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IN THIS EPISODE: “Don’t take candy from strangers” - that warning stemmed from a real kidnapping in 1874, made even more history-making by being the first kidnapping in U.S. history to demand money for the child’s safe return. (The First U.S. Kidnapping For Ransom) *** I’ll share true kidnapping stories told by the victims – stories you’ve never heard, because none of them made the evening news. (True Stories of Abduction) *** In some kidnapping cases, the victim outsmarts their abductor. We’ll look at a few quick-thinking abductees whose out-of-the-box thinking and determination to survive helped them to escape their captors. (They Outsmarted Their Kidnappers) *** In some cases of kidnapping, the victims have an opportunity to escape – but don’t. They even try to help those who abducted them in the first place. In many cases this indicates the victim is suffering from a terrifying type of brainwashing we’ve come to know as Stockholm Syndrome – and we’ll look at a few famous cases of it. (True Cases of Stockholm Syndrome) *** A beautiful California co-ed was kidnapped in 1974 - and two months later, she burst into a bank with a machine gun. We’ll look at how Stockholm Syndrome changed 19-year-old wealthy heiress Patty Hearst into a cold-blooded bank robber. (The Brainwashing of Patty Hearst)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Cold Open (“The Kidnap” short story)
00:03:49.464 = Show Intro
00:06:27.236 = First Kidnapping For Ransom
00:18:55.081 = True Stories of Abduction
00:42:54.389 = They Outsmarted Their Kidnappers
00:51:58.710 = True Cases of Stockholm Syndrome
01:09:14.363 = Brainwashing of Patty Hearst
01:24:56.408 = Show Close
SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The First U.S. Kidnapping For Ransom” by Amanda Sedlak-Hevener for Ranker.com: https://tinyurl.com/y2v2q93v
“True Stories of Abduction” by Amanda Sedlak-Hevener for Ranker.com: https://tinyurl.com/yxgg53ez
“True Cases of Stockholm Syndrome” by Jonathan Sherman for Ranker.com: https://tinyurl.com/y5m33n4c
“The Brainwashing of Patty Hearst” by Genevieve Carlton for Ranker.com: https://tinyurl.com/y4d6kqhz
“They Outsmarted Their Kidnappers” by Cristina Sanza for Ranker.com: https://tinyurl.com/yxodhtot
The fictional short story I began the podcast with, “The Kidnap” is by Rajesh K.: https://tinyurl.com/yxn6xnpr
Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library.
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(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.)
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.
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Originally aired: September 22, 2020

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