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Dark tales from deep in the pines, hosted by a married couple. The Treehouse in the Woods Podcast explores true crime, cryptids, conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries with a dash of Pacific Northwest folklore and late-night storytelling. Whether you're a paranormal enthusiast or simply curious about the unknown. Step inside the treehouse nestled deep in the forest—things get strange after dark. Subscribe now and discover what mysteries await in the trees.
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In this episode, we dive into the haunting string of unsolved crimes connected to Bardstown, a small town shaken by violence, secrets, and unanswered questions. We examine the shocking ambush murder of Jason Ellis, the brutal double homicide of Kathy Netherland and Samantha Netherland, and the mysterious disappearance of Crystal Rogers.As we lay out the timeline, evidence, and lingering theories, one question keeps surfacing: are these tragedies connected, or is Bardstown the site of a series of chilling coincidences?
In this third and final installment of our Killer in My Backyard series, we examine the life and crimes of Keith Hunter Jesperson, better known as the Happy Face Killer.Born in Canada and raised in Selah, Washington, Jesperson later lived and worked throughout Eastern Washington, including the Spokane area, before becoming a long-haul truck driver. That access to the open road allowed him to murder at least eight women across multiple states between 1990 and 1995.In this episode, we walk through Jesperson’s early life, his movements across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, and the step-by-step details of each confirmed victim, where they were last seen, where they were found, and how his crimes went undetected for years. We also discuss the devastating wrongful convictions tied to his first murder, the taunting letters signed with a smiley face that earned him his nickname, and recent developments identifying victims who were once known only as Jane Does.This case is deeply tied to Washington State, and it serves as a reminder that some of the most prolific killers aren’t distant monsters, they lived, worked, and moved through our own backyards.
In this Weird Wednesday, we dive into the legendary Ape Canyon attack of 1924. Prospectors camping near Mount St. Helens claimed they were besieged by a family of Bigfoot, rocks thrown, terrifying noises outside, and a harrowing night in the wilderness.Join me as we retell the story, explore the eyewitness accounts, and unpack one of the Pacific Northwest’s most infamous Bigfoot encounters.
In 2004, 11-year-old Cody Haynes disappeared in Kittitas County, Washington. His father and his father’s girlfriend were at the center of the accusations surrounding his disappearance.No one has seen or heard from Cody since 2004, and his family continues to fight for justice and answers, answers that only one person now can provide.In this episode, we revisit the case of Cody Haynes, lay out the known facts, and shine a light on a story that deserves attention. Our goal is simple: justice for Cody Haynes.
This week, we continue The Killer in My Backyard series with the disturbing and often overlooked case of Donna Perry, also known as Douglas Perry, one of Spokane, Washington’s serial killers.In 1990, three women were murdered and dumped along the Spokane River. For years, the cases went unsolved and were even briefly attributed to another serial killer active in the area at the time, Robert Lee Yates Jr. It wouldn’t be until years later, following a completely unrelated arrest, that investigators realized they had been looking at the wrong person.In this episode, we walk through Perry’s early life, criminal history, and move to Spokane, before breaking down the Spokane River murders, how Perry avoided detection, and the moment everything finally unraveled. Perry was ultimately caught after attempting to purchase firearms at White Elephant, leading to DNA evidence that tied him directly to the murders.We also examine Perry’s prosecution, the failed defense argument that Donna and Douglas Perry were “different people,” and how advances in DNA testing reassigned these murders away from Robert Lee Yates and onto the correct offender.Told from a local perspective, this episode explores how violence hid in plain sight and how Spokane’s river became a silent witness to crimes that went unseen for far too long.
In this Weird Wednesday episode, we break down the disturbing and bizarrely surreal case of Jonathan Gerlack, a 34-year-old man from Pennsylvania arrested in January 2026 for one of the most shocking grave robbing cases in recent memory.Investigators say Gerlack was stealing human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery, with some of the bodies dating back to the 1800s. Authorities uncovered nearly 100 skeletons stored between his home and a storage unit, along with evidence that at least one corpse had been left decomposing inside his basement.According to police, Gerlack allegedly sold stolen human bones through Instagram and Facebook, turning historic graves into a black-market operation. What makes the case even stranger is the contrast a heavily tattooed, metal-loving guy committing old-school grave robbery… and allegedly hauling skeletons around in a RAV4.The sheer scale, age of the remains, and audacity of the crimes earned him the nickname the Pennsylvania Ghoul. In this episode, we walk through the timeline of the investigation, how the cemetery thefts were uncovered, and why this case feels like a collision between modern social media, dark subcultures, and crimes people assume only happen in history books.
In this episode, we launch our new series The Killer in My Backyard with the case that hit closest to home: Robert Lee Yates Jr., Spokane, Washington’s infamous Grocery Bag Killer.Yates lived in a quiet South Hill neighborhood, just minutes from where we live, blending into everyday life while committing a series of murders across Washington State. From his early life and military career to the crimes committed in Spokane, Walla Walla, and beyond, we walk through the full timeline of his known victims, his arrest, and the disturbing details that only came to light years later.We also explore how Yates avoided suspicion for so long, the chilling trade he made with investigators to avoid the death penalty, and how later developments revealed that not all victims originally attributed to him were actually his. This case intersects with other notorious Pacific Northwest killers, making it a key chapter in Spokane’s darkest era.Told from a local perspective, this episode goes deeper than most retellings, not just into the crimes, but into what it’s like to realize a serial killer once lived in your metaphorical backyard.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the murder of Hae Min Lee, a case that has become one of the most debated and re-examined in modern true crime history.We walk through the events leading up to Hae’s disappearance, the investigation, and the conviction that followed, but we don’t stop there. This episode looks at everyone involved: the friends, the witnesses, law enforcement, and how allegations of misconduct, tunnel vision, and unreliable testimony have reshaped the public’s understanding of the case.From the cultural impact of Serial to ongoing legal battles and renewed scrutiny, we explore how this case didn’t just affect one person, it left lasting consequences for multiple lives and raised serious questions about the justice system itself.This isn’t just the story of a murder, it’s the story of what happens when truth, memory, and power collide.
Was Stranger Things inspired by a real government experiment?In this episode, we explore the Montauk Project, the infamous conspiracy involving mind control, psychological trauma, MK-Ultra–style experiments, and alleged time manipulation that many believe directly influenced Stranger Things. But beyond the pop culture connection, this story takes a much darker turn.We examine claims made by individuals who believed they were part of the Montauk experiments, and how those beliefs were allegedly used to manipulate and sexually exploit vulnerable people, blurring the line between conspiracy theory, cult dynamics, and real-world crime.This episode blends true crime, government conspiracy, psychological abuse, and pop culture history, asking a harder question: when belief becomes identity, who gets hurt?Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, MK-Ultra theories, secret government programs, and unsettling true crime rooted in psychological control.
In November 1971, the List family vanished from their home in Westfield, New Jersey — and no one noticed for nearly a month.What investigators eventually discovered inside the Breeze Knoll mansion would become one of the most chilling family annihilation cases in American true crime history. John List methodically murdered his wife, mother, and three children, stacked their bodies in the ballroom, wrote detailed letters explaining his actions… and then disappeared.For nearly 18 years, John List lived under a new identity while the house that went silent sat abandoned, decaying, and becoming a magnet for rumors, trespassers, and fear.
In this episode, we dive into the baffling case of David Glenn Lewis, a Texas attorney who vanished in 1993 and was later struck and killed along a highway in Moxee, Washington, over 1,600 miles from home. For 11 years, he remained a John Doe, with no clear explanation for how or why he ended up there.What makes this case even stranger is what was happening before he disappeared: an upcoming legal deposition, unexplained travel, and a timeline that still doesn’t quite add up.We explore this case from a local Washington perspective, adding details that often get overlooked and examining the lingering questions surrounding Lewis’s death. Was this a tragic accident, or is there more beneath the surface?A huge thank you to Amanda for suggesting this case, it’s one that continues to haunt both Texas and Washington locals to this day.
Hey friends! Quick update episode.We’re officially switching our release day from Mondays to Tuesdays, starting now. So if you were looking for a new episode today, don’t worry, it’s still coming, just dropping on Tuesdays from here on out. Same show, same chaos, just a better day for everyone.We also go off on a little side tangent (because of course we do) about alligator lore… and whether that makes any sense at all for Northern Idaho. It’s short, it’s weird, and it’s very on brand for us.Thanks for sticking with us, thanks for listening, and we’ll see you tomorrow, and every Tuesday after that.
When the justice system failed her, Miriam Rodríguez Martínez became her own investigator.After her daughter, Karen Alejandra Rodríguez Martínez, was kidnapped and murdered by cartel members in Mexico, Miriam refused to accept silence, corruption, or inaction. Instead, she spent years tracking down those responsible, gathering evidence, identifying suspects, and forcing authorities to make arrests in one of the most dangerous environments imaginable.In this episode, we walk through Karen’s disappearance, the devastating aftermath, and how Miriam transformed grief into an all-out pursuit of justice, one that would ultimately make her a target herself.This is a story about loss, courage, and what happens when a mother refuses to let her child be forgotten.
In this episode, we dive into the disturbing and deeply mysterious murder of Cassidy Rainwater, a missing woman from Missouri whose case spiraled into dark web rumors, gruesome allegations, and a wave of conspiracy theories.We break down the timeline of Cassidy’s disappearance, the chilling discovery that linked suspects James Phelps and Timothy Norton to her murder, and the cabin photographs that fueled nationwide speculation about cannibalism and organized dark web activity. We also discuss the ongoing questions surrounding Cassidy’s family, the disappearance of her mother years earlier, and why so many believe this case reveals something bigger happening in the Ozarks. This is one of Missouri’s most unsettling and talked-about true crime cases, and today, we’re unpacking every detail.
In June of 1999, a man named Ricky McCormick was found in a Missouri field… and nothing about the case has made sense since. Not the location. Not the circumstances. And especially not the two handwritten notes found in his pockets, notes filled with symbols, numbers, and codes that even the FBI’s top cryptanalysts couldn’t break.Tonight, we’re diving into one of America’s strangest unsolved mysteries: Who was Ricky McCormick? What did those coded notes mean? And why has this case stayed officially “open” for more than two decades?But because this is The Treehouse in the Woods… you know we’re taking a detour. And yes, somehow, along the way, we end up with a man known only as Mr. Pancakes. Don’t worry. It’ll make sense. Kind of.So grab a snack, lock your doors, and settle in.This is Missouri Mysteries: The Unbreakable Code… and Mr. Pancakes.
Grigori Rasputin wasn’t just a mystic, he was a walking fever dream of a man whose life reads like someone mixed a soap opera with a horror movie and said, “Yeah, that’ll work.”In this episode, we break down the real Rasputin: his chaotic rise from a troubled kid in Siberia, to wandering holy man, to member of a sex cult, to somehow becoming besties with the Romanovs… all while surviving more assassination attempts than should be medically possible.But heads up: this isn’t a rigid, snooze-worthy history lecture. This is the fun retelling of the “we got curious, fell down a rabbit hole, and now you have to hear about it too” version. Expect weird facts, questionable choices, royal drama, and Rasputin being Rasputin.If you love chaotic historical figures, dark humor, cults, conspiracies, or stories that make you go “WHAT the hell?!”, you’re in the right place.
This week we’re covering the tragic and deeply unsettling case of actor Johnny Lewis — better known to most as “Half-Sack” from Sons of Anarchy.His final days were a whirlwind of arrests, erratic behavior, and escalating instability that ended in a shocking and violent crime that stunned fans and Hollywood alike.We walk through Johnny’s early acting success, the warning signs that appeared long before the tragedy, and the strange industry connections surrounding the case.It’s a fast-moving, chaotic story m, part true crime, part Hollywood cautionary tale, and one of the wildest cases we’ve covered in a while.
This week, we cover the chilling case of Justin Mohn, who murdered his father, decapitated him, and uploaded a YouTube video detailing his motives. We walk through the timeline, his extremist beliefs, and how authorities responded to a crime that unfolded publicly online.And because our brains needed a palate cleanser after that, we also share the surprisingly adorable WWII-era mission that involved dropping beavers out of airplanes to repopulate Idaho. (We don’t make the news, we just question it.)A shorter episode, but… this one didn’t require embellishment.
In this episode, we unpack the disturbing case of Robert “Awake the Rapper” Crimo III — the SoundCloud-aesthetic musician turned mass shooter behind the Highland Park 4th of July parade attack. We walk through the red flags leading up to the tragedy, the system failures that let him slip through, and the internet’s obsession with linking his story to MK-Ultra and government cover-up theories.We keep it balanced, factual, and grounded… with just enough tinfoil hat energy to acknowledge the conspiracy chatter without living in it.If you’ve ever wondered how a walking SoundCloud stereotype sparked both horror and conspiracy at the same time, this is the episode.
This week’s installment of The Real Faces of Horror dives face-first into the greasepaint with one of the most infamous killers in history, John Wayne Gacy, the suburban businessman, party clown, and serial murderer who forever turned our fear of clowns into a national pastime. Join us (and my day-six migraine) as we untangle Gacy’s double life, explore his chilling connection to Stephen King’s IT, and unpack how he became the ultimate real-world boogeyman hiding behind a painted smile.This episode is jam-packed with disturbing details, a few bad puns, and maybe the start of a conspiracy rabbit hole that could use its own tinfoil-hat sequel.
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