Twisted and Mysterious

<p>In 1994, recess at Ariel School in Ruwa took a turn from playground chaos to possible alien encounter. Dozens of students reported a strange craft landing nearby — and small beings stepping out to silently watch them.</p><p>These weren’t your typical smooth “grey” aliens. The children described beings with <strong>HAIR(!!!)</strong>, huge dark eyes, and movements that made no sense — appearing suddenly or running in slow motion like they were stuck in cinematic mode. Several kids said the figures communicated telepathically, warning that humans were destroying the planet with pollution and technology. Nothing says “friendly introduction” quite like cosmic strangers showing up at recess to give a guilt trip about screen time.</p><p>The story even echoes elements from the famous encounter of Betty Hill and Barney Hill — including aliens with hair and deeply uncomfortable medical procedures. (Yes, including the belly button thing. No, we don’t like it either.)</p><p>Investigated by Harvard psychiatrist John E. Mack, the children’s accounts remained strikingly consistent.</p><p>Mass hysteria, misunderstanding…or the most awkward environmental PSA in history?</p><p>Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p>

<p>This week on <em>Twisted &amp; Mysterious</em>, we’re diving into the explosive and controversial case of Sally McNeil and Ray McNeil — a bodybuilding power couple whose marriage ended in gunfire on Valentine’s Day.</p><p>On February 14, 1995, Sally shot and killed her husband, fellow bodybuilder Ray McNeil, inside their Oceanside, California home. She immediately called 911 and claimed self-defense, alleging years of domestic abuse. Prosecutors argued it was intentional murder fueled by jealousy and rage. The jury convicted her of second-degree murder.</p><p>In a twist that feels almost too on-the-nose, the killing happened on Valentine’s Day. Her trial began on Valentine’s Day. And Sally had even competed in her first bodybuilding competition on Valentine’s Day years earlier. Love, muscle, violence — all colliding on the same date.</p><p>We break down their volatile relationship, the role of steroids and control in 1990s competitive bodybuilding culture, the courtroom battle over self-defense versus premeditated murder, and the later reexamination of Sally’s conviction decades after the case first made headlines.</p><p>And because this is <em>Twisted &amp; Mysterious</em>, we also acknowledge the slightly scarring childhood experience of seeing entirely too many flexing, oiled-up bodybuilding photos of relatives — because nothing says Valentine’s Day like unresolved trauma and biceps.</p><p>This is a story about power, image, domestic violence, and the complicated line between victim and perpetrator.</p><p>Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p>

<p>In November 1970, a woman was found dead in a remote valley near Bergen, Norway. She had no identification, no known past, and no one ever came forward to claim her. What investigators <em>did</em> find was far stranger: suitcases filled with wigs, labels cut from every piece of clothing, multiple aliases, a notebook written in code—and witnesses who remembered one oddly specific detail.</p><p>She reportedly smelled strongly of garlic.</p><p>How much garlic are we talking? Culinary preference? Attempted invisibility? Fear of vampires? We may never know—but it’s only one of many bizarre clues in a case that has baffled investigators for more than fifty years.</p><p>As authorities traced her movements across Europe, a disturbing picture emerged—constant travel, coded notes, questions about military bases, and behavior that raised serious Cold War suspicions. Was she a spy? Or a woman who went to extraordinary lengths to erase herself from history?</p><p>In this episode, we break down the evidence, the theories, and the unanswered questions surrounding <em>The Isdal Woman</em>—a mystery involving secrecy, identity, and yes…an unreasonable amount of garlic.</p>

<p>Greg Fleniken lived a quiet, predictable life. During the week, he worked as a landman in Beaumont, Texas, staying at the MCM Elegante hotel. On weekends, he went home to Lafayette, Louisiana, to be with his wife. He didn’t party. He didn’t socialize. His evenings followed the same routine: change into sweats, grab a snack, and watch a movie in bed.</p><p>On the morning of September 16, 2010, Greg was found dead in Room 348. At first glance, it appeared to be a natural death. No signs of a struggle. No noise. No one had entered the room. And, yes, they checked the room for Acme anvils.</p><p>In this episode of <em>Twisted &amp; Mysterious</em>, we follow the case that transformed an ordinary, predictable death into a baffling homicide investigation. From the locked hotel room and unexplained injuries to the private investigator who saw what others overlooked, we explore how a quiet life ended in a way that no one could have predicted.</p><p>What happened to Greg Fleniken inside Room 348?</p><p>Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p><p><em>The Body in Room 348</em>, Vanity Fair — [<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/true-crime-elegante-hotel-texas-murder?srsltid=AfmBOop6i7a27o3jonnqvJTxmGEUR-MjQjSNwQMoU4GK1Gqe8y8lFueJ">https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/true-crime-elegante-hotel-texas-murder?srsltid=AfmBOop6i7a27o3jonnqvJTxmGEUR-MjQjSNwQMoU4GK1Gqe8y8lFueJ</a>]</p><p><em>RedHanded Podcast</em>, Episode: “The Body, the P.I., and the Hole in the Wall” — [<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://redhandedpodcast.com/episodes/waabr5xk2hsdcj5-g626a-gpax5-4tebp-tss8w-hkfcn-lrslk-wht58-ctzhh-65dds-w8zgg-jaahc-ctgg9-fbdk3-zwfmg-8a6c4-yjeyk-xt4zm-hbxp4-xrkle-d5an6?rq=greg%20fleniken">https://redhandedpodcast.com/episodes/waabr5xk2hsdcj5-g626a-gpax5-4tebp-tss8w-hkfcn-lrslk-wht58-ctzhh-65dds-w8zgg-jaahc-ctgg9-fbdk3-zwfmg-8a6c4-yjeyk-xt4zm-hbxp4-xrkle-d5an6?rq=greg%20fleniken</a>]</p>

<p>In 1612 England, you could be accused of witchcraft for being poor, annoying, related to the wrong people—or, in one unfortunate case, simply having a wonky eye. This week on <em>Twisted &amp; Mysterious</em>, Faren tells the story of the <strong>Pendle Witches</strong>, one of the most infamous and absurd witch trials in English history.</p><p>What started as a minor encounter quickly spiraled into full-blown hysteria, dragging two rival families into a mess of accusations, superstition, and “evidence” that would not survive even five minutes in a modern courtroom. We break down the trials, the wildly unreliable testimony (including a disturbingly enthusiastic child witness), and how fear, politics, and paranoia combined to sentence ten people to death. Were these accused witches actually practicing dark magic—or were they simply unlucky enough to exist at the wrong time, with the wrong neighbors, and the wrong eye?</p><p>Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the show. You can find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p>