Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

In the woods of northwest Georgia, Dr. Charles Lee Scudder and Joseph “Joey” Odom built an off grid home unlike anything their neighbors had seen. There was stained glass, a golden harp, a pink gargoyle, and a reputation that grew stranger with every rumor told about the place they called Corpsewood Manor.

On December 12, 1982, two men Charles and Joey had welcomed onto the property arrived with a plan to rob them. What happened next left Charles and Joey dead inside the home they had spent years building, sent two teenage witnesses fleeing in fear, and led to another murder across state lines.

In this episode, we follow the real story behind Corpsewood Manor, the rumors that surrounded it, and the violence that turned an unusual home in the Georgia woods into a lasting piece of true crime folklore.

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Sources:

Charles L. Scudder — “A Castle in the Country,” Mother Earth News (1981)https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/castle-in-the-country-zmaz81mazraw/

Pam Purcell — “Pair Enjoy Roughing It in County’s Backwoods,” The Summerville News (February 22, 1979)https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053933/1979-02-22/ed-1/seq-21/ocr/

West v. State — Georgia Supreme Court (1984)https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/1984/40134-1.html

West v. State — Mississippi Supreme Court (1985)https://law.justia.com/cases/mississippi/supreme-court/1985/55443-0.html

West v. State — Mississippi Supreme Court (1988)https://law.justia.com/cases/mississippi/supreme-court/1988/519-so-2d-418-0.html

Peggy Nadramia — “The Tragic Case of Dr. Charles Lee Scudder, Satanist,” Church of Satanhttps://www.churchofsatan.com/tragic-case-dr-charles-lee-scudder/

B.T. Harman — “The Corpsewood Murders: 40 Years Later,” Atlanta Magazinehttps://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/the-corpsewood-murders-40-years-later/

Luke Gregson — “The Corpsewood Manor Murders,” Oxford Americanhttps://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/the-corpsewood-manor-murders

Christopher Feldt — “Death Comes to Corpsewood Manor,” North Georgia Historyhttps://www.northgeorgiahistory.com/post/death-comes-to-corpsewood-manor

Leland Kent — “Corpsewood Manor,” Abandoned Southeasthttps://abandonedsoutheast.com/2019/01/28/corpsewood-manor/

David Bulit — “Corpsewood Manor,” Abandoned Georgiahttps://abandonedgeorgia.com/corpsewood-manor/

Kelly Kazek — “The Murders of ‘Devil Worshippers’ at Corpsewood Manor”https://kellykazek.com/2019/02/25/the-murders-of-devil-worshippers-at-corpsewood-manor/

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Faith Danielle Hedgepeth was 19 years old and studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she was killed inside her Durham apartment in September 2012. Investigators recovered DNA evidence, a handwritten message, and other clues from the scene, but the case remained unsolved for years.

Now, 14 years later, Miguel Salguero Olivares is on trial in connection with Faith’s death. He is charged with murder, burglary, rape, and sexual offense, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. There has not yet been a verdict.

In this episode, we review Faith’s final night, the evidence investigators collected, the years long investigation, and the case now being presented to a jury. It is a full catch up for anyone starting to follow the trial now.

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New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

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Sources:

9 years after UNC student Faith Hedgepeth was killed, Chapel Hill police make arrest

Faith Danielle Hedgepeth (1992-2012) - Find a Grave Memorial

Murdered UNC Student's Final Moments: What Police Say Happened to Faith Hedgepeth - ABC News

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1283962/hedgepeth-case-files.pdf

9 years after UNC student Faith Hedgepeth was killed, Chapel Hill police make arrest

‘Noise’ or ‘evidence?’: Opening statements in UNC student murder trial :: WRAL.com

Additional charges filed against suspect in killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth

Court documents reveal how investigators linked suspect in Faith Hedgepeth's murder

https://web.archive.org/web/20240916185307/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article257547083.html

Murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares accused of killing UNC student Faith Hedgepeth

Persons Of Interest Listed In Hedgepeth Murder Investigation Documents

‘She feels cold’: Emotional 911 call played in UNC student murder trial :: WRAL.com

Faith Hedgepeth murder suspect gets trial date more than a decade after her death

Judge calls lost blood sample ‘absurd’ in UNC student murder case :: WRAL.com

Faith Danielle Hedgepeth homicide records sealed

https://web.archive.org/web/20240119215718/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/article61107117.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/faith-hedgepeth-timeline-her-life-093000380.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Love, Hope, And Faith | Faith Hedgepeth Murder 20/20 ABC | FULL EPISODE

Faith Hedgepeth’s former roommate testifies midway through second week of murder trial

Blood, slushie or vomit? Roommate of murdered UNC student cross-examined as testimony continues

One alternate juror still needed in UNC student murder trial :: WRAL.com

Faith Hedgepeth’s Roommate Full Testimony | NC v. Miguel Salguero-Olivares

'Step was missed': Witness testifies about missing blood evidence in Faith Hedgepeth murder case

Video Voicemail Found Left by UNC Student's Phone on Night of Her Murder: Part 4 - ABC News

Faith Hedgepeth case: 10 unanswered questions ahead of trial - 9th Street Journal

https://www.youtube.com/live/_it9pn2FIYg?si=i12Ynb9YnpezS5A6

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We have a shorter spooky season story for your Friday. In 1977, firefighters found Teresita Basa murdered in her Chicago apartment, but months passed without an arrest.

Then a doctor told police that his wife had entered a trance and spoken in a voice that identified itself as Teresita. Detectives could not verify that explanation, but they could investigate what the voice claimed to know. The lead took them back to Edgewater Hospital and helped uncover evidence in a case that still raises questions nearly 50 years later.

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries

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Sources:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/386658919/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/386502681/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/385452553/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/385412418/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/386661148/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/09/17/voice-from-the-grave-evokes-a-murder-trial/13b6d805-2413-4015-b70a-b9b28ab5d40d/

https://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1978/di1978-09-07.pdf

https://newspapers.swco.ttu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/62a3b8a2-82b5-427d-a26e-893002ba7213/content

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160913/edgewater/did-teresita-basa-solve-her-own-murder-true-life-ghost-story-still-haunts/

https://thebestoffatemagazine.blogspot.com/2014/10/read-free-how-voice-from-grave-named.html

https://jimharold.com/the-strange-and-sad-case-of-teresita-basa-unpleasant-dreams-17/

https://www.mamamia.com.au/teresita-basa-unsolved-mysteries/

https://morbidology.com/did-teresita-basa-solve-her-own-murder/

https://mail.survivalafterdeath.info/articles/rogo/spontaneous.htm

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This week, we tell the 1897 story of Elva Zona Heaster Shue, known as Zona, whose sudden death in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, was initially treated as natural causes. After Zona’s mother said her daughter appeared to her and described what happened, an exhumation revealed a broken neck, and Zona’s husband went to trial for her murder.

Since so many of you enjoyed Black Hope Cemetery, we are spending Thursdays for the rest of October on historical cases with a little mystery and a spooky season feel.

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries

Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast

Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com

Sources:

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/crime/shuearticles.html

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/crime/crimeandpunishment.html

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/notewv/ghost.html

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/notewv/ghost1.html

https://archive.wvculture.org/vrr/va_mcsearch.aspx

https://archive.wvculture.org/vrr/va_dcsearch.aspx

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/2107

https://wvdn.com/14205/

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=50356

https://greenbrierwv.com/editorials/the-greenbrier-ghost

https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/01/greenbrier-ghost.html

https://appalachianhistorian.org/the-greenbrier-ghost-what-the-records-really-show/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/31/halloween-ghost-story-time-an-apparition-helped-convict-murderer/

https://blueridgetruecrime.com/crime/the-greenbrier-ghost-did-an-australian-ghost-story-solve-a-west-virginia-murder/

https://wvmetronews.com/2026/07/21/the-greenbrier-ghost-is-an-odd-west-virginia-tale/

https://unsolvedfiles.com/greenbrier-ghost-file-complete-dossier/

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On May 12, 2018, Joleen Cummings finished a shift at the Tangles Hair Salon in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The 34 year old mother of three was supposed to pick up her children the next day for Mother’s Day and her birthday, but she never arrived.

When Joleen’s SUV was found abandoned near a Home Depot, surveillance footage pointed investigators toward a new coworker. But the woman Joleen knew as Jennifer Sybert was not who she said she was. As detectives followed the trail, they uncovered false names, a stolen identity, and a history that stretched across states.

In this episode, we follow the search for Joleen, the evidence left behind at the salon, and the questions that remain years later.

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Sources:

Woman Dismembers Coworker at Hair Salon

Unsealed documents Kimberly Kessler's case, shows strange search history

‘They know she’s in heaven being looked after’: Joleen Cummings’ husband speaks publicly for 1st time

​​Kimberly Kessler near death on hunger strike in jail, attorneys say

‘They know she’s in heaven being looked after’: Joleen Cummings’ husband speaks publicly for 1st time

How a Florida mom's disappearance led to arrest of woman with 18 aliases - ABC News

Sheriff: Suspect in disappearance of Fla. mom has had 18 aliases, lived in 33 cities

Juror: DNA, internet searches & attempt to clean crime scene sealed Kimberly Kessler’s fate

Convicted killer Kimberly Kessler attempted suicide twice | firstcoastnews.com

Woman Who Lived Under Multiple False Identities Murders Coworker Who Threatened To Expose Her | Oxygen

Jennifer Sybert: 10 things we know about suspect in Nassau mom's disappearance

Snapped Kimberly Kessler: Identity, Trial, and Conviction

Suspect in woman’s disappearance is previously missing person who allegedly stole alias from tombstone - ABC News

Kimberly Kessler's injuries were 'defensive,' attorneys say, but agree there was a 'violent confrontation'

Joleen Cummings disappearance: Timeline of events - Action News Jax

The Hairdresser Killer: Full Police Interrogation Video

https://media.news4jax.com/document_dev/2018/09/10/Kessler-Sybert%20Information_1536606050592_12637260_ver1.0.pdf

Kimberly Kessler charged with murder in Joleen Cummings case

Trial For Florida Woman Accused Of Killing Hairstylist Begins With Bizarre Outbursts | Oxygen

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA JACKSONVILLE DIVISION KIMBERLY LEE KESSLER, Petitioner, v. Case No.

Timeline: Kimberly Kessler’s arrest, investigation into death of Joleen Cummings

Jury selection starts in Kimberly Kessler murder trial

Sheriff: Ex-boyfriend of missing stylist no longer person of interest

Murder suspect searched Joleen Cummings' name 457 times

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Left-Behind-book-series-by-Lahaye-and-Jenkins

Dismemberment experiment with knife purchased by Kimberly Kessler lasted just 73 minutes

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-6013/383314/20251104125016057_20251104-124022-00000767-00000394.pdf

Florida sheriff’s office celebrates transfer of ‘problem’ inmate with cake, ice cream

https://www.fdc.myflorida.com/institutions/institutions-list/314

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