Ominous Origins

Hoot Hoot, It’s All About The Owl

Over the past few months, I've really began to feel something stirring inside me. Usually that means a trip to the doctor, but this time it was different. I don't get a lot of feelings towards things, and I don't think I've ever had a "connection" with anything either, then seemingly out of nowhere, I had the sudden urge to look up owls, and everything associated with them, and I believe a connection was made. Perhaps it started nearly a decade ago when I left work and perched upon a telephone pole in the parking lot near my car was a big ol' snowy owl. It was the middle of a snow storm, but there he was, clear as day.
So that's where this week's episode comes into play. I wanted to look at any sort of myths, legends, and folklore associated with owls. From Europe and Africa, to the indigenous peoples of North America, the owl has played a roll in their legends and culture. From representing wisdom, to death and despair, back to wisdom again, the symbolism of owls has gone through quite the evolution.
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Always A Bride? Poor Christina Kettlewell

Back in Ontario in the 1940's a young couple eloped, they went on their honeymoon at a lovely cottage on a stunning lake, and lived happily ever after... Well, they did for about 8 days anyway until the bride, Christina Kettlewell was found dead in just 9 inches of water. And because we're looking at it, there's gotta be some crazy twist, right? Naturally. Honeymoon's are meant for just the newlyweds, so most people found it strange when the couples friend, Ronald Barrie joined them. In fact, it seemed the three were inseparable. 
Perhaps it was some kind of love triangle, or an insurance scheme, or even suicide. But whatever it was that happened at that cottage will forever be lost to the annals of time. One last note on it: the cottage also burned down the same day Christina was found, sooooooooo......
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Seeing Double | The Doppelganger

I'm sure we've all had the sense of De Ja Vu, where we swear we've experienced whatever's going on in the moment before. But have you ever had that feeling with yourself? That's a weird question, but to put it bluntly: have you ever seen yourself? Maybe it was in passing, maybe you were taking a stroll down the street and you spotted something a little too familiar across the road. You snap your head over and swear you saw yourself going the other way. The Doppelganger is a very weird phenomenon that basically describes what I just said. Usually it's associated with bad omens, or even death, but not always. The few reports throughout history that I could find did have many people dying after seeing themselves, though one prominent figure didn't survive long after the encounter.
Social media is also rife with stories of glitches in the matrix where somebody has seen a bus full of what looks like clones, or people running into another on a plane who looks, dresses, acts, sounds just like them. Well, what's going on with these instances? Are they you from another dimension, is it pure happenstance, is it the genetic code recycling itself? Well, the true answer is, we have no idea. But if you want to hear more about it, you'll just have to listen to the full episode.
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Sam Sheppard USED to be a Good Doctor | Part 2

Here we are with the conclusion of the mysterious death of Marilyn Sheppard. When we last left off Sam had been tried and convicted of the murder. However, in 1966, roughly ten years into his sentence, he was released on appeal with judges all over the world basically saying he didn't get a fair trial because of the media circus involved with the case. So, with Sam released and a free man, there was naturally a retrial, which found him not guilty, and in 1997, DNA evidence completely exonerated him. So happy ending, right?
Well, not so fast. Presumably due to the stress of... well, his life, Sam became an alcoholic, which eventually did him in. He died in 1970. But not before transitioning from Doctor to... Professional wrestler, where he went by, and I shit you not, Killer Sam Sheppard. Yeah, little on the head that one. Nevertheless, he proved to be popular enough, and used his medical knowledge to create one of the most famous submission moves in modern wrestling, the Mandible Claw.
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Was Sam Sheppard a Good Doctor? Part 1

The answer to the rhetorical title is... Maybe? Shockingly, this case has nothing to do with his doctoring abilities and everything to do with the murder of his wife, whom he may or may not have killed. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Samuel Sheppard and his wife Marilyn were a married couple back in the 1950's, that is until one night after a having some friends over to their lakehouse, Samuel awoke to the cries of his wife. By the time he reached the bedroom, Marilyn had been beaten to death, along with their unborn child. Sam was promptly knocked unconscious before he could intervene, and when he snapped to, his wife was dead. He chased what he described as a white form down onto the beach where he was once again rendered unconscious. 
That's all the details I really have on the murder, but the most fascinating thing about this case is what comes afterwards. In a messy trial by media, which was described as a carnival at times, Dr. Samuel Sheppard was arrested, tried, and convicted of killing his wife. Yup, mystery solved, end of discussion, right? Well, wait a minute here. There are some important details I've left out on purpose so you'll just have to listen to the entire episode to find out all the nitty gritty details!
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Chimney’s Aren’t For People | The Case of Joshua Maddux

Back again this week with another true crime case for you, and like most of them, this is rather strange one. It involves 18 year old Joshua Maddux, an outdoorsy kid who enjoyed a good hike through the woods in his hometown of Woodland Park, Colorado. However, one day during one of these walks, young Josh never came back home. There are quite a few oddities with this one, starting with the fact that it took his dad five days to report him missing, then we have the seemingly incompetent coroner who was adamant that the death was accidental, and that Josh put himself in the situation in which he was found.
What situation might that be? Well, how about folded nearly in half, in the fetal position, stuffed inside of a chimney in a cabin roughly two blocks from his house. Oh, also, when he was found he was wearing nothing but his t-shirt, with the rest of his clothes, including his socks and shoes, folded neatly inside the cabin. Final note here, he was found seven years after he went missing, even though he was so close to home.
You may wonder why I call the the coroner incompetent? Well, he insisted that Josh went inside the cabin, stripped down to his t-shirt, went outside, climbed down the chimney head-first that had metal grates installed to keep animals out, and got himself stuck, while folding himself in half. Yup.
There's a lot more that makes this case weird and suspicious, but you'll just have to listen to the whole thing in order to get the scoop.
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The Truly Upsetting Mystery of Jeanne Van Calck

Every so often I come across a case that's truly upsetting. I've covered the highway of tears and the Beaumont Children in the past, and those were really terrible, of course. This one though is just as bothersome. Jeanne Van Calck was just 8 years old at the time of her death in 1906. There are two aspects that makes this case upsetting, the first being that there isn't a whole lot known about it. It was a media sensation at the time, and a reported ten-thousand people attended her funeral in Belgium, but as for case specifics, I couldn't find much, meaning there isn't much of a chance of finding out what really happened. The other disturbing thing in the case was how her body was found. Delivered in a package akin to something a butcher might deliver beef in, Jeanne's body was found wrapped in paper and string, her legs missing.
The investigation was heavily criticized by the media, as they often are in high profile, unsolved cases. There were leads that were never followed, and there was never a solid lead in the entire investigation. So, if you have the stomach to hear all the details, feel free to listen to the entire episode. However, be warned, as I've said several times, it can be rather upsetting at times.
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Welcome to The Ominous Origins Podcast

If you like learning dark things about our history, this is the place for you. Join me every week as I release these short, digestible episodes that can easily slot into your weekly podcast rotation!
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