17 Extremely Disturbing Things I Learned Last Month

Here are all the terrifying, shocking, and extremely disturbing things I learned about recently. Some are stories from just last month, and some are stories from many years ago.

Warning: Graphic content ahead, including stories of murder.

1. In 2011, a law student named Stephen McDaniel [1] was being interviewed by a local news station about his missing neighbor, Lauren Giddings, who had suddenly disappeared from her apartment complex in Macon, Georgia.

Person with curly hair speaks on camera. News banner reads, "McDaniel Reacts to WGXA Crews."

During the interview, the reporter casually mentioned that a body had just been found.
McDaniel, who had been speaking calmly just seconds before, immediately froze, started breathing heavily, and looked like he was about to pass out on camera, which is...an intense reaction for someone who's supposedly just a concerned neighbor. And that's because he was, in fact, the killer.

Man with curly hair reacts to WGXA news crew

(You can watch that interview right here, if you're interested):

Investigators later determined that McDaniel had become fixated on Lauren, stalking her [2] and secretly recording her without her knowledge. There was no evidence of a real relationship between them -- just a one-sided obsession that escalated over time.

A man with curly hair stands in an orange jumpsuit in a courtroom setting, surrounded by other individuals in similar attire

Macon Telegraph / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

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After his arrest, investigators found overwhelming evidence tying McDaniel to the crime, including tools used to dismember Lauren Giddings' body and surveillance footage showing him watching her.
He was charged with murder and initially pleaded not guilty, but in 2014, just before his trial was set to begin, he accepted a plea deal and changed his plea to guilty, avoiding the death penalty.

Macon Telegraph / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

As part of that deal, he gave a full confession admitting he'd used a master key to break into her apartment, then attacked Lauren in her sleep. He also said he strangled her, then dismembered her in the bathtub with a hacksaw before taking "some of her body" to a dumpster and leaving her torso elsewhere. McDaniel was sentenced [3] to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years (in 2041).

A person in a courtroom wearing a pinstripe suit and tie holds a stack of legal documents

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2. In February 2026, the wife of former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn was found shot to death in their home in Tipp City, Ohio, after Flynn himself called 911 claiming someone had broken in and killed her.
When police arrived, bodycam footage [4] captured the immediate aftermath, showing him crying, hyperventilating, and repeatedly asking officers if she was dead. At one point, he called his mother, wailing, "Ashley's dead," and was later seen vomiting from the shock.

Person wearing glasses and a leather jacket, named Caleb Flynn, from Tipp City, OH, speaking on camera

But just three days later, Flynn was arrested and charged with her murder. Investigators now believe the crime scene had been staged to look like a burglary, and that he was responsible for the shooting.
The same footage that shows him appearing devastated was later released publicly. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case is ongoing.

A person is on the ground during a police bodycam encounter. A hand is visible, possibly from an officer, with "EXTRA" and "POLICE BODYCAM" text visible

3. Helen Moore [6], once known as Australia's "babysitter killer," was convicted in the early 1980s of murdering three children and attempting to kill two others while they were in her care.
One of the first victims was her own cousin, Susan Louise, and the child's parents -- Moore's aunt and uncle, Pat and Bill -- said they believed early on that she was responsible. They later said they tried to tell police about their suspicions, but were pushed aside, with the death ultimately treated as natural at the time.

Person sitting in a vehicle, looking down with their hand on their forehead

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After Susan Louise's death, several other children in Moore's care died under similar circumstances, with some cases initially attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But the pattern linking her to multiple cases wasn't identified right away -- a failure that many believe allowed the killings to continue longer than they otherwise might have.
As Pat and Bill later said, if their concerns had been taken seriously, "it could possibly have been stopped, and those babies wouldn't have died." Moore was eventually convicted and sentenced to multiple life terms, but was released after serving less than 14 years.

A distraught woman is being supported by two people, both dressed in professional attire, as they help her walk

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Decades later, in 2026, it was revealed she had been living under a different name [7] on the New South Wales Central Coast -- just about 100 meters from a childcare center -- and had allegedly been interacting with children again, including babysitting for neighbors who had no idea who she really was. The discovery sparked outrage, with many questioning how someone with her history was able to quietly re-enter a community without those around her being aware.

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4. In 2016, 21-year-old American student Otto Warmbier [8] was arrested in North Korea after being accused of trying to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after a short, highly publicized trial, and then essentially disappeared into the country's prison system.

A person in a suit sits at a table, appearing emotional, with several microphones in front of them

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For over a year, his family had almost no information about what was happening to him until 2017, when North Korea suddenly announced he had been in a coma for months and released him back to the US.
When he arrived home, doctors found he had severe brain damage and was in a state of "unresponsive wakefulness." He died just six days later, and the exact cause of his condition has never been clearly identified.

A man in casual attire is escorted by two uniformed guards in a corridor

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North Korea claimed he fell ill from botulism and a sleeping pill. Still, US doctors found no evidence [9] of that, and his family said he had been "brutalized and terrorized" during his detention, leaving what actually happened to him in those 17 months largely unknown.

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5. In 2025, 45-year-old Angela Shellis [10] was persuaded by her teenage son to leave their home in Prestatyn, Wales, in the early hours of the morning. CCTV footage [11] later showed the two of them walking side by side around 3:20 a.m., heading toward a nearby nature reserve, with him leading the way. The footage has since circulated widely, showing what appear to be her final moments alive.

Two people captured in night vision walking over a railway crossing

Earlier that night, he had apparently held her captive in their home for hours and attacked her.
He then convinced her they were going to get medical help, but instead led her to the park, where he killed her with a hammer. Investigators later found evidence that he had planned the attack in advance, researching methods and recording parts of the violence.

Residential street with cars parked alongside a row of houses

Her body was discovered later that morning, and police quickly identified and arrested him at their home after piecing together CCTV footage and evidence from the scene. He later pleaded guilty and, in 2026, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of about 22 and a half years.

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6. Timothy Treadwell, the subject of Werner Herzog's documentary Grizzly Man, spent years living among grizzly bears in Alaska, believing he had formed a kind of connection with them. In 2003, that belief ended when he and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were attacked and killed by a bear.
Their camera, which had been left running with the lens cap still on, recorded the entire incident on audio. There is no video, only several minutes of audio capture of their final moments.

Person crouches in grass with mountains and a bear in the background, wearing sunglasses and outdoor clothing

(C)Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

The recording was recovered but never released publicly. Herzog later listened to it while making the documentary and was so disturbed that he refused to include it, urging Treadwell's friend, Jewel Palovak (who controlled the tape), to never listen to it and destroy it.
She kept it for years, but recently said that after locking it away for years, she ultimately destroyed [12] it a few years ago.

A couple with long hair pose beside a seaplane in a scenic mountainous area. They are wearing casual, outdoor clothing

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17 Extremely Disturbing Things I Learned Last Month

Here are all the terrifying, shocking, and extremely disturbing things I learned about recently. Some are stories from just last month, and some are stories from many years ago.

1. In 2011, a law student named Stephen McDaniel[1] was being interviewed by a local news station about his missing neighbor, Lauren Giddings, who had suddenly disappeared from her apartment complex in Macon, Georgia.

(You can watch that interview right here, if you're interested):

Investigators later determined that McDaniel had become fixated on Lauren, stalking her[2] and secretly recording her without her knowledge. There was no evidence of a real relationship between them -- just a one-sided obsession that escalated over time.

North Korea claimed he fell ill from botulism and a sleeping pill. Still, US doctors found no evidence[9] of that, and his family said he had been "brutalized and terrorized" during his detention, leaving what actually happened to him in those 17 months largely unknown.

Her body was discovered later that morning, and police quickly identified and arrested him at their home after piecing together CCTV footage and evidence from the scene. He later pleaded guilty and, in 2026, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of about 22 and a half years.

1. In 2011, a law student named Stephen McDaniel [1] was being interviewed by a local news station about his missing neighbor, Lauren Giddings, who had suddenly disappeared from her apartment complex in Macon, Georgia.

Investigators later determined that McDaniel had become fixated on Lauren, stalking her [2] and secretly recording her without her knowledge. There was no evidence of a real relationship between them -- just a one-sided obsession that escalated over time.

North Korea claimed he fell ill from botulism and a sleeping pill. Still, US doctors found no evidence [9] of that, and his family said he had been "brutalized and terrorized" during his detention, leaving what actually happened to him in those 17 months largely unknown.