leonid Rogozov and eleven other Soviet scientists arrive in Antarctica to build and populate a research station, isolated with limited supplies and risk.

    “Everything on this expedition had to go exactly right or he and the other men's lives would be in danger.” (24:40)

• Disaster Strikes

  • After months, they successfully construct shelter in time for the six-month-long polar winter.
  • In April 1961, Leonid falls seriously ill—severe abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, and bloating.

• Desperate Diagnosis

  • The station’s only doctor quickly assesses that Leonid does not have food poisoning—he's in a life-or-death situation with acute appendicitis, requiring immediate surgery.
  • The station is completely isolated; rescue or outside medical help is impossible.

• Astonishing Self-Surgery

  • At 2 AM, May 1, Leonid attempts the surgery on himself, with four team members assisting but no one with medical training.

  • He administers local anesthesia, makes a 4-inch incision, and—despite complications (accidentally nicking his own intestine and nearly passing out)—he manages, using a mirror for guidance, to remove his diseased appendix.

    “Leonid was performing surgery on himself. He had given himself that Novocaine shot and then forced himself to stay still as he carved a 4 inch long incision into his own abdomen, accidentally slicing into his intestines…” (30:52)

  • He stitches himself up, treats the wound, and within weeks is recovering and back on his feet.

    “Within just two weeks, Leonid was back up on his feet and helping out at the research center like normal.” (34:48)

• Legacy

  • The ordeal makes him a Soviet hero—he receives a medal and becomes a cautionary lesson for future Antarctic missions.

    “Today, some countries actually require doctors who are stationed in Antarctica to undergo preventative appendectomies just so that they will never be in a situation like Leonid. Because it turns out the one thing you really can't bring to Antarctica is your appendix.” (36:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He was wearing a surgical gown…he had to be wide awake and fully aware for this entire procedure, which meant all he could get were some local anesthetics which sort of dulled the pain but did not get rid of it.” (28:32)
• “His body went limp and his head kind of rolled back on his pillow…But Leonid and the doctor were actually the same person.” (30:41)
• “He shoved his own hand into his abdominal cavity…which must have been horrifically painful...” (30:55)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 23:50 — Introduction to “Cold and Calculating”
• 24:40 — The peril of the Antarctic expedition
• 27:32 — Leonid falls ill, doctor’s diagnosis
• 28:32 — Details of the self-surgery
• 30:41 — The reveal: Leonid operates on himself
• 34:48 — Leonid’s recovery and legacy

Conclusion

MrBallen closes the episode emphasizing that these stories, while based on true events, are sometimes anonymized or dramatized for privacy and narrative effect. Both tales presented in “Desperate Measures” explore just how far people will go—to find love, begin anew, or survive—sometimes at costs greater than anyone could have foreseen.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode: Essential Takeaways

• The first story exposes the tragic risks of desperate immigration, as a loving couple’s attempt at a new life ends in two untimely deaths, revealing the human cost behind every news headline.
• The second story is a tale of raw survival, as a Soviet doctor in Antarctica makes medical history by saving his own life in the most extreme circumstances possible.

Notable Quotes Attribution:

• MrBallen (John Allen): episode narration, timestamps throughout.
• Detective Ravens: quoted by MrBallen (e.g., 32:21).

Recommended Listen For: Fans of real-life mysteries, true crime, and survival stories—particularly those fascinated by the unpredictable lengths humans will go to for love, escape, or survival.