“BEFORE THEY LOCKED THEIR DOORS: The True Story of the Shell Lake Murders” and MORE! #WeirdDarkness

Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, Supernatural, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

When Victor Hoffman's hallucinations and violent impulses went untreated in rural Saskatchewan, the result was devastating: nine members of the Peterson family murdered in their home, a community's trust shattered, and a national awakening to the dire need for mental health care.
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IN THIS EPISODE: One October morning in 2018, sixteen-year-old Karlie Gusé walked away from her California home after attending a party the night before – and despite three witnesses who saw her walking with a piece of paper in her hand, she was never seen again. (She Disappeared, Paper In Hand) *** A Sunday drive to an antiques fair becomes an encounter with the impossible when Richard and Helen witness a massive UFO mothership. (Mothership In Gorse Field) *** A suspicious purchase of a freezer chest, a chainsaw, and a wood chipper during a snowstorm seemed strange - but it would lead investigators to one of the most shocking murder cases in Connecticut history, and revolutionize how crimes are solved. (Wood Chipper Murder of Hele Crafts) *** In 18th century England, a wealthy grocer named Henry Trigg was so terrified of grave robbers that he made an unusual request in his will: instead of burial, his body should be stored in a coffin in his barn's rafters for at least 30 years - but his attempt to protect his remains would lead to an ironic and mysterious fate. (Coffin In The Rafters) *** In the quiet farming community of Shell Lake, Saskatchewan, a family's peaceful life was shattered on August 15, 1967, when Victor Hoffman, a troubled young man with untreated mental illness, randomly chose the Peterson home and methodically killed nine members of their family - leaving only two survivors and forever changing how rural Canada approached mental health care. (The Horror That Shook Shell Lake) *** The idea that aliens visited Earth in ancient times has captivated millions through books, documentaries, and TV shows - but what does our willingness to credit extraterrestrials rather than ancient peoples reveal about modern society? (Did Aliens Visit Ancient Earth?)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Cold Open
00:02:12.503 = Show Intro
00:05:28.607 = The Horror That Shook Shell Lake
00:26:11.478 = Mothership In Gorse Field
00:31:28.574 = The Wood Chipper Murder of Hele Crafts
00:38:48.234 = Did Aliens Visit Ancient Earth Civilizations?
00:49:08.999 = She Disappeared, Paper In Hand: The Karlie Guse’ Disappearance
00:55:38.969 = Coffin In The Rafters
01:01:42.408 = Show Close
SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Horror That Shook Shell Lake”: https://rephonic.com/podcasts/the-shell-lake-massacre,https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatchewan-s-worst-mass-murder-occurred-exactly-50-years-ago-1.3547051,https://www.ckom.com/shell-lake-massacre/, https://library.usask.ca/sni/stories/her11a.html,https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111731070/victor-ernest-hoffman,https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/marking-50-years-since-the-shell-lake-murders-canada-s-worst-random-mass-killing-1.4244265, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuNYCAHgybw
“Coffin In The Rafters”: https://www.ourstevenage.org.uk/content/place/old-town/buried-in-the-loft-the-legend-of-henry-trigg-and-the-old-castle-inn, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Trigg_%28testator%29,https://burialsandbeyond.com/2023/04/09/henry-trigg-and-the-coffin-in-the-rafters,https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/topics/supernatural-and-unexplained-phenomena/henry-triggs-house-buried-roof, https://www.readtheplaque.com/plaque/the-coffin-of-hentry-trigg,https://www.amusingplanet.com/2024/11/henry-trigg-and-coffin-in-roof.html, https://www.spookyisles.com/haunted-stevenage, https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101096090-triggs-barn-stevenage-old-town-ward,https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/triggs-barn-coffin-in-the-rafters/view/google/,https://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/thegranthams/paul/graves/trigg.html
“She Disappeared, Paper In Hand (The Karlie Guse’ Disappearance)”: https://disappearedblog.com/karlie-guse,https://allthatsinteresting.com/karlie-guse, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/karlie-lain-guse,https://thecinemaholic.com/karlie-guse-found-or-missing-is-she-dead-or-alive, https://charleyproject.org/case/karlie-lain-guse
“Mothership In Gorse Field”: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-hearing-congress-uap-takeaways-whistleblower-conference-david-grusch-2023, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pentagon-ufo-expert-says-secret-group-has-non-human-material-k9556s7rc, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Lights,https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps
“Wood Chipper Murder of Hele Crafts”: https://casetext.com/case/state-v-crafts,https://crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/family/woodchipper_murder/12.html,https://www.mrpalermo.com/uploads/9/8/9/6/9896107/woodchipper_case_study.pdf, https://morbidology.com/the-wood-chipper-murder-helle-crafts, https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920223/1477398/this-job-is-murder-and-renowned-forensic-expert-excels-at-it, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Helle_Crafts
“Did Aliens Visit Ancient Earth Civilizations” by Orrin Grey for The-Line-Up.com, used with permission: https://the-line-up.com/ancient-alien-theory
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Originally aired: December 18, 2024
SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/ShellLake