エピソード

  • The Quieting Circle: How a Missing Duffel Exposed a Cult's Grip

    The Quieting Circle: How a Missing Duffel Exposed a Cult's Grip
    2026/09/10
    The Quieting Circle: How a Missing Duffel Exposed a Cult's Grip

    Pepper the dog found a duffel with a 212-page spiral notebook, a sealed unnamed envelope, and a single sheet listing a seven-digit bank routing number beside the name Larry York written 41 times in 41 different handwritings - a discovery that led a Fenwick detective to unravel nearly three years of quiet control. How did a group with no physical restraints build that kind of grip, and what did the missing duffel finally expose?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the February 19, 2014 discovery through the lives pulled into the Clarity Collective, showing how language, routine, and a borrowed workbook reshaped relationships and choices. What happened inside the converted garage on Whitfield Avenue that left no visible injuries but changed people’s lives?

    Person: Nancy Jenkins
    Date: February 19, 2014
    Location: Dellwood Park bench
    Person: Sharon Christensen
    Event: Discovery of duffel led Fenwick PD to connect to nearly three years of control

    - At 9:17 AM on February 19, 2014, Nancy Jenkins found a canvas duffel bag on a park bench while walking her dog Pepper.
    - Inside the duffel was a spiral notebook with 212 pages filled front to back.
    - A single sheet in the bag listed a seven-digit bank routing number and the name Larry York written 41 times in 41 different handwriting styles.
    - Larry York, age 51, led the Clarity Collective and presented a binder called the Clarity Collective in meetings.
    - The Clarity Collective matched a 2004 workbook by licensed counselor Wayne Prescott, whose name York had removed.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • The Badge in the River: How a Found ID Toppled a Cult Leader

    The Badge in the River: How a Found ID Toppled a Cult Leader
    2026/09/09
    The Badge in the River: How a Found ID Toppled a Cult Leader

    A laminated badge pulled from the Cutter River started a chain that exposed a leader who ran a wellness collective as a closed financial scheme: the badge read Gail O'Connor and led to a federal case that produced eleven years in prison and three hidden bank accounts-how did a river find become the hinge for two years of hidden control at the Puritas Center?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the moment Carol Donnelly handed the badge to the sheriff's office through the weeks of unraveling that began with a folded note in a diner and ended with criminal charges; what exactly connected a badge, a ranch called Dellwood, and the Community Stewardship Fund?

    Person: Gail O'Connor
    Event: Badge found in Cutter River
    Location: Dellwood Ranch, Teller Basin
    Person: Grant Richardson
    Status: Federal sentence of eleven years

    - The badge found on the Cutter River was laminated, in a waterproof sleeve, and read Gail O'Connor.
    - Gail O'Connor transferred approximately $9,000 into the Community Stewardship Fund in spring 2009.
    - Dellwood Ranch comprised 640 acres where the Puritas Center operated on the outskirts of Fenwick.
    - Grant Richardson purchased Dellwood Ranch at a public auction in 2006 using certified funds and was 44 years old at the time he led sessions.
    - The criminal case produced evidence of three hidden bank accounts across two states and testimony about two years of financial manipulation and controlled isolation.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • The Wooden Sun Left at a Sealed Compound - Who Returned It?

    The Wooden Sun Left at a Sealed Compound - Who Returned It?
    2026/09/08
    The Wooden Sun Left at a Sealed Compound - Who Returned It?

    A sealed fifty-acre compound in Sterne County, Tennessee had a handmade wooden sun nailed to a pine three months after it was closed by court order - the wood showed no weathering and the varnish was still tacky, meaning it was placed no more than three weeks earlier. Who returned that painted sun to a property under legal lockup, and why did it end up as tagged evidence?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from a December 14, 2011 discovery back to the origins of Sunrise Harbor Community and the people who joined it, asking how a single object became part of a larger legal and financial dispute. What does the sun reveal about who controlled the compound and the money that flowed through it?

    Date: December 14, 2011
    Location: Sterne County, Tennessee
    Event: Wooden sun found nailed to a pine at chin height
    Person: Pamela Holt (county surveyor who discovered the sun)
    Organization: Sunrise Harbor Community

    - The compound covered fifty acres and had been sealed by court order for three months when the sun was found.
    - The wooden sun had "MORNING CIRCLE" burned into its face and was painted yellow and orange.
    - Investigators determined the wood showed no weathering and the varnish was tacky, indicating it had been placed no more than three weeks before discovery.
    - Sunrise Harbor was purchased by Lawrence Allen Cox in 2003 and operated on a forty-three-acre property with two spring-fed ponds and cabins.
    - Marcia Slater, age forty-two in February 2004, moved into Sunrise Harbor in June 2004 after attending a personal development workshop run by Larry Cox.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • Hidden Charter in a Septic Tank: How Millhaven's Founder Stole Everything

    Hidden Charter in a Septic Tank: How Millhaven's Founder Stole Everything
    2026/09/07
    Hidden Charter in a Septic Tank: How Millhaven's Founder Stole Everything

    Danger lurks beneath a septic riser: eleven laminated pages, a notarized charter, and no signature from the community's putative founder-found on a twelve-acre property in Millhaven Township in November 2011. How did a restated deed, secret amendments, and handwritten “equity” notes strip members of their money and rights without triggering alarms?

    In this episode, we tell how a discovered charter and a string of documents reveal the changes to Millhaven Commons’ legal structure, the timeline of concealed amendments, and the personal records members kept as evidence. What did the septic-tank discovery unlock about the trust, the trustee, and the losses that followed?

    Person: Howard Andrews
    Location: Birchfield Road, Millhaven Township
    Date: November 2011
    Event: Charter found in septic riser collar
    Person: Amanda Moore

    - A septic service worker found eleven laminated pages with a notary seal lodged in a riser collar on a twelve-acre property.
    - The charter bore eleven signatures and conspicuously lacked Howard Andrews's signature.
    - Howard Andrews purchased the twelve-acre property in 2005 at age forty-one and filed an amended deed establishing a co-housing trust.
    - A restated deed-of-trust amendment notarized in November 2008 removed all named beneficiaries and listed Howard Andrews as sole trustee, dated nine days before meetings Andrews later claimed produced it.
    - Amanda Moore arrived February 2006, age forty-two, bringing a $31,000 cashier's check she said represented her savings, and kept a detailed four-year logbook recording two daily thirty-minute walks for her dog Pepper.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • The Choir Director Who Kept Her Silent: The Scored Silence Revelation

    The Choir Director Who Kept Her Silent: The Scored Silence Revelation
    2026/09/06
    The Choir Director Who Kept Her Silent: The Scored Silence Revelation

    Fear and curiosity collide: a cardboard box beside Garrett Creek held 214 handwritten pages, a stopped Timex engraved "Sandra Fitzgerald," and a folded three-sentence letter to her sister - but no police report and eight months of silence. What do those manuscript pages reveal about the woman who vanished from public life between late August and October?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Sandra Fitzgerald joining the Scored Silence choir to the discovery of the box and her ER arrival, laying out the timeline, the people involved, and the discrepancies that opened more questions than answers. How did a choral ensemble, a man using a false identity, and a folded letter converge to erase Sandra from record for months?

    Person: Sandra Fitzgerald
    Date: October 14, 1997
    Location: Garrett Creek (eastern bank)
    Case: Scored Silence choir disappearance
    Person: Harvey Evans (born Brian Solt)

    - The box contained exactly 214 handwritten manuscript pages.
    - Sandra's Timex watch was engraved with "Sandra Fitzgerald" and had stopped at 11:43.
    - Sandra was 27 years old in February 1997 when she joined the Scored Silence.
    - By April the ensemble had grown to 14 members; by August nine members moved into a farmhouse on Garrett Creek Road.
    - Sandra's savings fell from $4,000 to $11 after she gave up her apartment and moved in with the group.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • They Found a Tooth in a Jar - Whose Body Was Restored?

    They Found a Tooth in a Jar - Whose Body Was Restored?
    2026/09/05
    They Found a Tooth in a Jar - Whose Body Was Restored?

    A sealed mason jar containing a single human tooth and a typed card reading "RESTORED" was left upright on a gravel access road at 6:47 AM on September 19, 2011 - nobody at the scene had touched it and there were no fingerprints; who placed it there and whose tooth did it hold? What links that jar to an inward-facing group called the Restored Body Covenant, a leader who used a modified stud finder as a medical device, and the sudden departure of members the night before?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at the Prentiss fairgrounds to the life of a member who paid heavily to advance in the Covenant, and we trace the practices, payments, and devices that framed the group's operations to ask: how did a dental hygienist end up central to this mystery?

    Person: Ross Cook
    Date: September 19, 2011
    Location: Prentiss fairgrounds, Galton, Indiana
    Person: Ruth Bennett
    Organization: Foster Cellular Research, LLC

    - A glass jar with a human tooth and an index card labeled "RESTORED" was found at 6:47 AM on September 19, 2011.
    - Ross Cook, a 14-year-old paperboy, discovered the jar and did not touch it before calling his mother.
    - The Restored Body Covenant housed roughly 22 people inside a converted exhibition hall at the fairgrounds.
    - Ruth Bennett joined the Covenant in April 2010, moved in full-time by August 2010, and was assessed 11 times by Earl Foster.
    - By the night of September 18, 2011, eight members walked out and by then Ruth had transferred $63,000 to Foster's operation.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    22 分
  • The Brass Key in the Ditch That Broke a Cult's Silence

    The Brass Key in the Ditch That Broke a Cult's Silence
    2026/09/04
    The Brass Key in the Ditch That Broke a Cult's Silence

    A discarded brass key stamped with the number 7 and a laminated badge were found frozen in a ditch on February 4, 2019 - a tiny object that exposed a hidden group inside a stamping plant that left no written trace. How did a supervisor recruit nine coworkers into a closed world of “clarity,” secret meetings and identical bank withdrawals, and why did one young woman vanish from her own life schedule?

    In this episode, we tell what happened at Consolidated Stamping and how the discovery of the key set investigators on a path that connected a missing-persons report, matching bank patterns, and a covert group known to outsiders as the Ironbound Circle. What did the key unlock, and how did it unravel the Circle’s careful secrecy?

    Date: February 4, 2019
    Person: Kelly Hoffman
    Location: County Road 9 outside Dellford; Consolidated Stamping; Plum Street house
    Event: Discovery of laminated employee badge with brass key; missing-persons report filed
    Group: Ironbound Circle

    - The key found was a small brass key with the number 7 stamped on its head, taped to a Consolidated Stamping employee badge.
    - The key was discovered by snowplow operator Neil Coleman while clearing the drainage ditch on County Road 9.
    - Kelly Hoffman was 23 years old in spring 2018 and earned $14.60 per hour as a hydraulic press operator on second shift.
    - By June 2018 Kelly had contributed $80 from her first overtime check to what Alan Hicks called the “tithe of clarity.”
    - Eight other Consolidated Stamping employees showed identical bank withdrawals of $150 on the same date for four consecutive months, matching Kelly’s pattern.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分
  • Locked in by a Literary Cult: The Editor Who Disappeared

    Locked in by a Literary Cult: The Editor Who Disappeared
    2026/09/03
    Locked in by a Literary Cult: The Editor Who Disappeared

    The first thing you feel is the claustrophobia: a senior manuscript editor locked in a farmhouse cellar for eleven days, a library card with eleven digits burned into its magnetic strip, and a leader who faked a doctorate to build a closed community. How did a respected editor surrender six years of savings and her career to a literary collective that ran like a prison - and how did a single act in total darkness expose it all?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led Vicki Whitfield from a stable life at Havermill Academic Press into the Vantage Press Collective, outline the structure and controls Morris imposed inside the farmhouse, and follow the discovery that began unpaved on a Delton Township service road. What did Morris hide in plain sight, and what finally broke the collective's secrecy?

    Person: Vicki Whitfield
    Age: 38
    Person: Thomas Morris
    Location: Delton Township farmhouse on an unpaved service road
    Amount: $19,000 transferred by Vicki in January

    - Vicki was locked in a cellar for eleven days before being discovered.
    - Vantage Press Collective's first journal issue appeared in February and was sixty pages.
    - Vicki transferred $19,000, described as six years of savings, into the collective account in January.
    - The farmhouse rent was $800 per month to absentee landlord Steve Pettit in Florida.
    - The collective's LLC recorded monthly outflows of approximately $4,000 in facility costs, creating a $3,200 discrepancy from rent.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分