Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More
Join longtime friends Joe and Ivan on a comedic journey through the mysteries of true crime. Since 2002, Joe and Ivan have been crafting comedy bits and skits together, honing their unique style. With their producer and co-host, Sam, at the sound processing helm, the trio dives into the depths of true crime mysteries, as well as music, history, and various other topics, with a twist.
Joe and Ivan's comedic banter adds levity to even the darkest of subjects but always with a respectful approach. Their motto: Victims are never the subject of the joke; instead, the focus is on the perpetrators, pointing out irony and puns along the way. So buckle up and get ready to laugh, cringe, and ponder the mysteries of the human psyche with Joe, Ivan, and Sam on Dawn of Mantis!
Episodes
416 episodes
DOM Ep377 - Paul & Cody from the "Haunted Ozark Theater" podcast (Pt. 1)
In this episode, Paul and Cody from the "Haunted Ozark Theater" podcast stop by to talk about all things horror.
DOM Ep376 - Saving Face: Alex Mengel's Reign of Terror
In February of 1985, in Yonkers, New York, Alex Mengel quickly escalated a routine traffic stop to the murder of a police officer. Followin that, he engaged in a short lived crime spree that took the life of an innocent woman, and didn't end un...
DOM Ep375 - "Magic Bullet" - The Freak Accidental Death of Trey Cooley
In the summer of 1991, 14 year old Trey Cooley attended a shooting competition with his father at a shooting range in Dallas, Texas. Before the day was over, a freakish series of one in a million incidents would lead to Trey's death.
DOM Ep374 - Amy Bradley Is Missing REVIEW
In this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary on the unsolved disappearance of Amy Bradley.
DOM Ep373 - Wayne Lee Crossley & the Hot Springs Rampage
In July of 1984, after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, Wayne Lee Crossley suddenly pulled a gun and shot the police officer multiple times. Following that, he fled to a nearby Hotel bar called "The Other Place", where began firing...
DOM Ep372 - The Devil's Den Slayings
In this episode, we discuss the tragic double homicide that occurred at Devil's Den State Park, in Northwest Arkansas in July on 2025. Clinton and Cristen Brink, who'd just moved to the area, were attacked on the trail by a lunatic named Andrew...
DOM Ep371 - The 1839 Cane Hill Massacre
On the night of June 15th, 1839, three strangers showed up at the Wright family cabin in Cane Hill, Arkansas. When William Wright opened the door, he was killed where he stood. What followed was a senseless and horrific massacre that resulted i...
DOM Ep370 - Hidden In Plain Sight: The Unusual Cases of Hedviga Golik & Pia Farrenkopf
Its hard to imagine, but there have been several cases in which a person went missing for years, only to discovered to have never left their home. These are two of those cases.
DOM Ep369 - KIDNAPPED: Elizabeth Smart REVIEW
In this episode, we review the recent Netflix documentary "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart".
DOM Ep368 - The Abduction of Morgan Nick (Pt. 2) - DNA Doesn't Forget
In this episode, we continue following the investigation, including eliminating several people of interest, and finally, we cover the DNA evidence that "linked" her abductor to the crime decades later.
DOM Ep367 - The Abduction of Morgan Nick (Pt. 1) - Into Thin Air
In this episode, we cover Morgan's life, the details of her disappearance, and the beginning of the investigation.
DOM Ep366 - French Graves, Billy Goat Mayors and Bionic Kitties- Strange Stories From the Ether
In this episode we bring you a mixed bag of bizarre stories so outlandish that they are hard to believe.
DOM Ep365 - "Don's Done Gone" The Disappearance of Don Kemp
In November of 1982, Don Kemp left his fast paced life in the New York advertisement business to take a solo trip across America and work on a book about history he'd deamt of writing for years. Instead, his 1979 Chevy Blazer was found abandone...
DOM Ep364 - Arkansas Serial Killer James B Grinder
Teresa Williams, Crystal Parton, Cynthia Mabry, and Julianne Helton were real people with families, futures, and lives abruptly cut short by an inhuman monster. In December 1976, 13-year-olds Teresa and Cynthia and 14-year-old Crystal vanished ...
DOM Ep363 - The Martin Family Disappearance
In early December of 1958, Kenneth and Barbara Martin gathered their three children into their Ford station wagon and drove from their Portland home to the Columbia River Gorge to collect greenery for Christmas decorations. At some point during...
DOM Ep362 - The Unexplainable Disappearance of Terrence Woods, Jr.
On the afternoon of October 5th, 2018, 27 year old television producer Terrence Woods Jr was filming a reality show with a dozen other crew members in the remote Idaho wilderness when he suddenly threw down his equipment and sprinted into the w...
DOM Ep361 - The Mystery of the "Bodies in the Bayou"
In this episode, we cover the curious case of "The Bodies in the Bayou". In September of 2025, a cluster of bodies was found in Houston's waterways within a two week span. This has caused many to suggest a serial killer may be at large. Law enf...
DOM Ep360 - Joyce McKinney and the "Manacled Mormon"
In 1977, a young Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson vanished in Surrey, England, only to later reappear with a story that shocked both sides of the Atlantic. He alleged that Joyce McKinney, his ex girlfriend, and an accomplice had abducted h...
DOM Ep359 - The DOM 2025 Christmas Special!
Merry Christmas! In this episode, we examine three tragic events that have occurred on Christmas Day throughout the years, along with one mystery that has endured for over a hundred years. And of course, we do our best to sprinkle in a little c...
DOM Ep358 - The I-44 Tri-State Truck Explosion
In this episode, we discuss the I-44 Tri-State Truck Explosion. In September of 1970, the Tri-State trucking company and the Teamsters Local 823 Union were locked in a heated battle. Union truckers had been on strike for weeks, but their demand...
DOM Ep357 - The Mysterious Death of Karen Silkwood
In this episode, we dive into the story of Karen Silkwood — a lab technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who stumbled into a nightmare. After raising alarms about contaminated equipment, falsified inspection r...
DOM Ep356 - Mile Markers & Murder - The Story of the "Highway Serial Killings Initiative”
In this episode, we cover the origins of “The Highway Serial Killings Initiative”- an FBI program that identifies and links unsolved murder cases that have occurred along interstate highways to support law enforcement agencies. We also talk abo...
DOM Ep355 - The Strange Disappearance & RE-appearance of Brenda Heist
In this episode, we cover the extraordinary disappearance, and RE-appearance, of Brenda Heist. On an ordinary morning in February of 2002, the 43-year-old mother dropped her two children off at school near her home in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Afte...
DOM Ep354 - The Kidnapping of J Paul Getty III
J Paul Getty III was the grandson of J Paul Getty, the richest and as well as the cheapest man alive. When he was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1973, his famously frugal grandfather refused to pay. That is, until pieces of J Paul III began a...
