Badger Bizarre

02/06/2025

Badger Beyond on Patreon: “The Kensington Runestone.”

In 1898, a farmer in Minnesota, clearing trees and rocks from his land, pulled up a large stone which he noted was clearly inscribed with peculiar markings. The markings were akin to ancient Scandinavian runes. Due to the date on the inscription however, if real, the history of the world as we know it would be changed.

Scott and Mickey discuss this stone, known throughout the world as the Kensington Runestone. Quite possibly the most debated and talked about stone in the world over generations, it continues to ignite fierce discussions and controversy still today.

Subscribe today to listen to members-only content on Patreon at:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/121541697?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

01/17/2025

On August 11th, 2009, 15-year-old Kayla Berg, after a fairly normal day of hanging out with friends, went out with a trusted family friend, named Kevin Kielcheski. Although Kevin was 9 years older, Kayla had known Kevin virtually her entire life, was somewhat of a 'protective older brother-type,' and there was nothing unusual about them spending time together, according to her friends and family.

Kayla has never returned home.

After 16 years of investigations and searches, authorities have been unable to find her. Kevin, who is the last person known to be with her, reports he dropped her off at a friend's house, though has been unable to give much more information.

Scott and Mickey discuss the missing persons case of Kayla Berg, some of the theories about what may have happened to her, the important players, and ask you for more help.

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/49-what-happened-to-kayla-berg

01/10/2025

Morgan Geyser, of the “Slenderman Stabbing” is being released from Winnebago Mental Heath Institute.

To hear our episode on the story, you can listen at the link below..

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/32-slenderman

For a follow-up interview with author Kathleen Hale, in which we spend some time on Morgan’s plight to be released, you can hear a free episode on our Patreon at

www.Patreon.com/badgerbizarre

The woman, Morgan Geyser, 22, was sentenced to spend 40 years in a psychiatric facility after she stabbed her friend 19 times in 2014 for a sinister internet character.

12/23/2024

New on our subscription only Patreon:

Scott and Mickey revisit one of our most popular episodes of Badger Bizarre with a discussion of the film adaptation of "Wisconsin Death Trip."

The book has become a cult classic over the 50 years since its release, and its raw, brutal peak into our past struggles inspired British film director James Marsh to adapt it into a docudrama of the same name. Adding visual, live-action depictions of the horrifying stories told in the book, the movie becomes a hauntingly beautiful look into just exactly who, as Wisconsinites, we really are.

Have a very scary Christmas and Happy New Year, from Badger Bizarre.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/118516025?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

12/17/2024

Convicted killed Taylor Schabusiness faces a new charge for allegedly assaulting a sergeant at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution.

12/13/2024

Scott and Mickey talk with Jeff Finup, Badgerland Legends - Jeff of Badgerland Legends and the Wisconsin Legends Podcast, about his newly published children's book, "Wisconsin Legends for Kids."

The book is a wonderful piece to stir your child's ever-inquisitive mind and sense of wonder, as well as learn about the rich cultural heritage of our state. 10 tales of Wisconsin history are featured, some fact, some maybe up for debate, but all with a flair of enchantment.



"Beneath the farm fields and rolling hills lies a darker side of Wisconsin. Mysterious creatures including werewolves, ghostly phantoms, and even lions roam the land. Put your explorer's cap on and dive into some of the best mysteries America’s Dairyland has to offer."

Jeff Finup is an author, researcher, explorer, and the creator of Badgerland Legends and co-host of the Wisconsin Legends Podcast. When he's not writing about legends, he's exploring the backroads of Wisconsin in search of the strange and the bizarre.

In the opening banter, Scott and Mickey discuss the strange tale of Randy Borgwardt and discuss a haunted Wisconsin road trip.

All here, complete with Scott's lingering effects of 'Pneumonia Voice,' on a light-hearted Holiday Episode 48 of Badger Bizarre - "Wisconsin Legends for Kids."

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/48-interview-wisconsin-legends-for-kids

"Wisconsin Legends for Kids," is now available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AJeff+Finup&s=relevancerank&text=Jeff+Finup&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1



See Jeff's work on Badgerland Legends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ApyLjhYEu/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

And hear his work on the Wisconsin Legends Podcast, on your favorite podcast platform.

12/04/2024

From 1997-2010, a rash of drownings in the Mississippi River in La Crosse were mostly blamed by police on the culture of alcohol in Wisconsin. The deaths being attributed to people becoming inebriated, wondering down by the river, and ultimately falling in, unable to find their way out of the rushing or icy waters before succumbing.

However, a pattern soon began to appear, as all of the victims were college-aged young men, athletic, popular, good-looking, good students, were drinking, and ended up in the river. All of these deaths were the result of a culture of marriage between alcohol and college, according to law enforcement.

A group of independent investigators, some retired NYPD detectives, believed otherwise. They believe the deaths to be homicides, committed by a network of serial killers, deemed "The Smiley Face Killers," as smiley face grafitti was repeatedly found in the vicinity of these deaths, according to the detectives.

Scott and Mickey discuss the "Smiley Face Killers" theory, the rationale behind it, the drownings in La Crosse and how they correlate with others throughout the country.

In the opening Banter, we discuss the case of murder victim Mary Schlais, finally solved by DNA after 50 years, and the continued rise of familial DNA in solving cold cases.

All here, on Episode 47: "The Smiley Face Killers."

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/47-the-smiley-face-killers

11/23/2024

If youre originally from Wisconsin or even a transplant living here now, chances are good you’ve partaken, at least a few times, in our culture’s strong tradition of consuming large amounts of alcohol in a rather short period of time, especially in festival type environments. Often doing this leads to the making of decisions most would consider not-so-good…and yes, we do have first hand experience in this area.

In La Crosse alone, between 1997 and 2014, at least 11 young men were discovered dead in the Mississippi River, all having been found with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.19 or higher. Many believe all of them were just so inebriated they were unable to prevent themselves from getting too close to the river, falling in and drowning. There are other theories that many others believe though…including one in particular involving a serial killing group that became known as the “Smiley Face Killers”. Were they the cause of all these deaths, was it something else all together…or was it just that all these young men simply lost control?

Hear all about it and so much more on our next, upcoming episode #47, only on Wisconsin’s #1 podcast (don’t look it up 😉) all about the dark, twisted, sometimes careless history of our distinctively quirky state…only on BADGER BIZARRE!

11/11/2024

If you’ve heard our episode on “Wisconsin’s Legendary Haunted Roads,” or have seen our recent presentations, we have talked about the case of Mary Schlais.

One of the suspects for years in her murder was Randall Woodfield, known as the “I-5 Killer,” (and one time Green Bay Packer,) as he was 1 of 2 “persons of interest” who could not be eliminated from a list of 50 by a partial DNA profile.

Jon K. Miller was the other one.

50 years, and it’s over. Credit to law enforcement for never giving up.

You can hear Episode 39 here ————->

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/39-wisconsins-legendary-haunted-roads

When confronted with the evidence, 84-year-old Jon K. Miller confirmed his involvement with Mary K. Schlais' homicide 50 years ago.

11/09/2024

New on Patreon:

In September of 1876, the most notorious outlaws in American history chose an unsuspecting bank in a small Minnesota town as their next hit.

It proved to be their downfall.

Scott and Mickey discuss Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang's attempt to hold up the First National Bank in Northfield, MN, and how the town fought back in what has become the most famous bank robbery in American history.

Subscribe now for exclusive content from Scott and Mickey of Badger Bizarre.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/115606559?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

10/28/2024

We celebrate Halloween again this year by bringing you stories collected at the 2nd Annual Great Lakes Paranormal Conference. Real people telling us their real paranormal experiences, in their own voice.

Happy Halloween, everyone. We hope your week is frightful...

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/46-halloween-parashare-ii

10/28/2024

As stated in the most recent episode, available now, we wanted to show where Father Theophilus Riesinger is buried in Appleton. This is a question we get fairly often, and it is a bit difficult to explain to those who have never been to St Joseph’s Cemetery.

As seen below, it is in the Capuchin priest section of the cemetery, in Section A, shaded in blue. When by the large cross in cemetery, walk south toward the river, and you will find it. The monument to look for is in the first comment.

Hope this helps.

Happy Halloween.

10/08/2024

Reminder: Come see us for some Wisconsin True Crime stories.

Wednesday, Oct 9th, 6:30 - 7:30.

Neenah Public Library Shattuck Room.

10/01/2024

On the night of December 26th, 1983, friends Margaret Anderson and Terry Apfel entered a Green Bay bar named the Back Forty, at 618 Bodart Way, during a night out.

The Back Forty was owned by a member of the Drifters Motorcycle Club, and known as a popular hangout for Drifters members, and members of other motorcycle clubs as well. Clubs like the DC Eagles, thought by some to be a more menacing, renegade motorcycle gang.

The motorcycle club subculture was prominent in NE Wisconsin at the time, and still holds a steady influence today in the region.

On this particular night, however, during the holiday season of 1983, members of the Drifters and the DC Eagles committed acts so disturbing, the event is still remembered today for its pure cruelty and brutality, even leading to the motorcycle clubs themselves to aid in the resulting investigations.

Scott and Mickey discuss this case, called the most brutal murder in Green Bay's history, and some of the arising issues in our sentencing laws.

In the opening banter, we recap the 2nd Annual Great Lakes Paracon, and a sad update on Elijah Vue.

All here, on Episode 45 of Badger Bizarre, "Margaret Anderson."

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/45-margaret-anderson

09/20/2024

Have you ever been on a truly bad date? Well, this story should at least make you feel better about that.

On December 26, 1983, 35 year old Margaret Anderson went out to see a movie with a guy she was seeing, Terry “Weasel” Apfel. Once the movie ended, they decided to go have a few drinks. They started at Surf Club II tavern on South Broadway in Green Bay and ended up at a biker bar called Back Forty Tavern, late in the evening. The events that followed are still considered part of “the most brutal murder in Green Bay history”. Hear all the gruesome and gory details in our upcoming episode #45, only on your favorite podcast all about the true crime, paranormal and all other strange and twisted happenings in the one and only America’s scary-land…only on BADGER BIZARRE!

09/14/2024

In our latest Patreon episode, Scott and Mickey discuss the Chicago gangland era of the Roaring 20's, specifically the happenings leading up to and around the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

The murders, which left 7 Chicago mobsters dead, shocked the world in its brutality, remains officially unsolved today, though much speculation centers around crime boss Al Capone.

Hear the story about this famed gangland hit, which ultimately led to the undoing of the famed Chicago gangs of the 1920's.

Join here…

https://www.patreon.com/posts/111999924?utm_campaign=postshare_creator