Was Stranger Things inspired by a real government experiment?In this episode, we explore the Montauk Project, the infamous conspiracy involving mind control, psychological trauma, MK-Ultra–style experiments, and alleged time manipulation that many believe directly influenced Stranger Things. But beyond the pop culture connection, this story takes a much darker turn.We examine claims made by individuals who believed they were part of the Montauk experiments, and how those beliefs were allegedly used to manipulate and sexually exploit vulnerable people, blurring the line between conspiracy theory, cult dynamics, and real-world crime.This episode blends true crime, government conspiracy, psychological abuse, and pop culture history, asking a harder question: when belief becomes identity, who gets hurt?Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, MK-Ultra theories, secret government programs, and unsettling true crime rooted in psychological control.

In November 1971, the List family vanished from their home in Westfield, New Jersey — and no one noticed for nearly a month.What investigators eventually discovered inside the Breeze Knoll mansion would become one of the most chilling family annihilation cases in American true crime history. John List methodically murdered his wife, mother, and three children, stacked their bodies in the ballroom, wrote detailed letters explaining his actions… and then disappeared.For nearly 18 years, John List lived under a new identity while the house that went silent sat abandoned, decaying, and becoming a magnet for rumors, trespassers, and fear.

In this episode, we dive into the baffling case of David Glenn Lewis, a Texas attorney who vanished in 1993 and was later struck and killed along a highway in Moxee, Washington, over 1,600 miles from home. For 11 years, he remained a John Doe, with no clear explanation for how or why he ended up there.What makes this case even stranger is what was happening before he disappeared: an upcoming legal deposition, unexplained travel, and a timeline that still doesn’t quite add up.We explore this case from a local Washington perspective, adding details that often get overlooked and examining the lingering questions surrounding Lewis’s death. Was this a tragic accident, or is there more beneath the surface?A huge thank you to Amanda for suggesting this case, it’s one that continues to haunt both Texas and Washington locals to this day.

Hey friends! Quick update episode.We’re officially switching our release day from Mondays to Tuesdays, starting now. So if you were looking for a new episode today, don’t worry, it’s still coming, just dropping on Tuesdays from here on out. Same show, same chaos, just a better day for everyone.We also go off on a little side tangent (because of course we do) about alligator lore… and whether that makes any sense at all for Northern Idaho. It’s short, it’s weird, and it’s very on brand for us.Thanks for sticking with us, thanks for listening, and we’ll see you tomorrow, and every Tuesday after that.

When the justice system failed her, Miriam Rodríguez Martínez became her own investigator.After her daughter, Karen Alejandra Rodríguez Martínez, was kidnapped and murdered by cartel members in Mexico, Miriam refused to accept silence, corruption, or inaction. Instead, she spent years tracking down those responsible, gathering evidence, identifying suspects, and forcing authorities to make arrests in one of the most dangerous environments imaginable.In this episode, we walk through Karen’s disappearance, the devastating aftermath, and how Miriam transformed grief into an all-out pursuit of justice, one that would ultimately make her a target herself.This is a story about loss, courage, and what happens when a mother refuses to let her child be forgotten.

In this episode, we dive into the disturbing and deeply mysterious murder of Cassidy Rainwater, a missing woman from Missouri whose case spiraled into dark web rumors, gruesome allegations, and a wave of conspiracy theories.

We break down the timeline of Cassidy’s disappearance, the chilling discovery that linked suspects James Phelps and Timothy Norton to her murder, and the cabin photographs that fueled nationwide speculation about cannibalism and organized dark web activity.

We also discuss the ongoing questions surrounding Cassidy’s family, the disappearance of her mother years earlier, and why so many believe this case reveals something bigger happening in the Ozarks. This is one of Missouri’s most unsettling and talked-about true crime cases, and today, we’re unpacking every detail.

In June of 1999, a man named Ricky McCormick was found in a Missouri field… and nothing about the case has made sense since. Not the location. Not the circumstances. And especially not the two handwritten notes found in his pockets, notes filled with symbols, numbers, and codes that even the FBI’s top cryptanalysts couldn’t break.Tonight, we’re diving into one of America’s strangest unsolved mysteries: Who was Ricky McCormick? What did those coded notes mean? And why has this case stayed officially “open” for more than two decades?But because this is The Treehouse in the Woods… you know we’re taking a detour. And yes, somehow, along the way, we end up with a man known only as Mr. Pancakes. Don’t worry. It’ll make sense. Kind of.So grab a snack, lock your doors, and settle in.This is Missouri Mysteries: The Unbreakable Code… and Mr. Pancakes.

Grigori Rasputin wasn’t just a mystic, he was a walking fever dream of a man whose life reads like someone mixed a soap opera with a horror movie and said, “Yeah, that’ll work.”In this episode, we break down the real Rasputin: his chaotic rise from a troubled kid in Siberia, to wandering holy man, to member of a sex cult, to somehow becoming besties with the Romanovs… all while surviving more assassination attempts than should be medically possible.But heads up: this isn’t a rigid, snooze-worthy history lecture. This is the fun retelling of the “we got curious, fell down a rabbit hole, and now you have to hear about it too” version. Expect weird facts, questionable choices, royal drama, and Rasputin being Rasputin.If you love chaotic historical figures, dark humor, cults, conspiracies, or stories that make you go “WHAT the hell?!”, you’re in the right place.