In 1788 London, a mysterious assailant known as "The Monster" terrorized fashionable women by slashing their clothing and flesh, leading to a sensational manhunt that captured a suspect - but was he really the culprit?

Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
Info on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream
Info on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TV

IN THIS EPISODE: In March 1788 Maria Smythe was attacked by a stranger who uttered some foul words, stabbed her, then ran. She survived, but was only the first of more than fifty women to suffer the same in London. This wasn’t Jack The Ripper – he wouldn’t come along for another 100 years. This was the Monster of London. (The Monster of London) *** On his first day walking to the bus stop alone before school, Etan Patz was abducted – and became one of the first children whose face ended up on a milk carton. (The Boy On The Milk Carton) *** If you are left-handed, you might be offended by one of the stories I have in this episode. But then, you lefties are all sinister anyway, right? (The Sinister Left-Handers) *** In 1827, young Maria Marten slipped into a red barn to meet her secret lover. It was the last time she would be seen alive. (The Red Barn Murder) *** It sounds like the makings of a paranormal slasher film – a woman is followed home one day by a paranormal entity – an entity that is angry because it used to be a human that was murdered. (The Haunting of Leah Lewis) *** Imagine your business is failing and you need to drum up customers, so you hire a consultant. “No problem,” he says. “All I need is a few things to get started… do you happen to have have any problems chopping off your closest living relative’s hand?” Welcome to Muti magic that some say still takes place even today. (Murderous Muti Magic) *** Edward Howard Bell was a murderer on the run and evaded capture for close to twenty years. When finally captured, authorities found out they didn’t just have a murderer… but a serial killer, who he claims had sent eleven young girls to heaven. (He Sent Eleven Young Girls to Heaven)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Show Open
00:03:18.900 = The Monster of London
00:17:59.644 = The Boy on the Milk Carton
00:27:08.660= Sinister Left-Handers
00:37:14.828 = The Red Barn Murder
00:46:20.768 = The Haunting of Leah Lewis
00:51:48.836 = Murderous Muti Magic
00:59:53.589 = He Sent Eleven Young Girls to Heaven
01:07:03.421 = Show Close

SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Boy On The Milk Carton” by Liz Jin for Medium: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/e3htkxka, and from History.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/d4x2zkbs
“The Sinister Left-Handers” by Dr. Romeo Vitelli for Providentia: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/nxucebke
“The Red Barn Murder” by Stephanie Almazan for The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/wp8sm47m
“The Haunting of Leah Lewis” by Helen Kreft for Staffordshire-Live.co: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3ces9xcs
“The Monster of London” posted at Strange Company: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/kxc8hvrm
“Murderous Muti Magic” posted at The Scare Chamber: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/48tp8te7
“He Sent Eleven Young Girls to Heaven” by Matthew Lavelle for Unspeakable Times: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/c4yy3b7h
Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =
(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
= = = = =
Originally aired: August 10, 2021
SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/MonsterOfLondon
TRANSCRIPT: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p86kz4m