Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

• A Deadly Inheritance: The Von Stein Murder

  In July 1988, Lieth Von Stein was brutally murdered in his Washington, North Carolina home while his wife Bonnie barely survived the attack. The crime scene looked like a burglary gone wrong—but investigators quickly realized something didn't add up. The house was barely disturbed, nothing of value was taken, and the violence was shockingly personal.   As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered a conspiracy that seemed ripped from a fantasy game. Lieth's stepson Chris and his college friends had been playing Dungeons & Dragons obsessively, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The motive? A $2 million inheritance. The plan? Orchestrated by college kids who thought they could get away with murder.   This case explores how greed, entitlement, and obsession led to one of North Carolina's most shocking family murders. From the brutal attack to the investigation that exposed a twisted plot, this is the story of when fantasy became fatal reality.   Thank you to this week's sponsors:     New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries   Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries   Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com #TrueCrime #Podcast #FloridaMoms #LiethVonStein #NorthCarolina #FamilyMurder #Inheritance #DungeonsAndDragons

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• Absurd Lawsuits: Scams, Frauds, and Greed

  Some crimes are violent, some are tragic, and some are just so absurd that they make you lose a little faith in humanity. Today we're diving into lawsuits so wild, so petty, and so downright unbelievable, you'll think we made them up.   First up: the Wendy's finger fraud. In March 2005, Anna Ayala claimed she found a human finger in her chili. The story made national headlines, Wendy's stock plummeted, and America lost its appetite for fast food. But the finger was planted—Anna thought she could outsmart the legal system and sue for millions. She was wrong.   We also cover the man who sued himself, the guy who demanded $67 million from a laundromat over a lost pair of pants, and more cases that prove greed and audacity know no bounds. This episode is a wild ride through the most frivolous, bizarre, and criminal lawsuits in American history.     New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!   Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries   Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries   Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com   #TrueCrime #Podcast #FloridaMoms #WendysFingerFraud #AbsurdLawsuits #AnnaAyala #FastFoodScam #FrivolousLawsuits

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• Janie Ballard: A Daughter's Deadly Greed

  When a friend found 58-year-old Janie Ballard stabbed over 70 times in her Little Rock, Arkansas home on September 13, 2003, investigators immediately suspected her own daughter, Leslie, and Leslie's much older husband, Mike McCool. But how did a shy, successful young woman from a prominent family become capable of such unthinkable violence?   Leslie had grown up with every advantage—private school, college degrees, a job at the family printing business, and a condo bought by her parents. But after meeting Mike, a twice-divorced bodybuilder 22 years her senior with a violent criminal past, Leslie transformed completely. The more her parents disapproved, the deeper she fell under his control. When Janie cut Leslie out of her will, the relationship turned deadly.   This case explores how manipulation, greed, and toxic family dynamics led to one of Arkansas's most shocking matricides. A mother who feared her own daughter—and was right to be afraid.   Thank you to this week's sponsors!   Get organized, refreshed, and ready for the holidays for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Little Spoon is the mealtime hack parents can't stop talking about. Try their no-prep, nutrient-packed meals and snacks for babies, toddlers, and big kids. Get 50% off your first online order at littlespoon.com/MOMS with code MOMS at checkout.    New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!   Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries   Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries   Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com   #TrueCrime #Podcast #FloridaMoms #JanieBallard #Arkansas #Matricide #FamilyMurder

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• Science Gone Wrong: The Bizarre and Terrifying Experiments History Forgot

  Science is supposed to cure disease and improve life, but sometimes confidence goes off the rails. Today, we are taking you on a tour through history's wildest moments when science went completely off the rails, including incidents where confidence reached levels of blowing up a dead whale, dropping cats out of planes, and poisoning an entire generation. Join us as we explore the terrifying line between discovery and disaster. Join us as we dive into bizarre and unethical experiments, from psychology horror shows that spiraled out of control to so-called "miracle" substances turned deadly. Join us as we discuss the chilling details of the Radium Girls, whose agonizing sacrifice ultimately forced the development of crucial occupational health and safety laws. Join us as we unpack the dark lessons learned from the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. This episode proves that sometimes, what we don't know can truly hurt us. Thank you to this week's sponsors!   To explore coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/MOMS.  Eligibility restrictions apply. Visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/AmazonTerms  for more info. Stop cooking with toxic cookware, and upgrade to Our Place today. Visit fromourplace.com/MOMS and use code MOMS for 10% off sitewide. With a 100-day risk-free trial, free shipping and returns, you can experience this game-changing cookware with zero risk.  

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• The Krugersdorp Killings: Cult, Con Artists, and the Woman Who Claimed to Speak for God

  In 2016, a string of professionals in the quiet mining town of Krugersdorp, South Africa, started disappearing after appointments with new clients. The killer was a team of believers doing the bidding of a woman who claimed to speak for God herself: Cecilia Steyn. Join us as we unpack the chilling details of the Krugersdorp Killings, a case involving a massive financial con and a manipulative cult leader. Join us as we explore how one woman was able to gain control over her followers and convince them to commit a series of shocking murders. Join us as we discuss the terrifying power of this religious manipulation and how the cult's methods were similar to the dangerous influence wielded by figures like Charles Manson. This is the story of how a twisted belief system led to an entirely preventable tragedy.   Check-out bonus episodes up on Spotify and Apple podcast now! Get new episodes a day early and ad free, plus chat episodes at ⁠Patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast⁠  Check-out ⁠Moms and Mysteries⁠ to find links to our tiktok, youtube, twitter, instagram and more.

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