In this episode, we walk through one of the most haunting unsolved cases in American history: the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. We explore the suspects, the theories that divided a town, the strange clues left behind, and the chilling possibility that the killer returned to the Stillinger girls’ room after the murders.

If you enjoy the episode, follow along for more folklore, true crime, and the uncanny:

Instagram & TikTok: @downthecrookedpath

Step back onto the crooked path… if you dare.

Season 2 opens the door to a deeper, stranger, more intimate exploration of the stories that cling to the edges of our communities; the hauntings we inherit, the mysteries we can’t shake, and the histories that refuse to stay buried.

This season, we’re venturing into some of the most unsettling and compelling stories ever told, including:

• The Villisca Axe Murders and the eerie echoes inside that still Iowa home
• The strange, magnetic pull of Mount Shasta and the legends that refuse to die
• The doomed Franklin Expedition and the spectral trail it left across the Arctic
• The Mothman sightings that spiraled into prophecy, panic, and folklore
• The Vatican Secret Archives and the shadows cast by centuries of hidden history
• UFO encounters, unexplained disappearances, and the patterns no one wants to acknowledge
• Cryptids, conspiracies, and the stories that thrive in the dark corners of belief

Season 2 is more atmospheric, more personal, and more unsettling; a descent into the shadows with intention, curiosity, and respect.

Follow, subscribe, and stay close. The path is darker this time… but you’re not walking it alone.

As the holiday season settles in and the year winds toward its close, Down the Crooked Path is shifting its weekly rhythm. For the next few weeks, our Thursday episodes are taking a brief winter rest. In their place, we’re bringing you a special run of Canadian Creepies every Tuesday—bite‑sized explorations of the strange, the spectral, and the wonderfully weird corners of Canadian folklore.

Regular full-length episodes return in the New Year, but until then, consider these eerie little detours our gift to you.

Tonight, we travel to the windswept prairies of Alberta, where the tracks cut through open land and the past refuses to stay quiet. Locals have whispered for generations about a phantom locomotive that barrels through the night near Medicine Hat—headlight blazing, wheels screaming, and yet… no train ever arrives.

During the holiday season Down the crooked path is taking a Canadian Detour. We are revisiting our Tuesday Segments over on our sister podcast Canadian Creepies.

Don't worry! Regular episodes will resume soon!

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Project Magnet — a little‑known program launched in the 1950s to investigate UFOs, magnetic anomalies, and unexplained aerial phenomena.

Listeners will discover:

• ✦ The origins of Project Magnet and its ties to Canada’s Department of Transport
• ✦ The role of Wilbert B. Smith, the engineer who spearheaded the study
• ✦ The legacy of Project Magnet in Canadian UFO lore and why it still fascinates researchers today

This week, we’re revisiting one of Canada’s most infamous hauntings—the Baldoon Mystery. In the early 1800s, the McDonald family of Wallaceburg, Ontario, found themselves tormented by unexplained fires, shattered windows, and eerie phenomena that defied explanation. Local lore tells of a curse, a witch, and a desperate attempt to end the haunting with a silver bullet.

This episode is pulled from our Tuesday segment over at Canadian Creepies, while I’m busy working through the holiday season. Regular episodes of Down the Crooked Path will resume soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this chilling tale of folklore, fear, and one angry goose witch!

We are visiting another Tuesday segment of Down the crooked path from out sister podcast Canadian Creepies, while Amanda tackles a busy holiday season in her personal life.

In Manitoba, Canada, a prospector named Stephan had an encounter with what would become known as Canadas most well documented UFO case. This encounter would leave him sick and suffering from burns for the rest of his life!

Don't worry! Amanda will be back soon with regular episodes of Down the Crooked path soon!

A day late, its been a busy time of year in my personal life so I do apologies for letting the calendar get away from me.

This week we are revisiting a feature from our Tuesday segments at the Canadian Creepies podcast!

Tom Thomson was an artist who went missing only for his body to turn up under mysterious conditions.

Was it an accident or did something more sinister happen to him?

And does his spirit still haunt the lake to this day?

Find out more and have a listen.

Regular episodes to resume in a few weeks!

This week we are taking trip to revisit an episode from my Tuesday segments over on my sister podcast Canadian Creepies.

Every Tuesday I take a deep dive in to a paranormal or totally creepy Canadian mystery.

Mr. Christie does make good cookies, from believed Oreos to long time staple Social Teas. But when his son took after his death, something sinister was taking place behind a hidden room of their mansion.

What was the dark secret he was keeping?

Who knew?

What lengths were taken to keep that secret buried?

For more creepy content be sure to check me out on TikTok and Instagram at @Downthecrookedpath

And Canadian mysteries at @canadiancreepies