At around 2 p.m. on March 23, 2015, a 911 call came in to the Vallejo, California police department from this man who sounded totally drunk or high on a drug, claiming that his girlfriend was missing and she had been kidnapped. But his story just didn't make any sense. When the officers got to this man’s house, he looked deranged, and his house looked totally off and had this weird chemical smell. And then when they asked him to give them some information, he would launch into this bizarre story about men in wetsuits with lasers on their hands. But the police would follow up and actually launch an investigation, because this guy’s girlfriend really was missing... and they would uncover a story that was even more bizarre than the 911 caller’s story had been.Story name, preview & link to original YouTube video:#1 -- "Wetsuits & Lasers" -- After a man calls 911 to report that his girlfriend was kidnapped, police would have a hard time believing his wild and bizarre story - but that was just the beginning (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/DCQ6jq5mcDM?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they’re far more connected than we realize.From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time.Follow Hysterical on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ at wondery.fm/Hysterical_FD.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a summer day in 1986, a medical examiner and her assistant stared down at a deceased woman lying on the metal table. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this, the woman appeared to have been completely healthy at the time of her death - she didn't have a stroke, there was no heart attack and there was no sign of a drug overdose. However, this seemingly healthy woman had suddenly collapsed on the floor and been brain dead just minutes later. Just then the assistant took a long deep breath in through her nose, and after she did she looked over at the medical examiner with wide eyes. The medical examiner did the same thing and took a long deep breath in through her nose. They both smelled a very strange odor, and it smelled almost like almonds. The medical examiner could hardly believe it, she'd only heard about something like this happening in movies and detective novels. But that smell meant one thing to her and to the assistant, this deceased woman must have been poisoned with cyanide. And this theory would soon lead to a large scale investigation by local police and the FBI, and what they would find would casue panic across the entire United States.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Bad Blood" -- An infamous medical program in Alabama (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/RK6MIl28b-8?feature=shared)#2 -- "Suspended" -- Just wait for the photo... (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/vj_auGTlcLA?feature=shared)#1 -- "Earworm" -- Whatever you do, DON'T sing this song (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/NMQ6qTht1bo?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of July 7th, 2019, Sergeant Dan Birbeck responded to a call at the home of a 49-year-old woman in a small Texas town. Birbeck got to the house and found a bloody crime scene in the master bedroom – evidence that a violent struggle had taken place there. Three other members of the family were home that night and had been in close proximity to the master bedroom – and none of them heard a thing. The victim’s husband had been asleep on the couch just steps away from the master bedroom. The victim’s teenage daughter was asleep in the room just next door. And the victim’s son had been in an upstairs bedroom playing video games all night. It seemed inconceivable to Sergeant Birbeck that a violent attack could have taken place in one room, while members of the family slept through it or played video games without hearing anything. Birbeck believed something sinister had happened in the house that night, and the family members might be in on it. But the sergeant had a problem… the victim of this apparent crime was nowhere to be found.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are some truly dangerous people in this world whose intent is to mean harm to others, and today’s podcast features 2 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#2 -- "Head of the Family" -- Recently separated man decided he needed to do something really special for his estranged wife (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/pUoex49Yzng?feature=shared)#1 -- "The Snowball Effect" -- This story is a stark reminder that there really are truly dangerous and unstable people who walk among us (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/btzFaCuKUjg?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From Ballen Studios, and hosted by Marine Corp Reconnaissance veteran, Luke Lamana, this is Wartime Stories. A weekly podcast that is a mix of horror, mystery, and awe inspiring tales. Where the strange, dark & mysterious meets the battlefield and beyond. New episodes every Monday.Listen now: https://ballen.lnk.to/Fz9J66See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One Monday morning in May of 2010, a classroom full of sixth graders sat at their desks waiting for their substitute teacher to arrive. But the morning bell rang, and the substitute never showed. A passing administrator noticed the substitute’s absence, and he hurried to the front office to find out what was going on. This substitute had always been reliable, and it was not like her to just not show up for work. The administrator rushed to the office and called the substitute’s son. And he went to his mom’s house to see if everything was ok, and he found his mom sitting at her computer. But when he got closer, something terrified him – his mom’s hand had turned purple. He called 911, and police quickly arrived. And what they found inside the rest of the house would turn a small, wealthy community completely upside down.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.A young woman working on a fishing vessel in Alaska begins experiencing a strange burning sensation in her eye. What she finds inside her eyelid makes her skin crawl.Listen Now: Wondery.fm/MBMMFor 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the afternoon of September 10, 2009, an art student walked inside her off-campus apartment in Dallas, Texas, and immediately began making herself a late lunch. Her roommate didn't come out of her bedroom to greet her, but to be honest, this wasn't totally unusual. The two of them, despite being roommates, were not actually very close at all. After eating their food, the student studied for a while, then watched some TV, and then went to bed. All the while, still never hearing a sound coming out of her roommate's bedroom. But again, this was normal. That is, until the next day, when the student received a call from their school telling her to go back to her apartment to check on her roommate. Because, apparently, the roommate's mother was very concerned about them. The student was annoyed, but went back to the apartment. And when they walked into their roommate's bedroom, they would see something that would haunt them for years. And it would instantly explain why their roommate would not come out of their room. For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s podcast features 3 stories that involve people who were trapped – with “no way out.” The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Behind the Partition" -- A husband wakes up and can't find his wife (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/EQFYw9sRGzc?feature=shared)#2 -- "Moulding Room" -- One fateful mistake has devastating consequences (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/NMQ6qTht1bo?feature=shared)#1 -- "Within Reach" -- This story is about an infamous caving incident, and at the end of the video we will show you the haunting picture associated with the story (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/OieeAo7l2vA?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In April of 1990, a bleary-eyed detective stepped into a townhouse in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The detective had been on call for days, and all he wanted to do was sleep. But now, he’d been called in to investigate a double homicide. The detective opened the door to the basement, and started walking down the steps. The overhead light cast shadows on the floor below, so he couldn’t get a clear look at what he was walking into. Then the detective reached the bottom of the steps, and he suddenly felt wide awake. The scene in the basement was far more gruesome than he’d imagined – two dead bodies lay there on the floor. And there was one thing that jumped out at the detective immediately. On a cardboard box sitting between the bodies, a heart and the letter “U” was scrawled in blood. The detective had no idea if one of the victims had left the message, or if this was a scene staged by a deranged killer… and it would take him six months to get the answer he was looking for… and to discover what really happened in that basement.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s story centers around one of the dumbest criminals EVER. It will be confusing at first, but trust me... at the end, it will all fall into place, and you’ll be left wondering how in the world people like this actually exist.Story name, preview & link to original YouTube video:"Feint of Heart" -- This story centers around one of the dumbest criminals EVER. It will be confusing at first, but trust me, at the end it will all fall into place, and you’ll be left wondering how in the world people like this actually exist (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/y4wnvH4gHuI?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On an evening in 2010, a driver pulled over and parked their car on a residential street, trembling with fear. The driver looked to the passenger seat and saw a six foot tall demon sitting there. And when the demon spoke, it sounded like the famous 1970s R&B and soul singer, Barry White. This demon told the driver there was no need to fear, but they had been chosen for an important mission. Suddenly, the demon disappeared, and an angel who sounded like the actress Olivia Newton-John took its place. And the angel said the demon was right – the driver was the only one who could fulfill this mission of cosmic proportions. So soon, the driver would take up the mission laid out by the angel, and that mission would end in blood, murder, and the most bizarre case local police had ever seen.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories of heroic acts. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "A Father’s Love" -- One father will stop at nothing to protect his child (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/Pzm-T_btfa0?feature=shared)#2 -- "Transplant" -- The ending is worth the wait (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/lG6ghojk3oQ?feature=shared)#1 -- "The Maneuver" -- A skydiving disaster story, however, it does not go the way you might expect it to (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/7M4etV1_iBc?feature=shared)To donate to Dave's Go Fund Me, click this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/david-b-hartsock-heroic-skydiverFor 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a cool, spring evening in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a man burst out of a bar and started running down the sidewalk, chasing a woman who had suddenly stormed outside in the middle of their conversation. The guy grabbed the woman’s arm, and she spun around to look at him with a furious expression on her face. He asked her what was going on, and she slurred her words as she said that she didn’t want to talk about it. The guy asked her to please come inside — it was dark and she shouldn’t be walking alone at night. But this just made her even more upset. She started pounding her fists into the guy’s chest and screaming at him to leave her alone. The man backed up so she would stop hitting him, and he asked her again to just calm down and come back into the bar. But she refused. She turned around and started speed-walking away from him. The guy didn’t know what else to do, so he went back into the bar by himself. But what he learned the very next day would keep him awake at night for years, wishing he had tried to chase the woman down a second time.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s podcast will feature 3 horror stories that will have even you questioning your own identity. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Bamboozled" -- The odds of this ever happening again, are basically zero (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/vj_auGTlcLA?feature=shared)#2 -- "Lucky Shot" -- A shot in a famous episode of a hit TV show has massive ripple effects (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/M1D-WfCQ7Fs?feature=shared)#1 -- "Familiar Face" -- One selfie changed 2 girl's lives forever (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/XxrnuiotrN0?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At 6:45 AM on an ordinary Tuesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, a father and son lugged a heavy jewelry case into the lobby of a high-rise building. They ran a jewelry store together on the third floor, and had come in early to set up their new display. They heard the lobby door open behind them and turned to see a man holding a cardboard box. The man said he was making a delivery and asked where the elevator was. The father and his son were heading that way, too — so, all three got on the elevator together. As they stood, the father looked at the box the man was carrying. There was a name written on the top in black marker, but no return address, which seemed odd. And the man didn’t really look like a delivery driver, either. He was wearing a green letterman jacket, like a high school athlete would wear. But the father kept his thoughts to himself. When the elevator doors opened to the third floor, he and his son carried their jewelry case out and went on with their day. Later that morning, a firefighter pounded on the jewelry shop door and said that the building was being evacuated. The father and son rushed outside, where they saw fire trucks, police cars, and a crowd of other people who worked inside the building. As a woman in the crowd filled them in about what had just happened, a horrible realization dawned on the jewelry shop owner: That delivery man was not who he claimed to be — and the cardboard box contained something more sinister than anything the shop owner could have imagined.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s podcast will feature 4 stories that all demonstrate how one seemingly small action can have massive ripple effects on the future. The audio from all four stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#4 -- "Orange Juice" -- A bottle of orange juice changed an African man's life (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/zxmNm9vUgik?feature=shared)#3 -- "Overcoming Adversity" -- The ultimate revenge story (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/Pzm-T_btfa0?feature=shared)#2 -- "Cowboy" -- A beloved Hollywood icon has a dark past (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/OPfcCindxhg?feature=shared)#1 -- "Pick Your Poison" -- A very sick person inadvertently becomes the test subject in a highly controversial experiment (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/xn7eaj36dUY?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 34.On September 6th, 1988, a middle aged woman named Cindy Borton, was washing dishes in her little house in Shenandoah, Iowa. As she did this, she heard a knock on her back door. She glanced at her watch and saw that she only had a few minutes before she had to get ready for work, and so she just hoped that whoever was there, was not expecting a long visit.… A few hours later, the police would arrive at Cindy’s house and they would discover a crime scene so gruesome, that they had to call in a special investigative unit just to process it.For 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.