Crime Curious

In the misty woods of Olalla, Washington, a woman calling herself a doctor built a sanitarium where “healing” meant starvation, control, and death. Wealthy seekers, spiritual wanderers, and vulnerable patients walked into Wilderness Heights hoping for a cure — but many never walked out.

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

  Washington State Archives – “Linda Burfield Hazzard: Healer or Murderess?” Collection of documents including death records, licensing records, trial materials, and historical commentary. (Washington State Digital Archives)

  Washington Supreme Court – State v. Hazzard, 1913 Official decision upholding Linda Hazzard’s manslaughter conviction in the death of Claire Williamson.

  Washington Supreme Court – State v. Hazzard, 1926 Decision clarifying that Linda’s medical license remained revoked despite her gubernatorial pardon.

  Washington State Penitentiary Records (Walla Walla) Documentation of Linda Hazzard’s incarceration, parole, and release.

  Death Certificate Records (Washington State) Includes documented deaths of patients under Hazzard’s care, including Daisey Maud Haglund.

  Smithsonian Magazine – “The Fasting Cure That Killed” Detailed historical feature on Linda Hazzard, the Williamson sisters, and Starvation Heights.

  Harbor History Museum (Gig Harbor, WA) – “Starvation Heights” Exhibit & Research Notes Regional historical research on Wilderness Heights, patient deaths, and community accounts.

  HistoryLink.org – “Linda Burfield Hazzard and Starvation Heights” Washington State’s online encyclopedia entry summarizing Hazzard’s career, trial, and legacy.

  Gregg Olsen – Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest The definitive modern true‑crime book on Linda Hazzard, based on extensive archival research.

  Linda Burfield Hazzard – Fasting for the Cure of Disease (1908) Hazzard’s own book outlining her fasting philosophy and treatment methods.

  Linda Burfield Hazzard – Scientific Fasting (1927) Her later work expanding on her fasting theories; used for understanding her self‑justification and ideology.

  Edward Hooker Dewey – The No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting Cure The fasting philosophy that influenced Hazzard’s early medical ideas.

  Seattle Daily Times (1911–1913) Coverage of the Williamson case, trial proceedings, and public reaction.

  Seattle Post‑Intelligencer (1911–1913) Reporting on patient deaths, community concerns, and the sanitarium.

  Tacoma Daily Ledger (1911–1913) Articles on the trial, sentencing, and aftermath.

  London Daily Mail (1911–1912) International coverage of the Williamson sisters, including statements from their family.

  Minnesota Birth and Marriage Records (Carver County) Documentation of Linda Burfield’s birth and first marriage to Erwin Harrison Perry.

  Minnesota Census Records (1880–1900) Household listings confirming Linda’s early life, parents, and siblings.

  Washington State Marriage Records (1903) Marriage documentation for Linda Burfield and Samuel Chrisman Hazzard.

  Haglund Family Records (Seattle) Documentation of Daisey Maud Haglund’s death and her son Ivar Haglund’s later biography.

  Kitsap County Historical Society Oral histories and local accounts of Wilderness Heights and community reactions.

  Olalla Community Historical Notes Local recollections of the sanitarium, patient sightings, and the nickname “Starvation Heights.”

Renee “Giggles” Freer was the kind of child who lit up every room she walked into—sweet, chatty, and full of life. So when the 12‑year‑old vanished from her quiet Connecticut neighborhood in 1980, the community was left stunned… and terrified. What happened in those final moments before Renee disappeared? And why did the truth stay buried for decades?

In this episode, we peel back the layers of a case that’s equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating—one that reveals how innocence can be shattered in an instant, and how a small town’s silence can echo for years.

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

Petition · WHO KILLED RENEE FREER? - United States · Change.org

Renee Freer (1968-1977) - Find a Grave Memorial

Monroe police ask killer to come forward after developments in cold case – NBC Connecticut

Author pursues book to shine spotlight on Monroe’s only unsolved murder | The Monroe Sun

News 12 | Connecticut | Monroe Police They Have Person Of Interest In Nearly 50 Year Old Cold Case

The Unsolved Murder of Renee Freer: 1977 in Monroe, Connecticut — Murder, She Told: Maine & New England True Crime

CT - CT- Renee Freer, 8, missing enroute to friend's house, fatally struck on head, her body found in the woods behind her house, Monroe, 22/6/77, *DNA* | Websleuths

Monroe police speak out on Renee Freer case | fox61.com

47 years later, Monroe police hope to find who killed 8-year-old girl

In 1979, Hope College senior Janet Chandler vanished from her night shift at a Holland, Michigan motel. What looked like a simple abduction unraveled into a shocking story of jealousy, abuse, and a violent conspiracy involving private security guards stationed during a local labor strike. For decades, the truth stayed buried—until a student documentary cracked the case wide open. This episode explores Janet’s life, the betrayal that led to her death, and the cold‑case investigation that finally delivered justice 25 years later.

 

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
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Janet Chandler Murder: Where are Laurie Swank and Robert Lynch Today?

Janet Chandler — ColdCaseIndex

CRIME HUNTER: Janet Chandler's double life meant it took cops 30 years to solve her murder | Toronto Sun

4 Convicted in 1979 Kidnap, Rape and Murder of Michigan College Student | Fox News

28 Years Later, Justice For Slain Student - CBS News

Conspiracy of silence

Buford Pusser rose from small‑town constable to one of Tennessee’s most feared and celebrated sheriffs, waging a one‑man war against the State Line Mob. But behind the legend was a trail of violence, unanswered questions, and a marriage that ended in tragedy. This episode unpacks the myth, the man, and the recent revelations that challenge everything the public thought they knew about Buford Pusser’s story.

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
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Sheriff Buford Pusser And The True Story Of 'Walking Tall'

Buford Pusser - The True Crime Database Membership Buford Pusser Tennessee Lawman

https://www.crimeonline.com/2025/10/30/new-eyewitness-testimony-laid-bare-the-ambush-that-killed-pauline-pusser-part-1-of-2/

Dixie Mafia - Wikipedia

Buford Pusser - Wikipedia

State Line Mob - Wikipedia

In the early 1990s, a string of disappearances along Australia’s backpacker trails led investigators deep into the eerie silence of Belanglo State Forest. What they uncovered would shock the nation. This episode unpacks the life and crimes of Ivan Milat — the man believed responsible for the infamous Backpacker Murders. Through survivor testimony, forensic breakthroughs, and the relentless work of detectives who refused to give up, we trace how Milat was finally unmasked and why questions about his true number of victims still linger today.

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

Ivan Milat, Australia's 'Backpacker Murderer' Who Butchered 7 Hitchhikers

Ivan Milat was convicted of murdering seven people. Could he have killed scores more? | New South Wales | The Guardian

Ivan Milat inquiry: The clues that led to his arrest.

Ivan Milat's family claim serial killer was framed for backpacker murders | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines