Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More

On this episode we're talking about Bob Crane- an accomplished radio DJ in the 50's and the star of the 1960's sitcom "Hogan's Heroes". But we get a little naughty on this one folks, because ol' Bob …

Gig Young was a major supporting actor in Hollywood for decades, appearing in films alongside the likes of Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. But in his later y…

It's been a long journey, but we are finally to the last episode of our 9 part series! We discuss the NOMIS and FBI investigations into Ken's death, the impact the death had on his loved ones, the re…

In the next to last episode in our series, we cover the events of July 10th, 1981- the day Ken McElroy died. We also discuss the direct aftermath of his shooting, and the storm of controversy it crea…

In our 7th episode on Ken McElroy, we introduce you to new Nodaway County Prosecutor David Baird, and cover Ken's trial for shooting Bo Bowenkamp. Then, despite what initially appeared to be a victor…

Hey kids! So it turns out we've been doing this podcast thing for 4 years now. Who knew?? Well, we knew, and decided to make a little "Happy Anniversary" episode to shamelessly congratulate ourselves…

In this incredibly frustrating episode, Pastor Tim Warren stands up to Ken and refuses to stop visiting and supporting the Bowenkamp family. Also, after Ken is finally bound for trial after a success…

In part 5 of this series we introduce you to the only law man in 3 states NOT scared of Ken McElroy- a Missouri State Trooper named Richard Dean Stratton. We also cover Ken's continued fixation on th…

After seven decades the identity of the mysterious "Somerton Man" has been solved!! We discuss the new findings and in true Dawn of Mantis style, Joe closes out this short episode with a totally unre…

In this episode we continue to follow Ken's path of lawlessness and dissect the event that would end up leading to his death- the "Candy Incident" that occurred in B & B Grocery in April of 1980. 

Sup…

In part 3 of our series, we cover Trena’s failed attempts to get away from Ken, and how she instead ended up marrying him at 15 so that he could avoid sexual assault charges. We also discuss Ken’s sh…

In part 2 of our series we cover Ken's continued laundry list of crimes, as well as introduce you to the attorney who would help him avoid prosecution for all of them- Richard Gene McFadin. We also i…

Ken McElroy terrorized northwest Missouri for decades before finally being killed in what some call an act of vigilante justice. In this first part of a nine part series, we cover Ken's early life, h…

In the second and final part of our Bobby Fuller series, we cover his bizarre death and examine each of the three major theories of how he died and who may have been responsible. (Subject Matter Begi…

Bobby Fuller and his band, the Bobby Fuller Four, achieved commercial success in the mid 60s with songs like “Let Her Dance” and their cover of the Crickets’ “I Fought the Law”. But just as the band …

On a sunny cloudless day in March of 1876, meat began to fall from the sky over a small farm in Kentucky. To this day, no one is quite sure where it came from or how it happened. In our 182nd episode…

On May 12th, 2018, a young Florida woman named Joleen Cummings left her job at a hair salon and was never seen again. Police quickly suspected foul play and zeroed in on one of Joleen’s co-workers, a…

In this listener suggested episode we cover the case of Samantha Sperry, a young woman who went missing from a rural area in Kentucky in 2018. The last two people known to have seen her were her boyf…

This is one of the most bizarre cases we've covered, and it occurred in the Spring of 1922 in a small village in France. A small girl disappeared, only to be found 200 miles away, alive an unharmed w…

The second part of our convo with Bruce Bennett contains twice, dare I say THRICE the family friendly quality content as the first. Enjoy! 

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