By Tim Binnall
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Bigfoot, and a vivid near-death experience were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. Meanwhile, at the C2C website, we told you about a dead body discovered during a ghost hunt, a possible big cat filmed creeping through a German forest, and the theft of a town's beloved mannequin mascot. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
The 'other side' was in the spotlight on Thursday night's program as software engineer Steve Boyls shared insights from a vivid near-death experience he had during a battle with COVID-19. While on a ventilator in the ICU, he explained, he was in an induced coma wherein he was visited by an angelic being named Marzuka, who guided him to heaven, where he stayed for a whopping three weeks. Boyls described that world as being rich with indescribable colors and scents, unlike anything found here in the realm of the living. He also noted that heaven was full not only of people who had passed away, but also animals, including his two deceased dogs.
A pair of unsettling stories involving human remains made headlines this past week, beginning with a creepy case out of Mexico where a ghost hunter found a dead body while exploring a haunted house. Hoping to capture some paranormal activity for his YouTube channel, the unnamed content creator visiting an infamous abandoned home stumbled upon something far more frightening than a wandering spirit when he followed a powerful, unpleasant scent that led him to the macabre discovery that was promptly reported to police. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a community was understandably up in arms after some twisted miscreants stole a pair of bodies from a mausoleum that has been abandoned for nearly 20 years.
Sasquatch took center stage on Saturday night's program as Chris Barrera, founder of Bigfoot South Dakota, discussed using his law enforcement training to investigate the mysterious creature. He recounted one case wherein a family found a trail of enormous footprints in the snow around their home. Barrera noted that Bigfoot has a distinct way of moving wherein, unlike a human, it walks in a straight line. He also recalled two unsettling incidents wherein he and a partner heard a chilling scream from an unseen animal that evaded their attempts to find it. Other tales shared by Barrera included a man who fired his shotgun to scare away a Sasquatch that was lingering on his property and a Bigfoot sighting that prompted a full police response.
This past week featured a pair of odd stories out of Germany. First, an anomaly hunter using Google Earth to look for oddities discovered what appears to be a rather sizeable stone cube inexplicably hovering over a German city. Some suggested that the curious object was a clandestine craft of the alien variety. Skeptics, on the other hand, argued that the curious cube was simply a Google Earth glitch. Later in the week, a hunter perched in a tree captured footage of a suspected big cat creeping around a German forest. The rather remarkable video prompted a police search of the area, but the mysterious feline has yet to be found.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, maritime historian Ric Mixter joined the program on Monday night to discuss the tragedy made famous by Gordon Lightfoot's iconic song. Having personally visited the wreck during a 1994 dive at Lake Superior, he recounted seeing a life jacket on the body of one of the unfortunate crewmen who perished that day. This, he mused, suggested that the 29 individuals aboard the ship were aware of what was unfolding and valiantly tried to survive the ordeal before a massive wave took the vessel down. Mixter ultimately attributed the tragedy to faulty hatch closures that spelled doom for the Edmund Fitzgerald.
By far the strangest story of the week came from South Africa, where a community mourned the loss of their beloved mascot: a mannequin named Beverly. Installed in a dam on the outskirts of town by a local artist a few years ago, the doll was a popular stopping point for visitors to Nieu-Bethesda and a welcoming sight to those returning home. However, residents were heartbroken when some sticky-fingered ne'er-do-wells managed to somehow extract the mannequin from the pool of water where she lived despite being held in place by a heavy concrete base. Authorities are now on the hunt for Beverly in the hopes that whoever snatched the doll will do the right thing and return her to the community.
Coast Insiders can check out all this week's shows as well as the last seven years of C2C programs in our enormous archive. Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.