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Who needs horror when you can read or watch the news? Just when we think it can't get any worse, the world proves us wrong and serves up some or other disturbing story, leaving many of us wondering where we all went wrong.

We are indeed living in strange and scary times. If you needed any further proof, creep over to a dark corner of the internet called Oddly News. With more than 1,6 million followers, it's a wall of unsettling true crime, facts and news: A Texas man in a diaper arrested after yelling "Goo Goo Ga Ga" at young girls, and asking them to "change" him... A mother serving time for beating her kid with a broom because he didn't do his chores... A UAE diplomat who allegedly offered her 13-year-old sister to Jeffrey Epstein. It's the stuff nightmares are made of.

Bored Panda has put together some posts from the page for anyone who dares to delve into the more sinister side of the world.

Many of us complain that the world is a terrible place and that there's way too much negative news. Yet, here we are, scrolling through another batch of shocking, scary and bizarre posts featuring facts, true crime and news stories that defy logic.

Experts say it's human nature to be drawn to the darker side of life, even if we say we hate it. That's why the true crime genre has taken off the way it has. Edison's 2024 True Crime Consumer Report revealed that that 84% of the U.S. population age 13+ are true crime consumers, meaning they watch or listen to true crime through any medium.

Call us suckers for punishment but we love a good (bad) true crime story and here's why...

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    #2

    Smiling Victoria Soto, the hero teacher, sitting by the water. Her tragic story fits morbid knowledge and creepy stories.

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    WhyamIhere?
    Community Member
    2 hours ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Shouldn't have had to happen, and shouldn't happen still.

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    #3

    Two boys run for their lives with their dog through Sniper Alley. A powerful image for creepy stories.

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    WhyamIhere?
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Street in Sarajevo, Serbia. Sniper perched there to terrorise people apparently.

    “As humans, we are always looking for something new and novel. Whether it’s good or bad, we need something that creates an element of excitement," says Dean Fido, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby Online Learning. "When we mix this desire with insight and solving a puzzle, it can give us a short, sharp shock of adrenaline, but in a relatively safe environment.”

    But is it really good to indulge in such bad things? Some argue that consuming true crime can desensitise us and turn horrifying acts into a form of bingeworthy entertainment.

    #4

    Two boys show smallpox effects: one infected, one protected by vaccination. Morbid knowledge of disease.

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    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Tell me again how vaccines hurt the young.

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    Dean believes that desensitization has definitely happened because of "the frequency the media is presenting these crimes to us." He says that true crime also normalises these events and makes us think that we could be potential victims, even though it’s statistically unlikely.

    “However," he adds. "We also become less frightened the more we know – so maybe that’s a positive aspect of our true crime obsession?”

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    #9

    Woman in orange prison uniform, beside a man's mugshot, depicting a grim true crime for morbid knowledge.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Good. She should not have spent so long in prison though. He deserves every punishment and more.

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    Experts are divided, though. Sarah Ward is the author of the DC Childs series, a set of four British crime thriller novels. She doesn't think that true crime has desensitized us.

    “I think when a crime happens, it is still shocking," she explains. "People are very good at compartmentalising what’s real, what’s happened in the past and what’s fiction.”

    Another crime novel author, Roz Watkins says that true stories teach us about other people and about how to keep ourselves safe in the world. “They allow us to experience and learn from terrible things without ever being in real danger.”

    #10

    Man in t-shirt celebrates prison release with two others by a State Correction sign. Text reveals he returned for a new crime. A creepy story.

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    Al Fun
    Community Member
    57 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He is going to get another $4 million in 24 years.

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    #12

    Street lamp in Poland, overgrown vines forming a monstrous shadow figure, day and night, perfect for creepy stories.

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    tom (bat/man)
    Community Member
    4 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    nothing that a strategically placed match can't fix

    Some of those championing the true crime genre argue that it's a valuable weapon in the fight for justice.

    “Podcasting is transforming True Crime, helping to solve cases and to bring in donations for nonprofits at a higher rate. It’s a movement that listeners associate with not just their favorite hosts but advertisers on these shows as well,” said Edison Research's Senior Director of Research, Gabriel Soto.

    Edison Research's True society/">Crime Consumer Report seems to back this up.

    "Compared to True Crime consumers who have never listened to a podcast, True Crime podcast listeners are 3.6 times more likely to donate money directly to a specific cause or organization and 3.3 times more likely to donate money directly to victims and their loved ones," it notes.

    The findings were based on online interviews conducted with 3,148 U.S. individuals age 13 and older in May 2024.

    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Follow on Google News

    #16

    A schizophrenic person's typewritten voices on paper, a morbid fact for those interested in creepy stories.

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    tom (bat/man)
    Community Member
    4 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that's some skill to type that badly on a typewriter

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    #17

    Red-haired woman in handcuffs, Roblox logo. This image relates to a creepy story of morbid knowledge.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Even if we assume the intent was not there and it was "just a joke" this is the danger trolling can have.

    #18

    Smiling boy holding a love sign, with a sad woman inset. A tragic event related to morbid knowledge from Oddly News.

    oddlynews Report

    Jeremy James
    Community Member
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To be clear, she sat on him for 5 minutes, as punishment. The panic he must have experienced. Horrible.

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    The report also found that true crime podcast listeners are 4.4 times more likely to provide a tip or other information to help solve a case, 3.3 times more likely to sign a petition related to a cause from a case, and 1.8 times more likely to promote awareness of case with others.

    When asked why they enjoy true crime podcasts, the respondents' top answers included liking the psychology behind criminal events, the forensic science behind criminal events, the suspense and thrill, and the challenge of solving mysteries.

    #25

    Portrait of a Polish woman who died of starvation, a morbid knowledge fact for those interested in tragic stories.

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    WhyamIhere?
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been to Bali before and I feel some context is needed because you can drive around the island in four hours, and there's millions of people living there + tourists, so HOW ON EARTH DID SHE STARVE?

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    #27

    Heartbreaking image of two elephants touching trunks before lifelong separation, a piece of morbid knowledge.

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    Saltypepper
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Awful,why would they separate them,that will traumatize them for life , elephants are extremely sensitive they will probably d*e from depression.

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    #29

    Jeffrey Epstein shown with bell-shaped poisonous plants. Morbid knowledge hints at blocking victims free will.

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    Jeremy James
    Community Member
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What's interesting about this is that the DOJ chose to redact the name of the person who first forwarded Epstein an article about these plants and scopolamine. That's not a crime, but the person who saw an article about a zombie d**g and thought, "You know who would be interested in this? My buddy Epstein!" is not an innocent person. Definitely not someone excluded by the language of the Transparency Act, either.

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    #32

    Kouri Richins, the Utah wife, serious in court after conviction for poisoning her husband. Features her book cover; a morbid knowledge story.

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    Lost Panda
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm sorry... I know it ain't right but... I laughed at this one

    #35

    Disheveled man with a long beard, rescued after 438 days at sea, now faces a lawsuit. A real-life tale for creepy stories.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Supposedly for cannib@lizing the deceased crewmate after promising he wouldn't. He denies the claims. I couldn't find anything on what happened after. I did see speculation that the family was trying to get a percentage of royalties from the book he wrote about his ordeal as they only sued after it came out. Link to story below.

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    #36

    Man in ghutra at podium. Dubai CEO resigns after Epstein email about video, part of creepy stories.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How has no one been arrested yet? Only Maxwell is in prison, and one noncey member of the Royal Family is under investigation. How can you have a child s*x trafficking system with no customers?

    #44

    Headline: 11-year-old boy charged for ending father's life over a Nintendo Switch game. A shocking real-life creepy story.

    oddlynews Report

    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Again s h o o t i n g. He was angry his switch was taken away (because it was bedtime) and said he didn't think of the consequences.

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    #47

    Zombie-like figure watches a fiery horror movie on an old TV. A creepy stories fact about calories burned while watching.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    New exercise plan! Queuing up Dawn of the De ad.

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    #49

    Man with face tattoos and beard, baby inset. A creepy story of Christopher McNabb k*****g his infant daughter.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't worry. He got life without parole. It was when he was still claiming to be innocent and the judge asked what sentence the person who committed the crime should get. He said the maximum. Which he did. Link below.

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    #50

    Young woman and older man, 45 years apart, a subject for creepy stories. She claims love, he’s a millionaire.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How can she stand being in such a tiny top now that hell has frozen over?

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    #54

    A silent woman in dark attire stands on a house roof at night, an unsettling image for fans of creepy stories.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't hate because she got used to working from home during the pandemic. Astronomers have to pay bills too.

    #55

    Smiling man and woman on a mountain peak. News about a climber charged with m****r makes for creepy stories.

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    poiplescales
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I just saw a reel about this. Apparently guys are doing this rather than break up. Alpine divorce.

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    #56

    Mike Tyson shakes hands with a man. This image illustrates morbid knowledge from creepy stories.

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    Elladine DesIsles
    Community Member
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is not so surprising, aside from it being a celebrity and for photo evidence turning up after the fact. I'm not much for handshakes, but chances are high that at some point I at least crossed paths with the serial k*iller who hunted in my neighbourhood (and quite possibly some of his victims as well). Several of the businesses he is known to have frequented are (or were at the time) within two or three blocks of my house.

    #59

    Scary-Odd-News-Facts-Oddlynews

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When no tolerance means no brains. He was expelled for a year.

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    #60

    A woman with a gun stands by a man on a bed, a no-rat symbol implies poison. A morbid knowledge story.

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    Saltypepper
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why would the do that,and how did she not d*e as well

    #69

    Child looks out a window, Kim Jong Un inset. Headline: 2-year-old given life sentence in North Korea for owning a Bible. Morbid knowledge.

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    Colleen Glim
    Community Member
    3 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because we all know how subversive those two year olds are. Sneaky little buggers

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    #71

    A smiling cheerleader in clear glasses, background crowd. A true story for those who can't look away from Creepy Stories.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bonfire s h o o t i n g. Basically party included a bonfire and someone opened fire (no pun intended). Not some new bonfire thing like the stupid censoring implies.

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    #73

    Mugshot of a blonde woman in an orange jumpsuit. A Florida woman charged with dog a*****t. Morbid knowledge.

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    Saltypepper
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ahhhhhh WHAAAT,that is absolutely disgusting,why would anyone do that

    #74

    Luminous cosmic couple, man touching pregnant woman's belly under a starry sky. Explore creepy stories.

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    Bookworm
    Community Member
    2 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bright shining lights representing our souls is a traditional value every family should have. Good job representing this value Disney.