THE DEADLIEST BREAKFAST IN HISTORY: The Oregon State Hospital Mass Poisoning – 47 Dead

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

The screams echoing through Oregon State Hospital that morning weren't from the mentally ill patients—they were from 47 people dying in agony after taking their first bite of breakfast.
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ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.
DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
IN THIS EPISODE: It was 1973, and the small town of Murphysboro, Illinois had quite a scare with numerous people encountering what many described as a large gorilla-like creature. We might call it Bigfoot or Sasquatch – they called it a “Big Muddy Monster”. (A Big Muddy Monster) *** In November, 1978, four employees at a hamburger restaurant are kidnapped and murdered. Almost forty-five years later, seven employees at a fried chicken establishment are found slain – their bodies found in the restaurant’s walk-in freezer. One case found justice… the other is still waiting. (The Burger Chef and Brown’s Chicken Murders) *** In Germanic and Scandinavian folklore, a child murdered by their mother is known as a Kindermorderinn – and if that child is a boy and decides to appear from beyond the dead, he’s considered a “Radiant Boy”. And there are numerous stories of their hauntings. (Radiant Boy) *** Grace Stevens was excited to attend her company’s annual picnic with friends and co-workers, dressing for the occasion, hoping to possibly meet her future Prince Charming. Her company was splurging and inviting everyone to take a ship from Chicago across Lake Michigan to attend the party in Michigan City. They never arrived. (Grace Stevens And The Tragedy Of The U.S.S. Eastland) *** In 1947 a woman jumped to her death from 86th floor of the Empire State Building… yet today, her ghost still needs to use the building’s bathroom facilities. (The Haunted Empire State Building Bathroom) *** But first,, the governor called it “mass murder” in 1942 when forty-seven patients died at the Oregon State Hospital – all within hours. All of them, poisoned. Finding the murderer and motive would lead to an unexpected conclusion, and to an unrelenting haunting. We begin with that story. (An Accidental Mass Murder at Oregon State Hospital)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:00:51.611 = Show Open
00:03:48.028 = An Accidental Mass Murder at Oregon State Hospital
00:21:32.591 = Radiant Boy
00:28:19.019 = Grace Stevens And The Tragedy of the U.S.S. Eastland
00:38:31.908 = The Burger Chef and Brown’s Chicken Murders
00:50:31.332 = A Big Muddy Monster
01:02:18.749 = The Haunted Empire State Building Bathrooom
01:06:03.789 = Show Close
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Haunted Empire State Building Bathroom” by Erin Taylor from the book, “Unfinished Business: Tales of Haunted Restrooms and Bathrooms”: https://amzn.to/3rCp9qU
“A Big Muddy Monster” by Bridge Vaughan for The Patriot Press: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycy9kr78; and from The New York Times archives: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8tpv8v
“An Accidental Mass Murder at Oregon State Hospital” by Capi Lynn for The Statesman Journal: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4swhcvt2; and Macabre Mary at Puzzle Box Horror: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4k53fxa4
“Radiant Boy” by Lux Ferre for Occult World: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/j75fc2w8
“Grace Stevens And The Tragedy of the U.S.S. Eastland” by Kathi Kresol for Haunted Rockford: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8cn6sk
“The Burger Chef and Brown’s Chicken Murders” by Lexi Kakis and Andres Cipriano for Uncovered.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycxh4r32, and Eric DeGrechie for Patch.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc55dubz
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(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
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Originally aired: July 18, 2022
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice. (AI Policy)
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/oregon-state-hospital-47-dead/