Bedford, Indiana, 1983. A mysterious person leaves spray painted footprints at the steps of a local church and a letter declaring himself ‘Captain Purple.’ Other similar messages start appearing across the 12 square miles of the small Indiana town. Youth Pastor Harold Neeley recounts finding the letter at the Bedford Free Methodist Church, and the national interest, and fear that followed. Despite the nature of small towns, no one knows who was behind the night time antics of Captain Purple.

2025: Nick Storm and Derek Ingersoll begin their investigation into Captain Purple heading to Bedford, Indiana, to speak with first hand sources from four-decades prior, and they begin to understand why this true story could have much deeper implications.

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Original music in this episode by Owen Beverly.

‘Words of Caution,’ by Nathan Jacques.

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****SPOILERS****

Click here for a look at the I-log report from June 14, 1983 and other source notes from our reporting.

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Website: CaptainPurple.com

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The search for suspects and inconsistencies between a file at the Bedford Police Department in 2025 and the stories of an officer from 1983 have Nick Storm and Derek Ingersoll chasing after the police.

In 1983, Bedford was distrustful of the captain, at least until some took a public stand. Nick and Derek track down Richard King, who was visited by Captain Purple in spring of 1983, and hear how that encounter prompted him to come forward in defense of the town’s budding hero.

To see source material from this episode check out our series notes on the website.

Are You Captain Purple merch is available now on our webstore.

Original music in this episode by Owen Beverly.

Radar By EXO.

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Have a hometown mystery to pitch? Email us at areyoucaptainpurple@gmail.com

Website: CaptainPurple.com

Nick and Derek continue their investigation into Captain Purple, the mysterious do-gooder in Bedford, Indiana, from the summer of 1983 that drew national attention.

In this episode they revisit the town’s pivot into accepting Captain Purple. They also find an interesting connection into the K Street corridor of the town where a nexus of Captain Purple visits are reported, and they make contact with the widow of former Mayor John Williams.

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Source notes for this episode are available here.

Original music in this episode by Owen Beverly.

‘Let it Go’ by Dot Dot Dot

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Have a hometown mystery to pitch? Email us at areyoucaptainpurple@gmail.com

Website: CaptainPurple.com