0:00

is a

0:02

rooster teeth production

0:09

all across the internet, people constructs

0:11

online identities, and a username

0:14

is the most important aspect

0:16

of that profile giving them an identity

0:18

to use when revealing potentially

0:20

sensitive information one user

0:22

did exactly that as they posted about

0:24

confusing yet strange experience

0:27

they had in their town today we

0:29

discussed the story of reddit user

0:31

iceman throwaway one two

0:33

three this is where

0:35

want

0:43

come back to another mystery monday your read

0:45

where the show where we discuss conspiracy theories

0:47

unsolved mysteries crypt it's true crime

0:50

aliens everything in between

0:52

today we got another internet centric

0:55

mystery which is on my favorite i'm

0:57

your host harper collins with me as always with that

0:59

dot check those questions

1:01

that

1:01

psychic power i think alfredo

1:04

di as moon on a dozen

1:06

the government starts testing imprisonment

1:08

and with your gut instincts to naturals typical

1:11

know i think you can read my mind sometimes so

1:13

i'm put it out there you got you got abilities

1:15

a see were gone back to our roots oh

1:18

yes it's been awhile since we dusted off a nice

1:20

to see internet mystery

1:21

i think it's time i think funding of athena

1:24

mysteries as wanna mean that's like is it the

1:26

roots of read web but then also their

1:28

their deathly more recent yeah to

1:30

you know you can kind of like like and go okay

1:32

there's the recent tech involved

1:34

or at least should be involved oh

1:37

yeah involved

1:38

the the analysis could be more modern

1:40

it's it's a new frontier for mysteries

1:42

it's why love it so much and your rights

1:44

where we got our our starts on this podcast

1:47

but this what happened only three years ago

1:49

essentially to the day of july

1:51

twenty ninth to nineteen that went

1:53

down on reddit the let's talk about

1:56

on july twenty ninth two thousand and nineteen

1:58

this user who were going to refer to the borders

2:00

iceman posted a question

2:02

on the sub reddit named too afraid

2:04

to ask no typically this

2:07

sub reddit is meant for embarrassing

2:09

or strange questions things that you wouldn't wanna normally

2:12

asks they're not normally for

2:14

questions that you're literally too afraid

2:16

to ask the guy are return

2:19

or ago so they stated

2:22

that they live in a suburb outside of large city

2:24

there's suburb had once been a bustling

2:27

main street that had many of other businesses

2:29

on it but like many other suburbs around

2:31

the nation sometimes these businesses

2:33

start to go out of style and sorta close

2:35

their doors in fact in this suburbs

2:38

many businesses started to shut her up and close

2:40

their doors but about after

2:42

a month or so of empty businesses

2:44

on the main street iceman claimed that

2:47

twelve identical stores opened

2:49

up on that very same main streets

2:51

all these stores have very similar names as well

2:54

and a format similar to town markets

2:56

or market of insert town here

2:59

signs also had a very similar style enfant

3:02

to them and they carried they same

3:04

products typically products typically

3:06

list of grocery items have

3:08

you ever seen a store like this riddle like a small

3:11

convenience store a total else let's put others findings

3:13

walls of these they're all yang

3:17

very very similar formulaic

3:19

so even if

3:21

are

3:22

you know that but aside fact that it's

3:24

creepy as hell didn't sound like a really

3:27

bad business it , does

3:30

layer like i'm in a corner the suburb of

3:32

make twelve stores right and they're all

3:35

similar i guess are very similar and

3:37

that's not even the eerie per i mean that just feels like

3:39

bad business but it doesn't really stand out

3:41

and raise the eyebrow right that's why a lot

3:43

of people gloss over this thread in the initial this

3:46

i don't know that sounds that's

3:48

weird to me i mean granted i'm getting

3:50

all the context in a really bright light after

3:53

twelve stores that are all from i

3:55

guess from like a same font the same company

3:57

certain whatever the air

3:59

they're all

4:01

the selling

4:02

no

4:03

there is little like convenience store things is

4:05

kind of what i'm getting at here that's

4:08

weird yeah i would

4:10

honestly like walk in the store disco

4:14

trying to spot the differences right

4:16

oh i have every you'd get on someone's

4:18

radar by walking into each of these stores it

4:20

beat uri just

4:22

the kind of just be like a the same pretty

4:25

much erie for

4:27

reasons you even understood yet

4:29

so, let's talk about it the

4:32

food appears to be a store brand from

4:34

other large stores, essentially, private

4:36

label, not that name brand goodness,

4:39

if you will, from other stores like walmart

4:41

or target whatever these

4:44

off-brand private-label items were

4:46

sold at much higher which would indicate

4:48

that they weren't having directions to them

4:50

but rather somebody was going to one of these big

4:52

box buying a bunch of private-label

4:55

coming back to their store and stock

4:57

in their shelves, which is a very, very

4:59

cautious and efficient way of

5:01

upholding business and i think we'll into some

5:03

of the theories coming at

5:06

from a business perspective is not sure what doll

5:08

very terrible so it's starting to raise some business

5:10

eyebrows blizzards the other eyebrow

5:12

other suspicion the stores had very

5:15

very few customers especially if you paid attention

5:17

the parking lots would often be empty or

5:20

nonexistent of anybody kind of perusing

5:22

the store however if you did

5:24

decide to enter them you would notice that there

5:26

will be quite a number of staff

5:28

members this place the

5:30

basically no customers tons of staff

5:33

expensive items that they went off in manually god

5:36

business however let me dive into it

5:38

for you have a question in these employees

5:40

once you entered the store again

5:43

according to iceman were very creepy

5:45

in nature they would stare at you follow you

5:47

around the store with their eyes are sometimes they would cynically

5:50

follow you around the store it's just a kind of gather

5:52

what you were doing for tending to mess

5:55

around with the cells and items as

5:57

you were actually shopping almost

5:59

like they were keeping of close eye on anybody that came

6:01

in maybe i wouldn't go to all

6:03

the stores baby i have one get

6:05

the creepy vibes and then just bounce

6:07

what wasn't that bad sample size you know

6:09

you can't you can determine who

6:12

thought is that it's or operates the same way

6:14

but i bet you they know guy anything

6:16

that i can get anywhere else we

6:18

better had a for those stores and if you have

6:21

a a mean sound

6:25

like a place as laundering money oh my god

6:27

it does absolutely it does the

6:29

vows to be like okay it's not paranormal

6:32

or maybe just a place laundering money

6:34

yeah the creepy people i follow you around

6:36

and stuff

6:37

yeah that that's a weird way of

6:40

they didn't really suspicious a refund

6:42

even more suspicious but that's

6:44

like the grounded

6:46

the theory that i write write this reminds

6:48

me of mattress firm which is a totally other

6:50

conspiracy but why there's so many mattress

6:52

stores man how are they staying open there's

6:55

a lot of mattress stores and it was supposed to last

6:57

like ten years uh-huh uh-huh

6:59

yeah i'm not buying [unk] i [unk] laundering

7:01

money in my mattress and

7:03

then you just start to think about starbucks there's about five

7:06

on every corner anyway i digress

7:08

those are other stories but basically

7:10

the odds stores here and all cookie

7:13

cutter and everything know when you go into these stores much

7:15

like you would expect with a small convenience

7:17

store just quick background when you

7:19

use a credit card there's a be associated with

7:21

that so smaller businesses that don't have as

7:23

much volumes tend to want you to

7:25

buy a certain limit so they're not spending

7:28

high percentages on credit card

7:30

fees so the same applies

7:32

to the store however the minimum purchase

7:34

for a credit card was pretty extraordinary

7:37

they will only accept cash and less you bought over

7:39

fifty dollars worth of items happy

7:43

very hefty and so it sounds like they want to stay on paper

7:45

they don't want any digital trails now

7:48

the original poster the opiates claimed

7:50

to have purchased spread only to realize

7:53

them that when they got all they way home it had

7:55

been two months expired the

7:58

came back to the store in order to return the bread

8:00

and when they tried to do that they started checking out the

8:02

shelves and they realize essentially

8:04

everything on the shelves was expires

8:07

it seems like a very common trend among all these

8:09

different stores that many if not

8:11

all of them had items that we're

8:13

way past their best buy and

8:15

expiration dates and iceman

8:18

ends his posts and his story saying

8:20

quotes i'm so confused

8:22

i feel i come in an episode of the twilight zone

8:25

what's probably happening here and

8:27

that's when the comments kind of stepped in

8:29

to help figure this thing out i mean honestly

8:31

that is the very much like a twilight

8:33

zone episode uh-huh there

8:36

any proof of this awfully happened

8:39

so weird that's a good question julian

8:41

do you know if there's like any photos

8:43

of this because i remember living this thread

8:46

in wondering the same thing like get me some

8:48

photos of was situated

8:50

we're or the toy nineteen twenty nine team

8:52

that we all got cameras on our phones no

8:54

photos nothing dang

9:00

nag nag at one would say conveniently

9:03

nothing her conveniently that

9:06

and ability zero ,

9:09

talk about some of the comments and questions that cropped up because

9:12

because iceman was pretty active in the comments

9:14

responding to people and another people asking questions

9:16

so despite the strain story many people

9:18

on reddit took this story seriously

9:21

many actually seared they're surprised that this post

9:23

because it i think it is so such

9:25

a familiar story considering the whole mattress

9:28

firm conspiracy that's been going on for like

9:30

decades but a lot of people

9:32

thought that this felt so uncanny to

9:34

the know sleep subreddit which is a subreddit

9:36

dedicated to storytelling usually

9:38

they're scary stories and

9:41

in the past supposedly

9:43

they used to be all true stories now it's entered

9:45

the realm of original fictional stories

9:47

but just so you are aware like the the

9:50

theme of that subreddit is you go

9:52

into the stories and when you comment you

9:54

have to act as if they are real because

9:56

you don't want to subvert the storytelling

9:58

power there like a really

10:00

engaging way to tell

10:03

a story and be able to react to it in

10:05

universe it's cool yeah that sounds like

10:07

a threat rodgers role playing and be

10:09

stories but it

10:11

felt very much like a post from

10:14

no sleep and obviously it wasn't arm

10:17

another reddit user named jamming to

10:19

asked if all of the stores were selling

10:21

expired food and had so called creepy

10:24

employees which is very good question asks

10:26

iceman responded saying that saying that one

10:28

store made an effort to keep

10:30

their stocks press but despite

10:33

that effort they still had expired

10:35

dairy products and things of that nature and

10:38

that all of the stores in the and seem to have

10:40

expired stock that supposedly

10:43

and i'm quoting i mean here refreshed every

10:45

several weeks at least

10:47

goes we have this was like

10:49

some highly active location

10:53

for added know radiation or paranormal

10:55

stuff for aliens whatnot

10:58

they are fewer good at least be function

11:01

or store

11:02

in some sense like the whole

11:04

thing's be expired doesn't make any sense

11:07

to me now

11:08

i mean unless you have something on yourself and

11:11

then ryan and does not care but

11:13

i still i just oh by all the shelves in if you

11:15

have the money to buy the whole bite

11:17

block like that

11:19

you can you can just throw some like

11:21

why go after stuff that's perishable

11:23

get a picture frame or porcelain doll

11:26

says that is it dot will outlive me the idea

11:29

that doesn't expire rumors some exactly

11:32

why why but to stop that expires

11:35

maybe they wanted a store that would look

11:38

active and start but wouldn't

11:40

garner enough attention because

11:42

they were bigger competitors in town but if they started

11:45

having trotskyism little knickknacks then

11:47

they might draw the attention this

11:50

quiet little suburb me you know

11:52

true and then they look great now we've got to get a bookkeeper

11:55

the by all of our dolls

11:57

yeah i know is okay

12:00

so somebody responded

12:02

to ice mans reply so kind of keeping

12:05

the conversation going and they suggested that they reports

12:07

these stores to the health department because

12:10

of all this expired food clearly something's going

12:12

on nice man responded by saying quote

12:15

if i do something at all it will be

12:17

this the bread and he's describing

12:19

that the one that the bought the bread was bread nasty

12:21

shade of green on the inside in

12:24

quote which that i've

12:26

had my fair share of mold spots on my sandwiches

12:29

and point i just gonna choke down for some

12:31

extra protein but i've never seen bread go

12:33

full nasty green know

12:35

i guess it was just like on a no

12:37

other bread that i see is quite

12:39

clear bags yeah there

12:42

are there also hiding the expired

12:45

goods that's true the

12:47

conversation evolves another reddit or came

12:49

through with the named james guy

12:51

to and they asked iceman as he

12:54

was the only person in town to notice

12:56

this or if this was something that was kind

12:59

of well noted by the town and

13:02

iceman responded that their town was largely

13:04

populated by elderly people so

13:06

they quote don't have many people to talk

13:08

to about it and quote which sounds

13:11

convenience that browse at the

13:13

first thing over gonna say oh though convenient

13:15

amount of mr by how big or small

13:18

is on the miss me small a small as

13:20

as town was the way they described

13:22

it to keep their anonymity right they don't a doc

13:24

themselves by ah they're saying it's a suburb

13:27

outside of a large city that's close

13:29

to a large city i would imagine that it's not

13:32

one of those like smaller towns

13:34

that were i do in the middle of indiana right

13:36

wearing you know everyone knows everyone there

13:39

so they would be a main artery of highway

13:41

coming through and so i don't know

13:43

what the way they had been described their town

13:45

does not seem to sit in my mind the

13:48

naturals suburb that he described

13:50

earlier yeah and i guess i

13:52

understand one

13:54

non a mass

13:56

how i feel like you'd be that's

14:00

the all which are not big it is

14:02

the to be feel like it's

14:04

the anonymous even if we decide where it lies

14:06

perhaps until like read it gets

14:08

their grips on and they start searching every suburbs

14:11

town mart or something you never

14:13

hear but she kind of continued

14:15

on to say with one more detail say

14:18

a few friends had also seen these stores

14:20

great thumbs up rights and however

14:23

he says that they were drunk at the time and

14:25

so nothing conspiratorial came

14:27

from from their discussion about these

14:30

stores and nothing stood out to them so

14:33

again we have another i

14:35

don't know it slippery he right

14:37

it's a little slippery or it's like know conveniently

14:40

like this

14:42

l a given easily answered

14:44

because because let him

14:47

ah you know zero and else

14:49

notice non sounds pretty old you know

14:51

all my friends notice when they're drunk right

14:54

but it's just like

14:55

this is

14:56

recent this isn't that far off

14:58

at spreading it

15:00

it's to our men are now to tackle

15:02

this such different way i still documented

15:05

arctic photos i'd i'd be out my

15:07

on a know how this person or the on my bicycle

15:09

just taken photos of

15:11

my eyebrows doesn't matter how old your i phone

15:14

as i get as ton of photos in

15:16

straps in think your handlebars start livestream

15:18

and son the as our darwin

15:20

documented asteroid you how that technologies

15:23

like large it's weird and on rises in

15:25

two thousand and one you don't care about anonymity

15:28

on the internet anymore pierre but

15:30

internet get a don't ourselves internally but basically

15:33

these are the only detail they gave away about

15:36

their location everything was it was very

15:38

coded and very

15:41

they were just very careful not to reveal their location

15:43

which i don't know that adds to the authenticity

15:46

or not that in another comment

15:48

iseman said that it was strange how

15:50

quickly these identical stores with up

15:52

because usually when you put

15:54

up a business especially in his town he saying

15:57

they have to deal with lengthy zoning issues

16:00

now i will say if these are businesses

16:02

that closed and now a reopening as a different business

16:04

you don't need to rezone them right

16:07

i do want to say that because of this language

16:09

he was extrapolating the idea that the

16:12

local city government must be in on

16:14

whatever this scheme is that

16:16

maybe some kick backs were happening because

16:19

of how quickly all these stores went yeah

16:21

i mean you get you'd have to think in some way

16:23

shape or form like the government

16:26

or just kind of like the

16:28

local authorities or oh

16:31

whatever be a air paula

16:33

like partition something i you can't just throw

16:36

up buildings straight paths

16:38

diversity that many buildings that quick if

16:41

you are they would just use the establish buildings

16:43

right yeah put them in there's all kinds

16:45

of permits and regulations on the be done

16:47

to get laid bare hand off of buildings

16:50

the not that simple that's fair

16:53

there i mean years the also did he

16:55

buy it as well and then there's the

16:57

others the whole process of handing over

16:59

the lake the documents paperwork

17:01

and deeds the building whatnot

17:04

land cetera

17:06

well we gotta talk about the idea

17:09

pictures and i want to dive into that a little

17:11

more because iceman did

17:13

add an update to his original post

17:15

to extrapolate because a lot of people were asking your

17:17

where are the photos let's let's get into this

17:20

he edited and like a little disclaimer

17:22

the said hey i work late therefore

17:25

i can't get any good pictures here

17:27

and there update does not

17:29

have a time stamp on it's but it is worth mentioning

17:32

that ice mans last confirmed activity

17:34

on that account remember it is a throwaway

17:36

which is an account you make for

17:38

the sake of putting out some information and

17:40

the never using the account again so

17:42

this the last activity on this account was july

17:45

twenty ninth that very same day that the original

17:47

post happened at eight fourteen

17:49

pm central time men

17:51

never posted again from that account and some

17:53

wonder if iceman disappeared

17:55

from reddit due to getting caught trying to take

17:57

photos of the store or because they talk

17:59

to

17:59

the stores

18:01

or it could be that it was a throwaway and

18:03

they just never had a password

18:05

or something like that

18:06

the know

18:07

though he he dropped the question

18:10

bomb and then fled man

18:13

as food

18:14

for review we're just fought over to see what

18:16

the spices about

18:18

manning is a flake man

18:21

identified as of it's of be concerned

18:23

i would want people to accept like i'd want to bring attention

18:25

this the enemy the

18:27

dream so interesting that you cause

18:30

it whether you dogs your own city or nuts

18:32

i feel like at least some other person

18:34

out there would have a shared experience

18:36

if this is a common thing

18:39

it doesn't seem like it's a common thing so i

18:41

don't know that means to me it's either made up or

18:44

it is a very interesting scheme

18:47

of some sort that's going on i

18:49

thought you'd have to be made up to seventy because the

18:51

fact that late the now i

18:53

mean me personally some we were like that

18:55

was happening in my town

18:57

i would want to i

18:59

want to make a public that really good

19:01

kind of an easy way to do it the just

19:04

how much people on internet com check it out

19:06

right or not

19:07

the you're

19:09

some want anonymously

19:12

bring attention to this that

19:14

i don't know said necessarily be checking forums

19:17

and the internet what i eat and mean a gun

19:20

and legislate

19:21

the talk about a year the location few us

19:23

are checking and now i feel safer because

19:26

it is people here dislike a what's going

19:28

on specific our missy oh that's what i

19:30

had no

19:33

, was your foot foot

19:38

was it appears would i it do

19:40

i feel like twenty nineteen you gotta have the skills

19:42

of case you you create a

19:44

bot that scans towns

19:46

for you know if it just looks

19:48

around all these different towns for businesses that

19:51

have the town's name in the of you know

19:53

it's going to be town name mart or

19:55

market of town name just

19:58

have a bot scrub through the united it's

20:00

and see if is is a common thing if you can't

20:02

find these stores you might even prove themselves

20:05

that's true you know

20:07

if you saying that it's the name of the town and all

20:09

these only , back seats town

20:12

name marts and market of town name

20:14

yeah i feel like reddit

20:16

would just go absolutely nuts and and

20:18

still find out by regardless exit

20:20

or actual locations it's gotta be some

20:22

kind yeah like a record or something and that people

20:24

can track down absolutely

20:27

well hello there task

20:29

force and welcome to the moment in the episode

20:32

that i get to talk to you directly just

20:34

for little bit a housekeeping and a

20:36

little bit suspense to from honest with

20:39

that those theories on the way but i just wanna say

20:41

thank you so much for continuing to shout out

20:43

the show and review as we have sixty nine hundred

20:45

that's our views on spotify

20:48

phenomenal numbers they you also so much

20:51

as , free weight as for the show as well as sharing

20:53

this show with another friend of yours who you think

20:55

would enjoy the creepy

20:57

unnatural as a story

21:00

that we tell the unsolved the true crime

21:02

come on let's pause it up a little bit but

21:04

yeah to bring another people in the task force is

21:06

another fantastic way to support the

21:08

show and thank you all so much for doing

21:10

that really appreciate you i'm

21:12

really happy today that we're diving into yet another

21:14

internet mystery and the next week

21:17

we're not doing a huge thing but we are doing

21:19

are mini celebration of one hundred episodes

21:21

were finally talking at length

21:24

about the men in black swan so eager

21:26

to share that one with you with know been dropping as breadcrumbs

21:28

for over a year for finally making

21:30

it happen and celebrating one hundred beautiful

21:33

episodes with the task force support

21:35

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21:46

i'm going to i can't help but he's help little bit have

21:48

you ever use one of those sleep apps that

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21:52

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21:55

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21:57

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21:59

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22:01

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26:36

and with that said let's get right back

26:39

into the mystery simon

26:42

theories one of them being and we're gonna

26:44

talk about it right out the gate is that this is

26:46

a hoax it's probably the most obvious theory

26:49

and , that many users had at the time iceman

26:52

had no pictures and no information to verify

26:54

their story they were very cagey about

26:56

releasing any sort of information which i understand

26:59

however in the the grand scheme

27:01

of the understanding the story and telling

27:03

the story he didn't give enough to

27:05

really solidify it and there's

27:07

no reason to believe that twelve identical stores

27:09

could open at the same time freely

27:12

cel expired food all

27:14

have the same branding

27:16

feel that when hits news headlines like

27:18

someone would you know as because that is a

27:20

good clickable title you know

27:22

one somewhere would have said something

27:24

and notice something as silly

27:27

i don't know it's it's it's weird and

27:29

people would notice that so public very

27:31

true that's out on mainstream and

27:35

as we can to talk about this was a throwaway account which

27:37

can mean a few things but in the sake of this

27:39

being a hoax it being a throwaway

27:41

means that this person always intended to leave this

27:43

account and that their disappearance from reddit

27:46

had nothing to do with this mystery but

27:48

more so a plans disappearance

27:50

from this account usually there that

27:52

helpful to conceal your identity to detach

27:54

you from your post history on the you're supposed

27:57

main account so that we know and can track

27:59

you down and so yes on one hand

28:01

that could tell you that the

28:03

validity in this case under

28:06

these circumstances a lot of people believe

28:08

that that lends itself to the hoax theory

28:11

however despite all of that discussion

28:13

about it being a throwaway one interesting

28:15

thing flies in the face of that and

28:17

that is that this account that he used

28:19

iceman was created two

28:22

years prior to the post that we're

28:24

talking about and it was very active

28:26

in a pc gaming sub reddit to discuss

28:29

pcs and building pcs and gaming and

28:31

all that sort of stuff the very act

28:33

as there and they were even commenting

28:35

on that sub reddit while the

28:38

story was ongoing though

28:40

that's weird it was this like a long play

28:42

to create this account and plan this story

28:45

why did that the story was authentic

28:48

that it's it just raises some questions the

28:50

timing of this account creation and then

28:52

the disappearance happening during this story

28:55

maybe you get more attention than they wanted i it's

28:57

a mere does that it does add some my

28:59

lisa my as one of the truth and way to

29:02

it when it's like going to tell that was out for like

29:04

a couple years me you know

29:06

the man and then the start popping

29:09

off as opposed to like i just made a town a month

29:11

ago and arrives this crazy story that's

29:14

so long game that very few

29:17

have the patience for oh yeah my

29:19

dad or one hand throwaway

29:21

means to me like oh yeah it's not weird that you

29:23

disappeared but on the other hand a two year old

29:25

account the used heavily for months and then suddenly

29:28

disappeared like when the story came to pass

29:30

i may be that mystery part

29:32

is back on the table i don't know it's man

29:35

that's what's frustrating most of these internet mysteries

29:37

that there's only conjecture

29:39

to go off

29:40

the pressure one hundred as recent as as man

29:44

there's all kinds attack i

29:46

wanted found some way somehow

29:49

snatch photos like crazy adam i don't know

29:51

like again the

29:53

i would have wanted to get people involved if this

29:56

is like actual thing that's happening regardless

29:59

of good right we're

30:01

and i wouldn't wanna be in a

30:03

small s location

30:05

this is happening

30:07

me little things like the fact that like

30:09

authentic a picture because because

30:12

like i work lay been ,

30:14

work before work daddy to be

30:16

like like out of the perfect

30:18

lighting is just the snag a photo

30:21

if you're willing to rhyme let's

30:23

see that moldy bread in the comfort of your own place

30:25

let's yeah yeah that is you doors

30:28

like fighter i'm still

30:30

question moldy bread but like moldy bread know

30:32

i feel like i eagerly take a photo that

30:34

without talking yourself

30:36

right

30:37

well i think the idea that being a hoax runs

30:39

off of the fact that there is a lot of missing

30:42

pieces to this story as compelling as it

30:44

is it is one can't help

30:46

but at least even if they're at they're at

30:49

big believer in the the the paranormal

30:51

in the unknown and everything like that and in

30:53

conspiracies of this nature it's

30:55

just i bet

30:57

you everyone's got that hoax idea scratching

31:00

the back of their my on this one yeah

31:02

it is just so many little i'd

31:04

dirty the religious he says as

31:06

he saw as why we can't get

31:08

more concerts all of my friend saw

31:11

it they were drunk oh i i

31:13

could go take a photo but it's late

31:15

yeah on elm you know it's just

31:18

that it it's such a light

31:20

fun know story though my

31:22

eyes i know what

31:25

i would do that something that

31:27

popped up where i was

31:28

you know like it's not quite enough for me

31:30

to be like you know what unpacking

31:33

you're not a here i don't want to be here

31:35

and you are you such as a beer by thought as

31:37

in amy spotlight weird

31:39

enough to like

31:40

who

31:41

the were enough to feel uncomfortable

31:44

the guy am live

31:45

yeah i never happened near

31:48

me and be like her

31:50

on an rb on edge oh yeah

31:52

because then you're like what's a what's in the seedy

31:54

underbelly of this quiet little talent i supposedly

31:57

know like they definitely starts to make you

32:00

like a different look at your own stomping

32:02

grounds right i

32:05

lie awake at night questioning being a little

32:07

scared on an hour window the stores

32:09

coming for me despite his that moldy

32:11

bread is that all me over when am i expiring

32:14

oddly enough yeah suffer such yes

32:16

right well let's talk about the next theory

32:18

and i want to treat this one with respect and care

32:20

because this could easily get outta hand

32:22

and i don't want anyone to feel offended by the nature of

32:24

this but there are some realities

32:27

to this that i do want to address some

32:30

people thought that perhaps iceman

32:32

was struggling with mental illness

32:34

of some kind we're not going to attempt

32:36

to diagnose the person space or anything

32:38

this were that but there are some elements here

32:40

that do lend itself to discussing

32:42

this topic so with that said i do

32:44

want to talk about it so perhaps

32:47

they were anxious in the stores with the staff watching

32:49

them and under such close supervision

32:52

it could have created an air where they misinterpreted

32:54

the environments and sought

32:56

that's these individuals are spending

32:58

a little inordinate extra time on them right

33:01

following them staring at them keeping

33:03

their eyes specifically on them and

33:05

it's possible that they either

33:07

miss read the labels or that

33:10

they didn't realize how much time had passed before

33:12

the food grew moldy you know they bought the bread

33:14

and went home and time had passed the

33:17

only wrinkle years that opie claimed the

33:19

original poster against claims that they so

33:21

these stores to their friends and

33:23

by , so one would think that it would

33:26

either substantiate their experiences

33:29

or that it would give a counter position

33:32

to give new perspectives to this

33:34

store right true

33:37

or your fairer

33:39

you know and

33:40

mental state of like a i

33:43

could see how the you could see that stuff

33:46

they're also kind of like

33:48

i didn't come a crazy thing here is

33:50

a the year in that mental

33:52

state

33:53

then you have the internet where you

33:55

together a story in the internet kind of feeds

33:57

into it exactly hear ya city

33:59

and and i'm very sorry really

34:02

diving into i

34:04

guess canal

34:06

the the story this narrative that your

34:08

your mind is telling you i

34:10

mean that's mean good point regardless of the origin

34:13

of their perspective on this environments

34:15

the fact is when they go to the

34:17

internet that perspective to be substantiated

34:20

or exacerbated and they can suddenly

34:22

cycle out of control in

34:25

fact somebody else kind of spoke

34:27

to this particular mystery on a different

34:29

sub reddit known as unresolved mysteries

34:31

and on that sub reddit a user

34:34

name so contemporary suggested

34:36

that perhaps iceman stumble across and assisted

34:38

living facility without really noticing

34:40

it that this assisted living facility

34:42

had it's own stores that would be stuck

34:45

in a certain way it could explain the high

34:47

population of the elderly community

34:49

members that he would

34:51

help highlight for helps their confusion

34:53

on their environment and the perspective

34:56

that they were having at that time either

34:58

way that's about as deep as will go

35:00

on this particular theory because again

35:02

it's all conjecture

35:04

right it's not out of the cards right

35:06

now not at all

35:08

that said let's move on to what

35:10

might be the most realistic

35:12

yet extraordinary theory

35:14

right beyond hoax a that

35:16

is that this was the front for

35:19

some sort of level of organized crime it

35:21

fits very well with the conspiracy of

35:23

the mattress firm and money laundering and all sorts

35:25

of things but many of the people reacting

35:28

in the comments noted that there was

35:30

identical stores that were all involved

35:32

with the same sort of product in the same location

35:34

with the same branding it felt

35:36

very much like existing conspiracies

35:39

of organized crime some thought that this could

35:41

be a front to sell drugs or perhaps

35:43

human trafficking or in other ways

35:45

laundering money money laundering

35:47

just to be clear is where crime

35:49

organizations use legitimate businesses

35:52

to cook the books or skew their accounting

35:55

for their illegal activities if you've seen

35:57

breaking bad you'll see that in full player

35:59

if you've seen ozark you see that and for my been

36:01

basically it is to say like oh

36:03

yes we sold five boxes of cheerios

36:05

but actually they saw the breakers

36:07

something nefarious and that's

36:10

how they kind of wash it out with the government's

36:12

and with taxes and all of that they

36:15

are washing the money make

36:17

it clean i he money laundering

36:20

anyway again as you and i have kind

36:22

of said reddit users at the time also

36:24

brought up the mattress firm conspiracy now

36:27

succinctly this conspiracy revolves around

36:29

the perception that there are so many

36:31

mattress firm stores and very close proximity

36:33

typically yet they're very rarely

36:35

seems to be any customers inside them and so it

36:38

raises the question wire so many

36:40

in the same place what warrants them being there

36:42

being that number and how can

36:44

they stay open if is no patronage other

36:46

than the idea of there being some sort of money

36:48

laundering happening as wild i'd

36:50

ever knew there was a mean they make sense

36:53

yeah how i regatta mattress

36:56

some assets i'll mander

36:58

money you just cleaned up some money

37:00

is enough for her man so

37:02

this is the first time you've heard of that yeah

37:04

i mean that there is a ton of i'm though yeah

37:07

it's funny because i remember the first time i heard this to

37:09

beep on the internet long ago then when

37:11

you hear this for the first time i

37:13

apologize if i took for granted that knowledge but

37:16

when you hear that for the first time you think back inigo yeah

37:19

i have seen a bunch of mattress firms in my

37:21

town the go yeah

37:24

don't know why there's so many

37:25

the people really are his own the mattress

37:28

yeah but how often but i can't tell you the last

37:30

time i bought a mattress

37:32

years ago i hit but i guess like there's

37:34

people mover now there's a lot of people

37:36

that's fair i mean there are a lot of see my mood

37:39

like gonna know moving on t soon

37:41

out of the parents' place

37:43

it's not strange to consider the fact that they

37:45

don't have warehouses but instead they have

37:48

a bunch of small warehouses i he store

37:50

fronts that operate as store front

37:52

foot typically if it is buying online

37:55

they could probably just ship it from your nearest

37:57

mattress firm rather than consolidate

37:59

down to a warehouse

38:01

man a cast seemed like seems

38:04

so highs keep the array the keep these

38:06

buildings up and running you think having a warehouse

38:08

what

38:08

you are beneficial

38:10

the

38:11

that this comes within this

38:13

organized crime money laundering thing comes very

38:15

interesting theory from the reddit user and fear

38:18

they suggested that these stores might

38:20

be committing food stamp fraud i've

38:22

never heard of this before but it's fit so

38:25

perfectly i would love to hear your thoughts the

38:27

businesses maybe buying food from

38:29

other stores which is what it very much sounds

38:31

like and using government issued

38:33

food stamps or fraudulent

38:35

he be t cards and then taking

38:38

those products back to their store

38:40

fronts and then marking them up converting

38:42

that into cash and so they're taking

38:45

or faking even food stamps

38:47

that would be issued by the government and then turning

38:49

that sake coupon as it were

38:52

into cash that

38:55

is deeply illegal for sure yeah

38:57

but i just feel like it's a public

38:59

way that the there

39:02

are many stores in one location and my

39:05

writing that you're not going to be turn a lotta cash and

39:07

one spot as gonna be just so many

39:09

like wells dos or yeah has a sense that's

39:11

nice to see that run a guy like hey

39:13

look at this illegal thing we're doing right

39:16

that's like go under a blockbuster and saying

39:18

hey i'd like fifteen copies of the little mermaid

39:20

and you're like farm sir why you're

39:23

so fifteen people can watch it at once city

39:25

and right skit one tv

39:27

one copy son i

39:29

mean that such slugger like

39:32

of big spotlight avoid

39:34

the early going to do it oh man

39:37

i mean this guy iceman is sitting

39:39

on a money pile as he turned this into

39:41

the iris you get the you

39:43

get whistleblower kickbacks oh

39:45

yeah thing on the size of the crime you take down

39:48

know your numbers dance how years

39:50

rid of that maybe to money job

39:52

is just started people in it harder

39:55

than an art school nurse

39:59

mark in a way that's crazy nick

40:02

bottom and i need some music cues here swing me

40:04

in

40:06

the night on that narc yeah

40:08

that guy was stealing see sale

40:11

nord

40:14

a different places like i'm glad someone

40:16

the smiths on hill

40:19

, not enough they're like feeling cass

40:21

under the table avoiding a taxation

40:24

below ago side hustle thirty

40:27

the climate attacked me

40:29

that is walk around with one of those accounting visors

40:31

on that green thing ah now

40:34

they aren't you know than hello on

40:36

they haven't seen my so then magnificently

40:38

i have nothing to say that

40:41

the they put it at wednesday's at one pm

40:43

when no one's war since this is so

40:45

that's the end of the organized crime like theory

40:47

and i think that that's has a lot of water

40:49

to it or a whole lot of water whatever the phrases

40:52

because again i mean mention that a lot

40:54

of other private label a he store

40:56

brand items were in the

40:58

stores but your point

41:01

filling twelve stores is not only a

41:03

lot of food would draw a lot of attention

41:06

what would also be there are

41:08

a spotlight for any

41:10

sort of local government to go like on a second

41:12

what's going on here

41:14

forms an hour does not lego

41:16

there's no way

41:18

the i gotta i gotta go the theory that it's not

41:20

real hang on let me give us

41:22

eerie because this one my

41:24

catch all this one it comes to us

41:27

from our own research a jillion to

41:29

make sure the add this one and i subscribe

41:31

okay slits in the matrix

41:33

we discuss this before on another

41:35

episode that's in the matrix essentially

41:38

leveraging the nomenclature

41:40

from the fantastic film the matrix

41:43

and a glitch in the matrix is

41:45

essentially saying there's there was a glitch in all reality

41:47

a lot of stories

41:49

talk about people having

41:50

experiences like the mandela effect or

41:53

multiple realities where there like they

41:55

have a memory with somebody when

41:58

they go talk to that person that other person not

42:00

sure that memory it let like there's the

42:02

disconnect but both people fundamentally

42:05

believe in their own positions so

42:07

how it would apply here is that iceman

42:10

suddenly stumbled into an alternate

42:12

reality of his own town maybe

42:14

some sort of dystopian place where everything was

42:16

the same and nobody went shopping

42:18

or whatever and everything was expired and

42:21

then when coming home or coming to the

42:23

internet to talk about it either blips

42:25

back to their own reality or or something

42:28

i like it's a it's very good catch all and is

42:30

very internet centric by it's

42:32

hard to say if a glitch in the matrix is more

42:34

than a story right yeah i

42:37

i would honestly that be the most

42:39

annoying thing in the world's experience that's

42:41

a good in the matrix is what do you

42:44

see it it's real and then all son

42:46

just like boom it before

42:48

the flashback

42:49

in reality etc i would go

42:52

men or no one gonna believe this you

42:54

go downstairs mrs

42:56

make and some breakfast and she's put

42:58

milk in the bowl before the serial hits the porcelain

43:00

the you're going whole on a second are you putting

43:03

the milken first she says

43:05

says we've always done though we

43:07

don't and then you have some sort of twilight zone zoom

43:10

in on to your eyes as you freak out going know

43:12

it's always serial first i know it but that's

43:14

your personal glitch notice i would

43:16

hate that it's

43:19

know either see don't know the proper

43:21

poor said you know how much you needed

43:23

plate it soggy

43:26

sofa yeah now you don't know the first

43:28

you don't i'm an inventor know saga

43:30

spray that he sprints onto

43:33

your cereal it creates a

43:35

hydrophobic filter on the

43:37

mayor the that way it doesn't

43:39

the

43:40

bogged down the saw down

43:42

that

43:43

the highly carcinogenic it's a whole

43:45

another super bowls

43:49

of affair well say

43:51

don't knock it till you try it only for the team

43:53

ninety nine at last about two three

43:55

bowls guy that

43:58

so expensive oh

44:00

but the but that's it but that's those are the theories

44:03

around this mysterious town filled

44:05

with bland store names

44:08

then aspired food is no answer

44:11

don't think it's real i don't think it's rough know i

44:13

think there is a said and entirely possible

44:15

reality that this is a

44:17

inordinately large like

44:20

front for fraud fraud front the

44:22

taken taken non money's getting

44:25

food with it turning it into money's

44:27

you know

44:28

there i bolland people saying hey what are you doing

44:30

a you actually by and you should be by this weird

44:32

store to be by and and but by it and get out you

44:34

know he passed not credit

44:36

card you don't want your digital cash

44:39

you know it it all works out to me

44:41

that is such a weird way of got i

44:43

guess feel like you'd get got a

44:46

gun owner stan how you get

44:48

away with this yeah

44:50

really

44:51

for long at all

44:53

that's true i am i feel like

44:55

this would go down and if it went down

44:58

there d some headlines to the been about three years

45:00

nothing headlines and that's true

45:03

this was still happening yeah be like

45:06

three years they're just getting away with how these weird

45:08

stores have more like i don't know someone

45:10

would report something

45:13

the lake authorities as some

45:15

sort of authority

45:17

dr any grabbed some food or something

45:20

i don't know i mean it is if we agree with iceman

45:22

the government's in on it and now i'm certain a

45:24

think about you know all those movies

45:26

you know where they go up in a pizza place

45:29

and it clearly the mobsters

45:32

that run the place but they actually sell pizzas

45:34

but they also do backdoor

45:36

deals then

45:38

the government's this guy go and yup that's a pizza place

45:41

or maybe that's what's happening here are man i don't know

45:44

there could be like a handshake between

45:46

i mean who knows maybe it's a hands with him in government

45:49

some other corporation or yeah

45:51

they say hey you give us the food stamps will give

45:54

you some kick back we you know

45:56

will vote for you mayor john

45:59

get you back in power

45:59

the

46:01

the look the other way

46:02

yeah meet our i don't know it

46:04

as it's weird as an adult this

46:06

the way is no way this natural authors

46:10

a specific but yeah that's pretty

46:12

much it for iceman throw away one two

46:14

threes mysterious town with mysterious

46:16

stores it's a story with a lot

46:18

of holes in it but man is it one of those

46:20

internet centric mysteries that ignites

46:23

that curiosity and curiosity does the same for read

46:25

it because they've been talking about it ever since trying

46:28

to win allows more details

46:30

this me and after three years

46:32

you would hope something were to come up anything

46:34

but amidst the internet addresses easier

46:37

as you can might jump on in spirit

46:39

in start curiosity could disappear

46:42

this is quite right like i can

46:44

say right now alfredo di

46:46

as elegant living in austin texas

46:49

has psychic abilities that

46:51

is now fact because it is on the internet if

46:53

you're going to like put me in a situation like

46:56

all were on the ground rules are just and

46:59

last ditch effort either

47:01

, and a little i don't have

47:04

any why do you believe that man and an analysis

47:06

veil the powers come when you least out

47:08

them you have to believe believe

47:11

hopefully i'll be your papa to your eleven

47:13

like a slick mystery men it does

47:16

it happens when no one's ah yes

47:19

that's exactly it's all anyways it's hope

47:21

you all enjoyed our got a kind of getting back into our

47:23

roots next week we have a big

47:25

it's mystery for episode one hundred it's

47:27

a topic that you might be very intimately aware

47:30

of are going to spill the beans it's

47:32

men in black baby were finally talking

47:34

about him and talking lot of the stories surrounding them

47:36

and then surrounding think one of the we're gonna throw another

47:38

internet mystery after that so stay tuned

47:41

get excited fredo see right

47:43

back here next week next monday

47:45

for another mystery and he passed

47:47

out

47:59

are you curious about dungeons and dragons

48:02

but afraid of all the math are you someone who enjoys

48:04

listening to friends goof around an improv into fantasy

48:06

roleplaying setting a boy do i have a podcast

48:08

for you introducing tales from the stinky dragon

48:10

a real played the and d podcast that's accessible

48:13

to everyone from newbies to long time dungeon

48:15

masters listening as barbara dunkelman

48:17

blink gibson crystal medicine john rise their take

48:19

on the roles of interns to a superhero team

48:21

in a far off land as gustavo sorolla

48:23

weaves a tale of intrigue for them listening

48:26

details from to thinking dragon on apple podcasts spotify

48:28

or wherever you get your pocket