Episode Three: 24 Hours

Summary

Obscurum: Invasion of the Drones – Episode Three: "24 Hours"

Release Date: February 18, 2025 | Host: Gabe Lenners | Produced by iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the gripping third episode of Obscurum's first season, titled "24 Hours," host Gabe Lenners delves deeper into the mysterious drone sightings that have unsettled rural America, particularly in Nebraska and Colorado, since 2019. This episode chronicles a pivotal day in the investigation, unraveling the intricate web of events, eyewitness accounts, and governmental responses that have fueled conspiracy theories and hidden truths.

Key Figures

• Maria Tremarke (Narrator): Guides listeners through the unfolding mystery, providing context and connecting various testimonies.

• Rod Miller: A passionate local with a background in geography and ancient history, Rod leads a dedicated group investigating the drone phenomena.

• Kenny: A cattle rancher in Sterling, Colorado, who became a direct eyewitness to the drone activities and their terrifying consequences.

• Dave Jansen: Owner of a local company that produces agricultural track logs, Dave provides a critical perspective on the alleged extraterrestrial elements of the case.

• Sheriff James Bruggeman: The Perkins County Sheriff, involved in the official response to the drone sightings and related incidents.

Events Unfold

The episode opens with a harrowing account from Kenny, who recounts his first direct encounter with the mysterious drones:

Kenny (03:00): "It would say, like, local. Like, if it's a local call, it would. Sterling, Colorado."

Kenny describes witnessing unidentified aircraft that vanished into thin air, leaving little to no trace. His experiences take a darker turn as he connects the drone activity to the inexplicable mutilations of cattle on his ranch.

Kenny (09:35): "Yes, absolutely."
(Referring to whether the drone was targeting him specifically)

Maria Tremarke narrates her relentless pursuit of the truth, detailing her 24-hour ordeal as she navigates through baffling clues and elusive sources. Her investigation leads her to Rod Miller, whose lifelong fascination with geography and history fuels his commitment to uncovering the drone mystery.

Rod Miller (05:07): "I had nine grandkids, four kids, and they all live in this area. Instantly, my concern was... that got us started."

Mysterious Mutilations and Suspicious Drops

One of the most disturbing elements of the episode is Kenny's account of cattle mutilations potentially linked to drone activity:

Kenny (10:21): "I Get up there. The cow is set upright and is completely cut apart... all the jaw and the tongue was gone again, and the eyeballs were still there."

These gruesome findings raise alarming questions about the drones' true purpose. Maria's investigation reveals that since 2013, thirteen cows on Kenny's ranch have met untimely and inexplicable deaths, with no predator traces found:

Maria Tremarke (12:07): "His cell phone lost service and truck battery died in close proximity to a dead cow."

Investigative Breakthroughs and Skepticism

Maria's quest for answers leads her to Dave Jansen, who demystifies the mysterious "capsules" initially suspected to be extraterrestrial in origin:

Dave Jansen (24:47): "They're basically about a 6-inch by foot cylinder in a net wrap bag... It's kind of a clear white gel. And that's pretty much all they are."

Despite explanations, skepticism persists within the community. Dave humorously addresses the alien theories, dubbing the capsules "Space Potatoes," highlighting the gap between ordinary explanations and extraordinary suspicions.

Dave Jansen (25:19): "Space Potatoes. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That was just hilarious to me."

Official Response and Continued Mystery

Sheriff James Bruggeman provides an official standpoint, acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the drone sightings and the collaborative efforts with federal agencies to investigate:

Sheriff Bruggeman (21:13): "I think the biggest concern is just the uncertainty. It would be nice to know who owns the drones and what the purpose of the flights is."

However, the Sheriff's explanations—such as attributing the capsules to agricultural tools—do little to quell the fears and suspicions among locals. The community remains divided, with some believing in hidden agendas or extraterrestrial involvement, while others lean towards mundane explanations.

Kenny (26:02): "Ah, the drones are interesting. I've got some friends in the military that said it sounds like a military operation."

Cliffhanger and Unresolved Questions

As the 24-hour window closes, the episode leaves listeners with more questions than answers. The intertwining of personal testimonies, official responses, and conflicting theories paints a complex picture of rural America's struggle to comprehend and respond to the unknown.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kenny (03:04): "It had listed Palestinian territory."

• Maria Tremarke (07:40): "There was something very compelling about Rod. He had tattoos covering his face and arms, a gray beard and piercing eyes."

• Kenny (09:35): "Yes, absolutely." (Regarding whether the drone was targeting him)

• Kenny (10:21): Detailed account of cow mutilation.

• Dave Jansen (24:47): Clarifies the nature of the "track logs."

• Dave Jansen (25:19): "Space Potatoes. Yeah, yeah, exactly."

• Sheriff Bruggeman (21:13): Discusses concerns about drone ownership and purpose.

Conclusion

"24 Hours" serves as a pivotal episode in Obscurum's first season, skillfully weaving together firsthand accounts, investigative efforts, and official perspectives to explore the unsettling drone invasion in rural America. Gabe Lenners leaves listeners on the edge of their seats, eager to uncover the untold truths that lie beneath the surface of these mysterious aerial phenomena.

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Listen to "24 Hours" and the entire season of Obscurum: Invasion of the Drones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Kyle Tequila]

My name is Kyle Tequila, host of the shocking new true crime podcast, Crook County. I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old. People are dying.

[Kenny]

Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Kenny was a Chicago firefighter who lived a secret double life as a mafia hitman. I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything.

[Maria Tremarke]

He was a fricking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

He was my father and I had no idea about any of this. Until now. Crook county is available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your pod.

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures.

[Holly Fry]

From legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarke]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app.

[Maria Tremarke]

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the the difficult and all the nuance I can find because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarke]

My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests.

[Kyle Tequila]

Trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in.

[Maria Tremarke]

A hell bent effort to sabotage a war.

[Kyle Tequila]

J. Edgar Hoover was furious. He was out of his mind and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its KN.

[Maria Tremarke]

Listen to Divine Intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last time on Obscurum, Invasion of the.

[Kenny]

Drones, I saw some type of craft. It just disappeared. One minute was there and one minute it wasn't.

[Rod Miller]

Somebody's making money doing this. Otherwise it wouldn't exist normally.

[Kenny]

It would say, like, local. Like, if it's a local call, it would. Sterling, Colorado.

[Maria Tremarke]

Where it would say where it's from.

[Kenny]

It had listed Palestinian territory.

[Maria Tremarke]

I have heard and I haven't seen. I've seen a picture of, like, a green substance that's been dropped. Could you make out that it was in fact a drone? Sounds better than a UFO identified flying object.

[Holly Fry]

Basically, yeah.

[Maria Tremarke]

A quick note. Some material in this episode is graphic and unsettling. Listener discretion is advised.

[James Bruggeman]

The first time was Sunday night. Yeah, the items were in a. I guess what you would call kind of a mesh bag. And there was a frozen mass in there.

[Maria Tremarke]

When I finally got the answer about what was in that mesh bag, I'd had a crazy 24 hours. That started when Marcy added to the already strangeness of this story by saying something was falling from drones at night. But that was only the beginning. Chapter 5 Bad Juju I'm glad they have coffee here. I was up so late last night researching this, looking through articles. If the green stuff was being dropped from these mysterious objects, someone had seen it firsthand, taken a picture and shared it. I racked my brain to figure out who may know more. I left a message with a friend who used to be a local reporter. Then I searched for information I'd heard about a crew of people who'd banded together to investigate the sightings themselves.

[Rod Miller]

When I was little, I had recurring dreams. And in those dreams I was old. And in those dreams I was exploring in different mountain ranges, different sites. I think I started looking maybe when I was 17 or 18, and I would just look with satellite and just. And maps and anything I'd get a hold of.

[Maria Tremarke]

When I connected with Rod Miller, who started the group, he described himself as a concerned local with a lifelong passion for studying geography and ancient history. Everyone thinks these are drones. For better or worse, people are saying there's drones out here.

[Rod Miller]

For me and the group that I started, we used the word drone because it was comfortable to other people. Because if you mention ufo, you know, the drone was. You could talk about it without people stamping you crazy.

[Maria Tremarke]

At what point do you go ahead and start this group after those first few sightings?

[Rod Miller]

Right. Okay. I. We were out and literally we counted. I don't know. It's like 80 some of these craft. And I have nine grandkids, four kids, and they all live in this area. Instantly, my concern was, you know, one, they weren't legal. They didn't have the three light system. That's whether you're military or whether you're not military. That is normally what they have. So that's pretty much what got us started.

[Maria Tremarke]

By this point, the group. The group had a small presence on social media. However, I became aware that the most devoted members had moved to private channels to share their thoughts.

[Rod Miller]

What happens is the bright lighted orb drone, whatever you want to call it, will get up in the sky. And when you first. If you don't see it get there, it just looks like another star up there. But as it's sitting there, you know you'll. And you're watching it and zoomed in on it with your camera. When you do, you'll just see these little red lights drop out of it. And then those little red lights will work the sky. And I say work because it seems like they're working and they'll work their way down to the ground. A lot of times when they get near the ground, then this, like a red beam of light will go across the ground.

[Maria Tremarke]

There was something very compelling about Rod. He had tattoos covering his face and arms, a gray beard and piercing eyes. He was passionate, and I had a feeling. I was only beginning to see how driven he actually was. Rod never mentioned that he'd seen anything falling from unexplained aircraft. But he did suggest that I contact a cattle rancher named Alex Peterson. Alex had locked in on one of the aircraft with his gun and a thermal scope at night, recording what he saw.

[Kenny]

What in the fuck? Oh, that is beyond creepy. There's two objects. It's really hard to keep on. It's coming right over me, and I'm trying to hold steady.

[Maria Tremarke]

He didn't pull the trigger.

[Kenny]

Oh, there's another one coming off of it. What in the hell?

[Maria Tremarke]

Alex described the scene to me that took place above his farm.

[Kenny]

You know, I was watching it, and it was coming right down the river with blinking lights, a red blinking light and a solid white light. And all of a sudden, it turned toward me. The lights turned off. So I'm like, okay, where did it go? So I looked through my scope, and then I could see this square 5 by 5 box in orange with bars going through it. It was the weirdest damn thing I ever seen. And then all of a sudden, three bright lights, which I could only see through my scope. They had infrared. I'm not kidding you. My hair was standing up.

[Maria Tremarke]

Do you feel like this drone was targeting you specifically and knew you were there?

[Kenny]

Yes, absolutely.

[Maria Tremarke]

As we visited, it didn't take long to realize the ranch held many secrets.

[Kenny]

I Get up there. The cow is setting upright and is completely cut apart, but she's sitting like, you know, like a cow sleeps. I was like, what in the heck? All the neck, the skin off of her neck all the way down to her shoulder was just gone. I looked up under the underside of her skull because all the meat was off of her, this side of her head, and there was a hole right up into her brain. Bad juju.

[Maria Tremarke]

Since 2013, 13 cows had been violently killed in different areas of the ranch. There was no explanation as to how they died. Alex showed me photos of what he experienced in the pasture. His description of one of the deaths was extremely disturbing.

[Kenny]

She had been dropped, and you could see she'd been dropped just from the feces that had been shot out. I mean, like 30ft, she's all busted up. The calf was gone. She would have been six months pregnant. And then all the jaw and the tongue was gone again, and the eyeballs were still there. So it was not a predator, because that's the first thing they would have done. I looked around for tracks. There's no predator tracks. There's no pickup tracks, nothing. I pulled my pickup up about 15ft away from it, and I called my brother. And so him and his son came up. We started walking up, and he's what? I walked up to the cow, and he's walking up, and my phone just went, no service. As soon as he got up, you know, within 150ft, no service. His son, 150ft, no service. We walked back, and then our phones would work. I went and got back in my pickup, which is brand new pickup, Dead. Dead as a doornail.

[Maria Tremarke]

His cell phone lost service and truck battery died in close proximity to a dead cow. It was my assumption that whatever killed these animals had to approach them on the ground. Alex was convinced it came from the sky.

[Kenny]

There was no tracks. You couldn't find any foot tracks, any pickup tracks. And how anybody would even know how to get in there because it's very inaccessible. Two, how would they get the cow down to do that? And three, they were visibly dropped. Looking at the cows, they were all busted up. I mean, they were busted up bad, so they had to have fallen from at least 50 to 100ft.

[Maria Tremarke]

Would you describe yourself as someone who's fascinated by strange aircrafts?

[Kenny]

No, not necessarily. I raise cattle. I've been around cattle my entire life. And when this started happening, I knew something was wrong with it because I've seen, you know, cattle die. I've seen all that before. But this was different now I'll say with the mutilations and just the weird conditions. And then the drones started flying over. Just weird things. I pay a lot more attention now. It takes one guy out there to say, who's that? Kyle? Who thinks he can just get on a microphone on a podcast and start publicizing this.

[Kyle Tequila]

From iHeart podcasts and Tenderfoot TV comes a new true crime podcast, Crook County. I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old. Meet Kenny, an enforcer for the legendary Chicago outfit. And that was my mission, to snuff the life out of this guy. He lived a secret double life as a firefighter paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department. I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything. People are dying.

[Kenny]

Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Torn between two worlds. I'm covering up murders that these cops are doing.

[Maria Tremarke]

He was a freaking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

We don't know who he is. Really. He is. My father and I had no idea about any of this. Until now. Welcome to Crook County. Series premiere February 11th. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

There's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo clay. It's thick, burnt orange and it's got a reptil.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

It's terrible, terrible dirt.

[Holly Fry]

Yazoo clay eats everything. So things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not. In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery.

[Rod Miller]

7,000 bodies out there or more.

[Holly Fry]

All former patients of the old state asylum. And nobody knew they were there.

[Kyle Tequila]

It was by families mystery.

[Holly Fry]

But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets. Nobody talks about it.

[Rod Miller]

Nobody has any information.

[Holly Fry]

When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.

[Kenny]

The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.

[Holly Fry]

I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to Under Yazu Clay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Kyle Tequila]

I'm Mark Seal.

[Mark Seal]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Nathan King]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Kenny]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Mark Seal]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show, we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[James Bruggeman]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Mark Seal]

We sift through innumerable accounts.

[Kenny]

35 pages isn't very much.

[Mark Seal]

Many of them conflicting.

[Maria Tremarke]

That's nonsense.

[Mark Seal]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Nathan King]

And they said we're finished, this is over.

[Kyle Tequila]

It only is not going to work. You gotta get rid of those guys.

[Mark Seal]

It's just that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Kahn, Talia Shire and and many others.

[Kenny]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Mark Seal]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nathan King]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to share my podcast with you. Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing this week I'm talking to the CEO of Moderna, Stephane Bonsell, about how he he led his team through unprecedented times to create, test and distribute a COVID vaccine all in less than a year.

[James Bruggeman]

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business.

[Maria Tremarke]

Strategy and to do what you think.

[James Bruggeman]

Is the right thing for the world.

[Nathan King]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to Math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Maria Tremarke]

Chapter 6 Space Potatoes I had a missed call from the reporter I'd reached out to that morning. I called her back and it wasn't long before she told me about a couple who lived outside of Imperial. They'd been visiting with the sheriff near their home when they overheard through his police radio that drones were dropping things on county roads and someone had gathered them all up. This was now the second time I'd heard about stuff falling from flying objects. In addition to Alex's assumption that at least one of his cows was killed on impact. Were these reports true or just another small town rumor?

[Kenny]

So what do you really think is going on with all this?

[Maria Tremarke]

I don't know. You know, people have drones in the county. They use them for cattle and stuff, but not like on a big scale. And they're never this big. But the weirdest thing is, is, you know, people have seen strange lights in this area forever. There's even been, well, you know how small towns are. But people have been talking and saying these things may be dropping something out of them. And so I don't know what I'm going to do. I think tonight I Just may call it a night and come home. After a quick call with my mom a few hours later, I pulled off the highway near the Imperial Airport to see one of those beautiful Nebraska sunsets. As it got dark, mystifying lights began to appear in the sky. It was at this time that I was sent a picture of what Marcy said the craft were dropping. In the photo, I could see what Marcy had mentioned. It looked like they were being kept behind a chain link gate in a dark storeroom facility and didn't resemble anything I'd seen before. They were capsules, roughly 6 to 12 inches long and wrapped tightly in some type of green covering. I'd heard a couple deputies from the nearby town of Grant, just north of Imperial, may have had them in their possession. I dialed Perkins County Sheriff James Bruggeman's office, and as luck would have it, he wasn't in. He was supposed to be back that afternoon, so I left a message. But I soon realized it may take me going there in person to get him to talk. The courthouse is located near the edge of town. It's an older brick building with three levels. I parked in front, walked up a few flights of stairs, and went straight to the front desk. I was told the sheriff was in his office but unavailable to talk. I tried connecting with the receptionist by explaining that I'd grown up in Imperial and played football for the local high school. I wasn't leaving until I had answers about those capsules. I was eventually led back to the sheriff's office and given an interview. I had many questions, but knew I couldn't lead with the capsules. I didn't want to make him feel as if he couldn't trust me with sensitive information. I'll go ahead and just have you say your full name.

[James Bruggeman]

James Bruggeman.

[Maria Tremarke]

Okay. And you can go ahead and say your title, too.

[James Bruggeman]

Sheriff.

[Maria Tremarke]

Sheriff. Here in Perkins County.

[James Bruggeman]

Here in Perkins County? Yep. Perkins County Sheriff.

[Maria Tremarke]

When did you first start to hear about these drone sightings in your specific area?

[James Bruggeman]

The first time was Sunday night around 8:30.

[Maria Tremarke]

And what's been your biggest concern?

[James Bruggeman]

I think the biggest concern is just the uncertainty. It would be nice to know who owns the drones and what the purpose of the flights is. We're working with agencies within the federal government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Nebraska State Patrol, which is a state agency. You know, again, like I. Like I said, I think everybody's putting their minds together and investigating to get to the bottom of this as quickly as they can.

[Maria Tremarke]

Have you ever seen anything remotely similar to this?

[James Bruggeman]

This is the first time we've experienced anything like this or that. I have, yeah.

[Maria Tremarke]

As this investigation continues, would there ever be, you know, would you ever shoot one down?

[James Bruggeman]

You know, anytime you shoot a weapon, there are a lot of things that you have to consider. And, you know, a big concern of mine would be what goes up must come down. So if you shoot a round of ammunition into the sky, if you hit your target, you know, that's good. Target's gonna come down somewhere. You're responsible for that. If you miss the target, you got a shell up there, a bullet that's still got to come down. So I don't know that we would take very lightly shooting things out of the air if we were requested to do so. You know, we would probably go back to the agency that made that request and let them know that we felt maybe they could do that themselves.

[Maria Tremarke]

And I've talked to a lot of people around town in Imperial and west of town and in different areas, and, you know, a couple of them have even said that these drones could be dropping things out of them.

[James Bruggeman]

There were some items that had shown up on the ground, so there. There were some things that showed up out in the country on a county road. Yeah, yeah.

[Kenny]

The.

[James Bruggeman]

The items were in a. I guess what you would call kind of a mesh bag, and then there was a frozen mass in there. What you're referring to is something called a track log or a pivot track, and it's a device that. Or it's a bag that farmers hang on their. On the span between the wheels, on the pivots. Somebody had taken some of those off of a pivot and likely thrown them on the back of a pickup and was driving down a country road and lost a few of them. It was just coincidental. They were picked up in an area where drones had been seen traversing, you know, back and forth across that area. And I think that's how, you know, how that. All that speculation all started. Those have been identified by the company that manufactures them as being used products. It was definitely something that caught our attention, you know, and that we looked into immediately to figure out, you know, what was going on.

[Maria Tremarke]

He wanted me to believe these capsules were used on a pivot sprinkler system, even though the sheriff was convinced they weren't being released from unknown objects. I later learned that field tests for methamphetamines were conducted on the track logs because initially no one could confirm what they were.

[Dave Jansen]

So, yeah, they called me I assume they probably checked on our website and saw those. They know what we do for business. They know me personally.

[Maria Tremarke]

I soon met Dave Jansen. His company produces the track logs Sheriff Bruggeman spoke of.

[Dave Jansen]

They're basically about a 6 inch by foot cylinder in a net wrap bag, like a mesh net that you would put over to keep birds out of a raspberry bush or something like that. That's what it looks like. And then it's a gel inside of there that's held together. It's kind of a clear white gel. And that's pretty much all they are.

[Maria Tremarke]

With that description, it sounded like the logs could be from another world. A few people even had their own name for them.

[Dave Jansen]

Space Potatoes. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That was just hilarious to me. But if you know what it is, it's innocuous and you're just like, whatever.

[Maria Tremarke]

What was the story they told you of how they found these track logs?

[Dave Jansen]

Yeah, they'd found them on a road in the middle of the night where the drones had been and that thing had showed up. So that made everybody nervous. And they sent it, I believe they sent it to the state to have it analyzed because they weren't sure what it was before they got a hold of me. Honestly, I laughed the whole time. It was quite hilarious to get that phone call.

[Maria Tremarke]

You're from a small town, I'm from a small town. What do you make of this? You know, whole situation of people seeing these things in the sky.

[Dave Jansen]

Ah, the drones. Well, the drones are interesting. I've got some friends in the military that said it sounds like a military operation. I've got friends in conspiracy groups that say it's definitely some sort of, you know, roundup thing for the rural people. And I know that one sheriff's office put out a. A notice saying they wanted to have people looking for such and such a vehicle. Within an hour, that whole thing had been reversed and they said, there's nothing to see here.

[Maria Tremarke]

Officers were now searching for vehicles. Why share a description and change the story? Something wasn't adding up. Coming up on Obscurum invasion of the drones.

[Kenny]

A guy from FAA there that said that they had reports of shots fired at drones.

[Rod Miller]

As we was looking at some pictographs, a dark shadow swooped down over us.

[Kenny]

Going forward, we are not going to talk about any of the details that, that any of us undertake to try.

[Rod Miller]

To get to the bottom of what's going on.

[Kenny]

It takes one guy out there to say, who's that? Kyle, who thinks he can just get on A microphone on a podcast and start publicizing this.

[Kyle Tequila]

From iHeart podcasts and Tenderfoot TV comes a new true crime podcast, Crook County. I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old. Meet Kenny, an enforcer for the legendary Chicago outfit. And that was my mission, to snuff the life out of this guy. He lived a secret double life as a firefighter paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department. I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything. People are dying.

[Kenny]

Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Torn between two worlds. I'm caught covering up murders that these cops are doing.

[Maria Tremarke]

He was a freaking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

We don't know who he is, really. He is my father and I had no idea about any of this until now. Welcome to Crook County. Series premiere February 11th. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

There's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo clay. It's thick, burnt orange, and it's got a reputation.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

It's terrible, terrible dirt.

[Holly Fry]

Yazoo clay eats everything. So things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not. In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery.

[Rod Miller]

7,000 bodies out there or more.

[Holly Fry]

All former patients of the old state asylum. And nobody knew they were there.

[Kyle Tequila]

It was my family's mystery.

[Holly Fry]

But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets.

[Rod Miller]

Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information.

[Holly Fry]

When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo Clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.

[Kenny]

The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.

[Holly Fry]

I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to Under Yazoo Clay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Kyle Tequila]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Mark Seal]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Nathan King]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Kenny]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Mark Seal]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[James Bruggeman]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Mark Seal]

We sift through innumerable accounts.

[Kenny]

35 pages isn't very much.

[Mark Seal]

Many of them conflicting.

[Maria Tremarke]

That's nonsense.

[Nathan King]

There were 60 pages.

[Mark Seal]

And try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Nathan King]

And they said, we're finished, this is over.

[Kyle Tequila]

Not only is not going to work. You gotta get rid of those guys.

[Mark Seal]

It's just that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Kahn, Talia Shire and many others.

[Kenny]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Mark Seal]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nathan King]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to share my podcast with you. Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing this week I'm talking to the CEO of Moderna, Stefan Bonsell about how he learned he led his team through unprecedented times to create, test and distribute a COVID vaccine all in less than a year.

[James Bruggeman]

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business.

[Maria Tremarke]

Strategy and to do what you think.

[James Bruggeman]

Is the right thing for the world.

[Nathan King]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the Magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarke]

If you have any information surrounding the events detailed in this podcast or have your own similar account, please visit our [e-mail] and share your story. You'll also find exclusive behind the scenes content on the site. To connect with us on social media, you can follow obscurumseries and Abelurs on all social platforms. Obscurum is produced by Imagine and Leonhars Entertainment for iHeartMedia. The series series is written, hosted and produced by me, Gabe Liners. It's executive produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Carl Welker, Nathan Cloke, Nikki Etour and me. Additional production by Jacob Plew Music and sound effects courtesy of Epidemic Sound Brand management in Digital design by Labyrinth Branco Video editing by Alex Semy Kopenko. This project was mixed and mastered by Jacob Plew. Special thanks to Dan Bodanski, Josh Hiller, Keaton Stortz, Bryson Keyes, Ailey Burchfield, David Wasserman, Katrina Norvell in my family Obscurum Invasion of the Drones is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Follow now.

[Kyle Tequila]

My name is Kyle Tequila, host of the shocking new true crime podcast Crook County. I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old. People are dying.

[Kenny]

Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Kenny was a Chicago firefighter who lived a secret double life as a Mafia hitman I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything.

[Maria Tremarke]

He was a freaking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

He was my father and I had no idea about any of this. Until now. Crook county is available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures.

[Holly Fry]

From legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarke]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails instead, inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app.

[Maria Tremarke]

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nathan King]

Hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.

[Maria Tremarke]

Being a rock star is very fun.

[Holly Fry]

But helping people is way more fun.

[Nathan King]

And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.

[Maria Tremarke]

I figured out the formula. You just have to work hard, then that's magic.

[Nathan King]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math, and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and math magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the difficult, and all the nuance I can find because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice, and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.