Dubious

About Dubious

Good guys are boring, villains are fascinating! From bizarre events, wars, assassinations and celebrity deaths to cyberattacks, swindlers and spy stories - we cover it all and more, sprinkling a bit of true crime flavor and funny commentary on top. We bring a fresh take on suspicious events – past and current - and the people who caused them. Because history is stranger than fiction! New episodes come every Wednesday, and ad-free episodes are available to our patrons. If you’re looking for gripping stories about devious people and questionable happenings, you’re in the right place! Stay Dubious, Sandra and Tyler

Category

history · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Mar 2022

Latest episode

1 Feb 2024

Latest episodes

94 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Feb 2024

   Re-Run: A Hero Dog, a Drug-Fueled Search and How Four Children Survived 40 Days in the Jungle

   Four indigenous children survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon and spent 40 days alone in the jungle. Wilson, the hero dog who found them, is now missing. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS (https://betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS) today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. The children’s ages range from 11 months old to 12 years old. After their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle, causing the instant death of the pilot and of another passenger, the siblings tried to save their mother who was still alive. She passed away after four days. If you like our content, please become a patron (https://dubiouspod.com/subscribe/) to get all our episodes ad-free. 1 The eldest child, Lesly, is credited with keeping her siblings alive through her knowledge of the jungle. The children survived for 40 days in the Amazon by eating fruit and using large leaves to protect themselves from the rain. 2 The children were discovered in a forest clearing by rescuers, who were guided to their location by Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd and four-legged hero. The military released drawings made by the children, depicting Wilson in the jungle, highlighting his role in their survival. After the rescue of the children, the search for Wilson began as he was separated from the kids, had a “weird reaction” when seeing his handler, and then disappeared. There are reports of a drug-fueled search and rescue operation, suggesting that the military and various groups – including the dog handlers - had been using ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea, as a ritual to help them locate the children. Wilson, the 6-year-old hero dog, is still missing in the jungle. 1. By Ed Cumming and Mathew Charles, A hero dog, a drug-fuelled hunt (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/17/dog-drugs-colombian-jungle/), The Telegraph, June 2023. ⇤ 2. By John Otis, How Indigenous kids survived 40 days in Colombia's jungle after a plane crash (https://www.npr.org/2023/06/17/1182715412/colombia-rescue-plane-crash-indigenous-children), NPR, June 2023. ⇤

2. 

   25 Jan 2024

   Mary Bell, the 10-Year-Old Serial Killer

   Mary Bell was only 10 years old when she killed two toddlers in Newcastle, England, in 1968. Her first victim was 4-year-old Martin Brown. Mary and her friend Norma then murdered and mutilated the body and genitalia of 3-year-old Brian Howe. In this episode we discuss the disturbing story of Mary Flora Bell, who tried to kill several children and eventually succeeded in killing two young boys by strangulation. Her friend Norma bell – no relation, just a name coincidence – helped Mary murder her second victim. 1 2 Mary Bell was sentenced to be imprisoned “at Her Majesty’s pleasure,” a British legal term that denotes an indeterminate sentence. After 12 years, in 1980, she was released on license (probation) and now lioves a quiet, anonymous life with her daughter. 3 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS (https://betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS) today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron (https://dubiouspod.com/subscribe/) to get all our episodes ad-free. 1. Leah Silverman The Chilling Story Of Mary Bell, The 10-Year-Old Murderer Who Strangled Two Boys (https://allthatsinteresting.com/mary-bell) All That's Intersting, September 2023 ⇤ 2. Linda Caroll A Judge Called Mary Bell A Monster When She Was Just 10 Years Old (https://medium.com/history-of-women/mary-bell-10-year-old-killer-heres-what-no-one-knew-f4b10821a84e) Independent, September 2022 ⇤ 3. MICHAEL SEAMARK & PAUL SIMS Child killer Mary Bell becomes a grandmother at 51: But all I have left is grief, says victim's mother (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1110123/Child-killer-Mary-Bell-grandmother-51-But-I-left-grief-says-victims-mother.html) Daily Mail, July 2023 ⇤

3. 

   17 Jan 2024

   The Fake Disappearance of Carlee Russell and the Tik Tok Kidnapping Panic

   A 25 year old Alabama nursing student disappeared after calling 911 and claiming she was stopping to help a toddler in diapers who was walking alone on Interstate 459. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS (https://betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS) today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron (https://dubiouspod.com/subscribe/) to get all our episodes ad-free. Carlee Russel returned home two days later and claimed she had been kidnapped and had barely managed to escape. She said the toddler was used as bait. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Carlee described how a man with “orange hair” emerged from the woods and picked her up and forced her into a vehicle. No, it wasn’t Donald Trump. 1 She said the man then put her into the trailer of a tractor and drove her to an unknown location where he forced her to undress and took photos of her. Carlee also mentioned that the man had a female accomplice who fed her cheese crackers. 2 Police soon realized her story didn’t add up. Carlee admitted she faked her own abduction. Her motives are unclear, but we suspect she was “inspired” by the kidnapping social media craze, a new “Satanic Panic” type of phenomenon which has been spreading like wildfire online, especially on Tik Tok. 3 This new trend, started by right-wing evangelicals, aims to terrify women, and convince them they can be abducted at any moment and sex trafficked. The scope is to distract from real social issues like overturning Roe v Wade, the gun violence epidemic, voting rights etc. Statistically, a woman in the US is more likely to get hit by lightning than get kidnapped and sex trafficked. 1. Ariana Baio & Andrea Blanco Carlee Russell smiles in mug shot as she’s charged with false police report in kidnap hoax (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/carlee-russell-update-alabama-charges-kidnapping-b2383504.html) Independent, July 2023 ⇤ 2. Tiffanie Drayton ‘We will not be dismayed’: What Carlee Russell’s lie means for other missing Black women (https://www.dailydot.com/irl/carlee-russell-missing-black-women/) Daily Dot, July 2023 ⇤ 3. UNODC UNODC report on human trafficking exposes modern form of slavery (https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html) UNODC, February 2009 ⇤

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

60 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

27 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.