What if there was a video game so addictive, so revolutionary, that it had the power to drive players mad? What if when you played it, someone was always watching? And what if some people who played the game disappeared, never to be seen again? This is the story of Polybius.

Resources:

Astonishing Legends Podcast

The Polybius Conspiracy Podcast

POLYBIUS – The Video Game That Doesn’t Exist (youtube.com)

The Polybius Conspiracy investigates an urban legend, and creates one. (slate.com)

Legend of the Mind Controlling Polybius Game – Historic Mysteries

The Urban Legend of the Government’s Mind-Controlling Arcade Game – Atlas Obscura

‘The Polybius Conspiracy’ Explores The Reality Behind One Of Gaming’s Darkest Urban Legends (uproxx.com)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-urban-legend-of-the-governments-mindcontrolling-arcade-game

The police begin the investigation into the murders. They run into some interesting characters in West Memphis, including Damien Echols. And they begin to develop a profile of the killer or killers.

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Check out our other show The Prosecutors: Legal Briefs for discussion on cases, controversial topics, or conversations with content creators.

Everyone’s worst fears are realized as the police find the bodies of the missing eight-year-olds. The investigation begins, and Damien Echols is already on the radar.

We dive deep into the timeline for the day the boys were murdered.

We continue our look at the timeline in the West Memphis 3 case.

On May 5, 1993, in West Memphis, Arkansas, three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered. Three teenagers were convicted for the crime, but the question remains—did they do it? This is the case of the West Memphis 3.

Resources:

• http://callahan.mysite.com/wm3/img/strong_points.html
• https://thoughtcatalog.com/eric-redding/2016/09/all-the-evidence-that-shows-why-the-notorious-west-memphis-three-have-probably-gotten-away-with-murder/
• https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/nov/27/2-crime-lab-carry-scars-3-boys-deaths-20111127/
• https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/nov/27/2-crime-lab-carry-scars-3-boys-deaths-20111127/
• https://www.jivepuppi.com/
• http://thewm3revelations.wordpress.com/
• https://thewestmemphispuzzle.blog/?
• Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham
• Blood of Innocents by Guy Reel, Marc Perrusquia, and Bartholomew Sullivan
• The Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt
• Boxful of NIghtmares by Terry Hobbs
• Untying the Knot by John Mark Byars
• The Case Against the West Memphis 3 by Gary Meece
• Abomination by William Ramsey
• Exhibit 500

An Australian family of five disappears in one of the strangest stories you’ll ever hear.

Resources:

• Police fear for missing father Mark Tromp and distressed mother Jacoba | Daily Telegraph
• Tromp family road trip: the case that baffled the world.
• Theories behind what happened to the Tromp family
• Tromp family: Father Mark found near Wangaratta Airport | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site
• Bizarre tale of Tromp family road trip cloaked in mystery
• Tromp family: The mystery of a tech-free road trip gone wrong – BBC News
• Mark Tromp apologises to family, friends and community after ‘ordeal’ | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site
• Runaway father Mark Tromp speaks out about his family’s bizarre holiday | Daily Mail Online
• This Is The Story Behind The Bizarre Road Trip Of A Missing Family
• The Tromp family now – six months on from their bizarre road trip.
• The Bizarre Road Trip Of A Missing Family

We conclude our look at the Karen Silkwood case. Was she the victim of a tragic accident? Was she murdered? Or did something else happen altogether?