Beyond the Ferns – Details, episodes & analysis

On this week's episode we are headed to the greate state of Alaska! On April 26, 1993, 20-year-old Sophie Sergie was found murdered in a women's restroom inside Bartlett Hall at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Sophie, a Yup'ik student from the small village of Pitkas Point, had traveled to Fairbanks for orthodontic appointments and was staying with friends in the dormitory. Investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and shot in the back of the head sometime during the early morning hours of April 26. Despite hundreds of interviews and years of investigation, the case went cold and remained unsolved for more than two decades. However, investigators would have their breakthrough in 2018. Despite knowing the person responsible for murdering Sophie, there were many questions that have continued to puzzle investigators. No murder weapon, an unclear motive, what exactly would lead someone to do such a heinous act? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are headed to Rhode Island! On the evening of August 31, 1990, Adam and Elena Emery were enjoying dinner with friends in Rocky Point, Rhode Island, when a passing vehicle sideswiped Adam's parked Ford Thunderbird. Rather than stopping to exchange information, the driver sped away into the night. Furious over the damage and determined to find the person responsible, Adam started chasing the car he believed to be responsible. However, this night ended in way more than confrontation. After forcing a young group of men in the car before them, the altercation turned from road rage fury to a full blown murder investigation. In the weeks and months that followed, investigators worked to unravel exactly what happened that night, while the case drew intense media attention across the state. As the legal proceedings moved forward, it appeared the story was headed toward a conclusion. But then came a shocking twist. Authorities discovered Adam and Elena's vehicle abandoned on the Claiborne Pell Bridge, which stretches across Narragansett Bay. And there would be plenty of unanswered questions, that only Adam and Elena had the answers to... unfortunately, there's a lot of missing pieces even thirty years later... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, we are headed to the great state of Alabama! Tucked away in the quiet stretches of rural Alabama, Jack Cole Road doesn’t look like the kind of place that would carry a reputation. It’s just a narrow, winding road—lined with dense woods, long shadows, and the kind of stillness that seems to press in around you the deeper you go. But over the years, stories have gathered there. Strange lights flickering between the trees. Unexplained figures seen just off the roadside. Disappearances and speculation surrounding deaths. And then there’s the story of Orion Williamson. In 1854, on a seemingly ordinary day, Williamson was walking across his own farmland in Selma, Alabama—his wife and neighbors within sight—when something happened that has never been fully explained. He stepped forward… and simply vanished. No struggle. No sound. No trace left behind. A large search followed, combing through every inch of the land, but whatever happened to him left no answers. Nearly two centuries later, his disappearance still lingers as one of the strangest cases on record—often dismissed, debated, or quietly retold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, we are headed to New Orleans, LA! In the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans was still struggling to find its footing, a volatile love story was quietly unraveling behind the doors of a French Quarter apartment. Addie Hall — a free-spirited bartender known for her magnetic personality and fiercely independent nature — had fallen into a passionate, often turbulent relationship with Iraq War veteran Zack Bowen. Together, they drifted through the strange, lawless days that followed the storm, forming a bond shaped by trauma, excess, and emotional instability. But by October 2006, what had once felt like survival-driven connection turned into something far more sinister. When police were called to the couple’s apartment on Governor Nicholls Street, they uncovered a crime scene so disturbing it would shock even seasoned investigators. Spray-painted messages, chilling notes, and the gruesome treatment of Addie’s body revealed a descent into psychological darkness that few could comprehend. The murder of Addie Hall remains one of New Orleans’ most haunting modern crimes — a case that raises unsettling questions about love, war, mental health, and the fragile line between devotion and destruction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are headed to Mississippi! On a quiet December evening in rural Mississippi, a stretch of backroad became the center of a tragedy that would shake an entire community. Nineteen-year-old Jessica Chambers was found severely burned near her vehicle — alive, and barely able to speak. To the first responder's surprise, she was able to respond to who had done this to her. The man's name was "Eric". In the hours that followed, investigators, loved ones, and a small town desperate for answers were left trying to piece together what had happened in the moments leading up to the fire. What unfolded was a case marked by confusion, conflicting accounts, and emotional courtroom battles. Rumors spread quickly, fear took hold, and the search for truth became as complicated as the circumstances surrounding Jessica’s final hours. Years later, questions still linger about who was responsible and whether justice has truly been served. In this episode, we do a deep dive into this cold case. We explore potential suspects, review the details, and the evidence. Join along as we try to understand what exactly happened to Jessica Chambers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, we are headed to Maine! We're stepping back into the late 1800s to explore the unsettling story of a woman who would eventually earn one of the most chilling nicknames in New England true crime — the “Borgia of Maine.” Drawing comparisons to the infamous poison-wielding Borgia family of Renaissance Italy, this case centers around Mary Cowan, a woman whose life became surrounded by a troubling pattern of illness and sudden deaths within her household. What initially appeared to be misfortune and sickness — common explanations in an era with limited medical knowledge — slowly began to raise suspicions as multiple family members died under eerily similar circumstances. As whispers spread through the small Maine community and investigators began looking closer, the quiet domestic tragedies started to resemble something far more sinister. In this episode, we’ll unravel the life of Mary Cowan, the string of mysterious deaths that followed her, and how she ultimately came to be remembered as the “Borgia of Maine.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode #60, we are headed to Oklahoma! On a cold December morning in 1996, 21-year-old dance student Juli Busken was preparing to leave Norman, Oklahoma behind for the holidays. She had just finished her final semester at the University of Oklahoma and was looking ahead to a future of dance. But before she could return home to her family in Arkansas, something happened in the quiet hours before sunrise in her apartment parking lot. Her car was found abandoned. Hours later, her body was discovered near the shoreline of Lake Stanley Draper. What followed was a case that would stretch across years — marked by unanswered questions, evolving forensic technology, and a relentless pursuit of justice. For nearly a decade, the mystery of what happened to Juli haunted her family and the community she left behind. We will walk through Juli’s final known movements, the early investigative missteps, and the long road toward answers — while keeping the focus where it belongs: on a young woman whose life was filled with promise and who's presence is missed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, we are headed to North Carolina - Lake Norman, NC. Lake Norman looks peaceful at first glance — miles of open water stretching across North Carolina’s Piedmont, dotted with quiet coves, sailboats, and lakeside homes. But beneath that calm surface lies a drowned valley. Entire communities once stood where boats now drift. Roads end abruptly underwater. Foundations, churches, and forgotten farmland remain frozen in time beneath the depths of the Catawba River. For decades, witnesses have reported sightings of something moving through the water. Known locally as “Normie,” the Lake Norman Monster. But Normie isn’t the only legend tied to the lake. Boaters have long whispered about the Lady of the Lake — a pale figure said to appear along the shoreline or drifting near submerged roads. Blending local history, eyewitness accounts, folklore, and the unexplained, this episode explores whether Lake Norman’s mysteries are simply stories born from imagination… or echoes of something still waiting beneath the surface. Listen along wherever you get your podcast! Happy to have you here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, we are headed back to New Hampshire in Part II (final part) of the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray. We will be diving into details concerning the 22 year long investigation, the many person of interest leads that have been chased throughout the years, and the circulating theories of what could have happened on that fateful day in February 2004. PLEASE NOTE: If you have any information on this cold case, please speak up. A case is never fully cold and it could be just what is needed to crack the case open and lead to answers. These are the best channels for submitting any potentially useful information: New Hampshire State Police – Cold Case Unit:Call the Cold Case Unit at (603) 271-2663 Email Cold Case Unit:coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov — often used for tips and detailed information! Gloucester, Massachusetts Police Department: 978-283-1212 The Murray family maintains an official site about Maura’s disappearance. If you believe your information might help and want to reach out directly to the family or share your tip, there’s a contact form and press email: mauramurraypress@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early February 2004, 21-year-old Maura Murray was a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Smart, athletic, and known for her quiet determination, Maura had once attended United States Military Academy at West Point before transferring to UMass to pursue nursing. On the surface, she looked like someone building a future — clinical rotations, classes, a tight circle of family. But in the days leading up to February 9th, there were fractures forming beneath that surface. A few days earlier, Maura had been involved in a minor car accident while driving her father’s vehicle after a late night out. No one was seriously hurt, but it was another stressor layered onto an already heavy week. There were academic pressures. There were questions about her personal life. There were small, seemingly isolated events that, in hindsight, feel like pieces of a larger puzzle. Then came Monday, February 9, 2004. That afternoon, Maura emailed her professors and supervisor, saying there had been a death in her family and she would be gone for a few days. There had been no death. She withdrew nearly all the money from her bank account — just under $300. She purchased alcohol. She packed some belongings. She printed directions to northern New Hampshire — specifically to the White Mountains area, near Bartlett. And then she left campus. What’s haunting is how ordinary it all seemed at the time. College students take breaks. They drive to clear their heads. They don’t always tell everyone where they’re going. As evening fell, Maura drove north in her black Saturn sedan. The further she traveled from Massachusetts, the darker and more rural the roads became. Snowbanks lined stretches of highway. Temperatures hovered below freezing. By nightfall, she would be hundreds of miles from campus, on a quiet stretch of road in Haverhill, New Hampshire. And within minutes, everything would change. But up until that moment — she was just a young woman driving into the winter night, with a destination in mind and questions she may or may not have planned to answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices