Sneak Preview of New Season Coming to Patreon!

American Hauntings Podcast

Cody Beck and Troy Taylor

True Crime, Religion & Spirituality, Tv & Film, Spirituality, Film Reviews, History

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

NEW PREVIEW OF OUR NEW SHOW ON PATREON!

CANYON: THE TRUE STORY OF THE STARVED ROCK MURDERS

Available ONLY by becoming a Patreon supporter of American Hauntings.

Go to https://patreon.com/americanhauntings and get signed up now!

On the cold, snow-covered morning of March 16, 1960, when the bodies of three women from the Chicago suburbs were discovered at Starved Rock State Park in Northern Illinois. The murders shocked the entire state and led to a manhunt that snared a confessed killer who spent the next 59 years in prison. It was a tragic, heart-wrenching case, but thankfully, it was over – or was it?

Not only have the murders left ghost stories in their wake, but the man who confessed nine different times to the murders changed his mind behind bars and then spent the next six decades trying to get out of prison, declaring himself innocent.

Was he guilty? Not guilty? Had the cops railroaded the wrong man? What really happened in 1960 -- and what didn't?

This podcast will look at ALL sides of the story. We’ll present the evidence, the rumors, the mistakes, and hopefully, the truth – and then you can judge the guilt or the innocence of those involved for yourself.

COMING SOON!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On the cold, snow-covered morning of March 16, 1960, the bodies of three women from the Chicago
0:09.3	suburbs were discovered at a place called St. Louis Canyon, of Starved Rock State Park near Utica,
0:17.0	Illinois.
0:18.0	The murders shocked the entire state and led to a manhunt that snared a confessed killer
0:24.6	who spent the next 59 years in prison.
0:29.6	The story of the Starved Rock murders is one of the most shocking in Illinois history, which is ironic,
0:36.6	since this is perhaps the most beautiful park in the state.
0:40.7	The violence that occurred here seemed impossible to anyone who would ever walk the trails or
0:46.5	stayed the night in that magnificent lodge that serves at the centerpiece of the park.
0:52.7	They were stunned when they heard about the discovery of the brutalized bodies of the three women
0:58.0	and nearly as shocked when their killer was captured and convicted of the crime.
1:03.0	The murder solved and the killer was safely behind bars.
1:07.0	There was nothing left to fear for visitors to starve rock. It was a tragic, heart-wrenching
1:14.2	case, but thankfully, it was over. Or was it? Not only have the murders left ghost stories
1:24.2	in their wake, but the man who confessed nine different times to the murders
1:29.3	changed his mind behind bars and then spent the next six decades trying to get out of prison,
1:36.3	declaring himself innocent. Was he guilty of the murders, or was he, as he claimed for so long, railroaded into admitting to a crime
1:46.7	he didn't commit. Has this murder case really been an unsolved mystery for the last 65 years?
1:55.7	If so, perhaps that's the reason why the spirits of the dead refuse to rest.
2:02.7	These are just a few of the questions that I'll try and answer in the podcast season ahead,
2:08.9	which I've called Canyon, the true story of the Starved Rock murders.
2:14.5	But in complete honesty, this is a story that I never planned to turn into a podcast.
	...

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