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- [00:00]
Podcast Host
Hey, welcome back to Scary Stories and Rain. This podcast was designed to help you sleep or relax. And keep in mind that if you want to get rid of all of the ads for an uninterrupted experience, you can subscribe to this podcast for $2.99 a month. And this is the last two weeks to be automatically entered to win a.
- [00:19]
Story Narrator
Nintendo Switch 2 bundle.
- [00:21]
Podcast Host
Sign up as a subscriber today, get rid of all the ads and be entered to win a Nintendo Switch 2.
- [00:27]
Story Narrator
With that said, I really hope you.
- [00:28]
Podcast Host
Enjoy this episode and thank you so.
- [00:30]
Capella University Advertiser
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- [01:00]
LifeLock Advertiser
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- [01:38]
Story Narrator
I live in the far north of Scotland, and disturbing things have washed ashore. For the past two and a half years, I've been living in the far north of the Scottish Highlands. And when I say north, I mean as far north as you can possibly go. I live in a region called Caithness, in the small coastal town of Thurso, the northernmost town on the British mainland. I'd always dreamed of living in the Highlands. It seemed like the perfect escape from my gloomy hometown in Yorkshire, England. So when my dad and his partner bought an old house up here, I jumped at the opportunity. They told me about the seals and otters in the river, dolphins and orcas in the sea, and even the northern lights that sometimes painted the night sky. It sounded magical. But not long after I arrived, I realized this wasn't the idyllic retreat I had imagined. Living here, really living here is nothing like a summer postcard. The cold, harsh coastal winds, the isolation, the strange energy in the air. This place doesn't feel alive. It feels like Purgatory. And at times it feels cursed. That might sound like superstition, but I've seen things, disturbing things that have washed up on shore. And each one has felt worse than the last. It started just a couple months after I moved here. I often explored the coastline with my dog Macy, a small black and white border collie. One windy, rainy day, we followed a trail along the cliffs east of Thurso, beyond the ruins of an old castle down on the rocks. We came around a bend and there, scattered across the bedrock, were dozens of dead sea birds. They were everywhere, as if they had fallen straight from the sky. I assumed they had crashed against the cliffs or had been swept into the sea by a storm. It felt eerie, like some kind of warning. I didn't want to press my luck, so I turned back. The next day, a woman with her young daughter and a dog, a dog that looked exactly like Macy, stopped me in the rain. She shouted across the road, warning me not to go toward the coast. There was a sign posted warning about a bird flu outbreak. It was deadly to birds and contagious to dogs. I was immediately worried. Macy had sniffed some of the dead.
- [04:27]
Podcast Host
Birds the day before.
- [04:29]
Story Narrator
I thanked her and went to see the sign for myself. Sure enough, there it was. Bright yellow, marked with biohazard symbols. I turned around, uneasy already fearing the worst. Thankfully, Macy was fine. But what stuck with me wasn't just a warning. It was the woman. Her dog was identical to mine. She had come from the path I was heading toward. It felt like I was seeing a mirror version of myself pulling away from something dangerous. Like the universe had sent me an omen disguised as a coincidence. A year later, in the summer, Macy and I took a walk along Thurso's main beach. It stretches across the entire bay, covered in heaps of rotting seaweed that stink of sulfur and draw swarms of flies. Still, I loved that on clear days you could see one of the Orkney Islands on the horizon. But on foggy days, it would vanish completely, like it had never existed. That day, Macy wandered off, nose to the ground, and stopped abruptly. I walked over to see what she had found. And lying atop the seaweed was a skeleton. I thought it was a sheep or a goat, probably from one of the farms on Orkney that had washed across the sea. But as I looked closer, I felt something shift in my stomach. The top half of the body was clean bone, polished and picked white. But the bottom half was intact. Wet gray fur clung to muscular legs. The hooves were still there. The flesh was fresh. The Way it was laid out disturbed me most of all. Arms and legs splayed wide, almost human in form. With the skeletal torso and the goat like lower half, it resembled something unholy. It reminded me of Baphomet. It looked like a symbol, a warning, something ancient, or worse, intentional. And once again, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just something washed ashore. It felt like an omen. And not long after that day, my personal life took a dark turn. What happened I won't get into, but I can say that skeleton was the last moment of calm before everything around me fell apart. Six months later, it was winter. I was still reeling from what had happened in my personal life. The aftermath of that omen was still fresh, but I had reached a turning point. I had just ended a long distance relationship. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe again. So on Boxing Day, I packed a lunch, grabbed my coat and set off alone on a long hike. The cliff trail east of Thurso is rugged and beautiful, but also treacherous. I started at 6am and walked all day. As the sun began to set, I stumbled across something unexpected. What looked like a ghost town. It was an abandoned port settlement. Crumbling stone houses scattered across the landscape and the ruins of an ancient round tower. I later learned it was the Castletown Heritage Center, a forgotten little tourist spot I had walked so far. I was now about 10 miles from Thurso. Beyond the settlement stood the towering cliffs of Dunnet Bay. They were enormous compared to the ones I had already hiked. My legs ached, but I was determined to reach them before turning back. That was my mistake. By the time I reached the edge of the bay, it was pitch black. I knew I had to head back. Retracing my steps on the cliff trail at night would be dangerous, especially with the tide rising. I turned around and passed back through the ghost town, now lit only by my phone's flashlight. That's when I noticed the van. A small white van had pulled up. Three or four young men were standing around a trash can. They were burning something. I couldn't tell what it was. Every time I looked back, one of them was staring at me. I hurried on, leaving the town behind. I tried to follow my own footprints back along the beach. It was so dark I could barely see. Then ahead of me, I saw something. A silhouette. It looked like a boulder. At first I wasn't sure. I got closer. Still no shape I could recognize. My flashlight wasn't strong enough to reach it. I nudged it with my Foot. It was soft. Startled, I backed up and finally shined my light on it. And what I saw stopped me cold.
- [10:36]
Podcast Host
It was a seal pup.
- [10:38]
Story Narrator
Dead. Its body was mostly intact, except for one thing. It had a massive bite taken out of it. The wound was almost circular and far too clean. But worse, far worse. The pup was missing its skull. Not its head, its skull. The skin was there. Empty. Like something had slipped the bone out from inside. And then I found another. The same size, the same shape, the same wound, the same missing skull. I know orcas hunt seals in these waters. And some say their bodies can tumble in the surf and lose their heads. Others blame scavengers. Maybe those are the answers. But both of them, the same shape, the same size, same wound, the same eerie absence of bone. It didn't feel natural. It didn't feel random. And while I don't believe this was an omen, I do believe it meant something. Something about this place. I have lived here for two and a half years now, and I don't think I'll be here much longer. I have seen so much beauty here, but also so much death. So many reminders that the edges of the world are not peaceful. They are unsettling. They are where lost things drift. Sometimes literally and sometimes not. People come here from all over. Many leaves. Some never do. Some come here to disappear, to hide. Some are sent here ex cons, drifters, people with nowhere else to go. It's cold, it's dark. And for many it feels like the last stop before the end. If you ever visit, do it in the summer. Stay near the light. Stay near people. But if you have demons of your own, if you're running from something.
- [13:22]
Podcast Host
Whatever.
- [13:23]
Story Narrator
You do, stay away.
- [13:33]
Amazon/Ollie Advertiser
Mom and dad, the school supplies you buy me this year will mostly end up in my mouth. Maybe shop. Low prices for school at Amazon so I don't eat up all your money. Just something to chew on. Amazon. Spend less, smile more.
- [13:54]
Story Narrator
This just happened yesterday during church. My mom, my oldest brother and I all considered, consider ourselves to be discerning people. Not only in the sense of reading others, but in the sense of knowing if something is wrong spiritually. It affects us mentally and we might feel anxious, fearful or stressed when it happens. My family and I are not in any way new to the paranormal realm and have many stories of encountering things. Shadow people, demons, ghosts, whatever you want to call them. It's never pleasant seeing one. I recall being told a story by my mom about a time when her and my oldest brother were watching TV in the living room together when out of nowhere, a dark figure ran out from the hallway and ducked behind the couch. Did you see that? My brother asked, and that's when my mom realized she wasn't seeing things. But since my second oldest brother liked being silly and doing stuff like that to scare us or make us laugh, my mom called out for him. He was in his room to shift back to what I said in my first sentence and the main reason why I'm writing all this, here's what happened. Not too far away from the small town I live in is another small town with a church my family decided to check out one day. We've been searching for a church to continuously go to and possibly become a member of, and today was our second time going, and my first. We drove through gloomy weather for about 20 minutes before finally arriving. The main area was well lit with chandeliers hanging from a wooden ceiling, and we found our seats in an area of the room with an adequate amount of chairs to suit our family. My mom, dad, and I sat in the three connected chairs, then my three brothers sat on the three chairs in front of us. Behind us was a wall and about three to five chairs with one singular chair in the corner to my left. The service was fine aside from the fact that I could barely see the pastor the entire time, but I guess that's what happens when you sit in the back to step back a little. A few minutes after we arrived and found our seats, I noticed a woman sitting in the chair in the corner. I glanced at her for a moment, but not enough to decipher what she was wearing or what clothes she had on. I remember feeling sad for her and thinking that woman is sitting by herself. But since I am too shy to invite anyone to sit with us or to smile at someone in the middle of a church service to let them know that I see them, I remained facing forward and throughout. Almost the entire time, I heard what sounded like a grocery bag being fiddled with. Now, if you're trying to get something out of the bag, it shouldn't take you more than two minutes, right? But this seemed like it was going on forever. I didn't look back as to avoid being disrespectful or looking judgmental, but it was kinda bothering me. At the end of the service, my family stood up and I turned around to look at the lady because by now she'd been leaving or getting ready to leave and probably wouldn't notice me looking at her. But she wasn't there. There was no one there and if they left, we would have seen them leave or heard them walking behind us. There was never anyone there. I remember after everyone gathered in a separate room to eat together, I told my mom about it. She looked confused, but connected to my story by saying she did feel a sense of fear while we were sitting there. Something she didn't feel the last time. I find it strange because I didn't feel anything. I only thought it was a woman sitting by herself. But the uneasiness only hit when I realized whatever was behind me was not human. Lately, members of my family, including me, have been seeing things. Shadowy figures just out of view in the corners of our eyes. We only catch them for a split second before they vanish. And it's not new. Even before I was born, back in our old apartments, my family had moments like this. We've always had stories. Weird ones. It's made us wonder if something is following us. Not tied to a house, but to us. Maybe it's not that every place we live is haunted. Maybe we're the ones being haunted. Maybe we have a second shadow. This past week, I've had a strange feeling. Not just fear, paranoia. Like something's watching me. I know it sounds cliche. I used to roll my eyes when people said things like that. But that changes when you feel it for yourself. When the only thing you hear at night is your bare feet on a cold floor heading to the bathroom. When the silence feels too. When you're walking down a hallway and suddenly you feel like the space behind you is closing in. One night I was in the kitchen washing dishes after dinner. The window in front of the sink reflects the hallway behind me. And I always used to check who's walking in. I was focused on finishing up a few more plates, wiped the counters, head to bed. Then out of nowhere, I felt this urge. Not fear, not panic. Just a need to glance at the living room. I looked. For a split second, I saw a large, hunched figure standing in front of my parents door. Then it disappeared. I froze. Stared at the spot.
- [21:04]
Podcast Host
Nothing.
- [21:06]
Story Narrator
I brushed it off. That's all I could do. I went to my room. Darkness. I walked over to the window where I had fairy lights draped over the curtains. I grabbed the plug, reached down to find the outlet. I knew exactly where it was. My hand was already there, but the plug would not go in. I realized I hadn't turned around in about a minute. And that's when the thought hit me. What if something is standing right behind me? I didn't turn. I didn't move fast. I did not breathe louder because I've had this rule since I was little. If I don't show fear, it won't hurt me. So I stayed steady, calm, trying not to tremble. And that's when I heard it. A bark, loud and sharp. It shattered the silence. Kane, I whispered. I stepped out of my room and into the hallway. Kane, our German shepherd, was in the laundry room where he sleeps in the winter. The door was open so he could see into the hallway. He barked again when he saw me. His ears perked up, eyes wide, and then softened a little, like he was relieved. But I knew that look. He had been on alert. That wasn't the only time. Another night, I had to grab something from the dark living room. The kitchen has two large windows, and if you're outside, you can look right in. And I bent over to pick up my phone and bark. I jumped and spun around. Kane was staring straight into the living room, not moving, not blinking. And that bark, it wasn't startled. It was not playful. If you've had dogs, you. You know the sound. This was serious, protective, the kind of bark that says something is in there. I don't like it, and I don't think you will either. It chilled me. Cain hasn't done it lately, but he has barked in the laundry room late at night. Sometimes more than once. Sometimes for no reason at all. I know some people believe dogs can see spirits, and I am one of those people. Honestly, I'm not saying there isn't a logical explanation, but when it happens more than once, when you see something and your dog sees it too, the idea of it being a coincidence starts to feel less and less likely. Until eventually there's only one explanation left. Early, one chilly and frosty winter morning, I had a dream. Vivid, detailed, and unlike any that I'd ever had before. And the moment I woke up, I knew in my heart that it was true. In the dream, I wasn't in the room. I was hovering above a close friend of mine's bed, simply watching. He was lying down, but very aware of my presence. He gestured toward the door, trying to get my attention. There was a black lighter down there, and he was motioning for me to hand it to him. For a split second I actually tried, but I immediately realized I couldn't. I wasn't really there. I was just a presence, watching. Even though we weren't speaking, we could somehow communicate. I told him I was sorry, that I couldn't help him, not physically. He tried to roll toward the edge of the bed, to grab it himself, but it was like one whole side of his body just wouldn't work. He gave up, turned his head back toward me, and tried to speak, but his words were slurred, garbled. I couldn't make out what he was saying at all. And then he started to fade out of focus. The dream ended. I left the room and woke up. As soon as I opened my eyes, I sat up and shook my boyfriend awake. I think Roy just died, I told him. I watched him die in my dream just now. It was around 6:30 in the morning. After that we got up and went about our day. We had already made plans to meet some friends at our local park that morning, so we stuck to the plan and went into town a few Hours later, around 10am I was sitting on the grass with one of my girlfriends eating a cinnamon roll while our boyfriends were off grabbing snacks or just walking around. As I licked the icing off my fingers and squinted at her in the morning sun, I said something strange, something I had never said before in my this is going to sound really weird, but I need a favor. She gave me a funny look. Sure, what is it? I have this thing about dead bodies, I said. I can't touch them. Like, I just can't. So I'm going to need you to check and make sure my friend is dead before I call 911. She blinked at me.
- [27:05]
Podcast Host
What the hell are you talking about?
- [27:07]
Story Narrator
I told her about the dream, told her what I saw. Told her that I was pretty sure Roy had died and that I needed to check.
- [27:17]
Podcast Host
Her jaw dropped.
- [27:19]
Story Narrator
Are you being serious right now? Is this like a gift that you have or something? I mean, not that I've ever known of, I said. But we can't just leave him in there. We need to go find out. She nodded slowly, stood up and said, okay, let's go. Roy lived just a short walk from the park. We went straight over and started knocking on his door. No answer. I told her we should try the side entrance, the French doors near his bedroom, and peer through the glass.
- [27:58]
Podcast Host
She agreed.
- [27:59]
Story Narrator
We hopped his little white picket fence and crept around the house. There he was, lying on his back still, just like I saw in the dream. My friend tried the door. It was unlocked. She went inside to check him and placed her fingers on his wrists. He is ice cold, she said quietly. We stepped back out and called 911. The police and fire truck arrived within minutes after they confirmed he had passed. The coroner showed up soon after my friend left, but I stayed. I needed to hear what they had to say. The coroner examined him and estimated that Roy had been dead for about four to five hours. Which, if you're keeping track, puts the time of death right around when I had the dream, around 6:30am Weeks passed before we heard the results of the autopsy. The cause of death? A massive stranger stroke. That explained why he couldn't move or speak properly in the dream. He was trying to tell me something, but he couldn't. To this day, I still wish I knew what he was trying to say to me. And I still don't understand how or why I saw what I saw. I only know one thing for sure. It was not just a dream. I'm not sure what just happened or.
- [29:58]
Podcast Host
What I just saw.
- [29:59]
Story Narrator
But I don't think I was supposed to see it. Or rather, I don't think I was supposed to be out there at that moment. I feel sick. I'm shaking, I'm sweating and I'm weak. I don't really remember how I got back inside, but my wife does. She's been filling me in. I've been laid off seasonally and have.
- [30:22]
Podcast Host
Been focusing on being home with the.
- [30:24]
Story Narrator
Kids while my wife works. I'm an artist, so I fill in any spare time with commissions and do.
- [30:32]
Podcast Host
What I can to contribute.
- [30:34]
Story Narrator
I know there's no shame in being a stay at home dad, but it helps me to know that I'm still helping financially. All in all, I love it. We have two kids under 2 years old and things, believe me, get hectic.
- [30:51]
Podcast Host
There's so much that needs doing that it's easy to fall behind.
- [30:56]
Story Narrator
So my wife and I take turns.
- [30:57]
Podcast Host
Turns.
- [30:58]
Story Narrator
One of us focuses on the house and the kids, the other on work.
- [31:03]
Podcast Host
You could call it traditional values.
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Story Narrator
Then again, I'm a man and I love what I do.
- [31:11]
Podcast Host
It's not easy. Anyone who says staying home isn't a.
- [31:15]
Story Narrator
Real job either, doesn't have kids or has never done it themselves. You go into autopilot. Every quiet moment, nap times, snack times, short breaks, becomes a window to do chores or work. You never really rest. So when your partner walks through the.
- [31:36]
Podcast Host
Door at the end of the day, it's like a wave of relief washes over you.
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Story Narrator
That particular night, I was trying to get ahead. I spent the day deep cleaning and juggling the kids, hoping to earn myself an easier week. I hadn't really eaten much and I.
- [31:54]
Podcast Host
Hadn'T rested at all.
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Story Narrator
My wife was working late and I had barely seen her that morning, so.
- [32:01]
Podcast Host
I was excited for her to get home. I had fed the kids Tidied the.
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Story Narrator
House and had dinner ready for both of us.
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Podcast Host
The plan was to relax together.
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Story Narrator
A quiet night, just us. She got home, we put the kids to bed, and thankfully they fell asleep quickly. For the first time all day, everything was still. The air outside was cold in a refreshing way. Crisp and damp early in the year, with melting snow clinging to everything. I like to go out onto the balcony after dinner, just to breathe in the winter air and clear my head. But when I grabbed the back door handle, something strange happened. I got zapped. Not a normal little static pop. This shot through my whole body, from my feet to my armpits. I shook it off, opened the door, and stepped out. And that's when I felt it. The air outside was charged, humming almost. There was a strange glow on the horizon. A light that I couldn't explain. I looked up at the sky above our apartment and the empty lot that borders our fence, and I saw a constellation that I didn't recognize. But something about it was off. As I watched, the stars began to move. They stayed in formation but vibrated slightly.
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Podcast Host
Like they were flickering.
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Story Narrator
Then they started to pull inward, closing the space between them, becoming more compact. And then, without warning, they moved. The lights shot across the sky directly over my head in total silence, like lightning without thunder. Fast, blinding, precise. And that's when my vision tunneled. Everything got dim. My legs gave out. I felt dizzy, sick. And then I blacked out. When I came to, I was soaked in cold sweat. My wife was leaning over me, worried. I asked her what time it was, and she said, 12:30. What's wrong? I asked. You tell me.
- [34:35]
Podcast Host
You don't remember?
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Story Narrator
No. I was outside. I saw something. The stars. I thought you came in about 20 minutes after you went out.
- [34:46]
Podcast Host
She said.
- [34:48]
Story Narrator
You said you saw something flashing in the sky. Then you went to bed and passed out. But when I came in, you were curled up at the foot of the bed and I couldn't wake you. I was really starting to panic. As she was explaining this, a sudden pain hit me, sharp and burning under my left armpit. It radiated down my side, the same spot that I had felt initial shock from the doorknob. I got up and went to the bathroom to check. And that's when we both saw it. Under my armpit was a deep, bruised mark.
- [35:27]
Podcast Host
Geometric.
- [35:28]
Story Narrator
Three circles arranged in a perfect triangle, just like the constellation I had seen in the sky. Not scratches, not a rash. These were bruises almost stamped into my flesh. I had no memory of it, no clue how they got there. My wife was stunned. There was nothing sharp near the bed, nothing I could have rolled onto. No way that injury just happened by accident. And there's nothing electrical by the door, no wires, no outlets, nothing that could have caused a shock like that. We ended up calling the landlord and telling him a simplified version of what happened. Just that I got shocked by the back door.
- [36:22]
Podcast Host
He didn't think it was an electrical issue either.
- [36:25]
Story Narrator
And now I'm back in bed, still nauseous, still rattled. My mind keeps drifting back to those lights in the sky. That shape, that pattern, that movement. And those bruises. Three perfect dots deep in my flesh. Still burned when I touch them. I don't know what just happened to me, but I'm starting to think I.
- [36:58]
Podcast Host
Was not meant to see it. Brooklyn Farthing was born on August 26, 1994. She grew up in the small town of Berea, Kentucky with her mother, Shelby Walker, her stepfather, Randall Walker, and her two sisters, Tasha and Paige. When she was much younger, Brooklyn had been a Girl Scout and was a loyal and enthusiastic member of the organization for the majority of her life. She received a great deal of praise during her time in the Girl Scouts. She volunteered to make care kits for those affected by Hurricane Katrina, visited the elderly, and spent a lot of her time helping out her fellow Girl Scouts whenever they found things tough. Brooklyn then blossomed into a spirited and lively teenager with a boundless love of the natural world and especially for anything four legged and furry. She also had an aptitude for athletics and was described as a tell it like it is straight talking kind of girl which didn't always prove popular with her peers. Brooklyn also had a huge passion for baking and would spend a lot of her nights baking making chocolate chip brownies for the whole family. She was a very family and community oriented person and unlike a lot of girls her age, she actually seemed to enjoy spending time around her mom and dad, two loving parents who thought it was their duty to help pay for their girls driving lessons and eventual tests. On June 21, 2013, Brooklyn and Paige took their driving tests while Brooklyn passed with Florida flying colors. Paige failed spectacularly, something that became a bit of a running joke among the Walker Farthing family for the remainder of the day. That night the family attended their grandfather's 70th birthday party as he had been gravely ill in the months preceding his birthday and had only just made something of a miraculous recovery. The occasion was important to everyone in attendance and a great deal of enthusiasm was shown by all. Just weeks ago they thought the man wouldn't see his next birthday, but now here he was, celebrating as heartily as everyone else. After what was undoubtedly a rather subdued and emotional birthday party, Brooklyn and Page attended another party on Red Lick Road along with their cousin. This was a considerably wilder affair given it was attended by teens in their age group and there was rumors of there being a stash of booze at the party. According to Paige, her sister knew the majority of those in attendance and was extremely excited to get to a much livelier party after hanging out with her grandparents. After drinking and dancing for a few hours, Paige and the cousin decided to leave sometime between the hours of 7pm and 8pm But Brooklyn, who had pre packed her overnight bag, made plans to stay with a friend who was also at the party so they could sleep off their hangovers from the judgmental gaze of Brooklyn's parents. Yet it came time to leave. Brooklyn was disappointed to hear that instead of sticking to their plan of a sleepover, her friend had her heart set on spending the night at her boyfriend's house. Naturally, this made Brooklyn rather angry and an intense argument unfolded as a result of this impromptu change of plans. Other partygoers who witnessed the disagreement claim that Brooklyn was so annoyed that she ditched the party altogether. She had to catch a ride with two men she had never met before that night. The identities of those men are currently being withheld pending results of a police investigation. But what we do know for certain is that when questioned by police, one of the men said that they drove Brooklyn down to Floyd Branch Road, apparently to look at some horses. After that, the man giving the account was dropped back off at his house and didn't see either Brooklyn or his friend again. This other guy took Brooklyn home with him to a house located in the 100 block of Dillon Court, just off U.S. highway 421. As the house was actually in foreclosure at the time, there would have been no running water or electricity. At around 4am on June 22, Brooklyn called her sister Paige and asked if their cousin could come pick her up from the address at Dillon Court. But their cousin had been drinking heavily and was in no fit state to be driving. So Paige had to pass on the bad news that her sister didn't have a ride home that night, which obviously put Brooklyn in a very awkward situation. She could either call her mom, waking her up and making her drive all the way out to Dillon Court and possibly having her discover that she had been drinking, or she could contact her ex boyfriend and get a ride home from him instead. Obviously to Brooklyn, the first option was completely Unthinkable. But her ex was working that night, and it would be a couple of hours before he could drive out to pick her up. But it seemed Brooklyn was so terrified of being caught drunk that she chose to simply wait it out in a dark, foreclosed home shacked up with a total stranger. By the time Brooklyn's ex finished his shift and he was able to get back to his phone, he found he had received several messages from her. He opened up the text thread to see that her longer, more drawn out texts had cut down to just a few words. Time after time, her messages said things like, can you hurry? Please hurry up. And I'm scared. But on a drive over to Dylan's court, Brooklyn's extremely worried ex boyfriend received yet another message that simply. Nevermind, I'm okay. Going to a party in Rock Castle County. Her ex tried to call multiple times, but she wasn't answering her phone. He then sent her a text asking who she was with, but Brooklyn didn't reply. In fact, she would never reply to anyone's texts or calls ever again. Later that day, on June 22, Brooklyn had made plans to attend a car show in Somerset, Kentucky with a few of her friends. But she never showed up and wasn't replying to texts or calls. It wasn't like Brooklyn to miss a car show. So naturally, her friends were deeply concerned and instead called called Paige in the hopes that she would know where her sister was. But Paige had no idea that Brooklyn hadn't made it home that night. And when she learned the news, she began to panic. After calling to tell their mom that Brooklyn might be missing, Paige began to frantically call around her friends, trying to learn the names of the two guys who gave Brooklyn a ride. Luckily, she got a hold of one of their numbers and managed to to actually speak to the guy whose foreclosed house she had gone back to after looking at horses. He was open about the fact that he had been at the party that night, and he even admitted to giving Brooklyn a ride back to his place. But after that, his story began to get a little weird. He said he had left her alone in a house with no running water or electricity because she had felt uncomfortable sleeping with him. Apparently having only recently broken up with her ex, the guy said he had respected her decision, but instead of giving her a ride home or at least calling her a taxi, he chose to leave his own home to give her space. He said the last he had seen of her, she was sitting on his front porch smoking a cigarette and talking about a party she had heard about in Rock Castle County. Paige was immediately skeptical and planned on giving the man's name and number to the cops should she have to contact them. But just minutes after she hung up the phone, the man called back to tell her that he was scared. He was scared because, according to him, when he had gotten back to his house after giving Brooklyn some space, he found his front porch was ablaze. He called the fire department, who promptly drove over to put the fire out. But when he got inside to survey the damage, he found that all of Brooklyn's belongings had been left behind, but that she was nowhere to be found. Paige and Brooklyn's mom rushed to file a police report, and once it had officially been 24 hours since she was last seen, was formally declared missing, the police drove over to the address at Dillon Court to retrieve the items she had left behind. There. They quickly noted that the only things missing from the collection were Paige's cell phone and the clothing she had been wearing. Their next move was to check her cell phone records, finding that in the 24 hours she had been missing, she had been called more than 100 times by a plethora of different numbers, a measure of just how worried people were about her. And they were right to be worried. According to a statement by the local fire department, the porch fire they attended to at around 7am on the 22nd was extremely suspicious and appeared to be a work of arson as opposed to a lit cigarette. On the Sunday after Brooklyn's disappearance, Kentucky State Police began conducting interviews. The owner of the foreclosed house where Brooklyn was last seen was obviously amongst those first questioned, but nothing about that meeting has been publicly released. In the early days of the investigation, police requested that property owners in Estill, Rock Castle, Jackson and Madison counties checked their land for any signs of the missing girl. They were told to pay close attention to freshly turned earth and unusual smells, ditch lines and remote areas, which proves to be a disturbing insight into the minds of police who almost certainly believe she was already dead. Law enforcement officials and volunteers alike searched more than 16,000 acres of land spread out over three Kentucky counties for three weeks. Large scale searches were conducted in the Red Lick area and nearby Owsley Fork Lake by police with sniffer dogs who were aided military cadets and volunteers on horseback. A team of highly trained police divers were also called in to help search a few large bodies of water, but still nothing was found. A month into the investigation, a fundraiser was held by Brooklyn's family to help fund a cash reward for whoever could help find their daughter. On top of that, a local body shop began selling five dollar car deals with all proceeds going to the reward fund. But still, there was no luck finding her. So in July of 2013, as painful as it was to make the decision, the county sheriff declared that all foot searches for Brooklyn were to be called off. And although they wouldn't come out and say it, the police had all but given up on finding her, dead or alive. The investigation and media coverage of the event shifted dramatically when a number of scandals began to severely hamper the efforts to find Brooklyn. A local woman named Amanda Griffey openly admitted to scamming those who wished to donate money to the search. When a number of concerned neighbors were going door to door seeking contributions, Amanda joined them. But all the money she received was funneled into her own private bank account. Amanda only stole a measly $40, but to the local community, it might as well have been a million. Their outrage knew no bounds, and Amanda was shunned by all that knew her after she was arrested for theft of identity of another and theft by deception. But shockingly, it was not the only case of someone exploiting Brooklyn's disappearance. Another person, this one aptly named Randy Gross, was also arrested for scamming co workers out of money, telling them that he was collecting for the Find Brooklyn fund, yet simply padding out his own account. Brooklyn's parents tried to court the media's good graces again, throwing a benefit at the Madison County Fairgrounds, which featured a car show in honor of Brooklyn's passion for them, a silent auction and live music. But the scandal had soured the public's affection for the couple's cause, and never again could they get the kind of national attention they needed to make any real progress. Then, In April of 2015, a man scouring the Kentucky backwoods for mushrooms discovered a set of skeletal remains. The police braced themselves for a DNA sample to come back which confirmed that it was Brooklyn. But it was not her. And her family was filled with hope again that she might just turn up alive. The Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's office have confirmed that their continued interest in the case and are in constant contact with investigators. They claim that a dedicated team have followed countless tips and examined the case file for things that might have been missing or overlooked during the initial investigation. And they say that all tips continue to be followed up on. But despite their best efforts, the case of Brooklyn's disappearance remains open and active. Perhaps the the most terrifying thing is that police seem to believe that someone in the local community has information as to what happened to Brooklyn. But whoever made her vanish might actually still be living among them. But even with a $14,000 reward being offered for information leading to her return or the capture and conviction of those responsible for her disappearance, police are still no closer to getting any definitive answers. No answers, but plenty of theories, most of which revolve around the idea that Brooklyn was kidnapped sometime after 4am she was not depressed and according to her family, had no reason to run away or walk out on her life. In their eyes, the only reason she could now be missing is if someone had taken her. Police have talked publicly of their deep, sudden suspicion that the final test sent to her ex, the one that mentioned the party in Rock Castle county, was faked and sent by someone else, and that since her belongings were left at the Dillon Courthouse, it must have been the place she was taken from. But whether or not the homeowner has anything to do with it is an entirely different question. He did indeed leave Brooklyn alone in the dark in a home with no power or water. But does that mean he called someone in to kidnap her in an effort to detach himself from the crime? Or did a gang of savage predators get lucky enough to barge their way into a house with no burglar alarms with a lone intoxicated female trying to sleep in an upstairs bedroom? Only the full result of the police investigation will be able to tell us that in the years following Brooklyn's disappearance from the Kentucky House party party, Tasha feels that she needs to be a voice for her sister and as such has taken part in numerous interviews regarding her disappearance. She has taken numerous steps to keep her sister's name in the public eye in the hopes that someone will see the coverage and come forward with information. Currently her case is classified as endangered missing and she has yet to be declared legally dead. But it is only a matter of time before the clocks run out and we have to assume the worst that through malice or misfortune, Brooklyn Farthing went to a house party one evening and never came home.
- [53:12]
Ashley Graham
I'm Ashley Graham and as a parent I know the back to school transition can be a lot when it comes to wellness. Ollie supports me and my family through it all. Kids multi is big in my house. It supports their immune system and they love to take it. A win win for everyone. Shop these products@ollie.com or retailers nationwide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any.
- [53:47]
Podcast Host
Back when I was in my early 20s, I met a girl who set my entire world on fire. She was smart, beautiful, and had a passion for art. We're going to burn together, she would say. Not in the literal sense, of course. It's just that the romance we got swept up in was, without a doubt the most intense thing I have ever been involved with in my entire life. It was like a wildfire just burning out of control. Nothing had topped it before, and nothing has topped it since. But let's just say that neither of us was in a particularly good place in our lives. And as passionate as the relationship was, it wasn't exactly healthy. For the most part, she was very, very possessive. And I am not going to lie, I thought that was kind of odd at first. But that got really old really fast. And her behavior started to cause arguments between us. She would explode at the mention of any other girl I once mentioned, something to do with my sister. And she immediately interrupted to accuse me of being unfaithful. Even after I explained that the girl I was talking about was my sister, she stayed mad. It just defied all logic. But I was in love, so I stayed with her. So we're together for 17 and a half months, and that time included some of the best and worst moments of my life so far. But in the end, the bad started to outweigh the good. And faced with another Valentine's Day with her, I decided I couldn't do it anymore. I made the decision to break up with her. And as you might imagine, she did not take it very well at all. At first, she was in complete denial, saying there was nothing wrong with our relationship and she had no idea why I was breaking up with her. Then she got angry. Like, really angry. Started throwing around accusations and threats, none of which I thought she was capable of acting on. Then came the tears and the final acceptance. By far the hardest part for me, she was crazy. But I didn't think she was a bad person. And it sucked to have to hurt her like that. She insisted on staying in touch, maybe staying friends or something, but I had to go. No contact. It was the only way that we would really get over each other. I felt like a monster, but I did it anyway. About a month goes by, and I'm sitting in my apartment alone on Valentine's Day. I'm sort of over this girl, but I'm also sort of not. And with it being Valentine's Day, I'm thinking about her a whole lot. So when my phone buzzes and I see it's a text from her, I'm like rushing to see what it says. I had deleted her number, but you know when you always just remember the last four digits of someone's number, you. Yeah, that. So all this message says is we were supposed to burn together. And that just kinda broke my heart right there. I thought about calling her, maybe try and patch things up. And in retrospect, maybe that's exactly what I should have done. But in the moment, I just tried to stay strong and stick to the no contact rule. I tried to take my mind off stuff, stayed away from all the romantic movies and Valentine's episodes that the TV networks were trying to force down my throat. But still, I just couldn't shake the lonely feeling I had. So later that night, I'm kinda drunk, just sitting on the couch when my phone buzzes again. I just know it's her. Like I knew it in my gut and surprise, surprise, it was. I debated just quickly clearing the notification and then ignoring the message, but my curiosity got the better of me and I found myself reading it. I knew the first line said we were supposed to burn together again from the notification, but only when I opened up the whole thread did I see that underneath the first part it but now you're going to burn alone again. Hit me right in the feels. It was clingy, I know, but at the same time you can't even deny how poetic that is. Poetry, that's all. I thought it was just that old metaphor we used to share, but I didn't think she would take it as far as she did. I didn't think she meant literally burn, because sometime after I'm on my couch and I start to smell smoke, I go through the stages of like, thinking I've drunkenly forgot that I'm cooking, then thinking the neighbors are burning food on accident, then thinking someone is making a campfire outside or something. Just pure denial, really not wanting to believe that the apartment's building was actually on fire. Then the fire alarm starts going off. I rush downstairs in no shoes or socks, just a pair of shorts and a tiny shirt, and run out the back of the building to the fire assembly point. And on the way I see smoke billowing out from under the door of the apartment below me. Minutes later, a fire truck is parked up outside the apartment building, spraying water into the apartment below mine, which had been absolutely scorched. It was one of the most surreal experiences, experiences of my life. These firefighters are asking me if I'm okay, if I need one of those foil blankets. It was February and it was freezing outside and all that could come out of my mouth is like, I know who did this. One of them tells me to get in touch with the police if the cause of the fire was criminal. So I did, because, like I said, I had a really good idea of who set that fire in the first place. Like, I wasn't quite sure how she had done it, but having my ex girlfriend text me, you're going to burn alone. And then all of a sudden there's a house fire. That was no coincidence to me. No coincidence at all. Over the next couple of weeks, I had to go and stay in my mom's place while some renovation work was undertaken at my smoke damage department. But I did get in touch with the police, who thanked me for the tip and said they would get back in touch if the cause of the fire was found to be arson. Only it wasn't. They called a little while later to say that a fire department investigator had determined that some faulty wiring was to blame for the blaze. And so they wouldn't need any testimony from me. I brought up the text messages my ex had sent me. However, her words seemed to precede the fire in a way that was just too apt to be coincidence. But again, they insisted that no arson was to blame. I even called her and texted her saying I knew what she had done and that she wouldn't get away with it. But as you can imagine, she played dumb. Like, I don't know what you're talking about. You shouldn't be contacting me. It's something that messes with me to this day. Day. And there are so many unanswered questions that, frankly, I am not sure I want to know the answers to. I just know that one moment she's texting me, telling me I'm going to burn, and the next, my apartment building is on fire. I am not saying my ex broke into the apartment downstairs and did something to the wiring, but it's even crazier of me to suggest that she willed something like that to happen. Or, like, engineered it or something. I know how paranoid that sounds, so I tend not to put that theory out much. But it had such a profound effect on my mind that I still moved apartments not long after, just to be safe. Because to me, there's still something very frightening about that time in my life. Something I can't quite explain. And now, when I remember that old thing, she said, we're going to burn together. It doesn't set me alight anymore. It makes my blood run cold.
- [62:17]
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- [62:42]
Podcast Host
It's on.
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Amazon/Ollie Advertiser
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Podcast Host
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Podcast Host
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Podcast Host
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- [63:18]
FX Alien Earth Podcast Host
This episode is brought to you by FX's alien Earth, the official podcast. Each week, host Adam Rogers is joined by guests, including the show's creator, C.A.
- [63:28]
Podcast Host
And crew.
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FX Alien Earth Podcast Host
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- [63:47]
Amazon/Ollie Advertiser
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- [64:02]
Expedia Advertiser
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- [64:24]
Podcast Host
Whatever.
- [64:25]
Expedia Advertiser
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- [66:31]
Podcast Host
It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's.