Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries

At 4:47 AM on August 18th, 2025, after 280 hours of torture streamed live to thousands of viewers, Jean Pormanove died in his sleep while on camera. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest. But what really killed him was a system perfectly designed to monetize human suffering, to turn degradation into content, to transform a vulnerable man's destruction into entertainment. The streaming continues. The algorithm watches. And somewhere, another Jean Pormanove is typing his first message to his mother: "I feel like I'm being held hostage." The question isn't whether this will happen again. It's happening right now, the only question is whether we'll keep watching. TW: Torture, Death Subscribe on⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts . Follow on⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Head to https://www.tryfum.com to start with Zero. Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time Lost media, TV urban legends, and the moments kids’ networks never wanted you to see. This episode investigates the rumored Nickelodeon “destroyed tape” from Legends of the Hidden Temple, real broadcast signal hijackings (including the infamous Handy Manny incident), and a haunting stop-motion short known only as “The Butcher.” From grueling game-show sets to vanished DVR recordings, we dig into how media disappears and why people won’t stop looking for it. Subscribe on Patreon to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts . Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From a recent and tragic double murder in Devil's Den State Park, to a hiker entering a time warp, to unknowingly encountering a serial killer while camping, today we're talking through all the terrifying and mysterious national park stories. Make sure to follow our guests of today's episode ‪@NationalParkAfterDarkPodcast‬ Episodes Mentioned: 110. Backwoods Horror: Unexplained Disappearances in the Alaska Triangle 122. Appalachian Trail Horror: Strange Encounters, Feral People, Mysterious Lights, and More 99. Horror In The Mountains: The Khamar-Daban Incident 127. Camping Horror Stories // Dark Summer VOL. 2 NPAD: Episode 4: A Serial Killer in Yosemite Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The idea of a “Ghost ship” -- a ship that is floating completely off course with its crew mysteriously gone or dead, has become more ridiculous over the years. Sure, maybe back in the day, with a lack of GPS tracking and communication a whole crew could vanish, but that could never happen today. Right? The Kaz II which has been coined “The Ghost Yacht,” perhaps a more modern version of a ghost ship, and the fate of those three men—Derek Batten, James Tunstead, and Peter Tunstead—still remains a mystery to this day. Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1966, three children vanished without a trace in Australia, and no one knows what happened. It’s a mystery that still plagues the country to this day, and may credit it as the reason people started locking their doors there.  But today, we have a much clearer picture of the crime, who might have been responsible, and there’s even been updates on the case as of this year. TW: mention of child abuse Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/beaumontchildren To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Match cakes, cookies, and candy in thousands of fun puzzles, when you download Cookie Jam today using the link: http://jamcity.me/HeartStartsPounding Official Göhrde Police Investigation Website: https://www.pd-lg.polizei-nds.de/startseite/kriminalitaet/deliktsbereiche/cold_cases/ermittlungsgruppe-goehrde-113732.html This story starts with a police officer who was investigating a suspect in a missing woman's case. When the officer went down into the man’s basement, he found a secret, locked leather door in the far back corner of the room.  Now, to understand what was in that room, and who that man was, we need to start all the way at the beginning, and go deep into the Göhrde Forest where in 1989, multiple bodies were discovered deep within the woods.  Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/ghordeforestmurder To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time! Head to https://www.tryfum.com/HEART and use promo code HEART to get your free gift with purchase and start the Good Habit today! Summer is the perfect time to visit an amusement park, but for every park that’s open and bustling during the warmer months, there’s one that’s fallen into disrepair and sits there abandoned.  But what causes this to happen? Well, sometimes a series of horrible accidents cause the public to lose faith in a park, and ticket sales plummet. Sometimes, a once in a generation disaster occurs and an entire city must evacuate, leaving the park inside empty. And other times, a park somehow winds up built on an ancient graveyard, and unexplained, supernatural events scare the public away.  Today, we’re talking about River Country, Pripyat Amusement Park, and Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park  TW: Child death Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/rivercountry To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College holds a mythic place in American culture, but behind the polished campus tours and glossy brochures lies a far more complicated reality. Each episode of Campus Files uncovers a new story that rocked a college or university. Consider this your unofficial campus tour.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2014, while looking for two missing hikers, Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, in Panama, officials came across a digital camera in the forest that they believed belonged to one of them.  The photos they found on that camera were disturbing, to say the least. And they held terrifying clues as to what happened to the missing girls.  Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/panamagirlscamera To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From dodging serial killers, to fake ride share drivers, to finding someone in your room in the middle of the night, today we're talking all about terrifying close encounters. Find Psychopedia and Slater on Socials! @investigatorslater @psychopediapod Psychopedia Episodes Mentioned: EP42: Sex Parts: Severed and Stored  EP130: Greyhound Bus Beheading EPS 113 & 114: Pinup Predator: Serial Killer Harvey Glatman (Parts 1 and 2) EPS 134 & 135: The Serial Killer Next Door: Joel Rifkin (Parts 1 and 2) Heart Starts Pounding Episode Mentioned: Listener Stories: Sleep Demons, Ghost Children, and morehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP1Wqa_oCkc Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mysterious disappearances, lost shipwrecks, the Lake Michigan “Stonehenge”, strange lights above Lake Erie and more.  There’s something strange happening in the great lakes. These lakes in North America are much bigger than you would ever imagine, they hold about a fifth of the entire world’s freshwater. But they also hold some of the greatest unsolved mysteries. They are quite literally full of secrets. Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/greatlakesmystery To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Head to https://www.tryfum.com/HEART and use promo code HEART to get your free gift with purchase and start the Good Habit today! In 2011, a 24 year old woman vanished from a Disney Cruise that was heading back to LA. And what at first seemed like an open and shut “man overboard” case quickly started to seem like something much darker. Leaving us with the question, does Disney know more than they’re saying?? TW: Reference to Sexual Assault Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/rebeccacoriam To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A young girl vanishes without a trace in the Alaskan wilderness. A camper loses 10.5 hours on his camping trip with no memory of what occurred in that time. And a young couple goes to a secluded part of a camp site, only to run into someone they’re not expecting.  Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dark Summer Merch is HERE! Shop now: https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe to Patreon to get 10% off your order! The internet freaked out last month when the haunted doll Annabelle was taken on tour around the country. Stories started circulating of buildings burning down in her wake, prisoners escaping, and even that she went missing at one point.  But what was really going on, and why was the Annabelle tour such a spiritually chaotic event? Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/annabelletour Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to ad-free episodes and bonus episodes when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Direct deposit provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. See cash.app for more details. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What kind of illness turns deer into stumbling, soulless shells of themselves—bodies wasting away, but never truly dying? Or drives healthy young men into violent frenzies that leave them strapped to hospital beds, terrified of water? This week, we’re diving into the terrifying world of zombie illnesses—real diseases that hijack the brain and erase what makes us human. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/zombie-illnesses Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok and Instagram for a daily dose of horror. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Direct deposit provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. See cash.app for more details. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1989, the body of a woman was found hog tied off the side of a road in Richmond British Columbia.  What followed was one of the longest coroners inquest in Canadian history. An inquest that would say the woman had died by an unknown event. Although she was found with her hands and feet tied with nylon behind her back, although she had told police that for 7 years she was being harassed by an unknown person, a jury of her peers wasn’t convinced that any crime had taken place… But how could that be? Well, today we are going to get into the very, very complicated death of Cindy James.  TW: Animal abuse, suicide Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok ⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Go to https://kachava.com and use  code HSP for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time. In 1989, the body of a woman was found hog tied off the side of a road in Richmond British Columbia.  What followed was one of the longest coroners inquest in Canadian history. An inquest that would say the woman had died by an unknown event. Although she was found with her hands and feet tied with nylon behind her back, although she had told police that for 7 years she was being harassed by an unknown person, a jury of her peers wasn’t convinced that any crime had taken place… But how could that be? Well, today we are going to get into the very, very complicated death of Cindy James.  TW: Animal abuse, suicide Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/cindyjames Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠⁠for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A strange man stalks two women on their camping trip. A strange dog has been caught on a loop for hundreds of years at the foot of a mountain. And lights that have no source, and no explanation. Today we're taking a trip through the Appalachian trail. Bring your flashlight. Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/feralpeople Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe on ⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠⁠Tik Tok ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, isn't just the largest U.S. military installation in the Pacific—it's also one of the most haunted. From shadowy figures trying to enter through the gates to abandoned buildings that drive occupants to the edge, and the chilling laughter of ghostly children, Kadena’s legends are as eerie as they are enduring. But are the hauntings rooted in the base itself… or in the haunted history of Okinawa Island beneath it? Youtube Video Referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S8pAqAWZko Jayne's Book On The Ghosts of Okinawa: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ghosts-of-okinawa-jayne-a-hitchcock/1003696515 Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/kadena-airbase Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe on ⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠⁠Tik Tok ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Morgan and I share our favorite scary stories from Reddit. Which ones haunt you the most? Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/ Subscribe on ⁠Patreon ⁠for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠Tik Tok ⁠and ⁠Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices