HeyJaredPoisoned Appalachia: the Dark Side of Appalachia
Discover the dark side of Appalachia through this podcast. Explore the region's rich folklore, mythology, and delve into the unsettling tales of murders, criminals, and disasters that have shaped its history.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 21, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 19, 2026
Latest episodes
Episode 82 Fred Zain (opens the original)
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For years, Fred Zain was one of West Virginia’s most trusted forensic experts. Prosecutors relied on his findings, juries believed his testimony, and men were sent to prison based in part on the science he presented in court. Then DNA testing began telling a very different story. In this episode of Poisoned Appalachia, we uncover the Fred Zain scandal—questionable lab results, ignored warnings, wrongful convictions, and an investigation that cast doubt on scores of criminal cases in West Virgini
Episode 81: Fairies of Appalachia (opens the original)
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Fairies in Appalachia? Absolutely—but forget the tiny wings, glitter, and happily-ever-afters. Long before the modern fairy tale, the Fair Folk of European folklore were mysterious, unpredictable, and sometimes dangerous beings that demanded respect. And when Scots-Irish, German, and other European settlers crossed the Atlantic, they brought those old beliefs with them into the Appalachian Mountains. In this episode of Poisoned Appalachia, we trace those stories from the forests and mountains of
Episode 80: the Death Fog (opens the original)
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Sometimes, the darkest stories in Appalachia aren’t legends. They’re history. Five days before Halloween in 1948, a strange yellow fog settled over the Pennsylvania mill town of Donora and nearby Webster. At first, life continued beneath the haze. There was a Halloween parade. A Friday night football game. The mills kept running. Then people started struggling to breathe. As the fog thickened, doctors and firefighters fought through streets where visibility had nearly disappeared. And soon, peop
Episode 79: the land between the lakes (opens the original)
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Land Between the Lakes Deep between the rivers of Kentucky and Tennessee lies a place where history, tragedy, and legend have become tangled together. In this episode, we explore the communities lost beneath the waters of Land Between the Lakes, the unsolved murders of Carla Atkins and Vickie Stout, and the chilling legend of the Beast of LBL. From haunted cemeteries and strange encounters to stories of something lurking in the woods, we explore the history and darker folklore of a place where t
Episode 78 Eugenics in Appalachia. (opens the original)
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What happens when a government decides who is “fit” to have a family—and who isn’t? This is one of the darkest chapters in Virginia and Appalachian history, and the connection to Shenandoah National Park is complicated, disturbing, and often overlooked.
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