Michigan Monsters Podcast

14/08/2026

Can I tell you guys a story? My brother and I have never been super close, but I've always wanted the very best for him. That's why I was so happy when he found Angie, because that's what she is- the very best.

It was a joy to watch them build their life together, from globe-trotting adventures, to starting a family, to entering the trenches of small business ownership when they purchased the veterinary clinic Angie had worked at for years.

Together they have four beautiful children, my perfect baby angel nephews and niece. Nathan is 8, Liam is 6, Aiden is 4, and Nora is almost 2. For years, I have watched with wonder as Angie worked eleventy-billion hours a week at her clinic, went home and played outside with her kids, cultivated a garden, made time for family trips, went camping, played the organ at her church, etc, etc. I'm still convinced she's always known how to squeeze more than 24 hours into a day.

Not quite two weeks ago, my brother took Angie to the ER for back pain and shortness of breath. Every day since has been a nightmare. Blood clots in her lungs which were caused by cancer that had started in her ovaries and spread to most of her major organs. Then a brain bleed caused by the blood thinners, followed by a massive stroke. Today, Angie's medical team made the decision to stop treatment and keep her comfortable for her final days, which will be few.

From camping and planning for back-to-school for the kids, to saying their final goodbyes in less than two weeks. We are all shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. Actually, that's probably an understatement.

I wish I could give my precious niece and nephews the world, but I'm a struggling small business owner, as are Angie and my brother. I don't have a ton of money, but I do have a wonderful online community that has grown from a shared love of weird history, spooky books, and bugs. And so I'm asking now for your support, for my brother and his family, so that they don't have to worry about financial nonsense in the immediate future. If you're unable to give, please just share. And please, please send your prayers and good vibes their way.

It will forever be the greatest honor and heartbreak of my life that I was able to spend a bit of time with Angie when they sent her home from the hospital briefly last weekend, on the last day that she was truly herself. There was a lot going on, so much uncertainty, so much anxiety and fear. When I was getting ready to leave, I found myself alone with Angie, and I asked her- "Can I get you anything?" She said, "just a hug." Those were her last words to me, and I will carry them with me for the rest of my days. 🔗⬇️

27/07/2026

It would be INCREDIBLE to see this one solved!

RECENT DEVELOPMENT 🕵🏻‍♀️🐴

The Michigan State Police are seeking new tips and leads in the disappearance of Pamela Hobley and Patricia Spencer in Oscoda, Michigan in 1969. The disappearance of the 15 and 16 year old teens may be linked to the murderer of Sherri Jo Elliot, Mr. Roni Collins. If you have information regarding their disappearance, please contact the Michigan State Police West Branch Post at (989)345-0956. As always, Go Broncos!🐴

27/07/2026

It's the end of an era. Today, the FINAL episode of Already Gone was released, and I was honored to be a part of it.

When Dani and I first started our podcast eight years ago, Nina Innsted was the gold standard of Michigan true crime podcasts that we aspired to live up to. Her hard work, compassion, and integrity truly set her apart, not to mention that she is Michigan's OG true crime podcaster.

Ten years on air is a hell of a legacy to leave behind, and I'm so excited to see where this next chapter leads. I was honored to call her a colleague, but I'm even more honored to call her a friend. Congratulations, Nina, on a job well done. 🖤

For the final episode of Already Gone, Nina sits down with the amazing Jenn Carpenter of the Michigan Monsters podcast to talk about a cold case from 1970

15/07/2026

Hi, friends. Coming to you today with an update on the future of the podcast. When I made my triumphant return (complete with a fresh rebrand) at the beginning of the year, it was because I truly missed telling stories through this medium. I missed doing the research and writing. (Recording and editing, not so much.) And I missed connecting with you all in this way. I was hopeful that once I got going again, I'd find my groove. But it never happened. And all of the reasons I took such a long hiatus in the first place came roaring back- safety, stress, etc. The honest truth is this: at this time, I can't feasibly run the podcast on any sort of weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly schedule, delivering the caliber of stories I expect of myself, while also keeping the bookshop afloat and upholding my festival duties. There simply isn't enough of me to go around. BUT. I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet.

I've spent the past couple of months considering my options, and here's the one I've landed on- Michigan Monsters is going to start coming to you Netflix series style- seasons dropping with no rhyme or reason. No concrete schedule, no set length of time between seasons, no set number of episodes per season- just me working quietly behind the scenes on my loooooong list of story ideas. Researching and writing until I have enough to drop a whole season. Then doing marathon recording sessions, so that I can have everything ready to go before I even announce that new episodes are coming.

It's a bit unorthodox, I know, but it's the only path forward that feels feasible. Thank you all for understanding, and for all of your support over the years. I'll see you soon(ish.)

24/06/2026

25 years ago today, 41-year-old Bernita White was killed by a single shot from a high-powered sniper rifle while at Potter Park Zoo with her 5-year-old daughter. What at first seemed like an open-shut case subsequently became Lansing's most notorious "unsolved" murder. A quarter of a century later, the community continues to seek Justice For Bernita!

Episode 117: Animal, a deep dive into this case, is now streaming wherever you get your podcasts!

17/06/2026

On June 23, 2001, Bernita White was killed by a single shot from a high-powered sniper rifle while at the zoo with her 5-year-old daughter. What at first seemed like an open-shut case subsequently became Lansing's most notorious unsolved crime. As the 25th anniversary approaches, we revisit Bernita's story while her family continues to fight for justice. Episode 117: Animal is now streaming wherever you get your podcasts!

16/06/2026

One week from today is the 25th anniversary of Lansing's most notorious unsolved murder. On the next episode of Michigan Monsters, we'll revisit Bernita White's story. Episode 117: Animal will be available wherever you get your podcasts starting tomorrow, 6/17.

15/06/2026

Hi. Happy Monday. Let's start with the good news- a new episode IS COMING THIS WEEK! It just most likely won't be today. (Maybe tomorrow?) Truth be told, I was hoping to be back with a June 1st episode, I just couldn't make it happen.

The less good news- being completely transparent here, I find myself right back where I was when the podcast was on hiatus for those two years. Overwhelmed, running behind schedule, feeling unsafe because of the attention drawn to the stories I'm telling, and being a bit disgusted with the current state of "true crime content creation" and not wanting to be a part of it. Let's discuss.

I wish there was a world in which I could do all of the things I need to do to keep the bookstore, the podcast, the festival, and my writing career running successfully, but there just isn't. Each one of those is a full time job all on its own, and I'm over here trying to manage all four simultaneously. This is to say nothing of finding a work/life balance that allows some semblance of a personal life, or finding the time to develop any of the 72,365 other projects floating around in my brain. The end result is that nothing gets the attention it deserves, and I constantly feel like I'm letting everyone down. Like I'm drowning. And it's not a good feeling.

Neither is feeling unsafe because people don't like the fact that I'm bringing up old cases that the public has largely forgotten about or moved on from. This is especially dangerous for me, given my commitment to covering local stories. Sometimes the awful people I'm talking about live just down the street, and because of the bookstore, everyone knows where to find me now. I've had a few unpleasant incidents over the years, and then almost as soon as the podcast started back up, it happened again.

Lastly- this isn't about money for me, which is good, because the podcast consistently operates in the red. And it's not about views and likes. It's about sharing accurate information and quality content on important local history that has been largely overlooked and forgotten. But damn, it's disheartening to pour my everything into these stories, just to watch some girl that built a following doing Dollar Tree hauls post about a current case, have her post get some traction, and decide to become a "true crime content creator." To watch her ChatGPT written posts with bad grammar and misspelled words, her bu****it "theories" that display nothing more than a complete lack of knowledge of the criminal justice system, get eaten up by the tens of thousands. (I am not talking about any one person here- this is happening a lot, and that's the entire problem.) I've watched these people dig into my backlog of episodes and cases, create Temu versions of even my most obscure stories (often in the exact order I released them!), and get 10x the traction I did. Because I refuse to play the game social media likes- creators who are exploitative and oversaturating. Because I refuse to use words like "unalive" and "grape" to appease the algorithm. And then, to add insult to injury, I find myself lumped into the same category as people like this- we're all "true crime content creators," right? SIGH. (I guess I really needed to get that all out.)

This was all a very long way to say that I, once again, feel like I'm over here screaming into the void, then left overwhelmed and unsafe as a result. And that's just not a sustainable way to operate. So I don't know what that means for the future of the podcast. I'll let you know when I figure it out, I guess.

17/05/2026

Have you watched it yet? What are your thoughts? My initial thoughts were, this girl's parents were so awful, I'm surprised they're not from Michigan! (Close, tho.)

Here's my hot take- I don't think she crashed the car intentionally. She was (and still is) way too self-obsessed to drive herself into a brick wall at 100mph on purpose. I think, since she had never faced a consequence or repercussion for bad behavior before and clearly had a terrible temper, that she was driving that fast to scare the boys, probably screaming that she was going to crash the car the whole time, without actually intending to crash it. I just don't see someone that narcissistic doing that to themselves on purpose.

I think she absolutely remembers what happened, ALTHOUGH- it is 1000% possible to experience memory loss like that. When my son has a really bad seizure, he often loses most of his memories from a couple days before to a couple days after. Sometimes some of it comes back, but sometimes it's gone forever. So that part is, technically, believable- but I still don't believe her.

She and her parents have centered her as the victim in this, as it appears they have in every situation her entire life. The lack of remorse from that whole family is wild.

TL;DR- I do, actually, think it was an accident. But she's right where she belongs regardless.

14/05/2026

The judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hands.

The South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of Alex Murdaugh