On a quiet Minnesota night in May 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson vanished after his car veered into a ditch, just moments after a chilling final phone call with his parents. Despite an extensive search, no trace of him was ever found.

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered, we explore the baffling mystery that continues to haunt investigators, from eerie cell phone pings to theories of foul play, accidental death, and possible abduction. Was Brandon lost in the dark, or was something more sinister at play?

Let's unravel one of America’s most puzzling missing persons cases and its lasting impact on the law and those left behind.

On January 15, 1947, a young woman’s severed body was discovered in a Los Angeles vacant lot—drained of blood, surgically mutilated, and eerily posed. The victim? 22-year-old Elizabeth Short. The press named her The Black Dahlia, and the mystery surrounding her death would grip America for decades.

In this episode of Brewed and Bewildered, we explore the brutal crime that became one of the most infamous unsolved murders in U.S. history. Who was Elizabeth Short, and why did her death spark such public obsession? Was the killer a doctor, a serial murderer, or someone protected by the powerful?

We examine the most chilling theories—from Dr. George Hodel and LAPD cover-ups to links with the Cleveland Torso Murders. But beyond the headlines, we remember Elizabeth not as a spectacle—but as a real person whose story deserves dignity.

On Christmas Eve, 1945, a mysterious fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Five of the ten Sodder children vanished without a trace. Despite no remains being found in the ashes, authorities declared them dead, but the truth may be far more disturbing.

In this episode, we unravel one of America’s most haunting mysteries. Were the Sodder children kidnapped? What about the cut phone lines, the silent fire truck, and the strange photograph sent decades later?

Join us as we investigate this chilling true crime case that still baffles experts and haunts listeners worldwide.

Want to learn more or see the evidence for yourself? Check out these in-depth resources:

• Smithsonian Magazine – The Children Who Went Up in Smoke
• FBI Vault: The Sodder Children Disappearance