Fact and Suspicion

The Yuba County Five

On February 24, 1978, five men from Marysville California drove to a basketball game in Chico. The last time they were seen alive was shortly after the game ended at a convenience store just off the Chico State campus. Their car was later found in a remote area of the Plumas County forest. Months later, four of their bodies were found miles from the car.

To this day, the fifth man, Gary Matthias has not been found. The reason they ended up in the Plumas National Forest is still unknown, and has since become one of the strangest missing person's mysteries of all time.

The Murder of Donnah Winger

On August 29, 1995 Mark Winger of Springfield Illinois made a frantic 911 call. He reported that his wife Donnah had been attacked by an intruder, who Mark had then shot in the head. Donnah would die at the hospital, and investigators would find that her attacker had a disturbing history.

The Bizarre Death of Elisa Lam

In February of 2013, guests of the Cecil Hotel in Los Angelas began to complain that the water in their rooms had a strange sickly taste. This led to a maintenance man making a gruesome discovery in the water reservoir on top of the hotel.

The body of 21-year-old Elisa Lam was found floating in the tank. The question still remains: how did she get there?

The Superbike Murders

On November 26, 2003 the town of Chesnee South Carolina saw its largest mass murder ever. Four people were shot to death at Superbike Motorsports, a local motorcycle dealer and service center. After committing these grisly murders, the killer went back and shot each victim in the head and and chest just to be sure.

A self-proclaimed serial killer and rapist has confessed to these crimes, but many doubt his guilt in this particular case.

Todd Kohlhepp is guilty of murder, but is he guilty of these?

The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson

Brandon Swanson Disappeared on May 14th, 2008. After celebrating the end of the spring semester with friends, Brandon began the 30-mile drive back to his home in Marshall Minnesota. He would never arrive.

 

Around 2 a.m. Brandon called his father claiming to have ran his car into a ditch near Lynd, a small town just outside of Marshall. His parents left immediately but failed to located Brandon or his car. Frustrated, Brandon left his car and decided to walk into town. He has never been seen again.

How Accurate is HBO’s The Staircase Mini-Series?

Ben and Dan take a look at HBO's new mini-series The Staircase and discuss what it gets right and what it gets wrong.

The Gruesome Legacy of Jack the Ripper

In the autumn of 1888, a killer terrorized the East End of London. Over a three-month period, Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of White Chapel, brutally murdering at least 5 women before vanishing as abruptly as he appeared. More than a century later, Jack the Ripper remains unidentified, but his horrific legacy lives on.

12 Tribes: the Cult in a Sandwich Shop

Ben and Dan discuss 12 Tribes, the cult that runs a chain of sandwich shops.

Conmen and Frauds

In this episode of Fact and Suspicion, Ben and Dan discuss three prolific conmen: Billy McFarland, Kyle Sandler, and Barry Minkow.

The Murder of Byakuya Togami

In 2012, 16 Japanese students were trapped on an Island and forced to murder each other by an evil robotic bear named Monokuma. Join Ben and Dan as we discuss perhaps the most horrific case we've ever examined. #April Fools