In 2004, 21-year-old Maura Murray emailed her professors about a "death in the family," packed her car with snacks, booze, and more than a few secrets, and drove off into the snowy woods of New Hampshire...never to be seen again.

What followed was not your average missing persons case--it was full-on internet obsession complete with cryptic clues, shady phone calls, and a search party that somehow involved both cadaver dogs and conspiracy theorists with Reddit PhDs.

Was Maura running away? Was she abducted? Did she step into a glitch in the Matrix?

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This week, we check into the famously haunted Stanley Hotel—where the views are stunning, the ghosts are active, and the walls have definitely heard things. Built by Freelan Stanley, inventor, entrepreneur, and overachiever with a mustache to match, the hotel was originally a luxurious mountain escape for the well-to-do (and unwell-to-do—Stanley himself came to Estes Park for tuberculosis recovery). Unfortunately, like most great American landmarks, the hotel sits on land forcibly taken from Native American tribes, because history is nothing if not deeply haunted. As we wander the echoing halls, we explore how an actual explosion in 1911 nearly took out a maid (who now reportedly haunts Room 217 while folding towels with passive-aggressive energy), how the hotel inspired Stephen King’s The Shining, a novel that proves isolation and 70s carpet patterns are a deadly combo.

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This week, we dive back into Iowa’s most infamous fixer-upper: the Villisca Axe Murder House. In 1912, a horrific and unsolved murder left eight people dead—and ever since, the ghosts have apparently been auditioning for their own reality show. Join us as we discuss the legends, the cold case, and the number of times ghosts have slammed the door in Zak Bagans' face. We’ll examine all the burning questions: Is it haunted? Who did it? Why is there always one guy who thinks challenging the ghost to a fight is a good idea?

Spoiler alert: It never is.

Thanks for listening! If you have a minute, please rate, review, and subscribe. You can also find us on social media @twistedandmysterious and email us your personal stories or story suggestions to twistedandmysteriouspodcast@gmail.com.