True Nightmare Stories

She Said a Stranger Did It-Forty-Two Stabs, Orchestrated LieForty-two stab wounds, a woman kneeling beside the body in the dark, and a public appeal naming a phantom road-rage attacker who was never found - but the evidence said otherwise. How did a story with a specific vehicle, a direct plea to a supposed driver, and precise details survive when the scene left no trace of a second car?In this episode, we lay out the facts of the December 1, 1996 death on Cooper's Hill and the statements that followed, contrasting the physical scene with the woman’s public account to ask whether the narrative was created or observed. What did the investigators notice in those early moments that made them doubt the stranger story?Date: December 1, 1996Location: Cooper's Hill, Bromsgrove, West MidlandsVictim: Lee Harvey, age 25Witness/Key Person: Tracy Andrews, age 27Lead Investigator: Detective Superintendent Ian Johnston- The victim had forty-two stab wounds, including a wound to the carotid artery.- Lee Harvey was found dead by 11:00 PM on December 1, 1996.- Tracy Andrews gave a public appeal on December 3, 1996 describing a dark Ford Sierra with an F-registration.- Neighbors reported ongoing domestic shouting in the couple's flat prior to the incident.- Keepers Cottage resident saw a woman standing with her back to the car and a body on the ground and called police.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].

The Van, the Freezer, and the Man Who Was Never FoundA monstrous strength, a vanished body, and a composure so cold it reads like a construction plan: a 250-pound man simply ceased to exist on Christmas Eve 1966, and not a single bone or thread was ever found. What really happened in the back of a van on Ladysmith Avenue, and who carried out a disappearance so complete that even those closest to the Krays could not fully explain it?In this episode, we tell the story of Frank Mitchell and the people who moved around him-how he was taken from Dartmoor, held in a flat on Barking Road, and why the men who promised him freedom turned him into a problem instead. Can the quiet professionalism of those who acted explain a crime with no physical trace?Person: Frank MitchellDate: December 24, 1966Location: Ladysmith Avenue; Barking Road; Dartmoor PrisonPerson: Freddie ForemanPerson: Ronnie and Reggie Kray- Frank Mitchell weighed over 250 pounds and was nicknamed "The Mad Axeman."- Mitchell was on a work detail outside Dartmoor Prison when the Krays' men collected him on December 12, 1966.- Mitchell was held in a flat on Barking Road for twelve days before he disappeared.- Freddie Foreman had stayed at the Adelina Grove flat where Ronnie Kray was hidden after escaping Long Grove Asylum.- George Foreman was shot in the chest on December 17, 1964, survived after three operations, and the shooter Jimmy Evans was never charged.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].

He Wore a Suit and Stole a Life: The Man Who BelongedHe could walk into The Ivy with a British socialite on his arm and look like he belonged, even though he had 102 criminal convictions by then. Impersonation, forged letterheads and a life built on proximity - how did a man from Bexhill-on-Sea keep deceiving rooms full of strangers without ever stealing just cash?In this episode, we tell the story of Michael Edward Hammond from his first CID phone call at 18 to his arrest at Windsor Castle, following the pattern of fraud, forged credentials and staged belonging that defined his life. What was he really after each time he chose disguise over the legitimate chance he was given?Person: Michael Edward HammondDate of birth: December 1968Location: Bexhill-on-SeaConvictions: 102 recorded by age 30Notable event: Arrest at Windsor Castle after impersonating Detective Superintendent Simon Morgan- Hammond committed his first confirmed impersonation in 1987 at age 18 by calling a telephone exchange pretending to be a CID officer.- By his 30th birthday he had 102 criminal convictions, including 48 fraud charges and 17 theft charges.- In 1989 he forged a company letterhead to open a £10,000 overdraft and used the funds to buy a Porsche.- In 2001 he met actor Scott Wright at the National Television Awards and later showed a flat filled with photographs and scrapbooks documenting his proximity to celebrities.- In 2004 he called Windsor Castle claiming to be Detective Superintendent Simon Morgan, CCTV and fingerprints linked him to the grounds and led to his arrest.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].

The Quiet Street That Spilled Three Policemen's BloodA warm Friday afternoon in Shepherds Bush ended with three police officers dead and a single witness scribbling a licence plate that cracked the case; the man who ordered the killings then hid in the woods for ninety-six days. How did an ordinary July-like moment turn into one of Britain’s most shocking crimes, and what kept the killer hidden for more than three months?In this episode, we follow the day of August 12, 1966, from the quiet houses of Braybrook Street to the parked Vanguard by Wormwood Scrubs, tracing the lives of the three officers and the three men in the car - and asking how a plan for petty theft became a lethal ambush.Date: August 12, 1966Location: Braybrook Street, Shepherds Bush, West LondonCar: Standard Vanguard, plate PGT 726Victims: Jeffrey Fox (41), Christopher Head (30), David Wombwell (25)Suspect hideout duration: 96 days- The three officers were on an unmarked patrol near Wormwood Scrubs shortly after 3:00 p.m.- Harry Roberts was 30 when first imprisoned and 50 when imprisoned again, born in 1936 in Wanstead, Essex.- Roberts served national service with the Rifle Brigade, served in Malaya and Kenya, and trained as a marksman.- Jack Whitney owned and drove the Vanguard with licence plate PGT 726 and claimed there were already guns in the car.- The attack occurred minutes after the Vanguard turned into Braybrook Street on the afternoon of August 12, 1966.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].

He Sat on The Dating Show - Smiling While Bodies WaitedA smiling man charmed millions on national television while the skeletal remains of a missing twelve-year-old lay undiscovered forty miles away; he had already killed at least five women before he ever sat under those studio lights. How did Rodney Alcala move through schools, camps, and a dating show while bodies and victims' lives trailed behind him?In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Rodney Alcala's early life through his appearance on The Dating Game and the discovery of Robin Samsoe's remains, exploring how the case unfolded and asking what gaps allowed him to remain free.Person: Rodney AlcalaDate: August 23, 1943 (birth)Date: June 20, 1979 (Robin Samsoe disappeared)Location: Angeles National Forest (where remains were found), 40 miles from the oceanEvent: Appearance on The Dating Game, September 1978- Rodney Alcala sat in seat number one on The Dating Game in September 1978 after having served 34 months for assaulting an eight-year-old in 1968.- Robin Samsoe, age 12, disappeared on June 20, 1979; her skeletal remains were found 12 days later.- Cornelia Crilley, age 23, was strangled in her New York City apartment in June 1971, a crime not connected to Alcala until about 40 years later.- Alcala enrolled in New York University film school under the false name John Berger and drove approximately 3,000 miles to New York after the 1968 attack.- He served 34 months for the 1968 kidnapping/assault, was released in August 1974, arrested again two months later for supplying marijuana to a 13-year-old, and was later declared "rehabilitated" in official records.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].