We're going to be talking about a couple of survivors of near decapitation, a doctor who had to perform surgery on himself, a close encounter with a hippo and more! Check out our merch shop: https://nottodaypodcast.myshopify.com/ For 15% off Uncommon Goods: https://www.uncommongoods.com/nottoday

April 20th 2022, started out as any other day for forensic scientist, Nicole Lenway Ford. But as Nicki was headed inside the familywise parenting center to pick up her son, a person dressed in all black ran up from behind her and shot her multiple times. As Nicki clung onto life in the hospital, police raced to figure out who wanted Nicki dead. CHECK OUT OUR MERCH!!!  https://nottodaypodcast.myshopify.com/  For 15% off on Uncommon Goods:  https://www.uncommongoods.com/podcast/nottoday

Serial killer Rodney Alcala was a photographer who lured women by offering to take their picture. His killing spree lasted from 1968 until 1979. During that time he was also a contestant on the daytime television show The Dating Game. For 15% off on Uncommon Goods, head to: https://www.uncommongoods.com/podcast/nottoday 

On August 28th 2016, eyelash extension technician Olga Svik was begged by one of her clients, Viktoria Nasyrova, for an emergency appointment. As a thank you for seeing her last minute, Viktoria brought Olga a piece of cheesecake, however after eating it, Olga immediately felt ill and fell unconscious. Olga was rushed to the hospital, but when she came home she discovered that certain items had been stolen from her apartment. Olga would soon learn that she wasn't the only person to have an unpleasant encounter with Viktoria Nasyrova. For 15% off on Uncommon Goods, head to: https://www.uncommongoods.com/podcast/nottoday 

In the winter of 1971, the Perron family moved into a large farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. For the duration of the 10 years the Perron family lived there, they would experience a haunting unlike any other. This is the true story that inspired the first conjuring movie. 

This week we're discussing a few haunting ghost stories and a break in story that sounds like it came straight out of a movie! 

When Daniel Gonzalez was 24 years old, the voices in his head told him he needed to kill people. On September 15th 2004, he set out to become a serial killer, just like his favorite horror movie monsters, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. 

On their way home from a weekend trip, Betty and Barney Hill claimed they encountered a UFO. After their strange experience that night, the couple realized they had a two hour span in which they had no memory. Disturbed and alarmed by their loss of consciousness the two underwent hypnotherapy to try and recall the lost time. During their hypnosis, the two separately recalled their shocking stories of being abducted by aliens. 

Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn rose to international stardom while performing with their many jungle cats, The duo then had their live career immediately ended when a tiger named Montecore unexpectedly attacked Roy on stage, nearly killing him.

Alex Skeel first met his girlfriend, Jordan Worth, at the age of 15. The couple's relationship started out normal however as time went on Jordan became extremely controlling, physically and psychologically abusive. By the time it ended, Alex hadn't seen his family in two years and he was only 10 days away from death. 

Kate Moir was only 17 years old when she was kidnapped by two of Australia's most prolific killers after she accepted a lift from the couple after a night out in Perth in November 9, 1986. She had to face the terrible realization that she was not going to be safely dropped off at home as she had been promised, but she was now a captive. And what was even even worse was, these people had done this before. 

In this episode we're going to discuss a close call at a hotel, a terrifying car accident, an unexplainable ghost story and more! To learn more about microdosing THC go to https://www.microdose.com/ and use code: nottoday to get free shipping & 30% off your first order! 

For months, Colorado police departments were sure Travis Forbes was behind the disappearance of Kenia Monge. However due to lack of evidence, they were unable to bring him to justice. That was until July 4th 2011, when another woman crossed paths with Travis. Lydia Tillman jumped from her burning second floor apartment, not only saving her life, but also giving police the evidence they needed to catch a monster.  The Kenia Monge Foundation:  https://keniamonge.wordpress.com/  

Lets talk about what happened the night the Titanic sank and about some of the survivors. 

In February 1978, A Michigan college student went missing during a solo cross country ski trip. Over a year later, after being presumed dead, he reappeared without a single memory from the time he went missing. Head to https://factormeals.com/nottoday50 and use code nottoday50 to get 50% off! 

In 2007, German paraglider, Ewa Wiśnierska, was in Australia for the Paragliding World Championships. She had been competing in a cross country event when she got caught in a terrible storm cloud. This massive cumulonimbus had sucked her straight into the worst thunder and lightning storm her teammates had ever seen, and sent Ewa to heights greater than Mount Everest. 

For years one man terrorized Sydney as he carried out multiple bombings and shootings on the judges of the Family Court of Australia, their families, a church, and innocent members of the public. Throughout this reign of terror the police only ever had one suspect that could be linked to all of the crime scenes; but despite years of surveillance and investigation, they were never able to make an arrest. Leonard Warrick felt like he was untouchable. And to be fair, he almost got away with it.

In the early morning of December 5th 1998, 14 year old Michael Politte was having a sleepover with one of his friends, when he was woken up to find his mother’s murdered body on her bedroom floor. But that was only the beginning of the hell he was about to endure. At only the age of 14, Michael would be arrested for murdering his mother, Rita Politte. 

In November of 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg, Kevin Gale, and Marcus Stamm were convinced to take the 'trip of a lifetime' through the amazon rainforest by a man named Karl Ruchprecter. Karl told the group he was an experienced geologist who knew the jungle better than his own backyard and would guide them through the jungle to see things no one ever had. However after almost a month of trekking through the jungle, the group decided to split up leaving Yossi and Kevin to raft down the massive Tuichi River on their own. What could possibly go wrong? Head to ---> https://www.factormeals.com/nottoday50 and use code nottoday50 to get 50% your order! 

Let's chat about a man who was almost cut in half by a train, a terrifying bungee jumping accident, a case of life long hiccups and other freaky accidents, in our first GUEST EPISODE! 

For decades Texas A&M University held the tradition of burning the annual Aggie bonfire the night before their rivalry football game with University of Texas. The bonfire was made into an enormous wedding cake like structure and was entirely constructed by students in the months leading up to the game. However on November 18th of 1999, students were putting the finishing touches on their beloved bonfire when the structure unexpectedly jolted and fell to the ground. The tragedy that followed was something that no one in this college town was prepared for. 

Let's dive into the stories you send in! This time around we've got a dad who escaped a serial killer, a group who gets stuck between an angry mama moose and a black bear, a really terrifying ghost and more!

Lorena Bobbitt was charged with malicious wounding for cutting off her husband's penis with an 8 inch knife. In this part of the story, we're going to dive into her trial, as well as the after math of it. Lorena Gallo Foundation:  https://lorenagallofoundation.org/ The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 SMS: Text START to 88788

Early in the morning on June 23, 1993, the Manassas city police received a call reporting a man had been assaulted by his wife, and officers were needed at Prince William Hospital. But when officers arrived at the hospital, they learned this would be far from a routine call. The victim of this assault, John Wayne Bobbitt, had his penis cut off; and the severed penis was still missing. Did Lorena Bobbitt slice off her husband's penis in a fit of jealous rage, or was there something far more sinister going on which caused her to snap? The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 SMS: Text START to 88788

Jim and Jennifer Stolpa and their infant son, Clayton, were traveling to Idaho to attend a family funeral, when they realized main interstate highway had been shut down due to a bad blizzard. Jim and Jennifer decided to find an alternate route, however instead of going around the storm like they intended, the couple drove directly into it, and got stuck in the snow. By the time they got stuck, it was dark, the were in the middle of nowhere, and no one knew they had changed course. 

Let's talk about some truly unbelievable freak accidents! 

Jennifer Holliday picked up her 18-year-old cousin, Anna Franklin, up from a babysitting job, late one night in May of 2005. The two decided to make a quick stop at a gas station to grab some snacks before heading home, however their worlds were about to collide with an evil man who was fueling his rage with exorbitant amounts of drugs and alcohol. They didn't know it at the time, however after leaving the gas station, Eric Parnell followed close behind. 

Psychiatric hospitals in the 20th century were a really terrifying place to be. In this episode we're going to discuss the conditions and treatments in mental institutions during that time, as well as a few people who experienced them and lived to tell the tale! 

In the fall of 1961, Julian Harvey had been pulled out of the ocean from a dinghy. He claimed the Bluebell, a ship he had been the captain for, had hit an unexpected squall which caused the ship to sink, taking everyone on board down with it. That story was believable until 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault was found near death on the open ocean after 4 days on a small cork raft. Terry Jo had a much different version of events from the night the Bluebell sank. 

When a Hollywood camera crew set out to film an active volcano they end up in a helicopter crash into the volcano. 

On Friday the 13th of October 1995, best friends Misty Cockerill and Tanya Smith were walking to a friends birthday party around midnight when a man emerged from the bushes and attacked them with a baseball bat. Hours later, Misty woke up in the grass dazed and confused but managed to stumble her way to the nearby emergency room. However the Abbotsford killer was only getting started. Terry Driver spent the next seven months taunting the police with phone calls and letters and terrorizing the city of Abbotsford, Canada. 

Blake Stanfeild and his father Neil planned to go on a six day rafting trip in the remote Alaskan wilderness, sixty miles from civilization, to celebrate Neil's 65th birthday. But when their raft hit an unexpected patch of ice, the strong current sent the men underneath. The two managed to find a pocket of air under the ice covering the raging river, however this was only the start of their fight to stay alive.

In 2015 Victoria Cilliers nearly plummeted to her death after jumping out of an airplane and discovering that both her initial and reserve parachute had malfunctioned. Victoria miraculously survived the fall, however an investigation was promptly opened after  experts had been lead to believe that her kit had been tampered with. After uncovering more of what was going on behind the scenes in Victorias life, investigators discover the person responsible for the faulty parachute may have attempted to take Victoria’s life on another occasion.

In Part 2 we're going to discuss the 51 day stand off between the Branch Davidians and the United States government; and all the major mistakes that were made. 

In early 1993 in Waco Texas, a 51-day stand off between a religious apocalyptic cult, called the Branch Davidians, and the US government took place. In part one we're going to discuss David Koresh, the leader of this cult, and take a look into what this religious group believed and practiced. 

Join us this week as we read one of our listeners first hand accounts of their journey through Hurricane Katrina. 

In 2012, two members of the Staudte family passed away in a six month span. Both of them experienced flu like symptoms before death and were found with a ring of blood around their mouths, however their deaths were determined to be from natural causes. But when a third member of the family fell ill not long after, the local police received an anonymous tip suggesting the mother of this family may be behind these untimely deaths. Go to https://hellofresh.com/nottoday60 and use code nottoday60 to get 60% off plus free shipping!

On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado ravaged through Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people   and injuring 212 others. The survivors of this tragedy came together to pull whoever they could from the rubble and over time rebuild their community. 

In November of 2000, three masked gunmen broke into the home of bank manager Michelle Renee. They took Michelle, her seven year old daughter Breea, and her roommate Kimbra hostage for fourteen hours, strapped dynamite to their backs, and demanded that Michelle rob her own bank for them. And if Michelle didn't deliver all of the money in the vault to them, they would be killed. Go to https://hellofresh.com/nottoday65 and use code nottoday65 for 65% off plus free shipping! 

Melissa Armstrong and David Tomlinson set out to have an easy 30 minute dive around an active volcano. But when unexpected bad weather caused stronger currents, they were pulled way off course. When Melissa and David resurfaced, they were much farther from the boat than planned, which made them impossible to spot. The two were then left out in the middle of the ocean to fend for themselves. The divers had to endure dehydration, a twenty mile swim, and all the sea life between them and the land. 

At the age of sixteen, Erin Caffey masterminded a plot to kill her entire family. 

Sergeant Jill Evans is a small-town cop in Wales with an impressive record in her job, and a less than impressive record in her love life. After three engagements, two divorces and one affair, she’s beginning to worry that love is only true in fairy tales. That is until she meets: Dean. He’s a wealthy beauty entrepreneur with his own range of toiletries. Girl meets boy. Boy meets girl. They kiss and fall in love. Roll credits. But that would be boring, wouldn’t it? Instead, this is a love story like no other. It’s all going so well for Jill and Dean, until Halloween night, when Dean disappears. And Sgt. Jill is left to pick up the pieces. From Wondery and Novel, comes a new series. Hosted by Kerry Godliman. Follow Stolen Hearts on Amazon Music of wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App.  Listen to Stolen Hearts: Wondery.fm/SH_NT

In 2018, 31-year-old Spencer and 24-year-old Jessica Christiansen decided to take a trip into the Darby Canyon wind and Ice Cave in Wyoming. They believed this would be perfect for them since they were constantly searching out new adventures. But this cave would be different because, once you go in, you cant go back from where you came. The only way out is forward; meaning whatever obstacles you face, you need to overcome to make it out the other side. 

On July 24th 2013 Matt Dyer took a trip into Canada's Torngat Mountains National Park. He thought he would be extremely lucky to see a polar bear on this trip. And as it turned out, he did see one, but it was much more up close and personal than he ever expected. Go to Hellofresh.com/nottoday21 and use code nottoday21 for 21 free meals plus free shipping! 

On April 10, 2009, 29-year-old Trisha Leffler, an escort, was gagged, bound, and robbed at gunpoint at a Westin hotel in boston by a man who had responded to an ad she placed on Craigslist. In the days that followed, two other women would post ads on craigslist and come into contact with that same man. This man was soon to be known as The Craigslist Killer. 

Katrina Cooke Brownlee was 18-years-old when she got into a relationship with corrections officer, Alex Irvin. In that abusive relationship, Katrina was ignored by police for years before she was shot 10 times, and left for dead. She was told she'd never walk again, however to say Katrina overcame her obstacles is an understatement. 

On November 22, 1997, Caleb Record drove his friend, George Place, home from basketball practice. After hitting a patch of ice, the car went over a ledge, and flipped five times down a hill before landing upside down in the icy West River. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/nottoday and get on your way to being your best self.

This week we're diving into the stories that you sent us!