Darkly Speaking

23. THE UNKNOWN: The Bennington Triangle Pt. 1 — The Vanishing Ground

There's a haunting place in the Appalachian mountains associated with unexplained vanishings, violent deaths, and phenomena that refuse easy explanation. A region tied to stories of people disappearing without a trace, of murders that left more questions than answers, and of events that seem to bend time, space, and logic itself.
Over the years, this landscape has become associated with accounts of time slips, interdimensional portals, strange lights moving across the sky, UFO sightings, and encounters with something large and humanoid moving through the forest. Some describe it as a place where reality feels unstable. Others see it as a convergence point — a stretch of land where stories accumulate because ordinary explanations fail to hold.
There is simply too much history, too many cases, and too many layers to unpack in a single episode. So this story unfolds in two parts.
In Part One, we begin where it all starts. With the land itself. We’ll look at the history of the region, the Indigenous knowledge that shaped how this place was understood long before it was named, and the series of unexplained disappearances that eventually drew national attention and gave the area its identity.
In Part Two, we cross into the other side of the story. The phenomena that gathered around this landscape over time. The theories, sightings, and explanations people reach for when conventional answers fall short — when something about this place feels fundamentally off.
So lace up your hiking boots and grab your parka. We’re heading into the vast wilderness of southwestern Vermont. Into the dense, cold forests of the Bennington Triangle.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
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⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

22. The Signalman: A Christmas Ghost Story

You know the line —
There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago.
This is one of those stories...
The Signalman is a gothic short story by Charles Dickens that centers on an isolated railway worker who becomes convinced he is being warned of coming disasters by a ghostly figure that appears before fatal accidents. Each warning arrives too late to prevent tragedy, and the danger no longer feels distant.
First published in 1866, the story is told through the perspective of a narrator who forms a cautious friendship with the troubled signalman, approaching his claims with rational doubt before gradually confronting the possibility that something supernatural may be at work. Shaped in part by real railway disasters of the era, The Signal-Man explores isolation, inevitability, and the fragile boundary between reason and the unknown.
Enjoy this rendition of Dickens’ classic Christmas ghost story, and happy holidays!
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
Spooky Winter Book Recs:
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Near The Bone by Christina Henry
Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

21. THE TERRIFYING TALES OF: Dark Christmas — Old World Origins & Winter Folklore

Christmas has another history... 
Before Santa, the season was shaped by pagan winter traditions and folklore filled with punishment and fear. 
From belly-slitting witches said to roam during the winter solstice to a demonic beast who dragged sinners to hell, the season was once ruled by things far less holy. 
So get cozy and settle in because because we're going back.. To the Darker version of Christmas past. 
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
Spooky Winter Book Recs:
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Near The Bone by Christina Henry
Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

20. MURDERED: Jonelle Matthews — The Cold Case Behind the Girl on the Milk Carton

Five days before Christmas in 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews returned to her home in Greely Colorado after a school concert and vanished without a trace.
No forced entry. No struggle. Just footprints in the snow behind the Matthews home. 
Her disappearance quickly gained national attention, becoming one of the first cases featured in the milk carton campaign. And for nearly four decades, the investigation remained frozen, shaped by shifting stories and stalled leads. That is, until nearly 35 years later, when Jonelle’s remains were discovered more than 20 miles from her home.
And all signs pointed to a man whose involvement only grew stranger as he continued placing himself in the center of the investigation long before anyone suspected him.
TW: This episode includes discussion of crimes against children and sexual violence, and potentially distressing circumstances. Listener discretion is advised.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

19. THE TERRIFYING TALES OF: Silent Night Horror — Chilling Encounters in the Dead of Winter

Have a terrifying story or strange encounter? I'd love to hear it! Please send your spooky scary stories to Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
Winter has a way of hiding things — until they step out of the dark right in front of you.
In this episode, we’re walking through five chilling encounters that took place in the dead of winter. Footprints in the snow from an unwanted guest, strangers emerging out of the darkness on a frozen mountain pass, a pale ghost boy’s staring from hospital room 9, an unsettling midnight offering deep along the Appalachian Trail, and a creature on the highway that defies anything you’d expect to see on the road.
These aren’t just odd moments or tricks of the light — they’re the kind of winter encounters that leave you questioning what you saw… and who, or what, might’ve been watching you back.
Bundle up.
Because these stories are anything but a silent night.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
Spooky Winter Book Recs:
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Near The Bone by Christina Henry
Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

18. MISSING: The Chilling Disappearance of Ryan Shtuka

In February 2018, 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka left a house party in Sun Peaks and began the short walk toward home. A route that should have taken just a few minutes. Ryan never made it home. Instead, his final movements remain frozen in time.
Search crews pushed through deep snow and subzero temperatures. Volunteers returned week after week. Helicopters and ground teams covered every direction the terrain allowed. No footprints. No belongings. No confirmed trace. The trail turned cold almost immediately.
Seven years later, the case sits at a standstill — suspended between what is known and what has never surfaced.
Does someone know something… or does nobody know anything at all?
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.
 

17. THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy — Part 2: The Cold Truth

Weeks after the Dyatlov group’s final journal entries, search teams reached the site. The scene didn’t line up with a simple hiking accident: a tent sliced from the inside, barefoot tracks in the snow, and bodies found under injuries and circumstances no single theory could fully explain.
In Part 2 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we break down the search, the recoveries, the injuries, and the theories — from avalanche to military involvement — and examine why none of them fully explain what happened on that mountain.
TW: This episode contains discussion of death, hypothermia, trauma, and graphic forensic details. Listener discretion is advised.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.
 

16. THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy — Part 1: The Last Expedition

January 1959 — nine hikers set out into the frozen Ural Mountains. Experienced, prepared, and full of life. Days later, their tent was found ripped open from the inside. Their gear abandoned. Their bodies scattered across the snow.
What happened on that mountainside has haunted investigators and historians for more than sixty years.
In Part 1 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we retrace the group’s final days through their recovered journals, photographs, and official reports—following their footsteps into one of the most chilling mysteries of the 20th century.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.
 

15. MURDERED: Sonya Ivanoff — Betrayal in Blue

In the summer of 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff vanished from Nome, Alaska. When her body was discovered days later, the truth that surfaced would devastate the small town and force a reckoning with its own police force.
As investigators closed in, they uncovered a betrayal that went far deeper than anyone imagined — one that exposed years of neglect and mistrust between Nome’s authorities and Alaska Native women, a crisis that still haunts Alaska today.
TW: This episode contains references to violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse against Alaska Native women. It also includes discussion of police misconduct, murder, and the mishandling of criminal investigations. Listener discretion is advised.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.
 

14. THE TERRIFYING TALES OF: The Mirror, The Myth, The Legend Of Bloody Mary

Legend has it, if you stand in a dark room with a mirror and say her name three times… she’ll show herself. Maybe she’ll whisper. Maybe she’ll crawl right out and drag you with her.
So go on. Let’s play.
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
The story has been passed down for generations — a sleepover dare turned ritual, stitched together from fear, history, and something much older than either.
But who — or what — are we really summoning?
Some say she was a witch.
Some say a queen bathed in blood.
Others say she was just a woman — punished, twisted, and remembered as a warning.
In this episode, we step through the mirror to uncover the truth behind the legend — the women who became her, the science that explains her reflection, and the meaning buried beneath the myth.
Because this isn’t just a story about a ghost. It’s about reflection. Transformation. Power. And what happens when we stop running from the things that terrify us — and face them head on.
The vanity. The blood. The becoming. And the moment you realize the mirror was never haunted at all. It was just waiting for you to look back.
TW: This episode contains references to folklore violence, blood, historical execution, and the persecution of women accused of witchcraft. It also includes discussion of body imagery, menstruation symbolism, and psychological horror themes. Listener discretion is advised.
Hosted by 🎙️: Alex Kern
⸻
🖤 ABOUT DARKLY SPEAKING 🖤
Welcome to Darkly Speaking — where true crime, the paranormal and the crazy strange and unexplained converge.
Every Monday, host Alex Kern unpacks stories that challenge our understanding of what’s real — from unsolved disappearances and psychological unravellings to encounters with the unexplained.
Think: true crime, the paranormal, and everything in between. If you’re drawn to the strange, the hidden, or the stories that won’t sit quietly — you’re in the right place.
Expect immersive storytelling, a dose of dark curiosity, and the occasional rabbit hole you didn’t plan to fall into.
Because in the darkest corners of our reality… truth gets weird.
⸻
🎧 LISTEN ON: Available wherever you get your podcasts!
YouTube
⁠Spotify
Apple Podcasts ⁠
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US:
⁠YouTube ⁠
⁠Instagram ⁠
⁠TikTok ⁠
⁠Website ⁠(Sources, Show Notes & More!)
Email us your stories! → Darklyspeakingpodcast@gmail.com
⸻
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This podcast explores real cases and sensitive subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised.
All research is grounded in publicly available sources and cited to the best of our ability. Opinions are those of the host unless otherwise stated.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Some audio/visual materials used may be protected under copyright law and are included under “fair use” for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.