{"podcast":{"title":"Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes","slug":"conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027","podcast_index_feed_id":7424027,"rss_url":"https://rss.amperwave.net/v2/feed/audacynetwork/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes","website_url":"https://www.pavestudios.com/crimehouse","image_url":"https://images.castfire.com/image/661/0/0/0/0-8476765.jpg","author":"Crime House","episode_count":119,"summary":"Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes explores true stories of belief taken too far: murderous cults, criminal cover-ups, mass manipulation, and the conspiracies that still won't die. Hosted by Vanessa Richardson, three weekly episodes dig into cases like Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, CIA mind control experiments, and presidential assassinations. This is true crime at the intersection of faith, fear and manipulation. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original, powered by PAVE Studios. Follow us on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to @crimehousestudios on YouTube and follow us @crimehouse on Instagram.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-04T16:17:45.456626+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027"},"episode":{"title":"CONSPIRACY THEORY: Mercy Brown & the Vampire Panic featuring Dr. Harini Bhat","slug":"conspiracy-theory-mercy-brown-the-vampire-panic-featuring-dr-harini-bhat","published_at":"2026-05-25T07:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027/conspiracy-theory-mercy-brown-the-vampire-panic-featuring-dr-harini-bhat","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/serve.castfire.com/audio/8239884/8239884_2026-04-14-023324.256.mp3?rssID=5994","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/serve.castfire.com/audio/8239884/8239884_2026-04-14-023324.256.mp3?rssID=5994","summary":"In 1892, as tuberculosis ravaged the small town of Exeter, Rhode Island, a grieving family made a desperate decision: they exhumed the body of 19-year-old Mercy Brown, convinced the dead were feeding on the living. What followed became one of the most well-known cases of vampire hysteria in American history, a moment when fear and superstition filled the gaps that medicine could not. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson explores the Mercy Brown case, the tuberculosis panic that fueled it, and how grief can turn a community toward the unthinkable. How far will people go when science has no answers and the people they love keep dying? Follow Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhat wherever you listen to your podcasts: https://play.megaphone.fm/k9kh4ftdtagplino7jodyw Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios","meta_description":"In 1892, as tuberculosis ravaged the small town of Exeter, Rhode Island, a grieving family made a desperate decision: they exhumed the body of 19-year-old…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2721,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027/episodes/conspiracy-theory-mercy-brown-the-vampire-panic-featuring-dr-harini-bhat/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conspiracy-theories-cults-crimes-7424027/conspiracy-theory-mercy-brown-the-vampire-panic-featuring-dr-harini-bhat.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}