
Hosted by PNW Haunts and Homicides · EN

On July 9, 1734, a Native woman named Patience Boston confessed to drowning an eight-year-old boy in a well — then walked two miles to turn herself in. Seventy-two years later, to the day, a respected Maine farmer spent an evening sharpening an axe and reading his Bible by candlelight before murdering nearly his entire family.Two tragedies. Same calendar date. Both set in colonial Maine, centuries ago.Two documents, centuries-old that survive only because someone who knew the people involved decided to write down what happened — a pair of Puritan ministers shaping one woman's last words into a lesson for their congregation; a midwife, recording only what she witnessed, with no agenda at all, though her heartbreak is apparent. This episode pairs both cases – set in York and Augusta, Maine – tracing the unlikely survival of their stories throughout history, and asking who gets to tell the story of the dead, and why it matters.This episode exists because July 9 is our cohost Cassie's birthday — and when that date flagged two colonial Maine tragedies separated by exactly seventy-two years, it felt like too strange a pairing to pass up. I had no idea quite how dark it would get when I picked up the mantle of telling these stories – sorry, Cassie.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.

Deep in eastern Oregon, the historic town of Sumpter is home to one of the Pacific Northwest's most fascinating Gold Rush landmarks: the Sumpter Valley Dredge. Built to recover gold flakes from the Powder River, these massive gold dredges operated around the clock, reshaping the landscape and leaving behind towering tailings that are still visible today. Now preserved as the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area, visitors can tour one of the largest surviving gold dredges in the United States, explore its mining history, and even try gold panning.But the dredge isn't just famous for its gold. It's also known as one of Oregon's most unusual haunted locations. For decades, workers, park rangers, paranormal investigators, and visitors have reported eerie footsteps, cold spots, phantom laughter, disappearing tools, flickering lights, and the ghostly figure of a miner known as "Joe Bush." Though no historical records confirm his identity, many believe the friendly spirit watches over the old machinery, sometimes even preventing accidents. Join us as we uncover the true history of Sumpter's legendary gold dredge, the haunting tale of Joe Bush, and one of Oregon's most unique paranormal legends.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

In October 2023, Kristil Krug began receiving threatening messages she believed were coming from an ex-boyfriend she hadn't spoken to in years. She filed police reports, kept a detailed log, installed cameras, obtained a concealed carry permit, and ran home defense drills with her children. She told her father: "Someone's going to die. It's either me or him."She was right. She just didn't know the threat was already inside her house.On December 14, 2023, eleven days before Christmas, Kristil's husband Daniel was waiting for her when she came home. What investigators discovered in the hours that followed would redefine everything the people who loved her thought they knew — and expose a level of premeditation that shocked even seasoned law enforcement.What followed — the digital trail he left behind, the innocent man he spent months trying to frame, and the landmark pieces of legislation her family fought to pass in her name — is the story of a woman who did everything right, the system that wasn't fast enough to save her, and a cousin who refused to let her death be the end of the story.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

In honor of Pride Month, we're resharing this very important unsolved murder. 🌈 We'll see you next Thursday!Loni Kai was a vibrant, friendly, well-liked young woman. She has also graced the 5 of Hearts in a cold case deck of cards. Loni was born Lorenzo Okoruru in the Mariana islands, but by 2001 she was living in the Hillsboro/Aloha area of Oregon with some of her extended family that lovingly supported her whole heartedly. This one hits close to home, quite literally. On August 26th as she tried to make her way home in the early morning hours after a fun night out on the town the unthinkable would happen. Across the country, tragedy would strike again just a few days later and though she’s not been forgotten by those that loved her, Loni’s case made very little progress. All these years later Loni’s family still have no answers and have yet to see justice done for the heinous crime. We may not have solved the case but we have to believe that it’s never too late. If you have any information about this case, please reach out to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 846-2500 or call Crime Stoppers Oregon (503) 823-4357.In loving memory of Kate Wallinga, the host of Ignorance was Bliss. We were so lucky to have her unique perspective as a forensic psychologist. Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

In November 1988, Deborah "Debe" Atrops left a hair appointment in Tigard, Oregon and never came home. When she was found — what investigators discovered would haunt Washington County for decades.Debe was 30 years old. She was a mother to an eight-month-old daughter. She had told a friend: "If anything happens to me, Bob did it."It would take decades, a new cold case unit, and a trial that raised as many questions as it answered to bring this case into a courtroom.But the Washington County Sheriff's Office still lists her case as unsolved on their website. The conviction is under appeal. And the forensic evidence at the center of the trial has left observers, legal experts, and at least one investigative reporter wondering whether Washington County may find itself litigating this case again.Whether justice was served is something you'll have to decide for yourself.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

Step into haunted Port Gamble, Washington, a historic mill town founded in 1851 and home to the infamous Walker-Ames House, known as the most haunted house in Washington. From ghostly women in the windows and children's voices in the attic to mysterious EVPs, shadow figures, and unexplained apparitions, this abandoned home has become a legendary paranormal hotspot.In this episode, we explore the haunted history of Port Gamble, chilling ghost tour encounters, paranormal investigations, and firsthand accounts from former residents. We also uncover eerie stories from the town's other haunted landmarks, making this a must-listen for fans of ghost stories, haunted places, and Pacific Northwest paranormal mysteries. 👻🏚️✨ Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On May 20, 2016, multiple 911 calls reported a black Chrysler Sebring drifting across multiple lanes of Interstate 5 south of Tumwater, Washington — with no one at the wheel. When authorities searched the car, they found a wallet, phone, keys, cash, and curiously a bag of snacks still sitting upright in the center console. What they didn't find was 19-year-old Logan Schiendelman. Ten years later, no one knows what happened to him.The week he disappeared, Logan sent a text to a young woman he'd met on a dating app. It read: "I hope to survive this week." Those six haunting words are as unexplained as the disappearance that followed.In this episode we cover over ten years of questions in one of Thurston County's most baffling unsolved disappearances - a young man navigating identity, a cryptic message in the days prior, and a mystery that has never been resolved. The community gathered just this month to mark a decade without answers - but not without hope. If you have information about Logan's disappearance, contact the Thurston County Sheriff's Office at 360-786-5500. A $15,000 reward is available for information leading to his recovery.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

Explore the haunted history of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse on the Oregon coast. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was abandoned after only three years and nearly demolished before locals fought to save it. Today, it’s famous for chilling ghost stories, including the legend of Muriel, a teenage girl who mysteriously vanished inside the lighthouse in the tale The Haunted Lighthouse. Along with eerie legends of a phantom lighthouse keeper and unexplained hauntings at Yaquina Head Lighthouse.We also uncover sightings of a Captain’s ghost wandering near the lighthouse after his fatal shipwreck at the Devil's Punchbowl, also known as “Satan’s Cauldron,” a collapsed sea cave filled with swirling tides, local legends, deadly accidents. This episode dives into Oregon ghost stories, paranormal folklore, and Pacific Northwest history.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On the evening of March 6, 2009, Nancy Moyer stopped at a grocery store in Tenino, Washington, paid by check, and drove home. After that night, she was never seen again. She left behind her purse, her keys, her car, and two wine glasses on the coffee table. When Bill, her husband from whom she had separated, brought their daughters back two days later, he found the front door ajar, the lights still on – and no Nancy. Her purse was inside. Her keys were inside. Her car was in the driveway. She was not the kind of woman who walked away.This episode details the sixteen-year search for answers in one of Thurston County’s most haunting cold cases — a case with two persons of interest, a decade of dead ends, a 911 confession that was taken back the next day, and a mother of two who has never been found.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. Sources

On the evening of June 26, 2009, ten-year-old Lindsey Baum left a friend's house in McCleary, Washington for the short walk home, but she never arrived.McCleary is the kind of town where everyone knows each other - fewer than 2,000 residents, two dozen streets, one major employer. It was exactly the kind of place Melissa Baum thought was perfect for a fresh start with her two kids after relocating post-divorce from Tennessee. It felt safe. It felt quiet. And then it didn't.What followed was a massive, multi-agency investigation - hundreds of law enforcement personnel, dozens of FBI agents, more than forty individuals drawing the attention of investigators, and years of tips that went nowhere. The case has never been solved.In this episode we walk through everything the public record shows: the night Lindsey disappeared, the investigation, the persons of interest, and what investigators are still chasing today.If you have information about Lindsey's case, contact the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office at 360-964-1799 or submit a tip to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. A $40,000 reward is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction.Visit our website! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon, & more! There are so many ways that you can support the show: BuyMeACoffee, Spreaker, or by leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts.